Fandom The Rebirth of Hyrule: A Battle Against Darkness

[Acethekidd]

L I N K

Location: Hyrule Forest -- Tags: open

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Link woke up in a cold sweat, his body drenched in perspiration. He found himself lying on the moss-covered ground, surrounded by towering trees that seemed to close in on him from all sides. The scent of damp earth and decaying leaves filled the air, and the distant hoot of an owl echoed through the dense forest.

Blinking his eyes, Link tried to gather his thoughts, but something was off. He felt a slight headache gnawing at the back of his mind, and his memories seemed hazy, as if shrouded in mist. He couldn't recall how he ended up here, deep within the Lost Woods. The last thing he remembered was finding...something odd under the castle..yes, a strange mummy.

As Link pushed himself up, he noticed a strange sensation in his left arm. He glanced down and gasped. Instead of his familiar, flesh-and-blood limb, he now possessed a rather odd arm. The arm was a blend of ancient decorations and mysterious rings, pulsing with otherworldly energy. Confusion and curiosity flooded Link's mind. How did he acquire this strange arm? And what was its purpose? He flexed his fingers experimentally, marveling at the way the joints moved with fluid precision. It felt foreign, yet somehow connected to him.

Taking a deep breath, Link rose to his feet, brushing off the dirt from his clothes. He knew he had to find answers, both about his memory loss and this strange arm. Instinctively, he reached for the hilt of the Master Sword, only to find it absent from his side. Panic crept into his heart, but then started to regain some of his memories of what happened under the castle. That mummy..it destroyed his beloved sword..and Zelda..what happened to her.

A sharp pain rang through the lost knight's head as he heard a faint voice echo throughout his mind. It was so faint and blurred..he couldn't make it out. It was no use the ponder on it..he had to go, but this pain he was feeling was also unbearable. Link winced as a sudden surge of pain shot through his body, causing him to stumble and nearly lose his balance. His steps became sluggish, and each movement felt like a heavy burden. The strain in his muscles intensified, making it increasingly difficult to continue.

Grimacing, Link leaned against a nearby tree, his breath labored and his brow furrowed. He couldn't understand why this excruciating pain had taken hold of him. Was it a result of his memory loss? Or was it something related to the strange arm he now possessed? Perhaps, it was that thing he encountered. Taking a moment to collect himself, Link closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, attempting to push through the agony. He couldn't afford to be immobilized within the unforgiving depths of the Forest . Determination flickered in his eyes as he resolved to press onward, no matter the cost.

T A T E

Location: Damel Forest -- Tags: open

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Tate cautiously approached the ancient Zonai ruins, her heart pounding with a mix of trepidation and excitement. The dilapidated structure stood as a testament to a civilization long gone, its intricate carvings and weathered stone captivating her curious gaze. She took a deep breath, feeling a rush of anticipation coursing through her veins.

With a quick glance over her shoulder, she made sure her fellow Zonai Survey Team members were not too far behind. Their presence provided a comforting sense of camaraderie, even in the face of the unknown. Adjusting her satchel, she pulled out a weathered Zonai journal, its pages filled with cryptic symbols and faded sketches.

"Okay, Tate," she muttered to herself, trying to steady her nerves. "You've trained for this. You've studied. It's time to put your knowledge to the test."

Carefully stepping over fallen debris and moss-covered stones, Tate entered the central chamber of the ruins. Ancient Zonai artifacts were scattered about, each one whispering stories of a forgotten era. Her eyes widened with wonder, and her hands trembled slightly as she reached out to touch an intricately carved relic.

As her fingers grazed the surface, a surge of electricity pulsed through her, causing her to pull back in surprise. "Incredible!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with a mix of excitement and awe. "This artifact is imbued with ancient energy. The Zonai truly had a deep understanding of the mystical forces that shaped their world."

Eager to document her findings, Tate retrieved a small notebook and a pen from her satchel. With meticulous attention to detail, she began to sketch the artifact, carefully noting the symbols and patterns etched into its surface. Her hands moved swiftly, her mind racing with theories and interpretations.

As she ventured deeper into the heart of the ancient structure, Tate's excitement grew with each step. The ruins whispered stories of forgotten legends, and she couldn't help but wonder how they would reshape the understanding of Hyrule's history. With every artifact she documented and every inscription she deciphered, she felt closer to unraveling the enigma of the Zonai.

Tate knew that this journey was not just about uncovering the past but also about embracing her own growth. Through her encounters with the Zonai civilization, she discovered newfound courage and a sense of purpose. With her mind buzzing with theories and her heart brimming with excitement, she pressed forward, ready to embrace whatever mysteries awaited her in the depths of the ancient ruins.

 

[Ploegy]

Ｍａｐｌｅ
Location: Outside Lookout Landing | Interactions: Open
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How long had it been since he had last visited Lost Woods? Maple had long lost tracks, though it hadn't be too long after Hyrule's Hero had returned to them after a hundred years of sleep. The korok had returned home for a short while once the forest after the hero had supposedly visited it and stayed briefly before wandering off again. It was rare he ever stayed for long, even despite how cowardly he was. Monsters may easily scare him, but he did a good job of hiding or straight up avoiding them entirely. That was one of the benefits of being a korok after all- he could easily hide himself from those he had no desire to interact with, though where was the fun in that? Ever since the Calamity he had surprisingly become rather social, often times allowing himself to be seen rather than shying away like many of his kind did. It was more fun that way.

That was why he even dared to be where he was now. While he didn't have the courage to actually approach the makeshift town, he did like to linger around it and watch those who came nd went through it. For the last three days, Maple had staked himself near Lookout Landing, hoping some kind of bravery would come over him, but it never did. Each day, he inched closer to entering, but any time anyone even neared him, he was quick to flee back to hiding under a small, rock tent he had built. Luckily, it hadn't drawn any kind of attention, though even if it had, he could easily allow himself too poof from sight if he simply wasn't feeling it.

However, today was slightly different from other days. Strange events had occurred, and to no surprise, his cowardice grew because of them. Witnessing the castle rise into the sky was one thing- a big thing at that- but what truly frightened him was the sudden appearance of a gapping hole near his hideout. Nasty, dark energy swirled from around it, causing Maple to cower in fear as he took shelter in his rock tent.

While he wasn't the brightest per say, he could still tell danger when he saw it, and the black and red substance that laid on the ground screamed danger. In a way it reminded him of the malice that had existed a few years ago- perhaps because it looked similar and gave off the same eerie vibes it had. Was it malice? The thought briefly crossed the korok's mind, but he quickly shook it off. As far as he was aware it couldn't be. Everyone said the hero had defeated Calamity Ganon. That meant it couldn't return, right? That was how he had taken it, though what did he know. It wasn't as if he was all that knowledgeable. His brethren would probably attest to that. Maple admittedly was rather scatterbrained. It was no secret.

Shaking that thought off, the korok sucked in a deep breath as he found some courage to step out of his shelter and quietly approaching the chasm before him. From the looks of it, he wasn't the only one who had the same idea. Hylians from Lookout Landing had already arrived and were investigating the scene. Some were even crazy enough to touch the dark substance, leaving themselves in pain. That was a clear enough sign for Maple to steer clear of doing the same.

Instead, the forest spirit kept to himself and moved around carefully to remain unseen as he observed. He could hear the researchers uttering something about an Upheaval, but admittedly he had no clue what they were going on about. Others spoke of the depths that supposedly waited for them just below the gapping hole. From how they spoke, it seemed they had already sent people down to investigate. Such bravery inspired Maple, yet he couldn't say he felt inspired enough to jump down and join them. He preferred to keep where he was and try to gather some information. This was the closest he had been with others from the town after all. It was a good start into making himself more comfortable to approach them.

 

[Arai]

Z E L D A
Location: Great Plateau | Interactions: Open
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Despite the great rumbling that had taken place hours early, and the imposing ruins of Hyrule Castle raised themselves skyward, the animals and trees of the Great Plateau acted as though nothing had changed. "Rightly so," some would say, as the birthplace of Hyrule must've seen many a change over it's long existence. Even as sinkholes opened in it's surface, the great stone mesa remained unperturbed and tranquil, as the rest of Hyrule seemed to transform around it. Yet as stoic as the plateau was, the animals and trees almost seemed to pause for a moment to pay respects to a golden light, emanating from the ruins of the Temple of Time.

In a dazzling flash of gold, the temple's crumbling structure was illuminated from within, shadows cast outward imprinting broken windows and shattered tiles onto the overgrown tiles around it. As the golden light faded, a woman hovered in the air, eyes closed, gently touching the stonework without a sound, and the pulse of the light faded into nothing. Zelda opened her eyes, finding herself in the old temple. The air was fresh and fragrant, the sound of birdsong filled the crumbling roof. She'd lost count of the countless times as a child she had stared at this place from her old tower. Confusion clouded her mind for a moment, though soon a smile crept across her face, then a laugh of delight. She had done it. She'd returned.

Exiting the temple through the door (Zelda couldn't help but feel using the gaping hole in the wall was somehow rude), she surveyed the surroundings. Hyrule Castle, a location that barely registered as her home after so many years trapped in it and then away from it, was just suspended in the air, a pillar of stone holding it aloft. Vibrant islands dotted the skies above her, and she made out more sickly red liquid pulsing it's way out of the ground in several areas leading to lookout landing, like the very ground they walked on was sick. Yet despite the signs of change, the smells and sounds of the Hyrule she'd fought for once before were unchanged. "I'm home," She whispered to herself, then realised the foley of talking to herself.

