[color=darkblue][i]I've used up enough of my magic. The mission is accomplished. You'd do well to get out of here too.[/i][/color]

Alpha cast a glance in Morgoth's direction and would have responded if the man hadn't cut the connection so swiftly. [i]'Understood, and thanks,'[/i] he decided to think anyway.

He didn't waste any time taunting the Gerudic man; he knew how to make use of an opportunity. Smoke provided [i]tons[/i] of shadows, too, so it only took a half thought to open a Void portal beneath his feet. He fell through it and closed the gateway at once. After a moment spent reveling the peace and quiet, he stretched out with his senses to check on Taint; he found the man's wounded presence departing out to sea, safe and sound. Part of him wanted to go check on him personally, to be there in case the Gerudic man gave chase anyway . . . but no. If the Sheikah's words had had their intended effect, it wouldn't do for the man to sense his presence out there with the Zora's. He might need to avoid Taint for a while . . .

Who had that man been, anyway? His magic had been quite advanced; negating Morgoth's necromancy and nothing else was quite a feat. Alpha had heard no rumors of such a person before, but then, he had been out of the loop lately. Even so, this man's presence was not something he was interested in challenging again. Not anytime soon.

"I'm sure you'd love a challenge, though, wouldn't you Samurai?" he asked aloud, even though he knew Shadowclaw couldn't hear him. Not in the Void; even Ganon's presence rarely followed him here. The man had been nearby, though; perhaps [i]he[/i] would take care of the Gerudic man.

He sighed. It didn't matter much right now.

Without a word, Alpha opened a portal to a random point in Hyrule and stepped through, leaving the deadly realm behind.

Morgoth was having quite the time of it. At this point he'd surrounded himself in a powerful [b]Shield [/b]spell, and try as they might, the warriors around him were unable to penetrate the magical bubble. That being said, the mage was also unable to cast spells through the barrier. Thirty or so guards surrounded the bubble as the mage looked around from within his barrier.

[i]Now this... This is tricky. Being a necromancer only means something if you can necromance!![/i] He thought as he measured his situation. In this kind of situation, where completely surrounded, the necromancer would pull off a plan he called [i]Wicked Defense[/i]. He would surround himself in this barrier, and summon the dead from outside the bubble to do combat with his many assailants. The mage looked down and watched as the ground ebbed green now and then. [i]That's so annoying... I didn't even know a spell like that existed! In all my years, you would think I would have seen that by now.[/i] He out his hand to his chin as he stared down the Gerudo that watched him from the outside of his... Well, his [i]cage [/i]at this point. [i]I suppose... The last thing I can do is...[/i]

Suddenly, the wind picked up in the area. Wildly, sand kicked up in a swirling gale that picked up the Gerudo closest to the mage. She screamed as she ascended higher and higher until the rest of the guards found themselves being lifted into the air by their own personal whirlwinds. Morgoth stared up in wonder; the magic felt familiar however, and as he tried to put his finger on it, his head snapped in Alpha's direction. [i]Wind magic? Now an expert in wind magic is certainly a rarity... I know of only one, and Tayro's been missing for... Well I don't know how long...[/i] He turned to see the women get whipped far out over the ocean. Their screams faded with the wind of the sea as they each disappeared over the horizon. Morgoth let the shield down, and smiled gratefully at Alpha, "I could have done it myself! I didn't ask for your help!"

[i]An elemental explosion maybe? It could have taken the form of nature, and turned into a sandstorm, but... If perhaps that[/i] was [i]wind magic, I'll have to ask him about that. [/i] His eyes followed the mage as he approached the Gerudic madman.

"... But thank you." He added. A moment of silence hung in the air before he pulled a couple of smoke bombs out of the pockets on his burlap pants. "... See ya!" He threw them at the ground near the mage's feet.

[color=darkblue][i]I've used up enough of my magic. The mission is accomplished. You'd do well to get out of here too.[/i][/color]

His telepathic message complete, the link seized to exist. The sounds of the Gerudo man choking could be heard as the smoke expanded.

