Beyond the Ashes: Chapter Two -- Heading South

The Legend of Zelda
Beyond the Ashes
　


Chapter Two: Heading South


To say that Kia was totally excited to have a bed to sleep in instead of the ground, was an understatement. It had only been for one night that she had slept on the ground, but it felt like an eternity that she hadn't seen fresh sheets and a nice, soft pillow. The first thing she had wanted to do was jump up and down on the bed, squealing like a little girl but she didn't.

Instead she just put her bag down by the small bed and sat down on it, calmly looking around. It was small but still a fairly decent sized room, with two beds in it -- one sat on the far right side, the other on the far left side, in front of the door. Kia took the one closet to the door, not because so she could see who was coming but because she had her own bed close to the door. It was a habit she had, ever since her brother had been a baby.....

Now that she was alone, Kia cried and hard. She hadn't cried like that since her mother had died and even to this day it still hurt. Her brother had been taken away from her, her father didn't care, she was out in the world by herself, and she didn't even know why she came. She had her reasons, but she now wondered if this grand idea of her's was all worth it or not.

"Kia, are you okay?" Alina's voice asked from the doorway. The Sheikah looked up to see Alina putting her own bags in the room by the bed, she hadn't even heard Alina come into the room.

"I'm....I'm fine. Just a little homesick," Kia said, wiping the tears from her face and tried to smile. Even the Zora she couldn't fool, her shoulder's slumped. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"I've noticed that you get sullen too often, and I don't think it's because you're homesick." Alina put her hands on her hips, her arm fins fanning out. "So, what is it? Parents don't know you came all the way out of Hyrule?"

"My father knows that I've gone, in fact he's the one who told me that I better not be there when he gets back from a little trip of his." Kia said this bitterly and didn't even attempt to hide her bitterness. "My mother's dead, she died five years ago when my brother was born."

Oh by the Goddesses, she was going to start crying again just talking about it briefly. She couldn't break down this easily, if they were to find the disapearing people then she couldn't do that. Not at all.

"And your brother? Where is he?" Alina asked. Kia paled, she had been dreading telling anyone this quite yet. The Zora was staring at her, as though it was a prompt to continue on; Kia took in a deep breath, she had to tell someone.

"The whole reason I came in the first place. He was taken away, because I was too young to take care of him and my father wont."

XXX

The waves of the song carried over the wind, blowing in from the southern region of Termina. It moved quietly along the ripples, calling out to anyone who would listen. No one could hear it, no one could hear the notes played along the whispering of the wind. At least no one that was really listening and that one was found in a small area inside Clock Town.

There were words along with the song, playing out to beckon them to the world beyond the woods and swamp. Come, come to the wood, the whisper said, fading in and out of the wind. It was a female voice, beckoning, calling out. Wanting them to come and find out what was causing the darkness to come upon the land.

And it was waiting.

Chapter Guidelines:
-- Get supplies in Clock Town.
-- Find out more about the disapearances from the people of Termina.
-- Head to the Southern Swamp.
-- Once there, group will be greeted by Deku Scrubs and they will bring the group to a small place.
-- Go with the flow after that, as information will guide the rest of the chapter in the way of different things. No spoilers, yet.

That was a little much, even for Alina. She had heard the girl crying before she had entered the room, and now that they were alone, it had seemed the best time to get to the bottom of her troubles. It seemed that many of the group was already struggling with deeply rooted pain, and Alina really wasn't the kind of Zora who was good at dealing with breakdowns.

Rina was the one who could handle this. Rina, who had comforted Alina ever since she was a youngling. It was her natural talent, as she had served Nayru her entire life, gaining empathy and wisdom along the way. Even when she spoke of her darkest visions, she always had hope and faith that their goddess would guide them along the right path.

The memories of Rina made Alina's eyes moisten further as she thought of Kia's motherless ones, that it should still bring her such sorrow after the passing of years. But it made sense. If her father hadn't been there to guide and comfort, who had been left to heal the wound? It sounded like the girl had taken responsibility, and being of such an age, she had been deemed too young to care for the child and too old to be taken care of herself.

Such thoughts made Alina's heart feel heavy, and she took the liberty of sitting next to the girl on her bed. She knew her cool and moist scales would be little comfort to a warm fleshed being, but she put her arm around the girl nonetheless. There were so many things that separated them--race, age, experience, but the yearning for family she understood well.

"I'm sorry, Kia, I really am. It must have taken a great deal of courage to leave your home after all that's happened to you. I have two brothers myself, really rather silly, but I've come to miss them after only a day. The best thing we can do for them now is be safe, and no matter what happens, they'll always be proud of us." Alina gave the girl a reassuring squeeze, offering a gentle smile that didn't quite show the sharpness of her teeth.

"Ah yes, and I have something for you. Funny what you can do with some mushrooms and deku nuts, eh?" Alina stood up from the bed to search through her bombfish bag, taking four small deku seeds from within. Their size and form had not at all changed, but they had a thick, shiny purple sheen in the dim light. Alina happily streched her arm out, offering them to the girl. "I've enhanced the growth formula of those scaled mushrooms with some magic powder and deku leaves. It's made a nice coating on these seeds, though... I haven't yet tested the results. If everything goes the way I intended, once you strike a surface hard enough to break the seed, it will ignite the coating. And if that happens, it should cause rapid growth on the foilage it touches. Not exactly the most potent magic, but it might be an effective trap if we happen to run into more hordes of angry scrubs.

"I almost thought to give these to Karick, but I'm not sure that this particular magic would be quite safe resting within him. Don't want the stuff growing or infecting from the inside because it's meant to respond to plants. At any rate, since we're headed to Woodfall, they might turn out to be rather useful."

OoC: :3 I just assumed that Alina finished her potion and agreed to Karick's terms.

Come, come to the wood, a female voice. Majestic. Harmonious. Beautiful. Words could barely describe the voice calling out. Calling out for Karick. A business scrub. The last creature you'd expect to be asked to do something. But she was asking. She was begging. She was in trouble...! She needed help! Karick needed to help her, he had to! The melody, the voice, coming from the south. Coming from the Southern Swamp. He had to follow it. He had to get everyone to follow it.

The tune that played in the wind was no less drawing. It called to him with its unique, reedy tones, sounding bizzare, regal, and majestic all at the same time. Just a short, simple, repeating melody, segueing in and out so well that it seemed as though it were one neverending piece of music. In the deku flower outside the Stock Pot Inn, Karick's hollow wooden body shuddered throughout the night.

