A Girl and a Goron [Exemplary]

[Zack Fair]

Blackened ash swept through the air near Death Mountain, pulverizing anything foolish enough to be out in this fierce wind storm. Though the sky was always covered by this cloudy gunk, today was made worse than usual by the harsh gusts that flung it around. One figure stumbled up the trail, moving slowly due to the harsh weather.

Tight blue jeans were covered in what the wind turned into a black powder. A buttoned up brown duster coat shielded their torso, and their face and head were protected by a combination of a brown cowboy hat, heavily tinted black goggles, and two bandanna. One cloth wrapped around their head underneath the hat, and the other one shielded their nose and mouth from the elements of the Ashen Steppes.

Slowly, this traveler entered a cave, grasping at the rock walls to keep their composure. An exasperated breath came from beneath the bandanna that served as a mask, and they leaned back against the wall, deciding to take a break. Gloved hands reached up and pulled away the bandannas, the goggles, and the hat to reveal a tan skinned young woman with blonde hair. She shook her head a few times to shake her hair from it's bunched up state, letting it flow down to her shoulders. She stuffed all of her ashen weather gear into a coat pocket, with the exception of the hat, which was quickly placed back on her head.

Brooke Stryker looked  back out at what was the worst windstorm she'd ever seen, in the most inopportune place she'd ever imagined seeing one. The twenty-something girl then took a glance into the cave she'd entered, seeing nothing but darkness down the tunnel. Still, the unknown of this burrow was a better option to her than the bleak outdoors of this verse. She unbuttoned the duster coat, opening it to reveal that she wore a black buttoned up vest underneath. Along the leather gun belt she also wore was a revolver and several various tools. Specifically, she drew the flashlight she kept on hand and turned it on. She shined it down the path before her. It didn't make the trail look any more inviting, but there was nothing that convinced her that the windstruck cliffs of Death Mountain were a better idea.

So she began to press onward. However, she was now feeling the fatigue of her long trek up the mountainside, and simply couldn't move as fast as she would like. But regardless of her speed, she stubbornly pushed herself through the cave's pathway, stopping every now and again to close her eyes and gather her senses. Sooner or later she would have to stop and rest, but she wanted to get to a place that would be a safe distance from these dragons that seemed to cover the mountain. Some were small, and some were massive, but she'd already had to shoot her way through a few and tactically avoid others. The last thing she wanted to do was get eaten by one in her sleep, after all that hard work of getting here.

Brooke stumbled as she walked. Putting one foot in front of the other became more of a challenge with every step. Her left hand extended to the side, and before she fully realized it, she was using the side of the cave wall for support. She turned and looked blankly at the wall, her eyes drifting closed for longer, this time. She couldn't fight it much longer, and she knew it. She needed to lay down and rest. Her body was giving her little say in the matter by this point. With a long exhale, she used the illumination of the flashlight to look down the tunnel one more time. It looked like there was a rock structure moving around, not far from her. Sure, why not? After all, lack of sleep could cause one to become delirious.

She shook her head and laughed, lowering the light and leaning her back against the cave wall. This place would do. It would have to, because she obviously didn't have another step in her. As she slid her back down the rock wall to a seated position, she pulled a small water bottle from one of her jacket pockets. She unscrewed the lid and took a large gulp, but upon lowering it she was immediately distracted by some nearby movement.

Brooke looked upwards, and couldn't believe her eyes. Those rocks she had seen moving before her were now towering over where she sat. They weren't just any rocks, though. They had arms, legs, and a face. The giant boulder even spoke to her.

"Sister, are you alright?"

Enough was enough. Brooke laughed lightly and leaned her head back while closing her eyes, allowing sleep to take her.

[Zack Fair]

A lone Goron stood on an open clearing, just on the edge of a cliff high upon Death Mountain. Well, not completely alone, as he was completely surrounded by five dragons, all snarling and looking at the rock creature like it was their dinner.

Baldur could only smile, though. He stood at over ten feet tall, which was a towering height even for his species. As muscular as one made of solid stone could be, Baldur had a very large, filled out frame to match his height. Not many people would have the nerve to get into an up close fight with a Goron, but Baldur would make even the most brazen combatant think twice. He had none of the white hair that some Gorons were known for, as well, instead his head was shaved completely, only showing his rocky, brown skin. Though his hands were empty, clenched tightly into fists, his entire lower body was encased in metal leg armor, another Goron anomaly. To make up for covering his legs in gray steel, his entire upper body was exposed to the elements of the Ashen Steppes, which was more in line with typical Goron tradition.

Indeed, though he was surrounded, the towering monster of a Goron was calm, and even smiling in excitement. Each of the dragons inched slightly closer, preparing to all attack him at once. Baldur let out a booming laugh that seemed to echo throughout the area they were occupying.

"Hurry it up!" the rock creature shouted. The dragons may not have been terribly intelligent, but they complied with that demand just fine.

All five closed in at once, but Baldur dashed to the one directly before him, smashing his beastly elbow into it's face. The winged creature roared in pain as it's neck contorted unnaturally from the blow. It collapsed to the ground as Baldur passed it and then turned, now facing the remaining four creatures. They each lined up near each other, facing the Goron and sizing him up. One of them was letting bursts of fire escape from it's mouth as it readied at attack, but Baldur was already growing impatient.

The Goron charged forwards, and while three of the dragons scattered, one snapped at him with it's fangs, trying to crush the rock monster. Instead, Baldur easily side-stepped the attack and delivered a powerful downward punch to the beast's neck, letting a loud cracking sound that emanated from it serve as his confirmation he wouldn't be fighting that one any longer.

Immediately he turned his head to his right and saw a wall of fire approaching him at point blank. He stumbled backwards and avoided the inferno, and now had a perfect view of the dragon that had breathed the flames at him. It actually took several steps backwards as it kept it's mouth open, trying to gather another burst of fire to hurl at the Goron. It was far too late, however, as Baldur was as fast as he was strong, and leaped forward to slam his steel encased knee into the dragon's face. It's unnatural cry at the impact signified that it was out of the fight as well.

Baldur spun on his heel to face the remaining two dragons, and ran forwards just the same as they did. They decided to attack at the same time, which is what he had been hoping for. Maybe two at a time would present a greater challenge. He brought his right arm up and connected it with the lower jaw of the first dragon, which spun it around from the sheer force and sent it reeling. He seized the opportunity that presented, though, and grabbed the dragon's tail in both hands. He turned as fast as he could and slammed the wounded creature directly into the second one, knocking it to the floor with a surprised screech. Since he had the makeshift weapon still ready to go, Baldur swung the dragon over his head and into the stunned one lying on the ground. He bashed the two violently together, letting go only when he was satisfied neither would be getting up again.

He closed his eyes and sighed, stepping back as he did. He embraced this feeling, and this rush of energy and power. Soon the adrenaline would begin to wear off, and there would be the crash that would come with it. Life on Death Mountain was far too boring for him, so he lived for these moments of excitement. He had honed his skills and abilities battling the spawn of Volvagia for years, but he longed for so much more. Everyone insisted that he was needed here, but he always wondered how true that was. Not that he knew anything other than life inside the Goron culture, anyway. Still, he could dream of the world beyond this mountain and the Ashen Steppes, and he certainly did every time he wasted his time fighting these dragons.

