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CHAPTER 13

An Unexpected Ally.

During the events on the Western Island, darkness continued to stir about East. But thanks to Minami and Hokubu having been fully awakened now, the Twilight was not having as easy of a time reaching through Termina field. Though, it still spread, just slowly. The Twilight realm had eaten most of Ikana Canyon... Only thing that was saved was Stone Tower Temple for the light realm dwellers who were currently there. For years, this ancient tower of darkness and evil was empty- barren of the living. But at the moment, it was crawling with Dragalfos, who were being worked hard alongside Lizalfos at digging and tearing apart the walls of the Temple. Twili Beasts made sure that the creatures stayed busy at work- otherwise the workers were punished. Few Dragalfos who weren't workers were messengers, who'd carry news onto their current leader.

Out on a ledge of the tower, a Dragalfos stood looking upon those working, before turning around "We've looked everywhere... My men are being worked ragged, we need to stop." the rather concerned-sounding Dragalfos said. It stood before a large dark sphere, which looked like a piece of the Twilight realm, it dripping square particles of black substance.

"How rude... Telling me what should be done." a voice spoke through this orb in an unamused fashion, leaving the Dragalfos to growl lowly. The voice continued "We made a deal... I'd bring back the life of your fallen chief if you release me from this Twilight prison."

The Dragalfos remained quiet for a moment, before responding "My men are only mortal, though. Many of us have already dropped from being overworked. We can't keep forcing the remaining number of my people to do this."
"I'm sorry... Did you hear me say that I cared?" the orb questioned with a twisted delighted tone that made even the Dragalfos snarl in disgust- which is saying something. "You should be thankful, you ungrateful walking skin-purse. I'm offering to bring a person back from the dead for you."
"Thankful!? For enslaving our kind? So to bring one person back, you expect us to work and kill off even more of us? Why not get your Twili to do this...?"
"Because my Twili are busy doing other things... You know, taking Termina and all."

The Dragalfos huffed, fire puffing out his nostrils. He looked back down upon his people, before sighing. Regardless of what a sadistic and cold race the Dragalfos were, they still had a loyalty for each other that made seeing them worked to death sadden even the most cold-blooded Dragalfos heart. He didn't want to end up being butchered by a Twili, so changed the subject "This item you're looking for... What is it for?"
"My friend, it is the key I need to finally come to this world in my full, godly glory. You may think I'm evil now, but when this world is under my hand, you WILL be thanking me."
"... I guess we'll see about that." the Dragalfos messenger certainly hoped so. He hoped their actual legal leader, Drigos, was having better luck than they were. "What of Drigos? Has he managed to find and kill Jace and Iris?"
"Not yet." the orb responded "But he's got some help, so I'm certain they'll be out of our hair soon."
"Drigos wouldn't need help..." The Dragalfos questioned "He's mighty enough on his own."
"... Well, we've had a bit of a surprise newcomer among our foes. This girl- Ilye, seems to be helping them make quicker headway- and has added to their strengths as well. I don't know how, but they've already managed to awaken Minami and Hokubu within the past four days." the orb actually sounded concerned, before recovering "It's as if she knows every path and location... No matter, she's no concern to me. This new guy that I've hired can better understand our foes... And what better way to kill them than with their own kind of fire?" the orb chuckled. "Besides, I've received word from... Aerial forces,-" he spoke, referring to some Shadow Kargarok he'd sent to watch out for Skreemin and Drigos- of which the two know nothing about "that he's already taken care of this Ilye face. And you and I both know that Jace and Iris are the ones I want dead."

The Dragalfos seemed confused for the unseen person's reasons. "... I know why we want them dead, but what beef do you have with them? Haven't you been imprisoned in Twilight for years?"
"They hold more importance to the goddesses' Grand Scheme of things than you know. Let's just say... That if they manage to live even if I do take Termina, they'll still find a way to foil our plans."

The news the Dragalfos just received was ominous to the beast's ears... How much trouble could two little plant people be, even for this supposed god? Why, deku are the weakest race there is, right? The Dragalfos knew they were skilled, but really...? This just seemed bigger than them.