Zelda made her way to the edge of the plateau, it's great stone walls felt firm under her feet, and she realised for the first time that she was wearing her blue tunic again. Before she had committed her experiment, she had been wearing a dress, ornate, with Zonai stonework and set in deep greys and greens. It was an outfit that spoke to her position in that world, a position of duty and value, while her blue tunic and hood represented to a traveller, scholar and noble all in one. She frowned, running a hand over the textures for familiarity. A patch that she'd had to add after a nasty burn from death mountain, it was the same tunic. She felt the sleeve for a loose thread, a fray that she'd caught on the Master Cycle when Link was teaching her...Link! She audibly gasped and wheeled around quickly, half expecting to see him running to meet her for some reason, like he had so many times before. But as far as she could see, Zelda was alone.

Focus. If Link was alright, the last she had seen him, he had likely returned to Lookout Landing. That was hoping her calculations were correct and she had returned immediately after she had dissapeared in front of his eyes. Purah would know where to begin. She leaned over the edge and glanced at the drop. First, get off the Plateau. Second, get to Lookout Landing. Third, find Link.

 

[Noivian]

R A Y A
Location: Great Plateau | Interactions: Arai
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When the castle had begun to rise into the sky, Raya had been soaring over Lake Hylia. She tilted in the air, feathers brushing the wind as she turned northwards to properly observe the event, eyes wide in wonder, mouth agape in shock. Halting into a hover, she watched as islands appeared in the sky and holes opened in the earth below. What caught her eye the most, though, was the glow from the ruins of the Temple of Time. It occurred not long after the castle finished rising into the sky. For once, Raya found herself at a crossroads, uncertain which direction to take herself. On one hand, she could head to Lookout Landing to see what was happening. On the other, those sky islands wouldn't be too hard to reach. But what was that golden light?

One step at a time, she had to remind herself. The closest occurrence to her was the light at the Temple of Time, so that would be the one she went to first. The updraft coming off the lake provided enough lift to allow Raya to easily coast over the Great Plateau, exerting little effort to reach her destination. Circling overhead for a good place to land, Raya spotted someone who looked like the Princess walking towards the stone walls that surrounded the plateau. Rather than landing and introducing herself like a normal person, Raya instead hesitated. Would her presence be welcomed in the company of the Princess? Maybe, maybe not. So she circled overhead instead, awkwardly maintaining distance. It wasn't until Zelda stepped up onto the walls that Raya decided it was okay to approach. It wouldn't do to have her jump off the walls, after all, though Raya was not sure why she thought the other might want to jump.

"Yo!" Raya called from overhead, attempting to alert Zelda to her location before coming in for a landing, just so she didn't startle the other. Raya's wings kicked up dust and small stones as she landed, creating a small cloud that caused the Rito to cough briefly. "I don't see many Hylians up here these days," she remarked when the dust settled. "Are you lost? Do you need some help getting down?" She gave a tiny bow. My name's Raya. Pleasure to meet you." She then turned towards the castle. "Did you see the castle rise into the sky? Crazy stuff, huh? And all that ominous red goop? Sure is weird times we live in, am I right?" She gave a smile and a short chuckle, shaking her head lightly. This interaction was going surprisingly smoothly, in Raya's opinion!

 

[galvanismgal]

U R A
Location: Near Lookout Landing | Interactions: Open
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Great, just great. After all the mess over the past century or so things had finally settled down enough for Ura to make his way above ground. He couldn’t complain though…actually he could.

Everything was fine and dandy in his suborosian village until the calamity struck bringing the chaos and danger. Quickly shutting down the portals they used to travel or sealing them off with rocks left subrosia isolated from the troubled surface world. Not that it did much good.

Even with a swift response seismic activity had drastically reduced their food supply. A few creepy monsters had made their way in the chaos making it take forever to get everything back the way it should be but they did it. Little by little subrosians who were stranded for those years returned and with them stories of what had been happening. So, as soon as he could Ura made his way to the surface world to give those responsible for their suffering a piece of his mind and a good thwack.

Unfortunately, it seemed the surface world was a mess still. The sun was too sunny, the sheer existence of rain, and the place had ruins everywhere. It was a dump, a dump! Everywhere Ura went he found himself making signs to try and warn travelers of danger. As reclusive as his kind was, he wasn’t just going to waltz into some settlement and be all how is it going? Did you know this place is bad be careful. Pah.

Such a secretive nature did not work in his favor since Ura had to rely on the bits of information he overheard from travelers or fairies. He may be out of signs but he still had his fist and that would have to be good enough. When he finally finished his slow journey arriving at lookout landing his destination in sight and all warmed up to complain the place down…it rose up into the sky. F***.

Ura only had time to swear under his breath as people started to scurry about. A large hole opened up with black and red crap appearing. It wasn’t lava but Ura’s tried and true explorer's gut told him it was bad new which was quickly confirmed when some idiot touched it and writhed about in pain.

He complained under his breath about the whole situation as he approached the chasm. It didn’t seem like it led to subrosia at all so the question is what was at the bottom of it all? Seems like some Hylians might have some idea…those tall f***ers always causing problems left and right. Ura still found himself moving into a nice eavesdropping position to find out if this day could get any more annoying.

 

[Bambiholic]

Juniper ,, Berry ❜ ─ 𝘵𝘩𝘦 optimistic animal lover ─ ❛
interactions: open ; location: a pond in hyrule field, near lookout landing
tldr: awakens in a pond after falling from her loftwing and plans to head to lookout landing

Juniper awoke on her back on top of a large lilypad surrounded by water, her clothes and hair still damp. The previous day had been the day she made the great descent from Skyloft (not to be mistaken with Great Sky Island) and through the thick clouds that kept her people from knowing what exactly it was like on the ground below. Skyloft was a series of floating islands extremely high up in the sky, far higher than the floating islands that were visible to the average eye. It was so high up in fact, that the people of Juniper's hometown used to believe that nothing existed below the clouds - that was until long, long ago when Skyloft's very own hero, the first Link, travelled down to the ground to rescue the first Zelda who fell off her Loftwing bird through a portal that had opened up in the clouds. That was tens of thousands of years ago, and Skyloftians now know that the world below their islands is home to all kinds of life, but very few of them visit, if any at all, due to the rumoured danger that lurks below and the uncertainty of surviving the journey.

When weird and dark substances started rising up through the clouds recently, things on Skyloft suddenly weren't as peaceful as they always had been, with strange monsters appearing out of nowhere at night forcing all Skyloftians to be locked up inside by nightfall. Juniper took this opportunity to finally venture below the clouds to see what the cause of these monster appearances had been and hopefully save Skyloft from further falling into darkness. She knew her Loftwing couldn't take her the whole way down, and so, once they had gotten as low as possible she stroked her beloved pet goodbye and bravely made the leap with the help of a makeshift wing-like device that her protective father had crafted for her. As brave as she was, moments after she hopped off her Loftwing she passed out completely. Thankfully for Juniper, it seems that she had landed in a body of water that cushioned the blow of her fall, though her wing-like device was now completely tattered and covered in holes.

She sat up on the lilypad slowly, coughing up a small amount of water before making her way to the grass on the edge of the pond. "Well, at least I'm alive!" she said enthusiastically, a large grin forming on her face. It had always been her dream to go below the clouds, and no one had believed she could actually ever do it. Her grin, however, slowly faded when she looked around, seeing a large floating castle enveloped in the same kind of dark red energy that had seeped through the clouds. She didn't know what it was, but it looked completely evil, and she wanted to avoid it if she could. She turned her gaze somewhere else to see a large tower protruding upwards which didn't look as though it was cursed. "Perfect!" she exclaimed as she decided on where her first destination would be. Before setting off, she looked back at the pond she had very luckily landed in to see all her belongings floating in the centre of it. "Ah.. what a drag." she muttered to herself quietly, realising that she'd have to get back in the water to retrieve her things before she could head out towards the place she didn't know was called Lookout Landing. At least they had bodies of water in Skyloft too, otherwise she'd have been royally screwed.

coded by archangel_

 

[Icee]

S H E L L E Y
Zora's Domain
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It all started as a typical day for Shelley. Well, as typical as days were for her nowadays. After the inital Calamity, she had hoped that peace would finally return to the land, that she and her people would finally get the peace they so desperately needed. Things were never fuly repaired after the death of their Champion those years ago. Although she wasn't old enough to really have much of an understanding of Mipha during the time that she was alive, Shelley knew that her grace was unparalleled. With Prince Sidon now the next in line for the Zora throne, Mipha lived on through memory - memory that she and the other Zora knights looked to preserve alongside their homeland.

When Va Ruta was finally restored to its stable state, Shelley felt as if their struggles over the years were finally coming to an end. All of those days upon days guarding the domain, helping other soldiers who had gotten wrongfully hurt by the Calamity had finally paid off. Their prince could rest assured that his dear sister was resting in peace now that her spirit was properly freed and kights like her could focus their efforts on repairing the domain. Brighter days were finally within reach...


Then came the sludge. The horrid, disgusting sludge. It started merely as dirt falling from the sky. Perhaps it was just a horrible storm of sorts - something that would pass in due time. However, it only got worse. Worse enough that their prince was now away from the Domain with a group of knights assigned to guard him as he worked to separate the sludge from the clean waters. Havig the sludge contaminate the domain would only bring certain crisis. As much as Shelley wanted to be amongst the knights sent to Mipha's Court, knights also needed to stay here to ensure that things within the domain did not get worse.