He let out a snort as he looked over the defeated monsters. Like so many before them, they had never stood a chance. Battling these beasts had almost become a chore, but it still felt somewhat good to pass the time doing something he was good at. Baldur shook his head in disappointment, and began to make his way back to the Goron settlement.

[Zack Fair]

How much time had passed was anyone's guess. Brooke just knew that when she awoke, she felt a thousand times better. Getting some sleep had done her wonders, though it was without any help from the bed she found herself lying on. That is if one could even call it a bed. Never in her life had she seen on a bed made of solid rock, and yet that was where she had managed to sleep off her exhaustion. If it weren't for having the outright shape of one, complete with a rock sculpted to resemble a pillow, she would never have figured that was what it was meant to be. She found herself unsurprised and underwhelmed by yet another delightful quirk of the Ashen Steppes.

She let out a groan as she sat up and swung her feet over the edge of her rocky sleeping arrangements, setting them on the stone floor. She loudly exhaled in exasperation as her bare feet touched the ground. There was little variety to this verse, and it was starting to wear on her. She took stock of her surroundings, observing a simple room with modest decorations. How she got here was the real mystery, as she could only recollect pushing herself far beyond her limits. A foolish move, but one she felt necessary.

Thankfully, her clothing was mostly intact. Her hat, coat, belt, and boots sat on a chair that was, predictably, made of stone. That was the extent of her undressing, and she was thankful for it. She stood up with a little difficulty, feeling the strain on her muscles as she moved. She crossed the room and began to replace her removed articles of clothing, like always setting the hat on her head last. She may not have felt great, but she was alive, and that had to count for something. For now, the important thing was figuring out just where the hell she was and who had brought her here.

Brooke approached the door that was made of one solid slab of rock, and grabbed the stone doorknob, carefully turning it. She briefly wondered how this ridiculous place functioned, but then remembered that in the Omniverse wherever there was a will there was a way. Curiosity was plastered all over her face, and she didn't bother to hide it. She pushed the door open to see a living room made of the same scarce materials as the bedroom she had woken up in, but was most surprised by the creature that sat at the table near the center of the room. It was a being made of rock, just like everything else here, and it clad it's lower body in metal. It noticed her as soon as she opened the door, and she froze in place, only her eyes moving as they looked around awkwardly.

Baldur glanced over to the doorway to see the human girl was awake and well. She looked predictably confused by the whole situation. It was blindingly obvious that she was new to the Ashen Steppes, as she was looking at him like he was some freakish monster. Then again, a golem like himself might fit that definition perfectly for someone like her. He stared at her, unsure what to say. She seemed to be having the same internal conflict.

"Hi," Brooke broke one of the longest silences of her life with the only words that could she could possibly think of. She didn't have a clue what kind of situation she was in, right now. Sure, she was alive, but she had long since learned not trust any level of apparent kindness. She was in the lair of some terrifyingly large monster, and while looks could be deceiving, they also tended to give a few clues about one's nature.

Still, though, Baldur was even more clueless on what to say. He had not rescued the woman, it had been his brother and sister-in-law, Gola and Keda, who had stumbled upon the half dead and delirious woman in their explorations of Death Mountain. It was, however, absolutely his luck that she would wake up when they were out on a date and he was sitting in their living room for no other reason than he had to be somewhere.

"You're alive," Baldur said in a plain, matter of fact voice. It was true, but maybe a little inappropriate. Why was he so terrible at speaking to women? This girl didn't even have one pebble on her body and yet he still found himself at a loss for words.

"Yep," Brooke replied in a calm voice that masked her growing internal panic. A statement like that was typically less of an observation and more of a threat. The only weapons she had on her belt were a revolver and a bullwhip, and she was starting to think that she might be seeing how they handled solid rock in the next few minutes. The two tools had served her well over the years, but looking at this creature she found herself betting against them.

"That's cool," Baldur said, and immediately began to consider taking a vow of silence for the next decade. If he could kick himself in his own face, he absolutely would have. Why in the world had he decided to hang around here tonight? Now he had to deal with this strange woman who probably thought he was the most awkward person in the whole Omniverse.

"I think so," Brooke agreed, nodding casually while her eyes scanned the room rapidly. She identified the single exit on the other side of this creature, but also noted there was no one else here except the two of them. She had to hold herself back from acting in some sort of rash and unreasonable fashion. This rock monster wasn't showing the least bit of aggression. That fact alone was all that kept her from making a break for it, but it didn't stop her from blading her stance a bit and placing her right hand on her holstered revolver.

Tension filled the room. Neither Brooke nor Baldur knew what to do, though the reasons for this were very different. Regardless of the reasoning, they were both on the edge of having to do anything at all to remove themselves from this situation, or at least find a way to fundamentally alter it. Brooke's idea on how to do so was much more extravagant than Baldur's, however, so it was fortunate for them both that the Goron made the first move.

"So, uh, I'm Baldur," the Goron stammered out, scratching the back of his head as he spoke. He wasn't quite sure what else to say, since she was just standing around and not giving him too much to work with.

"...Brooke," the human woman replied, clearly caught off guard. She now realized that she had considerably misread the situation. This was good news, however, and it actually made more sense, considering that if this thing wanted to do her harm she probably wouldn't have woken up on something that was attempting to impersonate a bed.

"You probably shouldn't wander the Ashen Steppes dehydrated," Baldur suggested, shrugging his shoulders, lightly. It seemed like obvious advice, and yet the girl clearly needed it. He didn't know what else to say.

"I was looking for something," Brooke replied, while crossing her arms and studying this creature a little closer. Just because he wasn't openly aggressive didn't stop her from trying to identify possible weaknesses, just in case. It didn't, however, take much observation to figure out it's strengths. Just the same, she began to look around the room again. "Where am I, anyway?"

Of course, he would have to explain everything to this stranger. "The Goron settlement. My brother found you up on Death Mountain," Baldur briefly explained, then paused as he thought about how to word the obvious question. "So, uh, why were you trying to kill yourself out there?"

"I'm looking for a droid," Brooke explained matter-of-factly, a bit insulted by Baldur's harsh, but admittedly fair comment on her journey. "It's on Death Mountain."

Baldur's face contorted into a confused expression. "Are you sure? We're not the Empire or anything. We don't exactly have robots, or droids, or any technology like that."

"Trust me, it's there," Brooke replied with plenty of confidence in her voice. "The Empire left it behind."

"Why did the Empire have a droid all the way out here?" Baldur skeptically asked, setting his arm up on the table as he did. This woman didn't have a clue what she was talking about. "Are you sure you don't need more sleep?"

"It's there," Brooke's voice became stern, and she sounded even more sure when she repeated herself.

Baldur, however, did not look convinced. He was becoming more comfortable with this conversation, now that the ice was broken, so he went ahead and pressed a little harder. "How do you know?"

"It's personal," Brooke gave another brisk answer.

