Defending Impa

The Hellfire Company; perhaps one of the finest teams ever assembled under the Dark Lord Ganon, and now playing to Jagon's every whim. Oh, he had fought long and hard for this moment. Blood, sweat, unfathomable pain had all pushed him to the precipice. This was it, his moment to prove to Ganon, his Commander, his King, his God, that he was worthy to be the commander of all his dark forces. Yes, he would savor the greatest of his conquests. He was charged with the task of destroying the new town the weak Hylians had begun to built. It lay upon the coastline of the Eastern Sea. Jagon suspected that the Hylians hoped that a foothold might be established within Southern Hyrule with a push from a sea. Jagon was not to let that happen. Already his forces were headed north towards the town, called Impa by their spies, preparing themselves for glorious battle.

He strode next to the standard bearer, their blag flag waving in the air. A flaming skull was emblazoned into the black cloth, a sign of impending doom for all that saw it. The company was small, yes, but it was powerful. It was composed of the lowest of the low, those who cared only for victory. None would shed a drop of blood for weak sentimentality such as love, or honor. This was what made the Hellfire Company strong. Each member had clawed their way to the top, destroying their predecessor with cunning, skill, and strength. Those who had the power had sought more, and had taken it. As strength goes.

He walked easily next to the mounted moblin, each of his steps the length of two of the horse's. He stood at just below nine feet tall, and in full plate armor, he weighed nearly three hundred sixty pounds. His weapons were a testament to his strength; at his hip was a massive sword, named Kneebiter, meant to cleave the legs right out from under his opponents. At a length of only five feet, Kneebiter was truly intimidating because of its size, and the ease with which Jagon wielded it in one hand. Made of folded Goron Steel, Kneebiter was in the design of a backsword, and was made specifically for fighting against mounted opponents. Jagon, instead, used it as one would a short sword. However, what was truly the most terrifying was his bow; a massive nine feet and five inches in length, its arrows almost like lances in their length. Carved of Deku Ironwood, the bow withstood Jagon's considerable strength perfectly.

Standing at the front of the Hellfire Company, Jagon brought his to a halt. There it was, in the distance, nestled against the sea; Impa. It was a speck in the distance, yet Jagon knew, without a doubt, that it was his goal laying there. He would be there soon. Perhaps not within the day, for it was mid afternoon already, but the next assuredly. The twon would be nothing but smolders and ground bones, of that he would be sure. "Ready yourselves, men, for the intoxication of war!" He yelled back, a resounding roar of voices crashing against his back. They were ready.

Damien walked into the town center curiously. Impa was a new town, and so he had never seen it before.

He didn't like it.

It was hastily built, small, and ragged. However, such were the early days of a settlement's life.

The darkness is stronger here... Something is afoot.

Indeed, something was afoot. After emerging from the Lost Woods Damien encountered a messenger from the King of Hyrule, issuing a call to arms of all of Hyrule's heroes and warriors.

Impa is in trouble.

Damien had answered the call, and was now waiting for his comrades to arrive, whoever they might be.

Valldrym soared over Hyrule Field. They were nearing their destination, Impa. "I hope people are a little more accepting of you in Impa" he said to Xytri. "I do hope as well" she replied.

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They landed just outside Impa and walked in. Several people strayed away from them. "So much for being accepted" he groaned and continued walking.

Nicholas yawned as he wandered into the new town of Impa. He still wasn't happy about coming to this place, prefering his usual duties in Lon Lon Ranch, but it was an offical order and despite his protest he had to report in or else. He knew little of what was going on except for the fact that troops had been reported on the outskirts of Northern Hyrule, forces of Ganon that he was going to be apart of in repelling. Jenni, the Hylian woman he had met in Castle-Town was with him, another of the guard redirected from regular duties to Impa.

"Oh this should be fun," Nicholas muttered sarcasticly as they walked through town, looking for the barracks where they would report in and rest. "I guess, if we've got to go through with this, I might as well get a suit of armor from the guard. I'm suppose to wear it, but generally I don't need it, but if we're going into heavy battle I should wear some."

Nicholas chuckled as he took the time to admire the partially constructed town. He tried not to think of what they might be facing, as he didn't need any stress before battle.

Jenni followed Nicholas into Impa. Eager to be out of the weather, she went straight to the barracks to report to the Captain there. She knew there was a fight to come, and wanted to be in perfect shape. Once in the barracks Jenni checked her equipment. She put extra care into cleaning the mechanism of her crossbow, and adjusted the sights.

