Hyrule Adventures 2

'What you say is true, Alpha. Following this path may result in a fight between us and Wraith. However, if we don't try to obtain this information, we will be just as clueless as when we first fought him. Knowledge is power and since we know nothing about him apart from his name and some stick moves any information we can get is valueable, particually, if it gives his Achilles Heel. ' He pauses for a moment and his voice takes on a sombre tone. 'I do have a feeling though, that, if Wraith wants this information to be kept secret that the informant won't be in a postion to talk...if you get my meaning.'

"I have a feeling that the RER has ways of making the informant talk," Rose said. "Otherwise we wouldn't be here waiting to be led to him." And then she thought about this informant. She felt that her life possibly couldn't get into anymore danger, but she had thought that before and have always been proven wrong. She sighed. Well, with luck, this informant would be able to tell them Wraith's weakness, and hopefully she would have a form to change into when she next met Wraith.

Alpha slowly nods his head. "Raven, I certainly hope that it will be to our benefit to meet with this man . . . I am merely trying to be cautious here." He then gives his fellow Sheikah a saddened smile at his final statement, and Rose's obvious misinterpretation of it. "I imagine you are correct, my friend."

Anything that would have been said afterwards is interrupted by the door swinging open again. Miax reenters the room, followed closely by General Noval, who now wears clothing similar to that of the groups. The black cape stretches down past his black shirt and pants. His hood is down, allowing his graying hair to be shown as he gives the group a once over. He nods to Miax and whispers quietly, "You know what to do."

The man nods. "Yes sir. The diversion will begin within the next five minutes."

"Good luck," Noval says softly as his assistant exits the room. Turning back to the group, he calmly grins. "Well then, it appears we are all ready. Now, I must lay down a few ground rules.

"You will follow me at all times, without question. This shouldn't be too terribly strenuous, as it will only take us about ten minutes to reach the meeting place from this room. We won't be above ground much, but when we are, you are not to utter a single word. If we pass by a woman and child who are lying on the streets dying, ignore them; members of the RER shall be watching over us, and they shall take care of those kinds of folks. Do not run, but move as though you are in a hurry to get somewhere, which we are. Keep the cloaks wrapped around your form at all times and your hoods raised, so that none of your features are seen." His voice is dead serious, as if should they disobey any of these rules, they will die. Which, Noval knows, they very well might.

"Now then, come. We've about twenty minutes before the appointed time, and it will be to our benefit to be early rather than late." The last sight of Noval's face before he tugs his hood over his head is stern, as if his very eyes order you to follow his example. Then he turns and walks out of the room, heading left yet again.

At the first intersection, he heads left. A second intersection comes upon the group roughly three minutes after they have departed from the room, and he goes straight, as he does with the third and fourth crossing paths they encounter at the fourth and fifth minutes. He opens a door on the right side of the hallway at this point, revealing a stairwell leading both up and down. He heads up, and three flights later they are met with another door. "From here on, no speaking," he says quietly, as he opens the doorway.

Rose tugged up her hood and quickly followed General Noval. She was slightly horrified when she was told to leave a dying woman and child alone if they passed them. He knows what he's doing she told herself firmly. He better know what he's doing. She continued to follow Noval as silently and as quickly as she could.

Pyre stood, and pulled the cloak around him. It was a little bit large, but he didn't mind. He put up the black hood, and let it cover his face. The hylian started off after Noval, thinking over what he had said. Say nothing? Ignore anyone we may meet? He wasn't sure what all the secrecy was about, but could assume it wasn't good. This no longer seemed like they were seeking an informant, but took on an entirely more sinister feel. Pyre shook his head. He was being silly, why would Noval be leading them into a trap? Even though he decided to trust the general, he refused to throw caution to the wind, drawing his dagger from his belt, and holding it ready in his right hand.

Raven thought that some of the comments Noval made seemed odd, he also started to wonder who this informant might be. It was obvious that Noval wanted to get there quickly, hence, leaving those in need of help. What he couldn't make out is why all the hurry. He was acting if they don't get there at a specific time that the informant would no longer be there - who was the informant? Whoever it might be must fear for their life so much that they will only stay at the location for a short period of time and what information would they have about Wraith and how did they obtain the information in the first place?

