NayruGoddessOfWisdom
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Torianna waited a moment more before pushing open the door to Endel and Lorcan's room. Endel was already downstairs with Maia, and Lorcan had managed to out-sleep even Torianna (which was an impressive feat!). As the door swung open, she fully expected Lorcan to be still asleep, tangled up in his bedsheets, but he wasn't.
Instead, she found the guardsman curled tightly up into an upright ball, his hands buckled over his head, chin tucked to his chest to keep his face hidden. Her stomach dropped at the sight of him.
"Lorcan... hey, come on..."
Before she could even realise it she was by his side. She reached out in an attempt to console him, but he visibly flinched at her touch before letting out a soft whimper and turning himself away. He remained locked tight in his little ball, but was now pressed back against the wall into the corner. Torianna jumped to her feet. Okay... no physical contact then...
"All right, Lorcan..." she paused for a moment, thinking. "I just- I'll be right back, okay?"
She dashed out into the hall, thinking as quickly as she could. There were posters pinned up against a cork board to her left, and she quickly ripped off a couple, flipping them over to get their clean side. Then she ducked into her and Maia's room, hurriedly nabbing one of the serving girl's pens. Quick as lightning, she dashed back to Lorcan, her heart pounding against her ribcage.
She chose not to say anything, but instead left the papers and pen beside him on the bed. He gave no visible reaction as she slowly backed away to the door.
"You don't have to tell us anything," she muttered. She hesitated, before adding: "But from my experience, you really should."
-
The decision was quickly made. Within fifteen minutes their carriage was pulled up outside a shabby inn. By the time Lorcan came to rest on a bed, his cuts were bleeding again and he looked incredibly faint. Torianna perched herself on the edge of the bed, taking one of his hands carefully. It wasn't even just cuts, his face was heavily bruised and his lips nastily chapped. Maia dashed in with dry towels, antiseptic, clean cloths and bandages while Endel vanished off to get some water.
Maia set her things out on the other side of the bed to Torianna, and quickly set to work dabbing antiseptic onto a cloth. She hesitated. "This may sting a little..."
Lorcan yelped a little at the initial contact, but quickly subdued himself, only wincing from time to time. All the while Torianna watched nervously. In all honesty, she was terrified. She knew exactly how ruthless her father was with prisoners, and the thought of what they might have done to Lorcan was abhorrent. She squeezed his hand a little tighter, and he shot her a weary but grateful smile.
Once Maia was done with the cleansing, she began gently wrapping the wounds in cotton bandages. She wound the bandage around his forearm, looping it up to his elbow and back down again a few times before snipping it off. She did the same on his forearm, then pinned it into place. This process was then repeated on the other side. When Endel returned with water, Lorcan greedily gulped down three glasses before collapsing against the headboard, clearly exhausted.
He was asleep within a matter of seconds.
"Torianna?" Endel whispered. She snapped her head around, and found him and Maia stood near the exit of the room. "Come on, he needs to rest..."
She turned back to the bruised, slumbering guardsman. Her eyes dropping to his hand in hers. She hesitated.
"In a minute," she muttered. "I'll just clean up in here first."
-
"Keep an eye on that stairwell," Torianna instructed her accomplice. "If anyone comes, I need to know immediately!"
Maia nodded, keeping her focus on the spiral staircase, two unconscious guards slumped at the bottom.. Torianna fumbled in her pocket, pulling out a thin, but sturdy piece of metal. She knelt down, peeping into the key hole - yep! No key in the lock! This should be plain sailing. She slipped the metal wire into place, and jimmied it around.
"Can you go any faster?" Maia asked, hesitant.
"I'm going as fast as I can!" Torianna snapped, but instantly regretted it. She sighed, choosing instead to focus her attention on the subtle shiftings of the locking mechanism. Moments later, she heard a satisfying click.
"We're in!" she didn't waste a moment in shoving the door open, but was halted by what she was met with on the other side.
The holding cell carried the unavoidable stench of... blood. Red dribbles marked the stone floor, mixing with a large puddle of water into a pale rosy coloured liquid. And there, in the far corner of the room, was Lorcan. His clothes were simple and brown, but marked with dried blood stains and splashed with water. He had backed himself into a corner, trembling in anticipation of a threat that Torianna didn't want to consider. His body was turned away as far as his chained wrists would allow him, exposing the deep slices on his now pale arms.
