The Hyrulean fields were cloaked in the darkness of night as you reach your destination. The chilly night air was not enough to be considered cold, but it was just enough to be uncomfortable if you stood there for too long. At first glance, there is nothing unusual about this area at all - there is absolutely no indication that any sort of hideout or lair should be anywhere nearby. But Regis had been clear; there was no doubt that this was the place you were supposed to be. As you get closer, you see a hooded figure huddled by the cliff face. He - for it is indeed Regis - pulls down his hood as you approach and gives you a grim nod, not saying a word.

Orpheous surprisingly approached the destination from the west. He came out of the darkness, a dim ball of light appearing before he could really be spotted. In his right hand, he used his staff as a kind of walking stick. His left hand had conjured something similar too an Elemental Burst - Light, acting like a kind of lantern in the night. He was careful not to let the magical light shine too brightly, thus the light was very dim. It wouldn't do right to tip off the thieves before they performed their stealthy invasion. He got a bit closer before he spotted Regis, and he immediately withdrew his hand, banishing the light back. His eyes quickly adjusted to the night, and he was soon able to make out out all the grim features on Regis' face. It was five 'til midnight now. He was still seven meters away, but he soon closed that gap to a meter. His eyes shined with Ochre brilliance in the night. "Hey, it's Orpheous," said the cloaked man to Regis, throwing his hood back as well to confirm his identity.

"I had some business to attend to in the south-west area of the South Greens, so I left the Castle as soon as I got your message. You'll have to forgive me if I look disheveled, I haven't had the amenities of home for two days." Indeed, he did look more scraggly than usual. "How have you been these last nine days, and where is your companion?" Orpheous inquired. Orpheous wondered if the companion wasn't already present though, after all a Fairy could fit inside one's pocket and a Sheikah could just blend into the very shadows. Perhaps the companion was already amongst them. "And speaking of companions, have you-"

Orpheous was too startled to continue. Pepper sprung out from behind a nearby rock a few meters behind Regis and in Orpheous' line of view. She was dressed in a blue jerkin and a green skirt, but the jerkin seemed a bit darker than the last one she was wearing and the skirt seemed far more combat worthy. "Heya guys!" she called out in a lower than necessary whisper. She came up by them, once again about a meter away. "I just got here. I'm so excited! I haven't done anything like this in a while." Out of the three, Pepper seemed to be the only one cheerful. She wasn't as peppy as she was back at the tavern, probably because she realized how serious the task at hand was, but it seemed even that couldn't stop her bright disposition.

OOC: This time away from writing made me rusty again, I suspect. But I think we're getting off to the right start. Can't wait for the next reply and to see who the companion is.

"How have you been these last nine days, and where is your companion?"

Regis let out a weary sigh. "It's been taxing, to say the least. It proved much more difficult than I had thought to trail these thieves without them noticing - I actually had a pretty close scare yesterday. Thought for sure they were going to find me out... but they didn't, and we're here, so I'd like to get this over with." He was lacking some of his light-hearted cheer that had accompanied him at the Tavern. Now there could be no doubt - this was an experienced man who knew his business. "As for the other man joining us, he should be here shortly." He said, glancing around.

When Pepper showed up, Regis was momentarily startled, and his hand went to his sword hilt - but he relaxed a bit once he realized who it was.

"You seem rather optimistic, Pepper. More than I am, anyway... if our fourth man doesn't show up soon, we may just have to continue on without him... which we could probably do, but I'd be more comfortable if we had some more people with us." He shifted his weight on his feet and cast his eyes around the dark fields around them once more.

Edit: Could you give me Orph and Pepper's stats and stuff, in a condensed form, item boosts and skill boosts and everything included? I know most of Orph's stuff is in your signature but I don't know Pepper's, and it'd be more convenient to have it all here in the topic. Let me give an example.

