2936/The First Expedition to Hyrule

The First Expedition to Hyrule
Date of Scene:	31 August 2015
Location:	The Hylian Mainland <LoZ-5>
Synopsis:	Fassad leads an expedition into Hyrule, and the group learns the path to clear the Twilight from the land.
Cast of Characters:	Deelel, Staren, 73, 248, 385, 481, 513, 758, 774, 789, 821
Tinyplot:	Clearing the Twilight

---

Fassad (248) has posed:
     It has been a long time since anyone in the greater Multiverse has been to this incarnation of Hyrule. Few Elites from outside the land have visited, if any ever have. After all, a great curse has befallen Hyrule. Still, from where the Elites are gathering, it is /quite/ a beautiful land.

     The meeting point is Kakariko Pass, a wide trail through the mountains. The long path leads down into the Trilby Highlands. From this height, nestled between the mountain pass? The vast majority of Hyrule can be seen. Rolling hills, vast forests. Small villages here and there, dotting the landscape.

     Some of the trouble can easily be seen, though. Large patches of the land look different than they should. It is the middle of the afternoon, and yet large portions look as if it is the twilight of the day. The landscape has large shadows, while lit in dark tones, oranges, and yellows. These patches of Twilight slowly move through the land, almost like the shadows of clouds. It's a rather dreary looking scene, but it /almost/ looks beautiful.

     Fassad stands at the pass, waiting for the others to arrive. Normally, he would bring his horse, Excelsior along. But, with where they will be travelling, he has decided not to bring his horse. He looks as he normally does. Blonde, tall, and handsome. He looks towards the trail ahead on occasion, while waiting for the others to arrive from the trail behind him. The trail ahead is rather forested, and densely so. More importantly, it has that distinctive orange tinge. It will only be a short moment before they step into the Twilight.

     Fassad simply hopes that those who respond to his request will be able to help with the problem, and won't back away from the challenges they will be facing.

Sarah Parsle (789) has posed:
Sarah is here because ADVENTURE, and ADVENTURE means LOOT. LOOT means MATERIALS for eventual ALCHEMY and possibly a quick EARLY GAME BOOST for the SESSION when it happens.

So it's to her direct benefit to go help these putzes with their crap. You never know, maybe something actually interesting will happen. Sarah arrives, shuffling forth with no apparent equipment, a 14 year old girl looking probably heavily unprepared for what's about to happen.

She is, but that's beside the point. She takes one look at Fassad, and with a measured gaze, she greets, "Sup, Prince Charmin."

She's betting he won't get it. Without much more fanfare, she steps over to one side, figuring the prince will tell them all what needs to be done and what they have to watch out for when everyone is assembled.

This is reasonable. No point in wasting effort explaining things more than once.

Krezentia Einjager (758) has posed:
    Boredom justifies a lot of things.

    And that's why there's a blonde, red-eyed Magi answering the call. Krezentia's attire is as usual, black cargo pants, combat boots, a purple shirt with a black jacket over it, and a baseball cap slid backward, with an upside-down cross pinned to it. Unarmed, she is however accompanied by a small, foot-tall fairy, who floats over one of her shoulders, emitting dull purple light for the time being.

    Nevermind the fact she's a Confederate; long as you keep her entertained, it probably won't backfire to let her along. Her eyes trail from the changing land, the odd effect making her curious, though it seems to worry her fairy more than anything.

    "Was this really a good idea, funya~?" Kopie asks.
    "Please, when do I ever have bad ideas."
    "I have a lis--"
    "Shut up. Whoever's responsible is probably interesting, anyway."

    The pair make their way to Fassad (and Sarah, and whoever else is already there), looking impatient. "So what's the plan? We just march in and wing it?"

Finna (513) has posed:
    When calls go out to help purge a land tainted by some strange dark sorcery, FINNA of all people answers the call. She's passed up opportunities for heroics at many opportunities, instead being off doing her own thing - whatever that is, exactly.

    But she arrives alright!

    A red-tailed hawk DIVES down from the heavens... and upon nearing the ground? Shifts and enlarges. Finna's changing body swerves around in midair so talons-becoming-feet (with boots appearing at the last moment) slam into the ground, slowed by the last things to fully change... her wings into arms. Because using the wings for maximum drag HELPS a lot. Even so she misjudges the impact velocity on this ground and goes sorta half-bounce-tumbling forward with a yelp!

    --... Only to land upside-down on one hand. "SAVED!"

    Still hand-standing and tail white-furred fox (for who can see it) wagging wildly, she turns about and faces Fassad!

    "Found you!"

Frederica (73) has posed:
    The idea of an alien effect has covered the sky and corrupted a world, that's the thing that draws Frederica Tenjuin. There are of course many other things that draw the fiery-tempered woman's attention, but a world with a corrupted sky is definitely one of the big ones. She has no particular interest in Fassad's goals over anything else the Union does, except for the lure of the world.

    That, and of course there was mention of transforming into animals. But she's not about to admit to that being a major motivating factor. Nope.

    Arriving on the scene, Frederica takes a looooong look down into the twilight-covered lands below. Her own world's sky was once covered, blocked from the sun. It has a certain meaning to her, and she shivers before finally breaking her gaze. Instead she looks to the others gathering around. "Well, this is it I suppose." she says. "Not very homey right now." she shakes her head, pulling up the hood of her outfit, perking the fabric ears upright as the hood settles into place. Yep, seems she's prepared... sort of.

Staren has posed:
    A mix of teleporter and magic wings helps Staren find his way from the warpgate to the meeting place. He's /not/ in his power armor for once, although that's largely because the nature of the Twilight might make it useless to him anyway. Instead he wears a labcoat over a T-shirt and shorts. Totally normal.

    From nearby, Staren 'skates' over the ground, his shoes hovering through the grass, and waves. Once he's close, he nods in greeting to Fassad, and gives curious looks as he sees who else has arrived to handle this. Interesting.

    Then he reaches the point where he can see all of Hyrule. He stares for a moment, just taking it in, but upon seeing the Twilight, he comments, "Woah. That's ominous. So what determines what animal people change into, anyway?"

Dorian Pavus (774) has posed:
    Dorian is not blond, but he is definitely tall and handsome! To let him tell it he was, anyway. Well that's neither here nor there, really. What is important is that he's also HERE. He has followed the directions to the area, to meet with Fassad. With his own world having a hole in the sky that spews out demons, not to mention the Blight, it's little wonder that he wants to help another world that has a wasting curse.

    Anyway, he is there, arriving on-foot, in his usual attire. It's a light-colored leather outfit with metal diamond-shapes studded on it at places, an outfit that probably functions as light armor as well. Stylish AND practical! He has a white cloak over the lot, and on his back is slung a staff with three serpentine dragons at the top.

    He bows to those assembled. "Greetings," he offers, to the group at large. And 'large' is a good word to describe the group here, too!

Deelel has posed:
Deelel has known Fassad had been with the union for a fairly long time. Yet it had been a very long time since any dared to set foot in his Hyrule. Deelel was a bit on edge though given she'd never been there before. She's a bit strange looking. The clothing, the glowing tattoos but she's got a big old grin on her face at seeing Fassad. She was happy to lend a hand here, She's also happy to see she's not the only one whose come to help.

"Greetings!"

Her voice has an digital warble to it, it's faint but it's easy to notice.

"I'm glad to see I'm not only the one whose come to help. I also have no idea if it will effect me. Given what I am."

Archer (821) has posed:
     In all honesty, Archer had forgotten how much of a taskmaster Rin could be. He'd only just come back from one mission and was already on another. And once again, the cast was quite the colorful assortment. And while none were as surprising as the version of his past self he'd met the last time, they were still... noteworthy, to say the least.

    Two of the men - one the apparent 'leader' of this expedition, and the other an apparent mage with a well-groomed appearance - carried vague hints of Matou Shinji; pompous, arrogant and somewhat concerned with their looks. There was also a blue-haired woman in a jumpsuit with circuits on it, a thin blonde-haired girl-

    Archer froze for a moment when he caught sight of blonde hair with a strand sticking out off the top, an image of an armored figure in silver and blue flashing before his vision. For one moment... he thought it was...

    But then the sight doubled, and he knew he must have been misinterpreting it. Shaking it off, Archer let out a sigh when he saw one of the woman only looked like her slightly because of the hair, admonishing himself for the lapse. Of course /she/ wouldn't be here. Why would she?

    Then again, anything was possible.

    Returning to his observation, Archer noted the small pruple-haired familiar on her shoulder, then noted the other woman had in fact looked closer to what he'd seen with green eyes, blonde hair and silver-on-blue attire, but was still different. Then there were the last three - a thin, pale black-haired girl who seemed rather lethargic, a young man with wild golden-brown hair, and finally a white-haired woman with fox-like ears and tail... though nobody seems to count that as strange. Were sights like that common here? What's more... her power level was on-par with what he'd expect from a Caster-class servant.

    What does make him pause is the sigh of the landscape, having an all-too-famaliar sense of dread bud at the edges of his perception. He wasn't a newcomer to things like this

    Still... he hoped it wouldn't be like the Shadow. He didn't need to ever face a monster like that again.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna has a bit of experience with various versions of Hyrule, so when Fassad put out a request for help in resolving a crisis in his version of that land, Yuna's only real response was to check her schedule and see if she needed to reschedule anything, and then let Fassad know she'd be happy to assist.

Which leads to the blonde idol/paladin/quasi-magical-girl approaching the meeting point, already attired in her Light Suit and accompanied by Elner. "Hi everyone!" she calls out to those who were here ahead of her - many of whom she knows, a handful of whom she doesn't, all of whom she seems willing to treat as friendly for the duration.

Yes, even Krezentia. Tia's old adversary/counterpart (and Kopie) get a particularly cheerful grin and wave from Yuna.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Kirika hasn't had a chance to stretch her legs on a mission like this in some time, so it's good she brought the armor for this one. Her sabatons give a metallic thud as they tread towards the meeting grounds, the kitsune aware of the risks inherent to bringing a horse along as well. She can carry her weight on foot just fine, anyways.

    As she approaches Kakariko Pass, she observes the scenery with a frown. This 'twilight' Fassad spoke of worries Kirika just as much as the plague back home in Kasun. It's clear this world has suffered for some time, and it must end soon or else.

    "Prince Fassad," She greets as she joins the group, bowing her head respectfully as her tail swishes side to side, and her cloak billows in the wind. "Well met to you, and the others as well. I trust I am not too late?"

Fassad (248) has posed:
     A glance from Fassad is given towards those who arrive. Smiles and waves to all who show, even if they are a bit unusual, or Confederate, or similar. He smirks a bit at Sarah, crossing his arms under his chest as he looks at her. "Ah, a pleasure! I am glad for one who recognizes me as a charming prince! So few treat me as such." And then, Finna's arrival. He raises an eyebrow, but remains with his charming smile upon his face, "Ah, and you are energetic, as usual!" He then looks towards Frederica, smiling, "Well... Yes. I wish I could bring you here in a time of peace. Hyrule is, truly, a beautiful land. I have long wanted its beauty back. There is no other place /quite/ like it."

     And then, Dorian's arrival. This actually causes Fassad to blink. He, above all others here, looks like a true /hero/. And so, Fassad gives Dorian a bit of an extra greeting, bowing towards him, "Ah! You truly look the part of a hero. Certainly, you will be a massive boon on our quest into Hyrule!"

     Towards Yuna, he simply gives a smile, and a nod. He knows she is a strong fighter. But, there are certain things that he feels that he has decided not to say. This could be an incredibly dreary trip. Having a lighthearted pop starlet along might make things more comfortable for many.

