Sneaking through areas with other people about was nothing new for Caelan, he'd done it a handful of times with other hunters about. Those hunters though weren't clad in armor and trained to kill usually nor did they have someone like this Fiona woman among their ranks. They could be killed from a distance by a marksman and never knew what hit them, a grim though that constantly sat in the back of his mind. Trying to forge on despite his concerns however Caelan waited for Link to reach him before continuing to scale the walls, making it as far as the sixth floor before taking a pause. Up above the voices of some guards could be heard and he prepared for a fight to break out only to watch instead as their corpses plummeted to the ground below. Peering over the edge he watched as their bodies disappeared into dark portals, his stomach turning uncomfortably as they disappeared into the void. Just like that they were gone, a good reminder not to end up on Regol's bad side.

Perhaps the scene had gotten to Link as he was looking a bit pale when he finally reached the same floor as them. It was disconcerting, no one wanted to pass out while you were scaling a wall six stories up. Furrowing his brow Caelan nodded and went to the hall once more, making certain no one was coming around that might spot Link here. "Come up when you catch your breath, I'm going ahead." Waiting for Regol to move along he used his own grapple to follow his lead, glancing back down at the courtyard below. Come to think of it how were they going to get out of this place? As high up as they were you couldn't exactly jump out of a window, and no doubt once they reached the Princess everything was going to go to hell. Which probably meant fighting through all the guards and that Fiona woman. And nearly getting killed... Again... he lamented, smiling ruefully as he continued to climb, Can't I just go back to looting tombs? Monsters I can handle, this is just ridiculous...

Regol continued up to the 8th floor with Caelan moving onto the 10th and final floor they could reach from this courtyard. They were so close, but Link was lagging a bit behind and Regol didn't want to move too many levels above him incase he needed help. Oh how much easier this would be if they had Demoko and his teleporting powers. Regol could always move through shadows, and Link could as well if only his powers hadn't seemed to vanish. The others hadn't quite realized it, but Regol's sight was a bit more honed to the darkness and everything connected to it.

It also would have been easier if the Princess knew they were coming, but of course it wouldn't be a secret rescue mission if the person they were rescuing knew they were getting rescued. The only Templars that he had seen so far were the ones he killed, but it wouldn't be long before replacements, or others on patrol came walking by and the trio just zipping up the courtyard with clawshots was definitely not nonchalant and unnoticeable.

Link didn’t know what was happening to him at all. He shouldn’t be feeling so weird and kind of sickly, especially when he was mostly fine before. He had only felt weak for the past day or two, he didn’t know how long it had been now. Time didn’t feel like a factor for him anymore, he was just constantly being moved and knocked out to the point of being made completely unaware about how much time had passed. It was disorientating to him and it was mostly Demoko’s fault. Maybe it was part of his whole removal of shadow magic that was starting to get to him, but it hadn’t exactly got to him previously so this was a fairly new development. Either way, it was turning out to not be a very good time for him and was turning out to be very distressing. It wasn’t as if he was going to be sick, but rather he was just going to drop if he tried to exert himself like so much as even walk a short distance.

This couldn’t be where he had to turn back, he was so close. All he had to do was last just a little bit longer and he would be able to get back and open up the pendant to release that part of his soul that had been locked away. He didn’t know if it had been worth locking it away like that and shoving away who he was, but to not have that corrupted power inside him did make him feel just that little bit lighter. He couldn’t possibly live up to who he was in his past lives if he had such a horrible darkness inside him, that just wasn’t what a hero was supposed to be. He still felt deeply tortured over his true purpose, but nobody needed to know about that when it had already been approached. His reasoning to remove that aspect of him was to get away from that pre-destined nonsense, to show that he was someone worth more than just his name and what he was supposed to be. Or maybe he wasn’t, there was very little to him and he doubted the others liked him very much, seeing how he was by far the most unpredictable and weakest warrior out of all of them, if he could even be called a warrior.

