Before Netta could choke out anymore words, chaos broke out in the room. Everything happened so fast, and when the real doctor appeared, the samurai knew the jig was up. He could feel the anticipation rising in his comrades, and it wouldn't be long before one of them did something rash. The rough treatment of Netta angered the samurai, but he kept his head cool. She had to have known exactly what she was getting into when she decided to start hanging around these kinds of people. Seth on the other hand wasn't about to have any of that.

“I don’t know who you two think you are, but you’re not leaving here alive!” Rodson snarled, drawing a heavy two-handed sword that was more intimidating than useful in the crowded room.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you..." Dogura announced, standing up and shedding his cloak. His armor shined in the dim lighting, and his hand was placed on his sword which hung at his waist. His eyes held a sharp ferocity, and his tone was drop-dead serious. The way the room was heating up, drop-dead serious was about to become literal. Not heeding Dogura's warning, the man leapt into action. Seth was the first to attack, and managed to get a quick slash in before retreating out of the man's range. Arrika also attempted an attack, but the man seemed more aware of his surroundings than before. He attempted to strike back, but she was also quick enough to escape.

"Fine. Have it your way." Dogura stated plainly as he backed up into a shadow, disappearing from sight entirely. Suddenly he reappeared out of the ceiling behind his enemy. He extended both of his hands towards the man, and rose them upward as if commanding a chorus to heighten their pitch. Shadowy tentacles erupted out of the floor all around Rodson, each of them rising upward. Then, Dogura swung his arms inward, closing both of his hands tightly with his fists. This caused the shadow manipulation to close inward, and it was evident that he was aiming to crush the life out of his enemy with the deadly and controversial arcane art of shadow magic.

[Elemental Burst L2 - Shadow]

OOC: I just bought that for him recently.
I'm gonna be having a lot of fun with it too XD
I'm assuming Rodson is human, but you didn't state. If he's Hylian instead, hurrah for attacking his weakness!

OoC: Oops, yeah, he's human.

IC:

Rodson's eyes nearly burst out of his skull as the shadows rose up from the floor and attacked. There was a reason that no mages were allowed in his gang- they made him uneasy, especially the ones who could control dark magic. Dogura’s spell surrounded him like a giant’s palm that squeezed his life away, but his thick armor allowed him to resist most of the damage. [Rodson -12 HP]

There was something about the exaggerated show of bravado that made Arrika wonder from the beginning if he wasn’t more than a bit afraid of the dark. Dogura confirmed her theory, and she was more than glad that he had agreed to come along.

She wasn’t a sadistic person, but she also wasn’t one to give up an advantage.

[Elemental Burst]

She raised her palms and was pleased to see the shadows rising from the floor and swamping the rooms, saturating the walls. Rodson tried to back away, but a shadowy tentacle lashed out, knocking him to the floor. [Rodson -7 HP]

“Help me, you idiots!” Rodson roared, sweat breaking out on his forehead and the insides of his palms. He swung his sword wildly at the little bastard who had just slapped him across the face, the one he was sure wore a smirk under the hideous mask.

[Overwrought]

His first attack missed, and Arrika expected him to huff and back away, as he had the first time. Instead, he swung again in an upwards arc, catching her right under her chin before she could dodge.

[Arrika -7 HP]

Seth also had no qualms about taking advantage of a situation and raised his knife to stab Rodson right between his shoulder blades. Rodson, having once been a thief and gotten familiar with that tactic, spun around and knocked the knife right out of the boy’s hands.

[Seth MISS]

“Joe! Frank! Get your sorry asses up here right now and help me!” Rodson snarled.

A sniveling man with bleary eyes who was blowing his nose in a handkerchief and tattooed man missing 3 fingers on his left hand grudgingly stood, drawing their weapons.

Joe L8, Human
STR-5; DEF-4; AGI-9; INT-3; SPI-2; SPL-12; HP-45
Weapon: Deku Dagger
DMG: 5

Frank L9, Human
STR-8; DEF-5; AGI-7; INT-4; SPI-3; SPL-10; HP-50
Weapon: Deku 1H Sword
DMG: 5

Rodson: 36/50 HP
Arrika: 34/41 HP
Seth: 31/31 HP
Dogura: 83/83 HP

Dogura smirked as the shadows closed on the man. He really wasn't anything special. Just a big guy with a big sword- Dogura's favorite opponent. With a clear indication of the man's skill, now all he need to know was if he was at all confident in himself. There was always the chance that he was hiding his ultimate ability, or perhaps saving his ace in the hole for last.

“Help me, you idiots!”

