Yukie hazards only a single glance at Flit. Even though his technique has stopped the roots, he knows for certain that it is only temporary. A magic like the one of that tome, combined with the already intense energies of this Sacred Grove, cannot be defeated by a mere physical attack, no matter how powerful such a strike is.

'Could I track him?' He nods quickly. "I certainly could, provided that we don't waste too much more time! -" Then his attention is redirected to the incoming plant life. His swords slice apart anything that comes within three feet of his form, but it certainly won't be that way for long - no, not very long at all. As his annoyance at the plants grows, his blades move even faster, projecting shockwaves that slice apart the roots even as they rise out of the ground.

In a series of more focused slashes, Yukie aims waves of piercing wind at his companion. "As soon as you get free, get moving!" he yells, even as he himself begins moving steadily forward, never stopping the movement of his blades.

~After the other deku's assistance, Flit was almost free. He cut through the last of the roots with his daggers, and started sprinting towards the exit to the grove. Or where he thought the exit was. As he ran, the roots tore throught the ground, thrashing behind him. He knew only to well what would happen if he tripped now, and was careful of where he stepped.

As the deku ran, he looked behind him to see if Yukie was okay, but couldn't see through the forest of roots. Then he got an idea, leaping into the air, and getting a running start up a tree. He soon managed to climb out of the direct range of the roots, but they just extended. While Flit climbed, fighting off the roots, he surveyed the situation. Where was Yukie?~

With a flurry of steel going before him, Yukie scurries away from the source of the vine threat as quickly as he can, every now and then having to spin around to hack away at some of the plantlife approaching him from behind. "Dang it," he mutters to himself. "Why da heck did he have ta use roots? It hurts me on da inside to have ta hurt my own kind." Plantlife does not like having to kill off plantlife, or at least it shouldn't, in Yukie's mind.

As he finally reaches the exit of the Sacred Grove area, he spots Flit scaling up a tree as quick as a monkey. 'A good idea,' the elderly Deku thinks. 'When ya gotta get away from those here roots, headin' upward ain't a bad plan at all!' Hastily he leaps upward onto one of the lowest tree branches he can spot, then begins jumping all over the place as he attempts to reach the top level of the treetops.

Looking behind him, he spots Flit once again, who apparently hasn't been able to spot him yet. "Flit! Hurry up there! We gotta get outta here!" Then the roots fall upon him, and his swordsmanship is put to the test once again.

~The deku whirled around the branch, almost losing his balance, and falling to what would surely be his doom. He caught himself however, and began to climb up to Yukie, occasionally slashing out behind him.

The roots just kept growing and growing, and were soon at the same height as the two deku. Flit decided to use a different stradegy. He tried out a technique of his own devising. He started to build up air in his mouth, as if he were going to fire a deku nut, but didn't create a nut. The deku had not only a affinity with nature, like all deku, but a connection to wind.

He forced the air out of his mouth, aiming at the lower part of the nearest root. The blast of air cut through the weak root. The root would have to begin the climb up to his position all over again. He used the time he bought to reach a higher branch, directly under Yukie. He was surprised that the root had already caught up to him, this time accompanied by many other branches, and lashed out with his dagger, slicing into the plant.

As he fought, he observed out loud. "It seems strange. The same power that the deku tree so often utilizes to protect the forest, the power of nature, is now being used against us. What perverseness could bring something like this into happening..."~

"That certainly is an ironic thing, now that I think about it," Yukie replies, concurring with Flit's observation. Nature has turned against the two beings of nature, threatening to destroy them on the behest of a creature of shadow. But how could that Sheikah have done such a deceitful act, tricking the life of the wilderness into believing that the Deku were enemies. Before, it may have been possible to coerce the wildlife into thinking that the Deku were harmless, but at this point Yukie and Flit have destroyed so many roots that the elder doubts that that is possible.

Whacking away as three roots charging towards him, the Deku leaps backwards to proceed further away from the Sacred Grove where the magic was originating. They have to get away from these enchanted roots - as well as the intense magical aura of that area - before Yukie can attempt to use his Nature Sense again and track the Sheikah with the book. The elder glances down to where his younger companion stands, hoping that the lad can hold out for long enough. That wind burst seems impressive, and it does the trick for now, but will Flit be able to persist long enough for them to escape.

'I certainly hope so,' Yukie thinks as he takes a swing at another brigade of roots, 'er else this'll get quite a lot tougher fer me . . .'