The Dragalfos scoffed "To think... Deku scrubs would be a problem."
The orb laughed "You shouldn't judge something by it's size. They hold more power than you know. They are indeed the ones who murdered your chief, after all."
Upon being reminded, the Dragalfos gritted his teeth. "Don't remind me."

"Anyway, I have things to do... People to check up on." the orb began "Get back to work. I'll be back in a few hours to see if any progress has been made. So don't slack off, or else." the orb then vanished, leaving the Dragalfos clenching his fists as he stood alone. "My people are not tools." he growled "If Drigos knew the slavery we were enduring here..." he grumbled, before diving off the cliff and down to watch upon his fellow workers as they broke down a wall leading inside the Stone Tower.

Back on the Western Island...

Tuk had lead the deku scrubs through the large tunnel. It lead through to a small colony of workers and miners as they all worked to collect ores from the earthy walls. Jace watched silently, remembering the ores that were still in his rucksack. By now, he wanted nothing more to do with them, seeing as they got him and Ilye hurt in the first place. Had he not picked them up, the girls wouldn't have had to come and save him. That reminder was weighing on him as well from his constant pain. He was also having to carry Ilye's sword and bag, which Iris had handed to him as they entered the tunnel with Tuk. The extra weight of the straps certainly weren't helping Jace any as they rubbed against his wound.

"We thought this island was deserted." Iris spoke up, her voice echoing through the tunnels.
Tuk flicked an ear and responded "Nope. My people have lived on this island for generations. This whole side of the island belongs to us. Believe you me, this is the good side of the island."

"Good side huh? I'd hate to see the bad side." Jace grumbled.
The whole way, Jace and Iris had been asking all the questions. Tuk figured it was his turn now.
"I must ask... What reason have you got to be on this island, hm?"
"Well..." Jace began "We were sent here by the North Light Spirit. Have you heard of them...? The Light Spirits?"
The Tikoon miner began to think, but he had no memory of anything of a Light Spirit. "I can't say I know what that is. I bet you could ask our elder, though."
"I hope your elder knows something about the Light Spirit, because it's very important we find it." Iris added on "Termina's in great danger, you know."

"Great danger...? What kind of danger?" the Tikoon replied in a worried way.
A response came from Jace after he checked on his shoulder. "Termina is being eaten by another realm called Twilight. Long story short, if we don't find the Light Spirit and wake him, then this whole island and everything in the West will be taken over by Twilight. Everyone on the island will become spirits- stuck in a state timelessness... From what I've been told, anyway." Jace didn't feel like mentioning that him and Iris had almost had their very souls sucked from them the first time they came into contact with the realm... He'd save such information for this Elder that Tuk spoke of.
"That's terrible...! It's rather unbelievable, actually." The Tikoon miner held his hand to his mouth. Truly, he was wondering if it was true, but he really had no choice but to go off it. "As soon as we find a way to get you guys taken care of, then I'm sure our Elder will accept a meeting with you."

Questions sat on the tip of the deku scrub's minds, but they were getting tired, and were more eager to get Ilye taken care of more than anything. Walking without moving Ilye much, alone, was hard. Iris tried being mindful of the arrow's possible damage, but she knew she'd get tired eventually- but at the same time, stopping wasn't something they could afford. Any true stopping point would be after Ilye's in good hands. Once they figured out what they're going to be doing for the rest of the day, they'll continue their quest if they can. They also had to find the Vessel keeper for the West Spirit... Which in itself seemed like a task.