All this self-doubt was really getting to him, making him feel incapable of completing this because he was going to screw up somehow. He was already behind as Caelan told him to wait until he had recovered from whatever he was going through right now. He needed to get up fast, he couldn’t fall behind and get caught. Through a brief moment of panic he decided to not try and catch his breath, he needed to get going now. With his hookshots he tried to follow after Caelan, finding that he was still being left behind as Caelan was quick to move up. He was trying, but his arms felt like they were going to give in and cause him to fall to his death. Fiona was probably right around the corner too and if she spotted any of them it would be a disaster. They would be as good as dead. Trying to keep focused on the goal he finally came to the 10th floor, but he near enough almost looked like he was going to faint. The lack of strength he had without his shadow magic left him with sticks for arms, he didn’t even know if he was going to be able to fight if they had to. This Princess better appreciate what they were doing for her, but then again she didn’t know them so how exactly she was going to react he didn’t know. “Just…where is this Princess so we can leave…” he spoke slowly, trying to recover again, “If she turns out to be a fake I’ll jump off this building…”

Scaling up walls wasn't anything unusual for Caelan, he'd done it innumerable times while traveling. What he'd not done was fight off a group of Templars and their knights and then scale a large surface, and after today he'd never do it again. By the fifth floor his arms had begun to burn and his legs were threatening to give out as he pushed himself further up, by the eighth floor he swore he was going to lose his grip and plummet back to the ground. Somehow though he'd managed to keep a grip and scale, albeit slowly, up to the ninth and ultimately the tenth floor. Having scarcely the strength to lift himself over the balcony Caelan dropped to the floor and leaned against the wall, groaning as he stretched out his limbs and took a moment to catch his breath. They could have done this tomorrow couldn't they? Having a bit more time to recuperate after all of that would have been great, and they probably still had a ways to go yet. They could only count themselves fortunate for not having run into any patrols other than the one and Regol had been quick enough in saving them any trouble. Was their luck going to hold out forever though?

"No you're not... Because I'll be jumping down first," Caelan joked, closing his eyes and rubbing his face tiredly, "At least let me go first so I can make a puddle. I don't want to have to scrape anyone up." Link brought up a very valid point though and that was the fact that even after all this trouble they would still have to get down. How were they supposed to escape the castle with the Princess anyways? Regol must have thought of something but he was keeping them in the dark and that didn't do anything to help ease his concerns. Maybe they would escape through a window, scale the outside and escape that way. Or perhaps they had some magic they were saving for their escape, though if they had such a spell why not use it to get in too? "Please tell me we're close, Regol? Is she on this floor?" Caelan asked as he pulled himself to his feet with the wall, "This place can't be much bigger..."

A low rumble echoed through the underbrush.

The distinctive, grey furred snout cut through the foliage. The powerful frame of the predator emerging into view as the wolfos pass through the brush with barely a sound. Through the canopy above, the fading light of dusk cast a haunting silhouette. A shadow among the shadows. The whites of the beast’s fangs resplendent as it opened it’s serrated maw, another low roll of growled thunder echoing through the trees.

Then two more appeared, as though demons of air and darkness. The wolfos pack padded around the opening in the brush, before finally the first vanished off into the other side of the clearing. The two others followed quickly behind, the wolfos passing into the night as silently as they had first appeared.

A light emerged from beneath a leaf, as though a firefly had taken flight. The soft light blossomed until it was a softly pulsing orb. Butterfly wings, transparent, almost invisible, were illuminated on the back of the strange, otherworldly creature as it passed through the air to circle high up around another tree.

As it did, the fairy’s light revealed the face of a child. His small form concealed in shadow, as he crouched up in the branches over where the wolfos pack had ventured beneath. He’d been aware that they’d been hunted since departing the Kokiri Village, though it wasn’t until now that he could have given name or form to what lurked in the darkness.

At least now he knew, though all things being equal, he didn’t like the idea of picking a fight with a wolfos pack. Particularly as he doubted the three that had been seen were all that was out there.

The boy dropped down to the path below. He paused there a moment, the dusky twilight reflecting from off a polished metal blade. He held the sword in a reverse grip, his other hand up in a boxer’s guard as he waited. He remained like that for awhile, listening to the sounds of the forest, as though questioning whether the wolfos would have doubled back in search of their prey.

After awhile, he straightened up, the sword still held at the ready as he used his free hand to gesture to the fairy. Then, like the wolfos, the boy moved into the brush with barely a sound to mark his passage.

They had traveled on without incident, when the boy suddenly stopped again. This time, kneeling near where low-hanging branches extended out toward the road. Some were broken, suggesting that someone had come through him.

The wind-swept, dirt path didn’t seem to bear evidence of anyone come though. At least, not recently. Someone had though, at some point close enough that the broken twigs and rustled branches were still present.

It was something he’d have to mention when he returned to the village.

In the meantime, there was still a question of the Forest Temple. And so the boy continued onward.