Regis:

71 HP, 11 SPL, 9 Will, 25 AC
5 STR, 17 DEF, 8 AGI, 3 INT, 1 SPI
1h sword - 10 dmg, +8 cth
bow - 12 dmg, +8 cth
bomb - 10 aoe dmg, +8 cth

Also, to help me out, it'd be great if you could give a condensed stat update when you use an ability or something. For example, if Regis used Helm Splitter, I would note in parenthesis (-3 enemy DEF). If he equipped his shield, I would note (+2 DEF, total 27). Or if he used a skill that required an innate check, I would denote [innate check] along with the skill. This'll just make everthing easy and streamlined for me haha

OOC: This will kind of be a longer post, just because I'm including all of Orpheous' and Pepper's talents, stats, and damage their can deal (and their equipment).

IC: Orpheous nodded as Regis explained himself. Orpheous was curious who their fourth team member would be, but he would just have to wait. "I'm sorry to hear that you've been kept so on edge, just as I'm sorry to hear about your close call. I'm sure you'll be able to rest easier once we've put this behind us. I'd like to get this over with too. The sooner we can retrieve this artifact, the sooner I will be able to rest.

Pepper simply gave a genuine beaming smile. "I don't mind waiting if it means meeting new people. Plus, I'm sure four heads would be better than three," she commented. With that, she started stretching herself out - making sure she was limber for the work ahead. She hummed a tune to herself as she did so.

OOC:

Orpheous

Name:Orpheous
Current Level:14
Race: Human
Class:Scholar//Scribe
Alignment: Neutral
Gender: Male
Age: Somewhere in his forties, looks to be in his fifties
Primary Weapon: Deku Staff
Secondary Weapon: Deku Slingshot

Stats
HP: (base) 20 + (Exceptional Health L2) 30 + (SPI) 6 = 56
STR: (base) 1 + (Goron Strength L2) 2 = 3
DEF: (base) 2 + (racial modifier) 3 = 5
AGI: (base) 1 + (Deku Agility L2) 2 = 3
INT: (base) 3 + (Hylian Intelligence L2) 2 = 5
SPI: (base) 3 + (Garlund Amulet) 3 = 6
SPL : Level (14) x Base Class (3) + SPI (6) = 48

Talents (29 Out of 31 Spent)
Leadership L1 - 2
Hylian Intelligence L2 - 2
Goron Strength L2 - 2
Learn: Life L1 - 2
Train: Boomerang L1- 2
Learn: Elemental Burst L2 - 4
The Quill is Mightier than the Sword L1 - 2
Epic Poem L2 - 3
Exceptional Health L2 - 4
Master of Linguistics L1 - 1
Deku Agility L2 - 2
Learn: Fire L1 - 2
Train: Slightshot L1 - 1

Equipment:
Deku Staff
Deku Boomerang
Gerudo Training Glove
Scroll of Fire
Scroll of Elemental Burst
Scroll of Life
L1 Tunic
Bomb Bag
Ammo Bag
Ember Seed

Defense Rating: (DEF) 5 + (L1 Tunic) 10 + (AGI) 3 = 18

DMG
Deku Staff: (base) 9 + (STR) 3 = 12
Spell Damage: (caster's level) (14) + (base class) 3 + (INT) 5 = 22
Deku Boomerang: (base) 4 + (STR) 3 + (Gerudo Training Gloves) 1 = 8
Deku Slingshot: (base) 5 + (STR) 3 + (Gerudo Training Gloves) 1 = 9
-Ember Seed Shot: (base and STR) 8 + (Ember Seed Bonus) 5 + (Gerudo Training Gloves) 1 = 14 (fire-type damage)
Bomb: (base) 5 + (STR) 3 = 8

Pepper Pinkerton

Name: Pepper Pinkerton
Race: Sheikah
Class: Vagabond/Bard
Alignment: Neutral
Level: 14
Gender: Female
Age: Appears to be in mid-twenties
Primary Weapon: Deku Dagger
Secondary Weapon: Deku Boomerang

