As you stroll through the plains of the Saria Lowlands, a large amount of shuffling, among other noises, draws your attention. As you stride ever closer to the source of the sounds, you realize they are some of Ganon's creatures.

Big Octo x3
STR - 8; DEF - 15; AGI - 6; INT - 3; SPI - 16; SPL - 20; HP - 40
Items:
Rock Cannon--Long-ranged, high-velocity rock fired out of snout with high precision. 10 base DMG, +5 chance to hit.


Tektite x4
STR - 4; DEF - 8; AGI - 6; INT - 1; SPI - 5; SPL - 1; HP - 21
Abilities:
Brotherhood – When in a group, Tektites receive +2 to STR, DEF, and SPI for each brother nearby.

Shigure hid near one of the large trees that dotted the area and spied the beasts that lurked in these parts. They were certainly more to deal with than the Octoroks he'd dealt with earlier today. Surely he'd have to wait for more allies to arrive in order to engage these enemies. While he'd never seen the giant squid-like monsters, Tektites were a common mountain enemy.

While easy to deal with alone, they're big trouble when they're in larger groups. Shigure was careful to remain quiet as he took a seated position against the trunk of the tree. He removed a good sized rock from his pack, and took a bite. As he chewed as quietly as one eating a rock could, he waited for more allies to appear. Surely they would- they hadn't failed in this regard as of yet.

OOC: We're gonna need a lot of help for this one.

OCC: Okay, I think it's time to use one of my official SPCs (Secondary Playable Character).

IC:
How the Gorons snuck up on the monsters were a bit of a mystery; they were, after all, one of, if not the, biggest humanoid races inhabiting Hyrule. One would have to suppose that the beasts were stupid.

Or perhaps the brown skins of the Goron was confused for patchs of earth. In which case, the monsters were definitely stupid; earth didn't move in that fashion.

Really, dark red should have been something of a giveaway in these lowlands, but why would someone complain about it if they went unnoticed?

This second Goron was a bit different than the first Goron who came on the scene. Although a bit different would be a bit of an understatement. This new Goron was lean in build, wearing a dark red, sleeveless dress that fall past the knees. The breasts also indicated that Helia Jaen was a female Goron. Which, in itself, should have been a big giveaway to her presence; after all, how many Goron women were seen outside of their mountain homes? Very, very, very, very few of them.

Miss Jaen's voice was something of a contradiction; it was deep, but still sounded feminine. "Hello, fellow Goron. I am Helia Jaen, from the mountains that separate Deku Woods and Parapa. I'm a bard, and if you want, I can play a song to lift the spirits before we begin battle."

Helia's Stats
Lv 7; HP 61; SPL 18; STR 5; DEF 16; AGI 3; INT 3; SPI 1
AC 19; Dagger, Boomerang, Bomb DMG 10
Call of Din L1; Will of Farore L1; Spirit of Nayru L1; Elegy for the Departed L1; Sonata of Restoration L1
Train: Boomerang L2 (+1 to hit)
Dig L1
Ocarina (+2 to stat bonuses)

Keychain breathed uneasily. Just seeing the sight of the creatures made her quiver. Her electrifying blue eyes darted around the area, examining every bit of it, hoping that there was some help around the area. She was in luck when she spotted the two Gorons.

She crept over, trying her best to not be noticed by Ganon's creatures. Uneasiness rumbled through her body as she approached the Gorons with slight hesitation. As Keychain came closer, she pulled her shoulders back. She made the fear disappear from her looks and a heated look to spark in her eyes. The ashy red hair of hers had been pulled back long ago and the short lengths of hair tickled at her neck. A staff was strapped against her back and a slingshot was attached to her belt. Two clear signs of her being a scholar.

"Excuse me," she said as she became close enough to not shout, her voice quivering with the fear that still hid inside of her. "I do believe that you will need some help. I can offer that help, if you would like." Keychain was, in fact, determined to help. It blazed above her fear. Even if the Gorons told her run off, she would stay and battle. Why would she leave? Keychain was not the type of woman to not offer her help, whether it was needed or not.

OoC: I'm actually REALLY new at these battles. I finally got the guts and decided to post. Truthfully, I still think I'm a noob.

Rosen found himself in the midst of companions as well as miscreants seeing as the sounds of visceral grunts were not too far from the plotting that characterized the two gorons and the stranger whose presence irked him. He'd imagine that the fight would hardly be short as the grandeur of the octoroks was narrated in the sheer size and girth of their stomachs as they churned stones like a maelstrom beneath their gut.

"Hrmph." Was the sound that accompanied his presence as he made himself visible to the warriors, of course, it surely must've been the size and age of the goron that was probably also a dead giveaway beneath the clear air. "I might be able to knock one of em out...makes it less likely for all of 'em to come atcha'." He bit is words, chewed them as they crumbled out from behind a lapping tongue and sore and callous lips that were scratched as if used to clean a blackboard.

"Don't know what you're going to do about the other two though." He said, never minding the tektites whose statures were nothing to worry about so long as lady luck hadn't stuffed the deck with her malicious intent.

"Suppose some bombs wouldn't be too bad with them other bugs."

