Arc 5 (Continental): Hearts, Minds, and Souls

[Avatar of the Ice Wolf]

Ranger Evithia

"Calm yourself, Eisenherz," Evithia said as she hobbled back to her mount. "We had to break Farln's ankle and set it properly, lest he become... crippled." She vomited out the last word, then cursed under her breath as she saddled herself on her horse. "In any case, the, uh, 'honorable' knight is fine. Or will be when the leg begins to heal. He's quite fortunate that the condition is nothing more... permanent. But enough of that. We should be off."

[VictorAYorke]

----Lord Captain Kalian Benton Galhansen----

Kalian looked away.

He wasn't squeamish. A knight of his specialisation and his seniority will have been at least ankle deep in the dead once or twice. And anyway, so long as the pain was being administered to the glorified brigand that was 'Sir' Lowen, why should he complain?

In reality, he turned away from the rebreaking of Farln's leg because... It lacked decorum, he supposed.

"It was at the knight's request, Eisenherz." For some reason, he found himself avoiding Farln's name. He instead found himself contemplating his weariness, and the horrifying state of his legs after the journey so far. "Ranger Evithia, are we entirely prepared for another forced ride?"


Lieutenant Erika Homewood
"Huh." Erika stared at the wall a little longer. "If I were a Cliff Lord, what would make me pretend a whole district doesn't exist...?" She gave it an experimental kick, which she immediately regretted. "It's solid. Ow. Maybe it's something else? Like mad Fairies?"

Behind them, a trio of civilians entered the square, walking confidently. A Zuna and a Gerudo each in pale robes, with a unarmoured Darknut striding behind them. Each carried plain, darkened-steel swords naked at their belts.

[Avatar of the Ice Wolf]

Ranger Evithia

"I'm afraid not, sir," Evithia began as she shook her head. "We cannot move Sir Lowen very far in his condition without risk of upsetting his injury. I can treat him better at camp so that he'll be ready to transport by the next sunrise. We should also use that opportunity to salvage what we can from the campsite and remove evidence of our presence."

Alenia's head shot back instantly.

"What happened to the urgency of leaving, Evithia? The Blins already know we're here, so scuttling camp doesn't make any sense. We're best off grabbing whatever skins and meat we need right here and move while daylight is on our side. If Lowen's ankle doesn't set itself right on account of the forced march, we'll just get a professional to fix it. But unless you packed a bottled-up Tarm Fairy, there ain't no-one out here to fix us if our condition ends up being 'dead'."

"Fine, fine," Evithia conceded. "Well, you all heard the lady. Not that anyone can miss her... Get what we can use in the saddle-bags. Eisenherz, call your horse over and mount up."

"We'll also be sharing horses," Alenia added. "Evithia, you get the honor of carrying Farln with you, since you seem to like him so much. Silias, you and Eisenherz will ride together. Sir Galhansen, you're with me."

[gaiachild]

Eisenherz

"...oh. Well, in this case..."

Slightly embarrassed, the Hylian sheathed his blade again. Mentally he scolded himself for confusing the cry of pain caused by a medical emergency with a cry of pain uttered in battle.

When the ranger explained their plans, he chose to interject:
"Uh, if I may? With the materials here-" he looked at their tents as well as the tree he had just come from "-it would be easy to build a stretcher, I guarantee it would take less than half an hour. A stretcher we can then attach to one of the horses. If Sir Farln was to lie down on that, it might be a bit of a bumpy ride, but still a lot easier on his leg.

If you agree with that, Sir."
He added after turning to Farln, back straight.

[Mattwensley]

Farln

Sweat ran down his face. He wiped it off with a hand and looked up at the collection of people, for the most part ignoring him. Except the boy.

"All your plans can go to Termina. I'll ride with the girl - Evithia. But we aren't going home yet." He turned to Eisenherz. "Boy, build your stretcher, we will need it soon. Silias, Alenia, I want you scouting for any camp that might have prisoners. These Blin left their mark on me, I will do the same to them. Gallant-hansen, you can break camp."

[Avatar of the Ice Wolf]

Ranger Alenia

Ordinarily, Alenia would have been livid about Farln usurping her command. In truth, she found herself being aggravated on principle, but she couldn't tell if that was the result of the knight's impetuousness or if it was just an automatic reaction to the sound of his voice. But she was willing to adjust her plans around Lowen's "orders" for two key reasons. First, they satisfied her desire to search for other survivors who she didn't have a personal vendetta against. Second, this actually put Farln at risk by his own volition. Alenia could deflect blame if Lowen were to perish as a result of the "commander's" orders. After all, what kind of use would he be as a tactician if his strategies culminated in his own demise in an easily escapable situation?

Even so, pride prevented the Ranger from giving the Hylian the final word.

"Do what he said," she snapped.

