Following Tak's lead, Alpha joins his fellow Shardholders as they make their way towards these strange stone tablets. "Believe me, I know full well that they are opposites. I am unable to utilize the Earth Shard to its full potential because of it; that Gaia-whatever - what was it, Hiro? - is an ability I simply wasn't able to perform." He shrugs. "Earth was just the Shard I managed to pick up."

Entering the altar-like room, Alpha's gaze is immediately turned downward by the crimson liquid and the steam it gives off. He's never seen red water before, and the concept draws his attention there, even after Hiro warns them not to touch it. Hot, huh? Well, whatever, Alpha decides as he follows the Incineran prince forward to where the tablets lie.

Suddenly a loud noise is heard from behind, and the realization that the area is no longer safe dawns upon them. Quickly turning to the tablets, Alpha glances over them once and commits every detail to his long term memory; if they're forced out of the room before the deciphering is completed, he can attempt it later from memory. Again he thanks Master Zaris mentally for working to bring him up to an almost 100% memory retention rate. That thought completed, he forgets about memorizing it and focuses on trying to read it.

Alpha can speak Ancient Hylian as well? Why on Earth would he have needed to pick up an ability like that? The thought that perhaps the tablets could predate even the language of the ancients had come to mind for a moment, as never were tablets really present in the old legends. Blank, however, could think of nothing to predate Ancient Hylian. As far as he knew, the oldest records of life in Hyrule was in the same dialect. The nomad was here to save a civilization, not uncover an ancient one.

Inside this room, Blank was stunned, literally. The bright red light almost burned his sensitive eyes after walking through the impressive castle, and this room seemed quite the contrast to the rest of the architecture. Why the light was necessary was beyond his understanding, but he decided to think less of that. Ahead of him were two ancient stone tablets, each framed and mounted on the wall like family portraits, despite being foreign pieces of rock. The banner of the Incineran royal family caught his eye, and reminded him that he was standing here with the king of the country. This alone was prestigious enough.

The Hylian walked towards the tablets with an interested expression on his face; he had never been tasked with translating anything before, and the leap from absolutely nothing to historic Hyrulean tablets was a large one indeed. He glanced over the inscriptions and nodded his head solemnly; this was definitely written in Ancient Hylian. He moved to feel the lettering and get a sense for how old these tablets really were, but decided against it. Despite being a piece of his kingdom, they were in the possession of Incinera now, and he doubted anyone in the country would want his priceless tablets trifled with by the gritty hands of a nomad.

Suddenly, he heard Tak yell out. He wondered what all of the commotion was, but decided that it was best to do as the Thunder shardholder had suggested, and be punctual about deciphering the old dialect. Blank saw that Alpha was focusing hard at reading the tablets, and he too stared at them, trying his best to recall just how to read the message properly.

OOC: Clarification: Hiro is king now, Remix died, remember? And Hiro yelled, not Tak.

IC:
The castle rumbles more. The occasional bit of dirt falls from the ceiling, and, soon, so will the bricks. "Hurry! We gotta get goin' soon!" Tak yells. "I'll fight off the ones that get in while you translate these!" Tak bounds out of the room with small jolts of electricity zipping between his fingers. Hiro draws his sword, readying for anything Tak may let slip through.

"Take your time; we should be able to handle this. We don't want anything mistranslated, do we?" Hiro throws Alpha and Blank each an empty scroll from his pouch. "Here, write whatever it says on here. You can translate it later in Hyrule!" After that, he realizes that you have nothing with which to write. "Cast the spell 'Thatus Rezzan Nil' and read the tablet. The words should appear on paper." With that, another time the castle shakes. A brick from the ceiling falls, almost hitting the altar. Zaps of thunder can be heard echoing through the halls. Tak must have his hands full.

"No, we certainly do not," replied Blank with a joking tone after Hiro's comment. He immediately begins to look at the tablet and focuses on remembering the ancient dialect - it wasn't everyday that he got to practise the old talent. With all the pressure, recollecting the knowledge was not particularly easy. Hiro told the Hylian and Sheikah to take their time, but that would be foolish. Even if Tak and the Incineran king could hold off the intruders, Blank knew that even an extra minute could sacrifice their safety.

Finally, the lettering struck a tone with him, and he remembered quite well the language of the ancients. Blank doubted he'd need to use the Shadow Shard to cast the spell, so he spoke the words aloud and began to read from the tablet. "Thatus Rezzan Nil!" he exclaimed, and then chuckled. "Odd sounding spell, don't you think?" He then realized that his ridiculous observation was probably appearing on the paper as an effect of the spell. "Right, well... It says -"

The Hylian recited the tablet's inscription to the best of his ability, and handed the scroll to Hiro. "Right, Alpha, read yours and let's get out of here!"