"Lorcan..." she said in the kind of tone one would use to address a frightened child. His bloodshot eyes snapped up to meet hers, teeth chattering uncontrollably as she cautiously approached him. She knelt down in front of him, reaching out one hand to cup his cheek. He flinched at her touch, his bones pushed against his pale skin. He was cold as ice. For once, Torianna didn't have a curse word.
She worked quickly, finding the weak link in his chain and busting it apart. The shackles were still fixed around his wrists, broken chains dangling uselessly - something that would have to be rectified by a blacksmith - but at least he could move freely. With Maia's help, Torianna pulled the silent guard to his feet. He was unsteady, unable to take a step or even support himself. Torianna felt a swell in her chest - pity mixed with anger.
"Get him on my back," Torianna ordered.
Maia hesitated. "Are you sure you can carry him?"
"You certainly can't - besides, he's light, and I'm deceptively strong. Now come on!" Maia did as asked, helping Lorcan to loop his arms around Torianna's neck and boosting him up. Torianna looped her arms around the boy's legs, leaning forward a little to ease the strain on his weak arms. The sooner they could get Lorcan out of here, away from that man, the better.
-
Torianna and Endel worked together to haul Maia up over the edge of the rocky wall before quickly looping up the rope. The sledgehammer was wedged in one of the belt loops on Torianna's trousers, and the lock picking devices were safe in the pockets of her leather jacket as they headed along the over path to the base. Her daggers were ready, and Maia held a sword carefully, though she didn't look too keen to use it. She also had the smoke bombs in a small bag at her side. They were looking down on the roof of the Network base within a matter of minutes.
"Good luck," Endel muttered. "I'm going to head back to the path and hide myself, ready for when the Networkers evacuate. Once they're dealt with, I'll wait for you on the upper path by the front of the building."
"Remember," Torianna said. "It shouldn't take us longer than fifteen minutes to get in, bust Lorcan out, and get back out of there. If we're any longer than that, something's gone wrong."
Endel nodded. "I know. But I have every faith in you, both of you." He gave Maia a quick kiss, and held out a hand for Torianna to shake. And with that, the two girls used the ropes to carefully drop down onto the roof top. Torianna scaled the sloping roof quickly, and waited by the chimney for Maia to arrive.
"Ladies first," Torianna said, smiling.
Maia frowned. "You're a lady?"
Torianna smirked. "I'm a girl, but I'm definitely not a lady!" Maia didn't look like she entirely understood the joke, so Torianna quickly brushed it off. "Never mind, I'll go first then..."
-
Endel's story was the first thing on Torianna's mind when she awoke that morning. She knew exactly what he was trying to tell her: that if he had let himself continue down that path, he was going to turn into Darius - and by extension, if she carried on acting the way that she was...
She shook her head as she pushed herself up into a sitting position, running her hands through her hair. Endel was right, she knew he was; a bad childhood doesn't mean you have to turn into a bad person. Endel was living proof of that. But there was a tiny pit of fear in her gut, a fear that maybe she was too far gone.
"Are you okay?" Maia asked.
Torianna snapped her attention to the serving girl, who was already sat up on her bed, fully dressed, watching Torianna with a concerned frown. The thief glanced down, only to see her leather jacket in the girls hands.
"What are you doing with my jacket?!" she snapped.
Maia blinked. "The stitching was loose where the cuffs meet the sleeves - I was just fixing it for you."
"Oh..." Torianna felt her cheeks flush a little as she threw the covers back. She hadn't meant to snap at Maia like that... "Thank you."
A small smile passed over the serving girl's face as she tied the final knot in place and snipped off the last of the thread.
- - - - -
"Okay," Torianna said, swallowing her last mouthful of scrambled eggs and leaning over the map laid out on the table. "Any prisoners kept in the network are held in the base just south of Death Mountain." She tapped the location on the map with her index finger. "It's secluded, and quiet, plus it's only accessible via a hidden path that can only be traversed on foot. It's the optimum place to keep a prisoner with minimal chance of interference."
"You know how to get there?" Endel asked.