     He looks towards Staren, "...and, curious as always. I am not certain. Some say it is a reflection of who you are, but. I believe it is, in fact, completely random." Fassad grimaces a bit as he says that. Most likely, there is a reason he doesn't want it to be based on who he is. Next, he turns to Deelel, giving her a bit of a nod and a wave as well. Another curious adventurer, "I have no idea how it works on nonhumans. We shall see, though."

     He looks towards Archer. Blinking. This man carries himself differently than most everyone else here. But, Fassad can see it. The weight of experience. Archer gets a bow as well, Fassad smiling towards him, "I am glad you could come, as well."

     He turns to Krezentia, her fairy, and then the others. Time to explain the plan, as asked. "...Alright. So. The plan is rather simple. We will be going into the Twilight, and starting on the path to explore. We will be looking for clues to dispel the Twilight. We have no clue what magic caused it to arrive, but our searching outside of Hyrule has proved fruitless. We /must/ go in. Once we are inside, we will all take on our animal forms. We should still be capable of speech."

     And then, a pause.

     "...and, I suppose it is... up to me to go first." His tone is almost embarrassed as he speaks.

     Kirika arrives just as Fassad steps into the Twilight, Fassad being a second too late The moment Fassad steps into the Twilight, his form changes. His body flashes with darkness, his form shifts. His proportion shifts. It almost looks painful, and there are uncomfortable noises coming from him. As the transformation finishes, the shadows over his body vanish. And, the reason he was so embarrassed to go first is almost /certainly/ revealed.

     Because Fassad is in the shape of a pink rabbit.

     At least, it's a rather large rabbit, the side of a medium sized dog or so.

     He looks back for the group. Ears lowering down to the side of his head. Waiting for the others to enter.

Krezentia Einjager (758) has posed:
    It's complete coincidence. When Krezentia had long hair, she'd have looked very little like a certain king. The bags are too large, really, and that royal bun is missing besides. But then, amusingly, a version of Rin scarred her eyes, and in the moment of blindness, basically the only male member of Mobile Section Six cut her massive ponytail off with his spear. It was either her neck or her hair, a small price to pay, but an annoying one no less. Iris could have fixed her eyes, made her hair regrow, but she chose to keep the style. Kept her separate from Spiritia.

    Now here's what ISN'T coincidence. The Magi's eyes lock onto Archer, curious. He kind of looks like her boyfriend! ... older, grey-haired, those eyes are the wrong color, so's the skin... alright, maybe he barely does. Something about him though. Erk, she can't place it.

    And then YUNA. Yuna fucking Kagurazaka.

    Maybe if Krezentia pretends REALLY HARD that she doesn't know her it will become factual reality. She rumbles to herself, just looks at Fassad instead.

    "Krez, Krez, it's Yuna, funya~!"
    "God DAMNIT Kopie. Don't enable her."

    Fortunately, Fassad interupts any antics with a PLAN, and leads the way. Krezentia follows, stepping through the warping, if eerily pretty land. The moment she does, half of a large, golden gear springs out of her pocket, crackling with divine power. Golden light covers Krezentia, shielding her from the worst of it. She gains WOLF ears, a tail, and a slight shift in her features besides, but she isn't wholly transformed. She snatches the gear up and pockets it again. That was unexpected.

    "KREZ, LOOK, I'M 2SPOOKY4YOU, FUNYA~!"

    Kopie on the other hand is now a floating skull surrounded by a spinning barrier made of purple orbs. "WOOOO, SPOOKY, FUNYA~!"

    "WHAT THE FUCK, DON'T DO THAT!" Krezentia jumps at the sight of the ANTI-FAIRY, before calming down and frowning.

Frederica (73) has posed:
    "Well." Frederica states with some assurance. "If the transformation *isn't* random, surely I'll become a fox. Or maybe a wolf, or something like that. Something dignified and majestic and beautiful as befits myself." she says with all the self-assurance of the deluded.

    She takes one look at the transformed Fassad and starts laughing. She doesn't MEAN to be cruel, it just sort of happens. When she finally gets control, she grins. "Don't worry, Prince Fassad. We'll find out what happened and we'll be able to fix it. I surely have some power over darkness, and all the people here have impressive skills as well." she claims magnanimously. "But, I suppose the best thing to do right now is to get started." she adds, looking at the twilight with some well-hidden worry.

    Frederica steps forward, and the transformation grips her. Darkness, shifting, proportion and size... and when the darkness clears, Frederica is revealed as her spirit animal. It's not a fox. It's not a wolf. Arguably it's not magestic in the slightest.

    It's a hedgehog. Large, and cute as hell perhaps, but nooot exactly what Frederica had in mind when she signed up for this. Also, it's not the two-legged fast-moving blue kind. Nope.

Staren has posed:
    Staren quirks an eyebrow at Fassad's comment. Is there something he's not telling?

    It becomes clear when Fassad steps through. Staren winces at the transformation -- that looks painful. Then his eyebrows raise in surprise. A pink bunny? /A pink bunny/? Awwwww that's adoooorable no don't smile look stern look stern. Staren takes a breath, then approaches the wall. Someone he doesn't know becomes a wolf-girl. Interesting, so the animal thing doesn't work entirely? Frederica becoming a /hedgehog/ is similarly kind of amusing. He figured she'd be a cat or a fox or something. More credit to Fassad's theory of randomness, perhaps?

    Well, he doesn't want to be the last one through! He /hops/ through... "Arrrg..." oh geeze painful transformation and then--

    A black housecat wearing a little sea-green bandana. He raises a paw and looks at it. "Oh." His voice is high and squeaky. He pads a few feet into the Twilight and then turns around and sits to watch the rest. Okay Staren. Be mature. Do not take impish glee in people being transformed. You can do this.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

Anything further Yuna was about to say to Krezentia (or Kopie) is swiftly and brutally derailed by a loud scream. Apparently, anti-fairy Kopie really *IS* too spooky for somebody besides Krez herself.

Somehow, Yuna does NOT go running off in a phobia-induced panic. She also doesn't produce a weapon and open fire, which is probably just as well. She takes a few moments to collect herself, raising her eyebrows instead at Frederica's animal form, then takes a deep breath. "Well, hanging around in the 'safe zone' isn't going to help save this land ..." She strides forward, crossing the 'boundary' ...

The flash of light of her armor dematerializing mostly masks her other transformation, into a rather plain-looking cat. She doesn't even have a spiffy little bandanna like Staren; the closest thing to a collar is a thin band of blue, akin to the choker from her Light Suit.

"... hey, Fassad? What kind of monsters did you say we're going to have to deal with?" she asks dubiously, sounding relieved as it's confirmed that yes, she CAN still speak more or less normally. Turning into a pony on Equestria is less disorienting, somehow.

Sarah Parsle (789) has posed:
Yep. He didn't get it. Sarah isn't sure whether that makes it more funny or less. "We probably have the firepower here for that but that's probably the boring way. Nice fairy. That your Guardian or something?" Sarah replies laconically. to Krezentia. "Apparently, there's some kind of animal thing going on too? I don't even know."

She looks over as the explanation goes out. "Looking for clues. Hope you have an idea where to look, Prince, because otherwise we might wander around this place for ages."

But the time comes and there's a moment of grumpiness from Sarah before she sighs. "Whatever. What will happen, will happen." She mutters, before she steps forward across the threshold.

ONE TRANFORMATION SEQUENCE LATER

There is a distinctly plainative and bitchy meow from the new small housecat, the fur black with some interesting rings of color around the eyes, almost like a mask.

Either way, Sarah takes this opportunity to leap up on top of Krezentia's head and sit there like a feline hat, looking down at Kopie. Sarah's assessment? "That's pretty damn cool." She murrs.

Archer (821) has posed:
    Archer can't help but smirk inwardly as another arrival comes in who peripherally reminded him of Rin due to her black hair, red attire and overall atmosphere of being what most would call a beauty with power. Hell, after having met a version of Emiya Shirou a short time ago, he wouldn't be surprised to see an alternate Rin. He also took notice of her also vulpine features like the white-haired one, privately wondering if they were native to this place.

    However, that question will have to wait. The fact of the matter is that they're about to enter what's apparently a very dangerous area of this world, and if there was one thing Archer hated, it was rushing in blindly. Closing his eyes, he felt the image of the firing hammer click back in his head-

    And then tossed that plan aside when, much to his surprise and amazement, their leader did something he wouldn't have expected someone as outwardly pompous as him to do - take the first step into danger.

    That, however, didn't quite shock him as much as the sight of seeing the man transform into a small, pink-furred rabbit.

    ... well...

    ... that was... unexpected.

    Oh, hell... a curse. Cursed land. One that forcibly imposes a shape-changing spell.

    At this point, Archer cursed three things. One - his E-Ranked Luck for getting this mission. Two - his D-Rank Magic Resistance which wouldn't do a damn thing to protect him form this. And three - the fact that Rin could probably see this through their Master-Servant link and was probably laughing her ass off this very moment... and would also never let him live this down.

     But... too late to back out. Not to mention Rin would never let him live down abandoning a mission, either.

    Letting out a sigh of resignation, Archer steps forward second-to-last of the group, wincing as the darkness envelops and shifts his form, noting the pain as his body shrinks and alters.

    When it clears... what remains is a larger-then-avarage fox, with sharp-red fur, a black underbelly and paws and an streaks of silver across his brows and the sides of his face. His red shroud remains as a cloak and two sleeves over his forepaws... and he has a very unamused expression.

Finna (513) has posed:
    Finna charges through the barrier just as soon as a few others do. SOMETHING on her body sizzles and shimmers on contact with the Twilight magic. In a few moments the illusion guarding her MOONSILVER TATTOOS fails, revealing an elaborate pattern of glowing marks all over her exposed flesh. It's the energy of the Twilight at war with them. Weirdly enough she shrinks down to fox form and starts pacing around. She sees a lot of other creatures, some very unexpected.

    The Snow Fox, Moonsilver Tattoos gleaming through her fur, paces around to examine some of the creatures everyone's become.

    But upon pacing around in front of Frika, she drops her forelegs for a really close muzzle-to-muzzle and peers.

    Then licks Frederica's nose, and RUNS LIKE HELL.

Dorian Pavus (774) has posed:
    Dorian offers polite bows and smile of greeting to those to arrive after him as well. Pompus perhaps, but most definitely not rude. He's got etiquette training after all. And out here in the Multiverse, you never know when you're meeting with royalty. Multiversal royalty have an annoying habit of not showing it until they're offended...

    Fassad responds to his greeting, and he turns in his direction. "That's certainly my hope," he confirms. "Fassad, was it? Prince Fassad?" He'd heard the word 'prince' being thrown around. He bows, once confirmation of the rank is given. Then he offers, "Dorian of House Pavus, Altus mage of Tevinter. How do you do?" He's aiming the greeting at others too, since introducing himself once should be sufficient.

    He quiets when Fassad starts outlining the plan. Though he notes the hesitation and raises a brow. Ah-ha. Always a catch. And then people start going into the Twilight... and changing. Fassad being a vey large, pink bunny when he enters this 'Twilight', apparently. Dorian does have the decency not to laugh, though it's a near thing. But he offers, "Have none of you ever seen a rabbit's teeth before? They're frightening."

    Nonetheless, his turn soon comes, and he sighs. Well, Dorian. Get it over with. You surely won't be the only one embarrassed today. And he enters the Twilight with the others.

    Darkness and transformation sequence! And when the darkness fades? He's a peacock. That said he does have rather nice blue plumage. And being male he has a lot of very long, pretty, blue and green tailfeathers. He looks at himself the best he can. "...I can't say that was entirely unexpected..."

Staren has posed:
    Staren watches Kirika not transform. "Tch. Aww." And then Yuna is another cat! "Huh, that's interesting." He raises a forepaw to point at her. "I wonder why you have a collar?" Next is Sarah, who he's only heard on the radio before anow. "Another cat, huh?" He watches her bound up atop Krezentia. "Wow, you got the hang of that quick." He tilts his head. "Have you been a cat before?"

