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CHAPTER 15
DAWN OF THE FIFTH DAY
Journey into the Unknown.
Having slept the whole night through, Jace rested soundly on his side- Iris laying next to him still. The blond boy was a little too close to the edge of the bunk, though. Had he turned over, he'd fall right off. Iris turned, throwing her arm over. Her arm hit Jace in the head... Though, all he did was groan lowly, grab her arm, and throw it back over. Either he's getting used to her throwing her arms about in her sleep, or he's just too out of it to even care that her hand smacked him in the skull. Regardless, wasn't the first time she smacked him in her sleep.
After laying there for a bit, he realized he wasn't going to be falling back to sleep. He rolled to lay toward her, and he became envious of how comfortable she looked.
"..." He blinked, his sight's blur going away. "Guess it's time to get up..." he uttered. He sat up reluctantly, not used to how much sleep he's been lacking since leaving on this sudden journey around Termina. Though, he knew they didn't have time to waste. He rubbed his head, before smoothing out some of his leaves which were intertwined. It was mostly the long ends of his leaves that got bad. He ran his hand through it lazily to unravel them before putting a hand to Iris' shoulder and gently shaking her.
"Hey babe, wake up..." he spoke. "It's morning."
"Ughh... Just... Just thirty more minutes, Jace." She groaned grumpily, putting her arm over her head.
"..." he stared blankly, before putting his arm under her back and lifting her up to sit up. "Wake up." he repeated. "C'mon, we got work to do."
She simply glared at her fiance, before seeing the layout of the room- quickly remembering they weren't home in their own bed. "Oh yeah..." she muttered.
Jace threw the covers off himself, and threw his legs over the side of the bunk. "Believe me, I'd love to sleep in, but we can't."
"I know..." came her tired yawning reply.
Jace caught Iris' contagious yawn, covering his snout. He hopped out of the bed, stumbling a little on the landing. Once he stretched, he started pulling his things out of his rucksack. His gloves, wallet, and his vest. He sat and dug for a while looking for his pants, before realizing he was wearing them... He looked at Iris sidelong, before looking back at his rucksack, hoping she didn't just see him scrambling through his belongings for something he was already wearing... Still half asleep, he subconsciously felt as if he were wearing his sleep clothes for a moment. He stood and cleared his throat, pulling his fingerless gloves on, then putting his vest around him.
Iris had hopped off the bed, walking across the room. After putting her shoes on, she tossed Jace's ponytail at him, which he'd left on the crate that sat across the room last night. "I'm gonna go see if there's anything to drink..." she said. "Don't get into too much trouble while I'm out."
He'd scrambled to catch the ponytail, and began pulling his long leaves up "Yeah, cause, y'know- I'm six years old." he retorted smugly, her talking to him like he needs supervision.
"Sometimes, I still wonder." she batted back quickly with a tired chuckle, before opening the door and walking out.
"She's in high spirits today." he smirked. He tied his wallet to his belt and slipped his shoes on. After making sure all his stuff was still in his rucksack- given they are staying with pirates... He threw his rucksack around his shoulder and walked out. While Iris went and looked around, Jace would go visit Ilye again. He saw Iris downstairs talking to Mezra, the pirate they met yesterday. After watching a few moments, the boy slipped on through the room to the ward.
A pirate just finished up giving Ilye some medicine via another shot. Though, the woman said nothing to Jace as she passed him by on the way out- only glancing down at him blankly. Jace was thankful for them caring for Ilye, but he was aware that if it was him on the cot, they probably wouldn't show so much care... He can't really complain about them being somewhat sexist though, given how much help they've been regardless of how much they may not have wanted to help in the first place.
He approached Ilye quietly, seeing that she was still asleep.
The boy's heart ached as he watched Ilye lay on the cot suffering the wound. She was sleeping, but obviously still in pain. Jace felt it was his fault it happened for not listening to Ilye to stay nearby. Though... Who had done it, still escaped him. It couldn't have been one of the island villagers, they weren't hostile that he was aware of. Besides, the arrow that pierced Ilye's side was far too decent-looking to be from this island. The bloody arrow lay on the table across from her, and Jace found himself examining it.
It came to his notice that this was a specially designed small arrow, usually only sold either at the South Swamp Shooting Gallery's shop, or at the weapon dealer in Clocktown. The two kinds varied, the differences being the arrow's tail colors. Clocktown weapon dealer-bought arrows were usually plain red. South-bought were usually green and red. This specific arrow that nearly killed Ilye was red... He glared at the arrow in suspicion. His knowledge in Termina's regular weaponry alone could tell there was something fishy. The pirate's don't have need for such arrows, as theirs are much longer and more lethal, fit for the tall race they were. Now had one of their arrows hit her, it'd have gone clean through her from one side to the other due to the force of a larger bow and a stronger arm- she would be dead then. And, well, Island villagers are out of the question, considering how kind they are. Plus, they seem to be nocturnal, so why would they bother coming out during the day just to shoot an arrow at someone? Someone on this island is not from this island or lives here and had access to Clocktown brand arrows... Other than Jace's group and the Pirates, someone else may very well be here. Unless, of course, one of the pirates was a midget and they used small arrows- which was... Ridiculous.
Jace looked back at Ilye. Her chest was moving as if she was breathing hard. He sighed deeply as he looked down at his feet. This put a huge dent in their plans. Didn't feel right to just up and continue without Ilye, but they didn't have time to waste, either. He was just stuck.
Jace rubbed his shoulder that had been sliced into yesterday just before Ilye got shot. It seemed Ilye came just in the nick of time back then, otherwise, Jace would've lost his left arm. If Jace didn't know any better, he felt he was having de-ja-vu. He'd... Heard a story of someone losing their arm in battle quite recently he thought, but he couldn't put his finger on it... Perhaps the gods foreshadowed this fate in a subtle manner, and it went over Jace's head? Or he was remembering wrong? He swallowed, as his hand fell from his shoulder wound gently.
"I think this island is making me a little crazy. I can't for the life of me remember where I heard it from, if I heard it at all."
One of his long blond leaves twitched when he heard Iris' footsteps coming up behind him. "How'd I know I'd find you here?" she asked.
"You just know me." came his reply. Iris offered him a cup, which he gladly took.
"What did they have?" Jace asked before taking a swig of the water.
She took a swig, then answered "They had some fruit juice, water, milk, wine... All kinds of alcohol, actually..."
"Later on, we're gonna have to refill the canteen." the boy sighed "definitely can't go on without water like yesterday."
Iris nodded in agreement. "It's still pretty early, so we have time to prepare for the trip."