"I do," Torianna replied. "But it's got a higher level of security than any other Network base. There's only one door in and out of that place and it's heavily guarded. Windows don't open, and breaking the glass will raise the alarm. The best way in is Cheval style - through the chimney. That will get us down to the ground floor - we'll come out in the kitchen. Provided we don't enter at a meal time, it should be unoccupied."
"Where will they be holding Lorcan?" Maia asked.
"Prisoners are usually held at basement level in chains in locked cells. There's no windows to these cells, the door is the only way in and out. We'll have to get past a number of guards in order to reach Lorcan, so we'll have to use a mixture of fighting and stealth to reach him without raising alarms. Once we're there, we'll need lock picking tools to get through the door, as well as something we can use to bust chains or bolted shackles - we won't be able to pick those open."
"Oh goddess..." Maia sighs.
"Is there anything else?" Endel asked, looking sceptical.
"There's no way of knowing what sort of state Lorcan will be in, we might have to carry him out of there ourselves. And there's one more thing..."
"What?"
Torianna cringed. "I don't know how we're going to get out..."
-
They had scarcely been back in their carriage (the same carriage in which they had arrived in the Zora domain) ten minutes before they came to a halt once again. Torianna stirred from where she sat in the back, glancing out of the carriage window to see a sleepy little inn.
"Wait..." she muttered, as Endel pulled open the door. "Why are we stopping?"
"No one slept properly last night," Endel said. "We don't want to go into a confrontation without sleeping tonight either. We need to rest."
"We can't afford to rest," Torianna pleaded. "You don't understand what a dire situation this is, the things they're going to do to Lorcan-"
"We understand," Maia said in an attempt to reason with her. "But you know it's a bad idea to attempt a rescue mission when we're so sleep deprived."
The two of them were already walking towards the door of the inn, with it's warm golden light seeping through the windows.
Torianna stumbled out of the carriage, clinging to the handles by the door to support her. She knew she was over tired, that she wasn't thinking straight, but she surpassed the point of not caring hours back.
"Solitary confinement," she spat. Endel and Maia turned back to look at her from the doorway, frowning. "Intrusive questioning, pain inflicting restraints, emotional manipulation, physical abuse, bodily torture." She paused for a moment. "Those techniques are standard practice for the network... We can't leave him there... please."
"I'm sorry," Endel sighed. "But we'll be less than useless unless we rest. I know you understand, Torianna."
-
There wasn't a single part of Torianna that wasn't drenched with rage. It was as if some bestial creature had clawed it's way from behind her ribs and was enacting a violently loud revenge upon it's captor. She pounded her clenched fist into the ground time and time again, allowing the fury to dispel through her knuckles and into the rocky earth. Eventually, the creature was beaten into submission and all that remained was the snivelling little girl, hiding from the shadows in the corner of the room.
She despised her father with every fibre of her being. He didn't have the right to take Lorcan like that, and he didn't have the right to mock Endel as he did. The thought of that encounter was enough to build the furious monster again. Torianna stopped, taking a deep breath and forcing the creature to subside.
As she looked up from where she was kneeling on the ground, the first thing she saw was her bleeding knuckles. After watching them for a moment, she decided that it wasn't a priority. Maia and Endel were knelt down next to her, talking softly between themselves. Princess Zelda stood behind them, her hands clasped nervously in front of her. She greeted Torianna with an apprehensive smile - way to go looking like a psychopath in front of the princess.
"Where do we go from here?" Maia asked, her arm still wrapped around a trembling Endel - Torianna wasn't sure if he was trembling from hurt, panic, or rage.
"Lorcan," Torianna replied without a moment of hesitation. "We go save Lorcan."
"We need to get Princess Zelda to a secure location..." Maia reminded her. "She's not safe out here in the open."
-
Torianna chanced a glance at the networker who'd been assigned to watch them, but he was staring idly out of the carriage window. Clearly, he wasn't interested in their conversation. She blew out her cheeks, and began at the beginning.
"My dad was from Castle Town, always has been, and always will be. Gran was a seamstress, and Grandpa a miner. The organisation came about when Dad was in his early twenties, before Jaydon and I were born. It wasn't just his organisation to begin with, there were four of them. Dad was a skilled thief, his friends a knight captain, a castle guard, and a man who owned a bar and had a particular knack for organisation. They started small scale, meeting at the bar and pulling off house burglaries, shop looting - small time. Then they planned a big heist of the castle. They had two men on the inside so they knew exactly how to do it. And they pulled it off - that's when people started coming in. Skilled thieves, looters, tricksters, conmen - anyone they could get on their side. Everything kind of spiralled from there..."