Stats
STR: (base) 2
DEF: (base) 1
AGI: (base) 3 + (racial modifier) 3 + (Deku Agility L3) 3 = 9
INT: (base) 3
SPI: (base) 1 + (Zora Spirit L3) 3 + (Garlund Amulet) 3 = 7
HP: (base) 30 + (SPI) 7 + (Exceptional Health L2) 30 = 67
SPL: [(Level x Base Class)] 14 x 2 + (SPI) 7 + (Exceptional Spell L3) 30 = 65

Talents (31 Out of 31 Spent)
Deku Agility L3 - 4
Zora Spirit L3 - 4
Exceptional Spell L3 - 6
Exceptional Health L2 - 4
Train: Boomerang L1 - 1
Learn: Jump L1 - 1
Sprint L1 - 2
Play: Will of Farore L2 - 3
Play: Elegy of the Departed L1 - 3
Play: Sonata of Restoration L1 - 1
Play: Call of Din L1 - 1
Play: Spirit of Nayru L1 - 1

Equipment:
Deku Dagger
Deku Boomerang
Ocarina
L1 Jerkin
Scroll of Jump
Garlund Amulet
Gerudo Training Gloves
Candle
Bomb Bag

Defense Rating: (DEF) 1 + (L1 Jerkin) 12 + (AGI) 9 = 22

DMG
Deku Dagger: (base) 5 + (STR) 2 = 7
Deku Boomerang: (base) 4 + (STR) 2 + (Gerudo Training Gloves) 1 = 7
Bomb: (base) 5 + STR (2) = 7

EDITED: To accommodate for Leth's observation last post, I fixed the defense ratings.

EDITED SECOND EDITION: Noticed some mistakes in the stat details. Wanted to straighten them up.

OoC: Final Defense Rating includes Def AND Agi. Fun fact.

Several minutes passed, and Regis was getting anxious.
"Okay." He finally said, breaking the silence. "I don't want to wait around any longer. Let's get this show on the road."
So saying, he approached the cliff face, and began running his hands over the rough earthen wall.
"Now... I believe it's around here somewhere..." He mumbled to himself. "Ah-ha!" He pressed his hand against a stone set into the wall, and it clicked as it shifted back ever so slightly. A moment of silence passes, and then a section of the cliff wall about as wide as a set of double doors rumbles and groans as it slowly slid into the ground, revealing an entrance to a dark hall. Regis allowed himself a small smile as he turned to Orpheous and Pepper.
"Well, my friends... shall we?"

Pepper's heart burst as she heard Regis use the world "friend." She was hoping she had left the impression that she could be a friendly, reliable person. Then again, it was also possible that he simply needed some term to address them both by, so she tried not to get too excited. But, to the matters at hand, Pepper than remembered there was a dark hall in front of them now, leading into the base of the thieves. She readied a Candle, but before she lit the wick, she looked to Regis. "Should we brighten up our journey, or would that ruin the element of surprise?" she inquired, in a hushed whisper.

Orpheous too was curious how they planned to see. Their eyes might adjust, but perhaps not quick enough to see any sort of traps hidden in the passage. It might be better to travel with a light. "I think we might want to exercise caution from this point on, especially if we travel down that hall with nothing lighting our path." Orpheous realized it was obvious to point out that they needed to use caution, but he felt it worth saying none-the-less.

OOC: I think that's all I wanted to do with this post. I'll send a PM or edit the post if I think it needs to be changed before your reply. And if you've already replied by then, I can run with that too.

"Some light may be a wise idea." Regis said. "There shouldn't be too many people here - I'm fairly confident most of the gang is away on a raid. Anyway, we'd be pretty useless if we can't see anything. Although, if memory serves me right... I remember this room being lit when I last saw them leave. There should be a way to light up the room... a torch or something."
So saying, he reached down to his sides and pulled his swords from their sheaths, and looked over at Pepper.
"Well, let's see what's waiting for us. Light 'er up!"

