Live Your Own Story in Hyrule

_As Gatu rejoins the others with Impa's help in leading him in the right direction, the answer becomes clear to him._
"Cooperation." _he blurted out plainly, having finally solved it after wrecking his brain so much around it._ "That's what my friend meant... _*'The Truth is as you see it.'*_ It's cooperating with each other..."

_Gatu chuckles a bit, though it was a bittersweet, saddened one. Impa could see the saddened expression on his face he was trying not to show, but failed to._
"If my friend were with us right now, I can already imagine them scolding me for being such an idiot for taking so long to figure it out. I really have been doing this adventure stuff by myself for too long as I went around helping the races of Hyrule rebuild after the Flood... I really need to start being a team player more than trying to do things by myself, since a part of me knows I can't do everything alone, but chose to ignore it out of pride or not wanting to trouble others with my problems if are things at stake or not."

_It doesn't seem like Gatu wants to talk about the subject further. Perhaps once they've finished what they need to do here, maybe._

Link steps ahead. He holds Irina's hand and pulls her across an invisible threshold. He stares out ahead at the environment he is in and wonders if everybody sees the same. He leans down and picks up a small flower and holds it up, wondering if Irina and Mipha can see it, too.

"It's a flower." Mipha stated matter-of-factly. "Where are we now?" She wasn't sure what to make of where they were at or if it was a new illusion. "Have we reached a new place or moved at all? It's difficult to truly know."

Irina is guided through the invisible threshold, wondering where it takes them. She nods at Mipha's answer and looks at Link. “I see the flower too.”

Link and his handholding friends made it to the archway, through it they will see a dark meadow.

The sky is in a state similar to late afternoon, more yellow than red with deep shadowy clouds scudding across.

The grass is so dark green, it appears almost black with tiny pale flowers, glowing so bright one could not pick an individual color out of the clusters.

Everything appears to be under a light shade, but nothing could be casting that shadow, as there is no visible sun.

Behind Link and the others, the archway is in a blue stone crypt-like building, far too small for the forest he just escaped.

Link turns and looks at the building in disbelief. Many questions are going through his head but he remains quiet, needing to validate his perception of reality with the party.

“This world. It is unlike the one I know. The sky is yellow. It's almost as if an invisible sun was setting somewhere, just not here.” He realizes he isn't making sense but he hopes that they are on the same page.

He walks into the field of dark green grass and leads his friends into this strange land. He senses intense shadow energy which contrasts sharply to the magic flowing inside of him. Maybe that is in his mind but the lack of real light, not just here but also in the temple they were just in. He takes a deep breath and pushes forward, visibly uncomfortable.

_Gatu just quietly follows along, being vigilant, but also keeping his words closed to himself. He looked like he ha d a lot on his mind. Too much, probably. It didn't help his mentality with Impa watching him like a hawk as himself, with Link leading him and the others, continue forwards. With the silent expression on his face, Gatu probably agrees._

Irina looks around the place and then back at the archway. She crouches down, touching the grass and the flowers. Looking at the distance, she asks, “Where is the light coming from?”

Without waiting for an answer, she stands. She does not feel comfortable here either. “We should keep our focus on helping people back at the market and hopefully finding the sword. The sooner we figure it out, the sooner we can try to get out of this place.”

Red was so glad to cross over into something that at least seemed familiar. "I don't know what this place is, but it's better than where I came from or was or...experienced. Whatever it was, I like this better." He took in things for just long enough to sink back into reasonable concern. Deep breath... "And now I don't know what to expect from this place. It's...oddly satisfying."

It only just kicked in now that he could see and hear everyone again. "You're right! I mean, you're right. We should keep our focus. Uh...but this is the place where all those creatures came from, right? Should we expect them again?" He added after Irina's remarks.

Revali looks around, stepping out and away from the group briefly to get a good look at this place. No sooner than he perceived sky, he took off into the air to confirm if this was truly a field or just another trick.