Endel frowned. "What happened to the other men?"
"I don't know exactly..." Torianna replied. "But from what I could gather, the guard got caught leaking information and was sentenced with time in prison, the captain quit because he got married and started a family... I'm not too sure about the bartender..."
"Interesting..." Endel muttered.
* * *
Torianna's hands were shaking by the time the carriage finally came to a stop. The doors were opened, and the three of them were led down a dusty pathway to a smaller, secluded area in Hyrule field, surrounded on three sides by steep cliff faces. Torianna saw her father was already waiting there, in front of his carriage. Princess Zelda was by his side, her wrists secured with silver cuffs; she looked worn out, tired, but she didn't appear to be injured and held herself in the same regal fashion as always.
As they drew closer, Torianna laid eyes on a few extra guards, two of them standing in front of Lorcan. He was near the corner of the carriage with his wrists bound and another length of rope looped around his waist and tied off to one of the beams beneath the carriage. His arms were bruised, but other than that he appeared uninjured. His tired eyes brightened as he saw he friends approach.
"Good job, boys," Torianna's father said, before raising his hand sharply. "Stop there, scoundrels! Don't come any closer... good..." he smiled tauntingly. "So very wonderful to see you again. Your friend here has been good to us, he's quite the woodsmen when he puts his mind to it, hey?"
Lorcan blushed, and Torianna scowled darkly. Making a mockery of monkey-man was her thing.
"He upheld his part of deal fantastically, and I am a man of my word..." he rummaged about in his pocket for a few moments, producing a small silver key which he then tossed to Endel. With a nod of his head, he motioned for Princess Zelda to walk back towards Endel, who freed her without a moment of hesitation. Darius gave them a sharp nod as the silver cuffs slipped open. Maia was immediately at Princess Zelda's side, guiding her to the back of the group, away from the networkers.
"It was a pleasure doing business with you," Darius said with a mocking grin. He turned away, but was interrupted by Endel.
"Hold on!" he snapped. "You haven't given us Lorcan back! We had a deal, Darius!"
Darius paused for a moment, and Torianna's heart sunk into her stomach. Lorcan began to struggle furiously, wrenching against the ropes that confined him. Suddenly, Torianna realised exactly how the network had planned to cheat them. The twisted smile on her father's face merely confirmed it.
"We did indeed," Darius said slowly. "The Princess in exchange for my boy. Woodsman, here? He was never a part of our agreement."
-
Endel, Torianna, and Maia occupied themselves by setting up their tents and building a small camp fire. They set up camp a good few feet away from that of the networkers, still weary of them. Once this task was completed, all that was left to do was wait. Torianna had sat a while with Endel and Maia by the fire, but she really did get the sense that three was a crowd. She excused herself, claiming that she needed an early night, and clambered into her tent.
And as she lay there, listening to the conversations occurring either side of her, it occurred to her quite how different she felt now to that evening in the shop - her last proper looting job. She hadn't considered it until this point, but it suddenly seemed so glaringly obvious as she sat, staring at the silhouettes against the canvas walls. She didn't know how much longer she could keep ignoring the fact that, despite her earlier attitude, Endel and Maia were her friends. Companionship carried with it an unexpected warmth, something that she wasn't entirely accustomed to.
She pulled her blanket a little tighter around her shoulders. It was a cold night, after all.
---
Torianna was awoken in the small hours of the morning by the thunder of hooves and a loud, bellowing voice.
"Scoundrels! Networkers! Rise!"
Torianna bolted upright, fumbling about in an attempt to unravel herself from her blankets. She could hear the movement of other bodies around her, and the rustling of canvas as the others left their tents. She hurriedly pulled on her jacket in an attempt to protect herself from the cold, before stumbling out of her tent.
A junior networker -a messenger- was sat astride a horse, it's breath misting in the cool air. Endel and Maia were already stood before it, along with the networkers. Torianna shuffled over, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"Jaydon has been located and secured," the messenger announced. "You're being summoned immediately."