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The voice kept calling and the melody kept playing through the sunrise, and didn't stop after Karick got out of the flower. The melody filled him with longing- he absolutely had to get to the swamp as soon as possible. Find the magical, mystical woman hidden there. He wasn't going to ask anyone to come to the swamp, he was going to order them.

Shaking the dew off of his body, Karick walked into the Inn.

"Good morning sir," said Anju, a bit uneasy at the Scrub's apparent determination.

Karick, usually business-like and polite, didn't answer. He speeded himself to every room, for the melody and the voice would not allow him to stop moving for he didn't know how long. As he walked past the rooms, he opened the doors and spat a Deku Nut in each of them. The only ones that were already awake were Kia and Alina. Ralph hadn't come back, and Karick didn't care. They needed to leave.

Karick waited in the lobby.

Like Karick, Zerrin had spent the night hearing voices. However, his were far less pleasant. A dark ominous chant filled his head, dragging him down into a void of despair he had not felt before. Suddenly a sharp pain woke him and he shot up in his bed to see a rather agitated Karick walking away from his door. A rather sharp Deku Nut rested had slammed into his face and he rubbed his new bruise.

He walked downstairs still haunted by the chanting shadows in his nightmare. A small table had been set up in the kitchen and the women who owned the Stock Pot, she'd called herself Anju, was beckoning him in. Karick walked in begrudgedly. He didn't need to eat food and seemed incredibly impatient. Most of the group was sitting aroud the table and almost all of them sported similar bruises to his. They seemed to be discussing supplies, and he decided to listen in.
Markus seemed to have taken control of the conversation.

"Well, I'm not really sure what we need for the swamp. The one time I went it was to perform for the Deku King. But If we're going to trek through without boats...I'm not really sure what we'll need. Koume could probably give us a boat for the first area, but from their on we're on our own."

Zerrin decided to chime in at this point. "I know a little bit about swamps. There's a small one a ways from Zora's River I spent a few months in. We're going to need some torches." Karick seemed frightened by the mention of fire, so he decided to explain. "It's for the bugs. I have no idea what kind of insects are in these swamps but the one I was in had some nasty mosquitoes. We can't afford for any of you to get sick." He mentally slapped himself for that last bit. Any of you? Somebody must have noticed that.

He focused on his meal and felt a little light headed. Suddenly, that horrible chanting was back. What was it? He'd never heard that noise before, but now it seemed almost constant. He heard Verix chime in. "The mayor gave me as much as he could afford to give out for your supplies." He dumped a small pile of blue and red rupees onto the table. The chanting was very distracting and he was forced to excuse himself. He ran to the small bathroom nearby and almost vomited. It was almost as bad as when he read someone, but this seemed more like something was attacking him.

Something was attacking him.

He tried to fight whatever it was off, but the chanting was persistent. He almost succumbed when he remembered something. The Shiekah Elder at Kakoriko had told him he was born under a sign. The sign of Nayru. Whatever was in his head seemed to know what he was thinking and he found his mouth almost glued shut. The chanting was drowning out all other thoughts and he felt himself stumble out into the hallway before he collapsed. He saw someone standing over him and heard frantic yelling.

He wasn't sure what stopped it but the chanting ceased. He was being pulled to his feet by Anju and Alina and was dragged back into the kitchen. The group looked at him uncertainly, but he didn't really care. Something was trying to kill him from the inside, and he had no idea what was stopping it.

Markus seemed unwilling to draw attention to what had just happened. "Thank you, Anju." He stood up and smiled. "Me, Karick, and Verix will go get the food." He gestured to the rest. "Zerrin, Kia, and Alina, I need you to get whatever else we might need. We'll meet up in the front of the Clock Tower in two hours and head South."

OoC: You get three guesses what stopped the chanting, and the first two don't count.

Verix wasn't sure what had happened to zarrin except that it had to do with that demon. The eye in him seemed to be getting larger and seemed to be sucking him away. He was glad he had been put in the group without zarrin, he hated to to see that demon. "well if it's food were after we had better head to south clock town."verix said. He took about half the rupees on the table and left with his group.

South clock town was always bustling with excitement. "Okay I'll get the meat and such, Verix you get the fruits and vegitables, and karick", Markus paused. He wasn't sure if the scrub would know what type of food to buy. he continued, "Karick you find some food that is not perishable, we'll all meet at the clock." Verix walked over to the stalls that held what he needed. He had never been good at choosing the foods he needed. He asked the person the owned the stall, "Me and a group are going on a trip, I need to know what would be good to bring along?" The shop owner said "certainly sir" and started grabbing stuff. The man gave him a hefty basket with all the food. He gave the man the rupees that were due and head to the clock.

Kia had taken the deku nuts with a thank you and placed them with the other small deku nuts she used for her slingshot. Then she had given Alina a quick hug, she had heard someone come to the door and open it. Karick peeked in and stared at them, he looked rather odd and then walked away. He had been acting weird since they had entered Termina, was what was going on affecting him as well?

With the crazy event that was breakfast, she hadn't really felt all that hungry but ate something to keep herself from passing out from hunger later. Kia felt better after talking and crying with Alina, but she still had a heavy heart but not as much as before. It did her good to talk over what was troubling her and perhaps it wouldn't pain her so now. Her plan was to still do this for her brother, to get him back, to bring him here.

She was unsure, but made a point to talk to him later as she and Alina walked through North Clock Town with Zerrin trailing behind. There weren't any shops there, it didn't even seem like a part of the town itself. Kia felt like she was almost free walking in along the path to a small cave not far from the exit into the field.

"Where are we going?" Kia asked, taking a look back at Zerrin.

"There's a Fairy here that could maybe be of some help," Alina said, pointing to the entrance of the cave as they came upon it. "She's wise, like all Fairy's are."

"Almost all are," Zerrin mumbled, staring at the cave as though it had sharp teeth and fangs. Kia shrugged, she had only heard of Great Fairies and the like from stories traveling merchants. Not all of the Fairy-kind was good, from what several of the merchants had said, so she had to agree a bit upon that. "Are we going in?"

"If it'll give us any information, then I guess so." Kia nervously looked into the cave. There was a first for everything, as she followed Alina through the straight cave to a big chamber within. Four pillars shot up to the ceiling above, water surrounded most of the floor, and the walls -- no, those couldn't be walls. It looked like the walls were shimmering. "Zerrin, if you're that nervous, you can...."