All these questions ran through his mind as he followed Noval et al through the corridors and up the stairs. He pulls his hood up just as they're about to leave and thinks - Do I trust him?

OoC: ... sorry for the immensely HUGE delay...
and sorry if the post isn't of my usual quality - currently ill.

IC:

Without ever speaking a word to his friends, Tayro just raised his hand up and slowly covered his face with the hood, as he heard General Noval's explanation. Much had happened during the last hours, much that the young mage was still digesting and analyzing. To tell the truth, he hadn't spoken much since their meeting with the RER, something not quite common considering the cheerful person he usually his. He could be contracting a disease, though that probably wasn't it at all...

All that time they had spent underground had been filled with surprises and a lot of information, some of which where quite shocking, others plain disgusting. Just remembering himself of that Hakiem's head being cut off was enough to make the Hylian feel sick, the blood spurted all over. Yuk. He knew that what the Hakiems Tribe did was horrible, but killing them at cold-blood like that, and showing that eventful scene was plain madness at the mage apprentice's eyes. What did that Hakiem in specific had done to deserve such a dreaded fate?...

Something that also dazzled him quite was the amount of murders committed by this assassin, something the boy still couldn't believe completely. Five THOUSAND murders in the time period of a year was something quite remarkable... and something rather impossible, at least at Tayro's eyes. Never actually being caught or even seen was also incredible, and he truly hoped that that wasn't actually true. Remembering these memories, the Hylian mage gulped silently, as a new feeling started developing inside him, one the bold adventurer had yet to discover... Fear. He was afraid of this amazing character, possibly invincible. A Demi-God, perhaps...

He had refused to eat before, seeing he wasn't that hungry at all, but now started having doubts about his choice. Pehaps out of fear, his stomach had done its job faster than usual, and that was what was giving the boy some nausea. He let out a sigh, as he started following General Noval to whatever place he might lead them. His rest also wasn't one of his best, he having a terrible dream - a nightmare - of him and his friends falling to this ghastly creature. Knowing they were on this man's hunted list just made things worse. The boy sighed again, as he continued through the stairway he was led to. Silently, he spoke his mind out, a saying he and Emily shared in the Orphanage. "Que sera, sera."

Noval leads the group outside, revealing that they have emerged in an alleyway near the current Town Square of North Castle. With the Forgotten Square left far behind, the group makes fast progress, and none of the frightening circumstances that Noval had presented them with occur; in fact, this late at night there appears to be very few people out and about, and most are hurrying home.

After five minutes of walking, Noval lifts his finger out in front of him, pointing straight at their destination. Alpha stops cold, a chill freezing his very veins as he realizes where they are. He has been here once before, when searching for the Po Rune alongside Hiro and Blank . . .

The building does not stand out at all; in fact, there seems to be nothing remarkable about the area where Damera's Antiques stands. Noval steps forward into the shadows, opening the door and waving them all hurriedly through. Once inside, Noval softly grabs the Sheikah by his shoulder. "You look shocked," he comments quietly.

Alpha nods, trying to cover up his fear with an air of surprise. "I've been in here before, and spoken with Damera. Is he . . . really your informant?"

The Hylian nods knowingly. "Indeed he is. Regardless of what you know of 'Damera', up until a few years ago he was a criminal mastermind named Gorodo. He grew tired of the life of crime and evil, though, and has sold his services to us in exchange for freedom and protection. Still surprised?"

Alpha chuckles as he walks further inside, leaving Noval inside. "Not as much as you might think . . ."

The group is ten minutes early; the counter is barren and Gorodo is nowhere to be seen. Time for rest, recovery, and maybe a few questions if you have them.