They stood and discussed plans next to Ilye. As they talked, Ilye's hand twitched as she began moving it to her stomach. A pained, tired groan squeaked from her, catching the couple's attention.
"Ilye!?" Iris said. Jace added on straight after "You're awake!"
"..." she held no reply, but her eyes cracked open, seeing the blurs of her companions looking at her. "M-..." she squinted as she squeaked some undefined things "How'd... J-Jace, Iris... Where are... we?" her voice cracked.
Jace wasn't sure how she'd respond "Well... We're at the fortress of the pirates, still on the island."
"Wha-!" she moved, but was interrupted by her own pain when she tried sitting up. The shock forced her to lay back down, trying to keep herself from curling into a ball. Her hand ran over her bare bandaged side under the covers where the arrow once was.
"Ilye, be careful. You just had surgery..." Jace moved his hand forward, as if to keep her from getting up if she tried "These pirates seem different from the one we encountered yesterday." Jace added. "They took care of you and removed the arrow."
"They... Did..." she paused "Why?"
Jace could only shrug.
A delighted smile came from Iris "We're just glad you made it, we were so worried."
"... I'm still alive? I thought I'd be dead." she uttered, pulling the covers over herself more.
Jace snickered "No, but you tried your best." he joked.
Ilye continued to feel of her side where the bandage was. "Did you guys ever find out who shot that?" she asked.
Jace shook his head no. "I'm afraid not. But judging by the arrow, it can't have been the pirates or the tikoon.
"Ti-who?" Ilye's leaves perked up. Though, it seemed like she was trying hard to keep her longer leaves behind her, making Iris raise a brow...
"Oh, that's right, you weren't awake..." Jace rubbed the back of his head lightly. "We found a race of people native to the island when we were trying to find help. Long story short, we saw a pirate there, there was some arguing, then she offered to help and lead us here. As for the tikoon, they're small furry mouse... People. A little taller than us, but still shorter than the humans. They're actually aquatic, interestingly... Hopefully you'll get to meet them, they're really nice."
"Huh..." Ilye sat and pondered "I'm not too surprised this island has natives. I mean, it's pretty big, so."
Iris added on "Later today, we're going back to go talk to the tikoon elder to see what we can find, if the pirate's don't know anything. Who knows, maybe the vessel keeper is a tikoon?"
"Well I'm going with y'all." Ilye stated. Jace sighed, pointing out the obvious "You can hardly move, Ilye. There's no way you're going out into the jungle."
"But-...!" She attempted to argue, but began to think realistically. "You're right... I'd slow you guys down anyway..."
The boy patted Ilye's hand "The pirates are taking care of you. And we will try to be back before dark if we have any news, okay?"
"Okay..." she nodded slowly. She laid back down completely, moving her leaves under her so they weren't hanging over the bed.
Iris finally had to ask- "Is something up with your leaves?"
"Wha-, my leaves...?" She blinked, before chuckling "No, I'm just so used to having them pulled up... It feels so weird for them to be down, haha..."
"Why? Personally, it feels good having them down. Sometimes, I think blondie over here keeps his ponytails too tight. More freedom for your leaves means more freedom for your brain, y'know?"
Jace just glanced at her "Haha..." he mocked sarcastically. "Next time we're fighting something, and you get caught because something grabbed your free leaves, I'll be laughing."
Iris just waved her hands at him mockingly, before looking back to Ilye. "Anyway... You just get your rest today, alright?"
"If you say so." Ilye answered. "... Where's Skits? Is he off sleeping?"
Iris remained silent, for she didn't know "..."
"Skits, erm... He disappeared yesterday after you got shot with the arrow." Jace replied. "I'm sure he's around here somewhere. He may find us in due time when we leave. Heck, he may be waiting right outside for us." he patted Iris on the back. Ilye only rubbed her head sheepishly. Skits was usually always with Iris, so she had no idea.
"Well." Iris began "We should be off... We have a lot of ground to cover today."
Jace seemed a little surprised at Iris' eagerness. But finding Skits could be a reason. "Oh, uh... Okay."
"You guys be safe, please..." Ilye warned.
"We will." Jace replied. As Iris began walking out, Jace snuck back to Ilye "Oh, and keep an eye on these pirates... If you see the one from yesterday, ju- OW!" Iris grabbed him by the ponytail and began pulling to drag him out, forcing him to walk with her.
The pirate who took Ilye to the ward last night witnessed Iris pulling Jace, and laughed. "I told you she leads you around by your ponytail, kid!" she continued laughing, walking into the ward to check on Ilye.
"Oh, shut up!" Jace shouted, before being let go. He stumbled and grumbled embarrassedly, before following Iris, tightening his ponytail- since she'd loosened it a bit.
At the time of these events, Drigos was waking up elsewhere. He was laying curled up on the ground in one of the many caves on the island. As he woke, the dragon looked around when he realized his little bossy deku companion was no where to be seen. His vision woke from it's blurred state, before yawning- his jaws opening widely to inhale. When he closed his mouth, his teeth clicked shut together.
"Well... Guess something got Skreemin, haha..." he laughed grittily. He stretched his wings and arms when he stood straight. He looked outside the cave entrance, the light hitting his face and constricting his acid-green pupils to slits. After sitting a moment, he heard some noises deep inside the cave. He growled only for a moment, before smelling a familiar deku scent. As his eyes adjusted to the dark when looking into the dark part of the cave, he saw the faint shadow of Skreemin far off in the back, only Skreemin's eyes visible against the rock wall. He showed no interest in knowing Skreemin was okay. Skreemin looked at Drigos from where he was and spoke, his voice echoing "Unfortunately for you, nothing got me.", having heard Drigos talking to himself earlier.
"Oh, I'm sorry, you weren't supposed to hear that." Drigos answered in a careless, sarcastic tone. "You need to get back over here, if you know what's good for you."
The bald deku glared, holding an ore in his hand which he'd pulled from the walls. "Oh? Why?" he began walking back- not because Drigos told him to, but because he got what he was looking for.
"Because, monsters live in the hearts of these caves. You'd be dead in seconds had you gone any further. Why do you think I stayed at the cave's mouth?"
"Is that actually concern?" Skreemin seemed to muse, though not really caring. He shoved the little ore in his rucksack, before walking out of the cave, adjusting his bow around him to where it was comfortable. Drigos followed, snorting some smoke from his nose.
"I don't get concerned about walking trees. I do get concerned about you getting me involved in fights that didn't need to happen. If I hadn't been told to babysit your wooden hide, then I'd let something kill you the moment it gets the chance."