    Finna is a fellow cheater, but suddenly tattoos. "Huh. Does that usually happen?" Some guy he doesn't know is a peacock. Staren has no comment.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Kirika is...not entirely surprised to see that people are turning into animals, as she observes their entry into the Twilight. Tilting her head, she shrugs a shoulder and walks her way in without delay. "I will try to contain myself." She promises Fassad quietly, as she doesn't notice anything wrong...yet.

    And then she shifts form after a flash of light, a black fox with red ears and eyes. This definitely gives her a regal, if mysterious appearance with how she carries herself even in fox-form. "How shocking." She mutters, then observes the Snow Fox for a moment. When Finna slurps on Frederica's nose, Kirika stifles a giggle before she takes off after Finna. "Get back here! We shouldn't split up so soon without knowing the lay of the land!" She calls out in pursuit. Amusing as this is, serious time is now.

Frederica (73) has posed:
    Suddenly assaulted by a fox, Frederic really isn't sure what to think. She might LIKE to be pounced by a fox in some other circumstances, if friendly at least, but her new hedgehog reactions come to the fore. She tucks in her head, rolling into a ball with spines outwart, yelping in indignation. After a moment she unrolls slightly, her nose peeking out and beady eyes glowering. "That is totally unfair." she claims. "YOU get to be a fox. THEY get to be wolves and cats. This is so random!" she insists, annoyed. "I could've even been a peacock. That would have been dignified, but noooo." she scoffs. Obviously she's not impressed with her current form.

Sarah Parsle (789) has posed:
"I've watched a lot of cat videos." SarahCat deadpans back to Staren. As Frederica complains, she just says, "It's probably some stupid thing about the true nature of our hearts or something." She takes a moment to lick a paw. "Maybe this can be therapeutic for you. At least you're not a bunny, and being a peacock is terrible. You're probably actually the best off of any of us. At least you can do some damage if something tries to eat you."

Krezentia Einjager (758) has posed:
    "Will you NOT scream like that, oh my GOD Kagurazaka," Krezentia snaps annoyingly, motioning towards the new ears atop her head. "We've been in close proximity for a minute and I already want to eat your face." Maybe that's just the wolf fangs talking, though. Or the desire for meat. Oh well.

    And now there's a cat on her head.

    Sarah is cat, won't fix. She knows better than to argue with a cat.

    The Magi glances between the Archer-Fox and the Peacock she doesn't know beyond his introduction. "Can't decide who got the best deal here. That's swag-ass bird though."

    Kopie, meanwhile, floats over towards Fassad. "Now what, funya~? How do we even investigate this? It's not like there's gonna be a sign saying 'THIS WAY TO THE EVIL LORD'S TOWER', funya~!"

    Then again with how those towers tend to flash like they're trying to cause seizures, maybe there will be. "Man, though, a rabbit? That's not super princely," Krezentia idly comments.

Fassad (248) has posed:
     The pink bunny that is Fassad looks up towards Krezentia. There is in fact a bit of a raising at the brow of the pink rabbit, as it looks at Krezentia. Her transformation is unusual. Not... fully transformed? Alas, such is the Multiverse. So many strange resistances. The fairy turning into an Anti-Fairy though? That is, in fact, a /complete/ surprise. Fassad actually leaps forward a bit, turning around. Finally realizing it is simply the fairy, Fassad sighs. "...That is... strange. You have, in fact, turned into a monster from this world. An Anti-fairy. Seeing that you are, in fact, a fairy, your reflection of yourself shouldn't be the /opposite/ of a fairy. So, most definitely, we are not taking on aspects based on ourselves, and it is simply random."

     And then, Frederica's laughing. Followed by Frederica's animal form. Fassad doesn't laugh back. It is, in fact, still a better animal than his own form, he feels. Instead, the rabbit face smiles at her, "...As I said. It is random. And yes, we must solve this problem as quickly as possible." And then, Fassad just gives a /blank/ stare as he watches Finna lick Frederica's nose. It's like a deer in the headlights look. From a rabbit.

     Fassad looks at Staren's transformation. It does not surprise him, in the least. But, a small chuckle comes from him as Yuna transforms, "...Well. Your claws should both make good weapons. And the monsters... We /can/ fight them in these forms, but they are best avoided. They are... Large, vaguely humanoid creatures. Usually, they walk on their arms and legs. Their skin is pure black, with strange glowing markings upon them." A glance is given to Krezentia, "...But. Perhaps we /might/ have some extra defense against them, considering the state of some of us."

     And then, a glance at Kirika. Ah, yet another who is immune to the effects. The pink rabbit smiles, "...Yes. Quite a bit more firepower than we normally would have in here."

     Sarah's transformation draws some attention from Fassad as well. Yet another cat. Strange, how that is so popular. He shrugs it off for now, in order to answer more questions. "No leads, but there are some places to check first. Towns, villages. Ask around. That's all we can really do, at the moment. Explore. I never said this would be easy."

     Archer turns into a fox. Hrm. Fassad ponders that. Despite his comments, he does think there /might/ be /some/ truth to the personality factor. But, for now, who knows. A smile. And a joke, "Well. I am glad you don't take on the nature of the animal. If you did, you'd be hunting me now."

     Fassad smiles at Dorian, in rabbit form, "Yes, Prince Fassad, from the land of Arcadia! It is a pleasure to meet you! Having a mage such as yourself along should be quite useful. Perhaps your magical skill can help analyze the Twilight? Our own mages have failed."

     "But... For now? Let's go."

     Fassad leads the group on, traveling along the trail. It is about ten minutes before anything of note happens. Suddenly, a rustling in the bushes and trees on the path ahead. Fassad acts immediately. Moving to hide, behind a fallen log. He doesn't motion for the others to do the same. He assumes each of them has a good idea of /how/ much they can handle in their animal forms. After all, the skills of the animals come naturally, while transformed this way.

     But, three creatures move along the path ahead. They're humanoid. They're alien. Black skin, strange glowing markings that almost look eldritch. Large, wide heads. Long 'hair' coming from their heads. These creatures look completely unnatural. Strong, albeit obviously grunts. And, of course, the entire party is not at their best.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    If it's any consolation, Kirika might have changed form or something. Not a power she broadcasts, but being a fox does have its uses time to time. She swishes her tail towards the rabbit before she skids to a stop mid-chase of Finna. Those creatures...

    The amulet around Kirika's neck remains, and she is quick to head its warning as she begins to run like /hell/ towards cover as the Twilight beings appear.

    She isn't acting out of cowardice however, the kitsune is in a hunting posture after all, she's stalking the creatures as though she's been this way her whole life. Kirika moves with grace and stealth, like a proper huntress. "Hmmm..."

    Hunched over, she moves quickly and nimbly to the trees, seeking to remain out of sight while anticipating patterns of movement of these beings. She doesn't like her chances without her sword, but tooth and claw will have to do. Her magic does remain however, which is a good sign...

Staren has posed:
    Staren looks concerned, and pads over to Fredericahog. Hedgerica? "Chin up," he says in his squeaky voice, "Maybe if you ask Finna nicely she'll let you try being a fox or a wolf or a cat sometime?"

    At Sarah's comment, Staren replies, "Makes as much sense as anything." Watching cat videos makes you a cat, sure why not. Then he looks to Fassad, "Hey, /is/ there anything here that will try to eat us?" Then back to Krezentia, "Well I should hope not, we can hardly fight an evil lord like this, can we."

    Staren hangs back as the others move on. He concentrates, and in a quick blur he changes -- Normal form? Check. Blur. Human girl? Check. Blur. Willing transformation to cat form? Check. Good to know he can take on the monsters if needed. Some lingering sense of mischief keeps him from informing the others right away.

    Staren bounds after to catch up. "Huh. Monsters already? I can't make out mouths. Are they gonna try to eat us, or just kill us? Or maybe drain our energy. Wanna try to stealth past? We're mostly pretty quiet little animals. Actually, I think most of us are animals /known/ for stealth..." He's already finding a bush to watch from underneath or a tree to hide behind.

Finna (513) has posed:
    "Ohhh... don't whine so much! Hedgehogs are awesome. They can fit in all kinds of places. They've got great noses, a good defense from predators, and they're able to run pretty quick for their size! What's wrong with hedgehogs?"

    Finna's full of energy as always. But well, she doesn't really seeing anything bad about MOST animals. ... Most.

    Except.. "What's a peacock gonna do? Just... run around and be flashy I guess. They're pretty useless!"

Krezentia Einjager (758) has posed:
    "Oh. Oh I... think there's meaning, funya~," Kopie answers Fassad, just sort of a hovering skull giving a disappointed answer. If only she had a wizard detective to hassle. And a simpler name. Like Bob. Yeah that'd do.

    "Hey. HEY. Don't diss the god damn plumage," Krezentia retorts towards Finna, evidently disagreeing on the inherent coolness factor of a bird with that sick a feature. It's like a big 'BEHOLD MY MAJESTY' button the bird can press at any time!

    Nonetheless, she'll hide behind a bush or tree at the sight of the creatures, glancing at them. To the group, or at least Fassad, she whispers: "What are they even guarding anyway? What's in a place like this? Besides animals. I assume they're guarding something, anyway, nobody just sort of stands there on a road idling." Maybe they just camp the road for passerbys, though.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
At least her transformation didn't hurt like some (?) of the others' did, Yuna reflects. Maybe it was the Light Suit still at work? She nods to Fassad, then gives Krezentia a slightly sheepish look (while trying to pretend Kopie isn't there). "Sorry about the scream, Krez," she says - maybe only a pro forma apology, but it IS an apology nonetheless, and she recognizes that it's in order. "Come on, Elner, you're not helping anybody by hanging back where it's safe."

The little robo-faerie emits a sound strongly akin to a sigh, powers up a small forcefield bubble, and advances -

And when the bubble 'pops' out of existence, a robotic-looking dove thrashes about briefly before regaining lift, and flight, before fluttering to alight on a tree branch. "I didn't think that would affect *me* as well," Elner's voice comes from the robo-dove, "As for Yuna's collar, Staren, all I can confirm at the moment is that her Light Suit is still functional, which appears to support the theory that your powers should still work. How you'll wield anything in that form, though, Yuna ..."

"The faster we find where we need to go," Yuna replies with her tail up and stiff, "the less we'll need to find out how combat-ready these bodies are." She stalks forward, keeping pace with the others - and slipping into the bushes when *she* spots the monsters ahead.

Archer (821) has posed:
    As Archer examines his new form, he lets out a snort of discontent. Granted, his red shroud remained and was even shrunk down to fit him, but that was probably because it was made to resist supernatural forces.

    A shame Archer himself wasn't. And somewhere in this, there's probably some sort of message as to why he ended up a fox - a creature that relied on agility, cunning and slyness instead of stopping power. He also noted the girl-turned-cat's explanation, understanding it in the case of the mage turning into a peacock.

     Archer sees that he's not the only one to become a fox - with the other two seeming markedly more familiar with their forms. "Figures you two are more familiar with your forms - especially the mage" he deadpans, gesturing with his head - or... snout - at the white fox that has run off. He also turns to face the hedgehog - "You could have ended up a field-mouse, you know. At least you have a definite reliable weapon /and/ armor, and across your whole body at that. Heck, even a rabbit can be a pain to deal with."

    When Fassad speaks, Archer tilts his head and sighs again, consenting the point that it /could/ be worse.

    As they move down the trail, Archer finds himself somewhat thankful that he ended up as something that naturally had sharp hearing and eyesight, as well as a pronounced sense of smell, as well as the fact that his claws could let him scale small trees. The moment he senses something, Archer darts into the underbrush, making his way up one of the smaller trees and peering wearily at the strange creatures that moved past.

