OOC: I'm here! Heh, I was writing my other post, and submitted it after Alpha had submitted his. So we were writing at the same time . I was busy for the whole day, hanging out with Shadowboat (for those of you who remember him, though I'm sure few do...). So, here I am. Sorry that I didn't really say which direction we should go in. Did my other post make sense? o_O

IC:

Alpha wrote:...With the Hakiems already having control over the castle, we would be forced to alter any plan made so often that we may as well not have any, other than this: we survive, and they fall."

Nogare flinched. Leaving the kingdom to it's fate?! He is greedy over his own life, valuing none other than his own. Who can I call the one who will lead me; Harkinian or Noval? The king is my true master, but is it hopeless? Is he already dead...?

Nogare debated with himself for a while, then finally came to a conclusion. He spoke his thoughts to the others. "If we escape, and let everyone else die, then it is hopeless for ourselves as well! We must find everyone else, and find a way to save them. The king and Zelda must be saved no matter what. How do I know they're still alive? I don't! But how do we know they are dead? We don't! And what of the people. It is not only the king that I swore my life to when I became a Hylian Knight. If it is hopeless for the king, then let us save it's people! If necessary, we will flee to Calatia! I understand that they, too, are at war, but what choice do we have!"

Could this really be the fate of Hyrule? Is this the end? The Three will be with us. I know they will. It will all end well.

"Who said anything about escaping?" Rose asked. "We're pressing forward. Why do you think I'm opening this door?"

OOC: Your other post is fine, Nogare; it's pretty easy to figure out what happened. Sorry about posting beforehand (no, not really . . . ).

IC:
"Indeed," Noval seconds, agreeing with Rose's statement. "We're doing anything but escaping, Nogare; we will fight until the King and the Princess are freed, or die trying. All that was said is that trying to formulate a plan is useless, since the Hakiems' presence will probably invalidate any strategies considered."

Rose's Awareness Check fails (11+3[Roll+INT]), but that doesn't mean there's nothing to see. As Alpha too approaches the doorway that Rose has opened, the two can see outside . . . to the relative calm of the hallway beyond. Crimson carpet covers the floors of the passageway, with large, ornate windows showing the dark night sky characteristic of 1:30 in the morning. The stars shine enough past the dark blue curtains to show the sparkling walls on the opposite end, painted white and with columns along the wall every ten or so feet, and gold trim where the wall meets the floor and ceiling. Large paintings fill in the otherwise empty space, depicting images of all types, though it seems this hall has a focus more on the legends of heroes past.

And there are no Hakiems in sight.

OOC: Well, at least they're good .

And this is the hallway from the Valiant Comics!!! The one where Impa is telling Link about the three ways of skilling swordsmen or something like that. They are Health, Magic, and Attack! I remember this place like it's the Ocarina of Time... or is that smilie a bit confusing. I memorize everything in OoT from dungeons to HPs to all 100 GS. So, yeah. I know this place even better, in fact... I just have no idea what's outside of it, besides more of the castle... Am I not such a nerd?

IC: As they passed through the hallway, Nogare faced one, and touched his forehead with his index and middle finger, and moved them to his heart. He murmured, again in the ancient language, "Bless you, grandfather." After moving his finger from his heart, he bowed his head, his eyes looking to the ground below the painting. Then, he spoke of a strange jargon that none could understand; "Macar, ar nolmo. Artaher, meletyalda caluva hildo." He looked to everyone else, who must likely were astonished at the language. In the common Hyrulian tongue, he said, "It is a language that which my ancenstors spoke. I speak it in respect of those whose bloodline I follow." He turned back to the painting. "This man is Swiftblade, my father's father."

He then looked around the area, looking for anything that might appear. He had been off guard far too long.

[Awareness Check]

Pyre's widened as Noval reads his mind. And he said not to have confidence in him. He couldn't help but chuckle, and streched, listening passively to Nogare. He would follow the others, and act when battle called upon him. For now he would submerge himself in his thoughts.