"You cowards!! *Cough* A smokescreen!!"

He hacked and wheezed as Morgoth's aura slowly faded from existence.

* * *

Far off the coastline, the ship was disappearing over the horizon. Darkin steered far off out to sea, a course set for Everbreeze Island. William had explained to the Rito that some of the most talented doctors in Hyrule came from Everbreeze, and that they would be able to fix whatever damage was done to the Zora, as well as identify what he was drugged with. Darkin watched the horizon as he sailed, noting the lack of land he was seeing.

William appeared on deck, and marched up the stairs to the wheel. "Hey, how's it going up here?"

"We got away..." Darkin stated glumly. "I wonder how they're doing..."

William looked at the Rito, a sadness in his eyes. "I thought you were confident in them... What's bothering you now?"

Darkin looked down at the wheel, his eyes selling him out. He was [i]worried[/i].

"Both Alpha and Morgoth are exceptional mages... But that guy... That Gerudo... He was pulling off some fancy magic back there. I've never seen a Silence spell that targets necromancy specifically. Did you see that, William?"

The man nodded as he stared off to see. "I [i]felt [/i]that, Darkin. So I was right to have my doubts... Should we turn around?"

The Rito shook his head. "No. Our mission was to rescue our captain, and get the hell out. Besides... They're both intelligent men. If Alpha intended to fight the man, then I'm sure Morgoth would have known better, or vice versa... Besides..."

William turned to look at the Rito. There was smile on his beak as he looked skyward, the sun coming out of the clouds and shimmering off of his golden feathers. He turned to look at the man, happiness in his eyes.

"He pretends not to care... He would have us believe that his heart is completely set on himself and [i]only[/i] himself... But [i]he [/i]was there..."

William cocked his head.

"Had nobody been there to save our captain... Had Lilly not contacted either of us... He knew somehow what was happening... And he was watching... Had nobody done anything after that lever was pulled... He would have killed them all. The Gerudo man... The crowd, the executioners... Probably every one else in that town, if for no other reason than for the fun of it."

William looked out to sea. "Who could be that strong? How did you know? Stop being cryptic and tell me already!"

Darkin shook his head. "No, I don't think I will... I think he'd rather everyone think he's [i]completely[/i] heartless. He wouldn't want anyone to think he [i]cared[/i] or anything."

[color=indigo][i]The Zora saved my life, Darkin.[/i][/color]

The Rito snapped to attention. He hadn't realized that the boat had been boarded.

[color=indigo][i]I owe him one. Nothing more, nothing less.[/i][/color]

Darkin was silent for a moment.

"Shouldn't you be back there in case things turn ugly?" The Rito asked out loud.

William gave him a weird look, and whipped his hand back towards the desert, "Oh yeah, let me just swim back there and somehow be a help to a guy who can summon dead things!" His sarcastic remark went ignored.

[i][color=indigo]Alpha is one of the only things on this planet that I still fear. You're grossly underestimating that man, and it's making me sick. Morgoth ran away, and I'm more than confident Alpha will follow suit.[/color][/i]

Darkin threw his arms in the air, "And now you're calling him a coward?"

[color=indigo][i]Not cowardice... Alpha wasn't nearly in a bad enough mood to waste his time on an unnecessary fight like that. You're worrying for nothing.[/i][/color]

"DARKIN!! WHAT THE HELL?!" William cried out. "Are you ignoring me?"

The Rito shook his head, "I'm sorry. I was having a conversation with an old friend..."

William looked at the mage bewildered... "What?"

Darkin's face lit up with a random smile.