    At the very least, he's thankful that his magic remained intact. Even in this form, he ought to be able to summon up a blade that can handle some light combat at least - but only in the last resort. Pompous as he initially found Fassad to be, he couldn't deny the man-turned-rabbit had the right idea - for now, it was best that they stick to stealth.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel Says "We'll find out, I'm a bit wary of it to be honest."

Deelel was worries given the mentality of the only thing that could be considered an animal on her world. However the's not much she can do however as she watches the others step through into the effect. She takes a deep breath, not that she needs to. It's just a habit she's picked up with her long history of hanging around people from off the Grid.

So there she goes and she changes it's strange it's alien even to her. What's left is a very large grid bug. It's the size of a wolf rather than the normal size of a human hand the silver thing has spindly limbs mandibles and the same blue glow that Deelel's tattoos normally have.

There's a very shocked skree out of Deelel. She move sto follow along with the others now and it's clear about one thing? Whatever Deelel's become? There's not a lick of flesh to it.

"I'm a grid bug?!"

Frederica (73) has posed:
    Hedgehogs, ironically enough, aren't really all that fast. Frederica's able to keep up however, being at least as fast as a peacock even if she has to waddle in undignified fashion. She's not really that upset about the form. Spikes are nice, and ... well, it's not like she actually uses her body to fight with. Her mind is what's important. It's just so undignified, that's all.

    Her first instinct is to roll up in a ball when monsters are spotted, but that's really not very productive. Instead she waddles to a bush and vanishes underneath it. She can fight, but... well, she's not the veteran here. And besides, she LIKES hiding in back of others when it comes to a fight, launching fireballs from protection. Let someone else charge the foe.

Dorian Pavus (774) has posed:
    There are indeed a lot of cats. But there are also a lot of foxes. He does seem to be the only bird in the group, assuming someone here doesn't have multiple forms. This is, however, the Multiverse; literally anything is possible. He nods to Fassad's directive to start. "Lead on, Your Majesty," he returns respectfully.

    Finna's statement actually ruffles Dorian's feathers. Quite literally in this case, he fluffs up, shaking his plumage indignantly. Yes, that is definitely a peacock. "I have wings. I'm sure I can fly with them. Any bird can be dangerous if it applies beak or talon to an eye." Krezentia's words of 'not dissing the plumage' gets an upward tilt of the head. "Thank you," he replies. Can a bird smile? He tries

    Uh-oh, there's suddenly trouble! Unfortunately, because Dorian is currently a large, bright blue bird with long blue and green tailfeathers, hiding is going to be hard, and he knows it. He does, however, have wings. Which he immediately uses to get into a tree, perching on a branch. "Well, that's something at least," he mutters. He can fly, so he can at least get out of the way.

Sarah Parsle (789) has posed:
Sarah doesn't judge the others or really question why it is what it is. It's not like she had any real say in it so there's no point in complaining. Just deal with it.

Man, she needs to pick up some shades sometime.

"I'm not going to go into why that line of logic is completely wrong." Sarah says in response to Fassad's analysis. "You certainly seemed the fluffy and mostly harmless type."

There is a low growl of irritation from Sarah at the admission of a lack of leads. "You like just jumping into things and praying they don't kill you, don't you?" Sarah comments. "I guess we're the intel team today."

They process through the area, Sarah resting easily on Krezentia's head as they reach a group of strange eldritch enemies. "Oh, look, a bunch of horrible monsters that would probably kill defenseless animals." Sarahcat deadpans. "Good thing we have competent people here today." There is a pause, and Sarah attempts to access her PUZZLEKIND STRIFE MODUS. A JENGA STACK manifests on top of Krezentia's head, and Sarah raises a paw to begin prodding at it...

And it promptly collapses around Krez in a pile of blocks. "Welp. That's about what I expected." Sarah states. She looks down to Krez. "My bad." She actually admits, then looks up at the monsters. "Anyone have insane firepower to make these things go away?" She asks.

Fassad (248) has posed:
     Some annoyed looks are given from Fassad to Sarah. Normally, he is calm. But, she is cutting right to the point. He looks back at her, frowning slightly. "...We have no leads. But. What else can we do? We are not simply going to let this kingdom fall. We /will/ find what we need, somehow."

     Fassad whispers quietly, explaining to everyone. Answering some questions in the process. "These are what we call Shadow Beasts. They seek to kill us, if they find us. At least, that is the standard response. They don't eat us. To kill them, we must strike all of them down at once. Or else, well... Their cries can bring the others back up."

     Krezentia asks a good question, though. What, exactly, /does/ bring them here? Fassad's rabbit face scrunches up as he thinks. He simply will have to give his best guess. "...We have not been able to communicate with them. They seem intelligent, but... Our encounters with them, they have simply seemed to be hunting any who can take on forms such as ours. I do not know why. Perhaps they view us as a threat, or perhaps they are searching for something in specific? ...But. This close to the border... They could simply be a border patrol, searching around."

     The group goes unnoticed. At least, it seems as such. The creatures walk across the path, moving from one part of the forest to the other. They stay close to the ground, almost as if sniffing around. One in particular gets rather close, though. He stops, for a moment. Right behind the log. His head down, near it. His head, moving along the ground near the fallen log.

     And then, the sound of Jenga blocks falling. The creatures all lift their heads up, towards Krezentia's location. Towards Sarah. And suddenly, they /leap/ through the air, in unison. Running along the ground, towards Krezentia.

     It seems the cover has been blown. ...Though, all of the chatter from everyone, Fassad included, has likely not helped.

Sarah Parsle (789) has posed:
Sarah looks at the beasts. they notice the group. She looks back at the others. "Hey guys, overwhelming firepower /any time now/ would be awesome."

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna-cat's first reaction is to back away from the charging monsters, hissing as her fur stands on end ...

And her collar glows, just a faint shimmer of gold at first, but it brightens rapidly as Yuna's half-instinctive reactions shift from 'flight' over to 'fight'. With a yowl, the Calico of Light bolts out of the underbrush, legs coiling briefly beneath her before she LEAPS at one of the Shadow Beasts, aiming for the face, and starts clawing madly at its eyes if she can get up there.

A close eye might notice little flashes of gold light with each swipe of her claws; Yuna herself certainly isn't noticing it right now.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    This is /exactly/ why Kirika has been keeping quiet. As the beasts notice the group, Kirika rears up from her perch before she gives a significant look to Dorian. The peacock seems to be some sort of mage, and Kirika motions for him to throw down whatever spells he can manage in this state of his, while her paw glows and burns with flames.

    Suddenly, Kirika leaps from her perch in the trees, flames blowing towards the Twilight monsters while Kirika lands upon one of them. Her fangs and claws bite and scratch away at the monster, aiming to keep him occupied until someone else can finish it off. If not, then she suddenly uses her tail to wrap around the creature's neck like a garrotte with fur on it, and she /twists/ its head at a very disturbing angle.

Frederica (73) has posed:
    Frederica sighs. "Fine. Overwhelming firepower coming right up. You brave people had better not leave me hanging here." she claims, and pushes out from under her bush.

    It occurs to Frederica that being a hedgehog has its perks. She's used to flames being a personal shield, and calling up flames to ward her body is relatively natural to her. Now she's also got spikes. Well, why not? She breaks into a run, charging the beasts. As she runs, she ignites, becoming a spiky flaming ball of four-legged death. CHAAAAAARGE!

Dorian Pavus (774) has posed:
    "You want overwhelming firepower?" There is a very distinct smug note in Dorian's voice. "Just watch." He's blustering a LOT here, because he doesn't even know if he's kept his magic here or not. But luckily he seems to have kept it. He finds this out when he gathers his energy to cast the spell. the mage rears back on the branch, flapping his wings... which suddenly seem to have fire around them all of a sudden, just at the ends.

    Dorian aims the spell under the feet of the Shadow Beasts and the fire does explode up out of the ground. Though they may have already moved. Hopefully this will happen BEFORE anyone goes melee. Otherwise this is liable to get messy. If nothing else he'll catch the Beasts off-guard.

Krezentia Einjager (758) has posed:
    Why were jenga blocks stacked on her head.
    No, nevermind, why was a cat playing jenga to start with.

    The Magi doesn't have much time to consider when things jump at her. Even if Fassad says they WON'T be eaten, being killed is still absolutely awful. It's 10 on a 1 to 10 lethality scale.

    Fortunately it seems everyone has kept their powers, or at least some form of them. Krezentia's left hand flares with green and purple mana, and rather than wait to be lept on and torn to shreds, she's just going to cross-counter punch one of the Shadow Beasts. It'll cause an eruption of plasma and magic, not unlike a beam, on impact, but there's no telling how sturdy these guys are. And if they ALL need to die or else they can revive each other, that might require hella teamwork.

    "I'm going to guess your people haven't managed to capture one and drag it outside the Twilight to see what happens yet?" she idly asks Fassad, assuming she doesn't get the wind knocked out of her by a counter-attack.

    "I'll help, funya~!"

    Kopie just... tries to tackle-slam into one.

    She probably can't do the magic-drain some Anti-Fairies can do, but those little floating orbs of magic should still hurt just fine.

Archer (821) has posed:
    And, of course, everything goes wrong. So much for stealth

     "Guess black cats really /are/ bad luck" Archer mutters as he sees the beasts lumber for Sarah. Nothing to be done about it now, though. Keeping in mind what Fassad said about being sure to down them all at once - aiming for one that currently wasn't under assault by the impromptu animal attack, Archer closes his eyes and visualizes an image of a blade to cut through one of the creatures.

     /"I am the bone of my sword."/

    The next instant, a flash of prana consolidates over the fox's head, forming into a long, gleaming blade with an ornate gold-on-black handle - Durandal, the blade of the Paladin Roland, gifted to his people by an angel in legends. Enchanted to never lose it's sharpness and embedded with three instant-use 'miracles' in the form of drastic increases in power. Strong enough to kill, or at least maim, one of the creatures.

    Archer, from his position in the trees, follows his namesake as the distance fighter in this instance as the blade, suspended in mid-air for a moment, suddenly shoots forward like a bolt of white light for the head of one creature.

Staren has posed:
    How the heck do you use Jenga as a weapon, anyway? Staren's not assuming it wouldn't normally be effective, though. Sburb is... interesting.

    Staren was kind of hoping this would go quietly, but now that monsters are attacking? It's serious time. Staren blurs and retakes his normal form. He reaches for his beam saber -- no, maybe getting into melee would be bad. He draws his laser pistol and starts shooting one of the monsters while backing away from it. Hey, maybe if he's really lucky, creatures used to living in darkness will be vulnerable to something that is literally weaponized light?
    "Keep safe! If you can't fight as you are, stay in cover!"

Finna (513) has posed:
    Ruffling feathers is just one of the things Finna enjoys doing. She grins over at Dorian before he goes floofingup into a tree, apparently unworried about Krez's criticism!

    And on towards the Twilight monsters. She flinches. They look BOGUS to her, and ALL her alarm bells are set off. So she sneaks in close using the forest's natural resources for cover.

    Then, well, they all go into a fury rush so so much for that.

    "Oh well!~" That's when Finna decides being a small fox is for chumps and ENLARGES, regaining a humanoid shape. She grows to a full seven feet tall of brutal fur and fangs and muscle, taking on her DEADLY BEASTMAN TRANSFORMATION.

    And with a blood-curdling SNARL she launches out at the nearest of the beasts with a thrashing claw that trails silvery light in the Twilight!

Sarah Parsle (789) has posed:
"I heard that, foxboy!" Sarah yells. Looks like being a cat has SOME good sides. Mysteriously, the Jenga Blocks have vanished, the cat remaining securely perched on Krezntia's head for the moment. She's not lifting a paw to help fight at the moment, her combat skills are functionally nonexistent at the moment unless she finds a puzzle that a cat can solve.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel ius chittering a bit not evne thinking about it as she keeps with Fassad.. She hears the warning abotu shadow beasts she wonders if she can even summon her keyblade like this. She knows how grid bugs hunt and it's not pretty, also she's not sure if would even work on the beings of this world.