Baldur studied Brooke's facial expressions carefully, and was surprised to see a what appeared to be tears threatening to form.

"Alright," Baldur conceded, holding his hands up just a bit as if to gesture surrender. "I'm sorry."

Brooke looked around, ignoring the soreness from her previous attempt to brave the harsh terrain of the Ashen Steppes. Her eyes focused on the door, and narrowed.

"Look, I appreciate your help, but I need to get back to searching," Brooke explained, reaching into her coat pocket and pulling out a faded and wrinkled map. She held up the folded piece of paper, effectively announcing her intentions to keep moving. "Unless you can tell me where this stupid lava cavern is, I really need to be going."

"I probably can," Baldur replied, standing up now. He was now beyond comfortable, as he was in his element and talking about something he understood. "But I can also tell you that you don't have a chance of surviving with all of those dragon spawn that roam the mountain."

"I made it here just fine," Brooke reminded him, sounding completely unimpressed by the Goron's words. "I can handle myself."

"Fight the dragons and explore the mountain all by yourself?" Baldur was persistent with his questioning.

"You have a better idea?" Brooke asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I can show you the way," Baldur said, clenching his fists and smirking. "After all, those happen to be the two things I'm best at."

"Really?" Brooke asked, with both disbelief and relief apparent in her voice. She appeared to be attempting to hold back a smile, but it crept through. Baldur found himself beaming with energy and determination at the mere sight of it.

"Really," Baldur replied, relishing the reaction she was giving. He loved to help people, and he never imagined a cry for assistance would so perfectly fit his skillset. "I'm dying for a little action with some purpose."

"I'll owe you a big one," Brooke said, allowing herself to grin as she accepted the help. It was obvious this guy knew his way around the place, and it was even more obvious that he could handle himself. She stepped forward and handed the paper to the towering rock creature.

Baldur unfolded it as gently as he could, and looked it over. Brooke watched the Goron's face twist a bit as a skeptical look emerged, but then a big smile formed.

"We can get there," Baldur said with a nod. He'd never been into the cavern, but he did indeed know how to get there.

"Great!" Brooke excitedly replied, but at the same time she looked towards the door. "We need to hurry, though, it's very important."

"Not a problem at all," Baldur said, his voice now booming with confidence as he folded the map and pocketed it in one of the small pouches on his metallic leg armor. "Just follow me."

Brooke was all too eager to follow the hulking Goron as he exited out the door. She stayed right with him, all while thanking the stars. Finally, she'd caught a lucky break in this godforsaken verse.

[Zack Fair]

Brooke stepped up next to Baldur, looking out at the massive cavern. The heat was plastered against her face, causing her to sweat profusely. She took a deep breath as she glanced over to the Goron, only to see he was completely unphased by the temperature. Figures.

Lava filled the underground cave they had discovered, and it was fortunately well lit. There were rocks and boulders sticking out across the lake of magma before them that would serve as the only means to cross this mess. The molten lake appeared to be running, and sure enough, she spotted a lava version of a waterfall off in the distance, dropping to an unknown location below.

"So the droid is in here?" Baldur sounded skeptical as he crossed his arms and slightly tilted his head.

"Yea," Brooke confirmed with a confident nod, but then hesitated for just a moment. "Somewhere."

Baldur looked unconvinced, but he forced up some conviction anyway.

"Which way, then?" the Goron asked his human companion.

"I don't know, to be be honest," Brooke admitted. "We'll just have to look."

Baldur nodded in silent agreement, then broke into a short sprint and leaped from their relatively safe ledge to a small rock amongst the lava. Brooke watched in amazement as he landed with a decisive thud on the rock, then stood and looked to her. The Goron waved the adventuress down, but she simply laughed and shook her head, walking down a small trail and hopping to the platform from a much more reasonable height.

The Goron watched all of this silently, but could only let out a sigh. He knew he shouldn't expect her to be as skilled or comfortable at crossing this terrain as he was, but he was hoping they'd be able to traverse this dangerous cave at a reasonable rate. Instead, as they began hopping from platform to platform, he decided to get a little more answers.

"So, tell me about this droid again," Baldur said as they moved, glancing back to the young woman.

Brooke landed on the island, having to focus significantly more on platforming than the surprisingly agile Goron. Because of that, she didn't answer immediately.

"It's something personal, something left behind by someone very dear to me," Brooke explained, just as Baldur became acquainted with the silence.

Baldur frowned in confusion. "I thought you said it was Imperial."

"It is," Brooke said, but then hesitated. She started speak several times, before finally giving up on a proper wording and explanation. "Look, it's still hard to talk about."

That was enough for Baldur. He looked over to the woman to see the conflict in her eyes. He didn't want to pry too much, but he did want to know exactly what they were braving this cavern for. Still, it wouldn't be right to force her to relive anything too terrible. She obviously couldn't speak of whatever was going on yet, so he was happy to do what he felt was his duty and help a girl in need.

They continued to cross the pool of lava, scanning the area and searching for any signs of the ruined droid Brooke was so desperately seeking. They were careful and calculated with each movement, both understanding that the slightest misstep could have fatal consequences. Before too much longer they were climbing onto a ledge that circled around the lake, nearing the lavafall. Brooke stepped over to the cliff's edge that overlooked an entire lower lake that was at least fifty feet below them. She reached into her coat and pulled out a small pair of binoculars from one of the back pouches on her belt..

The Goron watched the human woman curiously as she scanned the entire lower area with her telescopic device, and noticed the very small, but excited twitch as she spotted something.

"There, there it is!" Brooke said, pointing down to the lava with one free hand while looking at the ruined droid that rested on one of the many rocks littering that lake of lava.

Baldur narrowed his eyes and frowned as he tried to look down there. "Where? I don't see it."

Brooke tried to hand him the binoculars, but Baldur awkwardly fumbled with the foreign object. The Goron tried his best not to destroy them in his rocky grip, but found it difficult to handle the fragile device. Instead, Brooke stepped on top of a nearby stone and reached her arm up as high as she could, holding the focal device to Baldur's eyes for him.

Now, with little difficulty, Baldur was able to spot a ruined bi-pedal droids. It's gray limbs were scattered across the small stone platform that served as it's final resting place, and he could see what resembled a skeletal head barely attached to a mutilated body. It looked like a grim fate even for a machine. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was just a little bit off, though. What possible reason could this girl have for tracking down a robot in the middle of a lava filled cauldron, personal or not?

He once again brushed the thought aside, watching silently as Brooke put the binoculars away. The adventuress moved over to the edge of the cliff and began to scale it downwards. Baldur crossed his arms and watched, impressed. The girl was out of her element and completely unequipped for this lava wasteland, as evidenced by her collapsing in the mountains earlier. Still, the way she moved showed a level of grace and skill that seemed to be masked by the apparent clumsiness in her motions. The Goron realized that he couldn't tell if she was skilled at masking her abilites, or simply perpetually lucky. Indeed, every movement and each descent to the next foothold looked like it might be her last, yet she traveled onward without fear or hesitation.

