~The path leading slowly down into the darkness was made of stone. Flit wasn't quite sure that this assumption was correct, but by the texture of the wall he was pretty sure. The stairs seemed to go down for ever, and slowly the blue light became a small glow in the distance. The deku were alone.

The magical aura from before was gone, replaced with darkness on all sides. There was no nature, no nothing for Flit to cling to, only the shadows. It had is ownn ominous feel to, and it always seemed like the darkness was pressing in on them.

Suddenly, Flit hit something hard. He groaned out loud, for he didn't see it coming. It was a wall. I should've had my hands up or something... He didn't waste time berating himself, and groped to the sides, finding only air to the right, but solid wall to the left. He looked at where he though Yukie was, and made a short statement.

"It looks like this is the end of the light for us...."

Flit was hesitant. He had been certain that this was the path they had to follow before, but that was when they were in the light. Now with shadows surrounding them, he had lost all sense of where to go. Figuratively and literally. But once again there was little choice of where to go, so he began to walk forward, this time his hands in front of him, until he felt another wall, similar to the last one.

This turn went to the left. He stood at the bend in the tunnel, and waited. Flit heard something. A faint and slow dripping of water ahead. After a moment, he once again made a cautious step forward, but then stopped once again. Like the deku, the water had also stopped, and then started once again. This only meant one thing for the deku. Something was coming.

And it did seem so. Even if he heard no footsteps, the air was becoming colder and colder. Flit found his hands were shaking and he couldn't move. An overcoming fear seemed to permeate from the air in front of him. When he heard the swishing of air of something attacking him, he couldn't move to counter, or respond in anyways.

Flit felt a very real protrusion hit him square in the chest, sending him flying backwards into the wall behind the two deku. He cried out in pain, and the sound seemed to echo eeirly in the pitch darkness. Whatever the creature was, it was fully capable of killing.~

Yukie slowly descends after Flit, wary of the entire area. He has stretched out with his Nature Sense now, and while the Sacred Grove is still relatively nearby, it no longer overwhelms his abilities. But it is very difficult to use; he can use it even with the apparent lack of life, for even shadows are natural, but he is unused to trying to interpret the subtle shifts in the positioning of the darkness, concentrated in some areas and airy in others. It makes absolutely no sense even to him; he just recognizes that his senses will tell him that something lies on the path, and when he reaches the spot he can feel the stone on the stairwell path. Regardless of how it works, he moves at a snail's pace, making sure to analyze the shadows to the best of his abilities to ensure that nothing is lurking within them. Regardless, he certainly doesn't go any speedier when Flit and he both come to the realization that they have traveled too far from their light source to be able to utilize it.

In fact, Flit's rebound against the wall serves as more of a warning of the end of walking straight than his Nature Sense does. Flit, fortunately, is like a beacon of Nature in the realm of Shadows, so Yukie has no trouble following after the younger Deku.

Then the sense of water fills his ears, moving along whenever Flit does. Yukie's swords were already drawn when they had started their descent, so he wastes no time bringing them to ready position. He stops cold - literally chilly, unfortunately - just as Flit does, but it takes Yukie several seconds to realize that the Deku has suddenly become incapable of defending himself. Afraid that the same might happen to him, he goes ahead and brings his blades up as if to fend off a blow . . . just in time to feel Flit fly backwards at the hands of whatever it was that had attacked them.

Rather than go to Flit's aid, Yukie's eyes close shut as he attempts to better sense whatever it is that they have encountered in this underground realm . . .

~Whatever lurked in the dark seemed to suddenly become inactive, fading from all senses. The creature had the distinct advantage in this environment. It was a shadow. Simple and deadly, and able to blend completely in its environment. Searching for it, even with the nature sense would be like trying to find one specific drop of water in the ocean. There was one difference. The drop of water is hostile.

Flit found himself on his knees, and unable to move. His entire body was wracked with tremors. If Yukie had concentrated his nature sense on the other deku, he would find that the circle on his chest where he had been struck was slowly fading out of the natural realm. Something foul was at work in the black hallways.