~Flit decided that it was time to stop defending, and make a move. He prepared another wind blast, sending it at the base of the nearest root, and then spun towards the exit to the grove. He planted his feet, crouched, and sprung, flying through the air, and tearing through the forest of hostile roots.

After his flight, he was torn up quite a bit, but now he was comitted. He had no choice but the keep on going. He broke into a mad sprint. This was a bit risky, but he didn't care, it would be worth it if they escaped with their lives.

The deku didn't have anytime to stop and look back at the other deku. He was confident in his abilities, and if he got held up, Flit would go back to help him. The roots continued their attacks, more furious than before, and even the agile deku found it hard to keep ahead of them.~

Yukie glances up as another blast of wind flies past him to slice through another bunch of enchanted roots. That kind of maneuver is still somewhat impressive; the elder even allows the thought of perhaps getting Flit to teach it to him to enter his mind, something that he shouldn't be doing at the moment. In the midst of battle, there should be no such distractions as this.

A swing of his sap-stained swords is enough to bring his brain back to the focal point of the battle. Flit has charged forward in a swift movement to escape the area, and Yukie is just as swift in turning to follow.

But it isn't that easy, for that lone moment of casual thought has left him open. From out of nowhere three vines fly forth and snag his two arms and the right leg. "Good grief," he mutters to himself. With a hurried flick of his wrist, he manages to carve through two of them, but with every second that passes several more vines lock on to the Deku and grip him firmly. "Well, this ain't lookin too good." He settles back, and allows his mind to calm. He's been hoping to hold back this kind of power until necessary.

In an instant, he pushes outward with his mind. A burst of telepathic energy rips through the wildlife, literally disintegrating the roots in the space of a sphere of ten yards. As the vines' remains fall to the ground, Yukie leaps forward, hurling himself to meet Flit in midair so that can finally get out of here. Hopefully he won't be needing to utilize any more of his power before this adventure is over; if such an event occurs, they'll be in deeper trouble than the Deku wants to even consider.

~Flit was hit by waves of energy. They didn't hurt him, but flowed over his mind. At the time, he was running, and fell to the ground, unable to move for a moment. As soon as he regained feeling, he mentally prepared himself for the onslaught of roots. None came. Slowly, and unsteadly he rose to his feet, and looked over at Yukie. He had no idea about what just happened. All he knew was that he fell, and the roots dissapeared. They weren't regenerating either.

He still went into a crouch though, paranoid. Before it had seemed they had defeated the roots, but they had come back. This time however, even after waiting no attack came. Slowly he relaxed, and smiled at Yukie. "Looks like we're safe for now. Lets get out of these woods." The deku walked off towards the entrance of the grove.~

---

~In the meantime, the sheikah was far removed from the deku forest. He had sped through the trees, to the northwest, and was just passing through the crossroads, and into the desert. He smiled to himself as he felt the wait of the book in his arms. His mission had been a success. He had obtained the artifact, and escaped the two deku. He knew that they would come after him, but was confident that he had covered his tracks well. He had no idea of the extent of Yukie's power though. It seemed that he was just a skilled swordsman, but there was obviously something special about him. He didn't let it bother him. He knew what the deku looked like, and assumed he'd be able to find intelligence once he reached the base.~

Yukie's eyes slowly flicker back to where he's been running from as surprise hits him. He'd seen the roots chasing Flit evaporate against his mental attack, but had been prepared for their return. But now, as he looks around them again, he realizes that nothing is happening. 'Did I really do that?' he thinks to himself perplexedly. With a shrug, he decides that it doesn't really matter, as long as they're gone.

Walking beside the younger Deku, Yukie glances around, searching for any sign of the Sheikah's chosen path. They'll have to move a bit further away before his Nature Sense can once again be activated without endangering himself, but it still won't hurt to attempt to find which way he went. That way, when they do finally get away from the intensity of the magical energy of the Sacred Grove, they'll already be heading in the right direction and won't have to spend a long time searching.

Besides, there's no telling how long it will take for the signs of the Sheikah's passage to fade away from the forest . . .

~Flit found himself looking around as well. Everything seemed exactly like before. No change had come over the grove. He decided that the sheikah must have gone through the entrance, unless there was another entrance to the grove. He knew that was a very probable possibility, and started to move more quickly towards the entrance. The faster they could find the entrance the better. Who knew what the sheikahs planned to do with the book. If they could raise evil roots out of the ground, what else could they accomplish.

