The Legend of Zelda: Dawn of Dreams

[Deu Sex]

[HEADING=2]Along the Market Street[/HEADING]

Marin smiled and nodded as Sorti made his farewell. "Hope to see you there. Good luck with the adventuring!" she said, adding a chuckle at the end. Marin the headed down to the market as well, though on the other side of the street as her eyes were drawn to the street performances rather than the stalls. As she walked over to check out a reenactment, her attention was stolen by a Goron and Zora shouting at each other.

A good portion of the crowd turn to face the two when Rio scolded the former. The Goron released Rio, shooting him a hateful glare as he scowled at his outburst. When the boy apologized though, the Goron's expression faded quickly and was replaced by a broad grin. "It is no trouble brother! You'll get used to it soon enough I'm sure!" he said, laughing as he gave Rio a few pats on the back. Perhaps a bit too roughly.

The Goron then turned to face Marin, who was staring curiously at the two strange beings. "Hello, little bard girl! How would you like an official festival of the trinity mask?"

Marin frowned. "I...rather would not have something so utterly dreadful on my face." she said. The Goron laughed loudly in response before turning his attention to others in the crowd. Marin walked over to the Zora. "Quite the odd fellow, isn't he? Wonder why he's enthusiastic about those rubbish masks..."

Meanwhile on the other end of the market, the cloaked stranger being tracked by Bannog and Hyoko continued to ride forward. He eventually reached a building called the Smokey Dodongo, which prompted him to dismount.

[HEADING=2]In the Smokey Dodongo[/HEADING]

Shortly after Erryn sat back down with her crew, the tavern door swung open. A cloaked figure stepped into the room, earning a few curious gazes and murmurs among the usual noise. He approached the counter and spoke. "Excuse me." The stranger's voice seemed to overcome all other sounds of ruckus in the tavern, despite not being particularly loud or raised. Several heads turned to face the figure. "Has anyone seen a girl with red hair by chance?"

Several patrons nodded and the bartender spoke. "Yeah, she was here playing some music not an hour ago. Couldn't catch her name though."

"Was she playing a harp?" The stranger faced the bartender, though his cloak obscured his features to all.

The bartender nodded. "Damned well too."

The cloaked man seemed to nod his head. "Thank you for you assistance." he said. Reaching into his cloak, the stranger produced a red rupee and threw it against the counter. As the bartender snatched up the rupee, a look of surprise and confusion on his face, the cloaked figure was making his way over to the exit.

Across from Erryn, the Moblin from before was sniffing the air with his piggish nose. "He's from da Great Sea." he said, loud enough for only those near his table to hear. His fellow card players turned to face him.

"How can you tell?" asked Snork.

"He stinks of brine and seaweed. Like you and dat stupid lady." he answered with a smirk. "Ya prolly didn't notice 'cause ya nose is used to it."

"You're far too clever for a Moblin, Stonk..." said one of the Hylians. He earned a chuckle from the Moblin who drank from his milky tankard.

[HEADING=2]At the Fountain[/HEADING]

Mr. Valentine turned to face the newcomer with a smile. "This, my albino friend, is a violin. An instrument of true artists. The sounds it makes are more beautiful and powerful than anything your imagination can muster." he boasted. Valentine continued to adjust the cords of his violin carefully, facing Ragnar still. "Came from the market? I see Hogan managed to trick you into wearing one on those ugly masks." he said. "As a gentleman, I feel obliged to warn you that you should probably take that off."

He then turned back to Ingo. "Kidnapping, robbery, a spot of assassination per chance and other such villainous tasks." he answered, then chuckled as though to indicate he was joking. "What about you then? Looking for innocent Hylian children to sacrifice in a blood ritual or two? Or maybe you're looking to burn some maidens to ash for fun?"

[HEADING=2]The Carriage[/HEADING]

Rather than scowl or scold as Ro might have expect, the Prince gave him a pleased smirk. "You're not as stupid as you seem, Barron." he said. "Everyone wants something...yes, always keep that in mind. Even those who seem to have everything will want more. If you weren't acting like such a spineless wimp, I might be impressed by your honesty."

Soon the carriage came to a halt. Shah peaked through his curtain. "Sadly it seems our mutual torment has come to an end." he said, then turned to his bodyguards. "Najla? Sura?" The Gerudo nodded their heads, reaching over to open the doors on both sides.

