Rularu let out a heavy sigh, taking a swig of water from the rather large water bladder she was carrying with her. She was accompanied by three Zora guards; knights from the Domain who were personally hand-picked by her father to serve as her guard and escort. He provided the four of them with the water bladders, filled with the freshest water available in Zora's domain, as well as cloaks infused with Nayru's magic by one of the Domain's most skilled mages. Though it was only temporary, enough to last them until they reached the prison, these cloaks would provide extra protection from the desert heat, which Zoras were especially vulnerable to. They were heavy and cumbersome, but they did their jobs quite well.

Her three guards consisted Tohma and Riala, a brother-and-sister duo; the sister was an energetic warrior, wielding a silverscale spear and wearing light armor, while her brother was more adept at magic, being especially well-versed in both Nayru and Farore spells; in fact, he's been the one training Rularu in magic. The third was a mountain of a Zora named Dagg; he was extremely tall, even by Zora standards, and carried a pair of Silver Longswords with him. They were the same type of greatsword that Rularu preferred to use, though Dagg, in particular, was large and strong enough to wield one in each hand, making him quite the melee powerhouse. He was very much the "strong silent type".

As the group approached the prison, avoiding the bulk of the monsters guarding the main entrance, she and her guards were noticeably eager to get out of the heat, but kept up a calm demeanor. As Ulrich asked if anyone had any questions, Rularu voiced a simple one that had been on her mind. "Do you have any idea of what to expect once we're inside? Like what kind of defenses the prison has or if there are any monsters lurking inside?"
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note: Rularu is accompanied by three Zora guard NPCs, who are controlled by me.

Tohma - A male Zora mage who is skilled with both the Nayru and Farore schools. Is also Rularu's magic teacher. A typical "squishy wizard" type; has powerful magic, but lacks physical strength and can't take hits very well.

Riala - Tohma's twin sister. A nimble and swift fighter who fights with a spear. Moves quickly, and makes up for her general lack of strength with swift multi-hitting combos.

Dagg - an incredibly tall (even by Zora standards) and muscular Zora who dual-wields a pair of greatswords. Incredibly strong and durable, but moves a lot slower than the other two. A man of few words.

Ah, curious, and ever more curious. Not necessarily the scene before him -- oh, he'd heard a few things about that much, whether people had known it or not -- but the activities of the monsters, the tell of something backing them. Things like curses, and prisons... well, but the keaton wasn't terribly unfamiliar with either, really. Nor did he have much care one way or another if anyone might allow him here; he was coming one way or another.

Though he was also keeping at least some distance from those wolfos. The one back home was already being difficult enough; if any of them might share any habits, well, he much preferred not to risk it.

And... then there was that one. 'Ulrich'. An oddity, in a few different ways; had he the vast amounts of information on Hyrule as he retained on Termina, there was little doubt there'd be more to tell. As it was, though... questions, then? Well, that was simple enough; though he couldn't say anything to that Vladimir's, he at least had some insight for the Zora princess.

"Monsters and traps, but of course. A place doesn't go abandoned for this long without something making its way in... and a prison is not a prison without a way of keeping people in," Revyn suggested, putting on a little smirk. "A good thing, then, that you have someone who can get anywhere he wants to go, traps or not," he added with a little chuckle.

With that, then, he allowed a little shake of his fur of at least some of the sand that had begun collecting in it -- utterly annoying as that was -- before his attention turned to Ulrich. "You'll find no questions from me -- at least, not right now. All of the answers lay inside, after all! And besides... ancient texts are only that. They only offer the past, while the present can be very different than what they may portray."

Something he himself knew all too well, really.

Spirits, was it? Well, in a place such as this -- a prison of long past -- that was just rather inevitable, wasn't it? And... masks. Another one, was it? But well, no matter; it was amusing enough all its own seeing the animal themery, when he himself already was one. And ah, the fox... the man really was going that route, was he...?