A great laugh echoed through the chamber, cutting the Sheikah off as a magical being dove out of the middle of the water and into the air. Kia stumbled back onto the ground and stifled a scream, the Great Fairy laughed again as she floated in mid-air and watched the trio with a laughing smile.

"I knew you would come, but with so few." The Fairy looked almost disappointed, just like the Mayor had. "Yet even with so few, you will still clear this darkness that has settled on Termina once again." She sighed. "I already know why you have come to me, and I can not give you much more information then what you've been given. There are taints that are blocking my vision."

"Taints? What kind of taints?" Kia asked as she stood up. She was embarrassed that she had fallen back like that, but she hadn't expected the Fairy to nearly leap out of the fountain. The Great Fairy looked over at her with those all-knowing eyes.

"I have not seen a Sheikah with two different colored eyes in a number of years. You remind me of someone that came in here once, about a year before the Mask did." The Fairy looked thoughtful, Kia's eyes going wide with interest and excitement. Was the Fairy talking about her mother, or another Sheikah? "The taints I can not say for sure what it is, but they are coming from each of the points where the old Guardian temples used to be. If you go there, you'll surely find the information needed.

"Here, the best I can do is give you these to help you in your journey." In a flash of light, two bottles appeared at their feet -- both were holding a fairy in each. "The yellow fairy will illuminate all rooms of any place until you leave that place, the black fairy will allow you to return to the place where you entered. The yellow fairy will illuminate two places of your choosing before returning to my fountain, however the black fairy can only be used once. Use these gifts well."

With another laugh, the Great Fairy plunged back into her fountain from where she came. Kia looked down at the two bottles and picked them up, looking at the fairies inside. She couldn't see what they really looked like beyond the intense glow, but they didn't seem to mind being inside the jars. Not like the ones that she had seen in shops back at the Market, where those fairies looked so sad.

Kia gave Alina the black-lighted one to hold in her bag, as she put the yellow-lighted one in hers as they walked out of the cave. It was an interesting experience, meeting a Great Fairy, and gave her a small hope that maybe her mother -- or another relative perhaps -- had come to Termina years ago. That was something she would have to look into, a family history of some sorts as her father had not given her any information after her mother's death and she had only learned some from before her mother had left her.

"That was a waste of time," Zerrin muttered, the first to be out of the cave. "I thought we'd learn more."

"No, we learned something," Kia said, nodding to no one in particular. She adjusted her dagger and sling-shot, looking back at the cave as they began to West Clock Town. "I did, anyways, and something that I'll need to look into at some point."

"We also know that whatever is making the people of Termina disappear, it's also blocking some of the Great Fairies’ powers as well." Alina looked thoughtful. "A taint coming from the Guardian's temples. We need to go to Woodfall first, to see what's going on before heading elsewhere. Woodfall is where the Deku Palace is and the Southern Swamp."

Alina added that last bit for Kia, as the Sheikah had a quizzical look on her face. That may be the reason why Karick wanted to go to the south first, Kia had no problem with that; she'd go wherever the group went, or at least she'd tried to go. She was eager to use the four deku nuts Alina had given her and the Southern Swamp was the best place to first use them.



OOC: I didn't expect this post to be as long as it was. *hangs head* But Clock Town's Great Fairy had to be in there at some point, so yea. The way that the two fairies given works is the same as I attempted to describe: the black one acts like a return to the beginning of a temple/dungeon/wherever, the yellow one will illuminate a large dungeon/temple/whatever until the entire group leaves before the effects vanish.

OOC: This occurs the morning that the group made it to Termina.

The Silver Scale had been at sea for a few months now, plundering distant shores of their wealth. Tyra smiled as she stood on the deck of the ship, staring at the shore of Termina’s Great Bay. They were home, and it never looked better. Their leader Aveil would surely be pleased with the loot they were bringing in.

As they approached the massive doors to the pirate fortress, the captain turned to the crew member at the wheel, “Take her in steady and watch the rocks.”

“Aye aye, captain.”

The doors opened upon seeing their colors being flown on the mast, and the ship pulled up to the dock. A gangplank was lowered to the docks, and Tyra descended it with a proud look on her face, ready to report to Aveil. She was disturbed to see one of the pirate queen’s other advisors running towards the docks with a frenzied look on her face.

“Thank the guardians you’re back, Tyra!! It’s unbelievable…”

“Calm down, Naria,” Tyra put her hand up, her expression stone cold, “What’s the problem here?”

“Aveil is dead! Murdered!”

Tyra caught her breath, but her expression did not falter. She was quiet only a moment, her fist clenching. Her voice hardened, “Who was it?”

“It was the shadow assassin! He came from nowhere, lobbed her head off like it was nothing, and ran off with a chest of coins! ”

“And how does such a breach of security come to occur? Strange that it should happen again when I was at sea, as it did six years ago when the Zora eggs were lost.”

Naria looked taken aback, “Captain! I hope you’re not trying to imply anything!”

“It sounds awfully suspicious, one must admit. This is the strongest fortress in Termina since Ikana Castle, and I have always seen to that. But come,” she nodded towards the door leading into the fortress, “Tell me of this shadow assassin. I find it intriguing. Did anyone get a look at the face?”

“Aye, captain!” said a guard in the small group that walked with her, “It was a cloaked character with long hair and his eyes covered. He came right out of the darkness, ma’am!”

“Vague, but helpful nonetheless,” she replied as they made their way to Aveil’s audience chamber, “What I have trouble believing is the fact that he somehow blended into the shadows. I can hardly believe it possible.”

“It is the truth, captain Tyra! I saw it with my own eyes!” another guard chimed in.

Tyra stopped then, and the rest of the group with her, in front of the red couch-like throne adorned with spears that the pirate queen sat on. Without turning, Tyra smiled and said, “It is not that I find the feat itself unbelievable, for it is quite possible. What I want to know is what someone with a skill such as this is doing in Termina. It is a talent possessed by… few. None of which I have found settled in this land.”

The sight of the bare throne stung Tyra like a knife. Whoever had taken their leader’s life would pay, and revenge was beginning to burn through her.

“Perhaps we should speak of matters dealing with succession…” began Naria, who had a small smile forming in the corners of her mouth. It was well known that one of the queen’s advisors would become the leader upon her death.