Orpheous gave a curt nod. "It makes sense that it would be lit. Most thieves operate in the dark. Without natural lighting, they'd have to walk around their own base in the dark. If they have traps set, they'd want to be able to at least see them."

Pepper didn't waste any time. Immediately, she produced her tinderbox and set down her candle. She opened it and grabbed the flint in one fluid gesture. She struck the flint onto the small piece of iron (iron being a fairly valuable commodity that nobody carried too much, especially just to start their fires) with a frenzied motion. Sparks fell into her tinder, and she finessed the sparks to produce a flame. She took a twig out of her tinder and let the candle before blowing out her fire and putting her box back. She picked up her candle again and began to lead the way into the dark. She held it firmly in front of her, and tried to not block too much of the light, so that her companions could see. She glanced about, looking carefully for anything out of place [Awareness Check]. "How's this?" she asked, in a whisper.

Orpheous took up his positioning behind Regis, knowing that his lack of swift feet should dictate that the stay far back, far from any quick springing traps. He felt he might have a strong chance of locating them. But dodging them would not be something he'd be good at. So he tried to look past Pepper to see ahead of her to keep looking for traps too [Awareness Check].

As Pepper's torch ignited and cast it's dim light about the room, she and Orpheous immediately noticed several things.

1) It was an almost completely empty, square-shaped room. There was no furniture, no garbage laying around, nothing to indicate that this was a room that people hung around in. There didn't even appear to be any tripwires, or pressure plates, or traps of any kind. There was nothing in this room, except for:

2) Two unlit braziers in the back corners of the room, which Orph and Pepper could just make out in the dim light of her torch, and another door at the far end of the room. Oh yeah, and one more thing -

3) Two pairs of beady green-glowing eyes that peered at them from the far side of the room from underneath dark hoods, their figures obscured by the large cloaks that covered their bodies and the faint shadows that still clung to the far edges of the room.

"Garo ninjas!" Regis called out as he noticed them as well, adopting a fighting stance. Immediately, the two ninjas leaped, quite literally, into action, jumping across the room towards the three heroes, blades at the ready.

Garo Ninja
STR - 3; DEF - 6; AGI - 8; INT - 5; SPI - 1; SPL - 4; HP – 30
Garo Swords – two small, curved blades. Base DMG: 2 each
Garo Swiftness - the Garo Ninja can attack with both of it's weapons against one opponent in the same turn

OoC: A battle already?! You better believe it.

<center>~~~Rolls~~~</center>
Pepper Awareness Check: 18+3 = 21 vs. 10 (Pass)
Orpheous Awareness Check: 4+2+5 = 11 vs. 10 (Pass)

OOC: No problem with that. Battles are good with me. Let me know if you need me to add the stats to this post later, or if you want me to put the stats in in the next posts.

IC:

Orpheous readied his Deku staff. This battle needed to be quick and decisive. The longer they fought, the more noise they would make. If they made too much noise, reinforcements would show up. He contemplated using magic for a second, but realized that he might not have access to gain his magical energy back after expending it. If there was nothing to refresh his pool of energy, then they might be in trouble later. He remembered Garo's to be speedy, so he wasn't sure if he'd hit his combatant. If the ninja was too fast, he'd come up with another battle plan soon. All the while, he was rushing to the enemy. He brought his staff around in an arc to strike the center of the left Garo's mass - the torse [Attack - Deku Staff].

Pepper meanwhile bounced towards the the Garo on the right. It was unclear what she was thinking. But there seemed to be a glint of mischief in her eyes. Mischief and something else. If Orpheous was observing her at the moment, it would have chilled him to the soul. Once she got close enough, she sprang forward, attempting to avoid the ninja's blade, but not particularly trying too hard. She brought her Deku dagger jabbing towards the Garo's chest - as though trying to stab his heart [Attack - Deku Dagger].

OOC: I was kind of rushed while writing this. I'll try to check it on my phone and if I see anything that needs editing, I'll edit it.