[HEADING=2]Near the Castle[/HEADING]

Everyone watched attentively as Prince Shah stepped out of his carriage. Both Zelda and Sigrid had genuine smiles on their faces as both Shah and Ro approached the welcoming party. "Prince Shah of the Gerudo." Zelda began. "We are all honoured to-"

"Oh please, enough with the formalities. Your lapdog was feeding me enough of them on the ride here. Anymore and I'll vomit." Shah's words earned a series of surprised stares and murmurs from most of the Hylians gathered around. Princess Zelda though retained her graceful disposition, smiling as she nodded her head.

"Very well. Would you like to see more of the festival or-"

"Oh Goddesses no." Shah said, cutting the Princess off once more. "Why don't you give me a tour of your castle instead? I'd love to get a nice, long look at all the internal structuring and defences." This earned a chuckle from Zelda.

"As you wish." Zelda turned to face Sigrid, nodding her head. She then turned to face the courtyard's direction, gesturing for Prince Shah to follow. They and the other gathered nobility slowly walked over to the gateway. Sigrid and two of her knights remained behind, instead walking over to the carriage. The Knight-Commander grinned as she walked over to Ro.

"I'm impressed, Barron." she said. "I didn't expect anyone would ever manage to drag that desert rat over for the festival."

 

[SamtheDeathclaw]

Bannog slipped in after the cloaked figure, and sat quietly at a table, motioning for Hyoko to do the same. They sat, listening to the man's strange voice as he talked to the bartender.
He was looking for someone, a girl musician. No one Bannog knew, but whatever the man was up to couldn't be good for the girl's prolonged life. He would try to help her, as best he could. The man swept back out after throwing money on the bar. Bannog figured they had just a second as he mounted up and headed down the street.

He looked at Hyoko, and frowned slightly.
"Well, we have to find this girl before he can, obviously. But how would we go about that?" He sighed, stared after the still-swinging door, and suddenly frowned, struck by a realization.
"This could be dangerous, you know. I didn't think about it when we set off after him, but... He seems dangerous, somehow. I don't want you to get hurt because I asked you to come along."

 

[Ruedyn]

"This, my albino friend, is a violin. An instrument of true artists. The sounds it makes are more beautiful and powerful than anything your imagination can muster."

'When the hell did this one get here?' Ingo looked the lizard man up and down. He remembered them being on the wrong side of the war, though this one was a bit... off color. Most races treated mutations within their genepool with disdain, it was safe to assume he had faced similar.

"Came from the market? I see Hogan managed to trick you into wearing one on those ugly masks. As a gentleman, I feel obliged to warn you that you should probably take that off."

"Well now I wanna know what happens if he keeps it on..." The musician turned to address the Kokiri again. "Please don't." The fairy chimed in.

"Kidnapping, robbery, a spot of assassinations per chance and other such villainous tasks. What about you then? Looking for innocent Hylian children to sacrifice in a blood ritual or two? Or maybe you're looking to burn some maidens to ash for fun?"

"I was thinking of robbing the Princess, maybe go on to subjugate the Zoran people... Just a relaxing evening, ya know?" Ingo smirked, immediately thinking on how best to do so. Fire would play a part. Fire would play a large part...

 

[All Hail Lelouch]

Ragnar was perplexed at how the stringed instrument could produce a sound as the musician explained it to him. "I see.." he muttered in a deep, rumbling voice, the Dinolfos taking off his hat to scratch his silver head.

"Came from the market? I see Hogan managed to trick you into wearing one on those ugly masks. As a gentleman, I feel obliged to warn you that you should probably take that off."

The Dinolfos blinked behind the mask and nodded, removing his hat and then the mask, putting it aside. "He a friend of yours?" he asked the musician, re adjusting his skullkid hat, the brim starting to get a little ragged and frayed from traveling all the way from the forest to the city. the bright orange and yellow clothed lizard looked down to the Wizzrobe beside him, eyeing him up. "May I ask what sort of celebration this is for? I don't know much about this place, or anything here to be honest." he asked honestly, still scanning his eyes over the crowds of unfamiliar and alien races to him.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

The cloaked figure led them to a bar calledThe Smokey Dodongo, from there, Hyoko followed Bannog inside the crowded bar. Hyoko had never seen such a place, let alone one filled with just about every race you could imagine, so she was too busy gawking to overhear what the figure was saying, only to be snapped out of it when Bannog spoke to her.

