[IC] Age of Darkness: Despair of the Golden Goddess (LoZ RP)

[Dark Cloud]

^{@SouffleGirl123, @ArmorPlated, @MasterLink, @DClassified, @Emuxe, and @Vertigo}

The pitter patter of rain against his helmet and the faint crow of Cucco coming from the village was all that the lone guardsmen standing watch had for company on this dark moonless night. Quiet nights like this almost made Wern believe the world wasn't all messed up like it was, shaking his head the guardsman perished the thought. Wishful thinking wasn't his job, gone were the days where he could just slack off and daydream.

Wern sighed, returning his gaze towards the path leading outward to the fields beyond the village, not that there was much to see with the dark of the night and no moon to cast any glow so best the man could do was hold his torch out of the wind and rain. Must have been an age since he remembered that the poor folk of Castle Town came here, least his son had a few kids to play with.

Shaken from his thoughts, the guardsman stumbled for his torch when the cry of an owl broke the tranquility of the night causing quite a kerfuffle as he caught it. Wern swore under his breath, tired of jumping at every noise. After his shift was over he'd thank the Goddess for a good night's rest, these long nights were taking their toll.

These were restless nights, though few were outside in the dreary weather some would find rest beneath the shade of buildings but none ever sat beneath the tree closest to the village gate, though one Cucco pecks the ground around it without making so much a peep from its beak.

[MasterLink]

Walking into Kakariko village after a long day of hunting to gather food for his personal supply in his home, he passes Wern on his way in while holding a net full of recently acquired assortment of meats and vegetables. "Long night?" Ruli asks. @dark cloud "It's certainly been that way for me." he continues while he noticed his flinch at the sound of an owl while walking into the village.

"I think you could use a bite to eat." he suggests, handing him a small serving of some recently fried Fish that he gathered and cooked, but didn't eat as he wasn't hungry anymore but kept it as a left over, not really needing it. Leaning against a nearby post he looks around, with his hand scratching his beard as if trying to get rid of an itch of a thousand years in one go. "I hope the food serves you well and that the night remains calm for us." he says, as he continues to head back to his home to sleep for the night as he carries his bag of food. Ruli plans to donate some of it to those in need and to the local shop as he collected far more than he intended today, but for the time being puts it in his freezer box that he built in his home to keep it good till the morning as the ice in the box is still cold and solid.

[Vertigo]

Ｎａｄｉｊａｈ　

__________________________________________________

If Nadijah had learnt anything during her travels so far, it was that she hated rain.

Her mother would have beaten her half to death if she'd heard her say that, Nadijah knew. Back home, water was a precious resource, and the few times rain blessed their valley, it was to be welcomed with open arms and a plethora of buckets.

But Nadijah wasn't home, her mother wasn't here, and she hated rain.

Every now and again she'd heard a rumble and thought it thunder. Thunderstorms were an even rarer sight in the valley, but supposedly common enough elsewhere - and truth be told, she would've loved to see a lightning or two. The night was dark, cold, and, worst of all, boring. A cucco electrocuted by lightning would have at least been funny. Probably delicious, too.

Alas, she'd found out by now that the rumbling wasn't thunder; it was her stomach. Come to think of it, it must have been a full day since she'd last eaten. She hadn't run into game on her way up the mountain, only monsters - and they weren't exactly appetizing, all bone and saggy skin.

Nadijah shifted, uncomfortable. The rain was but a drizzle, but it'd had plenty of time to make its way through the fabric of her cloak and reach skin. Worse; she'd chosen a high vantage point - as one should on enemy soil - and the rain had made the roof slippery and difficult to balance on. Wind tugged at her clothes, threatening to whisk her off the side of the building the second she shifted her center of balance. Not that she intended to. She'd climbed things higher than mere roofs ever since she could walk, and was a warrior of her people besides. No wind or rain could distract her from her mission to--

Wait... was that... food?

Nadijah peered into the darkness that stretched out below her. Considering she was on the lookout for other living souls specifically, she'd seen staggeringly few in the night so far. There were two now, barely illuminated by a torch. And they talked about food.

