[center][i][h1][color=#886f9a]M[/color][color=#9077a2]i[/color][color=#987faa]d[/color][color=#a187b2]d[/color][color=#a98fba]l[/color][color=#b99ecb]e[/color] [color=#b99ecb]T[/color][color=#c2a6d3]u[/color][color=#caaedb]n[/color][color=#d2b6e3]n[/color][color=#c9adda]e[/color][color=#c0a4d1]l[/color] [color=#ad93bf]G[/color][color=#a48ab5]r[/color][color=#9b81ac]o[/color][color=#9178a3]u[/color][color=#886f9a]p[/color][/h1][/i] [img]http://i.imgur.com/xSGpGDY.png[/img][img]http://i.imgur.com/xSGpGDY.png[/img] [color=silver]Part I[/color][/center] "Oh!" Alyce exclaimed in surprise as Archer disappeared into the abyss overhead. A fireball came hurtling towards her then. She narrowly managed to avoid it as she staggered back, bowing her legs outwards as it burst against the stone floor between her feet. She watched as Graham almost comically managed to dodge several more incoming fireballs, shoving off of Magus as his sinister shadow form reunited with the gross, spindly body he'd left behind. It seemed that whatever unique magic the Poe's flames were made of, they meshed as well with the Subrosian's heat resistance as they did the Twili's wooden frame. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a shift of movement while the Poe's focus was off of her. Suddenly reminded of the fifth member of their little team, she turned to see Griz, taking a step back towards the dark hallway they'd just come from while sliding their twin blades back into their sheathes. "Griz," Alyce said firmly, the faintest vestige of fear in her voice as her fellow Sheikah turned to look at her, red eye gleaming in the wicked Poe's firelight. "Don't." The look Griz provided was more indecipherable than some of the text in her oldest books. She chose to believe it was apologetic as Griz took another step back and was swallowed by the shadows. The sound of quickened footsteps faded away just an anguished cry drew her attention back to the matter at hand. A second. A third. A fourth. As the wooden body burned, Magus seperated from it. In his attempt to crawl away, however, he was assaulted by blow after blow until he was no more. [i]Good riddance,[/i] Alyce thought in the back of her mind. The part that wasn't currently fearing for her life as she batted away another Wallmaster with her book. Unlike Griz, she would not be one to betray the trust of the Goddess. By a bizarre stroke of luck, Graham procured his boomerang and, despite the lingering effects of the Magic Bean he'd obtained from that scrub, managed to knock the ghostly beast across the face. The creature was very clearly hurt, but Graham took no chances. Upon catching his trusty boomerang, he pulled not one, but several Ember Seeds from his pouch and threw them with all his might. As the Poe burned, it screeched in pain and the swarm of Wallmasters dispersed. And just like that, their group of five was down to two. [center][img]http://i.imgur.com/xSGpGDY.png[/img][img]http://i.imgur.com/xSGpGDY.png[/img][/center] [i][center][h1][color=#886f9a]L[/color][color=#9077a2]e[/color][color=#997faa]f[/color][color=#a187b2]t[/color] [color=#b196c3]T[/color][color=#ba9ecb]u[/color][color=#c2a6d3]n[/color][color=#caaedb]n[/color][color=#c2a6d3]e[/color][color=#ba9ecb]l[/color] [color=#a98fbb]G[/color][color=#a187b2]r[/color][color=#997faa]o[/color][color=#9077a2]u[/color][color=#886f9a]p[/color][/h1][/center][/i] [center][img]http://i.imgur.com/xSGpGDY.png[/img][img]http://i.imgur.com/xSGpGDY.png[/img][/center] Had dear Noi perhaps been in less of a hurry to overtake Lev as lead, he might've seen the gaping hole in the ground before him. The Poe's lantern illuminated a small room-- barely large enough to accommodate the group minus Noi, who was now plummeting down into the abyss below. Strangely enough, there was no crash as the hulking nine foot robot collided with the bottom. Instead, there was only a thunderous boom. Like that of a large drum. With no other place to go, the strange assortment of heroes were forced to descend after Noi. The stalfos, thusly named Mufasa, was the first to hop after him-- assuring everyone it was the correct way to go. The drum's surface imitated a taut trampoline, facilitating a less than comfortable, but overall harmless landing. The room was vast. Circular in