"Oh, Moss. It seems we have a Visitooor"

It was genuinely quiet. Quiet and lonesome. Just how he liked it. The only sound was the hum of the engines behind him that reassured him they weren't going to crash anytime soon.
His chamber - if he had any - was regularly empty. He enjoyed staying on the same spot. It's what he had been used to all these years. And the failed rebellion had thought him to be submissive again. No one could proclaim that Jano, the eig, couldn't learn out of his mistakes.

The Cyclops hovered in a a half dose next to the door, his staff still squarely in front of the door.
“Do not enter” it read and so nobody should.

Eventually though the sound of footsteps caught his attention.
And a strangely familiar voice.
Oh could it be… no, please no…

The eig slowly opened his eye.
It was.
“Hello…” he murmured, pulled his staff closer and shifted himself in front of the door.

Link brushed the dirt off himself as he stood up. Well, this place was definitely one he hadn't entered before. He slipped into the dark and slightly cramped underbelly of the large ship, a place that perhaps he wasn't really supposed to go, but since he hadn't been told not to and getting in had be really easy, he decided to explore. After poking around for a while he'd found a vent that had fallen off at a simple touch, and so he'd proceeded to crawl through the small hole to the room on the other side. It was hot in here, and loud, and with his sensitive ears the boy decided to explore quickly before going back. Maybe he'd tell Thanos about it, at least if he found anything interesting.

Link tried the first door he found and it opened easily. The corridor on the other side was an immediate relief from the noise, so much of a difference in fact it was like stepping into another world, the thick metal walls blocked all the sound and heat of the last room. Link happily pressed, relishing in the excitement of this eerie place, stepping carefully across the dimly lit walkway. For that's what it was; now that his eyes had adjusted he could see he was in a much larger room, making his way across a catwalk. Pipes and gears surrounded him, like the inside of Closcktown's clock tower only infinitely more complicated, and all strangely silent.

He reached a ladder-like flight of stairs and climbed down to the next lower level. "Helloooo?!" He shouted without thinking, listening to his voice echo around the room. It was only a moment later that he realized he shouldn't have done that, for he was feeling that sensation that he wasn't alone. What could be in here? Anything could, another giant worm, or some other horrible monster.

He steeped around a large metal tank of some sort and found himself at a door, but this door was blocked. By Jano.

"Hi Jano." Link said after a moment of surprised silence, wondering what the single-eyed creature was doing way down here.

(I've seen where you hide, and I kno where you've been - hey kitty why don't you give in? ~)

Jano cleared his throat.
"You have no written confirmation, nor do you know the name and are far too ungreedy to come here for treasure hunting. So what are you doing here?" the eig questioned dryly.

The name? Of what? From Jano's tone Link figured that that question would not be answered. And a treasure? The boy wondered if this meant an item, a tool he could use to access other parts of the ship? If there was such a thing hidden here, he'd need to find it.

"I'm looking for something to help, I'm trying to save our worlds." Link explained, his bright blue eyes filled with a maturity and responsibility far beyond his years. "If there's any clues, or anything that I can use hiding on board..." He didn't say it, but what he needed was to get off this ship, being held here was preventing him from knowing what was going on in the outside world. He felt like a prisoner.

Jano's eyebrow rose as he regarded the little hero and he couldn't help a chuckle escape his rotten lips.
"You remind me of someone, you know that? Fine then."
The eig loosened himself up a bit and then shoved the skull on his wand close to Link's face.

"I like tranquility, but it gets boring too. Play a game with me, and I might reward you." he then smiled.

A game? Link liked games (particularly bow shooting games). Though there was an ominous tone in the way Jano had said that. Still, the boy was not about to turn down such an offer.

"Okay." Link agreed. "What kind of game?"

"Tag..." the eig stated as he shoved the skull a bit closer, so that Link could see it properly. The little red lights in it dimmed away and morphed into tiny swirling portals.
"It's a little chase if you will - whoever finds the treasure first. You have a headstart."