_Gatu gets a good look himself around the place himself whilst keeping up with the party._
"I agree Irina. But let's not get too hasty. Who knows what's around the corner in this place..." _Gatu replies, seeing what everyone else is seeing now instead of what he was before._

Link turns to Red as Blue flies off. “Scouting the area from your vantage point will be helpful, but we should also be careful not to draw too much attention. If anyone is around, they will surely see you.”

He taps his sword to signal that he will be ready for whatever appears. He then points to the direction that Revali is flying and continues forward, thinking that if the majestic bird hasn't said anything yet then there is no danger spotted.

“I am not saying to be hasty. I am saying to keep our focus on our objective,” Irina replies while she walks toward Red, and touched his wing.

“Sorry that you went through so much in the other room. Yes, there is a possibility that we will find those beasts here and hopefully Blue will give us an idea of what's around. But whatever is here, we can fight it together, right?” She smiles at the red rito before looking up to see Blue’s progress.

Red looks up after seeing Blue take off. "I don't mind doing that. Don't know what kind of attention I'll draw from this place, but...I'll look out for those creatures from before. Hopefully they aren't here, but I know there's no guarantees in all this." He looks to Irina and gives her a smile. It was filled with reluctance, but a smile, nonetheless. "Yeah, together should be better." He looks at his quiver and sighs a bit. "Used a lot of arrows back there and I don't have much left. But there's more than one way to fight."

His attention falls on Gatu. "No telling what's around the corner. Or in the air or behind or under us. In the Shadow Temple, those things came from _everywhere_ and just covered the ship. Although, I suppose that would make them easier to spot..." He steps away and takes off into the air to join Blue in the survey.

Link touches Red’s wing as he recounts the horde of beasts back at the temple. “It was a close call, but you all were valiant and we were able to resist them. We are likely on their territory now, however, so we must be vigilant, and perhaps more defensive here.”

He follows under Red as best as he can as he flies off.

Aio stares at Naomi blankly. He clearly didn't understand her. He wonders why this girl is threatening the other girl.

As he doesn't quite understand the rules of the game, he does the same and chases after Saria, holding his hands up like a dragon as well. He calls out "Raaawr!" and something unintelligible in his language.

Saria lets out a scream as both come after her and laughs, running. She looks at Aio and points at Naomi without stopping. "Attack HER, not me! We are the good guys! Dragon! Dragon! " She repeats, hoping to teach Aio a new word.

Aio begins chasing after Naomi, too, and calls her by what he thinks is probably her name, "Dragon! Dragon!"

Fallon opens the door and is immediately met with screaming and shouts of a dragon. She hurries outside, checking the sky and surroundings to see if one had suddenly popped up. Thankfully, there was no such creature and further processing allowed her to realize they were just playing out here. Of course, that's what they intended to do in the first place, but flashbacks of moldugas and spiders said otherwise. Briefly, anyway.

So, she heads back towards the walls of the inn and leans against them, watching them play and enjoy life for the time being. A refreshing change of scenery to what she knows lies beyond.

Naomi blinks at the swift derailment of her CAREFULLY CRAFTED FANTASY WORLD. o.O; At least Saria seems to get the idea and is trying to explain it to Aio -- but it looks like he still thinks _he's_ a dragon. Okay, well, maybe he can be a knight AND a dragon! Like some kind of...dragon man!

<https://i.redd.it/xcbi8yj0nhv81.jpg>

"Ummm...OHNOES IT IS THE DRAGONBORN! BUT YOU WILL NEVER DEFEAT ME UNLESS YOU FIND THE, ummm, MAGICAL HELMET OF RAINBOW FLAMES! IT IS IN, ummmmmmmmmm...aaaaaa SECRET PLACE THAT--THAT ONLY THE ROYAL FAMILY KNOWS ABOUT!" Yeah, Naomi is totally engaging in AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION and not dumping her DM responsibilities on Saria. n.n

Those were a lot of words and Aio understood none of them! He continues to chase Dragon and shouts her name. He giggles with excitement as the air and sun and open space combine to create a volatile reaction of fun.

As the screams of the children echo through the field outside of the Wolfos, a tall imposing Gerudo woman cuts the horizon perpendicularly. She holds a spear and walks in a relaxed pace but with a serious expression. The expression softens when she sees the children playing, particularly the boy.

