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At first, it felt like a free-fall. The magnificent halls of the castle swirled away from sight like paint doused in water only to lead away into an light that enveloped all. It was as though the world they knew ceased to exist, only a sweet illusion that was suddenly destroyed from their minds as they fell further and further away from the point of no return. This couldn't be real. Could it? [break][break]

"Hey. Are you awake?"[break][break]

A strong voice rose from the silence and with his vision finally returned from what felt like a nightmare, a tall woman stood tall over him, garbed in a familiar outfit; a Sheikah. He remembered that ominous eye crest from anywhere, emblazoned on the leather chest piece of the woman's lightweight armor. It was no doubt she served the royal court, with the amount of silver inlays woven into intricate designs along her gauntlets to the simple silvery studs fastened at the joints. Even the lowly shimmer from the chain-mail came into sight from either side of her torso, thus made her quite the warrior in his eyes. Of course, most Sheikah within the castle grounds were warriors to an extent, but this would be his first time to be in the presence of such a person. He wasn't important enough nor have the courage to even speak with them. He was...[break][break]

The Sheikah warrior narrowed her red gaze upon the castle guard upon the ground. His helmet had fallen from his dark brown mess of hair and revealed the amber irises of his boyish appearance, whom appeared rather dazed from their unusual trip. He had the usual attire of a castle guardsman, encased in armor of polished iron with the banner of the royal crest worn over the chest plate. However, the guardsman had no appearance of a seasoned soldier nor any signs of fatigue from his baby-face complexion. He was a boy. "Are you alright?" She spoke up once again and offered her hand to the young man. His eyes darted to her hand then back to her, followed with a firm grasp of his own hands before he was pulled up off the ground shortly after. "Y-yes. I don't feel any pain. Not that I'm not capable of feeling s-such discomforts." He stammered, "Just that the fall didn't hurt at all." The guardsman felt a bit red and reached down for his helmet. The Sheikah warrior haven't noticed his embarrassment, but instead focused her vision to her surrounding with interest. There were rustic buildings, few with thatched roofs while many had the warm clay tiles. However, just from the looks of it, all the buildings were sturdy against the elements and was not familiar to any village within Hyrule. She slowly reached to her side for her weapon, but the warrior sharply exhaled once she realized her blade was no longer at her side. "Do you have your weapon?" She asked the guardsman loudly enough for his ears only. The young man fumbled with his helmet before dropping it again. "N-no. I am without any means of defense." It had taken him longer to realize it, but wherever they were, it wasn't a place they knew.

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As the guardsman plucked his helmet from the ground once more, the nearby bushes gave away as their tiny branches snapped from a trampling force. Four creatures emerged from the thicket, yellow eyes trained upon the two newcomers as they spat forth a volley of stones. The Sheikah woman did not hesitate to evade the attack and in a blink of an eye, vaulted to the left with a roll. Yet, her crimson gaze did not break a line of sight from the foul monsters as she was taught. She was swift in body and mind as her left hand reached for the rough leather pouch upon the back of her waist. A lowly silver gleam came forth and before anyone could think of what was held in the woman's hand, the Sheikah warrior had unleashed a flurry of her own. Several needles whistled towards the first Octorok, cutting the air with such intensity that once it found their mark, the creature took the missiles before crashing upon the ground altogether, impaled in various places.[break][break]

"O-oh boy." The young guardsman uttered, seeing the scene unfold before his very eyes. However, his gawking was cut short as one stone pellet struck true in the center of his chest. Despite the relatively small size of the projectiles, the stone pellets from Octoroks had tremendous force behind them, thus knocked the young man off his awkward stance into the dirt. He gritted his teeth while he laid upon his back, the strong vibrations of his armor still rung as his ill-fitted helmet fell from his head. "T-this isn't going so well." He managed to croak, a little choked up from the hit, "J-just leave me to these creatures!" The sheikah heard the boy but did not heed his words. Instead, she ran over to the guardsman while she worked her hand into another small pouch off the side of her hip. Suddenly, the ground in front of them erupted into a geyser of smoke, which made the remaining three Octoroks shuttered in confusion as their yellow eyes darted from one spot to another. It was only for a moment until the creatures broke through and around the smoke plume, but it a moment that greatly helped the duo gain enough distance for retreat. The creatures were soon to follow.[break][break]

"I-I'm sorry to burden you." The guardsman uttered as he limped alongside the Sheikah warrior. Her eyes were in search of a possible escape paths, but without knowledge of the land, it was a challenge for sure. "Hush. We'll be fine within the trees." She spoke, still determined to see this through. Both of them had escaped the clearing to the treeline, but it was only a temporary respite, as the Octoroks skittered along the trees in search of their prey. It would be mere seconds until the Sheikah and guardsman were forced to fight yet again.