Somehow... he knew he was gonna lose. But this experience was far too rare. And he liked to screw with people's minds.
"Oh and by the way..." he asked, before Link would slip away, "Had any nightmares recently?"

Link let out a little shout of alarm. It wasn't that he hadn't been teleported before, but it wasn't really something you got used to, especially if you weren't expecting it. As the dimly lit engine room faded Link fell down through a swirl of images: Zelda, Ganon the Master Sword, and many things he didn't have enough time to see.

With a thud Link hit the ground. Pushing himself up he looked around. Where was he? It looked like the lost woods, only... different. Had he been taken back to Hyrule? Getting quickly to his feet, he moved his hand to his sword hilt. It was an instinctive motion to him by now. The lost woods was dangerous, and he wasn't going to be caught off guard.

Little did he realize that it was merely a dream, an illusion. It was all too real.

Plopped over, just like that.
Too easy.

"I hope you head a pleasant arrival," the eig stated, "How does it look?"

Jano was all too familiar with Polokus's nightmares. Now this subject... would be an interesting change. He lowered his wand towards the unconcious boy's head, wondering if his mind would give him an answer.

The young Hylian set off through the thick forest, watching for movement, and listening to the sounds that echoed through the trees. He was suspicious of the circumstances as to how he'd arrive here, but part of him was bursting with happiness to be home. And yet... Jano had said they were playing a game. A game to find the treasure, Link had almost forgotten. Weird, he hadn't charged the boy anything, it must be a hard game... he'd probably charge if Link wanted to play again. Well, Link would have to try to win the first time! But he also wanted to find his friends, find out if they were okay. If this really was Hyrule, that is.

Link walked on with no disturbances, crossing a ravine on a fallen log and sliding down an embankment. It was far too quiet here, something was wrong. Link stopped and looked around, searching the hazy woods for anything that he could recognize. Any landmarks he knew.

A ticking sound resonated through the still woods, and the boy spun on the spot to face the source. "Makar?" He said, his serious expression vanishing into a smile.

"Link?" The little Korok asked, his voice small and uncertain, looking up at him. "Oh Link! It is you!"

Link didn't think to question the Korok's appearance in the lost woods. He probably wouldn't have questioned it even if he weren't dreaming right now.

"Link, you must help! Something terrible is happening!" Makar cried, flailing his stubby little arms. Link's joy at seeing his friend disappeared at these words.

"What is it?" The young hero asked, his grip tightening on his sword.

"This way!" Makar turned and totted off into the woods, Link right behind him.

"Makar, what's happening?" Link called ahead, but the little Korok didn't hear him, he was too busy running through the thick underbrush. Link covered his face with his arm to keep the branches from whipping his face.

And suddenly the trees stopped. They didn't thin, they just stopped. Link stopped too, realizing they'd reached Hyrule field. He looked around, but Makar was nowhere to be seen. He must have gone a different direction! Link turned around but the trees were no longer behind him. It was just a field.

Okay. Link stood, looking across the green, grassy hills that stretched out beyond the horizon. So what kind of game was this, anyway?

"Lost already?" A voice rose behind Link. Jano, who just happened to have popped up adjusted his hat.
"This is fairly interesting," the eig stated and glanced at the hero, "Who is this Makar person? You know, for all I know about dreams, he might be a hint ~"

Link turned around at the voice behind him. Jano had appeared out of nowhere. "'Dreams'? What do you mean?" Memories of Koholint came rushing back to him, the dream island that he'd washed up on the shores of, only to find it overrun by a nasty group of shadows that called themselves Nightmares. The island had vanished after he'd woken the dreamer, the Windfish, leaving only memories of the friends he'd made there.

"Makar..." The young boy pondered this idea. Makar was the Sage of Winds, and a member of the Korok race, although in Hyrule there were no Koroks, only their ancestors the Kokiri, who lived deep in the forest with the Deku Tree. Was this really a hint? If it was, Link needed to get to Kokiri forest, but the woods had disappeared.