"Well, we have to find this girl before he can, obviously. But how would we go about that? This could be dangerous, you know. I didn't think about it when we set off after him, but... He seems dangerous, somehow. I don't want you to get hurt because I asked you to come along."

Hyoko frowned despite herself. She might not have looked it, but she could handle herself in a fight. All Gerudo could (even if she wasn't exactly the most skilled swordswoman/mage/archer out there).

"No way! I can't just pass up on an opportunity like this!" She protested, stamping a foot despite it making her look childish and petulant.

 

[HollowAvarice]

'Almost impressed'. Sadly it one of the nicest comments he had received in a while. The carriage shook as it came to a stop. "Sadly it seems our mutual torment has come to an end. Najla? Sura?" The guards grabbed their weapons and readjusted themselves as they opened the doors for the prince. Ro was the last outside the carriage. He stood just behind and to the left of Shah. The group approached the princess. She looked well. She had grown into quite a woman in the decade since Ro had last spoken to her. He wanted to try and say hi but knew it was not the appropriate time.

"Prince Shah of the Gerudo. We are all honoured to-" As Zelda spoke Ro examined his surroundings. He noticed a number of the guards at attention, observing the situation, standing ready to protect her Royal Highness. One guard stood with a strange looking item on his arm, some kind of gauntlet, definitely not standard issue. He did not see his brother among the guards, it was a big day so Sigrid probably had him off doing some important task.

"Oh please, enough with the formalities. Your lapdog was feeding me enough of them on the ride here. Anymore and I'll vomit." Ro was taken aback by Shah's blunt and rude behavior. If he wasn't such a jerk Ro would admire him.

"Very well. Would you like to see more of the festival or-"

"Oh Goddesses no. Why don't you give me a tour of your castle instead? I'd love to get a nice, long look at all the internal structuring and defences."

"As you wish." Zelda led the prince away from the courtyard towards the castle, a contingent of guards in tow. The noble people who gathered to see the meeting dispersed. He didn't see his parents among the distinguished Hylians. Ro was left standing in the courtyard as Sigrid and a pair of her knights approached.

"I'm impressed, Barron. I didn't expect anyone would ever manage to drag that desert rat over for the festival." She smiled, not the cocky smile she displays during combat, but a genuine smile. Ro was humbled by her. This was Ro's chance, to impress her, but did he really deserve it? He tried for weeks to convince the prince to attend the festival, but failed numerous times. Shah's erratic behavior was most likely responsible for his change of mind. Could he take credit for the actions of a strange prince.

"Thank you for your kind words, Knight Commander," Ro bowed his head slightly. He couldn't do it. "Unfortunately it was the Shah himself who decided to come. I spent weeks unsuccessful, until he changed his mind on a whim." Ro maintained eye contact with the commander. "I do not truly know if it was my words that in any way influenced him to come to the festival and meet her Highness. Nevertheless, no matter why he decided to come, I thank you for the opportunity." Ro bowed his head once again.

 

[Arcanist]

The procession came and went with little actual incident. Lynd watched with growing boredom, anxious for it to be over so he could leave and... join the festival. Yea, that. Join the festival. Not get drunk enough to forget his carefully cultivated lifestyle was coming down in flames around him, no sir.

He sighed to himself. He didn't normally drink nearly this much, but recent events would drive ANY reasonable person to the bottle.

Shah, for his part, was just as Lynd had heard he was - a self-important prick. He was glad he was just a simple guard and not a knight or dignitary, so he wouldn't have to handle the Prince's constant abuse personally. This was for the best - if half the insults he'd leveled at the Princess and her retainers had been directed towards him, they'd have a diplomatic incident on their hands.

Seeing that Sigrid was busy speaking with a noble and the rest of the common guard were dispersing now that the Prince had arrived, he decided to take this opportunity to sneak off. Sigrid would certainly track him down sooner or later, and he decided it would definitely be later. And after he'd gotten good and drunk. "Tern. Janne. Meet you in a few at the Smoky Dodongo."

Janne turned to look at Lynd, an eyebrow raised. "Are you sure that's wise? Sigrid said she wanted to talk to you."

"She will. Later. Much, much later."

"If she asks me where you went, I'm not stupid enough to lie to her."

Lynd scoffed and went on his way. "Fine. I'll just have to get drunk extra fast."

 

[DarkRawen]

"It is no trouble brother! You'll get used to it soon enough I'm sure!"

Rio didn't notice the first look in the Goron's face, just nodded when the salesman patted his back.