Shelley couldn't help but sigh as she looked ahead from the steps that she stood on, her trident held closely at her side. What were once beautiful sparkling waters that soothed her anxieties about her duties was now clouded, bringing an air of despair with them. The exact opposite of soothing. She couldn't help but wonder how long their prince was going to be able to keep things up. Even his power couldn't keep averting a crisis forever. Eventually, they would require outside help.

She felt so useless here. She really wanted to be at Mipha's Court. At least there, she would be able to at least be of some assistance even if it would be just standing guard over their prince. It would be of more use than sitting here, watching the sludge fall from the sky and listening to some rowdy children try and imitate their king. Yet she had her orders and she wouldn't dare defy them. She knew her higher ranking knights had reasons for assigning people to certain duties.

She needed a distraction. How some of the people managed to keep their heads straight through all of this was a mystery. Some like her were old eough to remember when the original Calamity began even. She was lucky enough to not remember. Yet even so, growing up with trouble going on her whole life was never easy. All she wanted was to see peace and every time it seemed to be i reach it floated farther away.

Shaking her head, Shelley tried to clear her head as she continued on her morning patrol. She had to focus. She cannot allow herself to waver now. As useless as she thinks she is she had a job to do and she had to see it through ragardless of what thoughts rattled in her mind.

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Y U N O B O
Goron City
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The end of the original Calamity brought about changes for all of Hyrule but perhaps things in Goron City had seen the most changes. Shortly after the original Calamity was take down. Death Mountain ceased its regular eruptions which brought about immediate climate change for the area surrounding the city that the rock-loving Gorons called home. Temperatures plummeted - while they were still warm, the decreased temperature was enough for Hylians to be able to travel to the city comfortably. This also brought a new era of Hylians working alongside the Gorons on their mining work. An alliance that was actually doing quite well, all things considered. It was other troubles that were causing newfound crisis for the city.

During the initial Calamity, Yunobo had lived a simple life with no set goal. He was always timid, lacked the will to take his own action, he was nothing like the Champion that was believed to be his grandfather. However, working alongside Link to stop Va Rudania's reign of terror over the city made him realize that he had more power than he was giving himself credit for. That was confirmed when he swore he saw the Champion Daruk's spirit notice him from atop Va Rudania. Something that anyone else would believe was a mere illusion was something that the young Goron would forever hold close to him.

When peace resumed, Yunobo decided to finally set up a goal for himself - to run his own mining company. In typical Goron fashion, he named it something simple - YunoboCo. He didn't have much of an ultimate goal for it nor did he plan for it to take off in the manner it would. He made a simple goal - to make a mining place mostly for the kids. A park of sorts where both Gorons and Hylians would be able to see the fun of the Goron's top industry. To his surprise, many others were for the idea, from children to elders. The idea of showing that the minig industry wasn't all about busting tail and getting dirty all day appealed to many of the residents, as well as the new inflow of Hylians coming to the city for work. It didn't take long for Yunobo's small business to rise into its own sort of empire. Suddenly, the young Goron found himself in a position with more power and resposibility than he ever dreamed of having. A position that many now beleived was getting to his head...


It all started when Yunobo came out of one of the mines one day with an odd lookig mask. At first, nobody really thought anything of if. Perhaps the young president was simply seeking a way to hide his still very young face - to look more professional and experienced now that he was in charge of so much. Many of the children even found the mask cool looking. However, the mask did nothing but make the young Goron's attitude sour. Suddely he was bossing everyone around, using his company's position of control as an excuse to be rude to everyone who he once called friends. Not even the elders he once respected were safe from his wrath.

As if to make matters worse, an odd new Rock Roast was causing trouble. Gorons were suddenly coming across them in certain areas of the mines. Eating just one of them caused the Goron in question to become addicted so much that it was almost as if they were being hypotized. Suddenly they would have no work ethic, wanting to do nothing but get more of the delicious Rock Roasts. So many Gorons were being affected by the new problem that almost no work was getting done and what work did get done was only mining the marbled Rock Roasts. At the rate things were going, Yunobo's so called dream project was never going to get completed.

There was some light in this dark crisis. Elders and children were not affected by the Rock Roasts as they were't able to eat them as they were actually quite crunchy - too tough for developing children's teeth or elder's decaying teeth. It was odd how the children who worked so closely with Yunobo even continued to work with him given his new attitude but they did. Most elders though were starting to lose their patience with how he disregarded this new problem.

In fact, right now, Yunobo was in the main center of Goron City, having once again been called here by one of the elders who were trying desperately to get him to akowledge the severity of the problem on their hands.

"For the last time, old man, there's no problem. The Rock Roasts aren't a problem so stop calling me back here about them!" he snapped at the elder. This was something that Yunobo wouldn't even think of doing i his earlier days. He always respected his elders and took their wisdom seriously. Now here he was, treating them like nothing but dogs. It was absolutely horrid to see.

"The way I see it, you old guys are just upset that you're too old to help work!" Yunobo continued. "Why can't you just stay in your places?! I've got everything handled without you shovig your noses in it!!"

The scene was enough to make some of the other still sane Gorons either stare of glare in disgust. However, no one dared to say or do anything. Most knew better. There was no stopping these episodes. They were nothing more than a regular occurance nowadays.

 

[Gundam Watcher 27]

Darunilk
Location: Goron City
Interaction: Icee​

The scene was enough to make some of the other still sane Gorons either stare of glare in disgust. However, no one dared to say or do anything. Most knew better. There was no stopping these episodes. They were nothing more than a regular occurance nowadays.

One Goron in the assembled group of Elders and children stepped forward after Yunobo snapped at them. His outfit consisted of a green cap, leather gauntlets, Leather Boots, and a loincloth. His right fist ran raised and immediately connected with Yunobo's left cheek. Darunilk was this Goron's name, and he was yelling at Yunobo as his punch struck.

"Open your eyes and look! You're telling the elderly, who have no strength to lift a hammer, and children who have not developed their muscles, to slave away in your operation!"
He retracted his fist as he continued to look at Yunobo with anger.
"How can you be so insensitive?! Daruk would be ashamed of you!"
he said, talking about the late Champion of the Gorons, someone who's legends inspired him to become a hero himself. But it wasn't the fact he wanted to be like Daruk that he told that to Yunobo, but rather the fact Yunobo was directly related to him.

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Venti
Location: Naydra Snowfields
(Open for interaction)

Venti was perched in a tall pine tree, overlooking the field below him. His vision was clear, even with the snowfall. He heard stories about a great dragon that roamed this area, and he wanted to fly beside it, one monster by another.
Of course he had reasons for his own labeling as a monster. He felt like an outsider amongst the Rito. Even though Teba had tried to have him stay, Venti couldn't. He was afraid of his own power, and what would have if he went out of control with it.

Something moved in one of the bushes below. His eyes darted there. It definitely wasn't the dragon, something smaller, but he had a feeling, a primal response to danger, that something evil was coming his way. He drew his bow and notched an arrow, before pulling back the string. Whatever was there, he'd have the advantage in higher ground and range. His posture started to shake when he saw a muscular shape on four legs step out. It too had a bow drawn with an arrow notched. Venti had in his sights a Lynal, one of the most fearsome creatures in the land.

He hesitated. If he missed, the Lynal would be alert to his presence. Venti may be a good shot, but he never ever encountered one of those before. Suddenly he saw the Lynal sniff the air, and growl as it turned to face him.
"Medoh's Tailfeathers!"
he cursed, as the Lynal fired its arrow. Venti dropped from his perch, back to the ground as he put his bow away, then flapped his wings. He flew up into the air and was circling in the sky around the Lynal.

The Lynal fired arrow after arrow at him, but Venti kept avoiding the arrows with a skillful grace. However, the Lynal had suddenly gotten savvy, as it fired from its mouth, a ball of fire, directly at the path in front of Venti. The fireball exploded, and Venti fell from the sky, burns on his face and clothes. He wished he didn't leave his people. He wished someone could come help him before the Lynal got to him and did Hylia knows what, as he lost consciousness.
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[Arai]

Z E L D A
Location: Great Plateau | Interactions: Noivian (Raya)
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"Yo!"

The Princess of Hyrule and the Kingdom's future ruler yelped in surprise, stumbling back from the ledge out of startled panic, looking around for the shouter. She watched with some relief as a Rito landed nearby her, bow slung across her back. Her plumage suggest a heron possibly? The rito had so many differences between their feathers and some were very...proud of them, so it wasn't polite to ask. At least Revali had never been one for talking about it, and he was the most she had to go on for true experience with Hyrule's flying race. She closed her eyes for a moment as the dust blew past her, the grass swaying against the wind current.

"Are you lost? Do you need some help getting down?"

Zelda smiled. "Not lost, thank you," she replied with all the politness and dignity she could after her blunder. "Though I wouldn't say no to some assitance back toawards Lookout Landing, if you were heading in that direction of course," She asked with a smile. She felt a little guilty asking, as people rarely said no to her requests, but it didn't hurt to be at least a little humble about it. "I am Zelda," she said with a smile, sweeping her hair back. "Though I imagine that was obvious,"

As Raya spoke of the red tainted land, it was helpful to get her bearings on time. She mustv'e very recently returned if people were still talking about the castle rising. But ominous red goop was unfamiliar to her. Had more of the Gloom spread since their excursion underground. Even from the Plateau, she recongised some regions that had pockets of Glooom that were certainly new, as well as deep holes leading into the ground. Perplexing.