An hour passed, and she was finished. Jenni stood and stretched, and then went to find some grub. She would need a good meal and a pint of ale to ready her for what lay ahead.

Jacob and Eysseth landed outside of the barracks of the Impa town guard. Jacob had heard of a large group of Ganon's minions coming to attack the town. Eysseth waited outside as Jacob walked into the barracks and spoke with the commanding officer. The officer told Jacob of the field report. "Hm. So they are staying put for now? Gives me time to prepare." Jacob exited the barracks, grabbed Eysseth, and went to the tavern to get some food.

Already his enemies were moving. They were rallying against him, in an attempt to turn the Hellfire Brigade. The would not be successful. Though they/ had not captured the entire scouting party, they had managed to take one prisoner. His screams bore only the truth; though he knew not how many heroes had gathered, the Hylian did know that the call had been heard. The Hellfire Brigade would be ready for any attack, despite this accursed rain. The great drops had halted his Brigade, had dared stop his glorious victory. He bared his fangs, a guttural noise welling up from his chest. It had forced him to remove his plate armor for the moment, though he was left no less protected. His eyes looked sharply around, surveying the camp, then the sky. Still the thunder continued to boom around him. He relished in its power, yet cursed the water it brought. "Nayru, you cruel bitch." He spat.

But this was only a minor annoyance. They would be moving again the next morning, if all went according to plan. His men were strong, and would press on, despite the lack of a hardened road. We brushed past his second, into his personal tent. A great map of the land was splayed onto a rug on the floor, showing their path towards Impa. He paid it no mind, sitting on the ground, his legs crossed. He breathed in, let the emptiness fill his mind, the tingle of lightning enervating him. Heroes, the scout had screeched. They would destroy Jagon, they would destroy him. But they did not know the extent of his powers. Clenching his fists, he could already envision his hands tearing into soft, pink flesh, his bared teeth sinking into arteries. He brushed Kneebiter, and felt Malevolence's weight upon his lap. His pride and joy cried for blood, war, and death. The heroes would come, he thought. They came to meet their graves.

After eating, Jenni sat and thought. This town is not ready for a battle... it is barely ready to be a town... As ideas formulated in her head, she grabbed up her weapons and rushed to find the Officer commanding the barracks. He was standing in the mess hall, watching his troops eat and chat. She strode up to him and saluted smartly.

"Sir. I need to talk." When he turned his attention to her, and nodded curtly, she continued. "Sir, this town is not ready. We need to fortify it, and soon." The officer, while still remaining silent, looked thoughtful, then motioned for her to continue. "I would suggest trenching around the town. We wouldn't need too many people to do it, as the ground will be soft from the rain. We could fill that trench with spikes of some sort. I'm no tactician, Sir, but I think we should start soon." The officer nodded and walked away. I hope he acts...

Preparing for battle of such caliber wasn't something Nicholas did on a day to day basis. It was uncomfortable wearing armor again, something he hadn't done in a while, but circumstance called for it. Once armory assistant was finished tightening the remaining buckles on the platemail, Nicholas lifted his arms and took a few steps. "There," the assistant said, "that should do it sir." Nicholas thanked the man and, once he had gotten use to walking in the suit, picked up his jacket and walked out of the armory.

"Damn it I hate this stuff," Nicholas muttered as he walked down the streets of Nabooru, draping his jacket over his left shoulder as he found the closest building he could to relax in, being the barracks. He made his way towards the mess hall, sitting down so he could strap the collar of his jacket to his left spaulder.

With that done, Nicholas retrieved his old book and sat down to find his page and relax for a while.

Damien only sat in solitude, waiting for the moment of battle to arrive.

This is where your crusade has led you? Where will you go from here? Will you survive...?

Blyss arrived on the scene, with a dark green mantle over her body, with a hood over her head. She turned her head away from the town. "Looks like I won't be able to get to take a look around town yet. I guess I'll help the best way I can... I hope the weather will be good. How about you guys? Rain all the way to midnight."

When the Kokiri asked Sexton quickly responded, "I'm an archer." though he had not known what he had gotten himself into. He just volunteered to mount one of those dragons. He stared over at Essyth he was more familiar with it, even if slightly. It wasn't any less scary though, he still had to be in the air on a dragon. He stared at Temple, "Care if I borrow your Wyvern?"