"Yeah, I hope so. Sorry for being so rude." He said it nonchalantly, with no intention of being rude, but wanting to leave the scene already, or just be left alone. A red-haired girl, who quite bravely told the Goron that she had no intention of wearing the masks, addressed Rio. The young Zora noticed the harp.

"Quite the odd fellow, isn't he? Wonder why he's enthusiastic about those rubbish masks..."

"I don't know either," Rio said, making sure the Goron couldn't hear him. With a curious look in his face, he pointed at the harp. "Are you also a musician?" he asked, and took his flute out from an inner pocket in the cloak.

"It seems you play the harp, right? I play the flute, my skills are as magnificent as expected of a Zora. You any good?" At this point, Rio was boasting, at least a little, smiling cheekily. Then again, she seemed to be around his age, if a couple of years older, so she might not treat him like a child like most others.

Musicians are better company than most either way.

"Oh." He added. "My name is Rio, by the way."

 

[Evrant-Knight]

About five minutes had passed after Erryn had returned to her crew's table. Tyrus and Sable, the ship's quartermaster and the ship's boatswain respectively were engaged in a round of arm wrestling; the loser would by the winner a drink. It looked as though Sable had the upper hand, despite his more lean physique, the man always seemed to have a hidden strength behind him.

Just before a victor was decided however, a strange cloaked figure entered the tavern. "Excuse me." Said the figure, whose voice sounded as though it was male; and despite it being not very loud, it was able to overcome all the noises and other distractions of the tavern. They asked about whether or not anyone had seen a girl with red hair, and in particular whether or not she was playing a harp.

The bartender seemed to know. In fact, Erryn could recall a young girl playing in here earlier. She was impressed enough that she even spared a couple of Rupees. After giving a red Rupee to the bartender, the cloaked figure left, and the hustle and/or bustle of the tavern resumed, as if nothing had happened.

"He's from da Great Sea." The Moblin from earlier could be heard saying. Soon the other crad players turned to face him. "How can you tell?" asked Snork. "He stinks of brine and seaweed. Like you and dat stupid lady." Retorted the Moblin with a smirk. Erryn was a little peeved at the insult, but she'd let is slide under the spirit of the festival. However the mention of the figure being from the Great Sea peaked her interest, so Erryn stood up from her chair.

"Faulker, I'm going to investigate that individual from just now. As such I'm putting you in charge for the time being, and don't all blow your profits on drink." She said with a smirk before navigating the crowds of the tavern and making her away out of the door and onto the street. Her eyes took a minute to adjust to the sudden shift in light. Erryn soon spotted the cloaked figure heading down an alleyway, and proceeded to follow, blending in with the crowds as best she could.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

~Sorti~​

The merchant didn't waste any time in taking his Rupees, and handed back the bottled fairy which Sorti took the time to look at in fascination. He had never actually seen a fairy before, and he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the glowing orb inside. Still, it was probably his best bet to stay alive in a pinch, and he was pretty sure that if it broke out and revived him, it would just fly home. He hoped.

Once he put the bottle, and his now woefully empty wallet, into the pack on his hip before starting to wander back to the center of town. He almost passed Marin and the Goron Mask Salesman, who seemed intent on giving a mask to a harried-looking Zora boy. So he decided to walk over and wave.

"I'd take a mask myself, but with my beak and all..." the young Rito said as he approached, anticipating the large salesman to try and ply his wares on him too.

As it was, he wasn't sure that he would want a mask even if he could wear them. Besides looking like crud, he didn't see any reason to hide his face. Now, if he was giving away Hero Hats, that would've been a different story.

Turning to Marin and the Zora boy, he smiled.

"Hey Marin! So who's your new friend?" he asked before holding out a hand in introduction, "I'm Sorti."

 

[SamtheDeathclaw]

Hyoko reacted about as well as one would expect.
"No way! I can't just pass up on an opportunity like this!" she protested, stamping a foot despite it making her look childish and petulant. Bannog had to repress a sigh. She was just a child.

Bannog smiled as gently as he could, and shook his head.
"You are a child. I won't have you hurt on my own mad quest. However, if you're determined to come with me, I will welcome the company. I simply ask that, should things turn violent, you let me handle it. Run, if you have to."

Teenagers... Bannog thought, then stood. The man was probably well on his way by now.

