Live Your Own Story in Hyrule

"As long as someone knows the way, then I am satisfied. I just wish not to have another brush with the void beneath me if I do not have to." Mipha admits. It's still a very real thing for her and she doesn't want to let go of anyone to fall into it again.

Irina realizes Mipha cannot see her. "With your permission, I will guide you, Your Highness." She gently takes Mipha's hand and pulls in an attempt to take both Link and Mipha to the door.

"I will, Lady Impa. If we all see something differently, it must defiantly be an illusion that's targeting our photo receptors in the back of our eyes." _Gatu says, really wracking his brain over this as Impa guides him._ "I think what Link is seeing is the thick brambles of forestry in certain areas of the Lost Woods... They're a part of the Kokori Forest, where I heard is where he grew up. Maybe the illusion targets things specific to memory, or to an aspect of ourselves? *'This is The Truth as you see it.'* Those were my friend's words. They just sorta blurted them out after we slain some Deku Babas. When I asked them what they meant, they turned to me and said that it was something I should know."

_Using his free hand since he's holding onto Impa, Gatu tries to call upon his Magic to see if he can break through the illusion that way. If it's targeting his eyes, there must be a spell to view past the fog and see the real Truth._

Listening to the young man make conjectures fills Impa with confusion.

"Though it may be rude to... Eavesdrop on your thoughts, young Gatu, I have some questions... 1 and perhaps 2 as well; what is a 'Photo' and a 'Receptor'? 3. How do you know what Link is seeing are the Lost Woods, when he himself did not appear to recognize what should be his home woods?"

Impa gently rests her hand on Gatu's casting hand, interrupting his spell. "Let's not attempt spells on ourselves in a new mystical realm adjacent to our home realm, hmm?"

Sheikah do so adore mysteries and enigma but they also enjoy safely performing experiments.

"Why not try to use your... Sorcery to conjure a simple fire and see what that does? Away from the group if you would please. Safety first."

Mipha feels someone touch her and she jumps a bit, even with forewarning it was strange feeling the sensation without being able to see who was responsible. "Ah! I don't mind. I would much prefer to be out of this illusion as soon as possible. At least, from my view, it appears we are drawing closer to the gateway. I am...uncertain what everyone else sees, but that is what I am perceiving so far."

"It's really hard to believe I'm walking over nothing. I know it's not here, but...it definitely feels real enough to be..." Red remarks as he's walked along with Blue guiding him along. "So, does anyone know what we're actually supposed to be seeing?" He wondered.

"Oh no. There's no getting hopes up, here. What you are seeing is very real. To you. You probably missed it earlier, but Mipha fell through the floor. Solid ground for me, but for her, it was something different. "So, just keep holding onto me, unless you don't want to fall through the ground yourself." Revali encouraged Red to stick with him. He didn't want to lose himself, both literally and figuratively.

Link follows Irina. He still moves uneasily as he traverses thick plants that appear all around. He also hears a familiar voice. "Is that... Mipha? Where is she? Is she safe?" He can't help but hold his free hand up as he feels he is about to walk into a branch.

"What? Wait, so this is actually real?" Red was shocked, to say the least. "That's the worst thing you could've told me." He sighed. "But sticking to myself is my best chance of survival... I'm...I'm kind of worried." Not that he doesn't have the utmost trust in his own self, but well, sometimes you just have doubts in your own abilities. At least, he does. It's the lack of doubts that Blue has that might be more concerning.

Mipha perks up. "Link? I'm here and I'm fine! Revali, Lady Impa and Irina have all assisted me. I know we can't see one another, but just know that I am nearby. At least, as long as we are holding to one another. It is my understanding that we can only move through these illusions with the help of our group here."

Irina smiles. Link and Mipha are almost next to each other, but it is as if they were in a different dimension.

"Then maybe the group should form a line," Irina replies to both . That may let us all move to the next room together, without those illusions."

Link sighs in relief as he hears Mipha. "Princess. Thankfully, Irina has found us and we are at least together for now."

He slowly nods to Irina, "I agree. I think that is a good plan. Perhaps we are all in the same place, but we are experiencing different versions of reality."

As he says that, he stops, seeing the light between the trees again. "Irina... stop a moment. We are almost there. I don't know if you can see it, but I see something bright up ahead. Do you see it, too?" He tugs on Irina's hand slightly, sort of steering her to the direction of the light he sees. "Please take us that way."

"Photo Receptors are specialized, light-sensitive sensory neurons located in the retinas of our eyes behind our pupils that convert light into electrical signals, enabling vision. There are two main types in humans: rods, which are highly sensitive to light and responsible for night/peripheral vision, and cones, which are responsible for color and high-acuity daylight vision." _Gatu explained to Impa. Now he was sounding like Fi a bit now as he describes the anatomy of humanoid eyeballs._

"As for why I believe they are the Lost Woods, I've been there myself when I went in with some Kokiris to gather wood to rebuild their homes. Sure, a good portion of them live in huge tree stumps they carve out themselves to live inside, but some prefer something along the lines of a nice log cabin... If you wander too far off any given path our clearing, it can be very dangerous. They held thick brambles of forestry that are perilous to trek through as Link describes it." _Gatu added, answering Impa's second question._

_He does stop his casting a spell on himself per Impa's request. When she tells him to try using his Magic to conjure a simple fireball, Gatu nods._
"That does sound like a better option. Thanks for stopping me from doing that Impa. Let's see..."
_Gatu concentrates his Magic, in which he casts a simple fireball spell to give light to the gloomy interior and see how it affects his vision from his point of view._

Irina hmms. "I don't see a light, just a door. But I can take you two anywhere... I don't see any danger in the room at this moment."

Pulling both Link and Mipha, Irina walks in the direction Link tugged her. "Please guide me and let me know when to stop."

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.

Revali winced. "Ouch..." That one had to hurt. The trees in Hyrule were sturdy, after all and had a tendency to hide spides in them. As a choice place for protection, they might have been onto something.

The moblin is vanquished and the village is stirring which might work out in their favor. Nobody is going to look for a wolf with a moblin taking up space. Sure will be a lot to clean up, though.

With that, him and Red continue onward to rendevous with the others in the graveyard.

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.