Blank looked around the dark cavern, reassessing the hopelessness of the battle. How he wished Alpha or Tayro, or some other mage, had been there in place of Pyralin. Not that Pyre was a bad fighter, far from it. Blank just wished that a scholar would jump in and use Elemental Explosion, thus eleminating each and every Stalchild all at once. There was no such luck, it seemed. Actually, forget replacing Pyre. Maybe I should have just stayed home!

“Thanks a lot, Dogura!” he shouted to his friend across the room. “Why couldn't Alpha be one of the chosen ones!” Blank was referring, of course, to Alpha's experience in the magical technique of Elemental Explosion. The nomad glanced at the Stallord one last time, and prepared to attack the virtual army of smaller skeletons. Leaping, swinging, and parrying, the nomad fought like a brave and cursed like one, too. He reminded himself as he brought down each successive swing that he dearly hoped Dogura would not lead his allies into any more Stalcaves - as he had named this place - any time in the near future.

“Stop defending him, you idiots!” he yelled at the Stalchildren as he slashed madly at the creatures. “He's probably not even all that nice a father, anyway!” Blank wouldn't know the paternal value of one's father figure, even despite Dogura's deep connection to his own father, Rendd. Sure, he felt badly for ridiculing the defending children, after all, they were only protecting their father from a sure death... A second one, anyway. Nonetheless, he'd had enough of this cave, and so he battered on, trying to get close to the colossal beast at the center while taking out as many of the smaller ones as possible.

Pyralin[10 Sided Dice Roll= 6]
Blank[10 Sided Dice Roll= 10]
Much to everyone's surprise, the fire spell was more than enough to kill the Stalchildren! It was as if they weren't even defending! The stalchildren were dropping like flies to the man's accidental spell! 6 of them were burned right to a crisp. Dogura smirked. They must have just now died, and became stalchildren. Its a known fact that the longer it has been dead, that harder it's bones become. This shouldn't be too hard... Dogura heard Blank shout from across the room, and chuckled. "Alpha would certainly be a help! But you were chosen for a reason! Although we don't know what that reason is yet, you have a specific purpose!" Blank's flurry off attacks proved to be most successful! Killing off the remaining 10 Stalchildren, Blank had rid them of the remaining nuicance.

The Stallord stared at the bones beneath it, and silence filled the room... When all seemed silent, a defening roar filled the room! Even the Stallord's child, which stodd in its original place, gripping it's skull. The large bone mass slammed the sand around it, creating a large tremor that delt 10 damage to everything nearby! There must have been a miscalculation in the mind of the beast, because it had forgotten that it's child was still closest to it. The stalchild was flung a few feat across the room from the quake, and it let out a yelp. Just like before, the Stallord exposed it's weak spot, bending over to pick up it's young. Dogura noticed it right away. Standing up, and regaining his balance, he pointed forward with his sword. "Now's our chance! We must hurry!!" The samurai charged in, drawing his second blade, and burrowing deep into the monster's soft core.

Stallord: 36 HP
Dogura: 24 HP
Blank: 26 HP
Pyralin: 21 HP

OOC: This is almost over! Blank's Dual Wileld combined with Pyralin's attack deals 30 whole damage! If you both attack, he'll be left with 6 Health! Onward to victory!

Blank shuddered as the final Stalchild was completely mutilated, its bones flying in every direction as he virtually hammered it out of existence with his sword. A few stray bones - severed enough times that they were really only minuscule fragments - clung to his clothing, giving him that authentic grave-robber look: sweaty, tattered and covered in the infrastructure of a dead body. He quickly struck the nuisances from his jerkin,and set his sights on the now clear weak point on the Stallord.