“No,” Tyra replied, “We have a bigger problem at the moment. We have an assassin on the loose. Another elected queen may have him returning for more blood. Until he is captured, the pirates of the Great Bay have no queen.”

Aghast, Naria cried out, “Tyranny! This is unheard of!”

Finally turning to face the others, Tyra’s red and purple eyes bore into the woman, “The pirates will live by our code, which will suffice for the time being. So you will have to wait to fight me for leadership. I will not have another head roll here, save for the assassin’s.”

Naria’s face twisted into a scowl as she reluctantly agreed, “Fine! Then what of the killer? How will you track him?”

Tyra smirked, “If I know a thief, I know they go to the first place they can spend their plunder. And that place will be Clock Town. I will go there myself tonight. I want you all to maintain the fort, letting no word of this incident to get loose. The queen shall be buried at sea.”

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As the sun set over the Great Bay in brilliant oranges, reds, and pinks, Tyra watched from the sandy shores as the black outline of a ship sailed out past Pinnacle Rock. Moments later, a coffin could be seen being dropped overboard. She bowed her head for a moment before pulling the hood of her travelling cloak up over her head, and turning away towards Clock Town.

-------------------------------------------

She made it to outskirts of Clock Town in the early morning hours. Never being able to make it past the guards as a pirate, she used the entrance she always had – a few stone blocks in the wall jutted out farther than the others, providing one nimble enough the perfect stepping stones into the city. After climbing, she dropped down onto the overhang of the Trading Post. The torches in the city were being dimmed already as light began to wash over the sky. Seeing no one around, Tyra jumped down from her perch, keeping the cloak drawn around her, she made her way to North Clock Town, where not as many people would trod and she would not be noticed.

She knew it was an awful risk coming to Clock Town this time of the year – the Carnival of Time was a busy event that drew many outsiders to the city – usually overcrowding it. She was surprised that the city wasn’t already bustling, even at this early hour. As she walked onto the grass of Northern Clock down, she sat to rest behind a slide. She remained undisturbed there until she heard an odd conversation from two unlikely passerbys – a Zora and a young girl.

“…whatever is making the people of Termina disappear, it's also blocking some of the Great Fairies’ powers as well. A taint coming from the Guardian's temples. We need to go to Woodfall first, to see what's going on before heading elsewhere. Woodfall is where the Deku Palace is and the Southern Swamp."

Tyra’s long ears pricked at these words. Disappearances in Termina? Perhaps the pirates and the rest of the country had the same enemy. But the assassin had made no attempt to hide the body. Perhaps they were unrelated. Still, this new development interested her, and from a distance she followed. As the two walked down a flight of steps towards the Stock Pot Inn, she went the way of hiding on the roof of the Milk Bar, keeping an eye on the establishment across the way, hoping for more clues as to what exactly was going on in Termina.

Karick wondered why the human chose him to be one of the three to find food, and again why Verix sent him to get non-perishable food, which was certain to be the most important. Besides, Karick grew Deku Nuts inside his body all the time, and those were nutritious and filling (though only a few grew a day, they tasted awful, and if you didn't chew enough it would explode and paralyze you). So Karick decided he was only going to get a few bottles of non-perishable food.

He walked to West Clock Town, in which there was a bomb shop, another shop, and another odd shop called the "Curiosity Shop". Bombs might be a good investment, and Karick was definitely 'curious' so he knew he would visit those shops latetr, but for now he decided to walk into the shop in the middle.

"Hello there," said the man behind the counter as Karick walked in. The shop was very swampy feeling. There was a wooden pathway leader up to the counter the man stood at, and all around it there was marshy, damp land with several puddles of water. To his right there was a table, and to his left there was a scarecrow dancing wildly. "What would you like today?"

"I'm going on a trip, sir, and I would like some non-perishable food at a reasonable price," Karick said. The 'reasonable price' part was of course negotiable, but Karick definitely wouldn't say that to the man.

"Well I don't have much here. We're almost sold out due to people stocking up their shelters and basements, but we still have two bottles of elixir soup and a bottle of swamp mushrooms. The mushrooms taste awful, but they don't go bad, and they can be used as medicine too. They're a key ingredient in Blue Potion," said the man. He seemed a bit edgy, and a little depressed, too. "You can have them all for only thirty rupees."

"I'll take them," said Karick to the man. "Thank you, sir." He was thinking about leaving right then, but he decided to converse with him some more. "Sir, have you heard about the disappearances around Termina? Particularly in the Swamp?" The man gave a halfhearted chuckle and then sighed at Karick's question.

"Of couse I do. Everyone knows about the disappearances. No one really knows about them, though. But we do all know odd things have been happening to the environments in the North, South, West, and East, just as they did when the moon began to drop." The man sighed again. "All I know is that the Deku King disappeared and his daughter is now the Queen. And, of course, that the water level in the swamp is falling."

This was new information for Karick. He had no clue that Scrubs could be civilized enough to form a monarchy, nor did he have any clue that the environments were changing. This was interesting to him. "Thank you, sir," said Karick as he left the shop.

He walked into the bomb shop for a short time, where the owner and his mother were both skeletal and not very talkative. The mother just shook as if she were frightened the whole time. Karick bought a bomb bag and ten bombs for what seemed like an outrageous price, and left that shop.

Karick then attempted to walk into the Curiosity Shop, but it seemed it was only open during the late night. Karick was a bit disappointed. It seemed like a place where he could get information.

A man wearing sunglasses, who had a mildly thick beard and coarse brown hair brushed up against him, moving south. "If there's something you need right now, there's an entrance in the laundry place in South Clock Town." The man then left for what seemed like the exact destination he told Karick about. Karick followed him.

When they got to a closed off place with a stream running through it, the man opened a door and entered what looked like a storage room of sorts.

"You want information about the disappearances?" asked the man, though Karick was sure he already knew.

"Yes, sir," said Karick. He waited.

The man sighed. "Some of my...er...'clients' travel to the other areas of Termina to 'find' things to sell to me," said the man. This was starting to sound like a black market to Karick. "All I know is that there's something dark descending over Termina again, and its not the moon this time. People want it to be the moon because we defeated that once before, but it's not, its something that might even be worse."

"Thank you sir," said Karick. There wasn't really any knew information, but this man made it sound more serious than the rest of the town seemed to think.

Karick made his way back to the inn.