"He just doesn't want us to think he cares," He said slyly.
[color=indigo][i]Heh... You damn bird.[/i][/color]

Alpha had to hurry and withdraw his hand from the portal in the man's chest -- the Void portals only existed in shadow, and as the man flew back the chances of his chest being hit by full-on sunlight was too high to risk. He had no intention of losing a hand to that attack. Fortunately, he managed to withdraw it with a half second to spare; he took it out of his cape's portal and let that one close as well. As the man flew backwards he watched out of the corner of his eye as William completed his journey to the ship. [i]'Excellent. Now hurry up and get going!'[/i]

Suddenly, a voice rang out -- and he could tell intuitively that it was directed at him.

[quote]"You there! You won't let me go if I try... Will you?"[/quote]
Alpha bit back the response that immediately came to mind: Yes. Quite frankly, now that Taint was safe, he really had no reason to fight the man. Continuing the fight would just be a waste of time . . . or it would be, once Darkin got the ship out of there. In the corner of his eyes he spotted William working feverishly to get the sails prepared -- no easy task for a single man. [i]'I should've grabbed Yukie; maybe he could've lent a hand there.'[/i]

[quote]"Come now... I don't often meet someone whom I would consider a challenge... You've captured my interest..." [/quote]
He bit his lip . . . he needed to stall this man until the pirate ship was out of the harbor and free from pursuit. Inwardly, he sighed. [i]'I really was starting to enjoy a life of simple travel. No fighting, no wars against evil or idiotic beings . . .'[/i] No such luck now.

"One moment, please."

With that, he leveled a hand in the direction of Morgoth's battle. He didn't even call out the attack's name; he just identified in his mind the targets and let loose an Elemental Explosion in that direction. That should help the necromancer out. Maybe he could finish up those fools and come aid him with this one.

Until then, Alpha could only hop down from the rooftop and walk towards the Gerudic man, hood still drawn and cape now shrouding his form once more. "I'll be happy to let you go, actually," he announced as he strolled towards the man. "I wasn't hired to kill anyone. Just to stop a man from being killed." Yes, make the man think he was nothing more than a hired mercenary -- if he thought Alpha was here to protect Taint, he might go after the Zora again in an attempt to provoke the Sheikah. Better to let him believe this was nothing more than a simple contract, that his relationship with Taint was merely a professional one. The only real problem would come if the man could read minds; he [i]had[/i] displayed impressive magical skills already. But if Alpha's mental barriers could stand up to Dogura, they could stand against nearly [i]any[/i] telepath -- and if this man was one of the few who could break his barriers, well . . . it'd be worth the failed deception to know that.

Alpha came to a stop a few meters away from the man, still cloaked and hooded. "If you wish to run along now, go right ahead. As long as you aren't rushing to kill that Zora again, I've no reason to stop you." He let a venomous grin cover his face; that should still be visible from beneath his hood, along with his crimson left eye. Might as well let the man [i]think[/i] he was interested in something more than just walking away.

"So, what shall it be?"

Darkin watched as the man he'd presumed as Alpha torch the gallows. His feathers ruffled as he watched the mage bestow flames upon the structure- not because he didn't approve, but because the man could be helping in a much more immediate way at the moment. He turned to see the Gerudo man gaining on William, and gripped the wheel tightly.

"I'VE GOT YOU!"

When suddenly, a new development caught everyone's attention. Darkin could only smile as he immediately recognized what was happening. He'd seen Alpha disappear into the same type of void too many times to not recall this same chilling aura.

The orange-headed commander turned his eyes towards the development in front of him. The hand that seemed to claw its way into reality was holding a spell that the man was all to familiar with. He uttered a single sentence, showing that perhaps he too had a sense of humor- or perhaps it was only because it was no threat to him. Either way, all went silent before the impact-

"Huh. That's new."

The blast exploded on target, however the man managed to shield his face with his arms before the impact. An explosion of water racked the man, and sent him flying backwards with great force. Morgoth, still fighting off the guards, caught a glimpse of the man skidding back the direction he'd come from.