Curious, hungry, Nadijah's gaze followed a bearded man carrying food past the roof she hid on. And once he disappeared from sight, she hurried to follow - with no mind paid to the slippery footing. Needless to say, with a shriek and a crash, she slid off the roof and landed into barrels, startling a nearby cucco into a mad clucking fit.

"Oww, goddess damnit!"

[MasterLink]

Hearing the loud crash outside, Ruli decides between grabbing his bow or dagger, but because it sounded so close he grabs his dagger instead, in case he needs it. Opening the door slowly, not to make a noise, he peaks his head outside and looks around, head wandering slowly but his eyes moving fast as he scopes things out.

Proceeding to walk out the door while his hand gently rests on the handle of his dagger, he looks around his home, and notices a Cucco going nuts over a barrel and slowly begins to investigate as it did sounds as if this was the area he heard the noise. Walking up to the barrel he spots someone inside looking like they just had just lost the war with gravity. Not feeling quite an intense urge of needing to fear this person but more mystified in how they got in this situation, "Do I dare ask what, how, and why you ended up in this mess?" he asks, with a slight chuckle that he tries to hide, still rather amused, he does offer assistance. "Would you like some help?" he asks as Ruli doesn't feel this person to be a threat at the current moment, or at least, until they manage to get out of the barrel, then he'll reassess.

[Dark Cloud]

^@Wayward

Through the darkness and the drizzle of rain falling from the pitch black sky, it was almost impossible to make out the faint glow coming from far beyond the towering cliffsides and sheer slopes leading up the mountain trail. Not even the torch bearers could make heads or tails of what lie ahead though thankfully the way was well traveled as it was the only safe passage to the highest reach of Death Mountain.

Not a peep had been heard for months from the odd folk that made their homes in the farthest depths of the once dormant volcano, the Goron were not known to keep this quiet for so long and not the least of them were ever commonly a solitary bunch. Suspicions had grown, with silence on all sides.

No word from King Zora or the boisterous Darunia, the latter of which was often outspoken. As restless as the people of Kakariko, the men and woman who still bore the crest of Hyrule's royalty and yet lived had gathered that night lead by a man who had lead them thus far and marched in the dead of night up the muddy hillside trail and towards the crags.

Duty called, and under Orin's command they would slough up the cliffs and treacherous slopes to see what caused the mountainfolk to fall silent for so long, that was their orders and Goddess be damned if they weren't gonna do what the scary lady the captain got orders from gave them all to do.

[ArmorPlated]

Dekkori

Despite the cold, Dekkori enjoyed the sound of the rain pattering against the roof of her little home. It was soothing in a way that was hard to put to words for the Deku Scrub. Lit only by the light cast from her wood stove, she ladled water into the kettle before returning the lid and placing it onto the heated surface for later. Shuffling over to her shelf, she sorted through her numerous ingredients, searching through the many oddly shaped clay pots that held the myriad herbs she had harvested from the woodlands around Kakariko.

"Ah, here it is." she draws a comparatively newer looking pot from a lower shelf. turning it over in her hand, little pictograms of flowers painted under the glaze rotated into the light of the stove. Setting the pot aside on the lone table in her home, she retrieved a short, squat earthenware pot and a teacup from her pantry. Her task done for the moment, she lifted the quilt from her bed and wrapped herself for warmth. With nothing to do but wait, she turned her attention to the rain outside. Despite the loudness of the rain, the chaotic pattering of the droplets against the roof and window, it made the rest of the world seem to fall quiet.

After Dekkori had begun to doze off, her teapot began whistling it's readiness, rousing her from her almost-slumber. quickly abandoning the warmth of the quilt, she lifted the kettle from the stove. With a pinch of tea leaves from one pot, and a drop of honey from the other, Dekkori returned to her seat and wrapped herself once again in her quilt. Warmed by her home and calmed by the rain, the Deku Scrub's mind was finally clear of any thought, a rare glimpse at the serene beauty of the world.