Then, a glow caught his eye. He stopped in his tracks, and looked over to his right. A faint blue light was bobbing up and down, before it dissapeared deeper into the forest. Flit pointed this out to the other deku. He had suspicions as to what the light was, but wasn't sure if it was the magic of the book working against them.

"It might be a trace of the sheikahs path, but from here its hard to tell. Do you think we should follow it?"~

Yukie's eyes dart this way and that as he struggles to locate some sort of trail the Sheikah may have possibly left behind - though, in the back of his mind, he realizes that if this one is anything like other Sheikah, there's no way he'll have left a trail. The Shadow Folk are rarely ones to leave signs of their presence . . . but still, he must search for a way to trace that man. There's no telling what else that book he had stolen could do - what it's already done is impressive as it is - and Yukie will undoubtedly blame himself if worse comes to worse and that tome is used for evil purposes. Which it probably will, if the first spell used was any indication.

His eyes flash to where Flit is looking the moment the younger Deku begins to speak, and he manages to catch a brief flicker of blue from that direction. 'A fairy?' he thinks to himself. 'It's possible, I guess - but, we gotta be careful now. No tellin what it could be.' His thoughts run parallel to his companion's: as much as he wants to trust it, there is a chance that the book's magic has been invoked once again.

But it's a chance they've got to take. "I reckon that right there's the best course a action, Flit. I ain't seein anything else that we could use; best take what we've got." He lays hands on his two Deku Swords, and only making sure they can be swiftly drawn should he need them does he move in the direction of the light. "But let's be careful anyways."

~Flit nodded at the older deku. Caution would be their best asset in such a situation. Who knew what the blue light indicated, but it seemed likely that it would explain the fairies disapearance before. It would actually be very helpful if the fairy showed up, then they could send a message to the deku tree, and plan a better course of action. Mabye the sentitent tree could make more sense of this mess.

The deku started to move forward. He kept to the edge of the trees, staying in the shadows of the towering trunks. His hands were on the hilts of his daggers, ready for action. However, as he moved forward, the light didn't move, but continued to bob. The source of it got closer and closer until it was only obscured by a tightly knit group of trees. Flit looked at Yukie for a moment, and nodded. There was no sense in waiting. The only options the deku had were to find out what was causing the light or head back.

Flit made his desicion, and stepped to the side of the trees, through the thick branches and foilage. On the otherside was a small clearing. The deku was taken aback by what he saw standing in the middle. It was not as he suspected the fairy, but the gaurdian they had just fought moments before. He stood, unarmored, carrying a small lantern. Within the lantern was a blue flame. It seemed eerie to the deku, but not poe-like. It was unique. Flit whipped out both of his daggers, and settled into a defensive stance. The skullkid didn't make any immediate responce to the hostile displayed, but simply warped...

And appeared right behind Flit. He chuckled at the deku's responce, but made no offensive action, but just teleported once again as Flit spun around. The gaurdian reappeared at the opposite edge of the forest, and gestured with its empty hand before walking into the foilage and out of sight. All that was left of the skullkid was the blue glow of the lantern. Flit looked over at Yukie, a surprised look on his face. He was relieved that they wouldn't have to fight again, but had no idea what to do.

"I...I think he means for us to follow. Do you think it would be wise."

He looked back at the slowly fading blue light, and cautiously started to move towards the edge of the clearing where the skullkid had gone through.~

Yukie wanders towards the blue light, following Flit with a few feet placed between them. If something happens - someone attacks the leading Deku, the light turns into an explosion, anything really - the elder has everything in his range of sight and can react quickly, theoretically without any danger to himself. He stays close enough to Flit, though, that those quick reactions can include grabbing and dragging him out of the way of whatever should happen. Flit, though, seems prepared enough that that may not be necessary; it's always nice to find someone who actually does respect his elders.

Returning his companion's nod, Yukie follows at the same distance as Flit makes his way into the next clearing . . . instantly tensing as he senses Flit doing the same. He moves to the side, getting a better look at the light, which the younger Deku had been blocking visually. His swords are instantly drawn and ready to go as his eyes fall upon the Skull Kid that they had battled just minutes before . . . and now he's got a lantern on him. 'That ain't good . . . he's got da weakness of us Deku ready ta go . . .' If it's a fight he wants, then it's a fight he'll get . . . though Yukie isn't exactly looking forward to it.

