OoC: Orphie said he wouldn't post until I did, so I'm gonna take a leap here.

What's the difference between Awareness and Insight? Because I mean whichever one is applicable in this situation.

IC:

"Look at that," Arrika said suddenly, interrupting Thea's mumblings. There was a breeze on the island, a gentle caress against her skin that swayed the trees. Except one.

She glanced at the three old towers. Maybe she should go explore the Kokiri one? Little Deku had gone into one of them already, and being so close to Thea made her skin prickle in an uncomfortable way. He just watched her so intently, like he was trying to figure her out. And then there were the concessions, and oh Din there were a lot of them, an unbelievable amount. His infatuation was going too far, and if had any sensibility she would run off towards the ruined towers that moment, decode something and be useful like the rest of them, instead of looking after a damned tree which was probably just a tree... But her curiousity outweighed that impulse.

She approached the strange tree, looking for any hint as to why it was different from the rest [Awareness Check].

It didn't matter. Her attempt to walk away from the thieving mage actually brought her closer to him, for her was already standing in front of the fascinating tree. He heard her approach, and commented lightly, "I saw it first." He wished to know, more than anything, why the leaves weren't moving, or the branches not swaying. He needed something - anything - that could serve to puzzle him, to make him forget the pain he had endured this trip. Arrika's fascination with Alpha was writ across her face the interior trip. "It's not like the group has fractured yet, you can go stand by him," he stated, casually to Arrika. "You're a Sheikah too, so you probably could decode some of that linguistics if you tried, I'm sure Alpha wouldn't mind your help."

As he looked at the tree for clues into its nature and what the meaning of it could be [Insight Check], he was tempted to call over the rest of the group. But he digressed. Doing so might attract Alpha, and the whole point of shoeing Arrika off to be at Alpha's side would be in vain.

---

Orpheous called out to Dogura. "This one says 'The.'" Then he turned to analyze the ninth stone, hoping he might translate it and decode its meaning. He ran his hand over it, like the other one, hoping he wouldn't miss any subtle nuances [Translation Check].

OOC: Awarness check is looking around your area for anything of real difference. Insight check is what you use to deeper understand the abnormality you've discovered.

IC:

All of the words were nearly decoded. There were only a few left before the message would become clear. Leth's insight check this time passed, and he was able to read the word clearly as he had before. The words themselves seemed to move before his very eyes to read clearly to the man the word, Thou.

Arrika studied the tree closely for anything else strange about, it but found nothing. [Awareness check - Fail]. The tree, aside from not bending to the gales of the ocean, was normal on all accounts. Thealter on the other hand, studied the tree closer than Arrika had. [Insight check - Pass]. The masked observer noticed that the tree also had very few marks on it like the other trees. It looked as if it had never been touched by anything. It was absolutely too perfect to be natural. It looked smooth to the touch, rather than rough like bark.

Orpheous, like before, was able to translate the words on the stone. They read the word, Turn.

Dogura wrote down Orpheous' words and then proceeded to study one of the final engraved stones. He decoded it quickly, and wrote it down on the paper. "It says, Skyward here." He called out as he stood up and moved to the next stone. He didn't even have to attempt to decode it. Two characters were all he needed to see to conclude that the missing word was the word, On. He wrote it down in the only missing gap, before carefully moving the words into their correct places. Taint walked up the samurai and folded his arms. "Well? Do you have it decoded?" He asked impatiently, William was reading the paper from behind Dogura, too curious to wait for the announcement. But the word were all out of order on the paper. Finally, Dogura looked up at the sky, and then back down to the paper.

"I think I've got it, but..." He paused, and looked up one more time before reading the message out loud to the group.

<center>"The ground on which thou pace is false. Turn thine eyes skyward for truth."</center>

He said out loud, looking back up. "But that can't be right... I don't see anything..." He muttered, changing his position from time to time. He looked up and all around from many different angles, but found nothing. Taint, Morgoth, and William were doing the same, and with similar luck.