"Well we shuold be careful then."

things go good for a bit but it seems that they are found out in time. She sees the hunter and then they come going for Krezenita she lets out a cry and leaps on the nearest one trying to latch on and see if she can drain any energy? From it she's not evne sure what's going to happen here.

Fassad (248) has posed:
     The first Shadow Beast is struck by the punch, and knocked down. These things are notable threats, if a group of three targetted one person. Unfortunately, they are /quite/ outmatched here. Soon, it is struck by Staren's lasers. It falls to the ground, only to soon after be ripped apart and torn into by the thrashing claws. Despite the constant thrashing, though? It remains on the ground, it's body trying to /heal itself/ as it is attacked. It takes all three falling to be killed, and it is taking an impressive amount of damage.

     Yuna manages to hit the Shadow Beast in the face, the Light energy tearing at it quite readily. Yes, these things do, in fact, have a bit of a weakness to light. These are full creatures of the Shadow. Light is their opposite. Soon after, Dorian's fire strikes the beast, setting it ablaze. Soon after, the powerful Durandal moves in towards it. It is struck straight in the head, falling to the ground.

     Kirika manages to claw into the second, the flames tearing at it. It makes a hideous cry as it is burnt. It tries to step back, only to accidentally step down on a burning hedgehog. The squishing of her body will likely hurt Frederica some. But, not as much as the various quills poking into the Shadow Beast's foot, made worse by the flame. A non-burning part is grabbed ahold of by Deelel. She is, in fact, able to drain some energy from it. Everyone does, in fact, get some bit of power from their animal's true form. And then, Kopie flies in against it, hitting it with the minor orbs of magic. In what proves to be the straw that breaks the camel's back, the Shadow Beast falls to the ground. A /very/ minor amount of drained magic going back into the fake Anti-Fairy.

     All three are now down. Suddenly, the bodies of the three creatures swell. They explode into an eldritch-looking cloud of smoke. These explosions do not hurt. In fact, one can not even /feel/ the touch of the explosion.

     And Fassad sighs in relief, glad he didn't have to fight in the form he considers so useless. But, he smirks up at the group, smiling.

     "Well done! And... This is /exactly/ why we haven't been able to take one back. It is hard to restrain three at once, without difficulty."
There is a sudden flapping of wings. Loud wing beats can be heard, the flapping of some great bird. There is a flash of brown amongst the trees. A large and great owl lands on the branch of one of the nearby trees.

     He just looks at the victorious group of adventurers, casually watching them. Before, finally, speaking.

     "Hello, there."

Frederica (73) has posed:
    "This is why I hate charging into battle." Frederica complains. Being stepped on really isn't fun, but it wasn't terrible at least. The spines are somewhat flexible, taking the brunt of the impact and leaving Frederica herself ruffled but not exactly traumatized. Oh she quite enjoys charging into battle as Frika, and she might come to enjoy it somewhat in this form too. It's just... well, kind of more painful than her normal option.

    When an owl shows up, Frederica tucks herself into a not-quite ball, only peering out a little. A flaming ball, one might add. "Wh-who are you?" she asks. Possibly no pun intended.

Staren has posed:
    The monsters go down! "Frederica, are you okay?" Staren runs over to her. And then, flapping wings. A flying monster? Staren looks /up/, ready to shoot.

    It's... an owl? "Who are you?" Staren assumes it's another transformed person. He doesn't put away his gun, though. Wait, aren't owls supposed to be silent fliers? He glances around, his ears perking and turning this way and that, searching for more wingbeats.

Krezentia Einjager (758) has posed:
    'I am the bone of my sword' he said.
    Krezentia's wolfy ears twitch, and she eyes the sword-mage fox with increased suspicion. But she does not say what's on her mind. The appearance just... really didn't match. And that's coming from someone who's still dating one, had an intense rivalry with another, and met a third only recently. And only briefly.

    The Magi shakes her head, emerging from her position to-- be greeting by a giant owl. Staren beats her at asking the obvious question, so she just motions for Kopie to stop hanging around and orbit her again. Safety first, and all.

    To Fassad, she does aside: "You oughta consider setting up an expedition with overwhelming nonlethal firepower then. Get magical chains or rope or something, and drag one or three right out of here. Maybe they'll turn back into whatever and can talk then, huh?" But, maybe not too.

    If those things are natives maybe they won't turn into anything.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Kirika leaps off her adversary after she finishes it off, landing gracefully as she swishes her tail. She can't help but observe Finna with curiosity, before she approaches the fellow fox and does a 'tailbump' of sorts with her, then she gives a nod to the others, including Archer in particular. "I've seen a technique like yours before, if my memory serves me correct. It is quite fascinating." She comments.

    Suddenly, owl. Kirika tenses up as the owl appears, tilting her head with wariness as she issues a warning snarl, posture low and aggressive before it suddenly speaks. "Who or what are you? What business have you with us?"

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna checks her paws for blood, idly wondering how she'll clean it off if there is any ... and then the owl shows up, and she looks up at it.

"Uh. Hello ..." She dips her head briefly, as close to a bow as she can do on all fours.

Archer (821) has posed:
     Archer winces in annoyance at being called 'foxboy' by the black cat, sorely temped to shoot a counter at her - but for now, the priority needed to be shooting down these beasts before they could recover, and the fact that they were showing a very high level of endurance only highlighted the need to kill them quickly.

    He was however slightly surprised, though not truly shocked, to see Finna shift back to her humanoid form and from there into a more beastial one - he'd known from the start she was a mage of some sort, or a spirit. This proved it somewhat.

    It also alluded to the idea that her initial change to a fox wasn't an unwilling one. Something Archer decided to file away for later.

    When the creatures go down, Archer is perhaps one of the few that doesn't let his guard down, concerned that the sounds of fighting might have drawn attention to their presence in the woods. He already is visualizing another weapon to bring out if need be.

    When he hears wingbeats and sees the owl, he acknowledges it wearily. Last he knew, an owl's wings didn't quite make that much noise in flight, so Archer keeps his ears open in case something else comes.

    Gaze narrowed at the owl, Archer doesn't offer any of the same courtesies as the others until he is certain the owl means them no harm, regarding him suspiciously yet letting him have the chance to speak.

Dorian Pavus (774) has posed:
    "Maker's breath," Dorian comments, seeing just how very tough to keep down these beasts are. Though finally they do die -- and quite violently -- and Dorian shakes his avian head. "Yes, I can see why you've been having so much trouble here," he notes to Fassad. "If three took this many Elites to take down comfortably, I can only imagine how a larger force would be problematic."

    Suddenly there is an owl! Dorian hops a little closer to where the owl is, tilting his head. "Greetings," he offers the owl pleasantly, though there is some tension behind it. Because he doesn't know who the owl is either. He also assumes it's a transformed person, but that doesn't help.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel gets a goof bit of energy she was not expecting it, she tries to not think about it as he attempts to deal with the sudden influx of extra power. She's got some power from it at the very least. Soon the fight is over, she skitters away before the explode not wishing to be caught up in it.

"I see, those things remains self destruct, a means to avoid being captured and studied?

She glances up looking at the bit that's greeted them.

"Greetings Avian!"

Finna (513) has posed:
    DOWN goes the creatures with an emphasis on brutality. Finna takes a few good blows from the creatures claws, leaving gashes in her flesh... but they heal to nothing in no time at all.

    They all EXPLODE on her... and once she's had a moment to catch her breath...

    Then looks up, spotting an Owl.

    Her beastly features melt away, revealing the human form she'd originally adopted, complete with fox features... and wildly glowing tattoos. "Are you the guardian of these lands, great owl?"

Fassad (248) has posed:
     The large owl speaks. His tone is gruff, but friendly. Wise. A bit old sounding. And, of course, /incredibly longwinded/.

     "Allow me to introduce myself! I am the wise owl, Kaepora Gaebora! It is a pleasure to meet you all. How are you handling your animal forms? I know they are not your preferred forms, but alas, there is a curse upon this land. I am uncertain if any of you have heard of the curse, so I shall explain it."

     "The Land of Hyrule used to be a beautiful land of peace. The King was fair and kind. No war has graced this land for quite a bit of time. There were occasionally skirmishes with the dwellers of the desert, the Gerudo. Truly, it was an era of peace for Hyrule. But, a peace such as that can not last forever, no matter how much the people of the land wished for it."

     "There is a man, a man you might know the name of. The people of this land simply called him by his title. The Royal Shadow. The advisor to the King, and a long time supporter of the kingdom of Hyrule. A man simply known as Agahnim. To all, he seemed loyal. But, you have already likely heard: He now sits on the throne of Hyrule. He killed the King and Queen. In the confusion, Princess Zelda was able to escape. This overthrowing of the Royal Family of Hyrule seemed to come at the worst possible time. For, it was a this same time that the Twilight arrived at the land, preventing the Royal Guard from fighting back properly."

     "I am here to tell you that this was not a coincidence."

     "Agahnim has made a pact with the dark ruler of the Twilight Realm. The Twilight Realm is a place connected to Hyrule, but separate. In ancient times, the Twilight Realm was an empty place, devoid of all life. In times far past, a group of Dark Interlopers were banished there. They were banished there for an incredible crime against our world. They stepped into the Sacred Realm. A place created by the three Golden Goddesses. The place where a symbol of legend rests. The resting place of the Triforce. Their attempt to use the Triforce for their own gain lead the Dark Interlopers being sealed away, to the Twilight Realm. But now, countless ages past, they have returned. And they bring the Twilight with them."

     "I know naught what the denizens of the Twilight Realm and Agahnim have to connect them. I know naught why they have allied together. But, as it stands, it seems that Agahnim has aided them in bringing the Twilight here. Letting them invade Hyrule. This is not something that should be possible, and yet it has happened. Certain divine beings within Hyrule have long kept the land safe, and these beings are also what prevent the Twilight from arriving."

     "These beings are known as the Spirits of Light."

     "There are four Spirits of Light, located in four springs across Hyrule. Or, more accurately, there were. Since times immemorial, these beings have protected Hyrule. But now, they have been lost. They are not completely dead, though. At least, there is a method by which they can be returned. All four of them have been broken up into multiple pieces. Each piece is called a Tear of Light."

     "You must retrieve the Tears of Light. You must retrieve them, for each of the four Spirits."

     "Faron, the spirit that protects Faron Woods."

     "Eldin, the spirit that protects Death Mountain, Kakariko Village, and the Gerudo Desert."

     "Ordona, the spirit that protects Ordona Woods and the Tribly Highlands."

     "Lanaryu, the spirit that protects Zora's Domain."

Fassad (248) has posed:
     "The Twilight has cleared up in some of these regions, especially around towns. I suggest you find a map, and then travel out into Hyrule. Prepare. Dark forces have began to gather. It is more than just the Twilight now. Various bands of monsters are roaming the land. Causing chaos. Should Hyrule stay as it is now for much longer, it shall become covered in darkness permanently."

     "But, even with the Spirits of Light returned, Agahnim's continued rule could easily lead to their second destruction. Agahnim must be defeated. And yet, you can not reach him yet. The castle of Hyrule is, currently, his base. It is protected by an incredibly powerful magical barrier. Only one thing can remove the Barrier: The power of the Master Sword."

     "One of you, and one of you alone, must quest for the Master Sword. The Forest of the Kokiri. The Zora's Domain. The Goron Village on Death Mountain. Whichever of you sets out on this quest, whichever of you feels most ready to find the Master Sword? Whichever of you is worthy of its power? Take the trials in these locations, and gain the three Symbols. Head to the Lost Woods with them."

     "There, you will take the Master Sword."