But fortunately it seems he doesn't want a fight, instead warping around playfully and motioning for them to follow. "Wise?" Yukie replies to Flit's query. "I ain't sure it's wise . . . but he was the guardian a that there book. If there's anyone who knows what it is we've stumbled across, it's gonna be him. Might as well see if he's willin ta tell us."

Yukie also moves to follow the Skull Kid . . . keeping both blades drawn and ready.

~Flit pushed the branches aside, but the skullkid was still out of sight. The only sign of the gaurdian was the lantern. The deku made his way through the forest following the bobbing blue light. He still wasn't quite sure about the situation. For all he knew the gaurdian could be leading them away from the sheikah's trail. He found this highly unlikely. Like Yukie said, he was gaurding the book, and would probably do anything to get it. Flit wasn't sure that the skullkid wouldn't just turn on them and start another battle. After a fight with the sheikah, this was the last thing the deku wanted.

He knew he had little choice at the time, and continued to follow their mysterious guide. Flit kept his daggers drawn. He was going to be prepared if this turned out to be a trap.

After a while of walking, he looked up and saw a familiar sight. A daunting grey stone wall rose up above the trees. It looked like they were nearing their destination. Flit passed one more tree, and saw the base of the wall, and the gaurdian next to it. Another tunnel lead to the otherside, and the skullkid stood at the side of the entrance, gesturing at it with his lantern.

The deku made a quick look at Yukie before continuing into the tunnel. Unlike before, there was not a light at the other end, but it lead deeper and deeper into the earth. After only a couple of paces, he heard the footsteps of the skullkid entering behind him, accompianied by the swell of lantern light. Flit looked back, and found that the reflecting blue light made him look more than a little scary. He didn't show it on his face though, and continued to walk.

It only took him a few more steps for Flit to reach a dead end. A grey door stopped them. It was a different gray than that of the wall, and had a more earthen look to it. On the slab was an engraved sign: a pick-axe crossed by a cutlass. It didn't seem like the type of design typical goron miners would use, but a much more ominous one. Flit gave another curious look at Yukie before his attention was stolen by the skullkid.

The gaurdian walked forward, and waved the lantern in front of the door. With a loud rumbling, it slowly sunk into the ground. For a moment, Flit stood in place, confused. The opened tunnel revealed a swiftly sloping stair, plunging down into the darkness. The air that rose from the depths was foul. This was no ordinary underground tunnel.

Flit merely nodded at Yukie. He was tired of just waiting around, letting caution slow them. He wanted to get moving, and staring there gaping at the tunnel mouth would get nothing accomplished. He took the iniative, and began the descent down the stairs. He expected to hear the gaurdian follow, but he hadn't move from the entrance to the stair. It seemed like this was as far as he would go.

With his source of light gone, Flit looked at Yukie once again. Now things seemed more uncertain.~

OOC: Alrighty then. This will be the beginning of a roleplaying "dungeon". No stats are anything, just good old fashion Rping. (does Yukie even have stats, or do golden deku not need no math?) I guess thats not much different from whats happened so far, except things will get more complicated.

Proceeding behind Flit, Yukie attempts to keep the lantern's blaze in sight as he runs. Not the most difficult thing to do in such a dark environment, but still, the Skull Kid seems to warp in such a way that he always stays just barely within sight - and Yukie's sight is rather keen. All the while, he keeps his hands on his blades, and is pleased to see Flit doing the same. They cannot afford to be careless around this guardian.

But soon it stays put, and Yukie realizes that the Skull Kid has come to a sudden stop near a stone wall, motioning for them to enter a tunnel in its side. Yukie waits for Flit to enter and follows a fair distance behind, keeping one eye on the guardian at all times. The other part of his vision focuses forward, to the dead end that they are approaching. Then the Skull Kid does something with his lantern, and the wall opens up before them.

A definite change comes over Flit; he charges forward without caution now. Yukie shrugs and walks calmly after him, allowing one glance to the guardian as he stays behind. Well, hopefully he won't be causing them any trouble, though for now he does appear to be on their side.

For now, Yukie will simply wait and continue to proceed cautiously. Slowly but surely, he follows the younger Deku as he leads the way down into darkness.

OOC: Whoa, you do know that the Golden Deku is a Deku named Ukedra, right? Yukie's just a friend of his. Of course, that doesn't mean he can't be really, really powerful too.

And yeah, I have stats for Yukie. But I guess we don't need those here. Looking forward to this one!