The shadow was waiting for Yukie to make the next move. Then it would launch its attack. It knew that it would have a better chance of success if he had the element of surprise. So it lay in wait, becoming one with the rest of the darkness in the corridor, its cold presence permeating everything.

Yukie stands in the darkness, wondering what foul menace it was that was causing all this.

Whatever this being is, it can become one with its natural surroundings, making his Nature Sense all but useless in relationship to its location. What's more, he has not neglected this Sense, so he is able to tell that something is happening to Flit . . . something foul and unnatural. There is no way for him to see it, and it obviously knows where he is even in such pure darkness.

But there is one way that he can think of to bring it out, and at least take away one of its advantages. Placing his hands together, the Deku readies one of the most dangerous spells that he knows, one that even he dreads using. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't dare, but something about this place makes him think that it may be worth the risk. He hadn't done so before for fear that it could kill either him or Flit, but with death such a good possibility, it's worth it.

The Deku holds up his hand, and mutters the words to cast . . . the Fire Spell.

~As the fire bloomed into life, an unearthly shriek echoed out through the dark corridors. A black shape can be seen wreathing in the burst of flames, and temporarily everything is illuminated. Flit however was not thankful for the light. In fact, he was in such great pain, he wasn't aware of anything. As the shadow was hurt, pain blossomed through his chest where the creature struck. He couldn't yell out for help or anything though, he was completely frozen.

The hallway was also temporarily brightened. The walls were made of a dark stone, and there were many long cracks down them. In front of the two deku was fork, one path leading right, and one leading left, the leaking water seemed to be coming from above this intersection.

There was one more feature that stood out. There seemed to be no life at all. No cobwebs. No rats. Nothing. The air was thick and still, a dust covered everything. It seemed like nothing had disturbed these passages for a long time.

The light however, did not last long. The flames faded away, and they were left in darkness once again. The shadow was gone, completely destroyed by the flames. Even in his pain, Flit was recovering from whatever dark poison had entered his body, and feeling was slowly coming back to him. The deku managed to croak out into the darkness, "Yukie...."

As his senses came back, the pain left him, and he very shakily got to his feet. He recalled nothing of the fire, and all he could remember was the shadow and the pain. "What happened..." His voice still shook as he spoke, but slowly he began to stand more steadily.

Apart from Flit's heavy breathing, everything was silence once again, except for the slow dripping of water. The cold from the shadow seemed to linger in the air, but it was slowly fading. The fork up head beckoned to them in the pitch blackness.~

Yukie heaves out a heavy sigh as he can finally relax once again. The shadow has disappeared, presumably dead, and neither Deku have suffered the same fate. There is always the chance, when using a spell of the infernal element, that a stray spark will light on a Deku's woody skin, burning them apart. Yukie himself has never witnessed such a dreadful occurrence, but the stories of the very idea have always been enough to send shudders through his body. Hence the reason he dreads using the spell, and hence the reason he preferred the return of the darkness to having lit corridors.

Without eyesight, the elderly Deku must utilize his Nature Sense to find his companion . . . though the calling of his voice certainly helps him locate Flit as well. "It's alright now, Flit," he says, forcing his voice to remain calm and steady. This was no time for thoughts of burning alive to override his victory over that . . . thing. "That creature's dead, now. Got 'im with a . . . a Fire spell."

Looking (at least, as well as he can) back down to the path they need to follow to continue on in this crazy cavern the Skull Kid had led them to, Yukie thinks over the images that he had managed to glean from the area during that brief few seconds of illumination. "I don't know where da heck we are, but it ain't like any place I've ever been ta. This place . . . it lacks something . . . it lacks . . ."

He frowns. ". . . It lacks . . . life . . ."

Flit let Yukie's words settle with him. He stood leaning against the wall, still breathing fairly hard. It seemed so empty, so completely devoid of everything except darkness. The deku didn't like it at all. He much prefered the forest glades on the surface to these pitch black corridors.

After a moment, he began to walk forward again, his hands were in front of him once again and in his right hand was his dagger. He wasn't going to get caught off gaurd again by another shadow.

Dark thoughts seemed to permeate the atmosphere, but there was another thing that had been bothering Flit. How did this place get down here? Why was it here? Or more to the point, where in Hyrule were they? He voiced the last question aloud to Yukie, before he felt the brush of stone against his fingers. Another wall.