Evithia was far less pleased. She understood that she would have no support if she protested Farln's recklessness, and so remained silently brooding. With any luck, the immediate search would turn up nothing and they could return on schedule. Otherwise, this simple operation just got far more complicated. Mentally, she scolded herself for thinking it would be this easy. The reason Kalia wanted this buffoon was precisely because of his incorrigible nature. But this arrogance could prove his undoing before the appointed time...

[warl0rd13]

Stabber

The Ikanian raised an unseen eyebrow at the unexpected arrivals, an odd group but then again their warband was much stranger "I suppose we could start here." he stated with a gesture to the trio before giving said trio his full attention, a small wave of his hand in greetings.

Silias

The ranger had watched the little drama in their camp with a three way split of interest, amusement, and irritation; hilarious in it's own way but also not in the right time or place. So it was gladly that he accepted his new orders with a nod of his head before setting off towards his horse and gathering his gear and weapons.

A few moments after he had mounted Alenia appeared to mount her steed as well "You're the senior between us, where do we start?" best to give the commander a bit of authority back, hopefully will help cool her off a bit.

[Avatar of the Ice Wolf]

Ranger Alenia

Alenia furrowed her brow and contemplated the decision for a brief moment.

"West for sure. The question is North or South." She began to speak more to herself than to Silias as she mulled over her rhetorical question aloud. "Land gets more barren the closer one gets to Ikana. Not only would it take more effort to escort slave caravans down that far, the area itself would also be useless for slave exploitation. Which means Northwest is our best bet to find anything in a hurry."

With her direction set, the ill-tempered woman found herself suddenly eager to be on her way. With a small smirk, she glanced over at her new companion and said, "Be sure to keep up, boy. We're on a tight schedule."

A brisk snap of the reigns and she was off. The aroma of the open plains replaced the grueling odor of the Blin camp; and as the wind brushed at Alenia's face, she found herself burning with renewed determination. She had embarked on this venture to save the lives of innocents who were beset upon by monsters. With Farln's arrival, she had almost lost her chance to complete that mission. Now, ironically, through the same Hylian's actions, she had found a second chance to fulfill her righteous purpose. It would not slip from her a second time.

[warl0rd13]

Silias

The former rancher felt a grin cross his features, boy eh? He sped off after and despite her head start he caught up with her very quickly, the two rangers moving at a rapid pace through the plains, their only source of light being the moon and stars.

Silias wasn't sure how long they had been riding when he finally saw an encampment, just past a hill they had been riding past but he managed to see in time before they could miss it. Pulling ahead of Alenia he pointed to the possible moblin lair.

[gaiachild]

Eisenherz

"Right away, Sir!" the aspiring knight replied dutifully, then turned around on the spot and went to work right away.

While using his spear, two tent poles along some sturdy branches, rope and the tent cloth to put together a stretcher, he thought about how lucky he was being able to see the exemplary, heroic spirit of a noble knight in action. Though suffering from injury to both body and pride, Ser Farln bravely refused to be cowed, instead already planning to liberate other innocent souls just like he had been liberated. Truly a paragon of Hylian virtues!

[Avatar of the Ice Wolf]

Ranger Alenia

The senior Ranger's eyes were not as sharp as her subordinate's. All things considered, she should have taken Evithia with her on this scouting mission, given that the latter was currently doing nothing other than keeping Farln company. Well, nothing to do for it now except get closer. A Blin's greatest ally was his or her sense of smell. This meant the camp had to be approached against the wind.

"Wind's blowing from the North. We should circle around South and get a closer look. When we get there, keep me within eyesight, but let me proceed alone. If Evithia was right and we're walking into a trap, you'll have to ride back and warn the others."

[VictorAYorke]

Lieutenant Erika Homewood
"Sure thing. We can- Oh." Erika finally turned around. The tried to gauge their mood, but was very quickly distracted.

"Stabber. Swords. Whats those serf races doing with swords?" Darknut didn't generally give people access to their most sacred of bladed implements unless they were both Darknut and fully initiated. What was this lot doing so armed?

Ahead of them, the trio continued to walk, apparently preferring to walk forward rather than shout. The Zuna gingerly returned Stabber's wave.

----Lord Captain Kalian Benton Galhansen----

The lord ride, a little cautiously, close to the Rangers. He was relatively silent on the way, lost in thought. Farln Lowen, the shame and iniquity of the Hyrulean Knights made manifest. Wherever he walked, the name of Kalian's most beloved order turned to mud... And he was here in Ordona, his influence seeping into every recruit the Plains could muster.

And Kalian, acting in the name of the Kingdom, the Goddesses and the Galhansen line, was about to deliver him back to Ordona. If word got out, he'd stay a Captain until he died. Unless something happened to to Farln, or Kalian could claim credit for a whole exodus of grateful Ordonians.