     At /long last/ he pauses. And then says one more line.

     "Did all of you catch all of that?"

     This, of course, is where you can answer yes or no.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Kirika just kinda...listens. Once the owl proves himself not a threat, she curls up at Finna's feet, listening to the Owl exposit things and stuff. For the most part this is pretty straightforward if dense in scope. Wiggling her ears, she then makes as much a frown as a fox can before asking, "How are we to determine which of us is worthy of this blade?" Not that she's coveting another magic sword, nope. She's got her own magic sword and world-saving bullshit to deal with.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
It's honestly a lot to take in on the first pass, but Yuna-cat nods to the owl, "Yes."

Besides, anything she *did* miss, Elner should have caught and committed to memory. It doesn't sound that hard, though: retrieve the Tears of Light, rescue the Spirits of Light, and whomever is worthy to wield the Master Sword - wait, totally alone, not even an escort?

Kirika's question is also pretty relevant to that subject, for that matter. As for Yuna ... well, once she isn't stuck in a cat's body, she has weapons of her own, and the Matrix Divider might well parallel the Master Sword as far as capabilities in the face of evil.

Staren has posed:
    "Um, okay." Staren listens to the owl. "So... this Agahnim was responsible for the Twilight, then? Or at least working with whoever was?" More exposition comes. The question is eventually answered.

    "I'm pretty sure we can easily kill Agahnim... oh."

    Staren looks around. "Well, is anyone here an actual swordsman? Or swordswoman?" Staren waves a hand at the owl, "Yeah, yeah, it's all in here." He taps the side of his head."

Sarah Parsle (789) has posed:
Sarah looks surprised for a moment at the arrival of the giant owl, but recovers quickly. She can't let anyone see that, she's supposed to be the sassy jaded annoyance who is right just enough to keep people from punting her off the party roster.

EXPOSITION HAPPENS. Sarah listens attentively, tail whipping back and forth almost in time to the owl's words. "Okay, so we need to get all these tears to restore the spirits so we can undo the evil curse , get the super sword, and go kill the evil wizard that took over the land. Sounds pretty straightforward."

She looks around at the others. "I have no idea who would be able to use the super cool sword of evil-killing through." Yeah, that's some faith, all right. "My vote goes to the porcupine."

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"I'm technically a swordswoman," Yuna admits, "when I'm ... you know. Not a cat."

Dorian Pavus (774) has posed:
    Dorian senses this is going to be a long tale, and so settles in on his branch to listen. He's very good at not showing just how very bored he is. Right up until the part where the owl with the name he isn't even going to TRY to pronounce starts talking about the invasion of the Sacred Realm by smeon who made a pact with dark powers.

    Those feathers visibly fluff up. But he doesn't speak just yet. Partially because he's listening, and partly because he's shocked into silence. The similarities are chilling...

    But yes, Dorian is listening. He's invested now. The Four Spirits of Light, Tears of Light... he doesn't quite understand it. But if that's what it takes...

    As for who should have the sword? Dorian speaks up, "Wouldn't it be better if someone from this world quested for the Master Sword?" he suggests. "We don't know how off-world magic would clash to mixwith this Master Sword's power. It would be a shame to send someone not of this world and then have their power negate the Master Sword but have them be the only one who could wield is."

    He looks to the pink bunny. "Prince Fassad? Surely you would be worthy of such a blade. This /is/ your world, yes? With that sword, you could defintely protect your world."

Frederica (73) has posed:
    The explanation was long-winded and kind of boring, but Frederica seems to get most of it. Just don't expect her to remember the odd names right off. She COULD ask for a repeat, but figures it might put her to sleep. She can do without the long droning repetition, and probably just rely on the others to fill in the details.

    She does pay more attention to the bit about the sword. When Sarah nominates her, she looks suddenly flustered. "Hey! Not me, I don't use swords!" she complains. "Especially not like THIS!" she adds, looking down at her paws. No, swords are more of a muscle-brained manthing. Frederica's all about intellect, and occasionally charging into enemies. "I mean sure I'm a wonderful hero, but I use FIRE, not swords! Pick someone else!"

Sarah Parsle (789) has posed:
"You're a porcupine, you're full of spikes. A sword is like a really big spike." Sarah sasses back. "Just relax and roll with it. Besides, it probably won't matter anyway. Whoever the Chosen One is, will probably get yanked off to do it all without them getting any say in the matter anyway, because that's how these damn things work."

Krezentia Einjager (758) has posed:
    Krezentia mentally takes notes. Royal Shadow, Agahnim, Twilight Realm, Sacred Realm, Four Spirits, Master Sword, barrier, evil domain. She makes no comments on the heroism needed here; she's already thought of something much more fun and interesting to do.

    These people can have their magical sword of evil's bane or whatever it turns out to be. The Magi is going to seek out this dark ruler instead. Power is ever tempting, and in an evil sorcerer you'll find much more of use than in a holy sword.

    No offense to sapient holy swords out there.
    You're just lame.

    "Nah, I can't swing a sword so well you'd call me a swordsman. Woman. Whatever. That word. I'm not the 'lift the sword from the stone' type anyway. There's a scale somewhere that determines how much a holy sword would laugh at you if you tried picking it up and I'm, like, an eight. Maybe a nine. Or a seven. Does not killing anyone in the last couple weeks make it marginally go down?"

Frederica (73) has posed:
    "I'm a hedgehog, not a porcupine." Frederica complains pedantically. "There's a difference. And I use whips, not swords."

Sarah Parsle (789) has posed:
"You're not helping your case, you know." Sarah replies, pointing a paw.

Staren has posed:
    Yes, Yuna, you can use a sword when you're not an adorable cat. Staren must resist the impulse to pet some of the other party members.

    "Heheh. Roll with it." He chuckles despite himself at Sarah's words.

Frederica (73) has posed:
    Frederica frowns, her pointy nose wrinkling. "Oh you didn't just..." she shakes her head. She sighs. "Look, it's kind of pointless for me to use the sword. Get someone else to do it. Someone who doesn't have another way of fighting."

    She does NOT look at Fassad as she says this. You know, rabbit... kind of says something doesn't it?

Deelel has posed:
Deelel listens to the owl and goes still for the moment she looks to the Owl again thinking.

"This form is not something I enjoy. These creatures are .. seen as a menace and exterimated on sight in my world for good reason. They will prey upon my people."

She tries to smile a bit but she just looks more like a doom mecha spider when she tries. She settles in to listen to the Owl's tale and there's quite a bit going on here as the Owel regales the tale this world and what lead to this situation. Also they seem to have been giving a quest.

"I think I understnad and do not worry, I have perfect recall of my memories. It should not be an issue!"

Archer (821) has posed:
    ... of all the things Archer expected, one of the least was this. Apparently the owl had in fact been the one flapping his wings - he was another one of the flamboyant types of people that announced his importance in advance.

    Still, it didn't mean what he said wasn't of importance, though, as he learned that apparently the current reagent to the throne had murdered the prior king and queen, gotten the last of the royal family exiled and made a pact with some kind of dark god.

    ... great. Perfect. Just what he needed - another Kotomine Kirei to deal with, complete with his own Angra Mainyu God of all Evil.

     Continuing to listen - and wondering how someone who could give lectures longer then Rin's even /existed/ - Archer takes note of the fact that they are effectively being conscripted into what amounts to a Holy Grail hunt for the fragments of these four Spirits' essences... but what catches his attention the most is the request to search for a blade of prophecy.

    Almost immediately, his thoughts go to the memory, glimpsed in a dream so very long ago, of a girl pulling a blade from a stone and being locked onto a destiny that ultimately claimed her entire existence.

    The comparison is far too uncomfortable for him... but, in all honesty, it was starting to look, between the comments of everyone here, that either he or Fassad were the best choices... and ultimately, he agreed with the sentiment given by another in their group.

    "Our resident mage" - he inclined to the peacock still in the tree - "is right. Someone from this world would be better suited to getting this blade. Probably more politically correct as well for a native to be the so-called hero in this case. The Union and Confederacy would likely clash enough over lands without needing an excuse - best bet is to have someone who's got a stronger tie to this land as opposed to some foreign power." He knows his words are harsh, but he doesn't see a reason to sugar-coat anything either. "Given the circumstances... that leaves you, Fassad." He pauses. "Still... you should keep in mind that accepting means you're willing to accept the price that comes with being a hero... and it tends to be a heavy one. Are you willing to do that?" His question is earnest and straightforward - he of all people has come to resent the idea of being forced into an unrewarding destiny.

Finna (513) has posed:
    "So there's a princess in hiding, a jerk on the throne, big spirits that need a lot of help... and someone has to go find an old artifact..." Finna makes a dumbfounded face. This sounds almost too weird to be true. "Gotta help the spirits to drive off the Twilight, huh."

Fassad (248) has posed:
     Everyone has several questions. The first of which is likely the easiest to answer: Who should handle the blade?

     Fassad himself speaks up, smiling to the group. There is an excitement to his voice. Despite the fact he is in bunny form, he actually looks proud in his posture. He loosk towards Dorian, nodding at the suggestion. Smiling.

     "I agree with sir Dorian. Everyone. This task? It is certainly meant for me. I have known for ages that I am destined to be the hero of this land. So... The Legendary Master Sword, that blade of legend? I will seek it out. I /will/ find it. And, I will weild it. I know, in my heart, that I can complete the tests."

     "I am /completely/ willing to take on this burden."

     His tone does not make it seem like he thinks it is a burden.

     The owl smiles at the group. In a way, he is dissapointed that none of them have asked to hear it again. But, finally, youth who listen the first time around. He speaks to all of them again.

     "Well, the Twilight in this area is clearing slowly. At least, temporarily. Soon, you will encounter one other person who might be able to aid you on your quest. A mapmaker. Take his help, and purchase a map of this land."

     Suddenly, the Twilight in the area moves on, crawling across the land. Everyone will regain their human forms. The Owl, though? It remains an Owl. Kaepora Gaebora is a strange being. He flaps his wings, and takes off to the sky.

     And, not long after, another figure is coming in, floating on the sky. Carried on red balloons. Wearing a full body green leotard. A scroll of parchment is in his hands, along with a quill.

     Fassad, now in human form again, looks up towards this strange floating man.

     "...Is that who we need help from?"

Krezentia Einjager (758) has posed:
    "I don't know. He looks suspicious. We should kill him and steal his map when the body hits the ground," Krezentia helpfully advises.

    What, did people forget she's that sort of person?

    Then again, nobody here's really met her or interacted with her before besides Yuna, so that may be a very dumb question to ask. The Magi leans back, at least, against a tree, content her wolf features are gone. And her fairy is not a floating skull anymore.

    "Say, why's the Twilight just waving around anyway? What kind of evil cursed realm behaves like the tide, arbitrarily spreading and retreating? Or does that fall under 'I dunno'?" she asks Fassad, idly.

Staren has posed:
    Something about Fassad's tone doesn't quite ring right for Staren... He's always known he was the destined hero? But Fassad's not the only one who thinks it's a good idea. And he /is/ a successful, heroic elite. Staren doesn't say anything. Except:

    "Woah, wait, you're /really/ a talking owl?" Oh, /now/ he leaves without exposition. Figures.

    Staren looks at no-longer-wolfgirl. "The owl said 'take his help', not 'kill him and take his stuff'. He can't /help/ us if he's dead."

    As he speaks, Staren ejects his pistol's current e-clip and slides in a new one, much like swapping a magazine in a lower-tech pistol, then holsters it again. "Maybe it's a delayed result of us killing those shadow monsters?"

Sarah Parsle (789) has posed:
"You guys are kidding." Sarah says. "You're trying to nominate Prince 'adorable bunny' Charmin to go find the super evil killing sword and be the great hero? He looks like he belonged in toothpaste and hair conditioner commercials. How do we even know he's capable of being more than a blowhard?"