"Come, then. We'll follow him a bit longer, but look out for a red-haired girl with a harp. We'll have to stop him if he finds her before us." With that, Bannog strode out the door, his spear held upright in his right hand, into the late noon sun. He cast his eyes about, and spotted the rider. The duo set off after the mysterious figure, but Bannog, at least, kept his eyes open for this red-haired girl.

 

[Deu Sex]

[HEADING=2]Near the Castle[/HEADING]

Sigrid remained smiling as she shook her head. "If it wasn't for your assistance, he won't have come regardless. And because of that I can guarantee-"

BRZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

The sound buzzed through the castle entrance, as a mechanism trailing smoke sped across the ground. Before anyone could react the bombchu had already reached its destination. The Gerudo carriage was knocked onto its side by the explosive impact, its driver knocked onto the ground with it.

Every face turned to the explosion with wide-eyes. Sigrid had drawn her sword already, grabbing Ro and pushing him away from the direction of the toppled carriage. The other knights with her wasted little time getting their blades ready. The nobility by the gate snapped around, mouths gaping in shock. "That...is not a good sign." said Shah.

Then a swooping noise was heard from above. Those who looked skyward saw a pair of Aeralfos flying above, with something trailing smoke in each of their grasps. Rather than dropping their bombs on the soldiers or nobles below, the Aeralfos instead sent them hurling down on a pair of high buildings below. The roofs exploded, forming pillars of smoke and fire that rose into the sky.

At the same time, primal growls came from across the plaza. A few dozen Dinolfos emerged from the alleys armed and armoured They held their weapons in the air, roaring as they announced their presence. One held up a red banner displaying a gold triforce shard with a pair of horns surrounding it - a symbol of Ganon.

The Dinolfos began charging. The fastest was stuck down by Sigrid, who scorched it with a beam of light from her sword. "Everyone form up!" the Knight-Commander yelled at the top of her lungs. "Engage the enemy! Don't let them near the gate!"

[HEADING=2]At the Fountain[/HEADING]

Valentine smirked at Ingo's remarks. "Is that so? I think you and I are going to get along swimmingly..." He then turned to face Rangar. "Companion would be a better term. We are both serving the same employer." he said. "And you must truly be an alien fellow to not know about the Festival of the Trinity. This celebration marks the fifteenth anniversary of the Hero who bore the Triforce of Courage defeat the Demon King Ganon. It's an especially important day for me and my accomplices, as..."

The musician stopped speaking when he heard a distant explosion. Turning his head, Valentine grinned as he heard two more explosions and saw pillars of smoke rising near Hyrule Castle. "Ah, that would be my cue then." Turning back, Valentine produced a bow which he slowly began strumming against his rupee-clad violin. Its strings hummed, resonating along the rupees and causing them to shimmer in a rainbow glow. A clearly magical aura formed as Valentine played a haunting song that echoed through all of Castle Town.

​

[HEADING=2]Along the Market[/HEADING]

The Goron chuckled as Sorti denied his offer before he could even making. After taking a final look at the market crowd, a quarter of whom were wearing his masks, Hogan made a content smile before walking away and disappearing into one of the nearby alleyways.

Marin couldn't help but giggle at Rio's remark. "Magnificent as expected? Well that's not air-headed in the slightest..." she said, smiling. "My name's Marin. Nice to meet ya! And I certainly hope I'm good. I'm looking to impress Princess Zelda during the royal bard auditions today. Are you here for them too?"

Before the Zora could reply, a similar voice called out to Marin. She turned around and smiled when she saw Sorti approach. "Oh this is Rio. He says he's a musician like me!" she said. "Hey, didn't you say you'd talk to me la-"

Marin was cut off when a trio of explosions were heard in the distance. She and almost everyone else in the marketplace turned their eyes towards the Castle, where smoke was rising. Voices spread throughout the crowd. No shouting, but rather frightful murmurs as everyone looked at the smoke.

And then they heard something even stranger. There was music. Not the sort of sweet or upbeat song you'd expect to hear at a festival. This was a haunting melody, that entered one's ears and then chilled their blood. Those who were wearing the crude masks seized up as soon as they heard the song. Slowly they began moving. First their masked faces drooped down. Then they lowered themselves, slowly curling into balls as they wrapped themselves in their limbs. A slight groaning could be heard from every masked person.

Those without masks became utterly confused. They called out their friends' names, some poking at them as they curled into balls and groaned. Marin's eyes remained wide and she clenched her own hand tightly. "What is going on..." she muttered.