As soon as the first Garo ninja entered the range of Orpheous' staff, it was already swinging around in it's painful trajectory right to the stomach of the... creature? Man? It was kind of unclear what exactly these things are. Nevertheless, Orph's staff found it's mark dealing a solid 12 Damage to Garo Ninja #1.

At the same time, Pepper moved to strike the other one in a whimsical, hard-to-predict movement. The uneasy playfulness with which she approached her target may have temporarily unsettled the Garo, for her dagger easily caught it right between the ribs, dealing 7 Damage to Garo Ninja #2.

Regis also sprung into action, swinging his two shortswords at the closest enemy - Garo Ninja #2. However, having just been hit with Pepper's dagger seems to have shaken off whatever hesitation it had at first, and it was back in combat mode. The Garo, living up to it's ninja name, was able to sidestep just in time, Regis' blades missing by a hair's breadth.

The Garo Ninja didn't waste any time after sidestepping the Mercenary's swords, and it immediately brought it's two blades across his body in an x-shaped slashing motion directly at Regis - but perhaps the mercenary had not entirely failed in his attempt to attack the Garo, for one of Regis' swords had managed to pierce through the Garo's robe, causing it to catch on one of it's arms as it swung at Regis, and threw it off balance. The Garo Ninja stumbled and fell forward into a heap on the floor, one of it's blades coming loose from it's hands and sliding across the floor, out of reach.

Unfortunately, the other Garo Ninja had a bit more success - after taking a direct hit to the abdomen from Orpheous just moments before, it feinted a stumble, as if staggering from the blow, but quickly spun around in the opposite direction, both blades slicing horizontally through the air and catching the Scholar across the chest, dealing 10 Damage to the unsuspecting Scribe.

"Quick little bastards, aren't they?" Regis said through gritted teeth.



<center> ~Status~</center>
Orpheous: 46/56 HP, 48/48 SPL
Pepper: 67/67 HP, 65/65 SPL
Regis: 71/71 HP, 11/11 SPL
Garo Ninja 1: 18/30 HP
Garo Ninja 2: 23/30 HP, partially disarmed

<center> ~Rolls~ </center>
Orpheous' Staff: 17+3 = 20 vs. 14
Pepper's Dagger: 12+9 = 21 vs. 14
Regis' Swords: 5+8 = 13 vs. 14
Garo 2: 1 = Crit Fail
Garo 1: 17+8 = 25 vs. 18

OOC:

Orpheous
STR-3; DEF-5; AGI-3; INT-5; SPI-6; HP-46/56; SPL-48; WILL-9
DMG
Deku Staff: (base) 9 + (STR) 3 = 12
Spell Damage: (caster's level) (14) + (base class) 3 + (INT) 5 = 22
Deku Boomerang: (base) 4 + (STR) 3 + (Gerudo Training Gloves) 1 = 8
Deku Slingshot: (base) 5 + (STR) 3 + (Gerudo Training Gloves) 1 = 9
-Ember Seed Shot: (base and STR) 8 + (Ember Seed Bonus) 5 + (Gerudo Training Gloves) 1 = 14 (fire-type damage)
Bomb: (base) 5 + (STR) 3 = 8
Equipment
Deku Staff
Deku Boomerang
Gerudo Training Glove
L1 Tunic
Garlund Amulet
Bomb Bag
Ammo Bag
Ember Seed (Ammo)
Abilities
Leadership L1 - 2
Learn: Life L1 - 2
Train: Boomerang L1- 2
Learn: Elemental Burst L2 - 4
The Quill is Mightier than the Sword L1 - 2
Epic Poem L2 - 3
Master of Linguistics L1 - 1
Learn: Fire L1 - 2
Train: Slightshot L1 - 1
Defense Rating
(DEF) 5 + (L1 Tunic) 10 + (AGI) 3 = 18