[Little Bird]

Sigh

A deep breath pulled and pushed through Captain Orin Ackermore's chest as he stood, airing in contemplation. Shivering subtly in a light, yet cool breeze that whipped the otherwise light rain, he ruffled about, pulling his cloak more tightly over his jacket. Bracing against another gust, he bundled and clasped it shut in one hand while holding his other stayed at the hilt of his sword. A second breath cycled his lungs, escaping more quickly than it entered as though he were spitting out a foul taste. Bitter winds. His brows furrowed on the wincing of bloodshot eyes, both surveying the landscape below with a pointed gaze. Far down, the rocky trail of Death Mountain met the entrance to Kakariko Village, which, for its part, rest peacefully at the volcano's foot amid the dreary evening; the soft glow of lights provided a semblence of warmth. Beyond the village, darker skies lingered just over the hilltops, where, unseen from the town, but just visible as phantom through the fog from Orin's outcrop, the twisted visage of what was once Hyrule Castle reached to pierce the sky like an obsidian spear.

The day, nearly a year prior, clung to the Captain's memory like a ReDead: his company had clashed with Ganondorf Dragmire's secondary forces... at the time their purpose hadn't been entirely clear... only in his haste to return word of the ensuing invasion did he learn the truth; Lady Impa, with Princess Zelda securely in her arms galloped past, alerting him to the death of the King and the chaos enveloping the castle. Orin quivered... he might as well have lost his father that day. Fortunately enough, General Firs had broken the blockade at the castle, and mounted a retreat. Days later, Orin and Firs had managed to evacuate the survivors from the town. But the damage was done, and Ganondorf returned to secure hold on the battlements and turned the once vibrant town into a pile of rubble infested with monsters.

With early recovery efforts yielding little more than scant supplies from outlying homes, Orin had since abandoned attempts to retake the town.

Now, standing a quarter of the way up Death Mountain trail, Captain Orin Ackermore faced a new dilemma. The Gorons that made Death Mountain their home had been silent over several months. Compounded by the recent silence from Zora's Domain, the absence of the Gorons had thrown Orin into a frenzy of reconnaissance expeditions. He had sent scouts up Zora's River a week ago. With beasts beginning to emerge down the mountain trail, Orin had decided to spearhead a march to Goron City.

Steeling himself against the cold air, he let his cloak fall loose, and made the trudge back down the path. A slight labor over slippery rocks and muddy soil brought him towards the cover of the entrance to Dadongo's Cavern. There, his company bustled and hurried to set up their encampment after a day's toil of clearing beasts from the lower end of the trail. As he descended closer to the camp, the torchlight and campfires rose up, brightening the gathering night, and warming the cold air.

Crossing the threshold into the encampment, Orin pulled down his hood and wiped the rain water from his face. His feet made swiftly to the center of the camp, where a command tent had been set up. Though Orin was officially the the commanding officer, and shorthanded in ranks beneath him, he had informally granted rank to volunteers from both the village and refugees from other reaches of Hyrule.

One such volunteer awaited Orin as he entered the tent. Beckoning against the formality of a solute, Orin righted himself and asked, "what news?"

"We've secured the lower path, Captain," the young man replied. "Losses were minimal. Two dead and one wounded."

"Good enough news. Little comes from further up though." Orin paused for a breath. "No signs of activity from Goron City. Once base camp is established we'll need to set a blockade against the cavern. A swarm if dodongos can't be afforded."

"Yes Captain. Are there any other orders?"

"Yes. Send for Aru."

"Aru, sir?" The soldier gapped at the mention of the Gerudo dissenter; her frequent presence among the Hylian company had prompted many uneasy stares.

"Yes. Aru. She's shown herself more than trustworthy enough for my liking. Now go and see to that she is sent for."

"Yes, Captain."

The soldier left, leaving Orin, for the time, alone.

In solitude, Orin sat himself in a folding chair set by a low table covered with maps and scribbled notes telling of the movements and strength of Ganondorf's legions. Immediately, Orin took to rifling through the noted piled up on the table. News mounted more by the day of the beasts and monsters ensnared by the Gerudo King being commanded by more intelligent figures. The likes of Gerudo witches and, more concerning, Hylians that had betrayed the crown, standing at the helms of Moblins and Stalfos, were coming into the open. Letting out a groan as he reached the bottom of the stack of letters, he tossed them to the side, some sliding to the ground as they skimmed across the table. "Still no word!" He barked in a low volume, and he bowed his head low, falling back into his deep contemplation.