Well that about answered the samurai's questions. He slowly melded out of a shadow in front of the man, and unsheathed his sword. He locked eyes with the man- an intimidating gaze that always set the vagabond's opponents on fire with uncertainty and fear. "What's the problem, Rodson... Afraid of a little darkness?" He laughed as he shot forward with a speed yet unseen from Dogura so far during this little journey. At the peak of his momentum, he laughed once more before swing his sword in a lightning fast horizontal arc. This could be a little tougher with more pests... But the end result will still be the same. They're not skilled enough for Arrika and I alone. I don't know much about Seth, but if Arrika would waster he time with him, he must be strong in his on right. He laughed on the inside as well. They must not know who they're dealing with. Dogura, Darkness of the Sea, and Ocean Cutthroat Arrika, two of the 13 Ocean Terrors spoken of by those on Everbreeze and the people the stories had been spread to here in Hyrule. He snickered as he followed through with the motion, to cut the man clean in half.

OOC: Yeah, after Gossip Isle you all get pirate nicknames. Hope you like yours.

OoC: Very cute.
Sorry it took me a while to reply.

IC:

Rodson tried to deflect Dogura’s attack with his blade but was too slow, too chilled by the samurai’s snickering taunt. Dogura’s weapon hit him straight on, piercing through the gang boss’ armor and leaving him with a gruesome wound.

[Rodson -16 HP]

He swung wildly, cleaving a table in two, but was unable to give Dogura even a scratch.

[Rodson MISS]

Joe was a thief, and a sorry one at that, and Arrika almost pitied him for the way he fumbled with his dirty handkerchief.

“Sorry ‘bout this,” Joe mumbled as he attacked the Sheikah girl, coughing as he went. She sidestepped him easily, and for a moment wondered if hurting him would be the morally wrong thing to do.

[Joe MISS]

She sighed. It was best not to think about these things for too long. Fortunately for her, he sneezed at the exact moment she lunged with her rapier, and the split second with which he closed his eyes left him with a deep gouge in his stomach.

[Joe -6 HP]

Frank swung his blade experimentally as he advanced on Seth. The little wraith stood motionless, like an empty shadow.

Behind his mask, Seth was biting his lip, praying to the Goddesses for some vision, to See for just a split second. He didn’t actually need help with these buffoons, but he was so used to knowing how a battle would end that the lack of psychic hints made him feel blind.

Frank moved faster than he expected, too quickly for Seth to draw his next knife to parry.

[Seth -5 HP]

Embarrassment spurred Seth to lash back ruthlessly a second later, and another of Frank’s digits dropped to the floor with a soft thud.

[Frank -5 HP]

“YOU LITTLE BASTARD!” Frank screeched, clutching at his left hand, where only 2 fingers remained.

Seth ducked as a chair went sailing over his head, then a table. He wasn’t afraid of Frank, only of his previously unknown dependence upon his Sight. His felt crippled, weak, and most of all, gullible.

Rodson: 20/50 HP
Joe: 39/45 HP
Frank: 45/50 HP
Arrika: 34/41 HP
Seth: 26/31 HP
Dogura: 83/83 HP

Dogura laughed a hardy laugh as the man swung his blade like a complete novice. The samurai simply jumped high over the blade avoiding its arc entirely. Before he fell back to the floor, he quickly gathered the the energy for an elemental burst that would surely finish off Rodson if it struck. All of the magic he was gathering meant one thing- lightning. The nature element was the hardest for Dogura to manipulate. Through weeks of training, he could fire off just about any element at will, except for nature. Nature was tricky, and he wanted more practice with it. What better time than now?

Lightning began to charge through his sword, and he smiled at the successful spell. This had been the quickest he'd ever been able to charge the energy. His sword began glowing a bright blue which illuminated every dark corner in the room. At the apex of his jump, he swung his blade downward, a bolt of lightning traveling towards Rodson. "This will be your end!" He cried out above the roar of the electric activity, as the brilliant jolt of electricity raced towards its target. He watched closely for any sudden movement. While it was nearly impossible to escape lightning (as it struck within a fraction of a second), he'd seen it done before. What he didn't expect to see, was that kind of skill out of an oaf like Rodson.

In this moment, time slowed like it normally did for Dogura. He could never explain it, but when it came to a critical moment in battle, it was as if space and time froze around him. His eye scanned the room for his allies. It seemed they were faring well. A minor spike in Seth's mental patterns indicated that he'd been struck. It looked to be quite a minor wound however, as the boy continued to move freely. He turned his eye to Arrika, who was doing just as well for herself as Dogura. He was happy to see that everything was turning in their favor. He brought his gaze to the greedy doctor who was rubbing his mitts at the obvious monetary value of the aftermath. So long as the medical man didn't interfere, the samurai didn't care what happened after the fight.

It was the here.
And it was the now.
And right now, Rodson had a lethal attack to dodge.

All of this, as time returned to its normal pace.

OOC: Good, good. If you'd like something else, be sure to PM me. I'll be asking everyone to PM me with theirs towards the end of the event.

Dogura was right- Rodson stood no chance at dodging lightning.

The gang boss fell to the ground with a cold thud, the entire room looking on with hushed disbelief at such power.

[Rodson DEAD]

Joe, upon seeing his employer defeated, raised his hands and backed away from Arrika. "Look, man. I didn't want to fight you. I only stuck around with that guy because- ACHOO! I couldn't afford the tonic for my- sniff- cold."

