Shifting Sands [Closed]

Lysis wrapped the shawl tighter around her mouth. Somehow sand still got through to it. The wind had lessened slightly, but the sun was no less hot. At least they'd taken off the bindings and given her weapon and rucksack back. She was only there to help, after all. That, and find her friend. Falis was missing, and even with so small a company, it would be a while before she could be sure of her friend's presence or absence.

Talon slapped her hip again, and startled her out of her little reverie. She'd drifted a few feet from the group while thinking. Rejoining the crowd of Gerudo, she thought about asking the nearest one where they were headed, but decided against it. The first few times she'd asked that she was told, "Where the King wills." So she walked up to one of the few Hylians in the group.

He was well over her height, though he slouched. "Hey, do you know where we're headed? I only just got here a few days ago."

Re: Shifting Sands [Open]

Chimera walked through the sands, walking towards the top of a dune. If she could reach the top there, she’d be able to see the area around for a few miles. If any villages or anything existed, they’d be found. When she finally got on top of it, she immediately fell flat to her stomach, sand starting to roll over her. There were people walking through the desert…. A lot of people. In a fight, Chimera figured she could take on maybe ten to fifteen of them, but this many would defeat her for sure.

Still laying flat, Chimera decided that for now, she’d follow them, staying hidden behind the dunes and sandstorms. Her life in the desert made her confident she could keep up, even while being sneaky.

Re: Shifting Sands [Open]

Castus trekked through the sands toward his moving destination, the Gerudo army. In truth, he had little idea where it would be, instead hoping to merely stumble across a patrol or contingent and be taken back to the main force. Ideally he'd run across someone he knew from the fortress, that way he wouldn't have to deal with all the bureaucratic bullshit he'd otherwise need to.

For once he looked forward to the coming days; the thrill of the fight promised to be great, as did the gratification of slaughtering Ganon's minions, even the relative safety and comfort of having Gerudo at his side, having grown up among the and respecting their fighting skill far more than the Hylian army's.

Soon though his mind stopped wandering and snapped into alert, there was a large group in front of him; dark against the pale white sand. Still on alert he approached, if they ended up being hostile he could fight, or, though he'd to hate admit it, retreat.

Re: Shifting Sands [Open]

"Ikana?! That place? Truly?" Lysis was appalled. She'd heard the name, but she'd never thought she would truly be heading to that place of nightmares. A cursed place where the dead walked, she had been terrified of the idea as a child, of the living dead taking her away, doing who knows what with her before making her one of them.

She shook her head, pulling out a map her father had given her. She'd wondered why they were traveling northeast. There was a bridge that should juuust be in view after the traveling the group had done. She rolled up the map and stuck it in her rucksack before going to the edge of the group. She jumped, quickly climbing up the top of the dune.

Looking towards the direction the group was going, she saw a sparkling line of blue, with a patch of grey and brown stretching across it. The heat mirage might be messing with her eyes, but she didn't have any real experience with that. It might not be just an illusion.

Huh? she looked over to a nearby dune. There was a figure going down beyond her sight. She thought it might have been male. She jumped again, then glided to the dune she saw the figure at. There was some commotion behind her, but when she saw the man, she drew her sword into her left hand, smiling triumphantly.

"Declare yourself, stranger," she shouted, tilting her blade so that the sun's light reflected into his face. His skin was the pale of a Hylian's, and he wore loose clothes. She could not see any obvious weapons on him.

Re: Shifting Sands [Open]

Chimera looked at this army from afar, noting when they saw another man in front of them. They were weary of him at the very least. Luckily they hadn't seen her... While they reacted to the man, Chimera figured she'd get a better vantage point, running down one of the dunes, trying to spend as little time as she could where she could be seen. Eventually she found another lower dune, a bit closer than the other one. From here she could see what happened to the Hylian before the army.

She had her buckler above her head, blocking her view from the sand, as well as creating a decent camouflage, though it may not work as well from such short proximity...