Skreemin went about ignoring Drigos, bored of the dragon's threats at the moment, and not really caring to have a comeback.
"Alright, those weeds are still on this island somewhere. I'm not gonna let them get away this time. I'll openly confront them if I have to." came the dekus words. "Especially that Jace kid. Something about him bugs me for some reason..."
"Is it his leaves? I know it's gotta be those leaves." Drigos commented. Skreemin narrowed his eyes at Drigos. He made no reply, though. Drigos continued "That termite-eaten boy and his gaudy leaves. He's the one you need to worry about anyway... He'll kill ya before you've even realized it."
"Maybe you." Skreemin huffed, before putting his mask on- he was officially Snipe now. "C'mon, let's go."
Drigos continued chattering on as they walked, at one point, asking about Skreemin's little routine to eat sugar, soil, and water. Again, Skreemin ignored him. Drigos apparently talked just about enough to match his gaping jaws...
Little had they known, they had a little spy following them. Or rather, two. One was a Shadow Creature, a little insect hidden in the bushes. After making sure they were doing their jobs, it vanished to report to it's master. The other spy however, was a simple black bird. Skits had been looking all night for Iris, only for him to have found Skreemin just now. At first, the bird was going to fly down to Skreemin, until overhearing Skreemin's motives. Skits had suddenly forgotten finding Iris for the moment, so he could listen in on the dragalfos and deku's plans. Being a bird, it wouldn't matter if he was spotted, for he could easily be mistaken for a random bird among the trees- possibly... Skits gave a glare as he flew and hopped from tree-to-tree. If his sister was in danger, he wanted to know...
Back at the pirate stronghold.
The couple had been lead to a dining room in the fortress, where something was cooking in a pot. It was a pretty big sized room with two long tables. Jace had requested to see this Xakin guy, and this is where they lead him and Iris to to meet him. Jace figured he'd know him when he'd see him. Because, y'know, the only guy who lives here... They were seated at the table to the left of the room, though the pirates cared not to find things to elevate the deku scrubs to be seated higher, so they both had to stand on the chairs.
"Man, whatever's cooking over there smells heavenly." Jace commented lowly toward Iris, sighing as he said so.
"It is making me hungry..." she muttered back.
Women walked around the room, preparing themselves bowls of what ever was cooking. They'd talk and chatter amongst each other as Jace glanced at each and every one of them. Iris bumped him in the arm, making him narrow his eyes confusedly at Iris as he rubbed where she bumped. "What...?" he complained quietly. Iris didn't quite like him staring, but his reasoning was to see if he spotted any with a specific gash in her side... The one Ilye attacked yesterday got away, so she must've come back here. But the boy started to wonder if she was even of the same crew as these Gerudo pirates.
Time passed, and eventually both tables were full, granted two seats. Some of the Gerudo women seemed to be passive about the deku scrubs now, others however were not shy of glaring daggers in their direction in either disapproval or distrust- mostly toward Jace... These women were more than likely those who weren't around when Jace, Iris, and Ilye arrived last night. They could hear some chattering and questions such as "Who are they?" or "Who let these pests in here?". Jace could only grumble, Iris keeping quiet. She was on better terms with them by default- she wanted to keep it that way.
Jace and Iris sat quietly, though losing patience...
"I'm getting fed up with sitting and waiting..." Iris complained in a whisper, her leaves bristling slightly. Everyone suddenly went quiet, and Jace and Iris heard footsteps. They looked back, seeing Mezra walking into the room. Chatter than started again, as if it was the wrong person to go quiet for... This specific Gerudo woman glanced around the room, soon spotting the pink elephants among them. In a bland, earthy red colored room full of red-headed women, the two tiny brightly colored leaf-haired individuals with wood for skin were hard to miss, even if they were shorter than everyone else.
Having no interest, the couple turned to each other and began chatting. Mezra couldn't help but feel interested in their reasons for being here though. Such weak creatures making such a trek from the forests of Termina... She admired it- even if she thought they were a little mad.
Taken aback, the couple leaned up when two ceramic bowls were laid out in front of them, filled with some kind of soup. Iris blinked, before looking to the figure who brought them the dishes. Mezra gave a wink to Iris, to which Iris couldn't even find a response for.
"Can't go on empty stomachs. And believe me, if you guys drink that water you got today as breakfast and lunch, you'll have no dinner because it'll be gone before twilight.
"Twilight..." Jace repeated, being reminded of why they were there in the first place- not that he forgot.
Mezra shooed a woman out of her seat next to Iris, and stole the seat, forcing the one she shooed to take one of the empty seats elsewhere. She began eating. Though, she had more than just soup. Some bread and milk went along with it.
"So where's Xakin?" Jace asked lowly.
Mezra gave Jace a look that said "Not really your business", but her words said otherwise. "Give him time, he's on his way."
He wasn't surprised her attitude changed toward him. He began eating the soup, internally sighing at how good it tasted.
After a few bites of her bread, which she dipped in her soup, Mezra spoke up. "Okay, Bagel-face, what're your plans for today?" She asked, purposely trying to get on Jace's nerves while still showing interest in their plans. Jace was frozen with a sidelong stare at Mezra, before he slowly looked at Iris.
"D-... Did-... Did she just call me bagel-face?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. He crossed his eyes to look at the top of his snout, tracing the ring around his snout with his hand quickly. Iris just watched. She was trying to decide whether to laugh at the comment or be offended for being a deku herself.
Mezra made no add-in to Jace's question to Iris, and repeated "Well?"
He glared at her with a raised brow. "If you must know, we're heading back to the Tikoon Elder if your Xakin guy knows nothing about the Twilight or the Vessel Keeper of Nishi."
Even Mezra was a little lost still. During the walk through the Tikoon tunnels yesterday, Iris and Jace had given her brief explanations about their issue and Termina's fate. Funny to say, only reason she could believe it, was because there was no better reason to risk your life rowing to an island far from civilization... Mezra never thought much of the island, or if there was indeed a sacred demi-god making his home here until now.
"Hope you guys aren't delusional, or Xakin's gonna be furious." She scoffed. Jace furrowed his brows at her, before saying "You'll think delusional, when Twilight swallows this island whole..."
Jace went about ignoring Mezra, but she did the same. Iris sat between them, finishing up her breakfast. Jace didn't even need to say how uncomfortable he felt...