And just like that, the Scoundrels were hustled into the carriage belonging to the networkers. One of them stayed behind with the messenger to collect up their supplies, two took the reigns, and the last was put in the carriage along with the scoundrels to keep an eye on them.
A whip cracked, and the carriage jerked into motion. Torianna shivered from where she sat next to the networker. He cast a judgemental gaze over her.
"To think I used to take orders from you," he smirked. "And now here you are, following our demands. Looks like you made a bad call, scoundrel." He placed careful emphasis on the last word, making it almost sound like an insult.
She simply glared at him, choosing not to say the thought on her mind: This war isn't over yet.
-
The carriage was actually unnervingly quiet in the absence of Skallin and Lorcan. Even Lorcan? Goddess, who thought the world would be quieter without him? Torianna crossed her arms, leaning back against her seat and pressing her eyes closed. She hadn't exactly slept well last night, there was no harm in getting a quick nap...
When she eventually came to, it was to gentle shaking from Maia and harshly whispered words. "Wake up! We've arrived!"
Torianna's eyes snapped open, but there was actually little to be seen. The cavern that the cart had pulled up in was almost pitch black, with only dim lighting coming from torches placed sparingly along the walls. As Torianna clambered out of the carriage, she was greeted with a cool blue light coming from the end of the passage. It was accompanied by the gentle trickle of running water. Endel was already stood, waiting, shifting his weight from foot to foot. He looked antsy, eager to get going.
"Not sleeping on the job, are we Torianna?" he mocked gently as he lead the way up the passage.
"Not engaging in unprofessional relationships, are we Endel?" she quipped back. He shot her a look for that one, but even he couldn't hide his smile.
As they progressed further up the tunnel, the gentle trickling became a gushing whoosh. They eventually broke out into a cavern which opened out into the fresh air. A steady flow of water was sent pouring over the edge and into what was presumably lake Hylia. Oceanic-humanoid creatures roamed over the slippery, moss covered rocks as well as populating the depths of the water. They were covered in fish like scales, and even had fins extending from their limbs, and gills in addition to their thick blubbery lips. There was a distinctly fishy smell in the air as the group carefully made their way over the mossy rocks to the apparent leader of the Zora.
"We're here as representatives of Hyrule Castle Town," Endel announced by way of introduction. "We need your help, urgently!"
-
((More than!))
Torianna hauled herself to her feet hurriedly cradling the arm she landed on; the same arm that had been attacked by Jaydon. A dull ache was beginning to spread, but she didn't have the time to waste. She pushed herself onward, chasing after the cart a few feet before she was forced to accept that she couldn't catch up. A frustrated growl escaped her as she stooped down to the ground, picking up a handful of sharp gravel and flinging it in the direction of the moving vehicle. The tiny stones ricocheted off the exterior, but left no damage. She wasn't aiming to damage anyway, merely to vent frustration.
Those bastards! Those damned bastards! What the hell did they want with Lorcan? The anger building inside of her was close to boiling over completely in the sweltering heat from the Lanayru sun.
It was at this moment that Endel and Maia emerged from the doors of the inn. They approached her slowly, Endel casting a critical eye over her dusty clothes and the frown etched on their face. "What happened to you?" he asked. "And where's Lorcan?"
Her glare shifted between the two of them, before settling on Maia. "You wanted your princess back? Well now you've got her. Are you happy?" She shoved forcefully between the two of them, headed over to their carriage.
A few moments of silence followed, broken by Maia. "What are you talking about?"
She whipped back around to face them, feeling her fury dispelling through every pore. "They took Lorcan! The network. I don't know what they want with him, but they took him... and they're giving us the princess back."
"Wait... what?!" Endel spat, sounding astonished. "We don't know they'll actually give us Zelda back... we need to save Lorcan, before it's too late!"
"No!" Torianna warned him, raising a hand forcefully. "You don't meddle with this, not with the Network involved. They might play dirty but they never lie. When they say they'll give us Zelda back, they mean it. If we try to interfere, we're going to put both Zelda and Lorcan at risk." Endel still didn't look convinced, but Torianna persisted. "Trust me, I know how they operate."
"We trust you," Maia replied sincerely. "So... what do we do now?"
Torianna pressed her lips together, sighing. "Nothing. We do nothing. We've got to find the Zora, okay?"