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As the Octorok encroached on their position, Lillan lowered herself into a crouch as Dardan dropped to the ground beside her. The situation looked rather bleak with the foul creatures at the ready, their sickly yellow glares pinned upon the Sheikah. "J-Just run. I-I can hold them off long enough." The wounded guardsman spat, pushing himself up off the wet grass into a staggered stance with a hand upon his wounded chest. Tiny globules of sweat raced down his face as the sun pierced through the canopy above, the light shining brilliantly upon his armor. Lillan heard his plea but took no effort to leave the boy alone to the gallows. This fight had to end and seeing no swift exits nor escape, it appeared this is where they would take a stand against the monsters. Lillan drew forth senbon betwixt her knuckles, her fiery aim set upon her enemies.[break][break]

Suddenly, a one of the Octoroks were felled by a blade, haphazardly carried by a warrrior of sorts. This definitely took Dardan by surprise, wavering a bit before he strengthened his stance to keep himself from falling over. Lillan, however, took no moment of respite and in efforts to eliminate the opposition, swung her arm to the monsters, unleashing another barrage of silver needles into the second Octorok. The creature flew into the field before it shriveled up into a black husk. This would definitely keep the welcomed helper in better odds with a single foe, since a group of them would have put the warrior at an disadvantage like they were before his arrival. The guardsman, finally shaking off the fatigue, but still couldn't muster his strength to actually fight. So, he watched on while Lillan shifted over to his side, ready to deflect any projectiles with a single needle in case the last Octorok decided to strike them instead of the new arrival.[break][break]

"Q-Quick! Take it down before it attacks or gets help!" Dardan shouted.

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It seem victory was attained and without further injury, Dardan gave a sigh of relief. "T-Thanks the Goddesses! I wouldn't have survived another hit like that." He felt the dent left by the Octorok attack in his chest armor then looked over to the one who came in their time of need, whom apparently had tufts of grass upon his face and blonde hair. "T-Thanks for the assist." Dardan managed to crack up a smile, obviously relieved over the whole ordeal but mainly to see another face that didn't belong to a monster. Lillan regained her composure, which wasn't much different than it was during combat, and stood proper beside the guardsman. Her sharp crimson eyes followed the outline of the blonde young man, from his posture to the very weapon her carried. She replaced the remaining senbon in her hand back into her pouch and continued to observe the new person.[break][break]

"The name's Dardan." The guardsman spoke up, giving his hair a ruffle. He then glanced over to his companion. "O-Oh are you alright-" Before he could speak his concern over the Sheikah, she seized the moment. "We must seek out a safe location. We shouldn't tarry without a plan of action." Lillan looked the person who came to their aid with a stern look. "I rather not be ambushed by another group of monsters, due to our lack of offensive capabilities and your limited experience with that sword." Of course, the Sheikah had picked up on that tidbit of information during their attack on the remaining Octorok. "Your presence assures me that a village is near. Please, lead the way."

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The Sheikah woman simply wandered off a little ways, her eyes studied each and every structure that stood within Lynna City. She seemed very interested in the obsidian tower in the center of it all. The young boyish soldier watched the woman for a bit then turned his attention to their savior of the day. "H-Hey, sorry about her. She isn't much for talk." Dardan chimed up as he scratched the back of his head. "I don't think you gave your name, friend. Can't really thank you proper if I don't know yer name." He chuckled a bit, somewhat placed in a position where he had to do most of the talking for the duo. "Say, have you seen anything strange lately? Probably some shady peeps."[break][break]

Lillan shot a look at Dardan but said nothing. Of course, the kid had to say something about that and she wasn't particularly fond on the idea of sharing the fact they were in pursuit of thieves. However, they were at a disadvantage in this strange land and with the foolish Castle guardsman gauging people on any suspicious activity, that would give them a start. She just hoped it wouldn't nip them in the bud if word got out to the thieves.

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Dardan nodded, the smile still prevalent on his boyish face. "Segnorus, huh? That's a pretty tough sounding name. Definitely not a Dardan fer sure. Good to meet 'cha, friend!" The young guardsman chimed as he kept his helmet tucked in the crook of his left arm. He was obviously the friendly one of the duo and was more laidback than the woman, who at this point listened in silence to the conversation. Lillan was not one for idle chit-chat, for her duties dictated her actions and thus, a priority on the information was on her mind. Her eyes flicked from one building to another, ever wary of any suspicious movement. She was alert and aimed to keep it that all.[break][break]

"Hmm. Seems to me this Fado fella is our best bet." Dardan thought aloud after he listened to Segnorous. "Don't think you could point the way? Call me directionally challenged but this Lynna City is more like a maze honestly. Hehe." He ruffled the dark hair on the back of his head, somewhat nervous about the whole ordeal. There were possible thieves and wherever they were, it wasn't on any map he read before. Dardan looked to Lillan but she appeared to be preoccupied with security in mind.[break][break]

"Whaddya say, Segnorus? I'm sorry if I'm asking for too much."

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Dardan had a childish grin, relieved that Segnorus agreed to lead them to Fado. Both him and his companion were far from home and didn't know where to start from here. Of course, the Shiekah might have had an inkling on what to do but... he rather not ask. It hard enough not to appear completely useless. [break][break]

"Ah, thanks, friendo! We really appreciate it!" [break][break]

With that being said, the duo gave the lead to Segnorus and followed closely with his pace. It wasn't often they would find themselves in stranger lands and it obviously gave Dardan a twinkle in his eye. However, it wasn't so much in the case of the Sheikah. The blue-haired woman remained silent for the most part, steely crimson eyes focused upon the ominous black tower. It was magnificent in some respect, simple in design and everso imposing to those beneath its stature. It was a fortress no doubt and seem almost impossible to scale its obsidian walls.[break][break]

"Those creatures - such monsters are common to encroach upon the village?" The Sheikah spoke plainly, her pace still carried a great sense of alert - brisk and calculated.[break][break]

Dardan couldn't help but think on it as well. If it weren't for Segnorus, he'd be toast right now but with the attack being so close to the homes of others, he figured there would be some more people willing to fight. Yet, none chose to do so. In fact, the city seem rather sparse, with nary a soul willing to walk the street as brazen as the trio. It was certainly odd, save for the few onlookers that hurried to wherever they went. The young Hylian furrowed his brows at the thought of something dreadful.

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