As they ate, glad to at least have something to do, the room suddenly fell silent. A Terminian-Gerudo man walked in, and he was very tall, broadly built in muscle, and dressed in black, red, and brown. His long red hair hung at shoulder length at the sides, and down to the middle of his back at the center. He wore lots of gold. A gold neck band, arm bands, earrings, and rings. One of his ears had a hole through it, as if a battle-scar. And speaking of scars, his face sported a peculiar scar that ripped across his face, part of it over his right eye. Another scar ran through that one, creating an X. It strung a sour note for Jace, and he looked back at his bowl with a sigh. Ironic shape, of all scars. Seemed out of nowhere. But it certainly wasn't a birthmark, as the scars left permanent damage on the skin, and the right eye was completely white and sightless. The man was dark-skinned, just like all the ladies.
He walked over to the pot of soup without a word and got him some. As soon as he sat down, chatter started again. Iris looked around, before staring the man in the face. His sight darted to Iris, making her jump.
"Ah, don't be frightened, my young maiden... You are not the first to stare at my scars." He spoke gently. Iris did not expect such a tone from this man, but... He appeared to be sensible so far. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, I had things to take care of."
"It's cool..." Jace answered with a near melancholic tone. He cleared his throat, then continued "I assume Mezra here told you we were waiting on you?"
"Of course." the man answered. "I am Xakin. I lead this crew of pirates. Luckily, you found one of our more docile crews."
"Pft- no kidding..." Jace answered.
Xakin found himself staring at Jace's wounded arm, which was wrapped tightly. "I was told a pirate attacked you?"
"Yes..." Jace's answer slid out pretty roughly. "So not sure how docile you guys are..."
That earned him a glare from Mezra. Xakin made no reply though, as if not being too concerned. He added, sounding sorry "I apologize... You probably ran into one of our rogues. They've been following us where ever we go... They pillage what ever they can from the islands right from under our noses. They've been quite good at hiding, so we can never finish them off."
"Rogues, huh?" the deku boy mused. "I guess that makes a little more sense..."
"There are many of us spread out among the wide oceans. We're not the only ones, you know." Xakin commented "Some of us, worse than others."
"Anyway, we're not here to talk about rogues. We're here to talk about the fate of Termina." Jace reminded. Xakin gave an acknowledging nod, but never spoke so to let Jace speak. He continued- "We don't have time to sit and chat all morning... If you don't know anything about what we're looking for, then we're moving on. Have you heard of the Spirit Nishi?"
"I have. He was the Light Spirit of the West. Generations ago, my people were blessed by him with power. Of course, those were the days that he still lived and roamed the seas."
"He's not gone, he's been in hiding, in rest." Iris replied. "That's why we're here, to find and awaken him."
Xakin seemed a little surprised. "Oh? Here, on this island?"
Jace stood up straight, leaning on the table on his hands "Yes. But we need to find the Vessel keeper. They should have a relic known as the Light Vessel, which can not only contain the tears of a Light Spirit, but it can bring them back to full power. You know anything about that at all...?"
Xakin gave a long pause, his thick red brows furrowed down at his bowl. The pirate leader then looked to Jace with an answer "No... I don't believe I do. First I've heard of it." his answer seemed low, then his voice raised to the norm when he continued "But you think they're here on this island?"
"Yes, they have to be." the boy took a sip of his soup, then carried on "We need to find them, then find where Nishi's Temple is. Only lead we had was this island. There is a terrible darkness called the Twilight Realm sweeping over Termina as we speak, and it's slowly eating away at the world... If we don't find Nishi, this island and everyone who lives on it will be trapped in a timeless state as spirits. Since you don't know anything about what's going on though, think you can point us in the direction of some of the wisest individuals on this island? Other than the Tikoon Elder?"
"The Tikoon Elder is the only one I know. But I'd still go to him if you want answers, because he lives here, surely he'd know about Nishi. He'd probably know." Xakin replied assuringly. "We certainly can't risk wasting any time..."
"Glad we're at an understanding, sir." Jace actually sounded a little relieved. "Well, then we wont bug you guys for much longer. We've intruded enough. We'll be back tonight hopefully to see our friend. You don't mind her staying here, do you?"
"Not at all. She and you all are always welcome." The Gerudo man smiled, nodding kindly. "You guys be on your way, I'd hate to keep you here."
Jace didn't hesitate to act. He motioned to Iris for them to head out, then they hopped off their chairs and left the room.
"Mezra." Xakin called.
Mezra looked to Xakin, answering with- "Sir?".
The man soon gave an order "I want you to be Ilye's caretaker for today, understood?"
"For what reason? I'm usually one of your personal guards." Mezra seemed a little shocked that a reliable guard and messenger like herself should be downgraded to babysitting the injured deku...
"Because, you know these deku best, might as well make her comfortable." Xakin sipped his soup, before sighing and drinking some wine.
The pair gathered preparations, then left to head back to the Tikoon mines. The trip was long and silent. Though, the pair was on alert now more than before knowing that the island was full of surprises, and since they were down two party members. Without Skits' instinct, it was hard to detect danger when it was near without it being obvious. And without Ilye, their strength in numbers was down as well.
They eventually made it back to the mines. As Jace passed many ores along the walls, he'd been reminded of the ores in his rucksack... Soon being reminded that they are what started the mess to begin with. So during the trip, he ditched the ores in the mines, now making room in his rucksack as well. It was relieving, since the strap of his rucksack wasn't cutting into his already cut-into shoulder so bad...
The day carried on, and it felt like it took hours to get through the mines and back with the Tikoons. Though, Iris was having to really keep up with Jace, because he was trying to get things done rather fast, so walking normal speed just wasn't gonna cut it at the moment. They passed many busy Tikoon on their way to the Elder's, earning stares and chatters.
The pair walked through the room where they met Mezra yesterday, and Jace called as he reached the cloth-covered doorway at the back. "Hello? Elder, are you here?"
Iris stood by Jace, waiting for an answer. They could hear sounds from inside the other room. Soon, the blind Elder pulled the cloth away, his nose twitching.
"... The two rambunctious strangers from yesterday... Come in." he slowly turned, Jace and Iris following him inside.
"I assume you found help for your friend?" the Elder asked, as he sat on the floor with his legs crossed comfortably. His hand was reached over, patting a wadded up cloth next to him... Iris tried not to stare. The Hylian girl sat down on the floor, Jace remaining standing. Iris answered "Yes, Mezra and her pirates helped us. She's currently back at their base recovering."
"That's good. See? They mean us no harm." he nodded, an ear flicking. "So you don't bring more arguing this time, lad?"
Jace chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head as he usually would when he felt stupid or bad. "Haha... I'm sorry about all that yesterday. I was worked up."