The heaviest of the rain had fallen, and had been replaced by what was, in comparison, a light mist. And yet he was unhappy. Jagon growled, one of his arrows scratching between his teeth, trying to remove the embedded food. Spitting, and giving up on the chunk of meat, he surveyed the landscape revealed in the morning. The night had passed without event, though one of the Aeralfos had returned, reporting that the city of Impa was in an uproar. But there was no sign of any major Hylian force. Yet. "Still have time." The darknut glared at a worm writhing on the ground, placed his foot over it and promptly began to grind it to dust. Impa was nothing more than an insect, to be wiped from the face of Hyrule by the Hellfire Company. That was his charge, and he would see it done. His honor and reputation would not be tarnished by failure. He crushed the Hylian skull that was still in his hand, cooked meat spraying from his fist as the bone shattered. "I will not find eternal rest until I have tasted the flesh of every last man, woman and child in Impa...!" A feral roar exploded from his chest, bringing his troops to attention.

"The goddesses have been doing everything in their power to stop us. The Hylians rally against us. Their heroes come. But I tell you this; their efforts are meaningless! We have been charged with orders from Ganon himself; we are to find no rest in this life, or the next, until the town of Impa has been burned to ashes! Your reward will be great, for each of you will stand by his side, in utopia. Too long have we been reviled, hated, despised. But no longer! We take this land that was rightly ours! To the eternal rule of darkness!" Thunder rolled out from his chest, assaulting the fantasies of every soldier with thoughts of war, glory, and paradise. Clenched fists rose as one, as a cacophonous wave of sound hit Jagon, the cheers of his men deafening. A grinned, cruel lips curling, baring his teeth with the glory of warfare. "Move out, men! Moblins, form the front lines. Harden the ground so that the rest of the company may follow in your example. Aeralfos, stay airborne, and report any enemy movements you see. Dinalfos, form the rear guard. Wizzrobes at the center. Darknuts with me, at the tip of the spear. To victory!"

Jacob and Eysseth listened to the second battle report and the ideas of the Kokiri. "Well that's an interesting plan, but how close are you thinkin' on makin' this trench and such? If this guy's army gets too close to Impa the King's gonna send men down here, and it ain't gonna be easy for anyone if that happens. I must say I agree with your idea with taking out the Aerofols." Jacob looked over at Eysseth who was picking at her wing with her teeth. Jacob turned back around to see Sexton staring at him. "Care if I borrow your Wyvern?"

Jacob looked back at Eysseth. She was staring at him with a scowling look. "Um. I'm fine with it, but I'm not sure she is. Hm. I'll go with you and fly her. You line up and take shots okay?" Jacob answered Sexton. Jacob walked over to Eysseth and started talking to her, "Listen girl. We're gonna give the Hylian over there a ride to take out the Aerofols," Jacob said pointing to Sexton. "I want you to fly nice and steady to give him time to line up a shot or two. Alright?"

Jacob motioned for Sexton as he jumped on Eysseth's upper back. As Sexton got on Jacob said to him, "Hold on tight. I'll try to keep her steady for you to get a shot when the time comes. Yah Eysseth, yah!" With a few flaps of her wings Eysseth, Jacob and Sexton were airborne.

Damien stood as he saw the aerial mounts taking flight.

So this is how it will begin... First father, and now this? So be it, then.

He turned back to the shops to procure items he would need in battle.

Sexton and Jacob flew quickly to try to find the scouts. The scouts would definitely by at the closest position. After flying for a while they came upon their goal, a lone Aerolfos away from the army doing scout work. The Aerolfos was flying at a regular speed so had little time to react when Eysseth was coming. Frozen for a moment not in fear but to see exactly what was coming its way, and it's numbers. Sexton fired off a few shots at the Aerolfos as it snapped out of it's trance like state. It jumped to attention, flying fast in the opposite direction dodging every arrow. Sexton cursed the Aerolfos as they chased them, "Keep it steady."

The wyvern was following very closely to the Aerolfos as Sexton took aim and shot one more arrow. The Aerolfos fell down from the sky before dipping back up beside him sarcastically and rams the wyvern to take him off course. The Aerolfos was not meant to fight but mostly for espionage, he had some weaponry but it wasn't enough to take on two Hylians and a Wyvern. He started to fly off quickly as the Wyvern was put off course. The two began to fly and Sexton aims one last arrow. This time the Aerolfos fell to the ground in death. The Wyvern landed to check if the guy was dead which in face was the case. "We need to get back to Impa, I think the Aerolfos drew us closer in to the enemy than we want to be."