Tuk soon came to a small pool of water. His large fins unfurled from his back, and hopped in the water. He was gone for a while, leaving Jace and Iris standing there alone in the tunnel. As that time passed, Tuk came swimming back up, looking at the couple with a raised brow "Are you coming?"
"W-wait, you want us to follow you?" Iris stuttered, cowering at the thought of swimming underwater.
"Uh... Wasn't that what you were supposed to be doing?" the creature questioned... Tuk thought what Iris said was weird, but was ignorant to the fact that dekus can't swim very well. That, and it was dangerous to go underwater because of their constantly open snouts. "Can't you swim?"
Iris shook her head no very quickly. Jace cleared his throat, before speaking "Well, actually... I can, but I can't go underwater for long. Too much water is dangerous for our kind... So, either way, we can't follow you." He then looked at Ilye... Did Tuk forget that they had an unconscious ally with them? She couldn't even hold her breath...

"Really? How odd..." The Tikoon miner sighed. He assumed that they may be able to breathe under water like him at first, but now he felt a little stupid for thinking such a thing. He climbed out of the water and stopped to think for a moment. He glanced around the tunnels, before finally adding "We'll have to take the long way, then..." he himself didn't sound too tickled. Jace gave a sheepish look to Iris. No one wanted the long way, but oh well. Tuk walked them through a far-right tunnel way. It was quite dark until Jace and Iris stepped in. Tuk looked back at them and laughed "It's like you guys have lanterns for eyes."
"Well, that's a first anyone's said something like that." Iris mused. "It's quite useful I guess."
Jace didn't find himself chuckling. He actually didn't even hear what Tuk had said. He was too lost in thought to really notice.

Being underground and not being able to see the sky outside, Jace and Iris had no idea what time it was by the time they came to a stopping point. It felt like hours had passed, though. They had noticed on the walk through, they'd sometimes pass cave-like areas where some people of the Tikoon race were living. They'd also pass entrances to water-path ways. Jace and Iris probably wont ever know where they lead, though. They could tell that they had reached the living space of Tuk's kind, as sight of others were becoming more frequent. And every single Tikoon individual they passed would give the deku scrubs odd looks of curiosity.

"So where are you taking us, Tuk?" Iris finally asked.
He flicked an ear and replied "To our Elder's adviser."
"Ah... For what? Can she help?" Iris added in question.
Tuk was looking around as if to see where she was "Well, I'd take you to our Elder, but he's busy at the moment. He's in a meeting with some outsiders."
"... Outsiders?" Jace questioned lowly. Who else would be here? Pirates? He sighed, and doubted that these creatures would ever help those filthy pirates.
Tuk continued on "Inské may know what to do about your problems. I can't quite say I know for sure who to take your friend to to get her treated." Tuk looked back to Ilye, who was still limp in Iris' now tired arms. "And it's wise we find a solution quickly."

The group was lead here and there until Tuk managed to reach a room which was being crowded at it's doorway with many other Tikoons. Tuk pushed everyone aside frantically "Move out of the way, this is an emergency!" with that, everyone stepped aside for Tuk and the three odd faces who were with him. They all chatted and mumbled about these strange wooden, glowing-eyed creatures in wonder. And a few noticed Ilye with the arrow lodged in her side, throwing a few into panic. Jace and Iris were trying hard to stay out of some of the Tikoon's way, but curious individuals would still crowd around them, asking question after question. Jace swore under his breath when a young woman Tikoon bumped into his shoulder roughly.

In the midst of their questioning and shouting, a voice finally rose up among the crowd. "Silence! The Elder is in the room over trying to have a conversation with our visitor! I know you all are curious, but have some self control!". When she spoke of them all being curious about visitors, she wasn't talking of Jace, Iris, and Ilye.
Everyone stopped and looked to the woman who shouted. She was a Tikoon with pale tan fur, wore leaves, and had short hair. Her ear fur was grown out and soft. She also sported a scar on her left eye and part of her left back fin was broken.