"I could tell." the elderly Tikoon answered. "So, what is it I can do for you?"
"Sir, we'll make this quick, but... The island is in danger..." Iris replied before Jace could.
"I can sense it... So I believe you. You come from the mainlands of Termina according to your race, so I assume you know of what comes?"
The blond boy was thoroughly surprised, one of his leaves twitching. "Uh, yes. Twilight Realm, sir. It's been eating away at Termina. Before long, it'll start developing here in the West."
In a deep breath, the Elder seemed bothered. "Nishi needs to wake from his slumber then."
"So you know Nishi?" Jace's eyes went wide, and his hands fell from his hips. "Please, can you tell us where we can find his Vessel Keeper?"
The Elder nodded. Jace was quite pleased with how quick things were running along.
"On the other side of this island, lives another race known as the Dovah. There, you will find him. He is not one of them, but he lives among them. You cannot miss him. Just be wary, that the island on that side is much worse than over here. It houses many beasts. Us Tikoon never go there to mine because the mines are too dangerous, and because the Dovah own a lot of it."
"Okay, so... Can you take us? We can't exactly just go off It's on the other side of the island" Iris replied lowly.
The Elder laughed lightly "I can't take you, I'm much too old..."
After some thought, Iris realized that was a stupid thing to ask. The Elder stopped patting the blanket next to him "But there is someone..." After a pause, he called "Zizy." as if calling someone inside. Jace and Iris waited, but no one came. Then something came out from under the blanket by the Elder. This little creature captivated Iris, and she said "Awww!" out loud.
It was small and furry, walking on fours. It looked much like a fox, but also much like a... Moth? It had antennas and bright pretty mint-green moth wings, which stretched out after leaving the blanket. It's tail was furry and bulbous. His two front legs had three clawed toes, while there were only two toes on the back feet. He then looked to Iris and Jace, his huge eyes glimmering against the light coming from the deku scrub's eyes.
The Elder spoke up "This is Zizy. Strange little creature he is, but a fine companion of mine. He's lived on this island all his life, and has a partner on the other side of the island with the Dovah. He visits them often to run errands, so he could lead you."
"You're kidding...?" Jace asked... This little creature continued looking at Jace "What is it...?"
"A Moh'x. Not quite sure where they originated from. I've only known two in my lifetime. They may be the only one's in Termina."
Zizy walked up to Iris and stood on his hind legs, leaning his front legs against her chest. Iris gave a low "Awww" as she scratched him behind one of his long ears. Zizy's wings fluttered momentarily as she scratched his ear...
"Okay, so... This little thing is going to lead us?" Jace said in disbelief. He looked back to the elder, not voicing his thoughts on the matter entirely. "... If you say so.". The boy glanced at his fiance, whom was sitting and cuddling the animal.
The elder cleared his throat, making Zizy seize his eagerness and look back to the old Tikoon. He began "Zizy, these folk need to get across the island to the Dovah to meet Valous as quick as possible. We don't have much time."
Zizy gave a nod of understanding, before looking to his temporary allies. Iris stood, and they stared at Zizy- whom stared patiently back. He was waiting for the order, but Jace and Iris didn't know.
"Just give him the word, and he'll start leading." The elder finally said, wondering if they didn't know what to do.
"O-oh, okay..." Jace answered sheepishly.
Jace soon looked to Zizy and said- "Alright, take us to the Dovah."
Zizy's bulbous tail wagged, before he turned to trot out of the room.
"Thank you, Elder!" Jace called back as he and Iris followed Zizy. The elder just nodded, before he was out of sight behind the cloth covering the doorway.
Iris snickered a little "So we're being lead by a moth... Fox... thing."
"You don't sound TOO weirded out." Jace commented with a brief "Pfft." Iris looked to Jace with a raised eyebrow, and answered right back with- "Well, following the instincts of an animal isn't exactly new to me."
"Oh, I forgot, your brother is a bird." the blond boy seemed to answer in a nonchalant fashion.
Iris scoffed "If you paid more attention to Skits, we'd get in less trouble. Remember three years ago, we were walking back from the Goron Village...? Skits was warning us about the thin ice, but did you listen?". Jace tried to answer, but Iris continued- cutting him off- "Instead, you kept walking, and the ice broke and I slit my leg on the shards." she still had the scar, but it was so small now it wasn't noticeable.
"You hypocrite, you weren't paying attention to him either." Jace retorted "If you noticed, you could've easily said-" now changing his tone to sound girly "Jace, the ice is thin, we should move!"
Iris rolled her eyes... Though, she wasn't going to admit he had a point, even if it was obvious.
Zizy peaked back, finding these two wooden individuals to be weird. He was curious, having never seen dekus before. The two bickered like an old married couple, but Zizy tuned it out as he cutely trotted in front of them. They again passed more working Tikoon. One recognized the scrubs from yesterday, and gave them a lantern for tunnel travel. Iris tried to turn down the offer, but the Tikoon miner offered it anyway.
Hours had passed while Zizy lead Jace and Iris through some new tunnels. During this, Skreemin and Drigos were coming to a stopping point. Above ground, they had been dealing with some of the lovely living plantlife.
Skreemin swore to himself as he pulled a vine off his arm. Priorly, it had wrapped itself around his arm, which Skreemin had to cut with an arrowhead to get free of. The remains didn't want to let go, so he had to do it himself. Drigos wasn't much help, and was only watching his own back. And with Drigos recklessly aiming flames at attacking plants, Skreemin had to steer-clear of him. It was relieving to finally get out of range of these plants.
Skits was still following them via air. Along the way, he had heard some talk of someone hiring Skreemin to assassinate Jace and Iris. What added to his concern was that a Dragalfos was involved. He never forgot all the things the Dragalfos did...
Skits finally heard enough, and flew off to find his sister. But first, the little bird zipped down in front of the two and purposely scraped a claw against Skreemin's mask out of anger while giving a violent caw of warning, making Skreemin stumble back a little from the sudden image of the bird diving at him before flying off.
"What was that!?" he blinked. He looked ahead, seeing the black bird vanishing into the jungle. Drigos gave a low growl. "Darn birds..."
"That was out of nowhere." he growled, rubbing his mask where Skits had scratched. It didn't leave any mark, but was enough to surprise. "Must've gotten close to a nest.".
Drigos gave a glare, before his eyes went wide. He'd never seen such common birds on the island before. He'd been to this island enough to know that the birds here were colorful and bright to match the scenery to help blend in... And a black bird couldn't survive long out here without being seen by some predator eventually. As a matter of fact... It seemed where ever the deku girl was, there was always a black bird around. And if it wasn't with her at one moment, it would be the next. "Wait... Is that... I think that was the pest's little pet!" he growled before following.