"Strange times indeed..." she muttered. As Raya watched her, she would notice that Zelda was catching the light slightly, and a faint whisp of golden light spun off of her shoulder, before dissovling into the air.

R E T E N
Location: Zora's Domain| Interactions: Icee (Shelley)
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With one final grunt and a cacophany of stone hitting stone, the southern cliff face of Zora's bridge, a large and imposing mountain that had withstood 100 years of downpour from Vah Ruta, finaly collapsed and slid into the Zora River. Boulders smashed into the still relativley clean water, sending a spray up into the air that felt amost like a light drizzle. A scattered cheer went up from the assembled Zora on Inogo Bridge, led by Reten as she held her spear aloft in victory. The slow tide of sludge making it's way down the river began to bump againt the makeshift damn, pcokets of sludge browning the water as it formed a skin over the top of the most travelled path in Zora's Domain. But, the rocks held, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

The sludge was a problem for the Zora, true enough. However, the Domain's river fed into the Lanayru Wetlands, which fed into the Hylia River, which went on and on. A lot of people would sugger unless the damage was contained, and it was Reten who was one of the volunteers to find a way to stop the sludge. While damming their river was drastic, Hyrule had other sources of water.Leaving them untained was more important than the Zora's comfort. Their problems would only get worse without a soloution however.

"Reten!" She snapped to attention. "Head back up to the domain. Let them know the river is dammed." Reten nodded, using every ounce of strength not to make a pun about the Zora's being the "Damned" ones. Among her group, she had them beat in speed, fins down. And was more than happy to make the journey before the sludge got any worse. She leapt from the bridge, pushing rapidly upriver and avoiding large pockets of sludge as she did so. Even at the speed she was moving, she felt a little ill in the water, there wouldn't be many more opportunities for swimming in this filth.

Part of her regretted returning to the domain itself. Not just because it meant the end of her work, but it looked downright depressing currently. THe sludge clung to the walls of deep azure stone and dripped with an awkward splat into the water below. Thankfully, the water coming from Mipha Court was flowing freely and crystal clear, a testament to the work that Prince Sidon was putting in. She wondered how his fiancee felt about all this. The woman had been directing work among her colleagues, and even Reten had to admit that she was doing an excellent job for someone whose field was more galas and balls than military strategy.

On her way to report to the woman in question, Reten spied a friend, and all offical business was thrown out of the window. Shelley looked bored out of her mind, and Reten watched as she grupped the Trident with a snese of purpose, though her face seemed less interested. Time for an intervention. Reten moved behind her, throwing an arm around Shelley and tapping their two spears together, a little inside joke to their time training. Shelley would tap her Reten's spear with her trident when she thought that the younger Zora wasn't paying attention, and now it was a standard surprise greeting between them. Shelley was a few years her senior, but they shared a friendship that had developed through the Calamity years. "You seem tense..." Reten teased, leaning on her friend's shoulder. "I thought an honorbound knight would be at home defending the domain, instead of being involved in my shenanigans," She smiled.

 

[TacoRocky]

Moko
"...All right, kiddo, I gotta get going now," Moko chuckled as she gently patted the head of the Zora child she'd just finished recounting her hunting trip to. "Looks like your mom needs your help; a big, strong kid like you can't let her down, yeah?"

The little Zora nodded earnestly, eyes aglow with wonder and a spark of determination, and he scampered away at full speed, clambering up the crystal blue steps nearby to join his mother at the upper level. Moko could hear the kid excitedly talk about the stories she'd told him from where she was--all of the things she'd witnessed on her latest excursion: monster bears, fish the size of humans, trees that came to life and attacked like beasts. She offered his mother a friendly wave and a sheepish grin when the two made eye contact, both a greeting and silent assurance the kiddo hadn't taken up too much of her time. As they turned away and headed further into Zora Domain, however, Moko's face fell with a sigh of dissatisfaction, unable to maintain a pleasant facade any longer.

She'd puffed up her story by a wide margin. No bears, no giant fish...definitely monster trees, but that wasn't really something to be proud of being truthful. Examining the sack of foodstuffs she'd gathered, Moko realized she'd blown up how much she'd been able to hunt, too; this haul was even less than last week's. It was getting harder and harder to find food around the region, much less enough to feed all of Zora Domain. There were still plenty of fish in the waters, but with how polluted the rivers were due to all the sludge, there was no way they were safe to eat. The best she could hope for was to hunt in the highlands and wetlands nearby, but even that was becoming slim pickings. There was no getting around it: Zora Domain was knee-deep in crap, in more ways than the literal kind.

Moko kept her mouth clamped tightly as she trudged to the storehouse, fighting the frustrated and fanged scowl tugging at her lips. She'd survived countless battles with insurmountable odds, nearly died more times than she could remember, and yet it was here and now that she felt powerless. What good was all her strength against a blight? How could she fight off a sickness? It wasn't like she could punch this slop away, no matter how hard she'd tried to. All she could do was scrounge for meager rations and do her damnedest to pretend things were as hunky-dory as they could be for the kids. It was infuriating, being able to do so little; there had to be something more...

She paused as she caught sight of a pair of Zora, shoulder to shoulder, apparently enjoying a brief moment of rest amid the chaos that had become everyday life. There were very few living in Zora Domain that Moko didn't recognize, but these two she could never forget; Shelley and Reten had been some of her top trainees, after all. Drive, skill, honor, not to mention some of the best fighters in the region...it was no wonder they'd both made outstanding knights. Maybe a little green around the gills starting out under her training, but they'd definitely proven their mettle during the Calamity. Shelley was probably on her regular morning patrol, but last she'd heard, Reten was helping out at the dam downstream, making sure the sludge didn't get out to the rest of Hyrule. If she was here...well, there were only two outcomes to that. The pair looked to be in decently high spirits; Moko hoped that meant Reten was bringing good news.

Summoning the scraps of cheer she could muster, she sauntered over to the pair; regardless of what the situation down south was, it'd probably be good to just check in on the two.

"Don't tell me you two are slacking off!" She teased, trying her best to inject some lightheartedness into her voice. "Think I'm a little swamped to be picking up any more of your work!"

Interactions: Reten ( Arai ) and Shelley ( Icee )

 

[Icee]

S H E L L E Y
Zora's Domain | Arai l TacoRocky
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Shelley was suddenly brought to attention by a familiar yet startling voice. Of course, she would recognize her friend Reten anywhere. Both of them were amongst the top Zora Knights. Due to their abilities being so similar, it was often that the two were placed on similar stations. It allowed them to have quite the friendship, though Shelley only took the friendship so much as for business. Reten was a great work partner, although sometimes a bit too goofy for her liking. At least Reten wasn't completely unwilling to have the occassional conversation like some of her other co-workers, to which she was grateful.

She tensed a bit at the sudden touch as Reten touched shoulders with her, though she knew the other knight only meant it in good spirits. She adjusted her grip on her trdent, not realy feeling in the mood to do her usual tapping against Retan's spear like she usually would. Another result of her lingering anxiety.

"Oh, hello, Reten. I didn't think you would even be back yet." the Zora said as she glanced at her friend over her shoulder. "I thought you were still handling the dam?"

Surely Reten wasn't done with her assigned task this soon. Unless things went so smoothly that she got done early which was a rarity nowadays, especially with the sludge clogging their ability to travel. Which only meant things coud have gone badly but her friend seemed way too optimistic for that. While she was layed back, Shelley knew that Reten also wouldn't just be blowing off her tasks either. They weren't high ranking knights for nothing.

Before she could as much as ask how things went for her friend, another voice caught the Zora's attention. Moko, her overseer and one of many who had assisted in her rigerous training over the years. While she wasn't as close to Moko as she was with Reten due to their differences in positions, she still cared for and respected the other Zora. Grabbing another firm hold of her trident, she couldn't help but scoff as she was accused of being lazy.

"I'll have you know, being lazy is the last thing on my mind. I'm doing my morning patrol as always." she said before allowing a slight smile to grace her features. "But maybe this other Zora here is slacking. Afterall, it is a bit soon for her to be back from her tasks!"

The slight laugh that she gave showed this was a rare time she was willing to make a joke. While she was often serious and had little tolerance for jokes, especially in times like these, she couldn't help but let one slip right now. Afterall, she needed a distraction from her thoughts. She had yet to hear how things went with Reten after all and with the luck they had been having, she was actually bracing herself for bad news. She'd rather just have a moment to laugh before being barreled with the bad news.

---

Y U N O B O
Goron City | Gundam Watcher 27
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It was never a good idea to cross Yunobo when he was in one of these arguments with an elder. It never ended well. Many Gorons who still had their sanity preferred to just watch from a distance as Yunobo rudely put the elder in his place. However, there was an occassional time that a Goron did dare to step in. Yet, this time was the very first time that one raised their fist to him. Elders threatened to but none actually went so far as to follow through.

The punch did almost nothing to the young Goron physically. His defense was well above that of most Gorons, not to mention the fact that Gorons had superior defense regardless o their individual stats. The punch did actually daze him for a moment.

"The elders...children...."

For a split second it seemed as if his former timid demenor was back. His voice wavered with fear, soft with perhaps even hints of pain. However, before anyone could question things, the mask responded as if whipping the young Goron back in order, punishing a deliquent child for disobeying some sort of set rules. His eyes glowed red a moment as the young Goron held his head in pain, suddeny being barelled with an earsplitting headache. No sooner did the glow fade though, his attitude returned as if no signs of his falter even came to be,

"You've got some nerve hitting ME!" he hissed at Darunilk. "Then to tell me that Daruk would be ashamed of me?! I'm trying to make some use out of this place! These kids and elders just want to waste time babbling about these Marbled Rock Roasts! They're no problem and I'm not stopping them from being mined. Everyone loves them. There's nothing wrong with that!"