Tuk took the moment of silence to speak up "Inské, I have an emergency..."
"Tuk? You're back from work early." She commented. "What happened...?" she then glanced at the strange individuals behind him "And who're these strange looking people?"
"They are not from this island. They have very important matters to tend to, something about a Light Spirit...?" he paused, then added "But they were attacked by a pirate-"
"Pirate...?" Inské looked a little taken aback "Nonsense, they have promised us non-hostility."
"Well, I'm just telling you what they told me. See for yourself..." He motioned for Iris to step up, and she did so- showing Ilye to the advisor.
"..." After close inspection, Inské had her doubts that such a small arrow was shot by a pirate. The arrow was lodged deeply, and couldn't be removed by any means capable of the Tikoon without risking this girl's life. They never dealt with arrows, so none of them were very experienced in knowing how to remove it safely. She wasn't even sure if she'd make it, for the arrow could've easily punctured a vital organ- even if by a little. "Well, you were certainly attacked... But I'm afraid none of our people have experience in removing arrows, I'm terribly sorry." she said with true sincerity. She didn't want to say it, but it was the truth.

Iris' leaves bounced in a shocked manner, panic on her mind at what she heard. Jace pushed forward, and he began to speak in a urgent way. "Ma'am, please, anything! We need her taken care of, she's dying...!"
"I already said, there's nothing I can do for her, stranger..." the advisor replied "Anything we can do would probably endanger her more."
"So you're telling us to just watch her die...?"
"Jace... Please..." Iris muttered. Everyone was staring at them, as if Jace's tone was taken bitterly. Especially towards someone in the tribe of such high status.
"No, we didn't come all this way just to find out nothing can be done!" the blond boy snapped. Though, he certainly didn't mean to sound angry, but he was mostly speaking out of fear. Iris didn't take his tone to heart, but it still surprised her to the point it made her a little frustrated with him. He wasn't usually so loose with his temper, even in dire times he was known to keep a level head... It was usually Iris who was short.

At the far back of the room behind Inské, there was a doorway covered with a faded navy blue curtain. This cloth-curtain moved out of the way to reveal an elderly Tikoon. He was completely blind, and his fin's membranes were worn and torn and splayed around him like a shawl, and they were completely disconnected from his legs and majority of his back. He had a long braid that was long enough to reach to and was tied at the tip of his long tail. He wore a small shawl over the outside of his upper fins. He had grayed, messy brown fur. The fur on his ears and his hair was slightly darker then the rest of him. He also sported ear piercings.
"What is all the fuss about...?" He asked lowly. Everyone grew completely silent- including Jace. The Elder flicked his ears, waiting for an answer.

Inské spoke up "It appears we have new visitors to the island. They claim to have been attacked by pirates. One of them here is gravely wounded with an arrow lodged in her side. She's currently unconscious. I've explained that there isn't anything we can do to help, but the young man here is insistent we try anyway..."

Jace would speak, but he was trying to be polite for the elder. Right now, his tone would only come off as harsh in his desperate attempt to save his friend.
"Attacked by pirates...?" The Elder spoke with curiosity. "... I'd look at the wound myself, but alas, young man, I am blind. Otherwise, I may have been able to help..." The Elder was still concerned at the mention of hostile pirates.
Jace's leaves eased back, and Iris nudged him really hard for his behavior earlier. He finally spoke after a moment's thought and rubbing his chest where Iris nudged him "I'm sorry, sir. But, she's a close friend, and she's in dire need of help. Isn't there anyone here who can help...? Even if it's other people on the island?"
The Elder carried on to reply "Well-", but was cut off by the sound of footsteps entering the room. Standing next to him now was a Terminian woman with red hair and dark skin as she left the curtained room to see what was going on. Though, she carried a gentle expression on her face- Jace quickly took a fighting position, and Iris braced herself in a defensive manner.

"There's a pirate standing right next to you! They're the kind who attacked me!" Jace spat.
The pirate woman didn't look intimidated in the slightest, but Jace mentioning the pirate's being hostile made other Tikoon mumble and talk quietly amongst themselves. She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, speaking to the Elder "Are all of your guests always this inviting?"
"You don't fool me, I know you're up to no good!" The deku boy growled, cutting his eyes intensely at her. Iris was sharing glares as well, showing no trust just as Jace.
The woman raised a brow, seeming bothered by the mention of one of her kind having attacked them. She glanced sidelong at Ilye in Iris' arms... They had been attacked, but the pirates- as far as this pirate was aware- weren't here for hostile reasons. She actually came here to negotiate with the Tikoon on their ores, and planned to buy some off them. The pirate felt pity toward the deku scrubs. "You must've come quite a ways to make it to this island." She commented.