Pepper Pinkerton
STR-2; DEF-1; AGI-9; INT-3; SPI-7; HP-67; SPL-65; WILL-9
DMG
Deku Dagger: (base) 5 + (STR) 2 = 7
Deku Boomerang: (base) 4 + (STR) 2 + (Gerudo Training Gloves) 1 = 7
Bomb: (base) 5 + STR (2) = 7
Equipment
Deku Dagger
Deku Boomerang
Ocarina
L1 Jerkin
Garlund Amulet
Gerudo Training Gloves
Candle
Bomb Bag
Abilities
Train: Boomerang L1 - 1
Learn: Jump L1 - 1
Sprint L1 - 2
Play: Will of Farore L2 - 3
Play: Elegy of the Departed L1 - 3
Play: Sonata of Restoration L1 - 1
Play: Call of Din L1 - 1
Play: Spirit of Nayru L1 - 1
Defense Rating
(DEF) 1 + (L1 Jerkin) 12 + (AGI) 9 = 22

IC:

Orpheous reeled back from being attacked by two very sharp swords. It had been a while since he had been attacked outside of a friendly sparring match. It had been even longer since his flesh had been sliced upon with a sword. He focused the pain into a drive of revenge. While he knew revenge was not in general a healthy pursuit, for the simple purpose of combat against an enemy he knew would be vanquished soon, he was sure he could afford the negative emotion's drawbacks if only to take up its benefits.

Recovering his wits about himself, he spoke back to his companion, "Hopefully not quick enough." He drove his staff again towards the Garo that had harmed him - the first Garo he had attacked. He couldn't get as much of an arc to his swing, given that they were already in close proximity. Instead, he opted to jab for the Garo's neck. He was sure the strength of revenge would make up for the lack of swing [Attack - Deku Staff at Garo Ninja 1].

Pepper gave a slight chuckle at the fact that none of the Garo Ninjas thought to attack her. Perhaps she gave them a bit of a freight with that manic glint in the eye earlier. She wasted no time though, and decided that the Garo Ninja that landed an attack on her friend had to pay. She readied her dagger and sprang towards the ninja that Orpheous was currently trying to jab. She sliced with her dagger, making a slightly angled down from the horizontal plane slash closer to the ground. Obviously, she was attempted to get the backs of the Garo's legs, right around where the knee joint might be on a man [Attack - Deku Dagger at Garo Ninja 1].

Whether it was due to his injury, or the close proximity of his target, was unclear - but for one reason or another Orpheous just wasn't quite able to get enough power into his attack to deal any lasting damage. The end of his staff connected with Garo Ninja 1's upper chest - not exactly where Orpheous had been aiming - and succeeded only in pushing it back a bit. Pleased at it's success with disrupting Orpheous' attack, the cloaked assailant took another step back and drew it's swords across it's body, ready to lunge forward and strike Orpheous again, when Pepper intervened. Just as the Garo was about to strike, Pepper's dagger sunk deep into it's leg, causing it to stumble forward in a disturbingly human-like scream of pain, and dealing 7 damage.

Meanwhile Regis, seeing Orpheous and Pepper ganging up against one Garo Ninja, decided to take advantage of the temporarily - handicapped Garo Ninja 2. Regis turned around, towards the fallen Garo, and brought both of his swords down upon the hapless Garo, who was scrambling to return to it's feet. As the Garo stood, Regis' blades caught it right across the shoulder, dealing 20 damage.

Enraged, and realizing that it's reaching the end of it's rope, Garo Ninja 2 swung out with it's only remaining sword in an attempt to defend itself, but Regis is easily able to sidestep the erratic attack, causing to the Garo to wildly miss.

Garo Ninja 1, at the same time, had turned around to face it's newest assailant - Pepper. Furious at being caught off guard and interrupted, it slung both of it's swords at her. But Pepper, with the odd glint in her eye and twinge of a smile in the corners of her mouth, also was able to nimbly jump out of the way of the whirling blades. Was she... playing with these Garo Ninjas? Regis suddenly found himself wondering who exactly she was, and where she learned to fight with such expertise.