Regol laughed a little bit, or made the motion and let out some weird wheezing sounds. His voice box had been damaged very bad, besides not being able to speak he was unable to make other simple sounds. He was tired too, but he was definitely and good shape, master assassins had to be. Regol stepped away a bit from the balcony and used the shadows of a nearby cubby to conjure the map of the Castle. They really had made it quite far from their starting point. Saved a good chunk of time too, things definitely could have been worse if they took the long way. They had 5 more levels to go to reach the Royal Chambers, there were no shortcuts they could take here, all the secret tunnels and routes from the Royal Chambers were under heavy surveillance and had numerous guards watching them.

Making a line with his finger, Regol showed them the route they would take. It was very direct, no tip towing around a bunch of hallways or scaling anymore buildings. If they could make it to the stairwell, it was a straight shot up to the 15th floor, however there was way more patrols they would be passing the direct route. As long as everyone kept their cool and acted normal, they shouldn't give them any problems.

Aadab sat on the hard stone of the ruins beneath Castle Town, legs crossed and hands intertwined just below the base of her chest, right at the point where the ribcage gave way to the abdominal cavity. The very center of her being. In this way, she meditated, allowing her spirit to regain its balance so she may recover her lost magical energy. The Sheikah, who was at an age that would be elderly for most races, had elected to remain behind, as it would be foolish to send too large a group. Three was enough, that she knew.

She had remained mostly silent during the more recent moments of their journey, partially out of concern for Nayrin, but also for Link. She had sensed that his power had been locked away somehow, but thought it wise not to broach the subject. The boy was fragile, even more than usual now. Instead, she looked inward, as she had many times in her long journey to mastery of the spiritual magics she had a natural talent for, as was unusual for the typically shadowy Sheikah people. During this time, she changed out the more extravagant garb of a Sheikah Elder for a more simple outfit, a nondescript suit of traditional Sheikah stealth armor.

Her concern for Link was, at this moment, greater than even before they arrived. With his power sealed, he was nearly defenseless if they were caught. She thought it unlikely but she could not avoid worrying, even though Regol, master of the shadows he was, had gone with them. For now, all she could really do was wait, and hope for the best.

As Sophos and Gaios slowly moved upwards, following the small motes of light the elder created on occasion, they were surprised to come across Demoko, standing before what appeared to be a 3-Dimensional map of Castle Town.

"Well, hello there my friend. It seems circumstance is behaving quite erratically, what with all this splitting up and reuniting we seem to be doing, lately." Sophos greeted the Sage with a chuckle, a smile crossing his face. "Quite the setup you have there, if I do say so myself."

While Sophos reintroduced himself to Demoko, Gaios set about looking around the area. He wanted to make sure there weren't any potential avenues for ambushers to attack from. I certainly hope he knows what he's doing...we barely escaped that bridge.

Link knew he had to get it together, everyone was depending on him, or maybe they weren’t after locking away part of who he was. He was just someone who was wandering along with them at this point who was proving to be pretty useless and not athletic enough to save someone important. Maybe now that he was on even ground and not wanting to kill himself on his ascent, Caelan sharing the same thoughts too. Sighing when he suggested he go forward he waved his hand gently to say it was okay, his eyes going to Regol who was on the verge of making fun of them on the spot. Good thing the guy couldn’t talk, it certainly helped him avoid unnecessary aggression because of his poor choice of words. “This Princess better be worth all this…”

Watching as a map was manifested he stared at it for a moment, watching as Regol’s finger pointed them in the direction they were going to take. She was still so far away, but what was worse was they had to go through the place rather than up or through secret passages. This meant they were going to have to dodge a certain someone or else she’d see through their disguises. “I’ve uhh…seen how soldiers usually walk…so uhh, lead the way. I don’t particularly want to die in this place so let’s not get caught too”. He knew the danger that getting caught brought and he didn’t have a means to attack back. He should probably stay in the back if that was the case, these two could use magic after all.

The Princess better be worth all of this. Caelan understood to a degree why they were saving the Princess, why they were putting themselves in such risk for her sake, but yet again he found himself questioning his actions. Or perhaps it was his resolve that was being brought into question. He had always fancied himself an adventurous sort and delving into crypts was intimidating in its own right yet he'd never deferred from an adventure before. Whatever shambling beasts laid in wait he had approached them head-on, or more likely found some way to circumvent then and avoid drawing more in. Here it was much the same he supposed only those who were his enemy were far more intelligent, and far more powerful. Fiona's name hung in his mind like an executioner's axe over his neck just waiting to come down any second, the tension felt making his entire body sweat. Was the Princess worth all of this? Who knew, it sure wouldn't be though if they all ended up dead.

