You have now reached Incinera Castle.

After leaving the Rift, and seemingly Hyrule as well, you step into a garden of sorts. On the ground is a shimmering brick, obviously the opening you exited. Beautiful Yew and Willow trees adorn the garden, along with different ferns and flowers. A large, gilded door set in white stone lies in front of you. To the left and right of it are expensive-looking stained glass windows depicting the sun and moon. The door has a picture of the symbol on the Twilight Medallion on it as well. You can hear birds chirping not too far away. The smell of fresh grass fills your nostrils... What a fine, warm day.

Hiro steps out of the rift.
Wow... The farther you warp, the more nauseated you feel... I hope Alpha and Blank will show up soon... I can't wait to see all my old friends again, but I also can't leave them behind...
He sits down next to a yew tree and sticks his iron sword into the soft earth. He looks at his reflection in the blade.
Hmm... So this is what I am now. My eyes... I can see all the hardships I've been through. Is this what people see when they look at me...? And this scar...
Hiro runs his hand down his left cheek. An X-shaped scar is on it.
It's been there since my father attacked me atop Death Mountain, but It looks new every time I see it. I hope they won't be worried...

Stumbling out of the Rift's portal several seconds after the Incineran, Alpha slowly clutches his stomach in nausea. 'What the heck is this . . . ? I never get this feeling when going through the Void . . .' A smirk crosses his lips, and the funny thought manages to ease the pain somewhat - for a few seconds. 'No, there I get the feeling that my life force is being quickly drained away. I'll take a stomachache over that any day of the week.'

Glancing around at the beautiful area in which they have found themselves - a courtyard, or garden of sorts? - the Sheikah once again draws his cape and hood up and around him to cover his features from sight. He has no reason to suspect that the Incinerans would have something against him, but he hasn't survived his kind of life by not playing it safe. Regardless of the warmth and hospitality that may be offered to him, Alpha is not one to give out his trust without due cause.

So he walks up to where the one person in this realm that is does have faith in sits, and joins him on the ground. "Alright, Hiro, what's the plan?"

Blank grinned as he stepped cautiously through the Rift and into Incinera. Somehow, traveling instantaneously from one point to a distant land was far less painful for him then he had originally assumed it would be. Comfortable, even. To Blank, the warp from Hyrule to Incinera was like floating on a cloud for days on end, despite the short period of time consumed between Rifts. His grin diminished as he looked in Alpha's direction, noticing the Sheikah's malcontent. The nomad made a mental note that strange methods of traveling were not best suited for everyone. In fact, Blank wondered just why the trio hadn't traveled by boat, rather than trudging across the kingdom in search of pretty stones.

Nonetheless, Blank did not voice his concerns. Instead he stretched and gazed curiously at the wondrous gardens of the castle. Incinera, to Blank, seemed quite like Hyrule, although the Hylian had only seen this one small area. He expected that like Hiro, the main population of the kingdom would be similar to his own race. After all, how many races of the world could possibly be alike as far as ears went? Blank breathed in the Incinera air, wondering just how far from "home" he was. Not that he missed Hyrule all too much just yet. The journey to Incinera was more of a well deserved vacation, and so he hoped that the hardships would be few.

Of course, Blank and Alpha were traveling with Hiro. He sighed inwardly, understanding that this was criteria enough for a perilous time. He cut his inhaling short and voiced what he believed to be the most immediately important of tasks on the Shardholders' 'To Do' list, in response to Alpha's inquiry. "Medicine first, I would say."

OOC: Merry Christmas, you two. My New Years resolution is to be more active, so I may as well get a head start on that XD

Alpha laughs merely at Blank's proposal, gladdened by the fact that the third member of the trio has also arrived safely, apparently feeling the best of the group after their sudden transit to Incinera. "You needn't worry about me, Blank," he assures the man. "I've gone through much worse than a mere stomachache - the Void is an inferno that makes that look like a walk through the heavens." His hand rises to support his chin as a new thought strikes him. 'But still, we could've still used the Void to get here . . . would've been a lot quicker, and Hiro and I both have Life Spells to rejuvenate ourselves and Blank . . .'

Oh well. What's done is done, and that's all there is to it. Besides, as a result he now knows that Gorodo is unfortunately alive. While he does hate the man's guts, the chances that he could prove useful sooner or later are rather large. Well, when the time comes, Alpha will be ready. And if he so much as whispers a word about Wraith . . . well, the Sheikah thinks with a cold, expressionless face as he turns away from the other two, he wasn't known as the world's greatest assassin for nothing.