Arrika tensed, but saw that the unimpressive thief wasn't lying. She nodded at him and took a step away as well.

"I've got tonic!" the doctor exclaimed, his face lighting up. "If you'd kindly step this way, kind sir...! Quick, it's in my bag!" he said giddily to his apprentice.

Frank, on the other hand, was not about to surrender, and he waved his bleeding, mutilated hand at Seth. "GET BACK HERE SO I CAN K-!"

Arrika leaped off a table, raising her palm, sapphire flames cascading down upon the mercenary.

[Frank -14 HP]

Seth attacked next, his blade a silver flash in the dim light.

[Frank -5 HP]

Frank howled as the flames scorched his skin and Seth's blade ruthlessly slashed out his eyes. He ran through the circle of fire that surrounded him like a blind ram, blood streaming down his face. He hacked at nothing, for he had bypassed Seth completely.

[Frank MISS]

Netta, meanwhile, had approached Rodson's body, resting his head in her lap as if they were lovers. She stroked his face once before a dark expression crossed her face and she began to rummage furiously in his pockets, the clink of money audible in the air.

Frank: 31/50 HP
Arrika: 34/41 HP
Seth: 26/31 HP
Dogura: 83/83 HP

The man wouldn't have been able to move in the blink of an eye- it just wasn't possible with such a heavy weapon, even if we was fast. With more voltage running through him than wet rod in a lightning storm, he fell to the ground. Dogura landed lightly in the center of the room, and glared at Joe who after seeing his boss disposed of, didn't want anything to do with the fight.

"He must be the smartest of them all." The samurai remarked comically, forgetting his fake accent altogether at this point.

He turned to face Frank now, who wasn't about to give up. He'd fought many a man just like Frank. Unwilling to give up, even knowing that he was outmatched, and in this case outnumbered as well. Dogura glanced at his mechanical arm, and watched it carefully. He was using a little more magic than he should be- he remembered that his arm didn't handle a lot of magic in one sitting too well. It caused it to twitch and spasm, and he was seeing a little bit of that right now- it'd be best to handle this one with simply a sharpened blade. Dogura watched as flames rained down in his opponent, and even Seth managed to get his tiny knife through the man's skin.

Dogura took off around side the man. While he was severely underestimating the man, he still wanted to play it safely. While Frank was distracted with Arrika and Seth, he attacked the man's blind side, aiming to ram his blade straight through the man's mid section. While it wouldn't kill him immediately, there'd be little to no chance of surviving after sustaining a wound like that. Many thoughts went through Dogura's head in the seconds in between where he was, and impact with Frank. I might not be a strong as I used to be... But I can still handle guys like these no problem...

Dogura Shadowclaw
HP: 83/83 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
SPL: 15/27 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
WILL: 9/9 IIIIIIIII

IC:

Dogura hit his target dead on. Strangely enough, Frank seemed to not have noticed the damage he had been dealt, and continued to chase after Seth, although he could not see.

[Frank -16 HP]

Arrika's left hand clenched and twitched involuntarily; she seized her left wrist with her right, trying to contain the power of the silver wolf's ring. It seemed to have a mind of its own- it wanted to be set free, to burn and destroy. Unlike on the Gossip Isle trip, however, such an inferno wasn't unwelcome. So she let go.

A wolf made of sapphire flames erupted from the energy concentrated in her palm, bounding all over the room and scorching everything it touched. It leaped towards Frank, fangs sinking into his right arm and tearing the limb off with a sickening sound.

[Frank -14 HP]

Frank, miraculously enough, survived that attack, and was still hell bent on finding Seth, who mockingly shadowed him and trod on his heels.

The little thief soon tired of the game and pounced on the man, his blade sinking deep into his chest. With a merciless twist, Frank's heart was shredded, and the man lay in a growing pool of blood.

[Frank DEAD]

The few rogues in the room that remained took in a rather gruesome sight: Two wraiths, one with a blue demon of fire for a familiar; the second rising from the remains of a man torn to ribbons; and a samurai that stood unscathed, who had felled their gang boss with a strike of lightning and a blade just as fast.

They had never really taken a liking to Frank, and the ones with half a brain had despised the incompetency of their late boss. They broke into hesitant cheers and a smattering of applause.

The fat man who had disappeared to the bathroom emerged now and looked upon the scene with a bewildered expression. "...Rodson's dead?"

"A bit slow on the uptake, aren't ya, Chow?" Lince said, as Martin had promptly abandoned her once the fighting began.

The appropriately named Chow shook his head. "It's just, he owed me money."

The cheers died down.

"Yeah, me too."

"Aye, I lent him 500 rupees to buy the barstools!"

"Yeah!"

"That's right! He promised me he'd pay me back this week!"

"Wait... but he's dead."

"That's what Chow said."

And so the vagabonds slowly realized that their pockets were now uncomfortably empty... except for Netta's.