Meanwhile on the other end of the street, the cloaked figure continued to ride his horse, ignorant of anyone who might have been stalking him. He had passed through an alleyway after leaving the tavern, which acted as a shortcut to the market road. When the sound of explosions boomed through Castle Town, the hooded figure turned to see what it was before quickly turning back around and making his horse speed up. Music started filling the air as he did.

After the market the cloaked figure came to a halt. He may have been hooded, but anyone watching him could have told what he was staring at - a girl with red hair and a harp. The cloaked figured spurred his horse, forcing it into a sudden gallop. People were just barely able to avoid getting trampled as he rode towards the girl, ignoring everything else.

"No...this is bad. I was warned about this." Marin said, looking at Rio and Sorti. "We all need to get out of here, befo-"

Marin never got to finish her sentence. When the rider was still many meters away, he raised his index finger. After muttering something that no one could hear, a beam of light came flying from his fingertip and struck her. Marin's body glowed for a second and, before anyone could blink, vanished.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

Hyoko blinked in surprise before straightening. "Don't worry about me!" She said cheerfully, "I won't let you down!" And with that, she followed Bannog out of the bar. Moments later, all hell broke loose.

It started with a series of explosion in the distance, sending a plume of smoke it the air that could be seen for mile around. Then came the music, which sent chills down the spines of the listeners. Worse, anyone wearing the masks suddenly began acting like zombies.

Hyoko could only stare in horror at the sight. Never had she seen anything like this, not even in her magic training. "What in the world is going on?" She whispered.

Suddenly, there was a funny feeling against the side of her head, and to her horror, Hyoko remembered the mask she was wearing. In a panic, she began tugging at it, shouting "GetoffgetoffGETOFF!" Finally, she was able to rip it free, and with a shriek of fury, threw it to the ground and began stomping on it with all her might.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

~Sorti~​

The Goron didn't seem to mind as Sorti declined a mask, and the Rito didn't even notice him smile at the days work before slipping off silently. But as he strode up to Marin, he caught part of what she said before she turned to face him.

"-looking to impress Princess Zelda during the royal bard auditions today. Are you here for them too?"


"Oh this is Rio. He says he's a musician like me! Hey, didn't you say you'd talk to me la-"

She was cut off abruptly as smoke poured from Hyrule Castle proper. Moments later, haunting violin music filled the air, followed by everyone who wore a mask groaning and curling up on the streets of Castle Town. As chaos erupted around them, Sorti reached up over his shoulder for the reassurance of his sword's grip.

When Marin muttered something to herself, the young Rito turned to look at her with an expression of mild fear and confusion.

"No...this is bad. I was warned about this. We all need to get out of here, befo-"

She never managed to finish her sentence. A beam of light struck her, and within the blink of an eye, she was gone.

Sorti whirled around in an instant, just in time to see the last of the beam before it vanished, and saw the source: A cloaked rider astride a horse. He didn't even think, he simply pushed himself into the air with a surprising burst of speed. Then, once he felt he was high enough, he soared straight towards the rider with a glare, before promptly pulling his wings in and diving.

"Where do you think you're going?!", he cried angrily just a few feet before tackling the rider off of his horse.

 

[SamtheDeathclaw]

Things went to hell really quickly. They'd tracked the rider into the market street, and then the explosions began, off towards the Castle. Quickly after the three huge noises, a haunting song began, and all those wearing the cheap and gaudy masks were forced to the ground, apparently in pain. By the time Bannog whipped around to help Hyoko, she'd already ripped it off and was stomping on it.
He swore, and turned back to the rider, hearing the hoofbeats stop, the start again, much faster. The figure stared, and Bannog traced his line of sight- a red-haired girl, carrying a harp and looking distraught.
Bannog charged, but not quickly enough. Three things happened in quick succession: the figure pointed, the girl disappeared, and a Rito dove into the rider, tackling him off his horse.

Bannog pulled up short, his spear pointed down, whether at the Rito or the figure, not even Bannog was entirely certain.
He spun the spear, and knocked the Rito off with the butt of his spear- Light as a feather, indeed- and thrust the point down at the figure's throat, then planted a boot on his chest.

"Rito-child, he could have tossed you off with half a twitch. Be mindful of your weight in combat," Bannog said coolly, as though issuing combat advice to a soldier in his command. "Who was that girl? My quarry here," Bannog thrust the spear closer, "had been tracking her across the town, as I was tracking him. I'd hoped to stop him from finding her, but... Alas."