The hylian had been wondering. Where were the royalty being held. In the throne room? In the dungeons? For all they knew, the king may well have left the castle by now. He directed this last thought at Noval, testing his abilities. Did the general have to activate the mind reading, or was it a passive ability. If so, it would be highly effective in combat.

OOC: Many apologies, guys. I been... grounded... for the past week or so. So I obviously havn't had a chance to post. Sorry. And I have one question. Is it okay for my NPC's to tag along?

IC:Leth (and Drom, Karuna and Polari?) enters the corridor along with the rest of the group. Gazing around in awe of the intricatly detailed hall, Leth's mouth forms a silent 'wow'. He glances back at everyone else. "Well?" He asks. "Shall we go on?" Slowly, Leth advances along the peaceful hallway, pausing to enjoy the paintings, or to look at the detail in the columns.

Dogura followed Fang to the opened door, and when no hakiem was spotted, Fang walked right out into the hall without so much as an awareness check. Dogura knew better, and performed one of his own. [Awareness Check]

OOC: Leth! Welcome to the group. Sure, go right ahead and bring your NPC's along with you. All I ask is that you PM with a list of the stats of all your participating characters.

IC:
Noval frowns with concern as Pyre's thoughts center on himself again. "I cannot answer that one, Pyralin," he mutters to the boy. "I do not see why they would choose to remove His Majesty from the castle, but I cannot discount such a possibility." He purses his lips. "With what I know of the Hakiems Tribe, little as it is, I find it hard enough to believe that they would invade North Castle. My expertise is not enough in this area to predict anything for certain . . . I do wish we had access to Alpha's master's knowledge."

The Sheikah's ears twitch as his name is mentioned. He has been listening in on the conversation already, but this visible acknowledgment causes him to drop any attempt to conceal the fact. Turning back to where Noval and Pyre walk, he quietly adds to the discussion. "You and me both, General."

The General nods in saddened agreement. "As for my psychic abilities, they are passive, although it is much easier to hear thoughts either concerning and/or directed to myself. I could perhaps create a mental network between our group, though that would put some strain on my combat effectiveness. However," he glances towards another of the Hylians gathered, "I have heard that Dogura also possesses some telepathic powers. Perhaps with his aid we will be able to come up with something more useful."

Nogare's Awareness Check (10+4[Roll+INT]) fails, as does Dogura's (5+7[Roll+INT]). As their eyes flicker back and forth, they see nothing suspicious in the hallway. The only sign of which route to take lies in the steps the Zora General Lion travels along, heading due south.

Pyre began to walk following the general's footsteps. Others had been looking around for anything out of the ordinary, to no avail. He waited next to Dogura and Nogare for the others to proceed into the hallway. It didn't seem like waiting around for saftey would help very much, and who knew how much time they had. For all he knew, the king might be being escorted out of the castle right now.

While he waited, he checked out the hallway on his own. Mabye he would find something the others had missed. [Awareness Check]

But Nogare didn't give up looking. He continued to look around, as though he couldn'gt trust the area.

[Awareness Check again ]

[Dodge Check] (You never know... well, WE don't, I mean... )

He prepared himself to jump out of the way of anything that might attack. He continued his pace towards the opposite side of the hallway. There are likely Haikems behind there. He thought to himself. I will go before the others, just in case. I don't want them to get harmed; I will stand a way better chance again an enemy's strike than them.

He hurried along the path, trying to reach the doorway before the Zora general could reach it.

Dogura decided it was safe, and was tired of waiting around. Advancing ahead of the group, Dogura, with Fang walking along side of him, made their way down the long and eerily silent hallway. It seems the rain hadent let up, as the soft pitter-patter of it hitting the window-pane collided with the Vagabond's ears. Fang glanced around the room. It was dark, but Dogura was accustomed to seeing in dimmly lit places. Not sensing anything, Dogura turned, and motioned that it was safe to continue forward. Fang followed suit, assuring them that the room was clear, or at least the visable portion of the hallway.