"Get her!" someone shouted, and Netta rose in alarm, Rodson's corpse falling to the ground unceremoniously.

The slender woman clutched at her veil as she fled from the room through one of three passages.

Seth immediately darted after her. Arrika beckoned to Dogura to follow them as she chased after Seth, and the blue wolf dissipated like a candle gone out.

"Wait!" Seth called after Netta, and he glimpsed her pale face beneath the veil as she glanced back at him fearfully.

The woman, having a delicate disposition, coughed and staggered over to a certain part of a wall. She had reached a lever, which she strained and lowered, and an iron grate plunged down from the ceiling. Seth narrowly avoided being cut down by the spike-ended grate, and when he turned, he saw that Arrika and Dogura were trapped on the other side.

"It's fine, we can just Shadowmeld-" Arrika began, but a blinding red light swamped the room, saturating into every side, including the grate. "Shit! I can't get through," she hissed as she was repelled by a violent red spark.

Chow appeared, flanked by two vagabonds on each side, identical quadruplets. Lince tagged along behind. "Kobas. I heard you were dead."

Arrika turned around sharply, for a moment thinking that the deceased rogue was behind her.

Chow laughed, rumbling and low. "Very cute. If you really want to know, it was the ring that gave it away..."

With a sickening feeling, she realized that in summoning the wolf, her left glove had been scorched to tatters that hung limply off her wrist.

"Taking a vacation wasn't the best decision. You see, things are a little different around here now. Not under your thumb like they used to be..."

"Wait, that's Kobas?" Lince shrieked happily. "Ew, what's with the creepy mask?"

"Exactly my thoughts, Lince." Chow calmly raised his palm and flicked his fingers, causing the mask to split in half and fall to the ground.

Arrika slapped a hand over her face, but it was too late.

“…why, if it isn’t the little girl,” Chow said, genuinely surprised. “Did Kobas send you?”

“Kobas is dead,” Arrika spat.

“I take it you killed him? Frankly, my dear, I never thought you had the guts. You’ve done us all quite a big favor, though…” he trailed off, chuckling. He suddenly cleared his throat. “I’m not here for small talk, love. What have you done with Netta?”

Arrika reached into her pockets and scattered blue rupees upon the ground. “Leave her alone. You said Rodson owed you money- there it is. Keep the change, and lift the barrier.”

Chow picked up one of the sparkling gems, allowing Lince and the 4 other men to gather up the rest. “Oh no, my dear. My business is with Netta herself. The girl has a gift- if it weren’t for her help, an idiot like Rodson would never have gotten control of this sector.” He snapped his finger at the four rogues. “Get rid of these two.”

“Why don’t you just lift the barrier and go after her yourself?”

The large man chuckled again. “Oh, I will. But I’ve got other things planned first. You see, my dear, Kobas and Rhyss crossed me one too many times.”

Arrika laughed hollowly. Chow seemed to be after some form of belated revenge. She had no more time to think, however, as one of the thieves lunged forward with a dagger.

Thieves 1-4, L9, Human
HP: 35; STR: 4; DEF:4; AGI: 6; INT:3; SPI:3
Weapon: Chow’s Knives
DMG: 7

Arrika dodged the young man easily enough.

“No, no, take care of the other one,” Chow shouted. “I’ll take care of her.”

The other three thieves attacked Dogura like mechanical dolls, their faces eerily devoid of expression. Only the first thief managed to land a hit, however.

[Dogura -7 HP]

Chow, L8, Human, Scholar
HP: 45; SPL: 30; STR: 6; DEF: 8; AGI: 4; INT: 5; SPI: 3
Weapon: Chow’s Staff
DMG: 8

Chow advanced at Arrika with a small, pitying smile. “I apologize, my dear.”

Another bolt of red light shot from his palm, striking Arrika and causing her to fall to her knees, static encircling her body.

[Arrika -16 HP]

The wolf burst from her palm without her attempting to control it, and it dashed towards Chow with a howl that sent shivers down her spine.

[Chow -14 HP]

Arrika: 25/41 HP, 24/29 SPL
Dogura: 76/83 HP, 27/27 SPL
Chow: 31/45 HP, 24/30 SPL
Thief 1: 35/35 HP
Thief 2: 35/35 HP
Thief 3: 35/35 HP
Thief 4: 35/35 HP

His sword ripped through the man's rib-cage, and the samurai knew he was finished. He ripped his blade back out before cleaning it off, and tucking it away in its sheath. When he looked up however, he was greeted with a completely unexpected sight. Frank was still moving. It wasn't that his movement was a surprise, but rather the fact that he was still attacking. Either way, he was bleeding heavily, and only skilled magical clerics could keep him alive after an attack like that. Arrika and Seth quickly shut him down before he was able to do much more though, so the point was moot. The samurai exhaled, and turned to face the crowd.

"Anyone else want to piss me off today?" He asked, his face stone cold. Suddenly, something unexpected happened... again. Today was full of unexpected twists it seemed, and this one was no less shocking than the last.