OoC: Couldn't think of the name of the shop he gets the soup in Dx. Sorry about the excessive use of 'shop' in that paragraph.

Zerrin walked a few feet behind Alina and Kia, his head lowered. The gravel in this section hurt his feet but he didn't really focus on that. They were about halfway down the stairs of West Clock Town when he noticed movement on the roof of one of the stores. He thought he saw a glimpse of something red but whatever it was was beyond his view. Shrugging it off, he continued down the stone steps.

Alina and Kia were talking in low voices. He walked up next to the two. The encounter with that Fairy had put him a little on edge. He had purposely stayed in the shadows, out of sight or notice. Faries had never had really nice attitudes towards him. He could have sworn that the Fairy had glared at him, but that might have been his imagination.

Eventaully, about fifteen feet from the entrance to Clock Town South Alina turned towards him. "So, what was all that at breakfast?" She sounded a little concerned. But the instance with the Great Fairy had put him in a bad mood and he just turned away with, "It was nothing." She didn't seem convinced, but Zerrin didn't really care. His initial curiousity had died down, and his usual bitter personality had resurfaced.

The rest of the group was assembled in front of the Clock Tower with their supplies. Zerrin saw Verix sitting in the back on a small bench. As he walked up Markus saw them and asked him what they had gotten. " Alina showed him the faries and tried to explain what they did. Verix seemed to be "looking" behind them and Zerrin was now sure that he had some sort of magical eyes or something.

Zerrin was wondering what was going on when Verrix vanished. Shocked, Zerrin started to turn around. A red headed women was walking towards them very quickly. Her outfit seemed a little laughable to Zerrin, who had never seen a pirate before, but when Markus noticed her his hand went instantly to his sword. Zerrin noticed this and drew his own sword. The stranger stopped a few feet in front of the pair. Zerrin was a little confused. Who was this women, and what did she want?

Ooc: Of course Zerrin has no idea what a pirate is, so the outfit looks a little odd.

Verix sat on the bench under the clock tower when suddenly he noticed a figure that resembled one of the pirates at the bay. Hoping no one was looking he vanished from sight. He went to the shadow of the pirate. When she approached Zarrin he came out of the shadows. He quickly put his blade over her throat but did not harm her. "Well look here, a pirate. I thought I taught you guys a lesson." The Pirate began struggling. "I'm gonna kill you!" she shrieked. Verix tightened his grip so she wouldn't struggle. "I'll let you go when you calm down and tell me why you are here." She hadn't stopped struggling but she answered "You killed my leader, I'm repaying the favor." "Yes, but you pirates stole the fisherman's treasure, so they hired me to repay the favor because you are always giving them trouble." Verix snapped back. "Now I'm going to let you go now." As soon as he let go he went into her shadow and she swiped at him but failed. He reappeared next to the bench he was at. "what the heck!" the pirate yelled. "Wrong move pirate", Verix said He at her with sword in hand, when suddenly his back reopened. He fell over. The pirate ran to him and began slicing to be stopped by zarrin's. He couldn't make out what happened next because unconsciousness took him.

The deafening sound of two swords clashing broke any other sound that carried through the town. Tyra’s teeth were gritted and she swung her head around to see who had kept her from delivering a death blow to the shadow assassin. A man slightly taller than her was staring her down.

“Wouldn’t be doing that if I were you,” he said casually.

She swung her sword back so they were no longer connected. The man side-stepped in front of the unconscious form of the killer, while she slid around the other side, not taking her mismatched eyes off of him. Her mind was rapidly thinking. She had let her emotions get the better of her. She had only meant to watch the group for a time, but when she saw the one who fit the description of the shadow assassin, she had lost control. Now here she was in the middle of Clock Town in broad daylight, sword drawn against strangers, after loudly being declared a pirate. Things could not get much better from here. The smart thing would be to withdraw.

“His blood is owed, as is anyone’s who would dare cross the pirates of the Great Bay,” she snarled.

“Sorry to disappoint,” he replied, “but no blood will be shed here, unless you decide to make a wrong move.”

She was boiling past frustration now; glancing down at the assassin, still unmoving, then back to the man with the sword. Then out of the corner of her eyes, the Clock Town guards who were beginning to glance over at the group. No choice now.

“Not today then, but soon I can promise,” her eyes bore into his, “I only hope that you find him worth protecting,” she nodded towards the body on the ground.

Tyra then turned on her heels and made a break from the group through the nearest door which happened to lead to West Clock Town. By now, the guards were running towards her, including the ones that watched the gate. The pirate made a quick decision and ran straight for the post office, slamming the door shut behind her and swiftly wedging a nearby chair underneath the door handle. Moments later, she heard banging on the other side. She backed away from the door, trying to think of a way out when she saw movement on the other side of the room. She turned quickly, sword drawn, ready for the worst….

….and saw a white rabbit sitting on the bed peering at her through small black eyes. She let out a sigh of relief. But she was not prepared for what happened next. The rabbit began to look up, then back at her, then back up, then back at her, almost like it was signaling. The pirate looked at the ceiling to see a trap door above the bed. She smiled, reaching up to pull it open and revealing an attic with a window.

“Thank you my little friend,” she smiled at the furry white creature.

As she pulled herself up, she heard the front door forced open with a bang. And just as she was about to pull her leg up, a hand clamped around her ankle. The pirate tried with all her might to pull free, but a sudden hard tug sent her flying back down, her head slamming into a shelf on the way down. The last thing she saw was the little white rabbit staring into her eyes before everything went black.

Kia moved over to where Verix was laying, Markus had already put him on his side and was making sure he was still breathing. Kneeling beside him, she looked him over once before looking towards the direction where the strange woman had gone. She frowned, what kind of person was she and what kind of vendetta did she have with Verix?

“This is just getting more and more interesting,” Kia muttered, standing up as she put her bag on the ground and she started to jog in the direction where the strange woman had gone in.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Karick called after her, the Sheikah didn’t answer him as she began to ran through the streets and turns of Clock Town. She didn’t know where she was going, she didn’t know why she was going after this woman, but something compelled her to go after her.

It didn’t take her long to find where the woman had gone to, seeing a bunch of guards swarmed around what looked like a post office. Kia moved slowly towards the guards, who were more interested in what was inside the post office then a young girl and her curiosity. She stood still when one of the guards took notice of her and began to walk towards her, his eyes staring down at her from behind his helmet.