Re: Shifting Sands [Open]

(Stealin mah spot Tsu )

Castus continued walking toward the Gerudo even as they raised their weapons, his guard at it`s highest as he clenched his fists tight, having sworn he saw a scout trying to get behind him. He could begin to make out some figures with weapons drawn, no symbols yet.

Then one yelled a challenge and in that moment, the wind stopped and dust settled as if to avoid the ensuing battle. Still, he couldn't quite make out what pattern was emblazoned on their chests, still he moved forward. The group stood ready, scimitars at the ready and arrows drawn on bows, then, then the crest focused. The Hylian stopped, pointed two fingers toward the Gerudo and boomed:

"A friend"

A small group of Gerudo followed her, suspicious of her activity, but they saw reason to be glad of her eyes when they saw the stranger. Weapons out, they started to spread out around him when another Gerudo, running with a grace rarely seen, came to them and said, "There's no time for that. Look to the crossing!"

Lysis did, and the other Gerudo as well. The moblins swarming the bridge looked formidible from what she could see of them. They were well armed, or at least differently armed, though typically armored. The messenger continued, "We'll need all the help we can get. Nevermind that he just got here. These are the King's orders."

The other Gerudo nodded and moved back to the group. Lysis decided that it was best that she follow his orders while in his company. She turned to the newcomer. "Come on, then. I'm Lysis. Welcome to the King's Army," she smiled, before leaping away towards the rest of the group as she sheathed Talon once again.

She found Lucian again. "So... What do you think we'll do? Attack the roaming moblins first? Try and draw the rest out onto the sands?"

Castus let his vision sink to a single figure, one who had offered the challenge even as the Gerudo began to fan out. For a few moments, it seemed as though he would end up fighting these women, as their distrustful cultural attitude shone through. But that was before another scout ran back toward the group yelling about the Moblins and other minions gathered around the bridge, and the Gerudo's attention turned to the new threat.

This day just kept getting better, sure the Darknuts would be more than a challenge but he had allies for that, and a chance to prove himself an ally. The fighter made his way to the front of the soldiers, ready to charge at a moment's notice.

Damn it felt good to be back here again.

Sitting straight and alert, Mahirid looked out across the growing line of people that were following him through the desert. In a matter of weeks he had gone from living in fear, afraid to show his face that someone might recognize him, to being a king over a people. Not just any king though--the rightful one. Southern Hyrule had never seen a rightful king, so far as he was concerned. He'd never seen the King of Hyrule, though he had every intention of meeting the man after he killed the Dark Beast Ganon, but their situation bespoke of that man's sovereignty. No, at the very least had a right over these Gerudo. While he had no lust for power, he did have an obligation to it.

Most of the Gerudo who surrounded him didn't bother with mounts, but things were always different for the king. Alongside him, a woman worked her way through the guards and arrived at his side. From his saddle, Mahirid nodded, prompting her to speak.

"There's been another incident, my lord," the woman spoke, her face a guise of calm. Did the incident bother her or not? She certainly didn't feel like letting him know. "Spitting on one of the Hylian men who joined us within the last day or two."

He grimaced distastefully, turning his eyes away from the woman, "Very well. Flog her."

That managed to evoke some emotion, at least. The woman almost missed a step and responded in surprise, "Flogged, my lord?"

Always the same. He led a proud race, and he did not expect them to be any different. That did not mean he would condone foolishness, though. Nodding, he responded in an even tone, "Flogged, yes. These men and women have come to fight against a common enemy; I will not see them disgraced by our people simply because many of them are weaker. Such prejudices cannot be afforded and will not be tolerated. See that it's done."

Without another word, the woman hastily retreated to follow the order, though Mahirid found himself confronted hardly a moment later by a woman he had come to know quite well over the last several weeks. She'd been the closest thing these Gerudo had known to be a leader, and she had knelt just like the rest of them. Aveil was a good woman, though, and she acted largely where he could not. Even as she came, the procession seemed to be slowing down as they approached another large hill. He knew what this one would be about too, then.