"Maybe..." Morgoth began, trailing off on that word. "Maybe there was originally something in the sky, but after years of the island drifting, it simply drifted away from whatever we were supposed to see..." William's mouth dropped, along with Taint's. "T-That can't be!!" The Zora stated, looking up harder than ever before. There was still nothing in the sky, save for a couple of seagulls. Dogura studied the paper some more, hoping they would all fit in a different order. They simply didn't fit any other way. Suddenly Taint turned and began walking away. There was silence.

"Where are you going, captain?" William asked, taking a few steps forward. Taint pointed to the Zora's Sapphire tower as he walked away. "I'm getting a better a view." Dogura looked at the glowing tower for a few moments before concluding his thoughts. "The towers!" He almost shouted. "Maybe they're what we're looking skyward for!" He smiled, now refilled with hope. The samurai walked towards the tower with the Goron Ruby on the entrance. "Wait." Came Morgoth's call as he studied the towers. "I've been thinking this over..." He added, as Dogura stopped and turned around. "The Captain entered the Zora oriented tower, and was able to find a target inside a body of water." He pointed to the Zora, who was still soaked. "It's likely that it was positioned at a depth that any other species would have drowned in." Dogura was a bit taken aback by this. He hadn't thought it that far through.

"And the Deku... Yukie, I think. He went inside that tower there, where he'll likely find a target only a Deku can hit..." He turned towards the Goron tower and sighed. "What if that tower requires a Goron?" Dogura turned around again to look at the tower. "We don't have a Goron." Dogura stated, realizing the necromancer's point now. There was a long pause before Dogura turned and began walking again. "There's no harm in checking it out though. I'll come back with news if I can't find or activate the target." William took off after him. "I'm coming with you!" He called out, as he caught up Dogura. Morgoth could hair a short argument off in the distance as they disappeared into the tower. He turned his gaze up to the Zora's tower, where Taint was in the window searching the sky. He didn't look like he was having any luck. Morgoth closed his eyes and sighed. I might not have a choice, but to summon... Him. I hope it doesn't have to come to that... He's cranky. The necromancer thought bitterly, as he prayed for the samurai's success.

Thou, not you. Of course. This is old Sheikahn language we're talking about here. Leth thought to himself. Ah well, it was an easy mistake to make, and it didn't really matter anyway. Of more importance was the meaning behind the riddle.... the ground was false? What did that mean? While everyone else was looking up, Leth was looking down, as if the ground was about to give way at any moment. He didn't like the sound of this riddle. After being sure that the ground was solid, Leth did venture a glance at the sky... nothing seemed unusual there. No one else seemed to be picking up anything unusual about it either. So for now they had come to the end of their puzzle-solving... probably best to focus on the other question at hand - the towers. Dogura and William headed for the Goron Tower, and the Deku was in the Deku tower. Leth suspected he wouldn't be of much help at the moment, so he simply took a look around, looking at everything, trying to see if he could piece together some sort of answer to their riddle.

[insight check]

Dogura wrote:<center>"The ground on which thou pace is false. Turn thine eyes skyward for truth."</center>

Alpha glanced over as Dogura announced the finished message, immediately turning his mind towards the task of solving it. The samurai had gotten a head start, though, and he quickly deciphered a possible (and, in the Sheikah's opinion, quite likely) interpretation. Dogura led the way towards the tower with the Goron's Ruby imprinted upon it, and Alpha fell into step behind him and William -- with this part of the ruins explored, the Scholar was ready to head to the next adventure.

Plus there was that first part of the deciphered text: "The ground on which thou pace is false." If that was meant literally, he didn't want to be around when they found this so-called 'skyward truth' . . .

* * *

Yukie gazed around fer several seconds before he finally managed t' locate a target similar to what Taint'd been talkin' about. It sat within a nice little alcove right above his head . . . 'n there were another pair of 'em right next ta it. The Deku scratched his head at the sight, wonderin' how th' heck he was gonna be hittin' all three. Probably needed t' be hit simultaneously, too -- that'd be just like these old puzzles people always were talkin' about bein' hidden in these here dungeon-esque areas.

The vassal weren't gonna hit 'em all just by standin' around, though. A quick little eye-based measurement told 'im that he wouldn't be hitting them with a Bomb or anything like that, 'n he weren't no archer either. 'Honestly, what other kinda long ranged attack could I be usin' here-- Oh. Oh yeah, there's always that.'