As Blank finishes reading his tablet, the castle shakes again. It is at this point that Nogare and Kasei have succeeded in killing Carnax.

Damn... There's nothing I can do! I must stay here and guard them but I know Tak can't stop them! If only I had the Fire Shard...

Inside his head, Hiro hears another voice.
OOC: Oh no! He's insane! XD

You may not have the Fire Shard, but you have the Infinite Family Crest...

What!? Who are you!?

It is I, Maorin Carnax, former head of the Red Crusaders.

Former? And why are you in my head?

Haha, so many questions... I died fighting Carnax, but I have always had a bond with that dragon. He is my family's namesake. He gave power to my father through the Fire Shard. And he kept you alive. So, upon my death and his, I became one with him. Without a host, my life energy would not last long, so with godspeed, I entered the rift and merged with your Crest. As long as you hold it, I am with you, and so is Carnax.

So... That means...!

Yes, you have Fire once more. But be careful! This Crest will not sustain much power!

After what happened last time, I don't think I'll be using much power... At least until I have a new Shard!

Indeed. Now go help Tak! They will be fine!

Alright. I'm glad you are with me, Maorin.

Hiro readies his sword, and it bursts into flame! A white light travels down its length, making it into the Blaze Blade once again! With a renewed fire in his eyes, Hiro storms out of the door, but not before attempting an explanation: "It's hard to explain, but I have my fire powers again. I'm going to help Tak. I'll be back soon!"

Alpha rolls his eyes as he takes the scroll from Blank. 'I could've just memorized them . . . whatever.' The Sheikah reads over the text once more in his head, just to make sure that his pronunciation won't be off because of a sudden lack of understanding the dialect. Deciding that he has the correct way to say the words down pat, he begins reciting the spell. "Tha-"

He stops suddenly as Hiro's sword bursts into flames. 'How did he -' He hears the Incineran's words as he storms out of the doorway to go help Tak, and Alpha shakes the surprise out of his mind. This is no time for hesitation. Returning his gaze to the tablet, he calls out the spell in its entirety. "Thatus Rezzan Nil!" Then he quickly reads over the tablet, watching the spell do its work.

Once finished, he motions to the doorway, staff suddenly appearing in hand. "Come on, Blank, let's go get those two!" he says as he moves towards the exit so they can return to the Incinerans and give them a hand in whatever trouble they've gotten into this time . . .

Hiro runs through the long, dark hallway.

Maorin... Do you think I could pull off the Shining Supernova yet?

I doubt it. Your Blaze Blade transformation took at least a quarter of the Crest's capacity. Make sure you slow down and think before you use it. Remember that you don't have to use Fire to win a battle.

I see... I suppose this is all my fault then. Any idea where someone who can make me a new shard is?

The Incineran Shamans used to live in town but I can't be sure if they survived. You should ask Tak after this is over.

Right. Time for a battle.

Hiro reaches the end of the corridor and enters the massivse golden door, sword drawn and fireball in hand.

"Hiro! Yer suposta be guardin' Alpha and Blank! And where'd ya get your Fire Power?" Tak yells while frying yet another dragon with white lightning.

"Don't worry! Blank finished and should be able to handle anything with his Shadow Shard. The fire is a long story!" Hiro throws his flaming sphere at a dragon trying to enter the room. It screams a piercing howl and drops to the cold stone floor. With its dying breath, it unleashes another of those beams at Hiro. Hiro rolls to the left in an attempt to dodge. The beam barely makes contact with Hiro's shoulder.

"Augh! That pain... could it be... a burn!?"

Haha, seems like you've never known the pain of a burn...

Nope, the Fire Shard always protected me...

Another black beast enters the room. "No end to em, eh, Hiro?"

"There's no way... We'd need a Supernova..."

You know you can't do that, Hiro! Why bring this up now?

"Of course! Tak, lay your Shard on my Crest!"

"What? Why?" Tak says, but he does it anyway.

Maorin... Try to focus Carnax's energy into the Thunder Shard. We'll use it just like the Fire Shard.

Right, great idea. Now you're thinking.

Maorin focuses the Flame into the Thunder Shard. Its normal yellow glow is replaced with a fierce orange one. "Tak! Unleash your best attack at the same time as me. I'll focus the energy and you give it thunder!"

"Right! Here it goes..."

Shining Supernova
Raging Thunderwave

Hiro focuses the energy into one giant beam of electricity and fire, aimed directly at Nerrogath. "Now! Release it!"