-
After Maia and Endel's encounter, the night passed without disturbance. Torianna woke with a yawn and a stretch, quickly showering and dressing herself. Thoughts were running through her mind as she made her way down the rickety staircase to the tavern, where they served a surprisingly good-smelling breakfast. Yesterday had been one of the most eventful days of Torianna's career, and honestly she was a little worn out. Considering today's mundane task, she was hoping everything would run a little more smoothly.
Endel and Maia were already sat around a wooden table when Torianna arrived, they were sipping on juice and eating grains. Torianna approached them with a smug smile on her face, slipping effortlessly into an empty seat.
"Morning, love birds," she teased.
Maia sighed. "Torianna, is there any chance you could just be... an adult about this?"
"Nope," she replied, still grinning. "So Endel, Maia here tells me you're a good kisser. Care to comment?"
Endel opened his mouth to respond, but before he could get out a word Lorcan emerged from the stairwell. He paused near immediately, casting a glance over Torianna's beaming face and Endel and Maia's weary expressions. He raised an eyebrow inquisitively as he slid into the last empty seat.
"Are you going to tell him, or shall I?" Torianna asked.
-
Upon returning from taking care of the horses, Torianna found Maia and Endel having a quiet discussion in her room. Not wanting to pry, she called upon Lorcan instead, and the two of them quickly found themselves sat around a small table in the back corner of the tavern just below the inn. She cradled her nightcap between her palms, trying to warm the drink a little between sips.
"So what's your plan?" she asked. Lorcan gave her a confused frown, so she elaborated. "I mean after all of this blows over. We've only got a handful of missions left, this isn't going to last forever. Maia's probably going to go back to working at the castle. The castle might actually offer jobs to the Scoundrels... Do you reckon you'll take a guard position at the castle?"
Lorcan shook his head adamantly, before casting his severe blue eyes around the tavern. When he was sure no one was watching them, he grabbed one of the slate coasters and pulled a piece of chalk from his pocket. With undeniable efficiency, he scrawled a single word on the coaster, underlined it, then flipped it for Torianna to see. Home.
She cracked a smile. "Of course, you'll go back to the forest, monkey man! I should have thought of that."
A comfortable lull passed between the two of them, broken only by the gentle chatter and clink of glasses from the other tavern-goers. Torianna took a sip of her drink, and when she lowered the glass, she found Lorcan watching her curiously with pursed lips. She laughed.
"Alright forest boy, I can learn to live with you having feelings for me, but would you mind not staring at me like that?"
A sigh escaped his lips as he rolled his eyes, tapping his finger insistently on the slate. He'd rubbed out his previous answer and replaced it with a simple question: You?
She paused for a moment, pondering as she laid down her glass. "I don't know," she replied honestly. "But I'll tell you this much, there is no way in hell I'm going back home, and you wouldn't catch me working in that castle no matter what money they offered me!"
-
Torianna took a bite of her apple, pondering. "Princess Zelda is important, but the water supply comes first. If people drink the poisoned water, goodness knows what will happen. That's putting the entire population of Hyrule at risk - that's got to be our priority."
"You're right..." Endel mused, still looking deep in thought. "Besides, that shouldn't take us too long, we just need to speak to the Zora. We don't even know where to begin looking for Princess Zelda, so let's start with what we know we can do." Despite Endel's business-like tone, he still seemed a little sub-optimal. His expression was slack, and his eyes were distant. Loosing Skallin had hit him harder than anyone else. But there's nothing better for grief than keeping busy, and Ashei's list of tasks would certainly do that.
"Come on," Endel said, dusting himself off as he got to his feet. "Let's find a carriage and couple of horses and hit the road."
"It's getting kind of late," Maia hedged. "Maybe we'd be better waiting till the morning?"
Endel looked reluctant to stay in Castle Town any longer than necessary, and Torianna had to agree with him. Hearing the news that the network were still fully operational was the last thing Torianna had wanted to hear, especially considering Hyrule's absent monarchy, useless guards, and the now disbanded Scoundrels of Virtue. By any measure, the network were winning this war, and Torianna didn't want to have to think about, let alone live with, the consequences of that.
"We'll hit the road," she said, looking around at the group. "We're bound to cross an Inn along the way."