He glared at the other Goron, his hand looking as if he might try and hit him at any moment, though he never once drew his weapon that was at his back.

"You'd better scram before I decide to punch you back!!"

 

[TacoRocky]

Kija
Location: Outside Lookout Landing
Kija had always felt like she'd had a decent sense of direction. It was a big reason she'd felt so confident making excursions out of town when she was a kid--even if she'd never been allowed to actually go anywhere. Add in the navigation tools she had on her person practically 24/7 and you'd think she'd never get lost. But figuring out where you were going was a lot harder when you weren't sure where your destination was.

She huffed, giving the device in her hands a light, but frustrated, smack on one side. The Kija Card had been working perfectly not ten minutes ago, Sheikah Sensor chirping away as she came closer and closer to the object of her search; now it didn't seem like it knew where anything was. She knew she hadn't exited the sensor's range--the beeping would have slowed once she'd started moving away. No, it was a steady frequency, up until just a couple of minutes ago when the signal had cut out.

The device had been acting up ever since the Upheaval, but Kija had assumed the Sheikah Sensor had remained unaffected, one of the handful of features that had. In fact, it had been working fine up until today. She let out an inquisitive hum as she fiddled with the Kija Card. Oculus, Kinesis, sketchbook...nothing else seemed to be faulty, and the runes that had been offline were unchanged as well. So much for the hope it'd been swapped out. Maybe it was time to run diagnostics again, make sure there wasn't anything else wrong with her gadget. She wasn't too far from Lookout Landing; she could probably come back out here late this afternoon at the earliest, assuming there wasn't some major bug in her invention.

As Kija turned back towards the landing in resignation, her eyes caught on a dull glint of light, teasing just at the corner of her vision. There was something in the grass to her left--a small bronze prong, peering out from behind a tree. No, hold on...now that she had a look at it up close, there was a lot more than that: green and white tiling, bronze accents, an ethereal emerald energy pulsating throughout its form. Kija's face lit up with excitement. Could this be...?

She yanked out her Kija Card, hurriedly activating it and swiping through its applications until she'd found the voice recorder function. Thank the goddesses that was still working. She took a few deep breaths and cleared her throat, thumb hovering over the start button. Gotta make this sound professional...

"Log #37, Summer, day 53. Time: 10:13. While on an expedition to gather materials for my studies, I have stumbled across an unknown machine in the forest just southwest of Lookout Landing. Judging by the machine's design and the materials it appears to be made of it is most likely Zonai in origin, bearing many resemblances to the Zonai devices the survey team have discovered. However, there have been no reports of a machine matching this device's structure."
"The device seems to resemble the head of a horse, with a horn placed at the tip of its forehead," Kija continued, now skittering around the machine. "Evidence of a large impact, notably parts of the machine having been buried, suggest it fell from a great height before coming to rest here. From what can be observed, there appears to be no activation mechanism, similar to other Zonai devices recovered. Following that observation..."

The young scientist rapped the side of the machine with her knuckle, as if knocking on a door. Almost instantaneously, bright blue energy gathered at the tip of the device's horn, just as quickly firing off as a searing bolt of light through a nearby tree, much to Kija's surprise and delight.

"Ooohoohoo!" She chortled, briefly pulling the Kija Card away from her face. "I'm gonna have a lot of fun with that! Ahem-hem..." The card was back in front of her to pick up her voice again and with it came her professional tone once more. "As was proven with the other Zonai devices, a sudden impact appears to be capable of activating the machine, its purpose appearing to be emitting a beam of energy from the bronze horn apparatus. For what reason the Zonai crafted such a machine is at this time unclear, though I hypothesize it may have been used as a manner of weaponry..."

Kija trailed off as she noticed the emerald glow the machine once exhibited had grown dull after the brief display, and despite another knock, no energy was produced.

"Phooey," she grumbled, forgetting that she was still recording herself. "I-I mean, um--it appears that the device was running on an internal charge, which has unfortunately been exhausted during my examination. I surmise that to reactivate the machine, it will require some manner of external power source. For now, I will attempt to transport the device back to Lookout Landing for further study. End of log."

She tapped the screen, ending the recording, but was surprised to find a gentle beeping once more emanating from the Kija Card. Wait--the Sheikah Sensor was back online? How did--

Kija looked back at the Zonai device, now deactivated. Had it been interfering with her invention's functions? The sensor had started glitching just before she'd found the machine...definitely something to look into when she got back to Lookout Landing. Speaking of--just how was she getting this thing back there? It looked pretty heavy--too heavy for her to carry that whole trip, and way too heavy to Kinesis back. Maybe she'd have to leave it here and get some people to come back for it with her...

 

[Ploegy]

Ｍａｐｌｅ
Location: Outside Lookout Landing | Interactions: galvanismgal
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Maple's observations of the chasm continued for several minutes as he quietly listened in on the nearby Hylians. From what he could make out, they seemed to be speaking of a group of Sheikah researchers that had been sent down to survey the land. Their reports sounded eerie though and caused the korok to shudder. Darkness everywhere?! No thank you! He'd pass on that. The gloomy vibe the Calamity had put on them had been enough darkness for him to last him at least another hundred years. He wouldn't willingly jump into something said to be shrouded in it.

With his mind now set, Maple prepared to leave when the sight of another individual caught the edge of his vision. If it hadn't been for their vibrant orange cloak, the korok would have likely missed them entirely, especially since they seemed to be doing the same as he was- eavesdropping on the nearby Hylians.

Luckily for him, it seemed the other small individual hadn't noticed his presence yet. Could he even see him? For a moment, Maple let that question fill his mind. Was he hiding himself or had he allowed himself to be seen? He couldn't remember, but even then, there were always the exceptions that could see him even if he tried to cloak himself from the normal eye. Link had been one of those individuals according to his brethren, though he had no proof of it. Where there even other individuals like that? Everyone knew the hero was special by now.

His mind would have continued to ponder these questions, but thankfully the sound of yelling would snap him out of his train of thought and cause him to jump. "EEP!" Maple squeaked out. As soon as the sound even escaped his throat, he was already on the move back towards his hiding place. Even if the Hylians weren't yelling at him, it had been more than enough to frighten him back into his comfort zone.

As he retreated, the eyes of the workers momentarily moved in his direction, making it clear that he was heard, and likely visible to the world around him. However, Maple didn't have time to pay attention to this minor discovery. He was far too busy booking it back to his rocks to dare to look back.

Arriving in his makeshift camp, the korok cowered in fear, his body shaking like a leaf as he tried to calm himself. For several moments, he remained this way, staring at the rocky wall as he quivered, but as the sounds around him seemed to calm down, Maple finally started to as well. His brief time of panic only came to an end when a soft sigh escaped from his mouth. "I'm fine..."

Now calm, Maple turned from the wall and quietly peered outside once more. All the progress he had made on getting close to Hylians was already lost. It hadn't even been ten minutes and he was ready to call it a day with his attempts, however, his gaze moved back to the strange figure from before. Even from his hiding spot, it wasn't hard to find the orange hue against the dark colors that surrounded it. He was curious, yet he couldn't find the courage to approach. His usual shyness held him back, though it didn't keep him from staring intently towards Ura.

What was the other? Again, questions were coming back to him, but who could blame him. While he was no researcher, he still was a curious individual, who liked to learn when he could. It was what had drawn him away from Lost Woods for so long. The world had some many things to discover that he'd never learn about while hiding away in the home of his people.

This individual was one of those little discoveries to him. They weren't like the other races he had encountered on his travels. They had no wings or beak like the Rito, they weren't tall and dark skinned like the Gerudo, they didn't possess fins and gills like the Zora, and they certainly weren't rocky in appearance like the Goron either. Actually, they were around his own size, though they didn't seem to be a korok either. He'd never met another of his kind that wore a cloak after all.

Finally catching himself staring, Maple snapped from his own thoughts and cast his gaze downward. He needed to get ahold of himself. The more he let himself space out, the more he was going to find himself in situations he didn't want to be in- especially with strangers so close by.

 

[galvanismgal]

U R A

Location: Near Lookout Landing | Interactions: Ploegy
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Blah blah blah. Who would have thought that underground, where it was dark, you would find darkness. Who knew? Maybe it would be better to try and find some other Hylians to eavesdrop on since they were going two for two on stupid things not to mention them raising their voices. Ura had half a mind to tell them off but before he could do so a small little squeak of some sort drew his attention.

It seemed like one of those little kokoros…no korop…kor-poo-poos? Ura has heard about in his travels had been eavesdropping just like he was. Poor wee fella must have been startled by those loud oafs. Ura made several rude gestures under his cloak at the Hylians since even if they couldn’t see them, it made him feel better before looking direction the kor-poo-poo went. The little plant folk seemed quite taken by him by how much they stared.

Given that nothing of value seemed to be coming from listening in further Ura kicked a rock to draw the Hylians’ gaze away before scurrying over to the rocks where Maple was probably hiding.

“Uh,” Ura coughed when he deemed, he was close enough to be heard by Maple,” It would be good to find people who were not morons to learn more about this. With all these tall F**kers about short little s**ts should stick together so even though I’m alone if some other shortie happened to follow me around the landing it would be fine…Guess I’m at the age to talk my thoughts out loud to myself,” he said finishing with some more awkward coughing. Kor-poo-poos were said to be shy so he didn’t want the little squirt to feel bad and while small himself Ura could provide some cover for the little thing.