As if their efforts weren't daring enough Regol had a much bolder strategy for them hereon out: directly to the Princess. No shortcuts or secret passages to get around guards, they would adorn their disguises again and just hope for the best. Fortune favored the bold as many treasure hunters liked to say, but then Caelan was accustomed to seeing the selfsame treasure hunters killed by traps, or by blindly rushing in and being swarmed by a group of monsters. Fortune favored the bold perhaps but fortune also had a sick sense of humor. Given the alternative here was to try and circle back on his own and escape the only viable option was to go with Regol's plan and continue on. Much like the bridge Caelan found himself going along with the suicidal plans of these people whether he wanted to or not, a fact he resigned himself to with a low sigh.

"Just walk like you've got something stuck up your rear right? Easy." Humor was a great defense he'd found though it did little to alleviate the tension he was feeling now. Swallowing hard he slipped the magicked ring back onto his finger and managed a weak smile as he took on another appearance. Maybe they would get through all of this without a single worry and the Princess would escape with them. Maybe Fiona was out on a patrol somewhere and they wouldn't have to worry. Or... Maybe she somehow knew they were here, was sitting right outside of the Princess' room, waiting for them to show their unwitting faces. Nervously rubbing at his face Caelan turned to Link and felt somewhat reassured he wasn't the only one worrying so much about all of this. "H-Hey... After that mess on the bridge this is nothing, right?" he whispered, allowing himself a weak chuckle, "Things are going to be fine... Just fine..."

Demoko turned to see Sophos and Gaios, he put the spell book he had in his hand down as he greeted them both. "I would say I am happy to see that you both made alive, but you know I am quite incapable of producing positive emotions. Though in terms of just vocabulary, yes I am happy you both made it." He then proceeded to pick up his spell book once more. There temporary headquarters was built in the ancient ruins beneath Castle Town and had a concealment spell that prevented them from being detected. "Link, Regol, and Caelan went to collect supplies from someone loyal to our cause, but they have not return oddly. I risk not pursuing until I know with certainty something has happened to them."

--------------------------------------

Regol believed they could pull it off. Fiona very seldom walked about the castle just for the hell of it. She would no doubt be in the grand throne room awaiting Father Thallus' return. This plan would work, it had to work, and a determined attitude was half the battle right? The map disappeared and Regol took the lead, ushering for Link and Caelan to follow behind him like an escort of sort. Once they were in formation he walked quickly down the hallway. The interior of the castle was quite large, the hallways with large chandeliers, armored statues, mosaic windows, and long eloquent red carpets were quite impressive for those unaccustomed to the royal lifestyle. The hallway they were in alone could fit 5 horses side by side.

As the group hurried to their destination at what seemed like an eternity of fast walking down a few random hallways, they finally made it to the central staircase. Four Templar Castle Knights stood guard, but didn't both to look at Regol, or Link and Caelan who were in their Templar disguises. As they approached two staffs locked and prevented them from entering. "State your business... Oh my...? Brother Regol??? We had been informed you died in great battle against the heathen pirates! How... Wha... How come your return was not announced..." One of the Templars asked, now becoming more suspicious, Regol raised his hand nonchalantly at Caelan as to usher him to speak on his behalf. Caelan seemed to be the wittier on the spot thinker here compared to Link, at no offense to him of course.

The green-haired boy stooped down, two fingers gingerly testing a patch of dried mud on the cobbled stone floor.

The Forest Temple was a mythical place, even for the Kokiri. They respected what it represented, but rarely went near it. Even Dilly, one of the oldest who was still among them, had only stepped foot in the temple one other time before. Then, as now, it was as part of a mission to understand what was happening in or around the Lost Wood. These were strange days, prone to stranger nights, and the Kokiri were anxious about what they didn't know of the going-ons beyond their forest.

Stalfos were known to walk the temple courtyard at night, and the eerie light of a poe's lantern could be seen flickering like the will'o'wisp, so the boy had been careful to approach the Forest Temple in the light of day. Which meant that the light coming in through the entrance to the temple marked a very real countdown, by which the boy would need to take whatever there was to learn here and be gone.

"Someone was here. There was a struggle of some kind," the child noted aloud, as the amber light of the orb fairy drifted overhead.