Cheers.

They were apparently as sick of looking at Rodson as he was before he reduced the boss to ash. Dogura fixed his hood, making sure that it covered his features. He still didn't want anyone getting a good look at him. Even in the underground, people loyal to Ganon might notice him- that would be the worst thing that could happen to him, especially so far from home. If he attempted to escape to the Town Square streets for assistance from the guards, the guards would notice him and try to take him into custody.

On the run from both Heaven and Hell. It was a lonely position to be in, and while he was doing a savvy job of escaping both, he still wished he could just relax like he used to. He couldn't remember the last time he slept peacefully, but right now it was time to focus- because apparently the people were pissed off again. Idiots... The whole lot of them. Dogura thought to himself for possibly the third or fourth time today. He was running just fast enough to keep up with Arrika, and no faster. He wouldn't want to leave the girl behind- Seth was quite a ways ahead- but the further forward the better. He turned his head to look back, and the crowd wasn't too far behind. Suddenly, a gate came crashing down in front of both Dogura and Arrika. The samurai turned around to face the mob, itching to threaten deadly force on them. Then, a bright light all around them. The room turned red- and Dogura suddenly realized the importance of the lighting. The two were being prevented from Shadow-melding.

Dogura could have still escaped. Throughout his elemental training with Darkin, he realized that by utilizing shadow-magic, he could actually create shadows to escape through. With the loss of his power, he had come to realize that he'd have to use his mind a lot more, and fight more skillfully and strategically than ever before. This failsafe was a product of that kind of focus- but once again, he couldn't leave Arrika behind. He'd come to value her as a friend- something not everyone could call themselves in regards to Dogura. So after a sigh, he drew his sword and prepared for another battle. "You're all really starting to annoy me..." He muttered, his expression turning angry. Suddenly, the fight started- but he was almost sure that 'Chow' and Arrika were friends. Whatever the case, there was a classic betrayal here, and questions would have to wait until later.

Before he could react, it all started, with not two but three attacking Dogura. He was surrounded on all sides, each of them leaping in to tear into him with their knives. It wasn't long before Dogura remembered he couldn't Shadowmeld. "Shit!" He uttered, before he kicked one of them, blocked the other with his sword, and swerved around to parry the third. He wasn't fast enough however, and the knife cut him in the side. It wasn't a serious wound at all, in fact it might not even require outside medical attention after the fight. Still, he'd let his guard down, and he was paying for it. He glared at his assailant, and launched at him head on, sword drawn and teeth bared. "Play a game of blades with me, and you're gonna get cut." He snarled, swinging his sword swiftly at [Thief #1]

The first thief did not let a single sound escape his lips as Dogura’s blade made contact with his skin.

[Thief #1 -16 HP]

He rebounded off the walls, landing behind the other three thieves. They all attacked again without missing a beat. Dogura managed to throw off the first and the last, but the second and third attacks found their mark.

[Dogura -14 HP]

Chow raised his staff high above him, bringing it down to crash into the semi-paralyzed Arrika’s skull. The thief found the will to barrel out of the way at the last second, bits of rubble and dust flying through the air as Chow crushed the stone floor instead.

[Chow MISS]

She staggered to her feet as the wolf of azure fire pounced upon the large man, and for a moment she was afraid of its wildness… afraid that even after this was over, it would turn on her and leave her with more scars.

[Chow -14 HP]

***

“I said wait, dammit!” Seth growled as Netta continued to flee from him. She was visibly tiring, though, and he put his last ounce of energy into catching up to her, getting close enough to grab her arm.

She squeaked like a crushed mouse, but she was just as weak as one, and in seconds he had knocked her to the ground and pinned her down.

“You could have killed me back there,” he snapped, breathing heavily. “But that’s not the point. There was a man, a murderer from Castle Town, who passed through your territory. Who is he? Where did he go?” There were far away from Arrika, Dogura, Chow, and the quadruplet thieves. In the back of his mind he almost felt guilty- he should have stayed behind to help, found some way to lift the barrier. But then Netta would have gotten away, leaving them at another dead end.

She continued to struggle, but the friction between them did nothing to his body, even as he straddled her. “Sh-shall I t-tell your fortune…?” she stammered.

“NO!” Seth said with frustration. “I know my fortune! I know how much money I’ll find on the man I’ll pickpocket in Rauru next week, who’s going to break Arrika’s heart next, the new sick thing that Rhyss will do to me tomorrow night, the day I’m going to die. What I want to know is the name of the goddamn murderer you talked to an hour ago!” He made a fist and slammed it into the ground two inches away from her face.

Netta gave up resisting and looked up at Seth with something akin to disbelief and… relief? “You can See?” she asked, bewildered.

“Not anymore,” he replied, quieter. “…you can too, can’t you?”

“I haven’t been able to all day,” she admitted. “Well, I could for a little while, when you were farther across the room. But right now…”

“It’s dark.”

“Quiet.”

“Foggy.”