"What...?" Skreemin gave him a look before following Drigos "Where are you going?"
"To kill a deku." he grunted, before swooping off to the sky to follow Skits.
"You're following a fricking bird, you moron!" Skreemin shouted. He groaned, before following on foot. "How'd I get stuck baby-sitting this idiot?"
"I think this is Iris' bird! If he goes back to her, it'll lead us to her!" Drigos replied.
Skreemin sighed, thinking such a plan was crazy. But still, he DID remember seeing a bird with her yesterday...
Skits was pretty far ahead and still under the jungle canopy, making it hard for Drigos to actually watch for him. Only reason he still knew where he was was because the bird's dark coloring stuck out- and Drigos being a natural predator, he could zone in on a target and focus pretty well.
Somewhere else on the island, Jace, Iris, and Zizy had finally resurfaced from a hidden tunnel way. Iris always hated walking through those tunnels for so long, because she got tired quicker underground than she would above. The couple took in deep breaths to enjoy the air, before pushing on into the jungle when realizing that Zizy wasn't waiting on them.
"Those tunnel ways always remind me of the underground Dragalfos base, y'know?" Iris commented.
Jace gave a nod of agreement "Same. Luckily, we haven't seen anything worth fearing in the tunnels yet. I know we're still on some of the tamer parts of the island though- at least, I'm assuming."
The walk was long and quiet. Zizy finally resorted to gentle flying and hovering when his little legs got tired. As they entered the thicker parts of the jungle, Jace unsheathed his sword when seeing some of the plants moving. He recognized those kind from yesterday before the pirate incident. Iris looked a little freaked to find them moving, before she followed Jace's actions and unsheathed her sword. And doing so was a good idea, as when they began to walk passed the plants, the plants lunged to grip them tightly. One came up and grabbed Iris' leg quite suddenly, and pulled her down onto the ground.
"Ahh!" she screamed, before reaching back to try and pull it. The more she pulled, the harder it tightened. Another shot up and grabbed her right arm. Jace turned to try and assist, but a vine shot out and latched onto his left shoulder and pulled, making him wince. It tightened heavily around his wound. The pain made him jolt into action to grab the vine and try to rip it, but that only made it tighten. Another vine came up and wrapped around Jace's neck. He instantly froze so not to make it worse "Son of a-..." he muttered.
Zizy was off to the side trying to avoid getting caught in the mess himself. The little creature growled and swatted at the plants when they tried reaching for him. There wasn't really much he could do for Jace and Iris though. He usually never had to take the low-ground path because he'd normally fly.
Jace tried not to move at all, knowing if he did, he'd strangle himself. Only thing that moved were his eyes as they looked upon Iris while she panicked on the ground. "Iris, Iris, stop moving! Don't pull against them-!"
She looked up at him, seeing his situation. "Oh Goddesses-!"
"You need to start using that sword, Iris..." he mumbled a little. Iris remembered her sword. She'd been in too much of a panic, she'd tried resorting to natural defense instead of her blade before. As a vine shot up at her and wrapped around her body, she finally grabbed her sword and began hacking at the one around her leg. Every time she chopped down, the vine jumped as if it was in pain. She finally cut through it, and the living end retracted quickly. She was a little freaked out by the chopped-off end still being wrapped around her leg loosely and moving. She started cutting the others around herself and got free, not worrying about those still hanging off her.
"Hold on, Jace..." She hacked down on the outreached vine that lead to Jace's neck. When the blade hit it, it pulled momentarily and made Jace stumble. But as the vine ripped in half, Jace quickly got his footing back and unraveled the cut end off from around his neck and threw it down.
"Don't know what I'd do without you, babe." he commented as he rubbed his neck a little. He soon switched his sword to his right hand and hacked at the one that was grabbing his shoulder, severing it.
Now free, they ran and made it to Zizy, defending the creature and clearing the path enough to let Zizy lead. The plants became relentless, and started to become more violent the closer the couple got to getting out of reach- which was cause to more fighting, slashing, and cutting at the deadly plants. When they finally made it out of the little garden-o-death, they collapsed to the ground on their backs and were both panting.
"Oh gosh..." Jace wheezed. "That was... Unexpected."
"You're telling me." Iris groaned, placing her hand against her belly. Zizy came up, laying next to Iris and looking tuckered.
"Let's... Let's not go through... there again." the blond boy chuckled. He threw his hand over, nudging Iris in the shoulder.
"I like that idea..." she just nudged him back, before sitting up. "Well... I need a drink."
Jace threw his rucksack down next to him. "I think we all do."
He unbuttoned his rucksack and opened it, digging through it for the canteen. When he found it, he gave a delighted smile. He removed it from the rucksack, popping the lid open. He was the first to drink some, leaning his head back and pouring some water in his snout. He then sighed and handed it to Iris.
"Of course you got the first drink." Iris complained half-nonchalanltly. She repeated what Jace did, then they sat and relaxed for a bit. It was then they heard whimpers from Zizy, and they looked over to him. The fluffy creature whined beggingly and his tail end and antennas glowed when he whined to Iris, wanting water. She paused in intrigue at this glowing trait of Zizy's, before smiling "Hold on, Zizy.". She handed Jace the canteen.
"..." he just watched, Iris cupping her hands together. After waiting for Jace to pour water in her hands, she finally told him- "Hey, I need water here." she replied, moving her hands toward him.
"Oh!" he chuckled. He poured water into her hands, then she offered the water to Zizy. He happily lapped it up, before giving a delighted cry.
"Okay, I think we should get moving. The day's still pretty young. A little passed noon, so I guess this was our lunch." he put the canteen away and strung the rucksack around himself.
Iris made no comment, but she followed Jace as he stood. Zizy was quick to get back to the task, and began trotting off.
"H-hey, buddy, wait for us." The blond boy spoke with a light chuckle. He sprinted to catch up with Zizy, Iris having already been caught up.
Now out of killer plant territory, the walk became much calmer. Jace and Iris' swords were no longer needed, so had been sheathed. The jungle was beautiful when not facing it's dangerous side. It was much more colorful than the swamp jungle back home. Iris gazed up, her spirit-lit orbs examining the seemingly mile-high trees, vines hanging down from the sky-reaching branches. And of course, there were plants they'd never seen before. Vines wrapped around a lot of the trees if it wasn't moss growing on rocks. Otherworldly flowers hung from some of these vines, and others grew from the earth. Having a deep respect for them, Iris avoided stepping on them, seeing this place as untouched beauty- and that it needed to stay that way. Something about her inner Lost Woods heart made her feel for untouched plantlife, seeing as Lost Woods had been filled with it.