With a deep breath, the Deku called upon one o' his race's best known abilities. His swords 'n bombs weren't gonna do him any good, so he drew forth a blast from within him 'n held it fer a few seconds, letting the pressure build . . . 'n then he released it, blasting a Deku Nut straight fer the primary target.

[[Spit a Deku Nut]]

[Insight check - Pass] Leth's eyes manage to fall upon something strange about his surroundings. In fact, it looked as if Thealter and Arrika were already a step ahead of him. A lone tree that did not bend to the wind's will. This was an anomaly that couldn't be ignored at this point. A small crowd gathered around the tree at this point, its low profile now no longer so low. Morgoth observed the tree from a distance as well; he was already having his suspicions.

Dogura entered the tower, William and Alpha not far behind. The tower looked very stable on the inside. This furthered Morgoth's suspicions about needing a Goron for this tower. Much like the Zora's tower, there was a large support pillar in the center, leaving only the staircase that wound around it visible. Ascending the winding stairs, the group finally emerged at the top. The window in this tower was much smaller than normal, and the room was dark, with very little sunlight showing through. One half of the room was completely blocked off by a massive stone wall, and support pillars lined the entire room. On the wall, the common Goron symbol marked on every Goronic ancestor was painted in black paint. The group was silent as they analyzed the room. "It looks like we'd need a Goron... That is if we weren't Sheikah here." Dogura remarked, as he noted how little light there was in the room.

"Allow me." He stated, as he began to Shadowmeld through the wall that stood before them. However, halfway through the wall, the samurai was forced back, flung against the wall. William rushed to help him up. "So they thought ahead..." William remarked as he extended an arm, and pulled Dogura up. "It seems they did..." He replied. He brushed himself off and grunted. "A barrier. It's a miracle its remained active after so many years. Let me try something else." He stated, as he sunk into the floor. He resurfaced after a moment with a disappointed look on his face. "The barrier extends throughout the room. We've no choice but to smash through. We need a Goron." He finally admitted.

"Did somebody say Goron?" Morgoth asked as he appeared behind them. "I may have a solution here." The samurai tilted his head. "A solution?" He folded his arms in suspicion. Morgoth turned around and descended the stairs, motioning for them to follow.

* * *

Morgoth stood near the tower, Dogura, William, Alpha, and Taint watching as the necromancer stood in the center. "I was hoping to avoid doing this... But it can't be helped." Morgoth held his hands out in front of him and closed his eyes. "Darock thorle martik co dascript riblocke." He spoke silently in an unknown language. The ground under them turned a dark red before suddenly a puff of smoke erupted causing everyone to shield their eyes. When they looked back, a stoic Goron stood in front of Morgoth. The Goron looked around, a bit confused, and possibly surprised at his surroundings. It isn't every day you're summoned to a tropical paradise instead of a battlefield. Morgoth cleared his throat. "Hello again, old friend." The Goron turned his beady eyes to Morgoth and remained silent for what seemed like an eternity. He was burly- definitely strong enough to break down a puny wall. He had a beard the wrapped around his head, and connected with his hair. His face was stone cold solid, and he looked like he could wreck shop on the battlefield.

"Morgoth... Did you have to switch bodies again? How long do you want to live exactly?" He ask in his deep rumbling Goron voice. Morgoth only smiled. "So long as I have more to see." He replied jokingly, turning to the crowd. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Darmani. He was a Goron Hero during an age long gone by." The Goron rubbed his eyes, and looked around at everyone. "Friends of yours?" He asked Morgoth silently, grinning a large Goron grin. Dogura stared in shock at the Goron- could this really be Darmani? The same Darmani his dad used to tell him about? He extended a hand to the Goron. "An honor to meet you, Sir Darmani." The Goron gently squeezed the samurai's hand and shook it. "Pleasure's mine. Normally, I'd have been angry about being summoned... But this place... It's niiiice." He nodded smiling. Morgoth was relieved that the Goron seemed tranquil. Summoning Darmani was normally... less than pleasant.

"So what can an old Goron help you with?" He asked.