After her rant, she looks over at the incoming floating map guy. "Is it just me or is that guy wearing green tights and floating on balloons?" She pauses.

"Let's go with her idea." She says, indicating Krezentia.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"How would we know which of his maps is the right one, Krez?" Yuna asks - and lets out a sigh of relief as the dispersing Twilight lets her revert back to human form, her full Light Suit rematerializing. "Besides, we might need him to provide maps of other regions, so killing him would mean we don't *have* his help later when we might need it even more."

She nods to Staren, "That's my guess ... Elner? Any theories?"

"Nothing that hasn't already been suggested," Elner notes. "Also, Kaepora Gaebora said that the man is a 'map maker'. He may not have finished the other maps that will eventually be needed."

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Kirika makes a confused noise as she spies the floating man, her body shifting back to her humanoid shape again. It feels good to be back on two legs again, that's for sure. That said, she arches her back as she gets used to walking like a human again, and she observes the floating man some more. "I do not trust this, something feels amiss regarding that fellow." Kirika muses warily>

Krezentia Einjager (758) has posed:
    "Well, the owl also didn't say 'DON'T kill him and DON'T take his stuff'. If we do that we are totally 'taking his help' though. By the letter of the giant owl's words we're still heroes," Krezentia says, with a malicious grin on her face. But it's not like she's acting, either. She's just being bad advice.

Dorian Pavus (774) has posed:
    Dorian nods to Archer's words. Though he outright winces at the word 'hero'. Maker, he hated that word. Not because it had been applied to him. Oh no, he's been called everything in the book thanks to his lineage and origin. But the title 'hero' is so often bestowed posthumously that it's definitely not something he'd seek.

    He doesn't get to say anything though, because... well, the Twilight moves on, as does the owl. Unfortunately Dorian is still perched in the tree when the Twilight moves on. Which means he's left crouching on a branch when he returns to his human form. "...Kaffas," Dorian mutters.

    Thankfully he didn't fly too terribly high. So he jumps down from the branch, with a wince. He doesn't have the 'roll with the impact' training that a warrior might. ut at least he didn't break anything.

    Looking between Krezentia and Sarah, "Both of you, do behave. We can't afford to go about randomly murdering the denizens of this realm." A pause. "I've a feeling there will be plenty of killing to come. Let's not start now."

Deelel has posed:
Deelel listens as the Owl tells them they might be able to get help from a local map maker. Also she feels her body starting to warp back into it's true form. She takes a moment to shake her head nd then peers at the man floting in. She has this, WHAT look just cemented on her face.

Archer (821) has posed:
    Archer looks at Fassad and his gaze narrows, seeming discontent by the way Fassad replied. However, he sighs and shakes his head - if he really wanted to go down the martyr's path, who was Archer to try and talk sense to him? Still, it comes down to one thing, which he promptly tells Sarah in his ever-present dryly-sarcastic way - "Does that mean /you're/ volunteering to do it? If you did at any point, I must have missed it." Of course, Archer hadn't volunteered himself, but he didn't have any need - this wasn't his problem and it wasn't his world to die for. If someone native to this world /really/ wanted to toss their life into saving it... well, who was he to stop them?

    When Archer shifts back to his human form at last, he stands up, flexing his fingers idly to make sure everything is still responsive. He even summons Kanshou and Bakuya, his favored blades, to make sure his projection still works as before.

    ... then he turns to face the direction Fassad is looking in... and he finds himself agreeing with the deadpan expression of the latter.

    Just... just what the hell was he looking at?

    After everything he'd seen in his life... this definitely had to be one of the strangest and most surreal things he had ever encountered. Not even learning King Arthur had been a slip of a girl who looked barely out of her teens was as jarring a concept as what he was seeing now as a man in green tights floated towards them on red balloons.

    He finally drops back down to the ground from the tree, glancing at Krezenta and Sarah, giving a rather nonchalant shrug at the concept of just killing the man - "Maybe, but what if we need him again? We don't have any clue if there's some sort of catch - for all we know, he'll just give us a map to our immediate destinations and hand them out as we need them. It'd be a perfect way to ensure we don't outright kill him."

     Archer then pauses a moment, regarding Dorian. "Plus, like the mage said, the last thing we need is to potentially anger the locals - this 'Agahnim' will make it hard enough for us /without/ butchering innocents and getting the common people angry. It'll turn everyone against us and give more authority to Agahnim when he inevitably declares us criminals - and he /will/ once he learns what we're doing." Even though Archer's encouraging them not to kill, his way of justifying it is all coldly logical and pragmatic - there's not one ounce of ethical consideration brought up... but maybe that's because he's figured Krezentia doesn't care about ethics as opposed to results. Hence why he uses logic alone.

Sarah Parsle (789) has posed:
"How can you people look at this guy and NOT think he's skeevy? Look at him. He probably wears that in the basement he lives in. That's gross. If you get close you'll probably find Cheetos stains." There is a pause, and then Sarah looks down at Krezentia, suddenly realizing she's a girl again. And sitting on top of Krezentia. "Well damn. You're a giant badass, aren't you?"

She does give Krezentia the benefit of hopping off to hit the ground, crossing her arms. "Anyway, the guy trips like half of my Stranger Danger flags just looking at him. If he offers to show you a land of fairies and candy, run."

She makes an exaggerated sigh as Yuna and Doran make good points. "Okay. Fine. You actually have a good point. Don't kill him. Yet."

She looks over towards Archer, and tilts her head. "Do I /LOOK/ like I have a Swordkind Strife Modus, Chuckles? If I did, I would have used it." She completely disregards the rest of his argument since she already relented. Also, it lets her keep her Sass Combo Meter up.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Kirika does find it rather petty to kill someone off so non-chalantly when they can be of such service, and she shoots Sarah and Krezentia a look. "Fair enough, but at the same time, we are better off relying on him if his maps /are/ useful after all. At the least, we can keep him at arm's length." She does have to agree at how creepy he is, getting the shivers just from LOOKING at the floating guy.

    "You up there! Who are you?" She calls to the floating fellow. Gods help her if he /does/ get the wrong idea from the fetching foxy lady.

    That said, Kirika does have her own sword now. "You are a cartographer, are you not? Can you assist us?"

Fassad (248) has posed:
     Fassad frowns firmly at Krezentia. "...We should not kill him." But, he has at least a bit to say on the Twilight thing. "...Well. Knowing that it is another realm, and knowing it is breaking into this one... I can at least make a /guess/. My best guess is that the border between the realms is breaking, and the places where it bursts through more change. But... It is moving faster than it used to. I am uncertain /why/."

     A frown is given to Sarah. Fassad is, certainly, unhappy at that statement. It's not often he just flatout frowns. And yet this group is getting him to do so a bit more. "...If you do not believe I can do it, then you will be proven right if I fail. There is no reason I can not try. Should I fail? Someone else can simply go on the mission themselves."

     And then Tingle floats in a bit closer. He really /can't/ control where he is going, but the eyes of this short pudgy man are looking towards the party. As he looks, there is a bit of a glimmer in his eyes. He gets a bit closer, by luck and by accident. And then, the balloons on his back pop, causing him to panic as he falls to the ground, screaming aloud just slightly.

     He crashes on the path, but pulls himself up. He does a little bit of a dance, hitting his feet onto the ground multiple time. And then, he speaks.

     "AHH! Amazing! All of you just turned into humans from animals... Is there any chance that the lot of you might be... Fairies?!" He dances a bit more, smiling at the whole group, "I, too, am a lost fairy! My name is TINGLE! My father says I'm not, but, still! I even have magic! And I cast my magic, as I go around, selling my wares! My maps of Hyrule! OH! WATCH!"

     He holds out his hands, waving them, "TINGLE TINGLE KOOLOO LIMPAH!" Suddenly, a burst of mundane glitter and confetti. He is certainly not a fairy.

     "...Do all of you want to buy a map, by the way? As fellow fairies, I will give you /quite/ a discount!"

Kirika (481) has posed:
    And immediately Kirika regrets giving Tingle the benefit of a doubt. She tilts her head in confusion at Tingle, her lips curled in baffled disgust before she just tries to power through this.

    "...yes. We are fairies." He's close enough, Kirika IS half-kitsune, after all. "I am affraid I've little money on me, however I am certain we could work out some sort of trade?" SHe glances at Fassad, hoping the prince has something of local currency on his person. Unless Tingle is willing to convert cash at the moment, Kirika is shit out of luck right now as far as money goes.

Sarah Parsle (789) has posed:
Sarah watches Tingle do his speech and it is so disturbing that she actually fails to immediately retort to Fassad. YOU WIN THIS ROUND, MAYBELLINE MAN.

However, she does basically cross her arms and emits the most powerful look of 'I told you so' that she can possibly manage.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna quickly comes to the decision that Krezentia and Sarah pose an extremely high threat to Tingle, and possibly (albeit less of one, maybe) to other locals, if they aren't carefully watched. Fortunately, they didn't do anything to pop those balloons (that she saw), so she sets that aside mentally for the time being. At least Tingle is back on his feet in short order.

"We were told that you could provide maps for us," she greets him with a friendly smile (glitter and general weirdness notwithstanding). "I'm not sure - Fassad, do you have local money? I didn't think to get any local cash on the way ..."

She neither confirms nor denies being a faerie. If letting him think that means he'll be more helpful than otherwise, then it's ... not like she NEEDS to correct the mistaken impression, right? ... Even if she doesn't like taking advantage of -

"And we aren't actually fairies ourselves, but we were asked to help them. Is that close enough?"

Why support a lie when the truth should work just about as well? What Yuna DOES know about Hyrule includes that some fairies are very important.

Staren has posed:
    Staren watches... Tingle... approach and arrive.

    He's /seen/ things, man. So he doesn't automatically assume Tingle is a crazy person. Maybe he really is a fairy. And even if he's not, there's nothing wrong with wanting to be one. Well. Depending on what he thinks a fairy is. Eldritch abominations are bad.

    Staren shakes his head. "I am not a fairy. We were transformed into animals by the Twilight." he exposits, neutrally. "However, we would like to purchase one of your maps. A map of this land."

    Staren blinks. "Oh, shit. I don't have any of the local money." He looks at Fassad. "Can you pay for the map?

Dorian Pavus (774) has posed:
    Dorian looks to Fassad. "Consider me at your service, Prince Fassad. I'll offer my private radio frequency later, so you can call whenever you need me." But why? He offers a reason for that, too. "There were people in my world who tried to take the Golden City, the throne of the Maker, and it ruined my world. Our 'Twilight', we call the Blight." A frown, and he shakes his head. "I'll not stand idly by while another world suffers the same."

    Though when he observes the... antics of the odd fellow in the green bodysuit. He waits until Tingle is done, and comments, "Maker's breath man, who is your tailor? You should fire him immediately. With actual fire."

    Honestly he doesn't know anything about fairies. He's never really seen one, except for Krezentia's companion. Dorian is certainly not a tiny, winged, floating thing. But for all he knows, this fellow in green won't help them unless he thinks they are fairies. So he just keeps quiet on that.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna swiftly acts to stifle a burst of the giggles at Dorian's suggestion. She won't deny that Tingle's fashion sense is .... distressing, so the 'with actual fire' part amuses her more than it probably should.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel says "So it seems one file is trying to over write another and everything else? I think I understand this now."

She's bsoding over tingle but that doesn't mean she shouldn't kill him or attack him. She looks the 'man' over for a moemnt tiling her head.

"We would be very much in need of a map sir."

Okay this is organic life just being pure chaos again, Deelel is trying to not freak out here.

Archer (821) has posed:
    Hearing Sarah's quip, Archer gives a rather bemused smile - "That's my point. He /can/ wield a sword, you can't. So it makes it hard to judge, doesn't it?"