Kasei also prepared himself for anything that might attack...{yes, this is a dodge check!} The shiekah warrior sees nothing to his normal eyes, so he searches with demon eyes...{awareness check? im not good at these... }

The rebel flame nods at nogare, hoping that the soilder/knight of Hyrule would get the message: he was prepared, and ready for anything...

He walks (yes, walks) towards the doorway, not really interested in getting there first...and sees dogura and fang, and the others. He bows and apologizes for his earlier actions, saying that he won't do it again...

Pabru's Awareness Check succeeds (10+7[Roll+INT]). As the Ranger gazes around the area, a faint discoloration on one of the otherwise blemish-less columns catches his eye. Upon examining the area a bit more closely, it seems that it is a faint crimson color . . . someone's blood. It has been here for no more than an hour, but is barely visible due to the poor lighting. Moonlight is bad enough normally; the light rain is disrupting the lunar glow even further. Nogare's Awareness Check and Dodge Check both fail (4+4[Roll+INT], 5+4+5[Roll+INT+AGI]), as does Kasei's Dodge Check (4+1[Roll+INT]).

The Rebel Flame's Awareness Check, on the other hand, succeeds as well (17+1[Roll+INT]). As Kasei examines the area, he spots several more splotches heading in the direction that the group is going even now. It would seem that some injured soul, either Hakiem Assassin or Hylian Knight, traveled this path before them . . . and either one indicate this is probably the best way to go. A Hakiem would travel this path to try and reach the King so as to capture and/or kill him; a Knight would have walked this road to protect Harkinian to the very end, even if he was in pain.

As the group moves through the hall, the area once again turns into one of darkness as the windows vanish to be replaced by a fork in the path. A bit further south lies a doorway, and to the right lies another hallway that leads deeper into the castle. Veldam motions to the door. "Through there, and then we'll be but two rooms from the throne room."

But Lion stops in his tracks, mere feet from the entrance. Without making a sound, he slowly raises his left hand. Two fingers flash upward, followed by a firm shaking of his fist. Noval inhales sharply - the man has just signaled the number twenty. General Lion slowly backs away from the passageway, and Noval whispers frantically, "Twenty Hakiems?! Are you sure." Lion merely nods.

"Do you know what level they are?" Alpha asks. Lion shakes his head. That's not good, the Sheikah knows. For all they know, it could be 20 Hakiems L2, a near impossible force to defeat. Or it could be L5's, a simple task to take out. Just aim a good Elemental Explosion of Light . . . but things aren't that simple.

"Are there any ways around there?" Koura asks from a bit further back in the hallway. "An alternate route to the throne room or something?"

Noval sighs. "Indeed . . . but that will take time." If they're of the weaker levels, it would be a waste of time to bypass them, but if they're strong, it would be a waste of energy and manpower to charge inside recklessly. This is not the situation he was hoping to find himself in . . .

Abruptly, General Noval raises his hand and points . . . to Nogare. "Sir Blade," he says calmly, "which path do you believe we should take?" Despite what the man had said earlier, Noval recognizes that his heart is in the right place (though perhaps a little on the fanatical side). Hopefully Nogare will recognize the move of trust that the General is attempting to put forward, and not mistake it as some way of pressuring and humiliating him further - which is not Noval's intention at all.

Dogura also sensed the presence of Hakiems, but Lion's symbol must have meant something in sign language. Fang tilted his head. "What the the heck does th-" his loud voice was intercepted by Dogura, who had a hand tighly wrapped around the mage's lips. "You're going to get us caught before we have time to make a decision!" The samurai hissed, letting go of Fang. "Oh Din, and you were critical of Kasei for making noise..." Fang decided to ignore that last comment, and instead listened in on the covorsation taking place to the right of them. So the plan fell on Nogare's shoulders eh? Dogura thought, closing his eyes. Hopefully he'll make up for last time. May the goddessess be with your decision Nogare...

Wait, why does nogare get to choose? kasei thought to himself. He had thought that noval wouldn't trust nogare after beating him up...This is ridiculous! If I was in charge at least someone smart would make decisions, like me! kasei thought to himself...
"Heh, may the goddesses help us..." he whispers...