“There’s nothing to see here, move along.” He made a shooing gesture with his hands just as two guards dragged a very unconscious body out of the post office. Kia looked around him to see what was going on, even the guard could see that she had taken notice. “It’s just a pirate, there’s nothing to worry about. Again, move --”

“She’s with my group,” the Sheikah suddenly blurted out, just as Karick landed next to her and Markus ran up behind her. The guard gave her an odd look, then looked between Kia’s two companions.

“Her? A pirate?” Kia didn’t know what a ‘pirate’ was, but that woman wasn’t normal. There were lines on her left arm -- and what appeared to be her left side, from what little she could see of the rest -- and appeared to be tattoos.

As the guards carried the unconscious ‘pirate’ by them, Kia saw what looked like a Sheikah symbol on her arm. That was strange….something was different about this woman. With what the Great Fairy had said earlier, maybe this was the woman that had come to Clock Town before, the Sheikah with two different eyes. Problem was, Kia hadn’t gotten a decent look at her face before.

“Wait!” Kia stepped in front of the guards, waving her hands wildly. “Don’t take her, please! She didn’t mean any harm!” She turned to Karick and Markus with pleading eyes. “Please, tell these fine men that she’s one of us!”

Between the sun baked pavement and the flaring emotions of her companions, Alina was finding it rather difficult to keep her cool. Zerrin's unexplained swooning, Markus' bad blood with the psycopath, Kia's hearbreaking abandonment, sword fights between complete strangers who were apparently a new addition to the group--Nayru was either amusing herself or had become a sadist overnight.

So Alina put her natural musings aside, forgetting the potential of fairy magic and the circular mystery of Termina. Her fins were flaring, moist eyes sharply bright as she marched after Kia. A good portion of her wanted to start scolding the fool who had started the fight; these maniac hormonal men just couldn't seem to keep their swords down for one minute. If only she had a cure for hot blood.

"Hold it right there." The chemist caught up enough to grasp the girl's shoulder, perhaps a little more firm than nessesary. "I've had enough rash behavior today, Kia. Besides, considering the sentiments between our two new friends, it may very well be safer for all of us if they're apart. Does anyone remember what it is we're supposed to be fighting for?"

With an annoyed flick of her fins, Alina looked back up to the gaurds. Oddly enough, they were looking back at her. Oh yes, they knew what "the group" had come to Clocktown for, but current behavior between the members was no doubt confusing them. It made the next action Alina was to take a bit of a dilemma.

The chemist glanced from Kia to the fallen pirate, pursing her lips as her brain went back into a fury of thoughts. In honest truth, it wasn't fair. It wasn't the pirate who had first threatened life, and from the brief conversation, her people had already been provoked. True, the Zoras of Termina didn't exactly get along with the theives, but relations had been rather peaceful where treasure wasn't invloved. In fact, as the stories had gone, the pirates had been tricked into attacking the Zoras during the trouble with the moon. Before and since that time, the two hadn't exactly found much need to attack each other. More of a mutual free-for-all that ocean was.

But honestly, what good could come from helping the pirate? It was rather obvious that she wanted a particular someone dead, and there wasn't likely to be much reward for joining a group of unstable misfits bound to save Termina. But Kia was giving her The Look, and her heart felt needlessly guilty for allowing some random woman to be arrested for being attacked.

"Alright, alright." Alina removed her hand from the girl as she forced her gaze to soften, making her eyes sparkle with new moisture. Looking to the men, she clasped her free hand across her heart, feigning the most contrite pout with her smooth lips.

"It's my fault, I'm afraid. I take so much pride in my potions--such a shame when they go bad on me. But you never know. A red potion boiled for too long, a dash too much magic powder, and it all blows up in your face." The Zora forced a sniffle, deciding to hurry on with it when she saw the impatient strain of the gaurds. "It was an accident, you see. These poor patients of mine haven't been feeling quite right ever since I gave them that potion. Terrible, terrible mistake, really, makes their emotions a tad bit unstable and just a little bit more lenient towards the aggresive side. Something to do with imbalances in the amygdala and all that.

"But don't you worry, I won't let my awful mistake trouble you good men any longer. Just escort us back to the inn, and I'll have these two right as rain before you can say bombfish." Alina gestured sorrowfully towards the welcoming building, eyes bright as they urged her companions to play along.

OoC: Hope that's okay, and... MERRY CHRISTMAS, Y'ALL!

Things were getting very confusing, very fast. Verrix apparently had some sort of...teleportation ability. The assasin had fallen over in some kind of pain spasm and Alina had run after Kia and the others, leaving him all alone. Zerrin looked down at the Shiekah. He looked fairly defenseless now, but just moments before he had terrified him. Not even Zerrin was that calculating about death, but this newcomer seemed to not care at all if he cut a women's throat.

Well, Alina was gone and Verrix needed some kind of medical attention. Zerrin knew well enough from his own faints what to check for. Verrix seemed only partway there. His head seened to at least partially follow his movements, so his brain was probably fine. He wasn't quite sure where to look for wounds, this was most definatly Alina's job. His back was arching at a sickening angle so he decided to check there. He lifted up the shirt to be greeted by a horrible sight.

The entire surface of Verrix's back was a giant mess of scar tissue. There was some hideous liquid leaking out of some of the scabs and the smell was horrific. Whatever this thing was, it was old and didn't look like it had ever been healed properly, if ever. There was a small trickle of blood coming out of the center of the massive injury. The Shiekah needed serious healing, as soon as possible.

Not knowing what to do, he ran as fast as he could towards were most of the group had assembled. The gravel was obviously not designed for bare feet, and the pain was worse than usual. How on earth was Alina walking on this stuff? He sprinted up to the post office just as Alina stopped talking to the gaurds. He wasn't sure what had just happened and his feet were cut open, and he took just a second to catch his breath. "Verrix is bleeding, he's got some kind of back injury."

OoC: MERRY CHRISTMAS, YOU CRAZY KIDS.

Of course. Just my luck, thought Karick as the whole scene unfolded before him. The new guy was riled up and had a wound, the pirate that had so suddenly dropped in was apparently now joining them, and Kia felt the need to help this pirate. Karick was steaming with rage, so the only remotely calm ones were Markus and Zerrin. In truth, it was hard to tell Markus had any clue what was happening, he had so little reaction. He did seem to recognize the new woman as a pirate, though.