* * *

The group stood in front of the stone wall that blocked the other side of the room. "Har har har!!" He laughed, doubling over. "You humans are weak. Allow me to demonstrate why Gorons are feared on the battlefield!" Dogura grabbed William, and took a couple steps back. Taint took note of this, and backed up himself. Darmani wound up, and let out a massive battle cry as he demolished the wall with a single swing of his giant right arm. The wall came crashing down, but the tower remained standing thanks to the many support pillars. "It is done." He called out before the dust had time to settle. Dogura smiled in awe at the Goron's might. Darmani truly was amazing. Morgoth patted the Goron on the back in praise. "You never fail me." He complimented the Goron, who held his arm up, and flexed his muscle. "And I never will." He promised, as he turned to leave the structure. "I think I'll stick around and explore the island a bit longer before I return to resting." He stated before disappearing from earshot.

Across the room, a blue barrier dissipated, revealing the exposed target. Dogura slowly advanced towards it, and stared at it. He removed his sword, and swished it around in the air a couple of times before thrusting the blade directly into the center of the target. Suddenly, the tower began to glow red, as lines ran all along the tower. It made a low hum as it glowed, and it was more than satisfying. Dogura turned around with a grin. "Their magic is breath-taking." He stated, Taint nodding in agreement. The Zora advanced towards the tiny window. "Hey Alpha." He stated. "Do you think Yukie'll need any help over there?" He asked, hoping the Deku would fare well. Dogura advanced past the Zora, a satisfied grin on his face. Today had been an amazing day for the vagabond so far. "I think he knows what he's doing. Have some faith in your friend." He began descending the staircase, William and Taint following after him.

* * *

Yukie's Deku-nut exploded perfectly, striking all three targets. The tower rumbled a little bit, before kicking off a beautiful green glow. All the cracks lit up, and lines ran down the tower all along its length. The Deku had more than accomplished his goal- he'd finished the puzzle.

Down on the ground, everyone looked onward as a beam shot from each tower, connecting them all. They hummed in harmony, and all of them glowed golden for a split second before something caught Taint's eye. "Hey! The sky!" He called out, as they all turned their eyes skyward. Up in the sky, the clouds formed a triforce overhead. In the center of the triforce, a small object could be seen forming. Dogura squinted at the object, but it was simply too high up. Suddenly, just as soon as the clouds had taken shape, they fell loose again, and the object slowly began its descent. The group crowded around the object as it floated gently within the captain's reach. It was a purple magnifying glass that resembled the Sheikah eye in shape and design. Taint held it for a moment, and looked through the center. Not much seemed to change... He studied it for a few more seconds before handing it Dogura.

The samurai took it in his hands, and examined the object. He turned it over a couple of times before looking through the glass himself. Just like Taint, there wasn't a big difference in the landscape. Nothing really leapt out at him. He looked around the island a bit, before looking to Alpha. "Alpha. You're a scholar and a full blooded Sheikah. Do you know anything about this?" The samurai had never read anything about an object like this. Perhaps they were the first to hold it.

OOC: Ahhh crappy post, but I was timed. Heading to class. At this point, micromodding is gone, and I'll be posting when everyone catches up. THAT TREE IS IMPORTANT, I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE I HAVE TO DO.

Leth's gaze and intent thoughts could not reveal anything of importance to him. He was about to give up when suddenly he noticed that a few of their group had gathered around a particular tree. Upon closer inspection, Leth noticed that this tree was different from the others, in fact, Leth began to doubt that it was a real tree at all.

"Hey guys," he said loud enough for anyone who was paying attention to hear, "This tree is weird. It looks strange, and it doesn't bend in the wind like all the others."

So saying, Leth moved over to the tree and began to inspect it, looking for any abnormalities or the like in the tree; really, anything that would give them a clue. [Awareness Check]

OOC: Sorry to steal Alpha's thunder, but I believe Orpheous would know exactly what that item may be. Despite his foreignness, he is quite familiar in Hyrulian lore of all cultures and races. And sorry that Thealter hadn't mentioned the tree yet, it would be out of character for him to call over the others.

IC: Orpheous spoke up, suddenly appearing besides Alpha, Morgoth, Darmani, Taint, and Dogura. How he got by the rest of the group so quickly remains a mystery, but it was obvious he was pensive, and he took his time to think out his words at first, before getting a flow.