Black splotches on the stone. Blood. Someone had been hurt. Possibly more than one 'someone.'

"I can't tell how they left," the boy mused, continuing to air his thoughts aloud as he examined the individual clues and tried to use them in his mind's eye to understand just what he was seeing. Someone came in here. Three, maybe four? A struggled ensued, but there were no bodies. Nor evidence of bodies having been dragged away.

It begged the question of whether they'd left at all. They could still be here, their souls trapped in the poe's light or shambling about as Stalfos.

Or worse, ReDead.

"I don't sense the presence of the Sage of the Forest," Ayala noted, the melodic voice echoing in the back of his mind, even as he looked up and contemplated the vaulted ceiling above them.

He remembered Saria. Her absence from the Kokiri Village had diminished them, and he found the notion that she occupied now a place alongside the Great Deku Tree as a protector of the Forest less comforting than he probably ought to have. Because she wasn't with them, she was here.

And, seemingly, she was not here either.

A shadow by the door prompted the Kokiri into motion. His footsteps silent as he crept into the shadows of a support pillar. The outline of a wolfos was cast upon the far wall.

Had the pack he'd encountered earlier managed to track him here this quickly?

That question was frozen in his mind as another shadow overlaid that of the wolfos. Gasping, his breath stuck in his throat, the boy risked a peer from behind the pillar.

"Moblin," he uttered softly.

Was the direct route better? Should they still try to somehow sneak around? Even with the disguises Caelan wasn't abundantly certain they would go unnoticed, the only certainty was if Fiona found them they were as good as dead. Falling in line with a man like Regol only did so much to calm his nerves as they moved through the halls and he expected for Fiona to be around every bend, yet she never appeared. Glancing back over his shoulder a handful of times he'd occasionally catch a glimpse of a Templar patrol passing along but nothing struck him as alarming, so far they were safe. Maybe they really would make it to the Princess without any trouble, and really that was the hardest part right? Getting out was still a whole different matter but he just had to trust that Regol, or Demoko, somebody had a plan in mind.

Everything was going just fine until they arrived at a central staircase leading up to the topmost reaches of the castle. Stood at the stairs were four armed Templars diligently minding their posts. Was Regol going to try and dispatch them like he had the others before? Or were they going to be found out? Caelan's skin grew clammy as they approached the guards and his heart all but stopped when they were told to halt and state their business. Then the confusion set in as some of the men recognized Regol which only served to further Caelan's confusion on the matter: just who exactly was Regol again? Stiff as a board his eyes slid to the corners as he watched the man for any signs of what they would do, preparing to cast a spell at a moment's notice. When a gesture was made he was almost ready to cast something when it clicked in his mind what Regol was asking of him, his jaw going slack before hastily composing himself again. Why was he getting left to sort this out?!

"Brother Regol... Wanted to be certain they were dealt with. He's been working alone trying to bring down the heathens and he's been doing so in secrecy. As far as people are aware he is dead, its part of his cover. So long as the pirates believe he's dead they won't be on the lookout for him, its a perfect cover." What were they even talking about? What pirates? For all he knew he'd just declared that Link and the others were dead but he'd already opened his mouth and he had to commit at this point, otherwise everything was going to go south very quickly.

"We happened to run into him out on patrol today and he's asked us to bring him along. He explained he needs to speak to the Princess and that its supposed to be a private meeting, so his arrival wasn't announced. In fact the only one who probably knows he's here is Fiona." That should save their skins if he claimed that right? No one was going to go causing trouble if they thought they would get in trouble with her. Unless they went to confirm this with her, then his story would fall to pieces in a second. Caelan could only hope that they wouldn't question it considering Regol seemed to be a pretty big name around here and with luck they'd take his word for it. If not... Well, they could probably grab the Princess and run at this point!

Gaios was the first to respond to Demoko's news. "If you'd like, one of us could go out there and act as a scout, see if there's been any movement among the Templars in the event they've gotten themselves into trouble. As long as the news of my defection hasn't become total public knowledge, I could probably leverage the lower-level Templars for information regarding our...allies."

Sophos was quick to react to that idea, however, displeasure evident in his voice. "And if everybody knows you fought alongside us against General Onyx, you'll be attacked on sight up there. We will need to be more careful than to show our faces directly." He put his hand on Gaios's shoulder, sighing. "Demoko, when we were on the bridge, you gave us rings that could disguise us. Do you have any more of those, or perhaps some magic that could shroud us from view entirely?"