"Hello, fellow Goron. I am Helia Jaen, from the mountains that separate Deku Woods and Parapa. I'm a bard, and if you want, I can play a song to lift the spirits before we begin battle."

Shigure could only wonder what a woman was doing in a place like this. The way Gorons of Death Mountain were raised, it was unheard of to let a Goronic woman join a battle. He decided that it must be different in the mountains between the Deku Woods and Parapa. "I'd be honored to hear your songs. But before you play anything, let's wait until we get a bigger army going." He shifted his weight before motioning for her to get a better look at what they were up against. "What are you doing all the way out here?" Before his question could be properly answered, a tiny voice found its way to Shigure's ears.

"Excuse me, I do believe that you will need some help. I can offer that help, if you would like."

Shigure lifted his arm and looked down at the girl who stood almost timidly next to him. "We'd absolutely love your help." He responded with a smile so warm that it could only be from a Goron. "In fact, even help as tiny as a Deku's would be a turning factor in the fight. We're going to need sheer numbers to bring enemies like this down. Well, at least without suffering any casualties or crippling injuries." Shigure heaved a sigh, and scratched at an itch that bothered his shoulder. "Din knows we certainly don't want any of that..."

"Hrmph."

"How are all you people sneaking up on me?" Shigure placed a massive hand over his face. "Do I keep failing awareness checks, or what? Curse this shoddy intelligence stat. I should have been a scholar."

"I might be able to knock one of em out...makes it less likely for all of 'em to come atcha'. Don't know what you're going to do about the other two though. "Suppose some bombs wouldn't be too bad with them other bugs."

"Good to have you aboard." Shigure noted remembering his manners. He seemed like an elderly guy, but he was happy to see more Gorons around Hyrule. The Goron could remember a time when Gorons rarely wandered far from the mountains. That time seemed long gone, however. Shigure could only smile as more and more people joined the cause. At the rate that they were destroying monsters, the south would be freed. "Can we agree that bombs would be the best way to enter this fight?" He asked quietly to the gathering forces.

"What are you doing all the way out here?"

The female Goron patted the long, wooden tube strapped to her back, an instrument known as a didgeridoo; it was the perfect instrument for Gorons to play as their lungs held plenty of air. The didge rested on top of a large boomerang that certainly would never fit into a Hylian's hand. "I came to share my music with the Hylians," came the simple reply.

"Can we agree that bombs would be the best way to enter this fight?"

"It is indeed a good way to start," Helia said. "I have brought a bag of our special crop with me. Never would I have thought that I would ever use it as a weapon, though.

"And if that doesn't work too well, maybe my boomerang will knock some sense into these foul beasts."

OoC: It took me a bit to collect my thoughts.

IC: Keychain sighed lightly. The sigh could have gone unnoticed, if no one was looking her way and did not see when she parted her lips, closed her eyes, and let out a large amount of air from her lungs. She then went to tugging at her hair. Thoughts rattled through her head as she frowned.

What could she do? Keychain did in fact know only a few spells, but she wondered how long she will be able to last with them. She did bring along both her staff and slingshot. Being more fond of her slingshot, Keychain thought that she would whip that out at a time that she needed it. But what about being smart and coming up with a plan rather than winging it? Well, so far, Keychain has never been good with plans, coming up with them on her own. It was embarrassing, but she might just have to rely on them for any kind of plan.

Wait, aren't fairies smaller than Dekus?

At that thought, Keychain could have slapped herself, but it would have seemed too comical.

"I am, um, a scholar, if that helps out any," she mumbled.

"Those tektites. They're dangerous in swarms, but easily knocked off...Rosen, I'll join you in bombing them. After the first bombs, I'm going to get in close and use my blade. Hopefully, those Octos will be the only thing left...magic is useless against them." Saber didn't bother introducing himself, preferring to get the battle over with as soon as possible. "We shouldn't need many bombs for the tektites...Shigure, perhaps you should try and smash those giant Octorok's defenses from the start. I think you and Rosen are going to be our best bet at hurting them, you're much stronger than I am."

Setting his satchels on the ground to lighten his load, he removed a bomb from its respective bag. "Hopefully, someone else will pass by this way...we're pretty far out there, though, so we could end up alone here."

Sabertache wrote:"Those tektites. They're dangerous in swarms..."

"ooOOOOooo... I know... I hate Tektites..." Shigure groaned as he began unwrapping his wrecking balls.

Sabertache wrote:"We shouldn't need many bombs for the tektites...Shigure, perhaps you should try and smash those giant Octorok's defenses from the start. I think you and Rosen are going to be our best bet at hurting them, you're much stronger than I am."

"Yeah, no doubt... It'll be a little tough to hit em in the right spot." He took another glance at the Big Octos. "I'll do my best, but there are no guarantees. Those creatures are bigger'n I am..." He looked again, measuring the danger of charging in alone. "Im'ma get chewed up and spit out if those bombs don't hit their marks right away. Din let your aim be true..." Shigure took a step forward and stared at the monsters.