“C'mon, Pyre. Can't let the samurai take all the glory,” the nomad challenged as he grinned at the ranger in the darkness. Then again, this vagrant did not particularly enjoy the concept of allowing two rangers to have all of the “fun,” either. He gazed from Dogura to the Stallord's apparent weak spot, and then to his swords. Not that he really needed refreshing on what he was supposed to be doing right now; he was just tired, that was all. The Hylian wanted nothing less than to grab the stones and leave. Never mind all of these time-wasting obstacles. Yeah, you, he thought, glaring at the Stallord and the many pieces of its children around the room.

Finally coming to the conclusion that an attack was in order, Blank gritted his teeth and charged into the fray. When he was close enough, he threw his off-hand sword vertically in the air, letting it spin in that direction as it flew up. With this free hand he grasped the other hilt tightly, treating his simple one-handed sword as a two-hander, thrusting viciously at the at the central orb that likely served as the power source of the beast. He felt the tip stick in deep, and let go altogether. The thrown sword fell down and into his outstretched palm, which clasped around its mediocre wooden hilt. Before it could even come to rest, the sword was in another state of motion, this time being brought down next to where the other had stuck in.

~Pyre's usual smile that appeared when things turned about better than expected did not appear. Instead he was filled with dread as the skullchildren fell. When Blank finsihed off the last of the creatures, he shuddered in anticipation. All his terrors came to relization when the massive undead creature screamed and slammed the ground.

The blow sent torrents of pain rushing through the hylian's body, and he fell to the sandy floor with a jolt. He couldn't see the Stallord's child being flung away, and couldn't take heart from the fact that the monster's weak point was once again visible. Sand was creeping into his eyes, and his body was hurting and tired.

That's when he heard Blank's yell, and the telltale sound of blades wishing through the air. Even with his body hurt, his mind was as sharp as always. He jumped to his feet, rejecting fatigue and not even bothering to wipe the sand out of his eyes. He didn't have time, plus his hands were still burning from his mishandled spell. Instead he simple grasped the hilts of his blades and focused in on the sounds of Blank's swords hitting home.

With one quick motion, the ranger sent both blades flying through the air, straight for the weak spot. They sped past the nomad's head, one passing each side, and thudded into place next to his friend's. Although he couldn't see, everything about the attack had felt right. Besides, he hadn't heard Blank cry out in pain from being impaled by a unaimed blind throw. He took heart, and assumed he had struck true.

Meanwhile, he felt almost ready to collapse. If the undead dragon was struck down soon, he wasn't sure if he could last through more fighting.~

OOC: Beutiful posts, the both of you! You're making me seem small

IC: In the heat of the battle, it seemed as though he were in a dream. Adrenaline began pumping, and all fell silent for a moment of solitary bliss. The sound of rain somehow reached the samurai's ears. Rain always calmed him a bit, and the sound of the tiny dropletts came rushing to him. Like sweet candy to his ears, the noise dissapeared, as he realized what had to be done. Both Pyre and Blank's atacks had hit home. The malicious glow was fading from the monster's eyes. Suddenly, its soft yellow core turned red, and oozed a disgusting pus. Thinking quickly(or possibly not thinking at all), Dogura rushed past his allies, and thrust his blade forward. Now, a serene silence, not by way of adrenaline, but by way of nature, fell over the adventurers like a warm blanket in a winter storm. The core exploded, and a disgusting sticky substance flung in every direction, miraculaously not even grazing the adventurers. Dogura watched the spine of the monster turn to dust, as the other bone fragmants followed suit in an almost artsy manner. Each bone fell, one by one, dissipating to dust before it could hit the sand beneath it. The stalchild stood up, and looked around, dazed and confused.