With a sigh, he once again returns his crimson eyes back to his companions, now with a warmth in them. He resolves to remain focused on the mission at hand, not allowing the worries of his own life to trouble him until those revolving around Hiro and Hiree are resolved (though, he appends, getting the Thunder Shard will be a nice little reward for this task). He looks back to the Incineran, calmly awaiting a response to his previous question.

OOC: Good to see you again, Blank! That too is my New Year's resolution - ever since Twilight Princess came out, I've been on HA2 less and less . . . I really need to get FoG going again sometime . . .

OOC: Mine is to be eviller... lol
IC:
Hiro stands up. "It seems the time has come. After days of searching, the final stretch is upon us... Now we shall see if I remember my old home." Hiro grinned as he said that last sentence. It seems he is enjoying being in his old domain. As Hiro pushes open the large door, a low, loud creak sounds. "Follow me. I do not know how much it may have changed here... It could be dangerous"

Hiro leads you down a long hall. The walls are made of grey, chipped stone, in gothic architecture. A crimson rug runs through the middle of the floor. Incineran armor decorates the walls, with shields depicting things having much to do with dragons and flames. Hiro opens another door after at least thirty minutes of walking and turning. "It's a very big castle; Incinera is a very wealthy country. I sure wish I could have spent more time here..."

The door opens into a long dining hall. A golden throne with velvet red seats and glass ornaments is at the far end. The throne looks as if it were once a flaming chair, turned golden by the touch of a true artist. A very large mahogany table is in the middle of the room. The castle seems empty for such a room to be uninhabited. "Where is everybody? How much has changed!?" Hiro frantically runs out of the room to the north. He runs down a hall and leaves the castle.

A horrible scene... A giant rock, pointed on the bottom, holding a city upon it, hovers above the city. Small dragons with strange creatures fly about, shooting beams of darkness from their mouths. Thousands of Incinerans lie throughout the streets, bloodied and beaten. Some are mangled, some have gaping holes through their bodies. The city is in ruins. "Great Din, what is this!?" Hiro screams seeing this evil.

OOC: So far you seem to be doing a pretty good job at that, Hiro.

IC:
Alpha struggles somewhat to keep up with Hiro's constant moving as they wander through the castle. At the mention of Incinera's wealth, he pauses mentally. 'Yeah, no kidding, Hiro; this castle's vaster than any place I've ever been to. I don't know how you royalty can stand living in a place that takes more than a minute to travel from one end to the other . . .' But his danger sense is kept on a constant alert as they travel farther and farther from their original location. This place should be filled with people, but not a soul can be found . . . and nothing around is activating the Sheikah's scar . . . so what could be going on? For a second Alpha considers that perhaps they're planning a surprise party for 'Prince' Hiro's return, but he quickly dismisses the idea. A mere surprise has never caused him to worry this much.

Bursting outside right on the Incineran's tail, Alpha gets the answer to his question. The bodies of hundreds of thousands of citizens lying all around, the Sheikah can scarcely breath. Malevolence permeates the air, or at least, that's how it seems to him. Spotting the dragons flying around the airborne city above them, Alpha quickly asks, "What the heck is that?!"

Even before the question is finished being asked, Alpha's hand moves to his chest, drawing forth the Earth Shard from within in clothing. He quickly raises his hand, intending to create a floating platform of soil that they can fly around the city on.

"This is... Nerrogath... The unstoppable castle in the sky... But why has it come to Incinera!? Alpha, Blank, we must retreat to the castle! No magic may penetrate its walls!" Beams of darkness erupt from the dragon's mouths. Thousands of black beams darken the sky. They all hit the castle, but seemingly, go through TEF as soon as they make contact... Hiro runs inside, leaving Alpha and Blank to death should they not follow.

OOC: TEF (Total Existence Failure):n. The failure or ceasing of an object to fully exist in reality.
Hope that helps.

Blank had just been about to draw swords and attempt to combat the colossal dragon. This would be overly foolhardy, however, and Blank's Hylian Intelligence (although usually invisible) proved to be sensible. "Nerrogath, floating city in the sky" He wondered exactly what Hiro was thinking, but to a greater confusion. "Why indeed."

The nomad was unfamiliar with the concept of Total Existence failure. All he knew at this point was that the sensation was a positive one for the three adventurers, and it was probably all that was keeping Incinera Castle intact. The Incineran race must have been an intelligent one to be arming their castle with a force like T.E.F.