When Zerrin alerted Alina of Verix's wounds, Alina apologized to the guards (to Karick's bewilderment) and helped Zerrin carry the wounded man into the inn. Markus followed. Kia stayed outside, as did Karick, and tried to get the guards to give the pirate to them.

"Yes, our friend likes to experiment with her potions, and they can go wrong very easily. So would you please let us take her with us?" she asked, seemingly naive. Karick saw it as an act, because the girl seemed like one who wasn't as clueless or as desperate as she was acting right now. Still, Karick wasn't sure if she was acting or not.

"Alright, just make sure she gets medical attention and that nothing like that happens. You have an important journey ahead of you," said one of the guards. They handed the woman over to Karick and Kia to carry back to the inn. Karick carried most of the weight, and Kia was responsible for making sure he didn't drag her across the ground (he didn't want to fly with her, and he was much too short to keep her off of the ground).

When they got into the inn, Alina was smearing a strange liquid on Verix's back-a liquid that looked even worse than the liquid already coming out-and the rest were sitting in any seats they could find in the lobby.

"Please make sure you don't get any of that on the floor," said Anju to Alina.

"Don't worry, Anju," said Alina, with a mix of annoyance, concern, and amusement on her face (a strange combination, Karick thought). She was working very hard to help the man.

"We've got another one," said Kia as she and Karick lowered the pirate gently to the floor. "I don't think she's injured very badly, though." Just as Kia finished her sentence, the pirate started to wake up.

"Before you do or say anything, ma'am, I must ask that you don't make any attempt to kill our companion until after you both have left us. We have an important job to do and I won't have you ruining this ensemble we've collected," said Karick in a huff.

OoC: SO YEAH BELATED CHRISTMAS WISHES TO ALL

Markus had little choice but to let things unfold for a while. The sudden outburst of a fight and quick resulution left him with not much chance to help, but he did do all he could when Verix was injured. He felt that not only would he be a valuable ally, but for whatever reason, Markus felt obliged to help him.

When the pirate was brought in, along with the rest of the group, he went over to her before she awoke and took in the details of her appearance. He came to no other conclusions besides those already reached, but when she awoke, his eyes widened slightly.

"Tyra." He said, drawing her attention immediately. "Do you remember me?"

She thought for a moment. "...Wait, you were that one kid I fought on that raid a few years back. I recognize your sword."

"Right. Anyway, here's the situation as I see it. We're going to help you for the moment, so long as you return the favor. This wasn't my decision... But for my own reasons I choose to support it. Now I hold no obligation towards you or your kind, but to you personally I hold no predjuduce. So should I need to harm you, I won't hesitate. However, I won't jump right to it, either. Keep that in mind.

"So then," He said, turning to the others. "I say we get everyone fixed up and leave. We have all our supplies, and I don't want to pick up any more people for a while. Do we know where we're going?"

"South. To the Deku palace" Karick replied quickly and a tiny bit annoyed.

"Fair enough. I'm ready whenever anyone else is."
_______________________

OoC:Sorry for not posting for so long, I've had a combination of writers block, busy-ness, and just being lazy. I'll try to post more often from here on out.

Also, merry Christmas.

It was really rather crowded. Alina wasn't used to crowds when she worked. True, she had been asked to heal on occasion, but those occasions had been rare and those involved had been kind enough to give her working room. With all this healing on the fly, her head was starting to become sore with rushed solutions.

Even as she bent over to examine the man's putrid wound, Alina's scaled brow furrowed with frustration. A low hiss had begun to slit through her sharp teeth, and her eyes were nothing short of ice. She was beginning to feel she could take no more than two steps before someone inflicted a bleeding wound on themselves.

At the moment, the strange man was stable. He was really rather lucky that she still had moist like like extracts; the elastic substance would work as decent gauze to keep more blood and ooze from squeezing out of his back. It was not, however, anything more than a temporary solution. The infection had to be dealt with and the wound had to be patched back together.

Not to mention the now concious pirate on the floor.

"Alright, everyone listen up now; this is important." Alina turned from her patient on the bed, keeping her gooey hands a safe distance from her clothes. "I can't treat something like this on my own. The quickest solution I have requires fairy dust--I'd appreciate it if you two could ask the Great Fairy for some, Karick and Kia. And hopefully someone can get our swooning friend some decent shoes before he fries his feet. I'd like Markus to stay with me--seems like we have still some politics to figure out. But please, please, don't anyone go cutting each other up before I take care of this ugly mess."

What reason did she have, to bring this woman on the journey with them? Kia had seen the events fall out in front of them, Alina was right -- there was some bad blood between this one and Verix. He had called this woman a pirate, so had the guards, but what exactly a pirate was she didn’t know. All she knew was that she suddenly needed to know why the pirate had a Sheikah symbol etched on her arm.

Kia and Karick walked quickly towards the North side of Clock Town from the Inn -- rather, Kia walked and Karick flew -- in relative silence. Kia could’ve gone herself, but perhaps Alina didn’t want her to randomly grab new persons for the group like that again. Karick seemed annoyed that they were being delayed in getting to the south, but he didn’t voice that concern to her. Kia knew next to nothing about how Business Scrubs acted outside what little knew of Karick.

“The Great Fairy’s cave is this way,” Kia said, pointing to the small cave-like structure she, Zerrin, and Alina had come out of not too long ago. “Maybe we can get some extra dust for the journey, just in case.”

“Fairy dust is a rare thing, it’s expensive,” Karick as he landed next to her by the entrance to the cave. He peered in as Kia continued to walk into the cave, following behind her.

“If we can get it, then it’ll help.” She walked to the edge of the fountain and peered down into it, the water was unusually calm -- so unlike how it had been earlier. She wondered if the Fairy was still there and if she would be willing to give a little bit of dust to the two of them. After all, she had given two fairies as a gift and asking for any more just seemed like they were taking advantage of her magic. But it was needed and it wasn’t like they had any other choice.

“Maybe she isn’t at home,” Karick said, laughing nervously. “Maybe……”

“Your friend needs help, does he not?” A voice called out from the center of the fountain. Like before, the Great Fairy sprang out of the fountain and laughed, but this laughter was not as melodious as before. There was a darkness about her this time, but her eyes were not on Kia; instead she was watching Karick with interest. “My magic may not be able to see what is beyond the walls of this town, but I can see some of what goes on in Clock Town.”

“I am so sorry to disturb you again, Great Fairy, but yes our friend does need help.” Kia got on her knees and put her hands upon the ground, in an almost begging position. “Please, I will do anything to help him.”