[Dark Cloud]

^@Bright_Ops

An eerie silence hung over the vast grasslands that laid beyond the walls of the unlit ghost town, long abandoned after the Purge not but a year prior. The moat before its slowly rusting gates was muddy and polluted, the once magnificent walls now beginning to show signs of disrepair. Castle Town was but a shell of its former glory, the cries of redead filling the moments of quiet between with their shrieks shambling the empty sidewalks and alleyways of the town.

Yet another sound broke the eerie stillness of the moonless night, shrill as the cry of an owl the drawbridge to Castle Town creaked and shuddered to life. Slowly descending until the gap between itself and the moat was met, the bridge itself was in a sorry state still held together by the steel braces and iron rivets yet wood that was beginning to warp and become mossy around the edges.

In the darkness over Hyrule Field, the only light that broke through the inky shadows of the night were the dim glow coming beyond a hill leading to the ranch amidst the grassland. Bridge groaning beneath the weight of the hulking executioners feet, his footsteps were followed by the clattering and clanking of several armored stalphos.

It was a simple enough task but why the executioner needed to be accompanied by these bags of bones better suited to be used in his smithy the man did not no but he was not one to question Ganondorf's motives lest he forget his place. Grindan was to go to Lon Lon Ranch and see that a new change of hands take place, in whatever way he saw fit.

[Bright_Ops]

Grindan didn't mind the company of Stalphos.

Considering that the Executioner had built a fearsome reputation around grinding the bones of the condemned into dust to be used to create some of his stronger, more refined items in the forge, the fact that he didn't have an issue with traveling alongside the armored bones of men that had either been horrid enough in life to rise from the grave again or had been raised by Ganondorf to serve as foot solders might have been surprising to some.

The sad truth was that they were simply better company then the solders of the former King. They generally didn't talk unless spoken to and an verbal answer was needed, followed Grindan's orders without hesitation or question and most important of all, never looked down on him. The former King of Hyrule had drawn solders from many parts of the kingdom, but those entrusted to positions of rank or guarding Castle Town and the Castle were often selected due to their connections; Most had been connected to the nobility in some way, be they minor nobles, bastard children or servants of a noble family that had been sponsored by them to serve their interests in the military... but others had come from the wealthier merchant families who had influence and connections of their own due to coinage rather then land or birth.

While the exact nature of the status and wealth they were connected to varied, all of them tended to come from Castle Town. In their eyes Grindan had been an a sick and twisted country bumpkin militia man with delusions of grandeur, entrusted to perform the jobs that decent folk shouldn't do and thinking that gave him the right to talk to them, let alone give them orders. He also didn't have the ability to effectively discipline them due to those very connections that got them trained as professional guards in the first place. The fact that the Stalphos were generally more competent at doing what they were ordered to do was merely a bonus in Grindan's eyes.

The state of Castle Town was somewhat ...unfortunate in Grindan's opinion. It was a waste, abandoned and left to ruin and the Redeads. Even as they started the trek across the fields towards Lon Lon Ranch, Grindan was considering the logistics of the proposal to present to his old friend and new King. The former capital of Hyrule being left to rot was not just a bad look as far as legitamizing Ganondorf's rule was concerned, but it also represented a loss of an industrial base that could strengthen the new King's grip on the land.

It was while Grindan was contemplating how best to sell the idea that the next time there was a revolt in one of the towns big enough to start getting stupid ideas, once the brave and the stupid had been culled the rest should be clamped in chains and dragged back to Castle Town to start their lives as slave labor by tearing down the ruins and starting to rebuild something new in King Ganondorf's image when the first of the wild Stalphos rose from the ground.

It was easy to tell one group of undead bones from the one following his command by the fact that the latter had armor and equipment while the former merely had their claws to work with. The helm that Grindan wore covered his expression from the outside world, but the annoyed huff that came out of it sounded akin to that of an angry beast... and the two handed axe in his hands looked sharp as he brought it around for combat.