She spied colorful birds of weird shape among the trees and gasped. "Jace, look." she pointed.
He looked up, seeing the mass of colors. "Whoa... That's a lot of birds. What are they?"
"I don't know, genius, you're the one from Termina." she laughed "You never seen any like that?"
"Nope." his attention was taken by large movement far off in the jungle... Apparently, this was a bird sanctuary they were passing through. Far off, very large birds walked along the ground. They stared at Jace, and he got just a wee-uncomfortable.
"Oh wow... Look at the size of those birds, Jace... Aren't they beautiful...?"
Only thing he was looking at were their beaks- which had to be a little longer than his arm.
"Yeah- till they take one of your eyes out." he scoffed. Iris just rolled her eyes, before looking at them again. These birds were big enough for humans to ride. All of them were different colors. One red one stuck out a lot. Iris could only be reminded of her bird brother, hoping he was safe...
"As nice as all these birds are, just one is enough." he answered, talking about Skits.
Iris glared. "He wasn't that bad... You two need to at least try to get along."
"I do! He just... I don't know." his complaint came to a stop, before it picked up "Birds don't like me, I guess. But birds are a little weird."
Iris was gonna speak up, but something falling in front of Jace made the entire conversation go quiet. All she heard were the squawks and chirps of the jungle's bird life. The boy's eyes were wide, and he looked down at the tip of his right shoe, where droppings had just happened to land. He stared for a moment, glad it hadn't landed on his snout. Had it been a few inches closer, it would have. "... Yeah, well, I rest my case- Birds have it out for me."
Iris peaked around, and saw it. She tried not to laugh. Her fiance glanced back to look at her, before he continued to follow Zizy- whom stopped to wait a bit a ways.
Iris soon quit giggling, before looking back up at them. With her head cocked, she began "... It's really strange to see all these different flocks in the same place."
"Maybe not here." Jace shrugged.
"No, no... It's almost like they're hiding." Iris mumbled a little in response.
He gave a smirk and chuckled "Couldn't be the man-eating jungle they're hiding from."
"Maybe we-... Maybe we should be careful, Jace? What if they sense something?"
"Well, then I'll keep my eyes peeled. Surely Zizy here would sense it, too." he responded. Zizy heard his name called and looked back, before continuing forward.
"I'm just saying..." she finished worriedly. She fidgeted with her hands. Over time, they had left the area with the birds and came to a cliffside. This area was completely clear of trees, and they could see the sky perfectly. Jace walked around and examined the steep cliffside for climbing rocks, but the wall was pretty smooth. He looked up, assuming the top of the cliff continued this little clearing. He reached around and dug through his rucksack, before pulling out his balled-up rope. It still had a slipknot in it. "Zizy."
The little Moh'x looked back to Jace obediently, and he continued. "Can you find someplace up the cliff to put this-" he pointed to the slipknot "-around securely?"
The creature wagged his bulbous tail as it glowed, flying up and taking the slipknot from Jace in his mouth.
"Don't let the slipknot out." Jace warned. Iris walked up, watching Zizy fly up the cliffside and disappear over the top. The rope still dangled down and moved to show Zizy was moving, as well.
"Glad he can fly." Iris commented. She crossed her arms as she waited. Zizy then peaked his head over the cliffside, the rope not in his mouth as he panted.
Jace tugged on the rope, feeling that it was secured. "Hey, nice job!" he looked to Iris "Ladies first."
"If you insist." she began climbing up. While she did so, Jace took this time to close his rucksack and secure it so he didn't lose anything while climbing.
He then followed Iris up, who was nearly to the top now. Hearing no words from Jace, she glanced down "You coming?"
"Yeah, was just enjoying the scenery." he joked an excuse for his absence. He looked back to the wall to make sure he kept his footing, when he felt a little rock bounce off his head. "Oww..." he looked up "Did you throw that!?"
"Keep your eyes to yourself." she answered, before getting on level ground at the cliffside.
"... That's not what I meant earlier."
"Suuuuree..." she answered as she peaked over.
He just looked away and shook his head with a laugh. Not like it'd matter if he'd actually meant what she thought he was implying earlier. He just joked about in his response "Now do I look like that kind of guy~?"
"... You want me to answer that honestly?" she raised a brow and cut her eyes.
"... By that look on your face? No, not really." he laughed.
She shrugged. Truly, she just wanted to pick on him. After a while, he made it up to the clearing on top of the cliff. He gathered the rope and put it away, then motioned for Zizy to continue leading. The two picked up the pace behind Zizy, and Iris looked to Jace as they followed. He looked bored as he examined the clearing. It was encircled by more jungle. He enjoyed being out in the open, so enjoyed the sunlight while he could. Iris nudged him in the shoulder, which surprised him. "...?"
She then looked away, and he stared for a bit. He only smiled, then looked forward again. "Guess the sun's got you in a good mood?"
"What do you mean?" she asked, looking like she didn't know what he was talking about. She reached her hand over and nudged his other shoulder, and he quickly looked over to catch sight of it before she moved.
"I meant that." he chuckled.
"Well... You looked bored, and I am in a good mood, so..." she just smirked, and looked elsewhere. The boy stared at her, before playfully pushing her. She was quick to return the shove. This quickly broke out in a small play-fight. Zizy looked back, before sighing. What oddball creatures Jace and Iris were. Though, so long as they stayed on track, a little play-fight couldn't hurt, right? As they pushed and rough-housed, Iris suddenly stopped play-fighting and walked ahead. Jace's leaves were roughed up, and he looked confused "What's the matter? Too tough for ya?"
"Nope… Just got what I wanted." she replied with a giggle. He gave her a weird glance, before seeing his ponytail dangling in her hand while she teasingly held it up. He still wondered how she did that without him feeling it… He didn't even bother asking for it back. He tackled her from behind, holding her in place with his arms around her.
"AH! H-hey, let me go!" she laughed.
Jace lifted her up. "NOPE, HAHA!"
Zizy heard them stop walking, and gave a brief cry to tell them to keep up. Jace saw this and followed- still holding Iris.
"Here, have it back…" she answered. She put the ponytail around his snout and hopped out of Jace's reach quite easily. He crossed his eyes, before pulling the ponytail off. "Pfft- giving up, huh?"