Jano quirked his brow at the boy.
"...Yes?" the eig urged, eventually requesting some more information. Either that, or...
"I mean, you sure don't wanna stand around here all day and have me catching the treasure before you, would you?"
A toothy smirked flashed over his face.
"That would be... not good."

His eye curiosly checked the surroundings to any nightmares eventually lurking there.
"Listen child," the cycloptic being then uttered, "I don't care where you're going..."

His claws spread out and grasped for Link's shoulders.
"But you should move it!" he then said and shoved the boy away with a snarl.
With his free hand now, the eig snapped his claws multiple times in a strange rhthym.

Some nightmares should do now. It was always interesting to see what people like this kid would be afraid of ~

Link frowned at Jano's strange behavior, but nodded solemnly. He couldn't lose, he needed to get this treasure, it was the only idea he had for how to save his world and all the others. With a final glance at the single-eyed being, he turned and started off across the field.

He noticed something on the horizon that he hadn't seen before, perhaps a village? It was too far away to tell, but it was something, so Link aimed himself at it and started running through the grass. He had was a growing feeling of unease as he hurried to reach the distant landmark, though he couldn't explain why.

As he neared the town (for he could tell now that it was indeed a group of buildings) the grass thinned and lost it's brilliant green color, becoming a dried brown. The sky seemed to be dimming as well. The area no longer looked like Hyrule, in fact it bore a closer resemblance to the ruins of Ikana Kingdom in Termina, except there were no cliff walls surrounding it. The dilapidated buildings and crumbling walls appeared to be abandoned.

If Makar had been there to give him a hint... what had Makar said, something terrible was happening? But, Link had assumed he meant in the forest.

"Heh heh heh."

Link knew that laugh. His eyes shot to the location it had come from, a shadowy doorway in one of the old buildings, while his lefthand simultaneously grabbed his sword hilts, unsheathing the blade in one swift movement.

"If it isn't my weak counterpart."Shadow Link was barely visible in the dark threshold, but as Link watched he stepped forward, smirking like a cat who'd caught a bird. "You here to save your princess? Boo-hoo, she's not here, is she." The shadow's piercing red eyes met the boy's blue ones. They were the only spot of color on it. "You left her back in Hyrule, what do you think's happened to her by now? Heh heh, some hero you are."

Link clenched his teeth. Shadow Link always knew just what to say to set him off. The hero swung his blade at the shadow, but it faded out before the sword could touch it.

"Heh heh heh! Do you think this isn't real? Well guess what, it can still hurt you. If I were you I'd be more worried about that."

As Link tried to hack at Shadow Link, he stumbled closer towards the threshold of the building. At this point, something inside the building stirred as it sensed Link's presence. It was a old deathly something; a monstrocity feared by the hero.

A Redead.

As the boy drew closer to it, it got up from its slouched position. With a rhaspy breath of air, the Redead prepared its signature attack --its blood curdling scream. Its screech had the power to incapacitate those who heard it, rendering them victim to being chewed upon by the corpse.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"

The member 'Creature NPC' has done the following action : Dice Roll

#1 'Attack Coin' :


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#2 'Status Effect Dice' : 2

He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up before he even realized he had heard the bone-chilling scream. Every muscle in his body froze. He couldn't move, he couldn't run.

Come on, move! He screamed in his head. If you don't that thing will eat you!

Forcing his legs to listen to him, he clumsily stumbled back, out into the middle of the street. His eyes were now fixed on the rotting, skeletal monster that had been lurking in the shadows, waiting for a victim. A Redead. Fumbling he whipped out the only item he had besides his sword and shield, a small blue-ish ocarina. There was a song he knew that would freeze the living dead, and now was a good time to play it.

> v ^ > v ^

As the final notes of the Sun's Song resonated in the air, the monster froze. But Link didn't know how long it would stay that way, and so he'd have to be quick about his attack. Link sprang forward and hacked the monster, feeling his blade slide on it's decaying skin.