~Pyre was walking behind the general and the sheikah, when they stopped and conversed. Alpha went on ahead, thought Noval stopped. The hylian watched curiously. What they said hadn't made any since to him, so he kept walking, past the general, to stand behind Alpha. He turned and looked back at the others before taking a step to the side, and leaning against a wall. It seemed that they were early.~

Raven walks into the shop and notices the lack of antiques for an antique shop looking around only one question came to his mind: 'If this is Damera's shop; where is he?' He said aloud to anyone who would listen. He moved towards the counter to see what, if anything, lay behind it.

The area known as Damera's Antiques is a cluttered one to be sure. Boxes and crates litter the sides of the already small room, creating a relatively straight path from the doorway to the counter at the other end. Antiques are stacked everywhere that space exists, but somehow it manages to avoid feeling cluttered . . . just cramped. Certainly there is not enough room for the entire group that has made their way here, under Noval's guidance. At the other end of the makeshift pathway lies the counter, over which drops a sturdy metallic grating, leaving only a foot or two through which to pass purchases back and forth (OOC: think Majora's Mask's Curiosity Shop).

As Raven glances over the grating, he can spot a stockpiling of ancient-looking statues and artifacts lying all over the ground. Some of them appear quite old, but in relatively good condition. A few interesting looking tools and pots sit off in one corner, possibly used for the purpose of cleaning up dirty artifacts safely - indeed, several dirty pieces of pottery are even now soaking in the mixtures held by some pots.

Noval looks to a clock ticking on the other side of the grating, and nods in satisfaction. "Merely three minutes remaining, everyone; then we shall have our questions answered."

OOC: Alright, here's my Christmas present to you all! I've had my month-long fix of Twilight Princess, and just because my obsession still remains does not mean that I'm going to keep neglecting HA2! Let Force of Gold begin once again!

It was odd that the teenager said out that sentence. Sure, he spoke it a lot whilst on the Orphanage, but being a saying shared between him and Emily, it must've meant that she too was thinking of him at this moment. While going by the corridor who, to Tayro, seemed like something endless, he couldn't stop thinking of what his best friend would be up to at that moment. Perhaps a mere diversion to forget himself of the things he was dealing with. Come on. You need to be in top shape for this. - he told himself although rather unconvinced. His stomach ache didn't help either, and Tayro experimented rubbing it under the dark cloak he was wearing as he continued to follow General Noval. No effect. I just think that it's rather odd that no-one else seems to be upset about this murderer. I mean, although the Hakiems Tribe is in fact quite powerful... over five thousand deaths is just a too way large number. He tried to make himself believe that it was purely exaggerations because of being able to kill a few well guarded lords. That could only be it. His stomach also seemed satisfied by that conclusion.

It didn't take long until the mage apprentice was once again above ground. As he got out he inhaled for a few seconds, as a method to relieve himself. Tayro never liked being underground, knowing that at any moment the earth could fall on him and he dying from lack of oxygen in his lungs. Not a preety sight. Only after that did he notice exactly where he was. Looking around was hardly necessary - it was easily noticeable that they were once again in a place with quite some civilization, it was noticeable they were once again in the Town Square. His hood continued to be raised, and he did his best to only look at the people in front of him - if he saw someone in peril to the sides he wouldn't be able to resist the urge to help them, and thus the boy decided that it was better not to take any risks.

A few minutes later, the precise amount was undetermined to the young teen, they arrived at a building. That's probably the place. - he thought to himself, as he examined the place. Only then did he notice what place exactly was. Damera's Antiques? We're meeting an informant at an antiques store? - he pondered, not really thinking of it as prudent. Wouldn't some cellar in the castle do, or was old King Harkinian just too pompous to let a meeting of such an importance occur in his chateau? He let his hatred for the Royal Family for later though. And so, he entered.