She just turned back toward him momentarily and gave a frisky glance, and chuckled before looking forward again.
He gave a cocky look of intrigue to her playfulness and gave a low laugh as he pulled his leaves back into a ponytail. He loved it when she was like this. Plus, it made the trip a little more fun.
The two had quieted down, but continued to occasionally nudge one another or for one to bump into the other. They honestly had nothing better to do anyway. And right now, coast seemed clear, no need to be on guard. As they reached the end of the clearing, they began walking back into the jungle, preparing for what may be on the inside. After twenty minutes of walking through endless jungle, Zizy stopped and flicked an ear. The couple followed suit to stop and listen.
"What is it, Zizy?" Jace asked. His leaves flicked to show he was listening to sounds, and he heard loud flapping. "Uh-oh, I think we're about to get hit by birds…"
Just after he said that, a little black thing came zipping through the area. It didn't take long for the bird to come back, eyes wide at Iris. Iris stared, before she squeaked happily "Skits!"
The bird flew down, flying into Iris' arms. He nuzzled the side of his head against her chest, then cawed frantically and warningly.
"Oh brother, I thought I lost you!" She called happily.
Jace seemed relieved, and Zizy confused. Jace began "See, I told you he was fine."
Skits continued to caw frantically, which only just got noticed by Iris.
"Skits, Skits, calm down, I'm fine.". Iris' words did nothing. He flew up and gripped Jace's vest with his talons to try and get them to run.
"Hey now, watch the vest."
Iris' expression went blank and then fell to worry. "Wait, run!?"
Jace froze and looked at her, and Skits nodded fast. Jace replied "Run from what?"
"Jace, we need to run, now!" she felt stupid she didn't catch what Skits was saying sooner. But all she gave time to translate was to run.
"Run from what!?" Jace asked again. Loud flapping could be heard, and a huge draconic beast dropped down into the area with a furious roar. Zizy ran and hid in a bush nearby from shock at the sight. The impact and wind from the wings knocked Iris off-guard and made her trip. As she tried to stand, she was forced back down when a hulking taloned foot pressed down on her back, making her wheeze.
Jace was in disbelief at the sight before him. Towering above him and pinning Iris, was a Dragalfos, flames leaking out his nostrils and mouth. He spread his wings threateningly, and stood straight with no fear of facing Jace.
"I thought I took care of you guys…?" Jace growled, unsheathing his sword right away. "Get off her, now!"
"You are mistaken. I take no orders from creatures such as you." he half lied, given he's been taking orders from a deku all day… He refused to voice that fact though. "Oh I missed the feeling of crushing bones in my grasp and beneath my feet… What do you say, Iris? Want to be my first victim? It'd be my honor. There's this-!" he pressed down a little harder, and she cried. "-Or bonfire; your choice."
Jace uttered a threatening swear, before lunging forward to attack.
WWWHHOOOOSHACK!
An arrow came flying through and grazed Jace's neck, and tacking him to a tree by the vest. "Ugh-!" he winced, momentarily holding the wound. He dropped his sword out of shock, and he couldn't reach it.
"You guys gave me a run for my rupees. Started to think something else killed you." spoke a mask-wearing deku as he walked into the area. He brushed off some plants that still remained on his clothes as he approached Jace, passing Drigos to allow him to do whatever.
Jace breathed hard, glaring daggers at the bald-headed deku. He examined the mask, seeing it being decorated around the eyes with red, and what appeared to be a smile drawn on with the red as well. The top of his mask was marked with many tally marks. There were a lot, but Jace didn't care enough to sit and count them exactly given his situation.
"Who are you? What do you want with me…?" Jace spat.
Skreemin felt no need to answer that question exactly. He took out an arrow, placing it in his bow, pointing it at Jace's forehead "I want you dead, that's all I need, then I'll leave you alone." he smirked.
"I don't even know you…!" came an acid growl. He could not move however, or he may very well get an arrow in the head.
Skreemin looked around, counting how many people were present while looking the location over for anyone who could be hiding. He saw the strange creature that was Zizy hiding in the bushes, which didn't concern him. Skits was dive-bombing Drigos without doing much to him other than being annoying. Even so, Drigos was enjoying standing on Iris and hearing her wheeze in pain too much to really care. The hatred for her was definitely obvious here. Skreemin looked back at Jace "…" he paused, then laughed "Guess a job well done. You're down a number, eh?"
Jace looked the tail of the arrow over, and it was red. Plus the size of the arrow… Realization hit him, and it strung a very sour chord. "You shot her… You-"
"Wow, you catch on quick." Skreemin smirked. Man, after searching around for these guys and avoiding getting killed all day, it was such a great feeling to finally hold Jace at arrow-point. Skreemin found himself staring at Jace's leaves. Such a gaudy hairstyle and color… Still, he liked thinking that one day he'd have some leaves of his own. Jace still looked familiar to Skreemin, but he wasn't sure why. He didn't care on enough of a level to really ask questions anyway.
"Drigos, do what you wish with her. Just don't kill her, that's my job. You can toss her around like a ragdoll though for all I care." Skreemin ordered.
The dragon glared. "… Fine, Snipe…" It was embarrassing being ordered around by him in front of people. Iris finally choked out a crying, wheezing- "Please, stop-!". Anymore weight, and Drigos would definitely snap a few bones. Jace was getting furious, and his mind was moving a hundred miles a minute… His eyes screamed many things, but any act he wanted to take would probably end his life before he could even get to Iris. His eyes flared angrily...
Skreemin poked at Jace's necklace "Oh look, they're engaged!"
Drigos snarled. "Pft. Gross."
He let go of the pressure on the arrow and held onto it with his hand- letting the bow slide momentarily to hang from his arm. Skreemin grabbed the necklace and pulled it toward him, jerking Jace closer. His forehead just barely tapping the arrow tip which Skreemin continued to point in case Jace tried something funny. Be it shot with a bow or just stabbed, Jace wasn't getting out of this.
"I could make good money off this. This is definitely worth a steal… And two, heh… Some couple out there will need these.", speaking as if a couple wasn't already wearing them. He pretty much spoke to himself. Already, he was figuring out what he'd loot from them once they're dead… He forcefully pushed the necklace back at Jace, shoving Jace's back hard against the tree, before re-situateing the arrow in his bow to aim at Jace.
To Be Continued…
Skreemin belongs to sgtpieman on DeviantART.
The Tikoon belong to ivy4000 on DeviantART.
The Dovah (mentioned) belong to Holiiewood on DeviantART.
The Moh'x belong to Ayinai on DeviantART.