The deku groped out to the right. Nothing. He then turned, and reached out to his left. Nothing. They had reached the fork. There seemed nothing particularly special about it, besides the occasional drop of water that landed on Flit's head. But there was something else. It was faint, but to the right there seemed to be.... light?

He turned to Yukie, or where he thought Yukie was approximately, and inquired, "Do you see that? Should we go that way?" It seemed probable that that path was safer. The shadows were creatures of darkness, and that might put them at a disadvantage. Of course there was Yukie's fear to consider: fire. Who knew what was producing the light. Flit left the choice up to Yukie to decided.

Allowing Flit to once again lead the way, and with the Nature Sense guiding him along the path that his companion takes, Yukie puts most of his conscious thought into answering the question posed to him. "Where are we, ya ask? Hm . . ." To be honest, Yukie has been wondering that himself for a while now. He had lived most of his life in Hyrule, with a good deal of time spent in the Deku Woods, and never before had he found this place. The Sacred Grove and its guardian were new to him - certainly, he had heard of Skull Kids before . . . in the history books and tomes of legends and lore. Maybe that old tale about . . . what's-it-called . . . Termina! . . . had gotten a little bit more evidence to prove its validity after today.

But that doesn't really help them at all. "I don't know if we're even in Hyrule anymore, young 'un!" He finally admits. Then Flit points out the flickering light to their left. Yukie gazes quizzically down there, wondering what could await them. He also chuckles a slight bit; from the tone of his voice, Flit seems to be thinking that Yukie himself might be nervous about the path. He doesn't know how he could tell something like that, but it just seems plain as day to the elderly Deku. In all honesty, Yukie isn't afraid to face fire, but casting a spell that creates a blaze requires an intense deal of control if one is to completely avoid allowing stray embers near him. Yukie always worries that he'll mess up on that fine concentration, and therefore restrains himself from using it unless absolutely necessary.

Turning the left, he nods, even though it's doubtful that Flit can see it. "Let's get goin', then. Whatever that light is, we'd probably be best off figurin' out what that there light is."

(((OOC: Just wanted to let you know that I have a map of this place all planed out. I'm not cheating

Also, I hate you. Termina was indeed going to have a part in my story. This passage is still in Hyrule, but later...... Whatever. Moving on then.)))

~Flit walked down the path to the right, towards the faint light. It seemed like they had hardly moved far at all when they came to another intersection. Flit's fingers were still up and he was not caught off gaurd. No shadows attacked them from the darkness this time around, but who knew what lurked in the darkness.

There were two things different this time around. Though they would not be detected by Yukie's nature sense as 'alive' they still be detected. The light was coming from the right, and was much brighter. The light could be seen on the wall. Sight wasn't the only thing leading the deku this time though. Sounds played a role.

Fire could be heard crackling to the right, along with heavy footfalls, and the occasional shifting of armor. It was impossible to tell friend from foe though, and they would have to take a chance. Yukie's nature sense would feel a creature in the hallway, but more of a mass of darkness, as opposed to a life form.

To the right, things got even more mysterious. Faint breathing could be heard, and the slight clanking of chains. There was definitely something to the right. Flit peered in both directions carefully. He had to admit the light was alluring, but the armor and fire sugested something a little unsafe. To the right was more darkness though. His uncertainty increased ten-fold, so once again he turned to Yukie.

"I'm not sure which way we should go," he said in a hushed voice that seemed all to loud in the quiet corridors. "maybe we should try both? What do your senses tell you we should do?"~

OOC: You were? Sweet. That just proves that I have latent psychic powers, just waiting to be unleashed upon you all . . .

. . . or maybe I'm just plain good. Whatever, I can hate you too if that's really how you want to do things.

IC:
Yukie slows down as the twosome approach the corner and the wall reflecting the light. "There's something in that there hallway," he says as quietly as he can while still being sure Flit can hear his words. His Nature Sense is picking up the mass of darkness, and it is quite unnerving. His ears also pick up the crackle of flames, explaining why the corridor is lit in that direction.