She stops and observes them by the stables outside of the inn.

Saria laughs and nods, pointing at Noemi! "Yes! Catch the dragon!"

Seeing Risa arrive, Saria hmms, touching her chin with a finger. She approaches Risa and Fallon and brings her hands to her back. "Excuse me, I have a question."

"As you know, Aio is living in the Kokiri Forest now. Do you know of any grown-ups that may help us build a treehouse for him?"

Risa crouches down to become eye-level with the forest child. She rests her elbow on her knee and says, "A treehouse?" She thinks, and says, "Sweetie, I am from the desert. I don't know much about trees. But I will find someone who can help."

Fallon laughed to herself. Of all the things Naomi could've been, a dragon...born was not one she expected. Yet, she could appreciate her imagination. Those bedtime stories must've sounded far more spectacular to her than she'd thought.

Spotting movement in the distance, she looked towards it and found it was a friendly face upon closer inspection. She smiled as Risa approached, acknowledging her presence with a nod.

With Saria now approaching, she then pondered her question, "You need help with one, hm? Well, I'm not much of a builder, but I can assist in whatever way I can. I'll have to ask my husband if he has any suggestions or ideas. All else fails, I could just read about trees and houses and then attempt to replicate it."

Saria grins, her hands on her back while she listens to them. "You are big and strong women, so I knew you could help! Thank you." With this, she goes back to playing with her friends.

GUUUHHHH!!! &gt;_&lt;; Being a DM is so FRUSTRATING! You put in all this work to give the players an intricate world to interact with, and they just want to be MURDER HOBOS that solve every problem by charging at it swords waving! "Okay, fine! TAG, YOU'RE IT!" Naomi shouts to Aio. Then she turns and dashes away.

Aio didn't quite understand but he understood perfectly what she meant and what his job was now. He gives chase to Naomi and also Saria.

Saria laughs and runs away from Aio, happy to see him enjoying himself. There were some things they needed to figure out but this was probably what he needs for now.

Jabu's whiskers, that was quite the incident! Mipha certainly wasn't expecting that activity up here, but she's honestly glad it's over. Not that she needed to, but her desire to keep a low profile continues as she creeps her way through towards the graveyward. "My word, I honestly didn't think a moblin would make an appearance here. They ususaly don't find much reason to come this far..."

Wolf Link continues on to the <#C9UT1C3BQ>

_With the villagers' nerves settled, and some of them expressing they're glad he was okay, they left to go back inside and turn off their lights. However, looking over at the inn and starting to walk over there, he finds that it was closed for reservations- meaning there was no place for him to stay the night. Walking over and picking up the Moblin Spear, the young warrior breaks a section of it off so it was more his size and making it balanced so it wasn't unwieldy._
_Checking on their friend in their hat, they seemed to have gotten knocked out from the force of colliding with that tree along with them. Hopefully in time they'll wake up... Using what magic he has access to, they heal themself up a bit so it would be easier to breath. Doing so however making his Life Gauge 'glitch' through different styles until it settled on a different one; causing him a moment of pain._

_With the moment passed, the young warrior adjusts their bunny hood on top of their head after putting his hat back on and fixing their hair. Since loitering wasn't allowed in town, he'd have to go to the graveyard to rest there. Hopefully Dampé was going to be alright with it. They have in the past the few times he came and there wasn't any available rooms in the inn._

_Gatu proceeds, unknowingly, towards the <#C9UT1C3BQ>_

(See <#C5FAAGN80>)

Suddenly, a black crystal slams into the ground at high speeds, with a sudden flash of light in the form of a beam slamming into it, setting it off. Once the dust settles, one can see a Fog begin to form.

Another day, another round of looking for odd jobs to keep body and soul together. -.- It's better now than when John first started at least, he's gotten used to approaching folks at random to ask for work and they've gotten used to the idea that there's this guy around who can save them some trouble in exchange for a few rupees. Still, it's wearisome having to _hunt_ for employment all the time.