[i]What in the name of- ...Alpha?[/i] Thought the necromancer. [i]But his aura is in two places... What is happening?[/i] Without time to think, he continued to do battle with the Gerudo women. There were still many left, and more approaching. [i]I don't know if I can keep this up without necromancy... I'd hate to play my ace in a place like this.[/i]

Darkin pumped a fist in the air, "YEAH!!" He cried out. Lilly seemed clueless as to the events that had transpired, but she was happy nonetheless. William's feet found the docks, as he pumped madly across them. Lilly quickly buzzed down to meet the man as he reached the edge of the docks.

"Is he okay?" She asked as she inspected him closely.
William shook his head, "I don't know..." He said out of breath. "They've drugged him, but I don't know what they used." He looked up to see Darkin heaving the boarding-planks over the side of the ship.

* * *

The Gerudo man got to his feet, and gritted his teeth angrily. The sand clung to his wet body, and scraping the sand off of his skin was painful. One thing was certain- he was pissed off. His eyes carried a fire in them that would scorch his enemies. Then he did something unexpected. He turned his head in Alpha's direction. There was no mistaking it- he was looking directly at Alpha. How he'd spotted him so quickly was a mystery; this wasn't the time to think about that however. He turned his body in the man's direction and beckoned him forth with his index finger.

"You there!" He called out loudly over the nearly dissipated crowd. "You won't let me go if I try... Will you?"

* * *

William laid Taint out on the deck, the Zora still only half conscious. "Darkin- you know some sort of medical magic don't you?" His tone was of urgency and concern.

"Yeah," responded the Rito, "I do. But it would be dangerous to use any kind of spell or potion on him without knowing what medicines are already coursing through him."

William nodded, "Ah, I remember learning that. Good call. Our next course of action?"

"To get him the hell out of [i]here[/i]," responded Darkin almost immediately as he scooped the Zora up in his arms. "I'll go put him in his cabin. William, you raise the sails. I'll be up to the wheel by the time the wind takes us."

"Aye-aye." The man nodded and took off towards the sails. Lilly fluttered after Darkin, "But Mr.Darkin, what about Alpha and Morgoth?"

Darkin flung the door to the ship open and hurried down the stairs. "They don't need our help. It would take a lot more than a small Gerudic guard-post to take either of them down, much less if they're fighting together." Lilly followed the Rito, understanding of the situation. "Besides," Darkin added. "[i]He's[/i] watching..." The Fairy didn't quite understand what Darkin meant, but decided not to question it. It was clear to her that the mage had already assessed the situation in a myriad of ways. The two busted into Taint's cabin, and laid the man in his bed. Taint smiled faintly at the Rito, [i]"Th-Thank you... Friend..."[/i] Lilly hugged her best friend around the neck. "Darkin, I'm going to stay here with him. I'll alert you if his condition worsens." Darkin nodded before turned around and running out the door.

* * *

The Gerudic man smiled at Alpha. "Come now... I don't often meet someone whom I would consider a challenge... You've captured my interest..."

It appeared that a switch inside the man's head had been flipped. He no longer seemed to care about the Zora- his attention was focused directly and entirely on the Sheikah mage that had thwarted him.

Alpha stood in shock for a few moments as new elements of the area came into play, pieces of a game he'd not seen coming -- first there was William, a man he'd all but forgotten about, and next Morgoth's magic roared to life and brought the entire crowd into a screaming panic. It took all of Alpha's willpower to...keep from throwing back his head and laughing out loud at the sudden change in the situation.

People were running in every direction; none of the guards paid him any heed as they turned their attention towards Morgoth's Stalfos. Alpha took the opportunity to slip away into the shadow of a nearby building where he could sit unseen and wait for this whole mess to die down...

Or, he'd have liked to do so, if not for the man in charge of this whole display suddenly showing an impressive bit of magic all to his own. He bit his lip as the monsters disappeared, but it seemed too little too late -- the area was already clearing out, and the guards had scattered or given chase. The man himself also ran off after a moment, in the direction of what Alpha's memory said was the shipyards.