Following Hiro's example, Blank turned and made a full sprint for the castle, not wanting to be fried by whatever dark magic this dragon was expelling. The shardholders had come this far, to a faraway land, and the last thing they needed was an untimely demise before they could be given the full tour.

"An unstoppable city?" Alpha questions quietly, even as the dragons' beams fly forth, threatening to bombard into them and erase them from existence. The Sheikah member of the group stands fast even as their deaths attempt to reach them prematurely, staff in hand as if that could any good. But he knows that that won't do any good - their best chance lies within the castle from which they have just emerged, which seems to have some sort of defense against these attacks.

Hearing both Blank and Hiro turning back and racing to the entrance, Alpha nods in confirmation and readies himself for his own retreat. But just to be safe, he takes an extra second before leaving the area to prepare a defense. They need to be ready in case a stray beam manages to hit them, after all. Lifting his hands up slowly, as if lifting some great weight, he utilizes the Earth Shard and calls forth a mountain of earth to rise up above them.

As the wall of dirt completes its ascent, Alpha turns and makes his retreat. The wall moves closely behind him as he runs. There's no telling how effective this earthen shield will be if one of the beams actually does find them, but Alpha would rather be safe than sorry.

Just as Alpha's wall had closes, a beam strikes it head-on. Chunks of earth fly in all directions, scattering among the rubble of the Castle's outer buildings. The searing heat of the beam is felt by the three adventurers. Hiro closes the door of the Castle, sealing the boundary of life and death for the Shardholders.

"Damn... Just when I thought it was over... I suppose you're both wondering what the hell Nerrogath is? East of Incinera, past the Tenoblen Mountains, lies the wastelands. The Evil King Damien used to rule it. After a great war was fought between him and my father, the capital city, Nerrogath, arose and hovered in the skies for a very long time. Only recently have my scouts reported attacks by this, and I feared that it may come to Incinera City. It had destroyed 3 cities before now, but I was sure the TEF shield would protect us! It seems that this almighty force has decimated it. We can only hope the Castle will hold. Put simply, it's not something you'd want on your pancakes, that's certain."

Behind you, a voice is heard. Turning around, you see a ruddy-looking man with blonde hair and dark yellow eyes. He has many small scars, but one of them stands out above all the rest. His left eye has a scar running over it, and there is no pupil on it at all. His accent sounds like that of a battle-hardened soldier.

"Seems yer in trouble, eh Hiro? That city sure is a tough 'un. Can't break through it with my Thunder."

"Tak! What are you doing here?? I was almost sure you'd perish fighting Nerrogath, considering yourfighting style!"

"Eh, shut up, you know I'd beat ya in any fair match. Anywho, who are these guys? Friends of yours?" He turns toward Alpha and Blank. "I'm Tak. Nice to meet ya."

Alpha ducks into the doorway as quickly as possible, hearing chunks of his earthen wall bombarding the entrance as Hiro shuts it behind him. The Sheikah turns to look back to the closed doors, wondering what would happen if he was hit by one of the blasts, and trying to figure out ways that he could survive it . . . and there aren't many options. 'Best choice would probably be to make myself a living portal to the Void again . . . though I should definitely try to avoid that at all costs . . .'

The new voice heard from behind whips Alpha back around, as he comes face-to-face with the man who, according to his words and Hiro's, is the one that Alpha himself was especially hoping to find: Tak, bearer of the Shard of Thunder. The Sheikah's grip tightens on his own staff as he thinks of what he could do with that kind of power in his hands. 'The ability to use Rohtric's powers at any time would be quite invaluable; my power could increase ten times over with that Shard.' He grins. 'That . . . would certainly be an interesting experience,' he thinks, with a mental chuckle.

"So, you are Tak," Alpha says in a friendly manner, "the wielder of the Thunder Shard." This time his laugh is in an audible form. "I was especially hoping to find you here. I go by the name of Alpha. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Alpha. I suppose Hiro has filled you both in on who has what shard then? Well I know something he doesn't..." Tak says mysteriously.

To this Hiro replies, "What? You know something I do not? Spit it out, man!" Hiro points his sword at Tak's throat menacingly. It was a bluff, and a good one at that. Many a Incineran would back down at that particular moment, fearful of an iron end. Too bad Tak knows Hiro too well.

"Oh, come off it. I know you'd never do it." Tak called Hiro's bluff. "But I'll tell ya anyway. Ya see, when I was exploring the Dragon's Keep in the southern Incineran Forest, I found this flat rock with words written in a language I never saw in my life. I did a little reading and I found out that this language came from a southern country. I can't quite remember the name, though... Mydule or something like that... I came here to get a boat to take me there and found that monstrosity killing everyone, so I grabbed as many people as i could hid in the castle. They're all in the dungeon being treated with that Arty Magic stuff."