“…peaceful. Scary, and very different. But peaceful,” Seth realized hoarsely.

Arrika: 25/41 HP, 19/29 SPL
Dogura: 62/83 HP, 27/27 SPL
Chow: 17/45 HP, 24/30 SPL
Thief 1: 19/35 HP
Thief 2: 35/35 HP
Thief 3: 35/35 HP
Thief 4: 35/35 HP

He cut deep into the thief, and in mid-air kicked off of the man, propelling himself out of harm's way. But when he landed, three more were already waiting for him. Dammit all... They're all after me aren't they?! There's too many! He thought quickly as he prepared to land. He twisted his body before he landed to kick one of them away, but the other two were already upon him before he could do anything else. Their knives hit his armor hard, both of them making it partway through. He cringed at the pain, and extended both his hands launching elemental bursts of water from both of them to knock the opponents away. What he needed was time to think- and without the ability to Shadowmeld, he didn't have the time required.

He turned around in time to see the one he'd cut through earlier already on his way back. He jumped backwards, and already having the coursing nature of water running through his arms, it was the quickest thing he could think to do. He crashed both of his wrists together, palms forward, and shot an extremely high-pressure jet of water at the already weakened thief. If it managed to hit the man, it would surely tear him apart. The best thing I can do right now is divide and conquer. The less pests I have to deal with, the better my chances. The water was at such a high pressure, it was nearly pushing him backward with force. He turned his eye to Arrika, who also had her hands full. Then I can help her out- that fat guy seems to be a good match for her as far as their ability is concerned. He looked back to his target, hoping the thief hadn't had the time to dodge. This would be a critical turning point in the battle- if he hit, he would certainly be okay. If he missed, and all four of them attacked at once again... He shrugged off the thought. This had to hit.

[Will = 5]

OOC: I think there might have been a rule against using your Will for spells, but I don't remember. If it isn't allowed in this topic, then just pretend I didn't "Will" it.

The rush of water was so forceful that it snapped the first thief's neck. The other three thieves continued on as if their brother hadn't just fallen.

[Thief #1 DEAD]

Luckily for Dogura, all three thieves' attacks missed.

Chow moved relatively fast for someone of his side, but the lithe Arrika easily dodged his next blow.

[Chow MISS]

The wolf snapped at Chow, advancing on him fearlessly as if he were merely a rabbit.

Chow glared at the firey demon with narrow eyes. "I'll have you know that demon belongs to me, love. Now me a good little girl and hand me that ring before you hurt somebody," he said.

"Come and get it," Arrika said, holding up her left hand, fingers spread wide. Part of her wanted him to, wanted to see if there was a way to get the damn thing off, and separate herself from Kobas' for good. But she had a gut feeling that it would never unclamp its jaws from her finger until she had breathed her last.

She made a fist, as if squeezing the life out of Chow, and the wolf leaped. It hovered directly over Chow, then dissipated, fire raining down and forming a ring that towered and blazed around the man, engulfing him completely.

[Chow -14 HP]

Chow howled in fury and beat his way out with his staff. Savage burns scalded his face and hands. He raised one finger and pointed it directly at the Sheikah. "You will regret this, girl. Mark my words."

***

Seth let go of Netta's arms and slowly slid off her. She coughed and sat up shakily, wiping the dirt off her gossamer robes.

"...he did talk to me, yes. The murderer," she said quietly, and for the first time that night, her eyes were focused and her train of thought orderly. "He was like you... looking for someone."

They continued down the pitch-black path. Netta gripped Seth's hands tightly, often stumbling and muttering incoherent phrases to herself in the dark.

Seth suddenly let out a harsh bark of laughter.

"What's so funny?" Netta asked, her voice high and soft.

"I was just thinking... we're blind... and Blind." The thought made him giddy. At least, when he was in the dark in the past, he could count on the visions that assailed him every moment to lead the way. Right now, he felt more vulnerable than he ever had in his life.

Netta, somehow, seemed to know where she was taking him. She pulled him down one winding passage after another, choosing at a fork in the tunnel as if at random.

Paranoia crossed his mind. What if she was still loyal to Rodson's buffoons, or to Chow, and was leading him straight into a trap?

She suddenly stopped, let go of Seth's hand, and moved forward into the inky void. There was a click, the same sound the lever had made, and the sky opened up above them.

The moon shone down through a grate, creating a lattice-work of shadows across his hands and face. She sat in the center, the light from the moon illuminating the delicate lavender color of her robes, making her appear to be a very large, dusky moth.

"What's going on?" Seth asked, surprised to find his voice hoarse.

"I'm sorry. He asked me to be vague, you see. So you wouldn't guess."

"Netta, what are you talking about?"

"You're not very old, like he said. The mask confused me. There were two of you earlier, I wasn't sure if you were the right one or not..." she continued on in soft, almost apologetic tones.

Seth took off the mask and tossed it to the ground, its horrid visage staring up at him. "Look. There's my secret, on the floor. Tell me yours. What are you talking about?"