<center>~Stats~</center>
Orpheous: 46/56 HP, 48/48 SPL
Pepper: 67/67 HP, 65/65 SPL
Regis: 71/71 HP, 11/11 SPL
Garo Ninja 1: 11/30 HP
Garo Ninja 2: 3/30 HP, partially disarmed

<center>~Rolls~</center>
Orpheous' Staff: 6+3 = 9 vs. 14
Pepper's Dagger: 8+9 = 17 vs. 14
Regis' Swords: 17+8 = 25 vs. 14
Garo 2: 12+8 = 20 vs. 25
Garo 1: 12+8 = 20 vs. 22

Orpheous
STR-3; DEF-5; AGI-3; INT-5; SPI-6; HP-46/56; SPL-48; WILL-9
DMG
Deku Staff: (base) 9 + (STR) 3 = 12
Spell Damage: (caster's level) (14) + (base class) 3 + (INT) 5 = 22
Deku Boomerang: (base) 4 + (STR) 3 + (Gerudo Training Gloves) 1 = 8
Deku Slingshot: (base) 5 + (STR) 3 + (Gerudo Training Gloves) 1 = 9
-Ember Seed Shot: (base and STR) 8 + (Ember Seed Bonus) 5 + (Gerudo Training Gloves) 1 = 14 (fire-type damage)
Bomb: (base) 5 + (STR) 3 = 8
Equipment
Deku Staff
Deku Boomerang
Gerudo Training Gloves
L1 Tunic
Garlund Amulet
Bomb Bag
Ammo Bag
Ember Seed (Ammo)
Abilities
Leadership L1 - 2
Learn: Life L1 - 2
Train: Boomerang L1- 2
Learn: Elemental Burst L2 - 4
The Quill is Mightier than the Sword L1 - 2
Epic Poem L2 - 3
Master of Linguistics L1 - 1
Learn: Fire L1 - 2
Train: Slightshot L1 - 1
Defense Rating
(DEF) 5 + (L1 Tunic) 10 + (AGI) 3 = 18

Pepper Pinkerton
STR-2; DEF-1; AGI-9; INT-3; SPI-7; HP-67; SPL-65; WILL-9
DMG
Deku Dagger: (base) 5 + (STR) 2 = 7
Deku Boomerang: (base) 4 + (STR) 2 + (Gerudo Training Gloves) 1 = 7
Bomb: (base) 5 + STR (2) = 7
Equipment
Deku Dagger
Deku Boomerang
Ocarina
L1 Jerkin
Garlund Amulet
Gerudo Training Gloves
Candle
Bomb Bag
Abilities
Train: Boomerang L1 - 1
Learn: Jump L1 - 1
Sprint L1 - 2
Play: Will of Farore L2 - 3
Play: Elegy of the Departed L1 - 3
Play: Sonata of Restoration L1 - 1
Play: Call of Din L1 - 1
Play: Spirit of Nayru L1 - 1
Defense Rating
(DEF) 1 + (L1 Jerkin) 12 + (AGI) 9 = 22

Seeing Regis glance her way from the corner of her sharp, red eyes, Pepper turned her head towards him and gave a half-wave of her free arm. The bard's mouth formed a more concrete grin, as though to say 'Now we're having fun.' Indeed, she must of carried such sentiments, because she called over to her comrade in her typical sing-song voice. "This is a blast! Way to avoid that last attack! Keep it up!" Even as she said this, she circled the Garo she'd last attacked, moving with a blinding haste. Once she was sure the ninja was having trouble keeping up, she attacked it, sweeping wildly with the dagger. She approached the enemy from an 'eight o' clock' angle [Attack - Deku Dagger at Garo Ninja 1].