Ignoring the nuicance, The vagabond kept his eye on the largest pillar in the room. As large of a battle as it had just withstood, it remained unscathed. Suddenly, appeasing the samurai's suspicions, it slowly began to decend into the sand pit. Behind it, stood three small pedistals. Above each pedistal, a different symbol was carved into the rock. Dogura's eyes widened, as he rushed over to the pedistals. Empty. Each pedistal was empty. In a fit of disbeliefe, Dogura took a few steps back, blankly staring at what was presented to him. "The sacred stones! Th-They missing!" He cried, falling to his knees. How could they be gone?? With that beast guarding it... It was still animated! Who could have vanquished the creature, yet left it un-harmed?! Standing up, Dogura wiped his brow. "I'm... I'm afraid we came here for nothing. Of course I'll pay the both of you due amount for your help. Lets get on out of here." A few steps towards the door, and Dogura stopped. Turning around, spied the Stalchild getting up from it's akward position. It didn't even seem to care that it's fatherly figure had just been demolished. "Hold on you two. We might not be done just yet." He motioned for Blank and Pyre to follow him, as he loomed over the little demon, like a large raincloud over an insect.

It looked up at him sheepishly. "Y-you're not going to kill me are you?" It questioned, snapping it's arm bone back onto it's bony body. The samurai obviously thought hard about this, before replying, "No. No, I won't kill you if you tell me what I want to know." It rubbed it's tiny chin-bone, and nodded. "Sounds like a fair deal. What is it you want to know?" Dogura smiled, knowing the deal was sealed. "What happened to the stones that were perched on those pillars?" The monster followed the vagabond's finger, and turned back to face the adventurers. "Those things? Well, three scary men came in and demanded them. But daddy said no! They told him they would kill him if he didn't give them what they wanted." Dogura closed his eyes, and sighed. "I see. So the three men have the stones now?" The stalchild shook his head, and jumped up and down excitedly. "Nope! Daddy was too smart for them! He told them that the stones weren't here! They demanded to see for themselves, and so daddy magically teleported the stones the three seperate locations, before showing them the empty pedistals!" Dogura smiled, and threw his hands in the air! "Incredible! I never would have guessed that a monster like that had such dexterity!" The stalchild smiled now. "Yeah, but after they realized that the stones weren't here, they kicked the little green guy around a bit, put him in a bag, and left."

Dogura cocked his head. "Little green guy?" Once again, the bag-o-bones nodded. "Apparently, he's a photographer, and he makes maps!" Dogura rolled his eyes. "You mean a cartographer?" It scratched it's head, and continued. "Yeah, whatever he was, he lead them in the wrong direction, and they got mean. Anyways, if you have a map, I can show you where daddy sent the glowing rocks. That is, if you won't kill me." Shaking hands with the little beast, he held out his map, and the stalchild marked three spots on the map. "One was high in the mountains. One was low in a dead forest. One was in a sandy desert. Daddy said not to tell anybody, but he said I could do anything as long as I'm safe." Grinning, the samurai put his map away. "Alright then, you're no longer of use to us. Blank, if you still want to, finish what you started earlier." The stalchild took a few clumbsy steps back. "B-but you said you wouldn't kill me!!" A sly smile crept over Dogura's face. "I said that I wouldn't kill you. My friends here however, have the choice to spare you, or kill you." The little monster's jaw bone hit the sand. "Y-you.. YOU MONSTER!" Dogura laughed a hardy laugh. "I'm not a monster, nor am I evil. I just don't care! You tried to kill us after all." Turning around, he began to walk back to the exit. "Just consider it returning the favor!" He called out. "If you're nice, maybe Blank'll take it easy."

OOC: This officially wraps up TotD2!! You guys did great! Anyways, pick your Mini Dungeons, I trust you've seen them around Hyrule. Anyways, you can all add Stallord to your "defeated Bosses" list!

Having struck the Stallord's glistening jewel of a weak spot, Blank had sprung back behind the others to recover his breath, bringing his swords with him. Of course, he had waited that extra second to calculate the odds of the battle being close to its end. This one small moment of thought proved smart for the nomad, as had he moved even an inch from his attacking position, he would surely have taken one of Pyralin's blades to his skull. And he needed that at the moment... for all the intelligent thoughts that were certainly congregating inside his head.