shape, extending several meters past the massive drum whereupon the party found themselves. A strange grid of symbols faded through a series of different colors on the ground. Thin pink rays of light occasionally sparked off of the grid. It seemed to pulsate with energy. The ominous grid surrounded the perimeter of the drum, also ending at the foot of a wide set of stairs at the head of the room, leading to a large platform. Upon the platform sat a wide and hollow arch, formed by several obsidian stones. At its crest lay the keystone of the structure, white with the golden crest of the royal family glowing from where it had been carved into the stone. All around the room, countless torches sprang to life in a spiral like pattern, bathing the room in more light than seemed appropriate considering the temple's dark and evil stench. More attention grabbing in that moment, however, was the strangely shaped golden armor, colossal in size as it rested upon the drum's surface. Surrounding them with a surface of reflections that seemed to shine almost as brightly as the torchlight. The armor was comprised of three pieces in total: two enormous gauntlets and a massive cuirass. The gauntlets, two empty husks of gold, were large enough to cover a giant's hand and perhaps part of the wrist. Or, relatively speaking, enough to cover a small crowd of people. The larger of the three pieces was lifted partially off the drum by several chains attached to the ceiling. A cuirass built to accommodate a most peculiar shape-- a long and tapering torso. [center][img]http://i.imgur.com/xSGpGDY.png[/img][img]http://i.imgur.com/xSGpGDY.png[/img][/center] [center][hider=Music][youtube]v=bOKe996ZEhI[/youtube][/hider][/center] [center][img]http://i.imgur.com/xSGpGDY.png[/img][img]http://i.imgur.com/xSGpGDY.png[/img][/center] Suddenly a shadow appeared upon the drum's surface. Large enough to consume almost the entire platform, though it seemed to be completely without a source. The shadow then began to tear itself away from the surface of the drum in stark black flakes, rising into the air and disappearing within the empty spaces allotted by the golden armor. The flakes flew at an alarming rate, maneuvering around the small group as though they were a mere nuisance. [i]Something[/i] was taking form. In that same moment, an array of bright blue markings appeared along the surface of the armor. The chains elevating the armor's torso began to rise, lifting the half formed creature up off the ground and out of reach while the hands twitched to life, balling into tight fists that prevented any damage from befalling the gray skinned hands as they finished forming. Protruding from the armored torso were two muscular arms, ending just past the elbow as if they had been sawed off, judging by the exposed flesh and bone. Where a head ought to have been, there was only a single, massive red eye, framed by several thick petal shaped flaps of skin and four tentacle-like feelers. The pupil of the stark red eye was small and yellow, surrounded by a ring of similarly sized yellow circles. Still safely out of reach, the eye fixated on the group with a curiously excited expression-- eager for their demise. Fully formed, the armored hands flexed their fingers and began steadily beating at the drum. Not even Noi remained grounded as the percussion threw his footing. Only Lev, with his lack of dependency on such things as a place to stand, remained unaffected by the monster's rhythm. A detail the legendary Bongo Bongo quickly took note of. Still pounding away with his left hand, his right lifted from the drum and made a sweeping grab for the poe. [center][img]http://i.imgur.com/xSGpGDY.png[/img][img]http://i.imgur.com/xSGpGDY.png[/img][/center] [center][img]http://i.imgur.com/OR57gVG.jpg?2[/img] [h3]Phantom Shadow Beast[/h3][h1][color=c21515]Guardian Bongo[/color][/h1][/center] [center][img]http://i.imgur.com/xSGpGDY.png[/img][img]http://i.imgur.com/xSGpGDY.png[/img][/center] [hider=OOC] Similar to the "mini-boss fight" with Mufasa that you guys did with Jenno, this monster will be fully controlled by the GMs. The success of every hit must be cleared by myself or Jenno. Feel free to collaborate your first move, though I am expecting shorter responses as we go action by action. [/hider]