[SouffleGirl123]

Meki sat on the river that lay just southwest of Kokoriko village, her webbed feet swinging in the water. The cool rain feel onto her skin, calming her. Meki loved the rain, it reminded her of home. She had noticed the water was colder than usual in her homeland but surely that would mean nothing, maybe everything felt colder when all were so downtrodden and disheartened. Somehow she was lucky enough to get sleep in the river without being attacked but she seemed to wake at the slightest of sounds, scared that they were the ones called for her end. Meki had been in Kokoriko village for 10 days now, she couldn't help but wonder what had been becoming of her home. She had made little progress in her time in Kokoriko village so far, part of her wanted to just venture out to the castle and face Ganon alone but she knew that would bring nothing but death.

After sometime the zora slips into the water, sinking to the bottom and allowing her blue skin to almost be lost in the brilliant blue hue of the water from those above. She placed her spear next to her within reach should danger approach. Looking up at the bright moon and counting the stars, she had decided tomorrow would be a more productive day. She did know the village better now and perhaps she would finally cross paths with someone willing to share in her adventure.

[Dark Cloud]

^@Bright_Ops

Grass wet neath his boots, the executioners march across the plains at first was uneventful, the skeletal soldiers clacking and following apace behind Grindan til something halted one of the Stalphos, nearby the earth stirred.

Sets of small skeletal hands ripped through the earth, as the dead beneath clawed their way to the surface. These ones were somewhat larger than the armored Stalphos under his command, about six of them clattered to their height and turned towards the executioner and his host of skeletal soldiers.

It looked like he wouldn't just be having a stroll towards the ranch, annoying but at least it wasn't boring.

[Dark Cloud]

^{@DClassified and @SouffleGirl123}

The wind rustled the leaves on the trees as it blew through the small winding passage of the river that pittered with the light droplets of rain falling from above as the clouds drifted invisibly through the dark abyss of the moonless night. But, something in the current was off. A slight current that had the tickle of a chill in the waters moving through the winding path of the river. It was difficult to place yet something felt odd about the waters feeling colder than usual...

Meanwhile a soft strum echoed against the cliffsides of the Zora River, peaceful as the night seemed a restlessness in the village had kept many it seems up late that night. In the shade of the cliffs face sat a lone figure wrapped in the garb of his people the Sheikah atop a rock settled between the riverbank. Impa had gathered both him and Orin that night with orders, the captain was to gather his men and scout the mountain while he was to make his way to the Domain of the Zora to discover exactly why they had shut off contact to their neighbors.

He usually came to the river to keep an eye on the villagers when they came to fetch water, often seen playing his instrument while children played and the adults worked or cleaned their clothes and such. Tonight his fingers met the strings of his harp idly as he contemplated Impa's orders. There was no knowing what the people of the river were doing sealing off outside contact but it was his mission to find out.

[Bright_Ops]

@Dark Cloud

There was a moment when Grindan considered just stepping forward and swinging the axe down on the first of the undead fools that were crawling out of the ground... but as it became clear what their numbers actually were he changed his mind. Despite the size difference, wild Stalphos... weren't as dangerous as common knowledge would paint them as. A child with an old, dull piece of metal could down such creatures without much in the way of issue. Wild Stalphos relied more on numbers, surprise and terrifying their prey into not fighting back properly or attempting to flee rather then fight.

As such, Grindan calmly slammed the bottom of the shaft of his axe into the dirt and leaned his axe towards one of his nearby solders, simply saying "Hold this." Once the axe was securely held by the armored Stalphos, Grindan strode forward with murderous intent.

Wild Stalphos weren't exactly...intelligent. They were more animal then anything. Smart enough to understand that having one of their prey closing the distance with them wasn't how this situation was meant to be going, but stupid enough not to have the survival instincts to withdraw and try again later with something that wasn't a threat to them.