The other pathway is even more uncertain. More sounds arise from that path, none of them good. He tries focusing on that area, hoping to pick up something - anything - with his Nature Sense. There has to be something in these caverns with the same, familiar feel of life other than the two Deku wandering around nearly aimlessly. He gazes back and forth, wondering how he should answer his companion's question.

Finally, his chin comes to rest on his left hand. "I can't say fer sure which way's the best 'un ta take, ya know. But . . . I'd try to get closer ta that there flames first. If there's an enemy in that there direction, we'll oughta be able ta see him. And once we dispatch with any enemies, we kin carefully light somethin on fire and use da light to see what's down the right path." He doesn't sound incredibly confident as he says this, his tone holding a note of reservation. Whichever path they take, they'll be wanting to be extremely careful. Once again, Yukie tries to focus his senses even further than normal, hoping to pick up something that may serve as a clue as to the best path to choose.

~Yukie wouldn't have to concentrate his senses to see what was down that rightside hallway. It would make itself apparent. The deku, unfortunately, had no way of knowing what lay ahead, and Flit cautiously rounded the corner.

The first thing he saw was a torch held up in the air. This brightly illuminated the surrounding hallway, and the torch carrier himself. In the middle of the hall stood a goron. However, he did not look quite like a real goron, and it seemed that there was a dark tinge to his skin. He had the torch in his left hand, held above his head, and a great serrated battle axe held in the other. He wore heavy black armor, which looked quite formidable. He didn't look friendly.

Flit was surprised to see the creature. Yukie had been using his senses, and could only detect a mass of darkness. Did that mean that this creature wasn't.... alive? The goron seemed just as surprised at the deku, but had a much different reaction. It did not bellow or inquiry as to what business the deku had down here. Instead it went straight to the point, beginning a forward charge.

Flit felt like his dagger would do nothing against his opponent, but he had to react. Yukie was behind him, and in the corridor it would be hard to manuever back and forth. So instead he ducked down, well out of the range of the fire and stray sparks, and to the left of the swinging axe. From there he grabbed his opponents legs, suddenly stood and send the goron flying backwards.

With a stunt that he thought no goron to accomplish, the gaurd spun around in midair, landing on its feet, axe held it front. Neither groups were properly prepared, and thus it was easy for both of the combatants to come away unscathed, but that was probably going to change. Who knew what this cursed goron had up its sleeve. It seemed that this was not going to be safe battle.~

Rounding the corner behind Flit, Yukie immediately does what he believes the proper response to the Goron's abrupt charge - he dives back around the corner. Rolling a few times before turning back and peeking around the corner, he spies Flit pulling the Goron from the ground, only to have the stone creature miraculously manage a back flip and land upright. Whatever this Goronic being is, it seems ferocious and dark . . . and not only because that is the feeling the Deku receives from his Nature Sense.

'Flit may be courageous,' the elderly Deku decides, what with the move he's just pulled, 'but that right there was quite risky.' A smile comes to his lips. 'Not that I can't do the same.' Drawing his two Deku Swords he advances in a sudden burst of speed, even though the Goron looks more than ready to defend himself. Inhaling without warning, Yukie unleashes a swarm of three Deku Seeds from his mouth, spitting them straight to where their new foe stands.

He's far enough away that he can break off from the attack if the seeds fail to have their preferred blinding affect, but if they work like they should he'll be wide open to a powerful attack - and at the speed Yukie is flying forward now, that attack will be very powerful indeed.

~Flit actually smiled when he saw the barrage of seeds flying past him. Yukie had been missing before, but now he had filled his familar role: crazy attacking deku. Of course the attack obviously wasn't crazy. If the seeds struck he would be stunned for a second, and if they didn't the time the goron wasted dodging would once again even the ground. It was a completlely legitimate approach.

Well, mabye that would apply for a deku or hylian, but gorons were a bit different. The cursed gaurd simple assumed a tuck, and rolled into a ball. The battle axe was sticking out of one side, and the torch from the other. This set up spanned the entire hallway. He didn't see the seeds fly over his head, and didn't care. This manuever showed the deku something else, which was previously hidden: the gorons back.