The duo flew off back to Impa in a hurry.

The rain had yet to stop. It was as bleak a landscape as it had been, with the heaviest of downpours; much had turned to loose, muddy ground. It was unfortunate really, to be so thwarted by something many thought inconsequential. Jagon picked up a pile of the brown slush, looked at it for a moment, then let his hand drop back to his side. Mud slapping against the ground, he paused, letting his own men pass him. Looking up at the sky, he saw several bird-like figures, circling the Company. Two had gone further, three had stayed. Their flight capabilities were not to be squandered; to foolishly send them towards Impa, to scout, would be to risk the company's far-seeing capabilities. Two was enough. Though all five could hold their own in battle, fighting with shortsword and crossbow, Jagon doubted that they would be able to stand against any particularly puissant attacker. He had sent two only because, if one fell, the other would ensure that the news was brought back to him, through any means possible.

Though the rain hadn't stopped yet, the ground was beginning to harden. It was still soft, yet, but now it was beginning to clump beneath their feet, rather than simply slip. They were nearing Impa, and he believed this was why, the activity of the recent months having had packed the earth. Jagon suspected, and hoped, that travel would improve as they came ever closer to the town. They had been lucky, thus far. None of his men had succumbed to the mud's pull; the weight of their packs would have made it damn near impossible to climb out. None had injured themselves during the march, either, so Jagon figured he could count his blessing, from wherever they came. Still, after rallying his troops this morning, they hadn't had much to show for all their enthusiasm. The darknut began to wonder if there really were even "Heroes". Still... There.

In the corner of his eyes, he spied movement, behind a hill. He did not look, but knew the presence was there. Whatever it was, it was well camouflaged, having piled mud onto itself. The terrain certainly made it easy for the spies from Impa to get too close for comfort... They could simply cover themselves with mud, then wait through the day, until the army passed, then deliver their information. Without any heavy equipment, a scout could easily circle around the Company during the dead of night, and make their way back to Impa. He cursed to himself for a moment. He had allowed the poor weather to distract him. Still, the Hylians wouldn't be let off easy. Looking up, waving up to one of his winged guardians, Jagon thought to himself quietly. His men moved around him, and although he was a good deal taller, and was by no means fully concealed, he was able to take his bow from his back, and draw an arrow below his mid-riff. As the Aeralfos was landing, hovering in front of him, just above his head, Jagon swiftly attached a bomb to the arrow, and let the lance-like projectile fly in one fluid motion.

The arrow screamed through the air, flying over the heads of the Company. Jagon didn't care if he hit the spy directly. A blur through the air, A dull Thud! followed by a thunderous explosion. His men, silenced by the flight of the arrow, looked at the spray of mud and fleshy bits, and back to Jagon. "Let that be a warning to any other Hylians watching us!" he bellowed out, his voice tearing through the silence. Striding to the front of his Company's formation, he quickly resumed the march. As his men passed by the divot, containing charred dirt and shattered bone, their paid the Hylian their "respects". While they did so, one of the Aeralfos that had been sent out had apparently returned. It landed, but there wasn't much for it to explain, aside from the fact that it had seen the attack come from the back of what had looked like a dragon. "So... These heroes might be fun after all." He grinned to himself, impatient for the battle to come. He sent both grounded Aeralfos back into the air, with order to stay near the Company. They would not be taken by surprise.

Nicholas set his book face-down so that he wouldn't lose his page, then stood from his spot. Turning away, he swiftly strolled from the mess hall and down the street, heading to the stables. A frantic stableboy was concerned as Nicholas marched in, but was too intimidated to speak until Nicholas chose his horse. "But sir," the boy finally spoke up, his fear trumped by the fear of who Nicholas had chosen, "that is the Captain's horse, you can't take it." Nicholas simply ignored the boy as he saddled the horse and led it from the stables, mounting up in one light jump. "It's not like he's using it, I'll try and return it, just say I overpowered you. Nicholas is the name, just in case he asks. I don't want you in too much trouble." With that, Nicholas spurred the horse into a trot before finally getting it to pick up speed and gallop down the streets of Impa.

The horse was strong and well-bred, a great choice he noted as he neared the edge of town. With one last jab at the side, the horse broke to it's full speed as it thundered out of town, carrying Nicholas forward towards the battlefield.

"It shouldn't of taken me this long to get into the action as it is, I just hope no one moves my book before I get back."