Gasping aloud and beginning to shake noticeably as Pyre's daggers stuck into the Stallord only inches to the side of his head, Blank rocketed from his position and darted to a safe spot. Fortunately, he had distanced himself far away enough from the skeletal monster to avoid the puss that exploded from the now wrecked weak point. He stepped closer, only to notice that Pyre and Dogura had escaped the infectious liquid as well. “We must be lucky today,” he commented as the Stalchild reappeared. Blank gave it a cold stare, but left it alone for the time being.

“... Or not?” came the not-so-reassuring follow-up to his previous statement as the stones appeared to be gone. A tremendous frown came to his face and for a moment he almost felt like laying down and dieing. Still, his response to Dogura's payment statement was lost on him. “Dogura, aside from Denning, you're the first person I met in Hyrule. You know there's no charge between friends. And actually, I'd charge Denning a few more Rupees for a trek like this than I would you.” A solemn smile replaced the large frown on his face then. Sure, the cleric and the nomad were good allies, but the samurai was of a sentimental value, the kind of friend that was always there for him.

Blank listened intently as the Stalchild explained in detail what had happened to the Sacred Stones, and only then realized a threat of another party that would likely stand in the trio's way. At least bone-boy here is actually doing something to benefit us... “I'll go to the forest, Dogura. It'll be a nice reclusive location; And who doesn't like a woodland retreat, eh?” He grinned, and then watched as the vagabond took his leave. Glancing back at the Stalchild, he laughed and sheathed his swords, following close behind his friend.

Suddenly, the figure of Blank could be seen rushing back into the room, and a hefty kick found its way to the pseudo-Stalfos' chest, knocking it back against the far wall and then down into the sand. Without a word, the Hylian nomad left the cavern and prepared for his voyage to the forest.

~Pyre fell down onto his back, sighing in relief. They had done it. They had won. The hylian sat like that for a moment before he heard a faint rumbling. He rose to a sitting position, and looked to see what was going on. It was not an earthquake or the herald of another dread creature, but instead three pedestals. When he saw that the stones were no where to be found. He felt incapable of feeling saddness and a dull ache formed in his chest.

This moment of apathy quickly gave way to a much easier emotion. Anger. At first it was concealed behind surprise, but when Pyre spoke his voice quivered with the rage hidden beneath his words. "You mean that we did all this for nothing?" Then Dogura began interogating the skullchild. It was a good start, and in the end the three learned the locations of the stones.

The hylian sighed. It looked like they were going to split up. For once, he had no doubt of his location. "I'll stay in the desert. I like the sand." The angered had calmed slightly, and he knew that he was in no danger of a sudden outburst. The ranger nodded at the samurai and watched as he left the room, followed by Blank.

A smile of savage glee crossed his face when Blank rushed back into the room, flinging the skullchild into the wall. The little punk deserved that. Maybe even more than that... The hylian shook his head. Such thoughts were not wise, and mercy seemed the better course. He was now alone in the room, and rose to his feet to walk to the exit.

However, it wasn't going to be that easy to leave the place behind. As soon as he stood, the anger came back in full blast, and Pyre found himself moving purposely towards the pitiful undead. He wasn't quite sure what had come over him, but he could feel both of his blades in his hands. When had he retrieved them from the sand, and what was he doing? He tried to shake off the veil of anger, but his attempts had no effect. All to soon, he was standing over the creature, scimitar raised high and ready to fall.

The blade cut easily through the still air of the tomb, and the ranger couldn't wipe away the grin that accompanied slicing through the skullchilds lower appendages. He kicked the severed legs away, and then turned to leave the cavern, the smile still on his face.

When he did finally reach the exit, he stopped moving and shuddered, all vestiges of the grin gone. What the hell had happened. Pyre tried to stop the shivering, but they were controllable. After a moment, the hylian managed to take a step forward and then another. Soon he regained his previous pace, but even though the physical effects of what had happened were gone, it was still engraved in his mind. He shuddered one last time, and then continued on towards the resting place of one of the sacred stones.~