Baldur realized that he, too, would have to descend to the lower level. The small cracks that Brooke was utilizing as footholds to scale down the cliff were useless to him, so instead he spotted several large outcroppings. Those would work best, so he leaped downwards and landed on the first one with ease, noticing the surprised yelp from his companion as he dropped past her. He leaped between each clearing that could hold his weight, completing the downward trek in very short order.

Brooke, meanwhile, grumbled and complained to herself as she watched Baldur hop downwards with ease. It would be nice if she could do that, but she knew better than to turn herself into a mangled heap at the base of this cliffside. She continued to slowly descend downwards, fumbling with each crevice and blindly hoping they wouldn't give way. She had the feeling that even if she fell, being caught by Baldur would offer little difference than simply colliding with the ground. The proximity of the falling lava didn't ease her conscious either, because each time she found herself climbing unbearably close to it, she had to retreat to another section and slow her descent considerably.

Finally, she reached the bottom. Brooke hoped there would be another way out of this place, so she wouldn't have to climb back up that rock face, but didn't worry about it too much for now. She moved past Baldur and leaped to the next rock platform in the lava, and her Goron ally jumped after her. They continued to traverse the platforms, but they only made it halfway to the droid when a voice suddenly called out to them.

"Well, well. Brooke," the male voice came from their right side.

Brooke and Baldur both stopped and turned to see a man dressed in clothing far too casual with this particular location standing on an adjacent rock from them. Separated by an easy to cross section of lava, the man had his arms crossed and an amused smirk across his face. Brooke looked bewildered for just a second, then gave her own grin.

"Davin," Brooke replied, calmly announcing the man's name. She reached under her jacket at the same time, and rested her hand her revolver. "I'm genuinely surprised to see you."

"I'm just as stunned you made it this far," Davin responded, uncrossing his arms and reaching for his belt. "You must have used the same means I did to get here."

Baldur frowned in confusion. He didn't know what was going on, but this man appeared unarmed and unprepared for this place. Still, Brooke was treating him very seriously, as evidenced by her defensive posture.

Brooke laughed aloud, now smiling even wider. "You don't have any looks, charm, or intelligence to speak of, so I know that's not true," she taunted.

"Same old Brooke," Davin shook his head. "It's too bad I have to kill you and your buddy, here."

"Now hold on, friend," Baldur finally interjected, holding a hand out. He didn't know what was going on, and that was a pretty serious word to be tossing around to strangers. "There's no need for violence. I'm just helping this lady find a misplaced belonging."

"Is that it?" Davin chuckled, clearly amused. He didn't dwell on the Goron for long. "It doesn't matter, pal. You're in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong person."

Baldur scoffed. He may not know exactly what was going on, but this land was his home and domain, and no feeble looking human was going to march in and talk to him like that. He paid little mind as the man drew three red and white orbs from his belt, small enough that he was able to hold one under a finger each.

"Sorry, Baldur," Brooke suddenly said, shooting a sideways look to the Goron. "I was hoping you wouldn't get involved."

"Don't worry about it," Baldur boasted, clenching his right fist and smashing it into his open left hand. "Little rat doesn't get to talk to me that way. I'll be expecting an explanation, though."

"Fair enough," Brooke nodded in agreement.

"Adorable," Davin mocked, but then tapped the white button on all three of the balls and tossed them forward.

Brooke stepped back as she watched Davin release his Pokemon. She cursed herself for not just shooting at him, but she'd hoped to have a little more time to try and talk her way out of a physical conflict. The pokeballs traveled through the air and expanded before opening up, releasing three very different monsters.

She recognized each one as they appeared. The first one revealed a brown rat looking creature that was over two feet tall called a Raticate. The second released a blue creature with arms and legs, but two eyes that bulged from the top of it's head and a white and black swirl pattern on it's circular body. This four foot tall Pokemon was called a Poliwrath. The final one, however, was what caused Brooke and Baldur to retreat backwards a few steps. A towering snake made of several boulders chained together emerged with a loud roar. The Onix was nearly thirty feet long, so it looked down at the unlikely duo as if they were lunch.

Baldur knew he shouldn't have been as excited, but it was nice to see an opponent he hadn't battled before. Maybe that was the wrong mindset, but he couldn't help it. At the same time, though, he was overwhelmingly curious about what he'd gotten himself into.

"Yea," Baldur reaffirmed out loud, his eyes already narrowing as he watched the giant rock snake's every move. "I'm going to need a full explanation in just a few minutes."

[Zack Fair]

There was a brief, fleeting moment where everyone stood perfectly still and assessed this situation. It passed just as quickly, and in an instant the adventurers were all in motion.

The Onix struck first, swinging it's massive tail at the two unlikely allies. Brooke leaped backwards to dodge the stone appendage, hitting the ground on her stomach and launching a cloud of ash into the air. Baldur, meanwhile, braced himself and held both of his arms up. Onix's tail collided with the Goron, who managed to keep his footing. Pebbles flew exploded from from the point of impact between their bodies, though Baldur couldn't tell which being they came from. He paid it little mind, and instead shoved the tail away. The Onix roared and dove headfirst at it's fellow rock being, and Baldur leaped backwards while curling his hands into fists.

Brooke rolled to her back and sat up, watching in awe as the Onix pursued her Goron friend. She stood up and started to reach for her revolver, while instinctively looking around the area at the same time. It was fortunate that she did, because that was when she saw the Poliwrath rapidly approaching her. The water Pokemon swung a fist at the girl, who barely dodged to the side in time. With very little grace, she stumbled to the side and took a few steps to regain her footing. The Poliwrath missed it's punch, but readjusted itself and turned to face Brooke.

At the same time, Brooke rolled her shoulders back and let her coat fall down her arms. The Poliwrath kicked up more ash as it charged fowards again. Brooke threw her jacket forward, tangling the Pokemon up in it and causing Poliwrath to immediately begin flailing inside it's makeshift leather trap. While it struggled, Brooke ran forward and grabbed the arm of her own jacket in one hand, and immediately began to pummel the Poliwrath with a balled up fist. She aimed for what her best guess was the center of the swirl plastered across it's body, using it like a giant bulls-eye. Her aim wasn't perfect, but each blow connected with some part of it's body, so she saw no reason to stop.

While Brooke was in her scuffle, Baldur's battle was taking him all over the lava-filled arena they were occupying. He leaped backwards from platform to platform, trying to get enough space to take the offensive. The Onix snaked across the platforms, leaping in hot pursuit of the Goron. Realizing that he was getting nowhere, Baldur knew he'd have to push his luck. So, he landed on a protruding rock and slid to a stop. Already the Onix was descending upon him, so he threw a powerful punch that collided with the monster's snout. The Onix buckled forward and folded at the impact, letting out a painful roar as it quickly snapped back into a more natural posture. It then growled as it shook it's head and positioned itself across the lava from Baldur. It coiled itself up like a snake so that it would be ready to lunge forward at a second's notice.