"I don't even know, honestly..." she said, frowning slightly. "I only did it because he said Rodson would die if I helped. That's all I wanted. Rodson... dead."

"Netta..." Seth backed up, drawing his blade and glancing at his surroundings frantically. Something was wrong...

A lone figure leaped down, momentarily blocking out the gentle light.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

The man removed his hood, revealing unruly green hair.

Arrika: 25/41 HP, 14/29 SPL
Dogura: 62/83 HP, 27/27 SPL
Chow: 17/45 HP, 24/30 SPL
Thief 1: DEAD
Thief 2: 35/35 HP
Thief 3: 35/35 HP
Thief 4: 35/35 HP

The force of the water caught the unfortunate opponent right in the face, and bent his neck backwards with a sickening sound. Dogura brought a halt to the jet stream, and not a moment too soon. The three thieves were already barreling towards him again. He was rather enjoying the fast pace of the battle- the last time he found himself fighting off multiple opponents at once was in hell. It was nice to do that here, with little to no consequence. Death never crossed his mind- these kinds of opponents couldn't stop him. No, it would take something far stronger- possibly supernatural even.

Still, he snickered as the three leapt at him. He quickly drew his sword, blocking the first knife to reach him. He side stepped, and led the knife astray, sending the man past him. The samurai dodged the next blade, and with a round-house kick repelled the assailant. As quickly as he could, he whirled around and caught the blade between his middle finger and his index finger. There was little force behind the blade- not enough to cut him down. He took the opportunity to dazzle them with a flashy display of his skill. No hurt in striking fear into your opponents. Fear can often cause one to make poor decisions out of panic- Dogura lived to inspire this panic in his opponents.

"A vertical downward chop... A mistake!" He commented, thrust the blade to the side, and thrusting his own sword straight for the opponent's gut. "A mistake that could cost you your life!!" He cried, putting more force than normal behind the blade. When it came to slicing, speed was all the was necessary- the blade did most of the work. When stabbing, one has to exhaust one's strength more than normal to be sure that the steel gets all the way through. What would come afterward was the sickening sound of the blade being ripped back out of the body. Some swords were even designed to disembowel the opponent upon the return trip.

Arrika. Do you need assistance? Or are you having as much fun as I am?

Dogura Shadowclaw
HP: 62/83 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
SPL: 21/27 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
WILL: 4/9 IIIIIIIII

OOC: I like your topic! The battles are loads of fun. I rarely get to RP Dogura being such a BAMF because there's always lots of people around to help out... Glory stealers =P
In any case, I'm having fun, keep it up!

OoC: Thanks I was worried it was too easy.

IC:

The second thief's intestines and Din knows what else were torn from his body. He paused for a moment, holding the bloody rope-like organ in his hands as if someone had handed him something as ordinary as a book. He mechanically did his best to shove his intestines back into their proper place.

[Thief #2 -16 HP]

Meanwhile, his two brothers attacked, and by sheer luck the fourth thief managed to rake his blade across Dogura's face.

[Thief #3 MISS]

[Dogura -7 HP]

The second thief, the one who had gotten destroyed from the inside by Dogura's sword, fearlessly (and seemingly painlessly) leaped upon the samurai's back. He brought his knife to Dogura's neck, intending to slit him open and end it cleanly, but the formidable Sheikah had no trouble throwing him off.

[Thief #2 MISS]

Arrika felt Dogura's mind brush hers, and was surprised at how skilled of a telepath he was- the message had gotten through in its entirety, despite the mental barriers she had erected.

You call that fun? Watch this.

The wolf mercilessly leaped upon Chow's back, clamping its jaws upon his head and twisting. There was a flash of red light, and the wolf was thrown against the wall with a crack, its form flashing inconsistently. It had done a considerable amount of damage regardless, as rivulets of blood ran down the back of Chow's mangled skull.

[Chow -14 HP]

Chow staggered, his breath harsh and ragged. He leaned on his staff like an old man, hate burning in his eyes.

"You're no mage, girl. You can't pull this off for much longer."

"I don't need to," Arrika replied. She raised her ring-laden left hand and snapped her fingers.

Blue sparks flew and explosions rocked the tunnel. Chow fell to the ground, his left side a ruined, bloody mess. The second thief's exposed intestines ruptured in his own hands, and the remaining two men staggered to the ground. For the first time, expressions of pain appeared on their faces.

[Thieves #2, 3, and 4 -5 HP]

The sudden explosions were thankfully not enough to send the tunnel crumbling around them, and the wolf had expanded itself into a sapphire blaze to shield the two Sheikahs.

"The stuff I threw on the ground earlier weren't rupees," Arrika explained when the dust cleared. "It was highly sensitive, flammable material a mage I know created a few weeks ago," she said, referring to Rhyss. "Thought it would come in handy, especially now that I've got this thing around," she added, nodding at the blue wolf.

She stepped over Chow's body, a blue flame flickering in her left palm.

***

The world seemed to freeze and gray around them.