Finally, he allowed himself a soft chuckle and emerged from his hiding spot. The Sheikah did not follow the guards or his unexpected allies; no, he strode straight towards the gallows. With a sudden roar he flung the sides of his cape open and revealed a pair of hands blazing forth with a Fire spell, which he thrust outwards towards the gallows. Like the breath of the ancient Volvagia, the incredible heat rushed outwards and washed over the gallows; he moved his hands around to spread the fire until he was certain it had touched every inch of the structure. [i]'Just [/i]try[i] to hang one of my allies again.'[/i]

The deed done, Alpha hurried to a rooftop to see how the escape was coming -- and found a rather bad sight greeting him. William was rushing for Taint's ship, but the Gerudic man from before was gaining quickly. He'd be overtaken before he had a chance to escape. Alpha could only watch as he saw the man's frame shift -- preparations for a tackle. And he was too far away to do anything about it.

Well, he would have been. If he wasn't Alpha.

His scar shone violet once more. He only had a split second to concentrate, and this was a much more difficult maneuver than the one with the rope. But no choice! He lifted up the side of his cape and thrust his hand into the Void portal that waited.

At the same time, he opened a second portal. Right in the center of the Gerudic man's chest.

...at least, that's what he was aiming to do. From this distance, it wasn't easy...

But he had to trust that he had managed it. His hand shot through one portal into the Void, the out the second portal straight into the man's chest, an Elemental Burst already formed and ready to fire.

He didn't bother throwing it. He just took his hand and reached upwards to slam it straight into the man's face.

All the while hoping he'd gotten the portal positioned correctly...

The caped man looked askance at the rope as he felt something supernatural exude from it. He held up a hand, "hold on."

He was too late however, and the executioner pulled the lever dropping the trap door under the Zora's feet. Just like Alpha had planned, he slipped through the rope and beneath the trap door. The crowd gasped as a figure launched forth from the crowd and caught the pirate before he hit the ground. The man was wrapped in cloth, his clothes of a poor quality. His hair was cut neatly, and his frame was large. He hoisted the Zora over his shoulder and quickly darted away from the gallows. When his face became visible, memories of the Gossip Isle expedition would hit Alpha like a tide.

It was William! He was an Everbreeze soldier, the only one who'd survived Blind's wrath. Even after his departure from the island, and retirement from duty, he was still hale, agile, and sharp. It would appear that he too had caught wind of the execution, and had harbored the same hunch as Alpha. A vein popped out of the Gerudo man's forehead as his face twisted with rage."What is happening?! GUARDS!!" He cried out, before throwing his hand in the escapee's direction. "Capture them both! I want them alive!" Several Gerudo women surged forth from beneath the gallows, and from certain areas of the crowd. Suddenly, the ground in front of the Gerudo women exploded as several Stalfos clawed their way out from under the dirt. The women gasped as the cluster of bones and weapons barricaded them from pursuit.

William turned his head to see the skeletons fighting the Gerudo women, and smiled appreciatively. His eyes softened as the realization hit him that he wasn't the only one looking out for the captain. [i]Heh... You old coot...[/i] He thought laughingly as he turned his head in the direction of the sea, and quickened his pace. In the back of the crowd, a tall man dressed in average desert-wear chuckled softly as he received William's thoughts. [i]An old coot, am I?[/i] He threw his head back and laughed loudly. "HA! I SUPPOSE I AM! WAAA-HAHAHAHA!!" The laughter from the necromancer was quickly lost in the panicked cries of the crowd. The crowd of people that had appeared to see the pirate be hanged and displayed on the gibbet, were now fleeing in any direction they could.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" Cried the caped man as he hopped down from the gallows. His guards were winning the fight against the Stalfos- in the desert, they were peerless in skill with their scimitars and naginatas. However, more and more skeletons pulled their way out of the sand. The Gerudo commander looked around at the fleeing crowd, and then back to the skeletons.