Brooke continued her assault on the Poliwrath, as it continued to flail inside her coat. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her left thigh, and looked down to see that the Raticate had bit her on the leg and was latching onto her tightly. She let out a scream of pain as she let go of her previous opponent, and the Poliwrath finally was able to fall over. Brooke attempted to punch the Raticate several times, but the blows were weak and awkward from a combination of the pain and the angle she was approaching it from.

The girl collapsed to her knees while the Raticate sunk it's teeth further into her flesh. The blood stained her jeans and ran down her leg. She couldn't quite measure how deep the wound was, but it was definitely slightly more than a flesh wound. She used her hands to try and pry the creature off, but it held tight. She glanced over to the Poliwrath to see it emerging from the jacket, and realized she would have to go something quickly, otherwise this was going to go very poorly for her in a hurry. A surge of pain raced through her body as the Raticate shook it's head and tore a bit more skin.

Brooke retaliated, this time, by slapping her hands on both sides of the rat-like monster's head with open palms. She connected with both of it's ears, and as a result immediately ruptured both of it's ear drums from the sheer force of the impact. The Raticate released her leg and stumbled backwards as it howled in pain. Brooke stood up, ignoring the pain that shot through her leg, and then hobbled towards the recovering creature. Before the Raticate even noticed her approaching, Brooke delivered a powerful upward kick to the small Pokemon, effectively punting it across the lava-ridden battleground. Paying it little more mind for the time being, she grimaced in pain as she turned to look towards her original foe.

Having sensed something, just barely, in his peripheral vision, Baldur looked to his side and saw the Raticate flying towards him. This development surprised him, but he quickly responded by swinging a backhanded punch, knocking the creature out of the air and causing it to drop into the lake of lava with only a small splash. He didn't have time to enjoy that small win, as the Onix lunged down at him while he was distracted. The rock monster opened it's jaws and tried to bite down on him, utilizing the snake portion of it's obviously diverse DNA.

Baldur was quicker than he appeared, however, and caught the monster's mouth with both of his arms. Holding both it's upper and lower jaws in each arm, Baldur was still shoved backwards quite a ways from the impact. He held his grip, and continued to force the Pokemon's mouth open. The light burning on the heel of his left foot told him that he had been forced to the edge of the platform, and he had very little room for error, lest he end up joining the flying rat.

The Goron let out a roar of fury as he mustered up all his strength. Fighting against the Onix, and totally overpowering it, he lifted the thirty foot abomination completely off the ground. The beast grunted out in surprise as best it could, seeing as it's open mouth was the point of leverage. Baldur then turned and hurled it forwards. He had hoped to dunk it completely in the lava, but the massive beast rolled across the protruding stones, never hitting a deep enough section of the lava to fully submerge. Baldur still shielded his eyes and retreated backwards as lava splashed everywhere.

The Onix rolled itself upright, shaking the lava off of itself with a roar of both fury and agony. Drips of magma rolled off the creature's body, and the damage was now apparent. Each of the stones that the Pokemon's body was comprised of had suffered some degree of mutilation, some of which were very deep gashes. This did not seem to slow the creature down at all, as it abruptly began to rush back towards Baldur once it finished it's yell.

Meanwhile, the Goron was grinning wildly. This creature was the best challenge he'd faced in a very long time, and possibly ever. The seriousness of this situation had evaporated in from his mind. All that mattered to him was defeating this monstrosity. Not for any personal vendetta, or worldly goal, but simply because he wanted to defeat it in combat. It was exhilarating, and he was unable to prevent himself was letting out his own war cry as he charged at the approaching beast.

Brooke was having a far less enjoyable time with these proceedings, however. She watched as the battered and bruised Poliwrath stood up and tossed the jacket aside, and was silently thankful that it didn't land in the lava and destroy the various tools she had in those pockets instead of her belt. Without thinking too much further about it, she grabbed her revolver from it's holster and aimed it towards the water Pokemon.

Though Brooke was fast, the Poliwrath was faster. It raised it's palm and released a burst of water in her direction. With impeccable accuracy, the water jet collided with her gun as she was pulling the trigger. The end result was the gun being removed from her hand as it discharged, but the bullet went straight into the roof of the cavern. The gun landed several yards away from her, which was much too far to recover at this moment. Indeed, Brooke was stunned and disoriented from the burst of water that had also splashed all over her and forced her to close her eyes for several valuable seconds.

She shook her head and opened her eyes to see the Poliwrath charging forwards and approaching her at a terrifying speed. She knew better than to try and deal with this thing in a head to head confrontation, as she would be totally outmatched. Luckily, she still had one more tool at her disposal. She reached across her waist and drew her trusty bullwhip, extending it with a fast snap of her wrist. The Poliwrath immediately stopped in it's tracks, watching as the girl skillfully spun the whip around. Deciding to stick with the ranged approach, the Poliwrath began to raise it's hand so it could produce another water jet, but this time Brooke was the faster of the two.

She snapped the whip forward and connected with the swirl on the center of the water Pokemon. It recoiled in pain, twisting it's body just a little bit as it did. Brooke snapped the whip again, this time wrapping it around the creature's right arm. Before she could do anything else, the Pokemon exhibited a burst of energy and began spinning towards her. As it did, it was wrapping the whip around it's own body, preventing Brooke from recovering her final weapon. She was helpless to do anything when the Poliwrath closed the gap entirely and headbutted her with the open portion of it's body between it's two spread out eyes.

Brooke let out a surprised scream as she was thrown from the impact and landed on her back and jarred her head against the hard floor. She groaned in agony, but before she could do anything else, the persistent Pokemon landed on top of her, straddling her and preventing her from retreating any further. She twisted her upper body to dodge a powerful punch from the furious creature, and desperately grasped for anything that could be used as a weapon across the ash covered ground. She clutched a rock that was the size of a baseball, and decided it would have to do. The Poliwrath was already swinging it's other fist, confident that a flurry of punches would be the end of this troublesome woman. Brooke twisted herself back towards the creature, slamming the rock into the Pokemon's eyes when she came up.

The Poliwrath let out a very odd cry of pain, stopping it's assault to clutch it's now blinded eye. It still sat on top of Brooke, preventing her from fleeing. This still gave Brooke the time she needed, as she spied her revolver lying on the ground near her. She fully extended her arm and stretched like she never had before, touching the bottom of the grips with one finger. The Poliwrath looked down at her with it's one good eye, putting aside the pain for a moment. Water began to gather around it's fists, seeming to come from nowhere. It was about to definitively end this woman's life.

With a surge of strength that could only come from one's desire to live, Brooke pushed herself upwards just a bit, sliding slightly underneath the weight of the Pokemon. She didn't move very far, but it was more than enough. She grabbed the revolver and immediately swung it up at the unsuspecting monster. In only a second she had emptied the cylinder's remaining rounds into the creature. Blood and, surprisingly, water flew everywhere as the Poliwrath was riddled with bullet holes, and then unceremoniously collapsed on top of it's killer. Brooke could only groan from underneath the heap.

Baldur leaped upwards at the Onix as they closed in on each other, delivering a knee to it's face with his steel coated right leg. The Onix recoiled in pain, but at the same time swung it's tail from the side at the unsuspecting Goron. Unable to prevent this attack, Baldur was swatted out of the air, and slammed into a rock with such velocity that he created a small crater. The hole began to fill with lava, due to the compromised integrity, so Baldur leaped from it and quickly hopped to another clearing.