"I believe I know what it is," quoth the Scribe. "I have myself studied the history of the ancient Hyruleans, and I have come across, in my searches, the story of an Eye that Sees the Truth. The Hero of Time himself was said to wield the Sheikahn artifact. The shape and form of that 'magnifying glass' fits the description of the Lens of Truth with near perfect accuracy, and I'd be willing to bet my entire library that it is indeed the fabled Lens. Now, I noticed Arrika and Thealter, young as they may be, kept staring at the unmoving tree, the one that doesn't bend with wind, the one that Leth just pointed out. Originally, I too thought that the tree served as a secret entrance into the true ruins. Not that this above ground structure isn't pleasing to the eye, but it is clearly all just a fabrication, as our riddle implies. Why else would it look so pristine, and if you notice, there aren't any Sheikahn secrets of old inscribed anywhere, or any tombs to encase the corpses of those who have gone before. I believe that the real ruins might lay below us, as the riddle states that ground we walk on is false. Truly, the ground we stand on does exist; it bears our weight, but perhaps it's not the true ground that holds the true ruins. Perhaps that lies below us still. Now, if I may suggest, I wish for our captain, seeing as how he is just that, and he has brought us thus far, to do the honors to take up the glass, and gaze through, at the tree that Leth, Arrika, and Thealter are standing by, because I believe wholeheartedly that the real entrance lies just there," he finished, apparently having a lot to say.

---

Thealter frowned at Leth. "I'm glad you too saw the tree, but I was kind of trying to avoid getting everybody's attention to come and examine a riddle that is yet to be solved, I don't yet believe that they need come over here until we actually have something to-" and at that point, Thealter heard Orpheous' speech, after all, Theatler had very keen ears.

"Ah, yes," stated Thealter, to both Leth and Arrika, but primary to himself. "The tree is the entrance to real ruins, I would advise that we three should stand back, because I think Taint should need a clear view of this botanical piece with the lens. Thealter took his own advice, and stood out of the way so that Taint might see the tree clearer.

OOC: Sorry it took me so long to reply.

Yukie skipped up 'n down several times, laughin' merrily at the glowing tower he'd started up. It'd been a pretty good shot, he hadta admit! Glancin' out of the windows, he noticed that the Goron Ruby Tower had also lit up with a wondrous red; meant that now all three of them towers had been 'activated', or whatever ya wanted t' call it. He weren't gonna waste time on the matter, though, 'specially not once he saw somethin' of a light show going on in the skies above the group.

Couldn't well see what all was happenin' from up here, though, so he started movin' back down the stairs . . . once again, goin' slowly. He still didn't trust these ancient structures; weren't like they were made of bark, after all. He'd get down 'n rejoin the group in due time; weren't no reason t' be rushin'.

Though he was a mite bit curious . . . and that made his steps move a little faster . . .

'Haha! This is gettin' good!'

* * *

The mage and full-blooded Sheikah eyes had been wide and his mouth gaping from the moment he saw the object descending from the clouds above them. As it neared the ground as his visual suspicions were confirmed, he found himself unable to so much as speak in sheer shock of the item that had been gifted them. The ancient Sheikah language, the gossip stones, even the summoning of the legendary Darmani . . . they all paled in comparison with this discovery.

For this was an artifact of true legend.

Dogura's request for information snapped him out of his stupor, but all the same he was still fumbling for words when Orpheous spoke up and gave the answer for them. The Sheikah calmly waited for the Scribe's monologue to end . . . then eyed the man with an arched brow. "You talk too much," he muttered, shaking his head. Scribes certainly were a long-winded folk . . .

"To summarize," he continued in a voice that others could actually hear, "the Lens of Truth shows one 'the truth': essentially, piercing illusions. Even the strongest of spells is unable to craft a disguise that the Lens cannot see through." He paused as another thought hit him. "If I remember the tales correctly, it required magic power to use; probably better if I give it a shot," he said as he reached out and carefully took it from the samurai.