"My lord," Aveil spoke quickly, much more out of breath than the last woman, "we've arrived at the bridge. For once the scout count underestimated, though, I'm afraid. We outnumber them by a fair bit, but they hold the bridge still, and they have enough armor to stop us there for a good while. I sent your orders ahead to begin forming up, but they have patrol groups along the banks too. We can't get close, really, without just attacking them."

As she spoke, Mahirid unmounted from his saddle, hitting the sand easily. By the time she was done talking, the procession had all but stopped, and it would be easiest to work his way through it on foot. They were in a gulley of sorts, the hills craggy but not all sand as they approached the river. Nestled between these hills, the monsters wouldn't be able to spot most of their numbers that hadn't already begun to form up around the bridge. If the enemy's numbers had been so well reinforced, the original plan would work only at the expense of too many people, probably.

Walking toward the top of the hill, he spoke his mind, "So be it, then. How many can swim with weapons on them?" The water was not foreign to the Gerudo, but it had been a long time for many of them.

Aveil seemed unhappy with the answer she had to deliver, "From the Gerudo? Handfuls. Some of the Hylians know it better, though. I'd say maybe fifty to a hundred men and women, realistically." A small number indeed, but enough to provide pressure.

Mahirid nodded all the same, finally cresting the hill and getting a decent view of the bridge. "Get the ones you can, then, and tell them to cross the water as narrow and shallow as they can find, south of the bridge. The rest of the plan stays the same, but wait for my mark to attack the bridge. Have the raid groups pick off the patrols, starting closest to where the swimmers will be. From there, work their way toward the bridge. Hold the push once you're in arrow's range, and make sure that the majority of the forces stay behind the hill."

It was a simple plan, but he hoped for effectiveness with it. Sheltering most of his forces, he would disguise his numbers from the enemy. With the seemingly smaller numbers he could draw more aggression despite the gauntlet that they held, and once the swimmers were on the other side of the water he would spring the trap. In truth, though, the noose was already being tightened.

As she followed the army from the dunes, she could have sworn that she’d been seen. A small group of them came in her direction, but soon turned back to rejoin their comrades. A large force of moblins and even a few Darknuts. She’d never fought a Darknut herself, but they were strong, she knew that. For now Chimera would stay out, but ready to move in when the armies clashed.

Chimera knew as much as that the moblins were evil, given that they were the ones who destroyed her village so many years ago. If these sides were clashing, surely the side she’d fight with was obvious. She stayed on the dunes, ready to sprint into the combat once it started.

(It's been over a week since the last post, Clooby and KoG can rejoin when they want I guess)

Castus stood eagerly in the rank and file of Gerudo, appearing impatient and nearly berserked to those around him. After what felt like hours he heard the sound of a horse riding toward the line, hopefully bringing the order to fight. Instead, the rider brought news of some surprise attack plan, looking for volunteers to swim the river and surround Ganon's army.

Castus, as well as a few others from his line volunteered; in truth he was probably just as rusty a swimmer as any of these Gerudo, but had far less equipment to carry across and it would mean more fighting anyway.

The fighter walked with the other volunteers to the readying point, awaiting the scouts' go-ahead. He hated this waiting, he hated this sneaking, but he hated those on the bridge more than anything else.

Lysis crouched at the edge of the river at a point perhaps fifty meters wide. It was the smallest place they could find without giving up cover. The gerudo around her were peering at the bridge periodically, waiting for the signal from the scouts to cross. She would've preferred doing this at night and avoiding this fight, but it was midday. Hiding for that long seemed a poor enough possibility even to one unversed in tactics or strategy such as her.

Talon lay sheathed at her side, the chape of the sheath resting in the soil of the riverbank.

"I hope Falis doesn't get hurt in this," Lysis murmured, hoping her friend was indeed here, as she had hoped, and not hopelessly lost in the desert.