The time he took to preserve himself and find safe footing was utilized by the Onix for another offensive. The Onix slammed it's head downwards, but Baldur saw it coming just in time and side stepped the attack. He began to swing a punch at the monster's eye, but the Onix simply moved it's head to the side and knocked Baldur towards the pool of magma. Baldur grabbed the Onix's head and held tight to it's horn, startling the rock monster and causing it to shake it's head to try and remove the Goron. Baldur gritted his teeth and held tight with his arms while the rest of his body swung uncontrollably from the Onix's fury.

Fighting against the Onix and the inertia it created by shaking him in every direction, Baldur managed to bring his left leg up and stabbed the rock snake in the lower jaw with one of the small spikes on the shins his steel planted leggings. It wasn't easy to break through the rocks that served as this monster's skin, but Baldur certainly had the strength to do so. This allowed him to quickly drop down a relatively safe boulder that protruded from the lava cavern, while the Onix flexed it's jaw in clear discomfort.

Baldur looked backwards to see that they were at the edge of the cavern, and he had been backed up to the rock wall. He didn't like that, as it hampered his movement options by quite a bit. This monster's size obviously allowed it a great deal of control over this battle, and Baldur had to seize small opportunities. Distance and space were a key part of creating those.

His thoughts were cut short by the Onix lunging towards him, once again. Baldur side stepped the beast and grabbed it by the head, causing it to immediately fight his grip. The monster was too massive to contain like this, so Baldur quickly plowed it into the wall of the cavern, lodging it's face deep inside of it. To his shock, the Onix simply began to dig itself further into the wall, and within a few short seconds it had completely disappeared into the structure.

Baldur stared in disbelief of what he had just witnessed for a moment, but quickly realized that he needed to move away from here as fast as possible. Baldur crouched down and leaped to another platform just as the Onix exploded headfirst out of the rock wall directly behind him, sending stone shrapnel in every direction as it chased the Goron once more.

Baldur landed on one of the larger platforms, and turned around once he did. This one had enough space that he could work, as the Onix occupied most of the ground space on the majority of other rocks that were among the arena. The Pokemon rapidly approached, and Baldur spread his feet to take a defensive stance. The Onix moved as fast as it could, effortlessly crossing the rocks to approach it's Goron foe. Once more, it leaped at Baldur for a headbutt of colossal proportions. Baldur, at the same time, swung his right fist as hard as he could, connecting with the monster's forehead and causing another spray of pebbles from an indeterminable source.

The impact stunned both stone creatures. Baldur limped backwards from the sheer force of the impact, and the Onix was just as surprised to find it's entire body spun around from the energy behind the blow. Baldur shook his hand as he powered through the pain, but the Onix recovered faster and was already spinning back around. It collided with the Goron, and this time it quickly lifted it's head and hurled the Goron high into the air, sending it towards the roof.

Brooke, meanwhile, finally managed to shove the dead Poliwrath off of her. She limped to her feet, untangling her whip from the Pokemon's corpse in the process. She looked over to see the battle between the two golems, but also noticed that Davin was watching the battle silently. She didn't know what, but she also knew he was likely looking for a way to intervene on his Pokemon's behalf.

Baldur began to descend downwards, and the Onix leaped up towards him. The rock monster opened it's jaws so that the Goron would fall right in them, to be either eaten or badly maimed, whichever the Pokemon would find easier. Baldur had different plans, and laced his fingers tightly together. As they approached each other, Baldur swung his balled up hands downwards and connected with the top of the Onix's head.

More rocks flew everywhere, and the giant horn snapped from the Pokemon's skull and flew to the side, stabbing into the ground. The Onix, itself, did not have the same luck, and it was thrown downwards, at an angle. That slight alteration in it's trajectory for the trip back down proved to be fatal, as it fell straight into the pool of magma below, completely disappearing with a large splash. Baldur landed near the shattered stone horn, and held his arms up just in case any of the lava rained in his direction. It would still hurt, but better that it affect his arms than his head. Fortunately for him, the falling lava didn't make it to him, and though there was a wave that covered several of the rocks that had served as safe footing, his was not one of them.

Davin could only stare in disbelief. His small fighting force had been utterly defeated. He watched Baldur with caution and terror as the Goron turned to make eye contact with him. Davin moved a foot back one step, though he wasn't sure where he'd run to. Instead, he looked over to Brooke, who he believed was still recovering from her battle.

"Where did you-"

Davin's question was cut short when Brooke raised her freshly loaded revolver and fired a single round between his eyes. The Pokemon-less trainer fell to the ground unceremoniously; dead before he even knew what had happened. Baldur flinched, having not expected such a display from the woman he'd been accompanying. Brooke simply opened her revolver back up and topped off the gun with another bullet before closing and holstering it.

While Brooke picked up her coat and put it back on, Baldur ripped the fallen Onix's horn from the ground, inspecting it briefly. He then watched as Brooke slowly hopped from rock to rock towards the ruined droid. Fortunately, that platform had been one of several to not see any action in the battle. With nothing better to do at this point, the Goron began to make his way towards his limping human companion so he could get some answers.

[Zack Fair]

Getting to the droid was significantly harder with a portion of her leg ripped open. Brooke didn't let this slow her down too much, however, and still continued to cross the rock islands as fast as was reasonably possible. Still, each time she had to jump over lava she gave it the time and consideration such a dangerous feat deserved. One wrong step and she would be joining Davin and his Pokemon. With each landing she winced further in pain, and was relieved to finally make it to the mangled droid.

Baldur landed on the same platform as her with far more grace, and stabbed the dead Onix's horn into the ground. Brooke looked over to him briefly, then dropped to a kneel beside the ruined machine. Before she did anything with the droid, though, she pulled one of her bandannas from her coat pocket and wrapped it tightly around the wound she had received from the Raticate. This stopped the bleeding enough. She'd have to give it some real medical attention later, but for now it was more important to get what she was here for and get the hell out of this place.

"Didn't expect to be fighting someone for this droid," Baldur said from behind her, gently reminding the mysterious woman that he wanted to know what had just happened.

Brooke took her hands off the bandanna as she finished tying the knot. She let them hover above the gash for a second while she waited to see if she needed to do anything extra at this moment. It still hurt and she could feel it throbbing, but it was manageable.

Baldur wasn't happy being ignored, so he continued to press this one. "Who was that man?"

"Davin was after the droid, too," Brooke explained as she began to sort through the destroyed pieces of this machine.

"Why?" Baldur was quick and blunt with his follow up question.

"It was personal to him, too," Brooke quietly said.

Baldur frowned in confusion. This didn't make any sense. He watched as Brooke pulled a small tablet from one of her leather jacket's pockets, and connected a small wire on it to what remained of of the droid's chassis. He didn't know much about technology, but he knew that she was taking information and data from it. The Goron also knew that whatever was on that was the key to understanding this situation. Brooke pushed a few buttons, and then waited while it began downloading.