"I'm tellin' ya Johnny-boy, ya oughta just sign up wi' the castle guard," Scruvo remarks, guessing John's thoughts. "Gals love a chap in armor."

John rolls his eyes, trying to remember how many times they've had this conversation already. "And what do you think will happen when they ask about past experience and references? 'I was part of the army in the Dukedom of Loranis until I was banished for insubordination.'" e.e

"Cor blimey, an' you think _I_ take liberties in recountin' stories! At least I add stuff IN instead of leavin' all th'good parts out! Tell y'wot, why don't I tell 'em wot happened an' then you can just shoot down the embellishments, that'll get th'full story across AND show 'em you're humble ab--CRIKEY, INCOMIN'!!!"

John dives for the nearest cover, the corner of a building. He hears a dirt-spraying impact followed by an explosion, accompanied by a brief flash brightening the surroundings. After a moment, he straightens up against the wall and takes a peek around the corner, assessing the situation and looking for casualties and at-risk civilians. &gt;.&gt; Maybe nobody's _paying_ him to be a soldier, but the trained response doesn't stop to think about things like that.

In the distance, between the mountaintops, glides a yellow object. It takes note of the strange object that just flew into the town. The young messenger Rito swoops down on the town to take a closer look.

Not too far from the town, a royal guard sees the fog and hurries to ensure everybody is safe. Upon seeing the fog, Kagetora stops before he reaches it. He is aware of what will happen if he touches it... and frowns.

"Everybody, step back! Do not touch the fog!" He warns lifting his arms, stopping any villagers that attempt to approach the area.

The young yellow bird was near the fog but perched slightly above it on a stone chimney. He hops down to the roof and asks the soldier, “What is happening?”

Kagetora looks up to see the Rito while he tries to block people from entering the town. “This fog contains dark magic and is similar to that in Castle Market Town. Those who touch it will be cursed and turned into poes. Please warn everyone to stay away!”

The young Rito squawks in affirmation to the warrior's command, and then hops a few times before taking flight over the town. He begins to call out, "Beware! Beware! Everyone abandon the village! Avoid the fog!"

Ohhhhhjoy. &gt;~&lt; John pushes off from the wall and runs over to the building's door, yanking it open. "ANYBODY IN HERE, GET OUT FAST!!! THERE'S A POISON FOG FILLING THE TOWN!!!" John of course actually doesn't know if the fog _is_ poisonous, but it's a decent assumption based on the bird-man telling people to avoid it and it gets across the desired action quick and easy. A few confused townsfolk come tumbling out, including an old man with more wisdom than speed. U~U; John grabs his arm and throws it over his shoulders, trying to hasten his hobble toward the edge of town.

Meanwhile, the resident sky-watcher who's always hanging out on that roof is still rubbing his eyes from witnessing that sudden bright beam come down from Death Mountain. :dizzy_face: By the time his vision clears, the building he's on top of is already surrounded by fog, and it's starting to creep up the shingles toward him. He waves his arms up at Kanali. "HELP! I CAN'T GET DOWN!"

Over near Kagetora, a dog darts forward to bark and growl at the encroaching phenomenon. &gt;O A small girl runs after it, wrapping her arms around its neck and tugging fruitlessly. "No no Duke, get back!" &gt;n&lt;

Kanali pauses, catching a glimpse of the curious man that is standing on the roof. He looks around, watching the fog rise. He sees a woman holding a cucco and both are transformed immediately into orbs of light as the fog touches him.

"Oh no... this is terrible." the bird mutters under his breath.

"Hold on!! Stay away from the fog!" he shouts at the man on the roof as he hops up and takes flight, being careful to put some height between himself and the encroaching haze. He swoops down and grabs onto the man, already struggling to keep aloft, but says, "I got you! Hold on to me!"

At that, he kicks down on the roof to give himself a boost, breaking several roof tiles in the effort and sending them tumbling into the fog. Kanali takes flight with the man and attempts to carry him to safety, although his piloting skills are rough with the added weight.

Kanali crashes off to the side with the man, away from the fog. "Quick! Run away from the fog!" He dusts himself off, then picks himself up and flies back to the rooftops to see if he can spot anybody else.