Holding the Lens to his eyes, the Sheikah turned towards the tree Orpheous had indicated -- whether or not the man was overly verbose, he was right that the tree was most likely the illusion masking the false ground. At first he tried using the Lens without magic, but he was already building up his power to feed it into the item, just as he had done with the Gust Jar.

OOC: Orpheous stole Alpha's thunder, so I guess Alpha had to steal Taint's to make up for it. Silly Lightning Mage . . .

I believe I know what it is...

Everyone's attention shifted to the scribe, who was examining the object closely.

I have myself studied the history of the ancient Hyruleans, and I have come across, in my searches, the story of an Eye that Sees the Truth. The Hero of Time himself was said to wield the Sheikahn artifact. The shape and form of that 'magnifying glass' fits the description of the Lens of Truth with near perfect accuracy, and I'd be willing to bet my entire library that it is indeed the fabled Lens. Now, I noticed Arrika and Thealter, young as they may be, kept staring at the unmoving tree, the one that doesn't bend with wind, the one that Leth just pointed out. Originally, I too thought that the tree served as a secret entrance into the true ruins. Not that this above ground structure isn't pleasing to the eye, but it is clearly all just a fabrication, as our riddle implies. Why else would it look so pristine, and if you notice, there aren't any Sheikahn secrets of old inscribed anywhere, or any tombs to encase the corpses of those who have gone before. I believe that the real ruins might lay below us, as the riddle states that ground we walk on is false. Truly, the ground we stand on does exist; it bears our weight, but perhaps it's not the true ground that holds the true ruins. Perhaps that lies below us still. Now, if I may suggest, I wish for our captain, seeing as how he is just that, and he has brought us thus far, to do the honors to take up the glass, and gaze through, at the tree that Leth, Arrika, and Thealter are standing by, because I believe wholeheartedly that the real entrance lies just there.

Dogura listened carefully to every word, and was shocked at the story. He'd never heard the story of the Lens of Truth. Interesting... How is it that Shadowclaw never documented the existence of the Lens of Truth... He held it carefully, and while Taint was indeed the captain, he disagreed with Orpheous. While he truly did respect Taint's authority, this was an important and probably delicate artifact. He wouldn't trust just anyone to hold it. The captain was a good man, but he was quite reckless. Instead, he handed the item off to Alpha, who accepted it. A soon as it came into contact with Alpha's hand, the mage would note something that only a seasoned mage would notice. A very dark aura.

As Alpha held it in his hands, a dark aura emanated off of the object. As Alpha moved the object towards the tree, he found that he wouldn't have to put magic into the Lens of Truth for it work. No, instead, the energy was taken from him. It greedily pulled the magical energy right out of the man, but produced good results in return. The tree vanished, and in its place stood a stone pillar. The pillar was about six feet in height, and towards the top, an eye seemed to stare back at them. The eye was placed in the center of a blue diamond. There were also words inscribed on the pillar below the eye. Alpha, with a successful check, managed to decode the entire message with the memory of the alphabet from earlier.

<center>"The eye that watches, yields to the piercing ice that freezes fire..."</center>

Shielding her eyes from the brilliance of the sun, Sakiko turned to the sound of Taint’s shout. She watched with a gaping mouth as a hum of perfect harmony accompanied the beautiful vibrant beams of color currently forming a symbol of the triforce. She couldn’t see, exactly, what was going on, but she was eager to get near it. Sakiko was just in time in approaching the group to hear Orpheous explaining the object at hand.

The mage peered at the purplish globe somewhat warily; sure, everything’s all good and wondrous until some evil thing pops up. She wasn’t too acquainted with Sheikahn magic and such, but they weren’t called shadow folk for no reason. But then again, this was all part of the quest for knowledge… being too wary could make one rather boring.

"To summarize, the Lens of Truth shows one 'the truth': essentially, piercing illusions. Even the strongest of spells is unable to craft a disguise that the Lens cannot see through. If I remember the tales correctly, it required magic power to use; probably better if I give it a shot.”

Wow. That’s…amazing. I don’t know if I would want to touch it, though…but Alpha’s experienced. He can handle it. Sakiko’s eyes never left the globe as Alpha approached the tree. She couldn’t help thinking if he himself was consciously walking toward the tree, or if he was doing so because of some outside prompting. Whatever the reason, the tree wasn’t even a tree anymore…in an instant, it was a pillar with an eye. The pale girl shivered with a subtle sense of repulsion; the eye’s unblinking and penetrating gaze seemed to stare into her very soul.