The first one to get within melee range of Grindan took a swing at him with their fearsome claw... only for the swipe to be intercepted and stopped dead as Grindan's hand lashed out and grabbed the creatures lower forearm (he would say wrist, but it was a little lower then that due to... well, the lack of wrist), squeezing it tightly enough to cause the bone to groan before yanking the limb downwards. The Stalphos was not expecting this turn of events and tended up being pulled forwards and off balance... right into Grindan's waiting hand. As thumb and little finger entered its eye sockets and the other three fingers grasped on tightly, the arm was let go so that Grindan could combine slamming his forearm into the upper torso of the bony enemy while pulling downwards on its head.

When the Stalphos went backwards, it did so with the cracking of bone, a lack of skull and a cut off scream of pain.

Turning towards the nearest of the five remaining Stalphos, Grindan didn't hesitate as he pulled his arm back and hurled the skull in his hand towards its face. Fast moving bone impacted still bone with a heavy thud and an ugly crack as the second Stalphos reached up to cover its now injured skull on some instinctive response to pain, leaving it open for Grindan to swoop in and grapple it. One hand on a shoulder/torso, the other grasping pelvis, bone wasn't that heavy by itself as Grindan lifted the creature off its feet turned it into a projectile as in one motion the flipped over the executioner and thrown into a third Stalphos that was trying to get a swipe at his back. The force behind the throw and the nature of naked Stalphos resulted in both creatures being scattered into a makeshift bone pile made out of their parts. Some of them cracked and broken.

3 down, 3 left.

Well, 2 left. It seemed that rather then get tangled up with the rest of the pack around Grindan due to their size, two of the pack had instead opted to try their luck against the armored Stalphos instead. Despite their size advantage, the armored Stalphos increased intelligence when it came to combat, the usage of their shields and weaponry and greater numbers had already caused one of the wild Stalphos to die without doing anything more then scratching some of the shields and being on its own was only speeding up the demise of the second.

The last unoccupied Wild Stalphos lunged at Grindan, both arms pulled back to try and deliver an overwhelming heavy blow to the executioner. Grindan counter charged him in return, ducking his head down as he dodged the two claw strikes by shoulder checking the Stalphos, carrying it several feet before coming to a stop and causing the bony creature to be flung forward onto its back. Before it had a chance to recovery and get back up, Grindan had already moved forward to bring a heavy, metal coated foot down on its skull in a bone crunching stomp.

Breathing deeply as the last of the slaughter wrapped itself up, Grindan calmly walked over to the Stalphos that was still holding his axe; It hadn't joined in on the fighting, likely because holding the axe upright required most of its attention. Despite the fact that it likely wouldn't care or needed, Grindan did offer a gruff "Thank you." as he took the axe back. After which all that was needed as a bark of "Onwards!" got the group moving again.

[Dark Cloud]

^@Bright_Ops

The rogue undead were ironically nothing but bone dust and fragments upon the grass once Grindan had been done with them, the scuffle hadn't taken more than what seemed like a couple minutes maybe less.

And once finished the armored stalphos resumed their march at their commanders behest, the one who had held the axe might have nodded to Grindan's thanks but it may have simple been a twitch of its head as it shuffled forward.

Lon Lon could be seen in the distance, not top far but not too close by foot. It would take several minutes to get to the ranch. That could not come soon enough.

[Vertigo]

Ｎａｄｉｊａｈ　

__________________________________________________

"Ugh..."

Nadijah supposed she was in luck the damn roof was so low; if she'd tumbled down from one of the towers back home, she'd hurt far more than her ass and her pride. As things were, the latter seemed to be the most bruised of all. At least no one was around to witn--

The sound of footsteps alerted her to someone's presence, and immediately the warrior shifted in her horribly uncomfortable lying position to reach for a blade. Shit. Someone'd heard her. Of course someone'd heard her, she must've woken up half the damn neighbourhood - and the cucco she startled the other half.

Nadijah could see someone at the edge of her falling - and now effectively hiding - place, though she wasn't sure how much they could see of her. The darkness was her oldest ally.

As the stranger spoke, she realized he was a voe. Ugh. Figures.