"I've spent a majority of my life fighting... Fighting monsters on the front lines of war... I constantly toss myself into the fires of battle, and the good Goddess Din sees me through every time... I figure I must have a purpose... For your sakes in this battle? For history's sake in this war we're fighting? Or for a certain someone's sake...?" Shigure hurt deep inside for his longing for companionship. War was a bloody thing. He'd never tie a woman down to him... Making her suffer each time he leaves in the chance that he might not return. He stared dead ahead. Determined. "This is but one of the many battles we face- and only one in the many that lie ahead. With each skirmish we win, we cleanse the South a little more. Through our collected efforts, we'll take back this land! Let us stand tall- and yet again rise above the opposition. To arms men! Tonight, our bellies will be full with Octo meat!!"

[Leadership= Agility]

"Enough banter, brethren, before beasts we bludgeon!" He yelled in soaring rage, all the timidness of his age had gone asunder as every sun-dried ounce of flesh resonated and shook as his footsteps left his weight to bounce in his wake. Sword drawn and bomb at the ready, he whacked one to the center of the group of tektites whose breath stood silent in audience as the dancing flame that dove into the shell of his explosive whistled a swan song to lull his enemies to their earthly grave.

"Of all tactics, we should destroy these small things! Quickly! Hitherto!" He yelled as his voice berated the air around him in harsh cacophony, cutting the sounds in the jargon of age and a dietary meal plan of stones that stabbed and prodded his lungs and esophagus. Today would be one of the few days where Rosen sat in the comfort of the mind of a younger self whose chapters had yet to be written in the blood of his enemies.

OOC:I REFUSE TO WRITE IN ANOTHER BATTLE AFTER THIS UNTIL SARIA TOWN IS RESOLVED!

"Well, I guess we should get started then."

Taking after Rosen's lead, Sabertache struggled to light his bomb and throw it in there in time to match up with the Goron's. The shock of two explosions in a row would at the least disorient the creatures.

This is becoming quite the common strategy.

Lighting the fuse with a burst of magic, the mercenary crowhopped and threw the bomb as hard and low as he could, skidding to a halt a few feet from the other explosive. [Will=9]

HP: 44
SPL: 14
Will: 0

Rosen's bomb, somehow, is unable to damage a single Tektite (rolls were 14, 6, 1, and 4, you needed 15 to hit) though the explosion startles them and gets them jumping--right into the path of Saber's bomb, which detonates and deals 11 DMG to three of them.

In retaliation, two of the tektites go after Sabertache, and two after Rosen. Both manage to avoid the hopping arachnids, however, most likely due to the disorientation they recieved from the bomb assault. Seeing the danger their comrades were in, the Big Octos fire a volley at the adventurers, the large rocks careening into the trio. Sabertache and Shigure are hit, taking 18 DMG each, but the boulder marked for Rosen merely grazes his rocky back, leaving him unharmed.

Big Octo 1--40 HP
Big Octo 2--40 HP
Big Octo 3--40 HP
Tektite 1--10 HP
Tektite 2--10 HP
Tektite 3--21 HP
Tektite 4--10 HP

OOC: Might want to recant that statement, Julian...cause even if Saria Town gets some massive posting going in it, that place won't be resolved for a while...

OOC: Sorry, I wanted to get to this sooner but didn't get the chance.

IC: The battle started before Darilan got the chance to ready his weapon. Upon hearing Shigure's words, a shot of adrenaline rushed through his blood vessels, but they didn't motivate him in a positive sort of way as the Goron probably intended. Instead, the words that gave Din undue credit enraged him. The only reason the Goron survived this long was because he did a good job looking out for himself; Din had nothing to do with it. If the goddesses cared about helping the adventurers rid Hyrule of evil, they would have done more than given him a measly spell that couldn't destroy the likes of Wyndisis, who was powerful, but nothing compared to Ganon. Not to mention they allowed the Triforce to get into the wrong hands...

The bomb blasts brought him back to reality. When he saw that they missed most of the monsters, he remembered a poem that seemed to help the other adventurers fight better. He recited it. [L2 Epic Poem]

He tore through the underbrush, the sounds of battle drawing him forth from the shadows once more.

For so long had he hidden himself, content to let the world move along on its own path while he tried to recover from the haze of misery that overwhelmed South Hyrule. Now he returned to walk the grassy plains once more . . . only to have his attention [inevitably] drawn to the familiar tune of fighting - the brave inspirations of a Goron, the sound of explosions ripping through the air, the calm recital of a wondrous poem. It was the only tune that ever compelled him to dance, and even today he could not resist its pull.

Alright the elements of magic swirled about his fingertips, drawing on the energies that surrounded him - the fire of life, the water of the river, the light of the sun and shadows of the shade. He crested a hill and saw them, the creatures of Ganon, a beast he had long since abhorred. Numerous they were, and plenty powerful as well - perhaps fate had led him to this dance in particular, lest his skills be wasted on less deserving prey.

He threw his hands to the heavens, allowing the magic swirling about them to cascade outward and towards the battlefield, willing it to ignore the good Adventurers even as it smote the black-hearted monsters. And so it was that Alpha's voice once again rang out across the field of war: "Elemental Explosion!"