"You knew him well?" Baldur asked after some silence, wanting to know more about their attacker. "There was obviously some bad blood between the two of you."

"We go...we went back," Brooke corrected herself, moving to past tense when discussing Davin, now. That would take some getting used to. "We both did a lot of things we weren't proud of. Didn't expect it to end in a lava cavern in the middle of the Ashen Steppes."

Baldur paused, not having considered what she might be going through. Surely, the poor woman had experienced a very unusual past twenty-four hours and was likely a bit overwhelmed by it all.

"I'm sorry," Baldur meekly apologized. He felt bad for pushing her so much. The adrenaline was wearing off a bit, and he was thinking a little more clearly. The details would be nice to know, but ultimately were irrelevant to him. After all, the man had tried to kill them both.

Brooke simply waved a dismissive hand, without actually turning to face the Goron. It was enough of an acceptance of the apology for him. After she did that, Brooke pulled the wire from the droid, and the screen on her device lit up.

"Echo. Alpha. Sierra," the tablet said in a neutral, robotic voice, causing Baldur to tilt his head in confusion. "One. Nine. Indigo. Uniform..."

Baldur listened as the machine continued to dully ramble on in an unimpressive tone. He was utterly bewildered at this point. Brooke, however, was much less upset. In fact, she appeared quite satisfied with what she heard. The girl groaned as she got back on her feet, experiencing a little trouble in standing due to her leg.

"Alright," Brooke calmly said. "I think we're done here."

"What the hell is that?" Baldur finally blurted out. His adrenaline was climbing once more. What in the world had he helped this woman do?

Brooke turned to look at the Goron, and actually looked confused. "What?"

"What that droid is saying?" Baldur clarified in a stern tone. "It's just a bunch of numbers and words."

"It's Imperial Probe Droid recon data," Brooke calmly explained, turning the device off and pocketing it. "It's encrypted, but that's obviously no issue once the data is returned to Coruscant."

"What?!" Baldur demanded, his voice now raised significantly. "I thought you said it was personal to you?"

"It is!" Brooke snapped right back at her oversized companion. "I'm getting paid a lot to bring it in, and that's pretty damn important to me."

Baldur put his hands on his head, fuming with anger and frustration. "And that man? It was 'personal' to him, too?"

"As a matter of fact, it was," Brooke retorted. "He wanted to get paid, too. So thank you, because ever since he got that team of Pokemon clicking, it's been hell on the rest of us bounty hunters."

"He was...you're..." Baldur snapped his arms down to his side in a violent, angry motion. This revelation was one of the last things he'd expected to hear, and he was not taking it well. "Bounty hunters!? I just helped an Imperial bounty hunter?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Brooke said back, somewhat soothingly. Baldur seemed to calm down for just a moment, but then Brooke continued to explain. "I don't have an affiliation. It's just that the Empire is paying, this time."

Baldur let out an angry shout. He couldn't believe he'd been duped like that. So much for the innocent girl who desperately needed help finding her poor lost droid that contained some sentimental trinket or recording. Was he just so eager to help that he'd missed the warning signs?

"You lied to me," Baldur took his own doubts and turned them into an accusation.

"You wanted to help me," Brooke replied, gently touching her wound to make sure it wasn't bleeding again. "I just made you feel good about doing so."

Baldur gritted his teeth in anger at how callous this woman was turning out to be. "I wanted to help someone that actually needed the help. Not some self serving criminal!"

"Oh, grow up, Baldur!" Brooke rolled her eyes in annoyance, raising her own voice, now. "There's no good guys or bad guys in this world. There's only winners and losers! And somehow, despite all your best efforts, today you were a winner."

The Goron clenched his fists and snarled. He couldn't stay still because of how angry he had become. Then he realized the true gravity of the situation. The droid was sent by the Empire, and was very close to the Goron village. That could only mean one thing.

"That thing was spying on us, wasn't it!?" Baldur demanded, ignoring Brooke's response. "What does the Empire want with the Gorons?"

"I don't know, Baldur," Brooke admitted, sounding utterly exhausted by this conversation. "I don't even know if your people are what they were studying. I'm just here to pick this thing up."

"If that data will endanger my people, then I can't let you have it!" Baldur roared in a righteous fury, clenching his fists and sliding into a battle stance.

Brooke, meanwhile, didn't budge. Back at the village, she was terrified that this Goron would smash her into tiny pieces for no good reason. Yet now, here she was, with him threatening to do so, and it didn't phase her. That was her true strength, though. She knew people better than they knew themselves, sometimes. So she knew what Baldur was going to do, here, and that's why she didn't so much as flinch.

"You're not going to hurt me, Baldur," Brooke calmly told him.

"I will pry that device from your hands to save my people!" Baldur shouted back, though he was truly hoping that she would be intimidated enough by his size and proven abilities. He wasn't a very skilled bluffer, so he was hoping the girl wouldn't want to push her luck, given the differences in their statures. This didn't seem to be the case.

"We don't know that this droid is even the slightest danger to you and your kind," Brooke scoffed. "But you're so honorable that you wanted to come out here and help a poor, helpless girl, and now you're going to pummel that same, wounded girl into the ground on a hunch?"

"I'm serious," Baldur weakly responded, but he had already shifted out of his battle stance. She had called his bluff. The girl looked like she wouldn't even be able to get out of the cavern on her own, and he really wanted to force himself to attack her? He couldn't help himself, he just wouldn't do it. There really was no black and white in this situation, which meant he just couldn't bring himself to act. He'd always thought of that as one of his strengths, and never imagined it being used against him.

"Thanks for your help," Brooke flatly said, ignoring the Goron's final threat and beginning to walk away with a limp.

Baldur watched her jump over the first gap of lava and cross over to the next platform. He might not have been able to bring himself to attack her, but he certainly wasn't going to help her get out of here. At least, he didn't think he would. Still, he couldn't resist seizing the opportunity for the last words.

"A lot of people say humans shouldn't be trusted!" the Goron called out, causing Brooke to stop in her tracks. "That they lie, cheat, deceive, murder. I never believed it. I wanted to believe that people, wherever they came from, were better than that."

Brooke didn't say anything, nor did she turn to face Baldur. She didn't have a catchy one liner in store for an accusation like that. So, she just decided to do what she had always done best. Leave.

"I guess I was wrong," Baldur finished once he didn't get a response.

Brooke gave him nothing more. She simply continued to make her way out of the cave silently, leaving Baldur behind. The Goron watched her leave momentarily, then simply reclaimed the broken Onix horn and departed in his own direction.

[Zack Fair]

It was the dead of the night in the Goron village. Baldur sat at a bar in one of the older, more run down parts of town. That is, at least as run down and seedy as the friendly Goron community could get, which was admittedly not much. Baldur was a regular at this place. He knew the other regulars well and occasionally got free drinks or food from the staff. The place felt like another home sometimes, and now he was in need of something like that. Tonight, he was steadily drinking his favorite alcoholic beverage.