Orpheous meanwhile felt disheartened that his attempt to injure the Garo had failed, but he was at least grateful that Pepper gave an assist. He even managed to crack a small smile himself hearing her call over to Regis. He watched closely as she began to circle in for her attack. He deduced she was likely attack from the Garo's rear. So he figured he might as well repay his debt for her aid by attacking the ninja's front. Already at the perfect distance, he got into a defensive stance and waited for the Garo to become distracted by Pepper fluid movements. Right as she lashed out, he swung his staff to strike the ninja's side, trying to put enough force into it that it would at least knock the Garo off balance if he didn't manage to outright injury it [Attack - Deku Staff at Garo Ninja 1].

OOC: I know, how dare I focus both of my characters on a single Garo Ninja and let you try to handle the other one on its own. I figured the bigger threat was the one who wasn't partially disarmed. It was basic threat assessment. Plus, I figured another strike from the fleet-footed Regis and the other one would be dead anyways.

"This is a blast! Way to avoid that last attack! Keep it up!"

Regis shook his head in wonder at Pepper's almost-laughable spunk. Had she not displayed such incredible battle prowess thus far, he would be tempted to consider her naive- but her actions had proven just how serious she was.

Perhaps, however, Garo Ninja 1 had sensed this as well, and was becoming accustomed to her agile fighting style. It seemed to be thrown off by her quick movement, and looked wide open as Pepper moved in on it from the side. This proved to simply be a ruse, however, as the Garo deftly leaped out of the way as Pepper's dagger in the nick of time. It lifted it's two swords above it's head in response, about to bring them down at her neck, when Orpheous' staff connected with it's side, knocking it back several feet. With a whispery moan, the Garo teetered for a moment, before falling over. Just as it was hitting the ground, there was a small plume of purple smoke as the Garo's spirit left the physical plane, having finally been defeated.

Regis had similar luck. Garo Ninja 2 was frantic now; it's partner having been dealt with, and itself being precariously close to meeting the same fate. It made one last ditch effort to take out the group standing before it, and made a leap towards Regis, blade readied to strike. However, at just the right moment, Regis ducked the swinging blade of the Garo and instead jabbed upwards with his own - cleanly stabbing straight through the center of the Garo's body. The Garo let out a ghostly cry and also disappeared in haze of purple smoke, leaving it's cloak behind, hanging on the end of Regis' sword.

<center> ~Area Clear~
Orpheous: 46/56 HP, 48/48 SPL
Pepper: 67/67 HP, 65/65 SPL
Regis: 71/71 HP, 11/11 SPL
Garo Ninja 1: Dead
Garo Ninja 2: Dead

Rolls:
Pepper's Dagger: 5+9 = 14 vs. 14 (Attack Roll must exceed the target's Defense Rating)
Orpheous' Staff: 17+3 = 20 vs. 14
Regis' Swords: 19+8 = 27 vs. 14 </center>


The room was clear now, and as the last Garo Ninja disappeared, the braziers in the northern corners of the room lit all on their own, illuminating the room. A click could be heard from the northern door, as if it were being unlocked. Regis shook the ragged cloak off of his sword and sheathed one of them.

"And that's that." He said, nodding in satisfaction. He turned to his two companions. "You two really know how to handle yourself in a fight - I'm impressed. Hopefully we won't have to use those skills much more here..." He looked around the empty room.
"As for the Garos, I think they were probably just stationed guards. I don't think we'll have to worry about any more of those."

He looked back at the door, and moved towards it, one sword still drawn. He put his ear to the door for a moment, and looked back at Orpheous and Pepper.

"I don't hear anything... here goes." With that, he flung the door open, and drew his other sword... and quickly realized his weapons wouldn't be necessary - not here, at least.

The room that the three of them found themselves looking at was a rectangular room, just as spacious as the previous room. There were two doors here,aside from the one they were peering in from - one in the center of the wall on the lefthand side and one in the center of the northern wall. On either side of the north door were two switches - four in total. Both doors were barred. It was obvious that this was some sort of security check - you had to know which switches to hit in order to open the doors.

Regis looked over at Orpheous.

"Well, my scholarly friend... Looks like we've got us a puzzle to solve."