For all who sat in the lobby of the Stock Pot Inn, there came a great surprise. The door knocked easily from it's hinges by an impatient looking Goron of nearly 4 ft. He drew his spear, and holding it before him walked in.

"You will tell me the location of Saarlic!"

Al least he's to the point, but the customers look nervous, some gulp, gasp for air, and none step forward.

"NOW!!!"

Exchanging glances of nervousness and shrugging shoulders, one step forward and meagerly announces:

"We don't know, sir, truthfully."

The goron shakes his head angrily.

"No, lies will not be tolerated."

Within a blink's time, he is in front of the respondee, which is met with fear. Many hold their breath, but it does no good. The spear finds it's way into the man's right lung and back out. He collapses, dead, to the floor. This gets the desired response.

"You want Saarlic Roslevus?... OK, Saarlic is in room 115."

After this many move away toward the back. The goron smiles and nods to the men who responded.

"Thank you. You have done the smart thing. You who moved are cowards and are lucky I don't slaughter you now."

Laughing, he heads up the stairs likely to room 115.

'What was that? Laughter. Hmm. All seems too quiet outside of these walls.'

The zora, mezmorized with a new found curiosity, leaves the comfort of Denning's crouded chamber to the baren hall behind his door. He waits as the footsteps echo up the stairs, the laughter following the thumps as the goron climbs further up the stairs.

'Could this be the goron I've been waiting for?'

He slowly unsheathes his staff from its rope lock and stamps the ground with its dull end.

A small shimmer in the air is all that shows where Alpha walks, silently rushing ahead of the Goron. He had entered the Inn several moments after Shiva, and once the location of the Goron's prey had been revealed he had hurried quietly up the stairwell. 'I'll get to the room first, then confront him outside of the room. I just need to say I've got a message for him and then let him decide whether or not he wants it now or after he's concluded his business here...'
Alpha continues to draw his hood further down his face, but the scar's light refuses to be snuffed out, and shines through the Shadowmeld he has encased himself with. He finally grows so frustrated with it that he whips his cape up and around the glowing side of his face, and finally it is completely shielded, even if it is a bit awkward for him to walk like that.
'Farore's Wind!' Alpha thinks to himself as quickly freezes in place. 'It's Julian!' He stands completely still, not moving a muscle for fear of the Zora noticing him. He stands there, surrounded by darkness, and waits for Julian to move. 'This could ruin my plans...I need to speak with Shiva alone before he gets the message...'

'So it is...'

"Shiv-"

'Wait, why is he here? I mean, those acolytes were headed North and they looked as if they really needed to find him. Why has he come here? I'll wait...'

The zoran mage pulls his hood over his face, just enough to have one eye at the top of the stairs, glaring at the steps as the sounds reach higher. His back falls onto one of the walls and he begins to crack his knuckles, keeping a vigilant eye on the soon to be visible goron.

OOC:Alpha, I'm upstairs in the hall and if you're following Shiva then wouldn't you be climbing the stairs. How could you see me?

OOC: Ummm...huh. Good point. Let me edit that so it actually works.

The goron reaches the top of the staircase, and looking to his left notices the number 100. That tells him 115 is the 8th door on the right, and he begins walking. He sees the robed figure of Julian, leaning against the wall and hears the crack of the knuckles.

"Are you Saarlic Roslevus?"

He gives a particularly evil smile as his raspy voice booms out. He keeps his eyes locked onto the shadowed face of the Zora, but he can't see it. The particular he is looking for is of Sheikan descent.

"What's it to ya?" the zora says, "though, I have a message for you...Wyndisis is looking for ya. If you want me to tell you where then you're going to have to trade me some information either that or you take me to wherever you're going in this stupid little inn."

Julian flips up his hood to reveal his indigo profile, a grin plastered on his face.
'A bit short for a goron but I doubt that'll give him any problem.' the mage thinks to himself as his eyes jerk the spear hanging by the goron.

'NO!' Alpha's mind screams as Julian tells Shiva of the message. He struggles against the sudden impulse to strike the Zora down while his Shadowmeld is still up, but manages to contain himself. 'Din's Fire...things just got a lot more complicated.' He silently considers his two options. 'Alright, I can either reveal myself right now or keep waiting. I reveal myself and I may be able to partner up with Julian; we both want information, and I can use the location of Wyndisis' little meeting grounds as blackmail to keep Julian silent until we both have what we want.

'Or I could keep watching. The info may just slide out of Shiva's mouth soon enough...but if it doesn't...' He's still unsure, but Alpha makes his decision. He drops his cape to his side again, revealing the light of his scar. Walking forward, he says, "Hello, Julian." He drops his Shadowmeld, revealing his full height - over two feet more than the Goron has - lowers his hood, and throws his cape over his shoulders, allowing Shiva a good look at him. He gives him a slight bow in greeting before he speaks again. "You must be Shiva. I too carry this message, and like my friend am willing to trade it for information." He gives Julian a serious look, hoping to communicate the fact that he intends to profit from this encounter as well. 'He'd best not try anything to deny me of what I need to know.'