A bit embarrassed Ura stiffly started to walk off in a random direction to see who he could find.

 

[Arai]

R E T E N
Location: Zora's Domain| Interactions: Icee (Shelley) TacoRocky (Moko)
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Reten opened her mouth to answer Shelley, fully intent on bragging, but was interrupted by much bolder voice, another knight of the Zora that the duo knew well. Moko was a harsh fighter and a harsher trainer, but Reten wouldn't be the Zora she was today without her help. Moko might say that was a bad thing. Actually, several Zora might say thats a bad thing.

"Don't tell me you two are slacking off!"

Reten grinned as Shelley scoffed and tried to defend herself, then rolled her eyes out of view of Shelley as she directed the blame to herself. SHelley could be fun when she wasn't so bound by her honor, but Reten could recognise when she said something in jest versus actual anger. Reten had been on the spear end of the anger, and it wasn't something she was in a rush to return to.

"...Maybe this other Zora here is slacking. Afterall, it is a bit soon for her to be back from her tasks!"

Reten gave a smug smile to her comrades, like someone with a secret that's so juicy they can't help but tell it. She put her hands behind her back and took a couple of dramatic steps in front of the two. "Well, you two will be pleased to know that you're looking at Hyrule's newest and most talented landscaper!" She said with a grin, gesturing downriver. "The cliffs alognside Inogo Bridge have been collapsed, and the boulders now sit comfortably at the mouth of the entryway into the wetlands," She said proudly. The soloution would hold for now, though she had some reservations about getting a permament sludge soloution sooner than later. "We can't all be living it up in the domain after all," She fired back at the duo, pleased that the atmosphere was mroe cordial. The situation was tense enough without them turning on each other. Friendly jokes and jibes helped with that.

 

[Ploegy]

Ｍａｐｌｅ
Location: Outside Lookout Landing | Interactions: galvanismgal Bambiholic
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Blinking behind his leaf mask, Maple tried to comprehend what exactly Ura was saying- some of the words he spoke being entirely foreign to him. Even so, he could get the gist of what he was getting at; he was okay with him following as he searched for someone better to get information from. It was also clear that this individual wasn't particularly fond of Hylians. Why? Maple could only guess, but he doubted his own guesses would do him much good. It wasn't as if he was well versed with such things anyways. He had little strife with any of the races, except monsters, but that was to be expected.

Pushing those thoughts aside, his gaze quietly followed after Ura as the orange cloaked individual waddled off in the direction of Lookout Landing without another word. Should he follow? Maple saw no reason not to. Even if he had no reason to trust the other yet, he had been kind enough to say he should follow. Besides, he had said something that stuck out- the idea of them sticking together because of their size. It was an odd notion, but one the korok appreciated.

Deciding to trust in those words alone, Maple slowly exited in makeshift rock tent and began to trail behind Ura- albeit at a safe distance. If something did go wrong, he still wanted to have the opportunity to run if he needed it. As much as he hated thinking like that, it was how things were. His confidence had yet to come to him, and even if it did he still was all talk and no actual bite. That was just the way of his kind, generally.

As he followed along in silence, the korok allowed himself to look around his surroundings and take in the sights he had become accustomed to over the previous few days. Not much had changed besides the sudden arrival of the gloom and chasm. Everything else was about as normal as they could be- a few stray monsters here and there, horse drawn caravans rolling down the roads leading towards the Lookout, oddly dressed "Hylians" dripping wet from water... Wait... that wasn't normal.

Maple stopped as his gaze settle upon the stranger. She was hard to miss after all- her unusual outfit made her so, but then again the korok had seen odd fashion trends. This was no mushroom outfit though. This was something different.

For a moment, his attention shifted off Juniper and back towards Ura. "Maybe stranger help...?" he dared to speak, though he kept it simple and his voice still remained hushed, unsure if it was even okay for him to speak in the first place. Besides, this stranger was one of those "tall fuckers" as the other had so kindly put. Maple wasn't even sure if he would want to deal with her because of that.

Ａｂｉｌｅｓｓａ
Location: Damel Forest | Interactions: Acethekidd
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A lot had happened in the last few days- too much for Abilessa's liking. The world she had known seemed to become a jumbled mess yet again. What could she do? First the Calamity- which she had been born during- and now whatever this was. Did Hyrule ever know a day of peace? It didn't feel like it. She supposed that was what made it interesting though. It was why she had longed to be free from Gerudo Town all those years ago. She had always wanted to leave her mark on the world and grow as a warrior of her own making. The traditions of her own people had made that hard. No wonder she had always been at odds with them, though ever since the Upheaval, Lessa had been worried about her home. Rumors had reached her about what had occurred there, but she never dared to return. The Faron region where she found herself now was the closest she had gotten. If only she just headed west...

The Gerudo gave a shake of her head. She knew she couldn't. Returning to her people after all this time- even in a time which they likely needed her- was something that went against everything she had tried to break free from. Abilessa knew that. It was horrible, but she needed to stay firm in her beliefs and continue to reject the tradition she had long abandoned. As such, she needed to go any direction other than west.

That was what had found her traveling east instead. The sounds of thunder rumbled overhead as Lessa entered Damel Forest. It seemed such weather hardly ever stopped in this region, though it hardly fazed her. She had traveled far and wide, a little rain and thunder wasn't going to slow her down. Besides, the trees overhead provided enough cover for now. Hopefully, she would find herself at a stable soon enough to take shelter- then again, maybe that was too far. She had been traveling for several hours without much rest. Perhaps a cave would be more than enough at this point. Was there even anything like that nearby?

Abilessa's head swiveled as her eyes searched for shelter from the storm. Thankfully the river would guide her towards such. Following its winding path, the Gerudo warrior soon found herself staring into the entrance of an old ruins. It wasn't the most ideal place to take a break, but it would have to do for now. Hesitantly stepping inside, her dark eyes warily studied her surroundings. There was never telling what might lurk around old ruins like this. Being too careful was never a bad things, even if Lessa was typically a reckless individual. Recklessness could only carry her so far in life though.

The sound of a voice echoing off the caverns walls caused the Gerudo to come to a complete halt and listen. It was only a simple exclamation, but it was enough to tell Abilessa that she was not alone in this place. Someone else was nearby. Whether they were a threat or not was to be determined. Inching her way deeper into the ruins, her eyes quickly settled upon the figure of a Rito. It was hard to miss her given her bright blue feathers. What was a Rito doing in a place like this though?

"What are you doing?" the woman blurted out without much thought. As she did, she arched a brow, allowing a questioning look to make itself present upon her features. From her question alone, it was obvious she hadn't come to research, nor that this was an important ruins site to begin with.

 

[galvanismgal]

U R A
Location: Near Lookout Landing | Interactions: Ploegy Bambiholic
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Ura tried his best to resist looking back to see if the little kor-poo-poo was following him but couldn’t help but sneak a couple glances back. Not that he was happy the little thing was following him not at all. The little hops Ura made were certainly not from joy.

Little Kor-poo-poo was hanging back a little too far for Ura’s liking but within distance if something happened Ura could at least try to help Maple or at least witness his passing to add another scar to his heart. Still, Ura did his best to wind them a path avoiding the few monsters that roamed about. Nasty things they were roaming around the surface like that. It made Ura slightly thankful most of the monsters didn't find their way to subrosia. If Ura had overheard right during his journey one of the targets to grump and grumble at would be found nearby lookout landing. It didn't take very long for the duo to arrive near a lake where Juniper was standing out like a queen bomb flower on the beach. It was so noticable that Maple even spoke up to comment on it. Quite little thing Maple was, they must be scared so Ura had no choice but to try and reasure them.

“Damn right they will help,” Ura said in response to Maple puffing up a bit with his desire to shield his little kor-poo-poo from the chaos the Hylian would bring as he started to move towards Juniper.

Tall like most of the surface dwellers, blond hair, dripping wet from whatever business she had in the lake. Not to mention the strange outfit the woman wore, something that seemed unique enough that only someone like her would wear. Yes, the person by the lake with their belongings scattered in the water could be no one else.

No one else other than Princess Zelda herself.

 

[Bambiholic]

Juniper ,, Berry ❜ ─ 𝘵𝘩𝘦 optimistic animal lover ─ ❛
mentions: maple, ura ; location: near lookout landing
tldr: gets sligtly startled by the strangers before fangirling at how adorable groundlings appear to be

Juniper hesitantly stared at the lake that the majority of her belongings were floating in as if the longer she stared there’d eventually be a chance of them levitating and being magically lifted out of the water without her having to get back in (if only someone like Link had been nearby). After contemplating one more moment, Juniper psyched herself up, clasping both her fists in front of her face to do a motivating gesture. “It's just a bit of water, you got this!” Juniper said to herself in encouragement, reminding herself that she had been in the same body of water not so long ago and had emerged from it perfectly fine.

The girl began taking her shoes off in preparation even though they were already damp, not wanting to ruin her favourite pair with the purple and pink butterflies on. “If I can just get my umbrella..” she muttered to herself, planning out how she could potentially fish the rest of the items out with the umbrella handle without needing to be in the water for more than a few seconds. Just as she took her second shoe off, one of her pointed Hylian ears twitched as she heard something coming from behind her.