"Don't change the subject-" Jace was preparing to unsheathe his sword "What's your true reason for being here, huh!?"
The Elder sighed, and Inské could only watch, not knowing what was even going on. And by now, Tuk was too nervous to get involved with either parties.
"Kid, I don't want trouble. Unhand your weapon, and we'll talk." The woman answered calmly. Jace's leaves bristled, still not trusting the pirate. With a low grunt, he pulled his sword from his sheathe, being careless about his sliced shoulder. Before he could even make a threat, he grunted in pain and dropped his sword with a loud clang that echoed through the tunnels, making others around him jump and move back. He held his shoulder, and Iris grew close to him to see if he was okay. The pirate chuckled at his recklessness.

"You're in no condition to be threatening me..." the woman placed her hand at her belt. "You're the one causing problems for these people, not me. You come in here pointing fingers at someone who's innocent when I'm trying to make a deal with the Elder." the pirate woman then looked down to the Elder with a tone of sincerity "I'm sorry, I guess we'll have to hold our meeting for later."
"It's fine..." He answered.
The blond boy sighed lowly, catching the woman's gaze again. They were in bad shape. She took into consideration of the journey they probably made to reach this island. Certainly wasn't a place for a vacation, so they were either crazy for coming here or had a good reason. Regardless of Jace's hostile attitude, she couldn't help but wonder if what he said was true about the rogue pirates...? 'Did the rogues follow us here?' the pirate thought to herself. It seemed convincing him that the pirates were not here for shady reasons would be tough unless she proved it. She looked down to the Elder and finally began "If it helps, I'll take these folks off your hands...? From what I've heard, there isn't much your people can do about this young lady's arrow."
"That'd be helpful, thank you." The Elder gave a smile, trusting the woman whole heartedly. Jace on the other hand didn't like it. His form stiffened nervously, and he just felt as if it was a bad idea. Iris felt the same, but for Ilye's sake... Well, they have no choice.

Jace was about to protest, but Iris gave him a glare and she spoke lowly "We have no choice... Ilye's not gonna last much longer."
Jace glanced at Iris, then at the woman. The Elder had already left and walked back to his room, leaving Inské to deal with the rest of the crowds. Tuk figured it was time for him to make his leave and get back to work, so slipped off through the crowd- which was by the doorway right now. The deku boy glared daggers at the pirate... If not for Ilye, Jace would've turned down the offered hospitality instantly. He kicked his pride aside, and gave a grumbling "Fine," before finishing coldly with- "But If I see one sign of backstabbing, so help me..."

The woman actually liked and was impressed by Jace's protective attitude. Though, it was typical "alpha" male behavior in her eyes. The young man had guts, threatening someone of much higher stature. But these little deku had to be skilled, or they would have been killed by something the moment they stepped foot on the island- though something obviously tried. "Save your breath, blondie. There are much more dangerous things on this island you'll need it for. Ignorant man."
"Witch..." Jace retorted back lowly as he painfully sheathed his sword into it's scabbard. Iris wasn't sure if Jace's snarl was from his shoulder or toward the pirate. Either way, he was furious. The pirate was merely enjoying getting under his skin.
Iris herself was feeling a little angry from the tenseness. Though, she knew if she let herself rant, she probably wouldn't shut up... She held Ilye close to herself and looked down at her and began following her fiance- whom was following the pirate with a close eye. As tense as Iris felt, she knew right now wasn't a good time to let off steam.

Elsewhere, up on the surface...