"There's survivors!?" Hiro exclaimed, hopeful again at the prospect of seeing his friends again. "And this 'Mydule' place, might it be 'Hyrule'?"

"Yeah! That's what it was! Anyway, this language is supposedly a different dialect that most Hyruleans might speak. I don't know who to look for..." Tak looked at Alpha. "You, shadowy guy, Alpha, is it? You don't look Incineran, or even like anyone I've seen from Incinera Major. Where are you from?" He then looks at Blank. "I've seen someone who looked a little like you, but I can't remember where he came from... Are you Hyrulean?"

Blank backed away as Hiro pointed his sword at Tak, but even he knew that the Incineran would not dare hurt the man. Sure, the thought came to mind that maybe Hiro would run him through, but such a thought was refuted by an easygoing "Nah." Blank's good thoughts of his ally proved correct when it became obvious that it was only a bluff between friends.

He remained silent, going over Tak's story in his head. Mydule, to Blank, sounded an awful lot like Hyrule, and the nomad had never in all his life heard of such a country. He silently confirmed that Tak - likely having very little knowledge of foreign countries - had made the mistake of simply getting the kingdom's name wrong. With this thought in mind, he realized that the shardholders had moved far to the north after having stepped into the Rift. Before he had met Hiro, Incinera was not a land that he knew of, so it was his his best guess that the fiery kingdom was located a great distance north of Hyrule.

He also identified the dragon in the story as Carnax. The ferocious beast had arrived when Hiro and Blank were doing battle with a man named Zartyn, who claimed to be the heir to the great Ganondorf. Blank could not help but chuckle in silent recollection of Hiro's many insults on that mysterious man (and he also wondered what had happened to him). It was at that battle that Hiro lost his Fire shard. The Hylian remembered seeing the dragon for the first time; it was a fearful sight.

Snapping back to the present, Blank felt obliged to reveal to Tak that he was indeed a Hylian. He smiled warmly - perhaps do to the climate - and nodded his head excitedly. "Aye, I'm a Hylian. That dialect is probably Ancient Hylian, which I am partially fluent in; I don't know why I am, it just seems to be a genetic talent." When Tak had asked Alpha where he hailed from, Blank too became curious, but he knew that it was hardly the time to be learning more about the mysterious Sheikah.

"I suppose you'd like me to do a bit of translating for you?" asked Blank, still smiling. "Well, that's no problem. Because talking to complete strangers in ancient dialects is what Blank Fireside does best! Show me the way!"

Alpha grins at Tak. "I'm Sheikah; we're referred to as the Shadow Folk sometimes, so your description of me is fairly accurate." He nods to Hiro. "And it's true that he's told us the names of the Shard Holders too. Yours stood out in my mind, though, because it appears we both prefer the element of lightning."

Hearing Blank's comment about the possibility of this stone in question being written in Ancient Hylian, Alpha grins further. "I too am proficient in that language . . . just something I . . . picked up over the years." 'Or perhaps it's Pre-Ancient Hylian . . . that'd certainly be interesting,' he adds thoughtfully in his head.

Tak laughs. "Well, I guess you've got some good friends there, Hiro. To tell the truth, there are two tablets. I'll show you to them." Tak directs you to yet another gilded door. This leads through yet another hallway. While you walk, Tak tries to make conversation with Alpha. "So you prefer thunder, huh? Kinda peculiar that you would use the Earth. After all, they are opposites... And then again, something is changing in the Shardholders' destiny, I am sure of it..." Adorning the walls are many portraits of past kings and queens. "It is in here," Tak says whilst you enter a shrine.

It's a square room, with a bridge leading towards an altar. Under the bridge is steaming red water. It couldn't be lava because it's much too thin. The red is a very bright, pure one. The stone making up the walls and altar is just-below-shining white. Atop the altar is a red banner with the Incineran Family Crest drawn on it and two thick golden picture frames. Within these are two tablets which hold certainly Ancient Hylian letters. Beside the altar are two simple torches.

"Don't touch the water. It's quite hot." Hiro states, no matter how obvious it must have been. Hiro walks to the altar and peers at the tablets. "That looks Hylian to me, but Ancient is too old. I guess it's up to you guys." There is plenty of room for the four to stand upon the platform holding the altar. And then... A loud crash is heard. "They must have broken in through the door! We don't have much time!"