Ooc: I apologize if Sakiko is seeing what she isn't supposed to see yet...I'll edit later if I am

ZV edit: Actually, Alpha is supposed to hand it off to whoever he thinks can handle the situation, but it doesn't look like he's gonna post any time soon. If you just want to go ahead and freeze it, be my guest.

Sakiko wrote:ZV edit: Actually, Alpha is supposed to hand it off to whoever he thinks can handle the situation, but it doesn't look like he's gonna post any time soon. If you just want to go ahead and freeze it, be my guest.

OoC: I wanna it! I do, after all, have the "piercing ice that freezes fire" I just can't think of a way to do it without God-modding Alpha... Hopefully when I post this he'll get the topic-reply email thingy and reply. If not... well. We'll see.

OOC: My apologies, everyone . . . real life decided to crack down on me this week, and when it wasn't beating me up I was attempting to recover with the help of Minish Cap Therapy Inc.

IC:
Before the Sheikah could even think, the dark energies of the Lens of Truth rose up and began consuming his power on its own. It was all he could do to keep himself from instinctively dropping it, his fear of them being unable to proceed if it broke on the ground overriding his terror at its hungering lust.

That said, the moment the tree vanished and was replaced by the pillar, Alpha hastily dropped to one knee and set the Lens on the ground, releasing it from his grip and backing away. "No one touch it!" he commanded, worry in his tone. Even if Dogura hadn't been able to activate it himself earlier, its recent feast on his own strength might have awakened its hunger to the point where it would draw on anyone's power. "That dark aura . . . keep away from it," he muttered, hoping that they were done using the thing. If the island had any more puzzles requiring its use . . . well, he'd be the one to use it, but he'd do so reluctantly.

It had done something, though - something useful, too, the Sheikah saw the moment he gazed at the pillar and saw the writing on it. Digging into his memory he was able to decipher it after a few long seconds. "The eye that watches yields to the piercing ice that freezes fire..." he recited to the others.

He glanced at Leth and nodded to the eye sitting above the inscription. "Well, Ranger, I think that's your cue."

So much delicious fruit...how can I choose?

Far be it from a hungry man to deny the greatness of each and every foodstuff in the forets. None were flawed, all were deities in their own right. Therefore, which was perfecter?

His mind raced, thinking back to the contents of his stomach these last few days...

Tomatoes.

Tomatoes.

That piece of bacon.

Tomatoes.

What was the farthest food from watery and tasteless? Tangy and citrus. Y.

Orange it was. He plucked it with gusto, dropping it in his satchel for later.

Leth grinned. Finally a chance to do something useful.

"No problem." He said, fluidly drawing an arrow from his quiver. He set it carefully on the sight and pulled the string into the notch at the end of the arrow, then pulled it back. Leth closed his eyes and concentrated, envisioning his arrow surrounded with the most intense cold known to man, the only recorded ice cold enough to freeze the very depths of a volcano. How he was able to consistently procure this magic, the famed Ice arrow, without freezing his bow solid was beyond him. But he did not question it, and simply let it be.

Leth opened his eyes, and the tip of his arrow turned blue, then a second later burst into what could almost be called blue flame... flame made of a freezing mist. He'd never knew quite what to call this phenomenon; freezing flame? blazing ice? In any case, it was fluid and moving like fire, but had the consistency and temperature of the coldest ice. He looked through the arctic 'blaze' and sighted the bizarre eye mounted on the stone. He sighted along the shaft of the arrow, carefully being sure the feathers, the tip of the arrow, and the eye all lined up. Then he brought the bow up to a slightly higher angle, so it was aimed at a spot just above the eye. This should allow gravity to bring the chilly projectile exactly where Leth wanted it; the pupil of the creepy eye thing.

All of these things passed within a few mere moments, as such skills with a bow came to him as a second nature. With a subtle twitch of his fingers, he released the string, and the Ice Arrow sped with all due haste towards the eye.