(Sun's Song active for _3_# of turns [see dice]. Z-targeting)

The member 'Link' has done the following action : Dice Roll

#1 'Status Effect Dice' : 3

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#2 'Attack Coin' :


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#3 'Rank 1 Dice' : 4, 9

"This is most interesting," Jano commented as he seemed to pop up out of nowhere. He floated over to the living dead to tap his rotten skin curiously. It didn't move.
"You are afraid of something like that, but not me?"
As far as things were now, Jano guessed that was a matter to change not all too soon.

"Well well," Jano stated and hopped over to Link, casually leaning his ellbow on the boy's shoulder. His size simply had increased to a level where he was able to do so, "You have some pretty nice demons there. I know why I always let the dreamers go ahead. Now... what is this about a princess?" Jano asked, a strangely warm but toothy smile growing on his lips.



(FFFF Buta, isn't this from AA? >D)

Link prepared for another ound of slashing when a voice out of nowhere made him jump. Jano had appeared and was poking the currently frozen redead. He rediculous scene was enough to make Link stop mid-swing.

"You are afraid of something like that, but not me?"

Link shook his head, the meaning of the other's words not really sinking in, he was too focused on fighting the Redead. Jano seemed not the least bit concerned about the rotting monster, and Link figured he probably didn't have to be, with his apparent ability to appear and disappear whenever he liked. The strange one-eyed creature casually rested an arm on the boy's shoulder.

"Well well, you have some pretty nice demons there. I know why I always let the dreamers go ahead. Now... what is this about a princess?"

The young hero looked at Jano, who had finally gotten his attention. "Her name is Zelda," He said, not really sure how to explain it. "She's the princess of Hyrule." And she was his friend, and they both help pieces of the Triforce, and it was his duty to protect her, destiny had decreed it. And here he was, so far away while she could be in horrible danger... but how could he explain that?

Oh right, the Redead! He could already see the magical barrier that held it starting to wear thin. Link clenched his sword and slashed again at the monster, now that Jano was out of he way. He needed to kill this thing before he could talk.

(Sun's Song counter: 2. Z-targeting)

The member 'Link' has done the following action : Dice Roll

#1 'Attack Coin' :


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#2 'Rank 1 Dice' : 7, 2

"I see," Jano said and ruffled Link's hair at the explanation, before the young warrior turned back to face the Zombie.
It would be all too easy to just catch this nightmare and add it to his collection, but Jano himself had declared this trip a game, moreso than a challenge.

And games needed to be enjoyed.

The cycloptic ball hovered over to the Zombie-like creature and spat two fireballs in its direction.
As soon as he had learned enough about the boy at his side to actually challenge him, Jano wanted to be ready too of course. He felt a bit rusty considering the rare times when he got to lure people into his cave, plus he had to get used to the new playground he had. This "Hyrule" was no place he knew.

"Relax, boy!" he then grinned.


(1 Fireball = 1,5 Damage)

The member 'Jano' has done the following action : Dice Roll

#1 'Attack Coin' :


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#2 'Rank 1 Dice' : 5, 10

Two fireballs whizzed past Link, one hitting the Redead and the other barely missing. Link glanced at Jano, who had fired them. So he was helping him? This was a very unusual game. It was also a bit more personal than Link liked, but he reminded himself it wasn't the first time he'd played a game that involved battling monsters, and in the past the prize for finish such a game had always been of great use to him. Now would be no different, he'd just focus and find the end.

Link slashed the Redead a few more times, trying to finish it before the magic wore off. The brownish color if it's decaying flesh was now visible through the fading barrier around it. He would have only a little time left to attack before it would be free to paralyze him with it's scream.

(Sun's Song counter: 1. Z-targeting)

The member 'Link' has done the following action : Dice Roll

#1 'Attack Coin' :


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#2 'Rank 1 Dice' : 5, 1