The black armor didn't only span the front of his body. Along the back where there were usually rocky protrusions, black steel spikes covered him. Flit knew what he planned to do with them, and wasn't to happy about it. The goron immediately began its own counter attack, giving no consideration to Yukie's charge, rolling forward towards the two small deku rapidly. There was no way to dodge to either the left or right, because he would get chopped up or burnt to a crisp. The only possibilties were back.... and over.

Flit knew he was taking a chance, but otherwise he would be forced into the defensive. Against such a powerful opponent this would not be prudent. Such a mistake may very well end in death. He ran forward, alongside Yukie, both blade drawn. Even as he ran, he began to see the one draw back to his plan. There was no pivot point. If he tried to use the gorons back, he would be spiked, and get round up in the goron's spin. This would not be a pleasant was to die.

It was too late to change his momentum now, so he kept running, and took the gamble. Please don't trip, please don't trip. He leapt up into the air, starting to go into a roll, and for a moment was directly over the charging gaurd's back. That moment seemed to last a lifetime. But all to soon, it all came crashing down. Literally.

Flit's left foot got caught on the gorons back, and he was sent careening forward. His foot and leg were cut deeply from the black metal, and he cried out in pain. He landed on his head, but still managed to go into a roll, dispite the black blotches in his vision. Everything was a world of pain, but he rose shakily to his feet. If the goron charged again he was finished. He needed to thing of something, and something fast.~

Yukie nearly stops as he sees the Goron assume the ball form for which the rock people are known. 'This ain't gonna be pretty . . .' he thinks to himself just as he realizes that Flit has joined him in his charge. That was something he hadn't been considering, and now it looks like both of them are in over their heads. The elderly Deku analyzes his surroundings as swiftly as inhumanly possible: a fast rolling Goron with an axe extending out one side, a torch out the other, and spikes up top, rampaging through a tunnel so narrow that there is very little margin to dodge by. And that margin only exists above him.

He reaches this conclusion at obviously the same time Flit does, but only his subconscious registers the fact that his companion has leapt into the air. He's focused on how HE will make it over. The spikes don't look pretty, for certain . . . and then he sees an opening. A grin forms on his face as he bursts into a sprint, going forward even faster than he has been.

The distance between the two will close in a second, Yukie knows, and so every step makes a difference. His feet, unlike Flit's, never leave the rock . . . though they do leave the ground. Charging as fast as he can grants the Deku enough speed to continue his charge when he abruptly veers to the left, literally running up and along the wall and over the flaming torch. Careful to ensure that he's well outside the reach of the inferno, Yukie makes one quick motion, bringing out a spare dagger that he keeps on hand for emergencies. Slinging it forward, he hurls it straight at where the torch will be seconds from now, hoping to cut straight through the wooden shaft of the torch. It's doubtful that the fire will go out if he succeeds, but with the torch cut in two the Goron will probably be unable to use it against the he and Flit anymore.

~Flit was trying to think of something when everything went dark. The torch had gone out. Then it seemed like the world started to collapse. A huge crash rocked the corridors as the goron hit the wall. Metal tore against the stone, and dust and small chunks of rocks fell from the ceiling. That wasn't what was important. It would be almost impossible to dodge another rolling attack in the dark. Flit knew they would have to stop the goron before he could try.

Through the haze of pain, the deku concentrated all his hearing on the goron. That was all he had to go on for aiming, so he didn't spend much time trying. Instead he drew in a huge breath, one usually reserved for shooting deku nuts. Like before, he didn't generate a nut, but spit out the air anyways.

A ball of wind shot down the hallway, at the goron. Flit predicted that he was still in ball form, and hoped that the wind ball would hit him against the wall and unroll him. This would give Yukie a perfect window to strike.

That wasn't exactly what happened, but the end result was similar. The goron was indeed blown into the wall, but he wasn't unrolled. Not immediately. Instead, he started to roll down the hall again, but was off balance, and sprawled out on the ground, stomach up. Even a better opportunity than before. He didn't see any of this, only heard the noise, but hoped that Yukie would be able to attack, even without his eyes.

That was when a roll of pain went over him once again. He grimaced, and bent his leg, hoping the agony would lessen soon. He couldn't do much productively in this state.~