-
Judging time down in the hollow was impossible. Eventually, after what must have been a couple of hours, the sole oil lantern burned out, leaving Torianna and Lorcan in pitch darkness. Desperation was beginning to radiate from the young guard, who was blindly grappling with the large boulders that kept them locked inside. He had long fallen silent, choosing instead to focus all his energy on trying to escape their tenebrous entombment. Torianna sat, her back pressed against the wall, hugging her knees. She listened quietly to Lorcan's grunts of effort, staring blindly into the impenetrable darkness.
"Lorcan please, just sit down..." she muttered.
A few moments of silence followed, broken only by Lorcan's heavy breathing. He moved carefully, feeling his way along the wall until he almost tripped over Torianna. He collapsed down next to her, sitting close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from his arm next to hers. By this point, most of the rubble dust had settled, but the air was still thick and uncomfortably warm.
"Do you think Endel and Maia got out?" she asked. Lorcan offered no response, but she'd hardly been expecting him to. "I hope so..." she muttered. Having a conversation with Lorcan was much harder when he couldn't scribble a response in chalk or dirt, or even give her a gesture or facial expression. "Maybe they'll come back for us..." She felt the tiniest nudge against her shoulder; it wasn't a conversation, but she never really needed him to answer back anyway.
She let her head drop, resting against the silent guard's shoulder. The threads of his shirt felt worn against her cheek, and it was just enough to soften the sharp outline of his shoulders. Sure, it was a petty indulgence, but it was dark; it wasn't like anyone could see them.
Suddenly a soft noise caught Torianna's attention. She salt bolt upright, straining her ears to try and find the source. Whatever it was, it was coming from the other side of the boulders. It sounded like a... hiss? A scratch? A... fizzle?
"Bombs!" she yelped. Lorcan jumped, startled by her sudden outburst. She grabbed his arm, pulling him to his feet. "They're blowing up the rubble!"
The two of them staggered as far from the entrance as they could get, using their hands to guard them as they tried to put some distance between themselves and the explosives. Suddenly, the ground shook beneath Torianna. She was thrown onto her front. She screwed her eyes shut and flung her arms over her head in a desperate bid to protect herself from stray pieces of rock. A few stones rained down on her back, and when she dared to open her eyes again, she was damn near blinded by the light pouring into the cavern.
-
Lorcan looked horrified, frozen as still as a statue. His blue eyes were wide, his pupils gaping black holes trying to absorb any light they could. The thinnest layer of sweat shone on his forehead as Torianna carefully crossed her arms, studying him. The only comparison she could draw was to a rabbit stuck in the path of an oncoming carriage.
"Feelings...? Like... actual feelings? Not 'I want to break all your stubby little fingers' feelings?"
A flicker of humiliation passed over his expression as he let his arms fall back in front of him from where he had frozen in the midst of wildly gesticulating. He crossed his arms over his chest, appearing to huddle back into the shadows. Eventually, he gave her the tiniest of nods.
Oh.
Torianna knew she should have felt something more. God only knows what. Feelings weren't something that she was entirely familiar with. 'Friendships' weren't something that existed in the network, family ties were kept to business, and this? This kind of thing was something that went practically unheard of. Still, she couldn't deny that her and the guard were somewhat... companionable. Close proximity to him didn't grate on her as it did with most people Even, at times, Torianna found his company better than none. But none of that altered the fact that the thought of a cloying Endel/Maia style relationship was enough to make her gag.
The look in the boy's eyes was getting to be too pleading for Torianna's liking. She should probably at least say something.
"Huh..." she muttered. "Actual evidence that you are indeed human. Who'd have thought?"
-
"RUN!" Endel's voice echoed through the crumbling structure as the surviving Scoundrels made for whatever exit they could. Torianna took off at a run, with the crowd. She vaguely caught sight of Maia up ahead of her, her blonde hair flying out behind her as she clambered over the remains of a collapsed doorway. A figure was pulling her along - Endel, most likely. But where was Lorcan?
Torianna paused at the exit, turning back to look for him. Faces passed her by, barely familiar, but none of them Lorcan. This was idiotic, if she didn't see him in the next few seconds, she was leaving. She couldn't-
And then she caught sight of him. He was down on his knees, one hand pressing his sleeve over his mouth and the other groping blindly in front of him. His hair was matted with dust, his eyes welded shut. He'd gotten dust in his eyes - he couldn't see a thing, the idiot!