    When 'Tingle', as he was called by the owl, hits the ground and starts dancing, Archer immediately feels a headache coming on. Even now he cringes inwardly, while outwardly he has a look of pure exasperation on his face.

    He certainly could understand why someone would want to kill this man. Or at least render him unconscious. However, they do need him, and Archer was serious about the fact that killing people without cause wouldn't do wonders for their reputations.

     When Staren speaks up, Archer curses to himself that someone in their group was actually fool enough to say that when they were being offered a discount - which they needed considering they had less then nothing to give in the first place so far. Giving an offhanded glance at him, Archer re-focuses his attention on Tingle. "Sorry - the change seems to have... disoriented some of us. Some of us are still recovering from it now that the Twilight has passed." And that wasn't even a lie, really. And in spite of himself, Archer found he couldn't resist a small smirk at Dorian's comment, seeing how true it was.

    Now... how to get the map from him? As a spirit, Archer didn't carry money. He had his swords of course - a projected blade would only last a few hours, but it would be more then enough time to trick the man into giving up a map.

    However, he does spare a glance to Dorian and Fassad - the ones who, by their apparel alone, ought to have at least /something/ of value they intend to trade. Therefore, trading a traced blade will be his backup plan - for now, he waits to see what Fassad intends.

Krezentia Einjager (758) has posed:
    Krezentia does not argue! Nor make a mess. She listens to Fassad's explanation, and reckons it makes sense. She also doesn't seem to have minded Sarah being on top of her, but since she was leaning on a tree for support, it doesn't say much for her strength. She's not THAT much stronger than a human.

    As Tingle introduces himself, Krezentia burries her face in her hand. Kopie promptly retreats behind Krezentia's hair, because this guy seems to be a fairy fanatic.

    "You know, my suggestion of how to deal with this is still on the table. Just saying. Never too late to fix a problem the easy way."

Sarah Parsle (789) has posed:
Sarah is by now looking angrily at Archer, flailing her hands and yelling, "CHECK YOUR SWORD PRIVLEDGE!" in the background.

Staren has posed:
    Staren sighs at Krezentia. "I doubt that in this world, being a small man with... questionable taste in fashion is a crime. Besides, for all we know, maybe that's one of the local fashions."

Fassad (248) has posed:
     Tingle immediately proves unhelpful. For, he looks away from all of those who claimed they weren't fairies. And instead focuses on the ones who said they are. Ignoring all others.

     Meaning he is addressing Kirika, and only Kirika, her being the /only one/ who confirmed she is a fairy.

     "AHHH! And what a lovely fairy you are! It is so nice to meet another of my kind! Well, in that case, since it is only you... You must be on a /great/ journey. I will /gladly/ give you a map of all of Hyrule... For two hundred rupees!"

     Fassad chokes a little hearing that sum. He knows that is /way/ overpriced for a map. But, alas, he frowns. They were told they need a map, so... A sigh. He slips Kirika a couple of large gemstones behind her back. Rupees, worth 200 of them.

     Fassad turns to Dorian, smiling. "Thank you for your aid. The more help in this matter, the better. And... If you ever need help dealing with this Blight in your world, I am more than willing to lend you my blade. Especially once I make claim to the Master Sword."

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Kirika stares at the little man, befuddled and outright ashamed she even decided to indulge him. Sighing, she at least gives Fassad a nod when he provides some rupees, holding them up. "I suppose this will do, then?" She forces a smile, and were this more cartoony there would be creaking metal as she tries to grin and feign cheer.

    Handing the money over in exchange for the map, Kirika /immediately/ moves back towards the mage and prince, content to hide behind the two men for a little bit. "Err...yes, and mine as well if you gentlemen so wish it." She offers. "My world has similar problems, to say I know how it is would be understating it." She remarks, thinking back to the attack on the summer festival a year ago by thralls, and the Nue they defeated in the process.

Fassad (248) has posed:
     Tingle takes the money, smiling at Kirika. The map is handed over. And then, he bows, smiling, "Ah, thank you so much, lady fairy! I am so glad to have met you, and so glad to have your business! Please, buy maps again, or visit my father's store!"

     He lifts a hand. To take Kirika's hand in his own.

     And then he kisses the back of it.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Oh /god./

    Kirika just stares at the hand, and then at the little man, and thne back at her hand again after /that/ happens. Utter /disgust/ cralws up her spine, in spite of the brave face she puts on. Right now, she's jjust going through the Hunter's Oath in her head over and over, trying /desperately/ to not snap.

    It would be so /easy/, too, but damnit she has standards.

    All she can do is sneakily slip the map over to Fassad, it's only fair the Prince has the thing. Plus it's less baggage connecting her with.../this guy./

Archer (821) has posed:
Hearing Sarah's comment, Archer gives another wry smirk at seeing her flail before projecting a nameless blade. He flourishes it once in a rather intricate pattern before holding it out to her, seemingly waiting for her to take it from his hand - as if wordlessly saying 'check away.'

    However, his attention is shortly diverted back to the scene before him, staring blankly as Tingle takes Kirika's hand and kisses the back of it as if she were a maiden and he a prince... and wondering whether he should find the scene funny or disturbing.

    However, the scene passes, and regardless or the surreality of it, Archer is satisfied that the issue is settled - meaning he won't have to fall back on deception this time. Now the only thing left was planning out how this hunt for the so-called Tears of Light.

    ... but in the end, old habits die hard, and Archer ultimately can't help but bring up one single sardonic quip to Kirika - "You do realize we're going to have to have you on hand - literally it seems - to vouch for us if we need him again, right?

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna steps back and to the side, leans over a bit, and stagewhispers to Kirika, "Maybe he'll forget who's a fairy and who isn't out of our band and somebody else can take the hit in your place next time ... "

Getting kissed on the hand isn't THAT bad, honestly. Now, if Tingle had gone for Kirika's lips ... well. Yuna still wouldn't want him DEAD but she might be more permissive of a few solid smacks. Maybe.

Sarah Parsle (789) has posed:
Sarah doesn't take the sword. "Whad do you want me to do with that? I can't use swords. Do you even understand what I me-"

She pauses, and looks over at Tingle kissing Kirika's hand. Two competing expressions appear on her face: Pure, unadulterated, delicious schadenfrude... And horror, as she tries to signal to Kirika 'ABORT, ABORT' She actually doesn't think Kirika deserves this horrible fate.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    All Kirika can muster now is a long-suffering sigh, as she just feels her skin crawl all over still, her ears drooping and her tail stiffer than a tree-limb. It's nothing short of humiliating right now for her, especially given Kasun's norms looking not too fondly on such brazen displays of affection for the most part, even in courting if you ask the traditionalists.

    She is going to be in the shower all night at this rate.

Dorian Pavus (774) has posed:
    Fassad gets a smirk. "I may hold you to that. Darkspawn are not exactly a task one takes on for a lark," he replies, as if it was a threat. But it's a teasing tone. Clearly he realizes it's a herculean task and wouldn't ask just anyone.

    And then Kirika is hand-kissed! Dorian shakes his head, and raises a hand to pat Kirika on the shoulder comfortingly. Though he says nothing about that yet. He does however whisper to Yuna, "Note, I never said one way or the other whether I was." He's not, but he's saving that, in case he has to claim it.

Fassad (248) has posed:
     Fassad takes the map from Kirika. A smile is given to her. Along with a cloth, so that she might wipe her hand. A small favor, but something he feels needs to be done.

     Tingle, meanwhile, smiles at the group as a whole. Even the non-fairies. "That map should sow most of Hyrule! But, again, if you ever need more help, seek me out! My father's shop is in the Castle Town near Hyrule Castle! We can most /certainly/ help you with needs! And so, to say farewell, I have but one thing to say..."

     "TINGLE TINGLE KOOLOO LIMPAH!"

     His hands lift up. Suddenl, flowers fly from his sleeves, and burst around. It isn't magic, he just kept them in his sleeves. He leans forward a bit, and balloons begin to inflate on his back. Slowly, he is floating up into the air, and being carried off onto the wind.

     Let's hope he floats to the ocean.

     Fassad lets out a sigh, relaxing a bit. He turns to the group, and smiles, "...Well. There is an inn, just ahead. I think we could head there, and rest for the evening. Prepare for adventure. ...But. Since I will be going on my own quest, it is there I will part with you. I /must/ thank you all for your help... And, I will stay in touch. If any of you need advice, I can give it, as possible."

     "So, shall we head to the inn?"

Archer (821) has posed:
     If anything, Archer's smirk gets slightly bigger at Sarah's words - and he picks up where she left off; "If I recall... were saying we're born unequal? I got that part - hence why I'm asking how you can judge if you don't have a sword privilege of your own." He speaks this so casually that it could be mistaken for simple all-too-honest commentary of the kind his younger self was the victim of practically every day. However, the way he's going about it, it's all too clear Archer knows perfectly well that he's simply pressing her buttons.

    Still, after a moment, he gives a sigh and looks Sarah dead in the eyes, becoming honest and serious as he moves out of earshot from Fassad. "You must have seen for yourself that I have doubts of my own - you saw that I asked him if he really wanted to go through with this. Truth be told, I don't blame you for being skeptical - in fact, I actually agree with you. He's far from what I call an ideal hero."

    He glances back to where Fassad was with Dorian and Kirika were at this, seeming to gaze analytically at the blonde-haired self-proclaimed savior of this world. "It's true that he's definitely capable - his stance, calm in the midst of battle and the way he led us through this makes that clear - but he also eager, self-absorbed and self-assured that he's going to come out on top. All mistakes that I know for a fact will condemn anyone on the thankless road to being the nonexistence that is a 'hero.'"

    With this, Archer sighs and shrugs. "But like I said before, this is his world - if he wants to throw himself into this task, who are we to stop him? It's not like you - or any of us for that matter - have a better option to suggest, now do we? If he succeeds, he succeeds. If he fails, he fails. But it's his choice in the end, and the only choice we have at that. So it's not like we have anything to lose by letting him try."

    Relieved at Tingle's departure - and somewhat disturbed by how he left - Archer then raises his hand up in a semi-polite gesture of refusal. "Sadly, my Master likes keeping me on a short leash, so to speak-" he pointedly ignores any quips Sarah gives on the matter- "-but I can get around quickly. She's got... ways of keeping tabs on recent events, so to speak, and I'm good at tracking people. So if she sends me out here again, I'll find you quickly enough."

    With that, he turns his back, raises his hand in farewell... and bounds into the sky higher then a normal person should be capable of, vanishing as he enters spirit form and leaves the forest behind him.

Dorian Pavus (774) has posed:
    Dorian has one other thing to say. "Be careful on your quest, Your Majesty. The title 'hero' is too often bestowed posthumously. And seeking it doesn't make you invincible. If you ARE a hero, it's because of what you /do/, not because of what you /are/."

    Oh yes. Also that exchange of private frequencies will happen too, if Fassad is keen. Dorian remains on-call in case Fassad needs help. Sure it's Fassad's quest... but a little help wouldn't be breaking the rules too much...

Sarah Parsle (789) has posed:
"That doesn't make you qualified to judge jack, you blade-wielding blowhard." Sarah stubbornly replies, folding her arms. "But what is true is that it doesn't actually matter what I think. No matter what any of us do here, we've already set into motion what's going to happen."

She shakes her head. "You see what you want to see. You hear what you want to hear. So do I. It's a fact of life, and that's why we make the decisions we do. It's not like I can stop him."

She pauses. "Or any of you, really. I'm just some kid."

She sighs, then. "I'm tired. Let's go to the inn." This seems to be about as much as Fassad is going to get from her today.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel has had a lot ot take in with Tingle she's creeped out but she's chalking it up to organics being just chaotic by their nature. She looks to Fassad and nods her head.

"Sounds like a plan to me and ... I think I might need a drink."