Turning around to inspect what she had vaguely heard, Juniper gasped upon seeing the strangers who had been watching her from a short distance and dropped both of her shoes involuntarily. She stared at the two small figures in awe, her jaw quite literally dropping. You certainly don’t see anyone like that on Skyloft! “I- I’m awfully sorry!” she said in slight embarrassment, quickly picking her shoes back up and hoping her actions weren’t enough to scare the strangers away. “It’s just.. You’re both so incredibly CUTE!” she exclaimed, a delighted smile appearing on her face as her purple-coloured eyes glistened with excitement.

“You,” she said, pointing at the leaf-like being first. “I’ve seen drawings of you before!” she recalled, remembering seeing doodles of little dudes like that in rare library books. “And you,” she turned to the other short being in the orange cloak. “I don’t know what you are, but you’re cute too!” she added. For a moment after speaking, she suddenly came to the realisation that she had no clue if the two even understood a word she was saying. There was no certainty that groundlings spoke the same language as her people, after all. What she did know for certain, was that this was a dream come true for her: at last, she was seeing what life looked like on the ground.

coded by archangel_

 

[Gundam Watcher 27]

"You've got some nerve hitting ME!" he hissed at Darunilk. "Then to tell me that Daruk would be ashamed of me?! I'm trying to make some use out of this place! These kids and elders just want to waste time babbling about these Marbled Rock Roasts! They're no problem and I'm not stopping them from being mined. Everyone loves them. There's nothing wrong with that!"

He glared at the other Goron, his hand looking as if he might try and hit him at any moment, though he never once drew his weapon that was at his back.

"You'd better scram before I decide to punch you back!!"

Darunilk had his fists up ready for a brawl. He would be glad to fight for what was right, but one of the child Gorons would cry, asking them to not fight. Darunilk sighed and brought down his hands before walking to the child.
"Why are you telling yourself these lies."
He muttered under his breath to Yunobo. As soon as he reached the child, he picked him up and started to rock him back and forth in his arms, while humming the lullaby alot of Goron children enjoy. The child slowly calmed down and fell asleep, before he handed the child to one of the elders.

Maybe he should leave, but he couldn't leave his kin to the tyrant Yunobo had become.
"I'm leaving,"
He started.
"Anyone who wants to stay with President Dodongo, is welcome to do so. The rest of you that want to leave, come with me. I'll lead you away from here to a better place that won't be overruled by him."
A majority of the children would run by his side, along with several elders. Those who didn't come were either afraid of what Yunobo would do while they were away, or they just didn't have the will to run away.

"It's settled then. I'm leaving with my people, and you better not follow us.
He said to Yunobo. He then started to walk away with his followers. Several would look back with a look of guilt that they couldn't do anything to help make Yunobo see the truth.
A couple of hours passed since, and Darunilk would arrive at Terry Town with his people.
He asked the president of this town for Sanctuary, which he would provide, in exchange for small labor, but nothing that would make him just as bad as Yunobo.

The Goron Children would not be involved in any work here. And instead they would have a play area to goof around in. The elder Gorons had the job of helping prepare meals and making clothes. Darunilk would however have to leave his people.
"Something is wrong with Yunobo, and we need outside help for looking into what's causing this whole mess. I promise to return one day. Please stay safe."
His parting with his fellow Gorons was sad, but the departure also gave them all something that would forever stay with them until the day that all Gorons are free from Yunobo's tyrany.... Hope.
---------------------
Venti was immobile as the Lynal slowly trotted forward. It would smell something else however, and pause. Something was coming, and whatever it was, the Lynal visibly had looked frightened. The Lynal left Venti and ran off before whatever it was had come to fight it. One thing that was certain, something that spooked a Lynal was most likely bad news for the unconscious Rito.

Venti opened his eyes and rolled onto his back to look towards the sky. Snow gently fell onto his body, as he witnessed a beautiful sight flying above him. There it was, the dragon of this area, flying about while it looked peaceful. Venti felt a tear run down his face. What he saw was something he'd cherish forever. The Lynal must have ran off when the dragon had flown here, and it was that moment which saved him.
Venti got up and looked to the dragon, before spreading his wings and lifting off the ground.

He would then grow larger, his body becoming less humanoid as a mysterious energy emanated from his head. Venti had taken on his monstrous form, and for once in his life, he didn't lose control. He flew up beside the dragon, and alongside it, flew through the cold region. It was just the two of them.​

 

[TacoRocky]

Moko
Moko couldn't help but chuckle a little as she made her way over to the pair. Shelley had always been easy to rile up, but she seemed to be taking the jab in stride; she was probably used to it after spending so much time with her and Reten. Speaking of, Reten responded as usual: the teasing just rolled off her scales as she fired off a counterattack. A chip off the old block, that girl--some might say too much, but who's to say another Moko would be that bad for the domain? For a moment, Moko seemed to visibly relax after hearing her boasts.

"Best news I've heard all day," she replied, taking a seat on the steps opposite to the knights. "Now all this slop won't be a problem for the rest of Hyrule..."

Of course, that still meant it was a problem for the domain; Moko was certain that all three of them were aware of that fact, but there was definitely some comfort to be taken in this victory.

She couldn't help but laugh at Reten's counter-jab, though. "You kidding?" she said. "I've been in the same pool as you out hunting. Shel's the only one who's been 'living it up' here, though I can't say she looks too happy about it..." She flashed a mischievous fanged grin at the Zora knight. "You ever feel like trading places, let me know," she teased. "I think I could use the break."

Mentioning her recent trip reminded her of the bad luck she'd had on it, bringing her out of the cheery moment.

"Now that I bring it up, though..." Moko wasn't sure what to say after that. She didn't want to bring the girls' day down, especially after making headway on the other big problem the domain was facing. But it seemed kinda stupid to hold back info because you were worried about hurting someone's feelings. Reten and Shelley were adults, knights of Zora Domain; she couldn't--shouldn't--treat them like children. After a second of silence, she let out a resigned sigh.

"Can't say I've got good news to bring myself. This week's trip didn't turn up too much; I haven't checked in with any of the other hunting parties--hopefully things ended up better on their end--but I barely found enough to fill my bag. Should still be enough in the storehouse to last the week and then some, but we're running out of options for food in the highlands. I don't think we can keep hunting up there for much longer."

 

[Ploegy]

Ｍａｐｌｅ
Location: Outside Lookout Landing | Interactions: galvanismgal Bambiholic
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Ura seemed so sure that Juniper was going to help them out. That confidence was reassuring to the korok though he wasn't sure if the other was spouting nonsense or being genuine. He supposed he would find out, and hope it was the latter of the two. Staring at Juniper again, Maple once again fell silent, unsure of what he should be doing. These kinds of things were far out of his comfort zone, even if he had experienced plenty of beings in Hyrule by now. It still never got easier to encounter new people, though at least he had MOSTLY gotten over his fear of them and didn't ALWAYS immediately run off as long as they weren't in his face or loud.

Luckily, this woman didn't seem to immediately notice them. She seemed too preoccupied with the pond to pay them much mind. That made Maple wonder if she'd even be a help after all. It seemed she was busy with her own problems and hardly bothered by anything else. He couldn't blame her. That was how the koroks often were- always keeping to themselves and only worrying about their own issues rather than those of the world around them. It was a lifestyle he couldn't deny was nice, though the wonders of the world had long pulled him from it- or rather pulled him from seclusion. He was still hardly a help when it came to most problems.

As he stood there staring he noticed the sudden change in Juniper's body language and in a split second, her focus on the pond quickly shifted- she was now focused on them. The shock on her face was quite evident. It was something Maple had become used to seeing when others saw him. His kind was elusive after all, rarely showing themselves to the world. That was something he had mostly stopped doing, though he still had his moments.

Maple expected the worst to come, but instead he was pleasantly surprised as the woman apologize to them. He hadn't been expecting such. That alone caused him to put his guard down, but the moment he did only allowed for the usual to come.

Her sudden exclamation was exactly what he had expected. The beings of Hyrule always seemed to show such enthusiasm upon seeing him, though he never quite understood it, nor did he like it. The loudness of it made him want to cower, yet he kept himself from doing such. The words were kind after all. He had no reason to find fear in it. Even if he wanted to it was too late.

With a finger pointed directly at him, Juniper continued to speak on- claiming she had read about his kind in a book. That was unsurprising. It was how many people learned about koroks. However, as she moved on to Ura, he was surprised to hear her claim she didn't know what he was either. It was strange, but he didn't question it. Maybe the other was hard to find much like his own kind was. Whatever it was, he couldn't be asked to dig into it- not in the current moment at least. Besides, his curiosity was locked on Juniper at the moment.

"Uh... You have cute outfit...?" the korok blurted out in attempt to try and add to the conversation and keep it going. His speech was a bit broken, but his point got well enough across.

 

[galvanismgal]

U R A

Location: Near Lookout Landing | Interactions: Ploegy
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Winding up for the complaints of all complaints Ura was caught off guard when Juniper turned around from the pond. What was her problem, other than the fact her belongings seemed to be taking a dip without her, to stare at them all wide eyed and slack jawed before apologizing.

You know maybe this princess Zelda wasn’t so bad after all since she apologized for the things, the things she must know that she did. It had not dawned on him yet that Juniper was not princess Zelda and until pointed out he would continue to confuse the two of them. That didn’t mean he couldn’t still complain for the sake of complaining though after all Ura came all this way and didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of Maple by wimping out.