"If you know what's best for you, you won't," Nadijah hissed in answer, trying to shift so that she could get herself out of the damn barrel. Her legs were up in the air, parallel with her head, and all moving did was shake the entire container. Her back was stuck. "Do I look like I need help, voe?!" Another round of wiggling, leading to more barrel shaking. If the stranger were to look into the barrel properly however, they would see the tall, redheaded woman was quite literally armed to the teeth, holding onto a scimitar even as she tried to make her escape from the confines of the barrel.

"Don't you-- dare answer that."

[Dark Cloud]

^@Wayward

In the silence of the night and odd sound echoed against the cavernous walls, like rats skittering along the loose rocks. However something was off about the racket, that only became apparent when one of the men on watch cried out.

"M-monsters! What in Hylia-" his shouting cut short as a creature lunged at him from the darkness, the lad wasn't dead thankfully but he was injured. The creature was an odd looking insectoid with one great red eye and a similarly colored chitinous shell, known only as Tektite to those local to the area. Mostly harmless on their own but this was not the case.

They came in crawling along the ground, only four in number along with the one that injured a watchman. A larger one seemed to be with them with an unfamiliar colored shell like that of burned wood, it was definitely a Tektite but it was nothing like anyone had seen round the area. It's cry was a shrill chattering as if it wasmcalling to it's smaller brethren to attack and they readied themselves to leap at the enemy.

[Bright_Ops]

@Dark Cloud

The ranch wasn't far from where battle had been waged.

It would be somewhat unfortunate if Grindan and his troops arrived at Lon Lon Ranch to find it ransacked and the ranchers slaughtered; Talon was a worthless, fat waste of a man and in death he might be more useful in that his remains could be used to fertilize the soil somewhere, but Ingo was a hard worker... if an opportunistic sycophant. While he had never really had a reason to meet Talon's daughter directly, from what he had heard about her she was the true reason that Lon Lon Ranch was as successful as it was. Clearly, she had taken after her mother... or been forced to step up because of father was worthless. Their untimely deaths would actually be a loss... not to mention that if the Ranch was destroyed by rampaging monsters, they couldn't use it as a ranch anymore.

At least not right away. It would require finding suitable people... or at least people who can be motivated to learn in a hurry. Not to mention rebuilding times and... honestly it was just better if monsters didn't attack the Ranch in the first place.

Speaking of, as they arrived at the gateway of the Ranch, Grindan signaled his forces to stop before turning to look at them. Selecting two of them at random, he simply commanded "You two with me. The rest of you, hold this position. I don't want anyone coming or going until our business is done." As he turned to trod the Ranch proper, Grindan paused for a moment before feeling an urge to turn and add "Only use violence if they're hostile or try to force themselves past you. Otherwise just bar them."

[MasterLink]

Having a chuckle when asked to not answer that, he couldn't hold back much longer, "Well, hate to say it, kinda does look like you do." Ruli says holding back laughter. While walking closer but slowly, he leans downward not to be seen, knowing that they are likely armed, and so is he, he carefully looks around the barrel to see if anyone is on the other side and if it's free. "Look, not gonna lie, I think you need help but I'll need your trust for this, and I'll make it simple. I'm going to push the barrel over and face it away from me. There's no one there and you can hope.." he stops trying not to laugh more...."fully get your way out of this situation on your own, but at least gravity won't be working against you this time."

Inching closer but on his knees to be far low against the barrel so the two do not need to meet or come close to each other for reaching distance, he grabs the bottom of the barrel and gently leans it forward against the slight hill it was against, for it to not be jarring to the person inside, and slowly rolls it around to face it away from him, leaving only the bottom of the barrel facing him. He stays low to the ground but backs up. "Just letting you know I'm backing away from the barrel. I still don't know who you are and while this is funny and all, I'm still being cautious." he says but also warns, while putting his dagger back in its sheath, but only his palm rests on the handle, to at least show he isn't intending to be a threat, he just doesn't know quite what happened or what it was they were even attempting to do. But still nervously chuckling despite the situation. @Vertigo

[Little Bird]

"AAAARGH!"

Orin had delved fully into his strategizing. So invested was he that he had nearly slipped out of any semblence of awareness of his surroundings.