So far, they'd had surprise on their side. Bannog felt reasonably certain he could take the now mountless rider, but he pressed his boot harder against the figure, keeping his eyes locked on the point of his spear.

 

[Ruedyn]

"Is that so? I think you and I are going to get along swimmingly..."

"... You made a friend! I'm so proud of you." Perci mocked, Ingo blushing a bit. Luckily, the man turned to address the tribal, looked kinda like a... what'd they call em? Skull Kid. Those ass hats. Ingo looked nervously to his fairy companion, she noticed too.

"Companion would be a better term. We are both serving the same employer."

"There's the enigmatic employer again." Ingo smirked, hired what sounded like a boisterous Goron and a rich musician. An odd combination, for any sort of job. Except maybe hostilities, but then you'd probably need more, wouldn't you? Valentine didn't look dangerous, but then again neither did most things...

"And you must truly be an alien fellow to not know about the Festival of the Trinity. This celebration marks the fifteenth anniversary of the Hero who bore the Triforce of Courage defeat the Demon King Ganon. It's an especially important day for me and my accomplices, as..."

Ingo nodded along, remembering the face of the Hero he had met, was that 100 or 200 years ago? He couldn't recall, in truth, but he knew he was a brave and good man. Just as the legends told.

Then the explosions rung through the city, Ingo snapped his head towards the castle. Smoke was rising, was there an attack? Was it the Prince who was visiting, or some other faction. Maybe people loyal to the dead Ganon, people looking for the three Jewels-

"Ah, that would be my cue then."

"... Crap. EI NATH!" Ingo quickly raised his palm, a bolt of lightning cackled to life, surging towards his target.

'So much for making a friend...' Ingo's wrapped himself in his cloak, waiting for the reaction. Ingo was faster, but if Valentine could teleport this would get messy.

 

[HollowAvarice]

"If it wasn't for your assistance, he won't have come regardless. And because of that I can guarantee-"

A loud buzzing filled the air, Ro caught sight of the bombchu just before it struck the carriage, launching it onto its side, the driver was thrown out of sight. Sigrid knocked Ro back as she drew her longsword. Ro glanced back at the gate, Shah's guards had taken up a defensive position. A pair of Aeralfos swooped down and started bombing buildings in the area. Their brown wings stretched against the sky as they flew back, presumably to make another bombing pass.

Ro heard growling, he saw the Dinolfos emerge. "Dinolfos, why did it have to be Dinolfos." Ro swallowed a lump in his throat. He was always terrified of these creatures. From among the horde he saw a banner raised, emblazoned with the sigil of Ganon.

Before any of the enemies could make a move Sigrid had already slain one with her legendary sword.

"Everyone form up! Engage the enemy! Don't let them near the gate!" She readied her stance and prepared for combat, as did the knights around her.

Ro had to think, he had no practical combat experience, he would be detrimental to combat. He instead rushed over to the carriage to rescue the driver. He begin dragging the driver towards the castle gates with his right arm, while holding his basic Hylian Shield in his left.

"Hey are you alright?" He bent down and asked the man. Before receiving an answer he turned up and looked, before she engaged in battle he yelled over to Sigrid. "Knight Commander! What should I do?"

Ro was inexperienced and terrified, he wanted to adventure like the great heroes, but was it always this frightening?

 

[DarkRawen]

"Magnificent as expected? Well that's not air-headed in the slightest... My name's Marin. Nice to meet ya! And I certainly hope I'm good. I'm looking to impress Princess Zelda during the royal bard auditions today. Are you here for them too?"

Rio shrugged. He definitely wasn't about to go to some audition, after all, royal bard sounded like something he'd have to stay above the water for. However, before he got the chance to say something, a young... wait, this kind he had heard more about. A Rito, right? Yeah, there were wings, definitely a Rito. Anyways, the young, even younger than him, Rito spoke.

"Hey Marin! So who's your new friend? I'm Sorti."

Rio wasn't about to take anyone's hand... but he took this one's, if only because it was a child.

"Oh this is Rio. He says he's a musician like me! Hey, didn't you say you'd talk to me la-"

A large explosion interrupted her. Chaos followed, together with a beautiful and skillful, but also haunting and eerie song, played on a violin. Some people responded oddly, those being the people wearing masks. They started curling into balls, not responding. Rio found himself feeling afraid, and when Marin disappeared in a flash of light, caused by a hooded stranger on a horse, he took a few steps back, wanting to get away. He then ran, but quickly stumbled, and fell down on his backside.