“Cute?” He said hoarsely before awkwardly coughed since of course little kor-poo-poo maple was cute but him? Him?? All of his complaints flew out of his mind as Ura could only radiate awkwardness upon being complimented. He couldn’t even sarcastically remark that he knew what the Hylain was. Still, as nice as Juniper seemed she was a bit loud so Ura couldn’t help but re-puff up like a mother bird in front of her chick moving closer to Maple to protect him from the loudness.

“Yeah…your outfit is fitting for you? We don’t have clothes like that in subrosia,” Ura said since such Avant guard fashion was beyond him. Juniper sure had a look of sorts; they were defiantly clothes that she wore.

Ura shifted closer to the waters edge peeking into the pond. While he knew how to swim thanks to the lava in subrosia these surface pools of water always rustled his jimmies. Even if it was for princess Zelda herself Ura wasn’t eager to wade into it to grab her stuff. Given the fact Juniper was already wet it made sense for her to wade back in and grab her own stuff but maybe if she needed help Ura could carry Maple while he glided with his cape to a lily pad and then Maple could grab Juniper’s stuff out of the water by snagging it with a stick or something. Such an idea defiantly wasn’t because he wanted to hold the little kor-poo-poo, defiantly not, the princess just apologized so he probably should do something nice for her with her being a princess and all. Ura’s parents didn’t raise him to be a fool after all.

“Your shits floating,” he said as if that would communicate his idea across.

 

[Bambiholic]

Juniper ,, Berry ❜ ─ 𝘵𝘩𝘦 optimistic animal lover ─ ❛
mentions: maple, ura ; location: near lookout landing
tldr: enters the pond to get her things while enquiring about the reason the gloom has appeared

Juniper observed the Korok’s slight hesitance as well as the Subrosian’s understandable awkwardness towards her, getting the inclination that her reaction may have been a little too much. She momentarily thought of apologising again, not wanting the pair to have a negative first impression of her, but since she had apologised not so long ago she decided otherwise, instead letting out a soft and awkward chuckle as she rubbed the back of her neck. They likely thought she was a weirdo, but she didn’t mind being thought of as strange all that much besides still hoping that they could become her friends.

Both of the fascinatingly adorable strangers had commented on the elaborate outfit she was wearing, which made Juniper look down at it and smile, even if Ura’s comment hadn’t necessarily been a compliment. “Why thank you, I made it all myself!” she exclaimed truthfully. They did dress a little differently to Hylian groundlings up on Skyloft, but even up there, Juniper’s fashion sense was unique, just as her personality was. “Subrosia..” she repeated curiously, wondering if this part of Hyrule was named Subrosia and planning to add that to her journal later on. While she loved talking about fashion and almost went on to ask the hooded figure about clothing styles here, Juniper couldn’t let herself get carried away. She was there for a very important reason.

The sooner she got her belongings out of the pond, the sooner she could get to the bottom of the recent increase in monster activities and in doing so, help those on the ground the best she could. At that moment, the Subrosian coincidentally mentioned her floating things too, and, since swear words weren’t all that common on Skyloft, Juniper made a mental note of the word ‘shit’ referring to one’s belongings. “Oh, my shit!” she said, turning her attention back to the pond and pulling the hem of her dress up just slightly past her knees. She wasn’t the type to burden others with her problems and was highly independent despite being young, so the thought of asking the pair to help didn't even cross her mind.

“So..” she continued speaking as she waded back into the pond, determined to retrieve her things. “That dark goopy stuff that's everywhere now.. It’s bad news, right?” she asked, referring to the gloom she had seen not only rising up to Skyloft but surrounding the floating castle in the distance too. “I saw it near my home, and I want to get to the bottom of it” she added as she reached an arm out as far as she could to grab the umbrella, in doing so dropping the bottom of her dress and getting it wet again anyway. To the others, this ‘home’ she spoke of could’ve been absolutely anywhere - in Ura’s case, this included Hyrule castle. “Do either of you have any idea what's going on?”

coded by archangel_

 

[Arai]

R E T E N
Location: Zora's Domain| Interactions: TacoRocky (Moko)
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Reten relaxed a little as Moko seemingly took the joke in good spririts. Sometimes it was difficult to know where she stood with the older Zora, especially if one of them was in a bad mood. And at first Reten thought everything was fine, until Moko seemed to struggle to gather her thoughts, trying to say something she ovciously didn't want to. That was likely bad news.

"Can't say I've got good news to bring myself. This week's trip didn't turn up too much; I haven't checked in with any of the other hunting parties--hopefully things ended up better on their end--but I barely found enough to fill my bag. Should still be enough in the storehouse to last the week and then some, but we're running out of options for food in the highlands. I don't think we can keep hunting up there for much longer."

"Well, diets aren't neccesarily a bad thing..." Reten muttered, though her heart wasn't fully in the joke. Starving wasn't excatly a fun topic to riff off of. If the highlands were empty of game, that left the wetlands and the ocean, and she'd heard rumours of pirates in the latter. "All the more reason to deal with the sludge, or at least get help with it. Maybe the Princess or the Swordsman? But last I heard they were planning some excursion into the castle at Lookout Landing..." She suggested absently. That was a day or so ago, but they might still be there.

She'd met Link a grand total of twice, and both times he'd barely spoken a word as she offerred some advice about Zora Spears to him, and then he'd jumped off a cliff, paraglider in hand, seemingly in a hurry from something strange to something odd. The Princess was less of a wildcard, but shared that same drive to action that he did, always a plan in her head and a strategy in her voice. Fixing problems wherever they went. "Lookout Landing would be a place to start at least. I need to report to the lady anywhere, I'll ask her thoughts," Reten concluded, waving the two off.

Despite the difficulty in navigating due to the sludge, the domains main structure was still a sight to behold. While the structure made up probably only a third of Zora dwellings (With the rest being caverns and spaces underwater, impossible to reach unless you had fins and gills), it had been designed for all races to have equal ease in it's traversal. Which made it very easy to clamber around should some paths be, for example, covered in gross sludge. Making her way up toward the top of the structure, Reten quietly noted the abscence of the King. Without him or Sidon around for that matter, the domain's leadership felt incredibly absent. Not that she would be willing to voice such a concern, there was enough to worry about already. And at the very least there was one strong willed noble still stirring currents for them.

"Lady Yona," She started, falling into a bow. "The river is damned at the mouth, the poisoned water won't be leaving the domain that way," She reported with a smile. "Though the hunting parties have reported a lack in food in the highlands. Early reports but it's still looking bleak ma'am,"

The green Zora turned away from her work with a nod of gratitude. Reten hadn't immediatly warmed up to the woman when Sidon's betrothal was announced, but her drive to help the Kingdom mirrored that of her own. All fun on the surface, all business underneath. "I see," Yona said, pausing to think. Reten shifted her weight to her other leg. "If I may ma'am, myself and Moko would like to go to Lookout Landing, see if the Princess or Swordsman have any suggestions about this sludge,"

"Fortutious of you to come Reten," Yona started. "I was debating who to send on such a task myself. Well volunteered. Collect what you require and make haste to the fields of Central Hyrule," Reten nodded, not intent on leaving in a hurry but tripping over her fins all the same. "Thank you ma'am!" She called back. As soon as she was in eyeshot, she dropped Moko a thumbs up. Quest time! And some time in non sludgey waters!

 

[Ploegy]

Ｍａｐｌｅ
Location: Outside Lookout Landing | Interactions: galvanismgal Bambiholic
───────────────────────────────​

Subrosia? Maple couldn't say he was familiar with a place like that, but it wasn't as if he was the most intelligent being around. Even after many years of wandering around Hyrule he could hardly give directions or recall exactly where most landmarks were with the exception of Hyrule Castle. Even his own home of Lost Woods was difficult for him to pin down. It was exactly why he had been lost trying to find it years ago.

Dropping the thought, Maple watched Juniper wade back into the pond before he pondered the question she had posed. He couldn't say he knew all too much. It had all occurred so suddenly after all, and while it did bare some resemblance to the effects of the Calamity, it oddly felt different. How exactly? The korok couldn't explain it. He'd only be grasping at straws if he tried. It wasn't as if he could explain the Calamity either and he had lived through its entirety.

"No clue... Everything happen so suddenly," he stated as his gaze moved from watching Juniper to staring upward at the floating castle. Even from where he stood, an eeriness overcame him. It was worse than how it had been during the Calamity- probably because it was raised up for the world to see. It was as if whoever was behind it all wanted all of Hyrule to see and fear the darkness. It certainly was working on Maple, though that admittedly wasn't too hard to achieve.

Dropping his gaze back down, Maple slowly moved forward to the ponds edge before lifting up the small stick he carried with him. The leafs on the end of it quickly began to spin and in a second, it lifted him up from the ground and slowly began to move him upward and over the water's surface.

"I-I only know that castle suddenly burst into sky and c-cause all kinds of dark stuff to come flying out."

It wasn't much information, but it was something. If anything it gave a source to the problems, though Maple couldn't say if it was even safe to approach the area. Then again, he didn't know how strong Ura or Juniper even were. Both could easily be far stronger than he was, though that wasn't all too hard. As much as he wanted to help, he knew he wasn't build for combat. What help could he even provide? It was a question that had pestered him for quite some time, yet he always brushed it off and carried on. He'd figured it out one day.

Coming to a stop a few feet away from the girl, the korok's gaze moved back towards Ura. While his intentions had been to help locate Juniper's belongings, his mind had already been distracted by his thoughts of the situation. "Y-You know anything...?" While he had his own doubts given how Ura had been thus far, Maple was hopeful nevertheless. Maybe the other would surprise him.