But the sudden, shrill scream from the back end of his camp ripped him from his thoughts.

With little more than a split second of thought, he threw himself to his feet. He bound over the table in front of him, and dashed through the front flap of his tent; a group of soldiers leapt back as he nearly bodied them on his way out. "Secure the rear!" He barked the order over his shoulder at the startled troops, who scrambled to fall in behind him. He weaved his way through the camp, bellowing the sake order to more rattled soldiers. When the back end of the camp, where the interior of the cavern faded ro a dim shadow, came into view, he drew his sword, bearing it while still sprinting towards the source of the commotion.

With swift decisiveness, he cut his blade through the leg of the mastiff-sized insect, severing one of its hind legs. "Tektites!" he called out, making a second slash, removing the creature's other hind leg. The carapace droppped to the ground, bleeding out from where its appendages had been, still clasping a then dead volunteer with its remaining front two. With only half its legs, the monster was as good as immobilized. Orin circled in front of it, meeting the single, grotesque eye. Ignoring the nausea the buglike beasts often put in his stomach, he thrust his blade through the eye. With a lightly labored grunt, he ripped the blade out, splashing the creature's blood onto the dirt.

Finished with his tektite, Orin kicked the lifeless husk away from his fallen soldier. He surveyed the rest of his unit; the combat seemed to be reaching an end as his men had worked together to slay the other monsters. The sight of such unity gave him a degree of hope. Nodding to himself, he made to sheath his sword.

He stopped suddenly, spotting in his periphery the form of a remaining tektite... a massive one, at least twice the size of the ones that had just been vanquished, and an earthy brown in color. The pest scuttled towards him as though identifying him as its biggest threat. He pulled his sword back up, and called to his troop. "Fall in by me! There's one more and it's not like the others!" Quickly, he was accompanied by no less than a dozen of his soldiers, all at arms behind him. "Spread out," he ordered over his shoulder. "We'll surround it and fight from all sides." Wordlessly, the fighters under his charge moved to flank the giant tektite. Orin raised his blade, and glared into its eye, daring it to make the first move. Let's see just what this one can do.

[Product]

Lanayru
Lon Lon Ranch

As the sun began to set, Lanayru made her way to Lon Lon Ranch, hoping to find a place to rest for the night. Unfortunately, she was low on funds due to being on the run, and Ranch didn't even have an inn. She approached a field field, remembering that her charm and persuasiveness had helped her in tough spots before, but the field hand, Inigo, angrily informed her that there were no squatters allowed on the ranch.

"Please, I just need a place to rest for the night," Lanayru pleaded.

"I'm sorry, miss, but rules are rules. No freeloaders on the ranch." Inigo replied firmly. As he walked away, the Blue Maiden could hear him muttering something else under his breath. "Unless you own the place."

Feeling disheartened, Lanayru was relieved when a girl of a similar age came to her rescue. She intruded herself as Malon, and she was the owner's daughter. Malon kindly offered her a spot in one of the lofts for the night, even apologizing that she couldn't offer better accommodations.

"Thank you so much, Malon. This is more than enough," Lanayru said gratefully. "I really appreciate your kindness."

"No problem at all. I hate to see anyone in need," Malon replied with a smile. "Good night."

As she settled into the loft, Lanayru realized that the smell in the barn was pretty bad. But she had come prepared, having picked some wildflowers along the way to help with the smell. Situations like this were becoming more frequent. After making a bed out of fresh hay, Lanayru relaxed and took some time to herself.

As she settled in, Lanayru couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness and nostalgia wash over her. The straw pillow was a far cry from the luxurious bedding she was used to as a noble. But she didn't dwell on it for long, her thoughts quickly turning to the state of the world under Ganon's rule. Inigo may have been rude, but Malon and her Father seemed kind and fair. Not everyone is bad. This Ranch hadn't fallen under his influence.

As she yawned for the night, Lanayru wove a crown of blue nightshade flowers that she had collected, enjoying the calming act of creating before bed. Suddenly, a commotion outside caught her attention. She swung open the loft door to investigate, ready for whatever lay ahead.