No...

Not sure what else to do, he calmed himself down, and sat up slowly, putting the flute to his mouth. He then started playing the song with the ability to calm people down, hoping it would help, if only because the soft lullaby might interrupt part of the violin music.

 

[All Hail Lelouch]

Ragnar watched in horror as everyone around them wearing those masks suddenly started hurting from the sound of the violin...or was it something else? He didn't know entirely what was going on, but his lizard brain could piece together that that instrument was causing the pain to these people. The Dinolfos reached into his clothing and pulled his clawshot from his hidden holster.

He aimed it straight at the Violin and let the chain spring out, the claw shooting straight at the violin in hopes of catching Mr. Valentine by surprise. "Your music...it's painful to the ears." he growled as the claws of the tool sank into the violin and tore it from Valentine's hands just before Ingo's electricity bolt struck., clicking the other button on the clawshot to make it quickly retract, bringing the jeweled violin to him.

Feeling that he probably should investigate the castle explosion, as well as make himself scarce in case Valentine wants his Violin back. The dinolfos looked to Ingo and pointed to the castle. "Run." he muttered, pointing his clawshot towards a post on a rooftop and firing it, launching himself to the rooftops and making a run for the castle, following the billowing column of smoke rising over the courtyard. He stashed the violin inside of his shirt pocket and continued running. He didn't know much about the world, but he was both curious and and something in his blood was urging him towards a battle, perhaps its his heritage as a Dinolfos?

 

[Evrant-Knight]

Erryn tried to follow the cloaked figure, but the density of the crowds soon meant she lost sight of them; this brought a small sigh to pass her lips. Looking around she found herself in the marketplace, plenty of activity going on here it seemed, with all sorts of stalls set up selling various items from swords and shields to a fairy in a bottle, which was a fairly rare item.

Then suddenly, Erryn could hear a large explosion, looking towards its source, she could see two pillars of smoke rising from somewhere near Hyrule Castle. Almost instantaneously, there were murmurs of suspense and worry throughout the crowd. Mere moments later, Erryn could hear music being played, it sent a shiver down her spine.

At roughly the same moment, she noticed that all the people wearing the rather gaudy masks started acting most strange. First it looked as though the masks dropped down onto their faces, then began curling up into balls upon the ground. After they stopped moving, then began to groan.

"What in Hylia's name is going on here then? Why are these people acting like this? The music, it must be what's causing this. I've got to find it!"

Erryn began following the sound of the music, narrowly avoiding townsfolk along the way as they began to call to people that she presumed they knew. Eventually, her search lead her to the fountain, where she spotted a smartly dressed man playing a violin that was decorated with rupees of every colour.

"Okay. Correction. That is the most gaudy thing I've seen so far." Erryn mused to herself as she barely suppressed a chuckle. She figured that if she could hit either the musician or the violin with a well placed crossbow bolt, it might break the flow of the music, and bring those under it's spell to their sense. Without a moment to lose, Erryn took out her crossbow and loaded a bolt, and aimed at the musician's shoulder.

"Alright then. 3... 2.. What the hell?" Erryn asked herself as she saw the Dinolfos from earlier launch his Hookshot at the violin and managed to tear it away from the man before setting on towards the Castle.

"Note to self; acquire Hookshot at some point if one becomes availble." Seeing that her plan was now null and void, Erryn headed back to The Smokey Dodongo with another idea in mind. Acting without thinking, she in barged in through the door, and headed towards her crew's table.

"Oh hey Captain! Back so soon? What's with the noise outside?" Asked Sable in his dulcet tones after having just beat Tyrus.

"Spare me the pleasantries Sable, we've got a situation outside. It appears someone or something has attacked Hyrule Castle; but also that a musician has put people wearing those masks handed out by that Goron under some kind of spell. Right now what I want everyone to do is to follow me outside and to secure a perimeter around the fountain area and to keep watch for any signs of trouble, as whoever is attacking the Castle may want to steal the Spiritual Stones as well. Also if you can, try and keep the people calm. We don't want a panic to break out." Erryn ordered in her commanding tone, the same tone she'd use if they were out at sea.

"Aye Captain!" All the crew shouted at once as they followed their Captain out of the tavern. As they reached the fountain, the crew split off into small groups, each taking an entrance whilst Erryn held the main fountain area.