“Such a bold promise to make, for someone that you just met. Would he, would any of the group, do the same for you?” The Great Fairy looked down at Kia with a smile. Kia’s back straightened up, her hands going onto her knees. Would any of them do such a thing for her? Would they beg for someone, anyone, to help her out? She already had no help from her father, no trust in him, but yet she always had some sense that there was a goodness in people. Would she be wrong?

“I, also, have not met a Business Scrub that has not asked to make a deal with me,” the Fairy continued as she turned back to face Karick. “Instead I’ll make a deal with the both of you. I want to know what’s going on and why I can not see beyond the taint that lies on Termina once again. It is not a normal taint nor is it done by magic alone, I want to know the word for this taint is, and I have a feeling you’ll find it when you go South.

“I also have four sisters in each of the directions the taint is flowing from, I would like to know how they are fairing.” A flash of light illuminated the room and a medium-sized silver jar hung in the air just above Kia’s head. “This holds enough fairy dust for fifty different kinds of potions. I want your promise that you’ll give me the information I require, then I’ll give you this dust. Do we have a deal?”

"Yes," Kia and Karick said at the same time. It was an easy enough promise to make, they could find the other Great Fairies and see how they were doing. If all faired well in the Swamp, not only would the group know what was behind this 'taint' but they could also have some future help with the Great Fairy.

"Very well, I bind thee to your words -- I know that you, as a Sheikah, are bound to such things. It is in your blood and your eyes." In another great burst of light, the Great Fairy disapeared and the silver jar rested in Karick's hands. They both felt a burning sensation in their right hands and when they looked down at their hand, a light purple daisy had been tattooed on their palms.

"It's called a Promise Bind," Kia said as she stood up. "Sheikah sometimes do that with their own magic, so that those involved in the Bind would not go back on their words. It'll clear after we give the information to the Fairy, let's go."



OOC: A late Merry Christmas to you all as well!

Tyra’s head was throbbing as she slowly awoke. Her first instinct was to slowly move a hand towards her weapon.

The first thing she heard was a voice say, "Before you do or say anything, ma'am, I must ask that you don't make any attempt to kill our companion until after you both have left us. We have an important job to do and I won't have you ruining this ensemble we've collected."

She actually stayed her hand from the sword. Her eyes fluttered open, and the room seemed to spin for a moment before her vision began to clear. There was a dark-haired boy standing over her.

"Tyra," he said, drawing her attention immediately, "do you remember me?"

She stared back at him for a second. So familiar… then her eyes focused on the sword he carried. The curved blade brought it all back.

"...Wait, you were that one kid I fought on that raid a few years back. I recognize your sword."

"Right,” he nodded, “Anyway, here's the situation as I see it. We're going to help you for the moment, so long as you return the favor. This wasn't my decision... But for my own reasons I choose to support it. Now I hold no obligation towards you or your kind, but to you personally I hold no prejudice. So should I need to harm you, I won't hesitate. However, I won't jump right to it, either. Keep that in mind.”

At the moment, with her head still hurting, she merely nodded, and as he turned to address the rest of the room’s occupants, she pushed herself into a sitting position with a groan.

"So then," the dark-haired kid said, "I say we get everyone fixed up and leave. We have all our supplies, and I don't want to pick up any more people for a while. Do we know where we're going?"

"South. To the Deku palace," replied the first voice she heard when she woke up, she glanced over to see it was coming from a Deku Scrub.

"Fair enough. I'm ready whenever anyone else is," the boy said.

"Alright, everyone listen up now; this is important," the voice came from a Zora woman across the room who stood over the assassin, who appeared to be injured, "I can't treat something like this on my own. The quickest solution I have requires fairy dust--I'd appreciate it if you two could ask the Great Fairy for some, Karick and Kia. And hopefully someone can get our swooning friend some decent shoes before he fries his feet. I'd like Markus to stay with me--seems like we have still some politics to figure out. But please, please, don't anyone go cutting each other up before I take care of this ugly mess."

A young girl and the Deku Scrub nodded before walking out the door. Tyra put a hand to her head, finally feeling the throbbing beginning to subside. Now it was her mind that was spinning – Getting everyone ready to go to the Southern Swamp? Everyone sounding like it was including her? What could they possibly be wanting her for, and why would they want to go there? The boggy swamp had never really appealed to her. Before she could think on it much more, the Zora woman approached her, holding a hand up.

“I mean you no harm,” she said gently, putting her hand on the pirate’s head, directly on the spot she struck the shelf, “My name is Alina. It looks like you took a nasty blow to the head, but you should be fine.”

Tyra thought of the last thing she had seen before losing consciousness and muttered, “Yea, that’s the last time I follow a rabbit’s advice.”

She saw the Zora’s eyes widen upon hearing this, “What did you say?”

“A white rabbit in the post office tried to direct me to an escape route and it obviously didn’t work out so well. I don’t know how you kept me from getting locked up by the Clock Town guards, but you have my thanks for that. As for this whole journey I’ve heard spoken of, I’m not sure what it has to do with me, except that one of your companions should be dead rather than accompanying you.”

Kia and Karick walked back towards the inn silently. The fairy's fountain had felt... dark, somehow. He wondered if she was angry, upset, or just didn't like business scrubs for some reason. Whatever the cause, Karick didn't like it, and he knew it was best for them to resolve her problem as soon as possible.

"She's definitely going to be important," said Alina to the rest of the group. They all nodded silently as Karick and Kia walked in. Someone else who had been sent by a rabbit. She was definitely going to go with them.

"Hm?" grunted Kia, as puzzled as Karick.

Alina took some fairy dust from Kia, and Karick stuffed the jar into his body hollow. Alina started to mix some other strange-looking liquids into it, making a thin paste that glowed with a greenish-yellow aura. As she spoke, she rubbed the paste on the assassin's back. "This pirate here was helped by a rabbit," she said.

Kia and Karick immediately understood what she was talking about.

"Alright," said Alina to Verix (he had gotten up while she was rubbing the paste on his back), "I'll put a bandage around your torso and we'll be able to leave. If you're groggy, get over it." The assassin grunted in agreement.

"So we're all set to leave?" said Kia, reluctantly.

"Yes, ma'am," said Karick. Without saying a word to anyone, he left the inn. In the direction of the voice and the melody. The serene blending of the two made a perfect path to where he needed to go.