Eternal Spark

The Shard glares with light and whistles an extremely high note. It vibrates with intense ferocity. Just when it seems that the Shard may break and release its dragon, the attack is launched. A ray of white flames with blue thunder dancing about it is forced from the Shard. After speeding through the air, it makes contact with Nerrogath. An entire side explodes and is discharged from the rest of the structure. Nerrogath is weakened severely.

Hiro drops to the ground, panting after such a burst of energy. He looks down at his Crest and notes that nothing is wrong with it. Tak leans against a wall and tries to regain normal function.

OOC: Sorry for the delay, folks. Onward!

Hiro appeared to be deep in thought, and Blank was puzzled by the lack of verbal expression. Had he known that the spiritual essence of Maorin were speaking to the King inside his head at that very moment, the nomad would likely be even more confounded. He had only met the leader of the Red Crusaders once, only shortly after his arrival in Hyrule, which was roughly a year before he first stepped into Incinera.

The Hylian forced his eyes shut as the royalty's sword exploded with a new fiery rage, having not expected something so sudden. He slowly raised his eyelids and wiped the sweat that was appearing on his face off with his hand - the heat from Hiro's Blaze Blade was hot. Blank shook his head and smiled, glad that the power of fire had been restored to the King, although without reason. Hiro had already run off before Blank could even force an explanation out of him.

Turning to Alpha, he grinned. "Right, they do seem to have their hands full. Let's show them how Hyruleans do it." He dashed for the door and was soon close behind Hiro, coming outside just as the Incinerans were casting the Eternal Spark. Blank's eyes filled with the light emitted by the colossal magical force, and he began to sweat again for the brief shining second in which he flung himself back into the castle, trying not to collide with Alpha, who was likely following closely behind.

When the Spark subsided, Blank wandered back outside and patted Hiro on the back. "Well, done, Infinite. Now, would you care to explain just how you got your fire power back?" A large smile rested on his face as he leaned against the wall next to Tak with his arms crossed. "Also, two more questions: Where to next, and when do we eat?" he inquired with a ravenous tone.

"Two excellent questions. To answer your second, I don't know. As for the former, it's a long story. You may know that I enlisted help in Hyrule to combat Carnax. Well, Carnax has been defeated, but in doing so, Maorin's body was destroyed. With his final breath, he merged with Carnax and entered my Crest. He's been talking to me, helping me, and giving me Carnax's power. Of course, the Crest wasn't designed for that much Magic, so I have to be careful."

"Yeah, the only way we could pull off that attack was with my Shard. I don't think it's supposed to take that much power anyway..." Tak leans back against the wall. "Ye gods, that took a lot out of me." Hiro walks toward Tak and casts the Life spell on him.

"That should help you a little bit, but I'm not too good at it, so you'll have to manage." Hiro returns his scroll to the small pouch fastened to his leg. "Now about that food... I promised you guys an Incineran feast, but we'd have to go outside of Incinera City for that... I guess it's whatever the survivors have cooking. I'll have to give them the OK to take their fill of the food stores, too." Hiro puts Tak's arm around his shoulder and carries him toward the dungeon.

"I'll be fine. You don't have to carry me!"

Stubborn one, this Tak. He'll get hurt if you don't help him.

I know. Remember, I've known Tak for a long time. I can tell when he's just trying to act tough.

"Come on, guys. Let's get some food!"

And damage control...

How bad do you think it is?

Pretty bad. I don't think Incinera was ready for such an attack. But we must stay on task. I have another reason to act fast...

What would that be?

Hiree... She is dying.

Well, don't worry. She'll be fine.

I hope so.

Allowing Blank to lead the way out to where Hiro and Tak are doing battle, Alpha suddenly feels an incredible power gathering. 'A massive lightning attack . . . and something more . . .' Rather than try to figure out what that second thing, which he will soon learn was Hiro's fire, is, he immediately ducks behind the closest wall, intent on gaining what protection he can if this attack is coming from the enemy forces. Something tells him that it is being used by Tak and Hiro, but the Sheikah chooses to be safe rather than sorry, diving down to one knee next to the wall. He shuffles to the side as he notes Blank faltering back into the room, probably blinded by the massive light pouring in from the outside.

When the light subsides at last, Alpha rises to follow Blank outside. He chuckles to himself at the Nomad's desire for sustenance - wait, don't Nomads have an ability for finding that stuff? - wondering why Blank hadn't eaten his fill before coming. That was what Alpha had been doing; best to keep up one's strength in every way possible before going to some unknown area of the world. As Hiro explains, Alpha can just shake his head in bewilderment. He personally doesn't entirely understand what's going on with Maorin and Carnax and all that other stuff . . . quite strange. The Sheikah just accepts that the Incineran now has his fire power back, and moves on.