Drigos had just landed after flying him and Skreemin around parts of the island. He's yet to make a full round, because the island was huge... And there was no way anyone could reach the other end of the island on foot before sundown. So chances of their targets being on the far side of the island were slim. "I still can't believe you let them escape." Drigos groaned.
Skreemin hopped down off Drigos, ignoring him. Drigos had lowered them in a clearing. By now, Skreemin was getting incredibly frustrated. "Where did they go!?" He finally said "It's a freaking island, it's not like they sprouted wings and flew off!"
Drigos sighed lowly, rubbing his temple.

Skreemin was talking to himself, cussing and calling every word he could think of, as Drigos lifted his nose to the air and sniffed. The smells of the island were too distracting to lock onto a scent in particular. Fruit, some plants, old odors of wild animals that had crossed this clearing in the past, but no deku- aside from Snipe over there. One smell he locked onto though, was reptilian. Being one himself, Drigos became curious. It didn't smell like a Dragalfos, or any other 'alfos cousin for that matter. Skreemin walked around the clearing, looking around for underground passages.

"They have to be in one of those underground caverns, I can't possibly think of anywhere else. Only issue for us is that pirates are down there as well, from what I've seen. Maybe they're already dead from pirates?" the assassin questioned as he rubbed his bald head.
"Shut up." the Dragalfos quickly ordered.
Skreemin cut his spirit-lit eyes at Drigos meanly "What was tha-!" Drigos took his oversized hand and slapped it to Skreemin's snout, cutting Skreemin off with- "I said shut it, compost-breath... There's something big nearby."
Skreemin was tempted to grab an arrow and jab a certain someone after the insult and the unexpected hand-to-the-face. He certainly didn't take kindly to it... And honestly, he'd have no problems with puncturing a few holes in Drigos. Drigos' hand smelt absolutely terrible... Though, he had been caught eating something dead a while back, making Skreemin forcefully push his hand away upon realization. "Don't you ever do that again, or you'll lose your fingers..." Skreemin hissed with a hand reached back for an arrow.

Drigos' wings fluttered open on impulse. Dragalfos were not easily scared, but Drigos could feel this large presence getting closer. It was huge... Yet, it wasn't lumbering over the tropical trees. "Skreemin, if you want to live, get on my back." Drigos said with a guttural growl. Skreemin raised a brow at him.
"I believe the name is Snipe." He corrected coldly, walking back to Drigos. He didn't take Drigos seriously, but he wasn't able to sense the presence, nor smell it.
"We can argue about names later... If we don't get airborne soon, we're dead."

Just as Skreemin was going to answer, he saw the silhouette of a large creature creeping lowly on the jungle floor a ways off- a large creature unlike any other. It was long and serpentine. And from the shadows, looked like it had fins. Skreemin watched silently as he climbed up on Drigos' back. When Drigos knew his movement wouldn't be noticed by the monster, he ran and went flying. The sounds of his mighty wings beating air were rapid until he was at a high distance. With that, Skreemin glanced down. You couldn't see the beast anymore, but it was shaking trees as it walked.

"What was that?" He uttered.
"A Garugor, I assume. Prehistoric monsters, and very smart." Drigos replied. "They're mostly only spotted here on this island. They don't show themselves often, and usually stay in the water. But you don't want to be around when they're out."
From the size of it, Skreemin was convinced a few messily arrows wouldn't take it out. "Then I guess I should watch out for them..." He uttered irritably. Drigos nodded. For once, he agreed with Skreemin whole-heartedly.
"Makes me wonder why it's out. Someone must've made it angry for it to be this far from water." Drigos finished, before diving off elsewhere where it was safe. Once he was sure that thing wouldn't come their way, they'd continue looking for Jace and Iris. They were making very little headway, but it was certain that if they didn't kill the heroes- then the island may. As they flew, Skreemin watched the ground closely for any signs of Jace's gaudy blond leaves... He was probably the most noticeable of the bunch for that reason.

Back in the Tikoon tunnels...

Jace was silent as a mouse. Occasionally he'd glance back to check on Iris, but then look right back at the pirate. He was trying to pay no mind to his shoulder, but it was starting look bad... It wasn't freshly running with blood, but he knew that walking around in these dirty tunnels with a wide open cut probably wasn't the wisest thing to do. It'd be his luck it'd get infected.