Mahirid couldn't see exactly where the swimmers were gathering, from where he stood, but his reports told that they had gathered perhaps over a hundred people to try and cross the river. It was not likely that all of them could swim very well, but it was their choice. Standing just so his eyes could break the hill, though, he could see how the raids were doing in the area outside the bridge's mouth, and he was pleased to see many more moblins lying in their own blood than Gerudo. He did not know where Ganon had summoned these monsters from, but at times it seemed their numbers were practically infinite. The Gerudo King knew very keenly that he faced an uphill battle in these lands.

But the raids had gone well, and most of the groups were now resting on their haunches just outside arrow's range, as had been ordered. From the bridge, moblins sneered at the seemingly small resistance, and numbers of them brandished their bows threateningly, trying to beckon their enemies into range. Even as he watched, more patrol groups left their protection on the bridge to go seek after a fight. To the monsters, it would look as if about sixty men and women--Mahirid's raid groups--were simply fresh for the killing. A smile crept across his face as more and more of them were consumed by the temptation to attack and not defend.

"It's time," he told Aveil. Once the order was given, the plan would likely fall apart quickly, but his growing army was surprisingly resilient. "Send the archers up now in two groups. Have one suppress the bridge with their arrows and the other to pick off any monsters attempting to retreat back to the bridge. Have the archers lead, but I want the bulk of our forces immediately behind them. Send word to the swimmers to cast off once our forces crest the hill. Remind them that they should hold their attack until our forces have reached the bridge itself; they're there to cause panic, not to take the brunt of the assault." They would overwhelm this bridge before Ganon's dogs realized what was happening.

Castus lay near the river, frustrated that the plan meant having to wait that long before a real against those minions. But wait he did, even as proud and aggressive as he was he knew he stood no chance against those on the bridge. The man grasped the sand in his hand tightly as a small platoon of archers began to break over the hill and fire.

The moment he saw an archer, he slipped into the water and began to swim completely under the water, their job was ambushing and pincering the enemy, not all-out attacking it. That, and he had no intention of pissing off the only real allies he had; in this battle or this life.

Walking out from the glistening liquid, the back-most enemies were merely moblin archers just off the bridge. Not a real fight for the ambushers, but it meant that their front-line would lose any support and be trapped on the bridge itself, just as the plan said.

'Maybe they won't put up a fight, but they are despicable none the less.' Thought the fighter, keeping low and charging the opponent, finally getting the revenge he so craved.

Lysis had heard the latest messenger to the group of swimmers and now saw the archers cresting the hill and was thankful she'd stood apart from the rest. As they started to wade and swim and paddle across, Lysis jumped and glided low across the river. She landed and almost immediately knelt. The orders were to wait after crossing until the rest were fully engaged. Problem was, there were many eager hands for battle.

A Hylian charged low to the ground right past her. Lysis lurched forward and grabbed up his ankle, tripping him and causing her to fall prone.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she whispered frantically, looking up at him as the volunteers formed up in the reeds and tall grasses near the bank. "There's another signal we need to wait for!"

Chimera saw the battle unfolding and knew it was time to act. These people had made their allegiances known. Standing up, Chimera sprinted down the dunes towards the battle. As she neared the bridge, she saw a few groups of people in strange arrangements, like moving in boxes of people. Not really understanding these formations, Chimera ran past them, sending power beams into various Bokoblins and moblins until she smashed her sword against the blocking stance of a moblin.

She raised her buckler, blocking a slash, then swept low, sending more melee ranged power beams into her foe before focussing her next hit. She felt energy wave into her sword as she swept froward, cutting right through his weapon and digging into flesh. A squeal rang out as Chimera sent two more power beams up at it’s throat, now with it’s defences down. Blood spattered forward as Chimera dove to avoid her falling enemy.

Just as Chimera got her footing, she turned and raised her shield, blocking a greatsword that knocked her back. After flying back a decent distance, she pointed a foot down and stopped entirely in mid-air, going straight to the ground. She landed in a crouch, looking at the massive armor-wearing enemy before her. She smiled, wordlessly staying in stance as the battle raged on.