As soon as he entered, he felt an immediate need to sneeze. He had no idea why was that, but well, sneezing is something that one cannot control, so guess there's no great mystery behind that fact. And so, came the so much expected 'atchoo', and thus it finally stopped. A simple sneeze, nothing big. Not seeing anyone around, the boy quickly arrived to the conclusion that or they were early, or the man (or woman)was late. Yeah, that was right! He still didn't know if the informant was actually male it could be a female as well! Well, guess I'll knew it when the time comes. Seeing various boxes cramped up, he took the opportunity to lift himself to one of the crates and sit on it. Seemed like they still had to wait, but still, he didn't feel very talkative at all. Then, he started hearing Noval and Alpha's conversation, although not eavesdropping on purpose. He just... heard them! It seemed that the informant was in fact a male, and it was the owner of this place. It also seemed that he went by the name of Damera, though it was fake, and he truly was a criminal mastermind. Not very assuring, but well, it was the only lead. And so, Tayro did the only possible thing. He waited.

If I had known we were going to be early, I would've brought a book to read, Rose thought. Then she smiled to herself. Thinking ridiculous thoughts again. Well, it was better than snapping at everyone out of nervousness. She stood at the doorway, seeing that not everyone would be able to fit into the antiques store. She began to tug at her braid, bored.

OOC: Woot! I was able to come up with a post that wasn't completely horrible! Now everyone knows I'm still alive! Hurray! XD

OOC: *Celebrates* Finally, people actually decided to post! (Took ya long enough . . .) Well, I'm certainly not about to give you all enough time to regret your recommitting to my story, so let's continue onward. Hopefully more faces will pop back in soon.

Eh, hope is overrated. I'd much rather rely on PM's.

IC:
The group isn't left waiting for an overly extensive length of time. As distance bells toll midnight of the next day, a creaking doorframe is heard opening up behind the counter, and Noval moves to where he shall be the first seen by the one now approaching them. Slowly emerging from a dark corridor behind a hidden door comes a pudgy human with brown hair and features that place him in his mid-forties. His clothing is fairly simple: a white collared shirt, a brown vest, and blue jeans.

Spotting Noval, he proceeds to exit the hidden passage . . . and then he spots the others gathered in the area. "Ya coulda told me that you were bringing guests, Noval. I only made tea for two."

The leader of the RER leans forward, resting one arm on the counter as Damera - or rather, Gorodo - does the same. "There have been a few . . . new developments . . . Gorodo, and as a result, all those gathered here could be in grave danger. Just give us a good setup where they can all hear you." Gorodo nods absentmindedly, looking amongst the group and muttering numbers. Finishing his tally of the eight uninvited guests, Noval adds one more thing: "And as you well know, I hate tea." His voice is a growl, though the statement seems like it would be one made in jest.

Gorodo nods again, and moves to the right side of the counter, where a latch clicks and a small gateway opens up through which they can enter the back part of the shop, and hustles everyone through. As Alpha passes by, he calmly says, "Hello, Damera." Gorodo doesn't even flinch or anything - he's used his false name, meaning the Sheikah isn't wanting any undue attention. "Hey Alpha, it's been a little while. Uh . . . surprise, surprise, I suppose." The Sheikah nods and moves past him, into the secret passage. "Turn right!" the Human calls after them.

Noval looks back at the member of the group still standing in the door to the antique store. Pointing to her, he calmly asks, "Could you turn that little sign on the door to display 'Closed' for us?" Indeed, on the doorway is a small, white sign that currently says the shop is 'Open'; it wouldn't do for someone to walk inside after them.

Within the secret passage lies a single hallway, with one branch to the right a few feet from the entrance. Straight ahead lies the room Gorodo was obviously preparing; it's a small room with two seats, a table, and two cup of liquid, probably the tea he'd mentioned. To the right - the indicated direction - lies a spiral staircase to a higher floor of the building.

OOC: I was asked to return, and so i have, but i dare not read every single post from this point back, so bear with me please.

As Dogura was taking this all in, one word kept re-occuring in the Vagabond's mind. "Wraith." He seemed bent on the man's demise. Perhaps Wraith had done something to defile the Shadowclaw name? Had he said something that sank deep within Dogura's soul? One thing was for certain. Dogura had a one track mind at a point like this. As he stared up the spiraling staircase, he pondered what could be at the top. He didnt mind the risk. In fact, he didnt seem to mind anything at all. He was rarely speaking, and for some odd reason, he seemed arrogant of his comrades. Something was wrong with the samurai. Very wrong.