Still, for the moment, then, Revyn quietly followed along with the rest of them. Glancing idly over the encampment that the monsters had -- apparently -- set up, over to the distance where action would no doubt be occurring sooner or later. Over to the boulder they came to, a small hum escaping him at the suggestion that the stronger members of the overall group move it, before a chuckle was soon to follow from the small keaton. That, before he idly hopped up the wall and boulder alike, to perch himself atop it.

"My, my... in this sand? Well, I suppose the lot of you could push it off from against the wall itself, if you were so inclined to try," he mused. "But there is a method besides that even someone as tiny and frail as me would find rather trivial. Why, there's always more than one way to get through an obstacle, so try not to limit yourselves too much in your thinking, hmm? But either way, with this many, I'd just be in the way... so I'll leave you all to decide," he suggested, wearing a slight smirk on his face.

Were one to guess, he referred, quite simply, to digging; an old specialty of his back in Termina, one might say, and something that would be all too easily done in the sand to simply displace the boulder. But just telling them was no fun, was it?

Rularu nodded when Marianne expressed her concern for her, smiling lightly "Don't worry. I won't lie and say this isn't difficult, but we'll be fine for now. Hopefully, if nothing else, being out of the direct sunlight once we're inside will be helpful." After that, she watched in silent surprise as the King himself made his presence known, apparently having decided to join in the dungeon exploration rather than fighting on the frontlines. She wouldn't dare do so out loud, but she couldn't help but question whether or not this was a good idea. Fighting on the frontlines was one thing, but going into a dangerous labyrinthian prison was a different beast altogether. Death would be the least of their worries.

That said, his offering of the maps would be a useful one. Even if they were outdated, they could still use them to get a general idea of where they were and how to get where they needed to be. It was certainly better than going in blind. Then, as the king addressed them, suggesting that now was the time to back out, and that he wouldn't judge them if they chose to do so. Rularu couldn't help but scoff at the very idea. "With all due respect, Your Magesty, I am well aware of the risks, and wouldn't be here if I wasn't willing to accept them. All the same...your sister has become a dear friend of mine, and I would gladly follow her to the ends of Hyrule. You won't be getting rid of me that easily."

Despite her somewhat haughty tone, she had a look in her eyes; one of both fierce determination and of undying loyalty to Marianne. Even if she was afraid, there was no way she could back down now. Not if there was any way for her to lighten the burden on her dear friend, even if only slightly.

After that, came Ulrich's answer to her question; it was more or less what she was expecting. She had a feeling that might be the case, though it was still nice to hear her suspicions confirmed. All the same, she was no less willing to do this. He then handed her a mask, explaining that it would allow her to see things normally invisible to the naked eyes, at the cost of it draining her magic and preventing her from casting any spells while wearing it. It'll still be useful. Hers, incidentally, was in the shape of a shark. A bit on the nose, perhaps, but Rularu liked it.

What came next, however, she decidedly did not like; the suggestion that everyone only bring one of their companions inside the dungeon with them. She was particularly annoyed that he chose to drop this bombshell after her companions had already risked their health by coming out here in the first place. However, even more vexing, was that she saw his point. As cramped as this dungeon was probably going to be, all of them going in at once would make things far too crowded. So, reluctantly, she weighed her options. Her companions were every bit as pleased as she was, but gave her a silent nod of understanding; whoever she picked, they'd respect her choice.

After some careful consideration, Rularu nodded. "...alright. Dagg, you're with me. I get the feeling I'm going to need your muscle." She then turns to the other two. "Riala, Tohma...I'm sorry you had to come all this way for nothing. If you're feeling up to it, join the battle in the desert. But if the heat becomes too much for you to handle, then get out of here. That's an order." The Zora twins nodded, disappointed but understanding of Rularu's decision. With a nod to everyone else, they took off. Then, with the large Zora at her side, Rularu looked to the boulder.

"...if we could figure out a way to give him solid footing, Dagg should be able to budge that boulder on his own. In terms of pure physical might, he's easily one of the strongest Zoras in the Domain. The problem is all of this sand..." Of course, it seemed as though Marianne already had an idea. Thus, with a nod from the princess, the large, musclebound Zora stood ready to assist in pushing the boulder when it came time to attempt that.