Seth couldn't feel his hands, which he was dimly aware were hanging limply by his sides. His breath caught in his throat but he didn't struggle to breathe.

"Are you some kind of sorceress, Netta?" he managed to ask. "You get some sick fun out of this?"

For the man before him was his spitting image, if not aged by 20 years or so. He had green, unkempt hair, and a scruffy beard to match. His figure was slender, though more matured and stockier... but what held Seth's attention were his eyes. A brilliant shade of gold, and tired, very tired.

A neverending tiredness that Seth was already, at 16, very familiar with.

"I'm no illusion," he said, his voice lower, rough, gravelly. He held out a hand mottled with scars to Seth, but the boy glared at it distrustfully.

"Who are you?' Seth asked, although he felt, with a pit of despair in his stomach, that he already knew.

"Thomas Crowley. Seth..." The man reached out again, this time to stroke Seth's hair.

Seth hissed and smacked his hand away. "How do you know my name?"

Thomas sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily with his thumb and his third finger, and Seth saw that it was the same way he often did. "Almost 20 years ago, I met a woman from a tribe in the Tantari called Navarr..."

Seth suddenly cackled. "Netta, you goddamn witch. How long have you been digging around in my mind?" He tried to step around Thomas, but the man blocked his way.

Netta had wrapped her robes around herself tightly and hid behind her veil, her deck of tarot cards spread out upon the floor.

"The Tower... disaster ahead... Three of Spades... Questions to be answered..."

"Netta. Who is he? Am I even awake? Or did Frank knock me out somehow and you've-"

"-Seth, stop. I'm real, kid. I'm right here, and I'm real." Thomas stroked the side of his face, making him flinch. A pained expression crossed the man's face, but he bit it back down with resolve. "This woman from Navarr, Elisabeth... I loved her, you see. I Saw a peaceful future together, and I was young and rash and lonely and I leaped upon the first chance of companionship. What I did not see, however, was her hate for magic. Her distrust of the invisible, the telepathic, the unexplainable ways I would know how she would die, how her mother would die, how her neighbor would commit suicide, and why. It was too late by the time I realized that we could never be together for long. I had fathered a daughter, once just as blessed with Sight as I."

Sela, Seth's sister and the eldest of all his siblings, had left Hyrule for the Twili World a few years ago. He had begged her to come back; she was the only member of his family who hadn't cast him aside as a freak and a threat. He had even begged her to let him stay.

"I still loved Elisabeth, and I came back several years later. When she left the man she was with the instant she saw me, I took it as fate, as the Goddesses telling me that love will always have obstacles to overcome. My hopes, once again, were proven wrong."

"And you had a son," Seth replied harshly. His hands were shaking and curled into fists, his body tensed and everything numb, numb, numb. He willed Thomas to stop, for someone to strike him mute, or even dead. He knew what Thomas was trying to say, what he was confessing. And he didn't want to hear a word of it.

"Yes. Seth, I-"

"-look, this is great and all, but I'm trying to find someone right now. A murderer. He killed my mother's husband and I've got to track him down and this is just a waste of-"

"-Seth! Stop, just wait and hear what I have to say. You're Seth Crowley, do you understand?"

Seth pushed past him roughly and tugged on Netta's arm. "Let's go-"

Thomas grabbed his shoulder and held him in a vice-like grip. "Seth Crowley-"

"-let go, you bastard, or I swear I'll kill you. I've got to find the murderer and if you keep on getting in my way I'll-"

"Listen to me! You've got nowhere to run, nothing to look for. I am the murderer."

Arrika: 25/41 HP, 9/29 SPL
Dogura: 55/83 HP, 27/27 SPL
Chow: DEAD
Thief 2: 14/35 HP
Thief 3: 30/35 HP
Thief 4: 30/35 HP

The samurai ripped his blade out of the man, and raised his sword to block the incoming thief. But there was something happening to the samurai that he still wasn't entirely used to- fatigue. When Shadowclaw had inhabited his body, he never ran out of energy during combat. But it was clear to see that with one working arm, one working eye, and a limited amount of energy, Dogura was wearing down a bit. The first battle was easy, but still took some amount of energy- then they ran all the way here, and immediately started a second battle. After fighting off four thieves for a while, and now having to make even quicker more coordinated motions, he was getting tired.

He managed to block the first knife, but couldn't stop the second, and it cut across his face very close to his working eye. Perhaps a little too close to be a coincidence. If they managed to take his other eye... His life as a samurai would be over. He'd never worried about it before, but now the threat was very real. He winced in pain, and jumped back a bit. He needed to put a little bit of distance between himself and enemy. He wiped the blood from his face, and watched the two carefully. Suddenly, he heard movement behind him- the third thief, bowels on the floor, was still after him. With anger in his eye, he simply thrust his blade up to catch the thief- surely after the damage he'd already sustained, it would end his pathetic life.

OOC: OooOOooOOO nice twist. Gotta say, I didn't see that coming.