His knuckles crack loudly at the sudden entrance of the sheikah. He feigns a grin at Alpha and his eye quivers a bit. 'Alpha! How long has he been there! I swear, I saw him heading toward the mountains... That sheikah better not try anything here.'

"Alpha, please, I believe the goron, here, has something to say that will be of quite importance to the both of us!"

'That'll shut him up, at least for now. While, I don't need this goron's personal information in particular; It wouldn't hurt to book up on Wyndisis' associates. Now, that I think of it, I can't remember why Alpha is looking for Shiva.'

Footsteps thump up the stairway. A horrible out-of-tune voice sings a senseless song.

Death, death, death
Doom for tommora'
Brandish that bloodied sword!

Shiva's gonna kick some... um...stealthy Sheikah's [censored]
Before the day is o're.
I follow the line of black
I shadow in darkness
And I drink to an upcoming death.

At the end of the song, Wyndisis pops around the corner. He throws his empty booze bottle into the wall, sending shards everywhere.

"Well good morning everyone! What a great day to be at the Stock Pot Inn!"

He had just opened his mouth to respond to Julian when the sheikah appeared. He glared at the pair, he thought something was going on, but then... CRASH!!! A bottle breaks against the wall and he spins quickly. He notices the familiar face immediately.

"Hey, Wyndisis! You're here... the Zora said you wanted to see me."

How'd he know I was here? And about Saarlic? Well I would assume this means he's way stronger than before. This is good, Nardora should be approaching soon.

Wyndisis gives his shark's tooth grin and looks down to Shiva. He became sober in an instant, as though he was uneffected by the fermentated beverage, and was acting intoxicated for the hell of it. In his low tone he says, "I am everywhere there is death, I am everywhere there is suffering, I am here to make things right. Go forth, Shiva. Do your duty unto yourself, to strengthen the Black Flame's hold upon you. You and I are on the same path. Kill this enemy with your hate, and the burning fuel will forever grow stronger!"

'What!' Julian thinks to himself as his rival in chaos makes his entrance. 'Why is he here and who is this Saarlic!' The zora's fist is clenched tightly as his thoughts speed past him.

"Enemy...who is this... enemy, Wyndisis?"

'This hall is getting a bit crowded and I don't like that spear that goron is holding.'
The mage takes a quick breath and smiles.

"Never mind, you can tell me after he's dead. Alpha just said that he was dying to see someone die! Isn't that right, Alpha?"

Julian glares at the sheikah beside him, a smile grinning at his eyes.

'Come on, Alpha!'

Wyndisis doesn't believe for a second that Alpha wanted to see someone die. Senseless murderers were the type he could recruit among his ranks. All it took was a small switch to make them his tools. His job is to form all evil into his type of evil. He gives them reasons to do what they do. Rationalizing the evil emotions that even his mind couldn't contemplate is a way he draws people in. Instead of discouraging the act, he encourages it. He makes the person in question know that he is acting upon reason. There is no such thing as a senseless murder.

"What kind of a nut-job comes to the Stock Pot Inn with the sole purpose of seeing someone get killed? That's just looney"

Alpha, for once, is not willing to indulge Julian's desire for aid. 'Sorry, Julian, but this is business...or something like that.' He glances up thoughtfully for a second as he considers what it was that he had meant to think, but quickly regains his composure. 'Now, why is Wyndisis - WAIT! Wyndisis and Shiva...both of whom activate my scar...together...in the same place...and with myself only several feet from either of them...

'Oh no.'

As if his thoughts had cued it, his scar's light suddenly explodes outward in an intense, seemingly boundless amount of energy. All that can be heard as the blinding light forces its way out is Alpha's horrific screams as unknowable pain suddenly rushes over him.

He can hardly think straight - the pain! - It's too much for anyone to stand - argh! - He can't believe this - "HU-AHHHH!" - He struggles to raise his hand - it hurts! - and slowly eclipses the scar with his arm. The pain fades briefly, and as soon as he can speak again he cries out - "Curse of Evil, feel the Dark Suspension!" For a moment, his hand turns black, taking on the appearance of a dragon's. A touch of black magic returns the scar to normal. Well, to its normal glow, anyways.

He slowly draws his hand away from his bleeding face and pounds the ground with his fist. "Four years...four years since I've had to use the dark arts to stop my scar. By the Trinity...I actually thought his curse was finally gone..." He looks at his hand, and, surprisingly, isn't shocked by the large black stripes now running along his arm's veins. 'Even in death he mocks me...'