[i]A necromancer among them...[/i] He thought as he analyzed the situation. [i]With all the souls that have perished in this desert, even a novice could keep this up all day.[/i] He pushed his hands together and a green light began to shimmer from within his clasped hands. "HAA!!" His scream echoed among the madness as he flung his hands forth. The magic swirled around the undead swordsmen, and pushed them back beneath the ground. He then knelt down and punched the sand with his powerful gloved hand. A green ring of magic shot out from his fist followed by several more green rings. As if his magic was powerful enough to echo, the rings expanded along the sand.

The sand grew still, devoid of movement. The guards were quick to resume pursuit of William and the unconscious captain. William turned his head to see the women gaining on him. [i]Shit... And I thought I had a good enough lead... What happened to the Stalfos? [/i]Suddenly, Morgoth materialized in front of William. The necromancer's hair whipped with the wind created from William passing him. William shouted his thanks to the man as he passed.

"Yeah, yeah, save it..." Morgoth chuckled. He was still inhabiting the same body from the big pirate-fight. Boone, a body of peak magical perfection, stood in the way of the women. [i]It appears I can no longer summon in this area... That Gerudo man is a smart one. This won't be easy...[/i]

The women were quick to attack the mage, and Morgoth was more than ready. Lightning flung from his hands, piercing the first women, and the bolt leapt from her to the second closest soldier, and then from her to another. [b]Chain Lightning[/b] was not an easy spell to cast, but perfect for the situation. He quickly dodged left and right as the soldiers made it to him. Spells flung here and there dealt with them one by one, as he generated shields to block the attacks he couldn't dodge. He felt a blast of air from his side as he managed to catch a peek of the Gerudo man shooting past him in pursuit of William.

The former soldier felt the ground shaking behind him under the weight of his pursuer, and turned his head to see the man gaining on him. He was getting tired, and was nowhere near fast enough to outrun the maniac. He turned his head back to the ocean, where he saw Taint's ship coming into view. Darkin was at the wheel, Lilly floating next to him. The Rito's eyes picked up the situation. He glimpsed William, as according to plan, but there were two more at the scene.

"Lilly..." Darkin began. "How on Din's green earth did you manage to track down Alpha? And Morgoth at that!" Lilly buzzed around madly. "You and William were the only ones I told! It doesn't matter now, though! Look!" Darkin narrowed his eyes at the soldier. He was carrying Taint as according to plan... But he wouldn't be able to outrun the man behind him. "What do we do?" Lilly cried as she fluttered around madly.

William turned around, his eyes wide with realization. The man was right behind him.

"I'VE GOT YOU!!" He screamed angrily as he dove in to tackle the William to the ground. Time stood still as the airborne Gerudo hurled through the air like a missile towards the defenseless duo.

He'd had a long time to practice this. Had pulled it off on more than one occasion, too. But even so, it was always a risky gambit he played.

The man stood on the edges of the crowd, his standard hood and cape shrouding his form in darkness . . . and despite the fact that they were in a freaking desert, of all places, he hardly felt the heat. It was one of his traits that he truly enjoyed having: a resistance to overheating that had served him well throughout his travels in Hyrule. And just because his appearances in public were becoming less and less frequent . . . that hardly meant he hadn't been traveling.

Searching.

Watching.

Waiting.

Today, it seemed, was a day he'd have to put his hiding aside -- no doubt, if this worked [i]someone[/i] was going to guess magic was involved (of what kind, they'd never know, but that hardly mattered). And [i]someone[/i] would spot him all cloaked up on the edge of the crowd, all mysterious like. And that meant that [i]someone[/i] would guess that he was the cause. They'd probably start attacking him long before anyone brought forth any actual evidence of his part in the matter that was about to transpire. Such was the way mobs like this one worked.

. . . no wonder he hated large groups of people . . .