As the group begins to move to wherever the survivors might be hiding out, Alpha walks up to where Hiro supports Tak. "Need a hand there? Remember, Hiro, I'm much more practiced in the art of healing," he reminds his ally mildly, though inwardly he's more than willing to pick up Tak and throw him over his shoulder if it gets them moving faster. For one able to move across the world in an instant - well, several instants at most - with the Void, this is downright turtle-paced.

"Ah, right, that would be appreciated. Here." Hiro stops and shifts Tak so Alpha can get a grip on him. As he is doing this, Tak speaks.

"Hiro... How'd ya pull off that attack? I tried and I'm extremely tired."

"I've been using the Fire Shard a lot recently. I've learned to channel its energy well, and as a result, I don't tire as easily from it. I won't lie; I'm tired too."

"Uh-huh. I don't see yer Shard. Ya used yer Crest...?"

"It's a long story, and I'm hungry." With that, Hiro continues walking, carrying Tak with Alpha's help, to the dungeon. There, he is awestruck by the thousands of refugees. He immediately looks around, and decides to run toward the source of the gentle, wafting scent of food. Feeling a pull, he realizes he is still holding Tak.

Oh yeah, Tak... Dammit, I'm hungry!

I know- er, knew- how you feel...

"Come on, you three. Hungry Hylian here!" whined Blank, placing an abstract smirk on his face as he did so. Of course, the injured Incineran was the first priority. But even a Bokoblin could foresee the dire consequences of letting a grunt go famished. "Fine. We'll eat later. But if the food in Incinera isn't up to par... a certain shardholder is going to be dining in Nerrogath tonight." Blank slowed his pace and gestured a thumb towards Alpha with a playful wink.

Blank came to a full stop when the quartet reached the dungeon of the great castle. The halt was not made out of shock for the masses of refugees, rather out of recognition of a familiar scent. "What's that? he asked, practically drooling the innocent question from his under-exercised mouth. "Let's go that way, Hiro. If Tak's tired, all he needs is a bite to eat and some of Alpha's healing magic."

OOC: Sorry, guys. Not much to say, but I know I'm due for a post.

OOC: . By the way, Tak isn't Incineran. He's from Regal, the thunder country.
IC:
Hiro's hunger gets the best of him. He drops his side of Tak, leaving Alpha with him. He quickly moves toward the smell of food. Moments later, he is standing in awe of the feast laid before him. Breads, meats, Incineran fruits, cheese, and even wine cover the long table. It is almost as if a party were being held in the castle dungeon, yet surrounding the group are hundreds of refugees. A lady, instantly recognized by Hiro as the castle cook, speaks.

"Please, eat your fill. We have plenty to go arou- Hiro!? You are back?"

"Indeed I am. I would be happy to explain, but we have little time. My sister is dying and we need to find the Shamans... after we eat, of course."

"Alright, help yourself. I hope Hiree is okay..."

Finally, a real meal. I haven't eaten like the king I am in a long time. Time for chow, not thought.

No comment.

Then why did you say anything? Truth be told, Maorin, I'm not so fond of the idea of you being in my head. It's my sole retreat. My impenetrable stronghold.

I understand. When you get a new Shard, I shall ascend to the heavens. That is where I belong.

Thank you.

Hiro loads a plate with food. He sits down and quickly empties it. He fills the same plate again, ingesting the nourishment. This continues for a while.

Alpha quickly shifts his weight to fully support Tak as Hiro rushes off to go fill his belly. He shakes his head for a few moments, then looks around for a place to sit Tak down so he too can get a bit of food for himself. Spotting a few seats next to where Hiro is currently gorging himself, the Sheikah nods his head in that direction to indicate to the Thunder Shard's keeper his intended destination, then takes Tak over there and helps him take a seat near the Incineran prin - er, king.

Nodding to Tak once, he quickly makes his way over to where the food is being served, grabbing a few pieces of bread and meat before swiftly forming a multi-layered sandwich and taking a nice-sized bite out of it. The meat seems to be of a different flavor than the kinds found in Hyrule, but seems to come close to matching the taste of some quality pork he once had a few years back. Regardless, it's fairly good, so he grabs some more and begins testing around with the different meats and cheeses to see which combination is best . . .

Engorged on the delicacies that had been laid before him, Hiro gets up and leans against a wall. He begins to watch the refugees' actions.

Strange... no one seems to be talking to anyone else... There isn't any life in these people. What has Nerrogath done to them?

Hiro shifts into a more relaxing posture and waits for Alpha and Blank to finish.

That food was so good... I hope I still fit into my armor, hehe.