Iris honestly couldn't walk anymore. She'd been trying too hard to carry Ilye for too long, before she finally sat down. Jace heard the footsteps behind him stop, and he looked back. "Iris, we can't stop, we need to keep moving." He urged.
"I'm sorry... If I were to walk any longer, I'd have collapsed."
"Don't be stubborn, girl." The pirate came stepping back toward Iris. "If you need a break, all you need to do is hand her to me."
The Hylian deku could only blink. She didn't know if she could trust the pirate or not, but something in her made her nod her head yes. Jace made no protest as the pirate reached down and scooped up Ilye with the utmost care- who was cold to the touch. Both deku scrubs were baffled at this woman's kindness. It just didn't seem normal. Honestly, had it been Jace who was on his death bed, the pirate probably wouldn't have been so eager to carry him... She felt more pity for Ilye than any of the three- Jace the lesser than Iris- and Iris wasn't even hurt.

Now with the weight of Ilye off her legs, Iris stood back up and assured Jace she was ready to continue, and they began walking again. They needn't walk much longer as they saw sunlight, and the tunnel was starting an upward slope now. The pirate stepped out into the sunlight that seeped through the trees, taking a whiff of the fresh air. "Good to be out of those Giant's-forsaken tunnels."
The couple wasn't far behind. Enjoying the air and the sun, Iris smiled. Her leaves twitched upward, as they took in a tiny sun ray through the trees. She could already feel her energy coming back. It was nearing sundown at the moment, meaning there weren't many areas where sunlight could seep through. Could they see past the trees, they'd catch a glimpse of that beautiful ocean view as it's reflections mixed with the orange-fiery sky. The sun was just above the water- though not touching the ocean's horizon just yet. Jace knew they'd spent a long time traveling underground, but he had no idea just how late it was until now.

"Stay close. The island gets nasty when it starts getting dark..." the pirate warned coldly.
Just as she said that, Iris thought she saw something fly overhead. She looked up, not seeing anything... Her leaves shook "Did anyone see that...?"
Jace pointed his gaze up to the sky "No, what was it...?"
"I-I don't know. It looked big, though." the girl gulped as she fidgeted with her engagement necklace.
The Terminian woman didn't look all that concerned, and responded "Some monster on this island I'm sure. More of a reason for us to hurry..."

Iris clung close by Jace, and kept her hand on the grip of her sword. It wasn't much of a walk later that they reached a huge iron gate. There were two pirate guards standing out front of it. Just for a moment, they took battle stances when noticing the deku scrubs. They quit though when realizing one of their own carrying an injured deku. They looked utterly confused.
"Open the gate, this young woman needs attention." the pirate ordered sternly.
"Uh, yes, Mezra." one woman answered respectfully. They both unlatched the huge lock, and opened the gates with a very loud, grinding metal screech, making Jace and Iris' leaves force back tightly from the noise.
The gate lead into a large rock wall with a cave opening. One would've thought it was just a typical highledge on the island, but the inside looked all too much like the old pirate stronghold at the edge of Great Bay. There were women everywhere, who all gave disapproving looks at the visitors. Jace tried not to share gazes with any of them so not to start anything. But he still looked at them sidelong to try and see if he recognized one as the one who ambushed him earlier that day. He hadn't seen her yet, though.

Some women came walking up to Mezra "Where did these scrubs come from...? How'd they get here?"
"I'll question them later. Besides, the boy has some interesting information to share later- don't you?"
The only word on the edge of Jace's tongue was "Snake...", but he never spoke it. He was fully convinced that Mezra was pulling an act. Mezra added on "We'll leave such conversation for Xakin when he's ready. I'm sure he'll be able to handle things. Right now, this girl here needs this arrow removed, stat. Take her to the ward and get her taken care of."