The Goron set his near empty mug on the counter and stared down at it, pondering his situation. How could he possibly tell Darunia and the other leaders of the Goron clan that he had helped the Empire gather valuable intelligence on them? Granted, he didn't know exactly what type of information was on that droid, but if two bounty hunters were willing to fight to the death over it, there was most likely some extreme consequence to it.

He couldn't believe it. A potentially horrible fate awaited his people all because of his own carelessness. Not only that, he didn't even have the strength to step forward and stop the bounty hunter. He wasn't sure whether to be proud or disappointed in himself for not overcoming his basic principles to end the possible Imperial threat. After all, that woman had killed a defenseless opponent right in front of him. Why should she be treated any differently?

Suddenly, a figure slid into the seat beside him. Quick, agile, and slender, they were obviously no Goron. Baldur curiously turned his head to identify the shape he'd seen in his peripheral. What he saw genuinely surprised him. The bounty hunter had come back. Brooke was sitting right there beside him. He did not extend the warm welcome the Gorons were famous for, nor did he awkwardly stutter like during their first meeting. The only gesture he offered her was a stern and angry glare through his narrowed eyes.

Brooke seemed oblivious, and raised two fingers to the bartender after pointing to Baldur's near empty mug. The Goron bartender went to get another drink to replace Baldur's and a fresh one for Brooke. Only then did Brooke turn and look up at the towering rock creature who showed no gratitude.

"I could have you thrown out of here in a second," Baldur told the feeble girl. Truthfully, that was only the tip of what the horde of Gorons could do to a puny human being, and they both knew it.

"What, do you think you'd need help to do it?" Brooke teased him, touching on the ridiculousness of such a boast. Even if she wasn't walking with a temporary limp, she was easily the underdog in any confrontation in this place.

Baldur grunted. He wasn't amused. "Why are you here?"

"I think you left this behind," Brooke said, reaching into her jacket pocket.

Baldur watched as Brooke produced that same tablet from before. His eyes widened as he thought of how dangerous one tiny electronic device could be. Brooke calmly sat the device down on the bar between the two of them, then gently pulled her hand away so it sat unprotected.

After spending the whole night regretting not acting when he should have, Baldur didn't hesitate. He balled the closest fist to it and lightly pounded downwards onto the device. It was barely a tap coming from him, but his immense weight and strength against one thin little device immediately shattered it into tiny, unrecognizable pieces. Baldur moved his hand to confirm the device's destruction, then let out quite possibly the largest sigh of relief he had ever exhaled.

"What was on it?" Baldur asked after a moment of silence, watching as the bartender briefly came by to set their drinks down.

"I don't know," Brooke admitted. "Could have been anything. I just couldn't stand to see you walking out of there like a kicked puppy."

"Probably important, to cause a battle like that," Baldur theorized as he grabbed his drink.

"You'd be surprised what a scavenger will fight over," Brooke replied took hold of her mug, as well.

Baldur pondered that. He'd never once considered having to fight for a living and take whatever job came by. Everything was pretty well provided and responsibilities divided amongst the Gorons. Perhaps he'd been somewhat rash and quick to judge. It was easier to think clearly, now that the device was destroyed and the information was lost. It didn't matter if it was intelligence on the Goron village or a geographic study on the volcanic patterns of the Ashen Steppes. The Empire wasn't getting it, and the chances that he had doomed his own people had dropped to zero.

That was enough for him, so he smiled as he raised his drink. Brooke raised hers and they clinked the edges together before they both took a large gulp of their drink, in celebration of the peace they'd made with each other. Baldur smiled as he slammed the mug down, but Brooke immediately hunched over, coughing and gagging.

"This is literally mud," Brooke finally managed to say after managing to get herself under control. She paused, and swished a little bit of the drink still in her mouth around. "...and vodka?"

Baldur suddenly let out a booming laugh. If he didn't feel vindicated before, he certainly did now. Just to rub it in he took another large swig of his own drink to finish it off.

"We're Gorons!" Baldur confidently announced, accidentally loud enough to get a few half hearted cheers from other parts of bar. "We eat rocks. What do you think we drink?"

Brooke paused and wondered. That simultaneously made perfect sense and zero sense. She'd have an aneurysm if she mentally debated the logic of that, though, so she just discarded the thought and politely pushed the drink over to Baldur. Her Goron friend quickly grabbed it and began to make short work of that one, as well.

"You know, I came here for more than just that," Brooke said, gesturing to the destroyed tablet.

Baldur paused, and looked to her curiously. "Oh?"

"I would have been dead today, if not for you," Brooke explained. "I've gotten out of some pretty bad situations, but Davin had me dead to rights in that cavern."

"You put up a pretty good fight," Baldur complimented her briefly, but allowed her to continue.

"Come on. If that Onix made it over to me, that would have been the end of it," Brooke waved her hand dismissively as she brushed off Baldur's praise. "But you enjoyed it. You loved every second of it. You've been yearning for adventure and a real challenge like that."

Baldur said nothing this time, and instead waited for Brooke to continue.

"Why don't you come with me? Be my partner," Brooke finally offered. "Travel the Omniverse with me. I've got the brains, you've got the brawn. We would be unstoppable."

"Leave the Gorons?" Baldur felt his heart race, and his voice catch in his throat. "For what? You said it yourself, you're a scavenger trying to make a living."

"And you love the sound of that," Brooke replied. "You want to see all this incredible place has to offer, not just more volcanoes and ash storms. You want to see the oceans of the Vasty Deep, the forests of the Tangled Green, Coruscant and Camelot's incredible civilizations."

Baldur looked at the empty mug again. She was right, but to leave everything behind for the guarantee of nothing but adventure was incredibly foolish. He had a place here. On the flip side, he didn't like his place. Tomorrow he would fight the same dragon spawn and toil over menial labor. Brooke, meanwhile, could be in any of those locations she had just described.

Brooke leaned in a little closer. "People wait for the call to adventure all their lives. If they miss it, they regret it until they die."

Baldur looked from the mug to the girl, his eyes showing his inner turmoil.

"This is the call, Baldur. You can do so much more than this," Brooke implored him even further.

Baldur nodded, slow and short at first but it became more confident. She was right, after all. He could do more than this. He'd dreamed of seeing more of the Omniverse but had no means or knowledge to do so until now. He needed her, she needed him. That was the cornerstone of any good partnership, and if they could look after each other, they might both do alright out there. There was one catch, however.

"I'm not an assassin or a murderer," Baldur suddenly announced. "I won't forget who I am out there."

"I wouldn't ask you to," Brooke replied with a wink. "Trust me, I'm not either, usually. Sometimes you get pushed past your limit, though."

"Fair enough..." Baldur hesitated for a moment, but then smiled as he finished the sentence. "Partner."

Brooke smiled widely as she held up a curled fist, and Baldur happily bumped fists with her. Of course, the human girl immediately shook her hand from the impact. She'd work on reeling in her new teammate's strength later. For now, she was happy to have a friend and companion. In a world full of backstabbers, she was thrilled to have a dependable ally. And what a teammate he would be. It seemed so simple to mix street smarts with brute force like this. Together they could take on anything. She could hardly wait.

Just a girl and a Goron against the world.