Regardless, he couldn't wait and watch any longer -- the man had stepped up to the level, and might end Taint's life at any second. Goddesses, how he'd hoped that it wouldn't be Taint when he'd heard the man's cries in North Castle . . . but he'd had a feeling it would be. A good thing to know his intuition still worked.

His scar was covered by a flap of his hood, so no one could see the violet light that blazed forth as he tapped into the power of his curse. After a moment, he specifically targeted the rope around Taint's neck -- the underside, where his neck rested against it. Anyone who looked closely would see the darkness of the Void appear along the rope's length.

It was one of his more useful tricks, but always a risky one too. Done correctly, it would allow Taint to slip straight through the rope, unharmed -- it would be as if he passed straight through the physical object. If any mistakes were made, though, his neck would emerge from the portal a few millimeters away from his head. The man would be decapitated rather than hung. But he shook his head, willing away such doubts. He had enough experience using this tactic on his own body to know he could pull it off with ease.

Nevertheless, he tensed up slightly as he finished establishing the portal . . . he'd know the moment the lever was pulled, and Taint slipped right through the rope. Or the moment that the drugged pirate fell through the rope of his own accord. Either/or.

Until then, Alpha could only watch and wait once more.

Storm clouds billowed overhead, each thick with their own thunder, rain, and wind. As if eager to let down their wrath upon the village, they flickered with lightning now and again. In mere moments, a pirate would be publicly executed. Even in the few moments before the hanging, caravans were unloading citizens from North Castle Courtyard.

As your caravan rolls towards the town, you begin to view the crowd that has amassed. Through the bumps here and there, your vision brings the gallows to your eyes. Ominous, and eerie as always, executioners stand motionless on the platform, their faces hidden behind their thick black hoods. Your caravan stops, and you're ordered to leave. As you step out onto the stone road that leads to the gallows, you see the Guays circling overhead- An omen of death.

The man from the day before appears on stage, the people cheering at his promised appearacne. This time, he dons a cape that flows elegantly behind him. A smile appeared on his muscular jaw at the turnout. "Good to see you all here! Thank you for showing up to the execution. Without further delay, I present to you, the end of an era! An era of pirates!"

The crowd screamed with eagerness as a couple of hooded figures pushed a Zora on the gallows. His hands were bound behind him, and a sack was placed over his head. The hooded figures that had been standing motionless before turned and received the Zora. The first one pulled back, and then slugged him hard in the gut. The Zora doubled over in pain before the other hit him hard across the face. They dragged his now limp body to the noose, and fitted it around his neck. The crowd cheered as the pirate received what he had coming to him.

"Dirty thief! Give it to him!!"
"Stupid pirates stole my spices! Let him have it!"
"String him up already!!"

Their eagerness to see one die would unnerve even a moblin at this point. The hatred of pirates was apparently stronger than one would anticipate, especially here in Parapa, a town once known for thievery specifically. In a land that used to be riddled with outcasts, thieves, and ne'er do wells, the place seemed somewhat cleaned up. Was it perhaps because of this man on stage? The muscular looking man walked up to the pirate and ripped the hood off, revealing the man's face.

A rather well known Zora looked up at the crowd. It was Taint, who'd come to make somewhat of a name for himself among some of the vagabonds, nomads, thieves, and adventurers across Hyrule. The Zora looked up at the crowd, a dazed look in his eyes. Blood trickled from his mouth, and before he could utter a word, the Gerudic man punched him across the face once more. "FILTHY PIRATE!" He cried out as he brought his knee hard into the Zora's gut. Blood flung from the Zora's throat as his eyes widened with pain. In the widening of his eyes, you notice a discoloration. He'd been drugged, probably to decrease resistance.

"Let him be hung now!" The man yelled as he turned around to face the crowd. One of the executioners approached the lever, and wrapped his hands firmly around it. Above the roar of the crowd, you see him lip something. It was a weak cry for help.

The executioner looked ready to pull the lever to the Zora's demise at any moment.