"These prisoners," he asked the Rangers. "Tell me your estimation of their numbers and disposition."

[Avatar of the Ice Wolf]

Ranger Alenia

"Can't say how many a single camp would hold," Alenia said regretfully. "Moblins haven't been a threat to these lands in centuries. We know nothing about their behavior patterns other than what the old books tell us. That said, they are acting in a pretty by-the-book fashion. These raids they've been conducting are the reason the Ranger Corps was formed in the first place so many years ago."

She shook her head swiftly, lest she lose her focus to flights of fancy.

"Back to your question though, a single camp could potentially hold dozens or more people. Given the war with Ikana, the further north and west one went, the safer you were presumed. That changed overnight when the Blins decided to magically regain sentience and form a cohesive army again. Many people, especially women and children who were fleeing the ravages of the war down south, were immediately caught up in the sudden uprising. Now, the Blins have often liked to use people as food and slaves, but, given that those taken were far from able-bodied, it's hard for me to guess their current condition. Those monsters will work them far past their capabilities, and kill the ones that collapse from exhaustion, considering them to be 'useless'. On a dour note, that means we won't have to worry about transporting any disabled people. The Blins would have eaten them the second they stopped being able to work."

[Cielo the Pachirisu]

Corcoro of Aslosus

Corcoro stared curiously after the group that walked by them. "Yes... strange indeed." He said with an uncertain flick of his ear. "Should we flag them down perhaps? It seems odd that there would be someone out here and not react to it. They seem... acclimated to all this."

And just like that he was on edge again. He tried to keep his hands from going anywhere near his sword, but he wasn't sure how successful he was as he was staring straight at this trio like an alerted dog.

[Mattwensley]

Farln

Everyone was busy, so he took the opportunity to talk to Evithia.

"Tell me, girl. Why did you and this band come for me? I am aware that I am... less than popular outside the Kingdom." And within it, come to that.

[Avatar of the Ice Wolf]

Ranger Evithia

Evithia pondered her response for a brief moment, sizing up the Hylian as she did so. She decided to keep her answer mostly truthful, but vague as to not offend anyone who may overhear.

"I'll give it to you straight, Commander. You're the highest ranking trained officer we have, and your actions reflect back upon your kingdom. Every human race on this continent will be watching you, succeed or fail. In short, you keep the stakes raised for people besides us. We're quite sick of going it alone."

[Mattwensley]

Farln

Farln could have laughed. So he did.

"So I am truly your only hope? Sounds about right." He sneered. "But why not just request another Instructor from Hyrule? Why risk two Rangers and three... whoever these people are?"

[Avatar of the Ice Wolf]

Ranger Evithia

"Because while you've been kept here by Moblins, your kingdom's split has finally resulted in civil war. They can spare nobody else," Evithia answered frankly. "Even worse is that both contenders for the throne are rather unsympathetic to our plight, according to our sources. That's not to say that they won't be willing to fight Ikana, but that they won't care about sacrificing Ordona to do so."

[VictorAYorke]

----Lord Captain Kalian Benton Galhansen----

Eating the prisoners? Kalian scowled, very briefly. Not that he expected anything else from the porcine barbarians, of course, but it still stung to hear the words. Perhaps going to find more slaves to rescue was a wise decision after all. Even if it was one Farln supported.

Meanwhile, a discussion was being had on the matter of the civil war. Kalian might be of some use here, he surmised.
"The good Ranger speaks truth." He coughed, a little apologetically. Speaking ill of Hylians to a Provincial did not sit well with him, however justified.

"There are parties among the Knights who consider fighting their own countrymen to be unpalatable at best. Unless bound by duty to join the unrest or allowed the luxury of abstaining, there are some who may leap at the chance to fight a real enemy.

"If your masters permit me, I shall write to certain commanders among the Knights. A role in which to serve the Goddesses, rather than the names of Ador or Agahnim, shall find its supporters. Likewise, the, ah, personally-minded Knights might welcome an opportunity to be seen as a hero, no matter who wins the scuffle for the regency."

[VictorAYorke]

Locals

The three locals continued to approach. Before long they were close enough to speak easily. The Darknut sneered and hefted his sword, an oversized column of red-tinged Zuna steel and bearing far more intricate inscriptions than his armour or apparent age seemed to match. The Zuna stood in front of his fellows and beamed at the warband as he adjusted his turban, apparently devoid of malicious intent despite the still healing cuts across his snout and left cheek.

The Gerudo batted her reptilian comrade aside. A beautifully adorned Zuna-forged kopesh hung openly at her hip.
"I'll be guessing you're new round here."

Erika, meanwhile, turned to face the locals, sidling closer to Corcoro and Stabber in the process. Maria was somewhere behind her.
"Where's this going...?"