"I'm going with you-!" Jace called. The women looked down at him, before Mezra handed Ilye to one of the many women. The lady with Ilye gave Jace a questioning look, then spoke up "Come along then..."
Iris was silent as a mouse the whole time. Not only were they in the hideout of a bunch of thieves, but all these women were giving them terrible looks. She was sure that one wrong move, and they'd get on the bad side of every pirate here. What really interested Iris though, is that they all shared much in common with the Hylian thieves, the Gerudo. If that was the case, then they all were questing of Jace because he was male... And if they were the Terminian Gerudo, then there was one man here leading them. Gerudo women only gave birth to a boy once every one hundred years... At least, that's what she heard. Any other child was female.

The base went up pretty high. There were many stories here, and the hideout looked quite old. Any place supported by metal had hints of rust and age. Jace could only assume it's been here since the days of the Moonfall- possibly longer. It certainly explained where the pirates went after all those years... He'd heard stories of all of them being viscous. It didn't quite make sense to him why they were helping... Though, the boy was a little paranoid after the hectic day he and the girls had, so he was distrusting. Then there was the matter of Ilye living. It may be too late at this point, but he refused to think like that. Iris herself wasn't sure about how much the pirate's can help after all this. There was a lot of worry on Iris' mind... Both for Ilye and the disappearance of her bird brother. She had a gut feeling he was okay, but still worried.

The woman with Ilye walked into a room at the far side of the base, still on the bottom level of the fortress. This room was the ward, where the injured were tended. The room's walls were made up of white stone and earth- the floor grey marble. The walls were lined with shelves and cabinets where supplies were kept. Along another wall, simple white beds were lined with their own curtains to cover them. Ilye was the only patient here. The couple followed in and watched as Ilye was laid on a bed at the far end of the room. A few other women came walking in, preparing to help. Iris couldn't stand seeing her like this. Ilye's leaves were starting to lose color, and she hadn't woken up. Noticing her worry, Iris' fiance wrapped his arm around her and placed his forehead at the side of her head, as the top of his snout just barely rested against her cheek- as a gesture of comfort.

"Babe, maybe you shouldn't be watching? This may get nasty..." Jace warned softly.
"I'm not some sissy, I'm gonna help where I can." Iris' cheeks puffed up, then the pirate looked to them both, agreeing with Jace.
"He's right. Unless you have a strong stomach, it's probably best you go in there, girl." then she looked to Jace "As for you- you need to go wait in there as well. It'll be a while."
Jace sighed 'So much for helping.' he then spoke aloud "Fine..."
"I guess while we wait, you should go take care of your shoulder..." Iris suddenly began.
"It'll be fine. I'll take care of my shoulder later..." Jace cleared his throat, and acted as if the wound was no problem.
Iris' leaves bristled "Go get it cleaned before it gets infected, you boob..."
"I'm serious, though, it's fine. It's not even as deep as it l-..." Jace's answer was stopped by glaring Hylian eyes. He blinked, before finally speaking "Fine, fine, I'll go take care of my freaking cat scratch."
It obviously was deeper than he tried to make it sound. Iris felt obligated to point out even more for him "You need a bath, too. You're covered in dirt and blood, and you stink…"
Jace simply narrowed his eyes at her. "You don't smell too good yourself."

The pirate laughed aloud "Looks like she leads you around by your ponytail, boy."
Jace just rolled his eyes. "She does not...", this caused a small chuckle from the pirate, before she unfurled the curtains around her and Ilye.
Behind the curtain, she spoke "If it's a bath you need, there's a secured hotspring just behind the fortress. I'm sure you could have your girlfriend ask around for where it is. I'd show you, but I'm taking care of your friend here."
"Why have her do it?" Jace uttered "I can do it myself."
"Because I can't promise that my people will listen to you." the pirate laughed.

To Be Continued...

Skreemin belongs to sgtpieman on DevianART.

The Tikoon belong to ivy4000 on DeviantART.

The Garugor belongs to XenomorphicDragon on DeviantART.

(I had a contest a while back for what kinds of monsters and races would be on the island, so this island portion of the story will feature many cameos XD)