Take care of yourself. Let others worry about themselves. That's what every inch of her brain was screaming at her, and yet still she was taking off back across the room, towards him. She pressed her sleeve over her nose and mouth to filter out what she could of the dust, squeezing her eyes as close to shut as possible. She reached down, hurriedly grabbing Lorcan's arm and wrapping it over her shoulders. He flinched at her touch, uncertain but grateful as she hauled him to his feet and dragged him over towards the exit.
Torianna's lungs were burning as she guided the stumbling guard into a run. She was desperate for clean air as she continued to drag Lorcan, moving too fast to allow him to trip on the rubble. From behind came the unmistakable noise of a collapsing archway. She didn't dare a glance back, but she knew from the silence that followed that the others had been cut off. It was just her and Lorcan. There was only one goal in Torianna's mind. That light, that exit, that safety...
That was, until a horrendous crack filled the air. Torianna watched in horror as the beam that held up the final archway gave up the ghost. It caved down from the centre, crumbling tremendously into a pile of jagged rocks and rubble. As the last gap plugged, and the final beam of sunlight shut off, she let out a screech. It was the kind of infuriated screech that forces any unlucky witness to grit their teeth and block their ears out of instinct, as Lorcan did upon hearing it.
The only light left in the room was from one solitary wall lamp, burning away merrily as if they hadn't just been buried in an underground lair. Torianna, in a fit of rage, threw Lorcan's arm from her shoulders, letting him hit the wall of the corridor. He rubbed his eyes desperately with the balls of his palms, blinking experimentally in the dim light.
"You moron!" Torianna yelled, running her hands through her hair, gripping fat clumps in clenched fists. "This is all your fault, you utter idiot! You made me break my rule, twice even! It got me in a terrible position last time and this time it's going to get me killed!" She squeezed her eyes shut, stamping her feet on the ground like a child throwing a temper tantrum. "I hate you, Lorcan! I hate you, I hate you, I HATE YOU!"
-
((I don't think it should be a problem to get you back into the RP, Elway. If you're willing to catch up? We sent your character off to finish rescuing the captured children, but we can very easily bring him back into the story line))
In all her time battling foes, Torianna had never seen anything quite so grotesque as this monstrosity. Piles of the disgusting acidic flesh fizzled away in ugly clumps on the floor and the bodies of the fallen. The sight made her feel physically ill, but also stirred up a twist of anger within her stomach. What kind of sick bastard would do this to himself?
Endel was first to move. He dashed towards the beast, taking a strike at his shin - or at least, what Torianna thought was his shin. Kazdon gave no visual impression that he'd so much as felt the violent blow, instead just taking a swipe with those monstrous claws. That's when Torianna got tired of watching and leapt into action. She opted, this time, not to fight with her daggers, but her sword. Despite the fact that daggers were her best weapon, they'd get her absolutely nowhere fighting something as huge as this.
She took off at a run, circling around the beast and raising her sword. It'd been a while since she'd fought with a sword, but she launched a brutal attack at the base of the spine. Her sword let out a loud metallic clang as it knocked into bone, but again, Kazdon exhibited no physical pain from the attack. Instead, he let out an irritated growl, as if these minuscule fighters were more of a nuisance than an actual problem. With one swift movement, he swung his vicious claw at Torianna, flinging off clumps of toxic bile as he moved.
The blow was enough to knock Torianna off her feet, sending her slamming back into the wall and landing on her injured arm. She let out a frustrated grunt, as she slowly pushed herself up from the wall, furiously rubbing the bruises she knew would soon come. She supposed she should be grateful that none of the bile hit her, but she was just angry.
-
They waited in tense silence for a few moments, just to be sure that the beast had really vanished. Once Endel was convinced that the coast was clear, he pushed open the sideboard door. The light made Torianna wince, and she dropped Lorcan's hand as she clambered out, stretching out her cramped limbs. Endel made his way over the the cupboard to release Skallin while Torianna took some time to study the group. Maia's face was visibly flushed from fear, and she was still struggling to level her breathing. Lorcan was actually beaming, appearing quite proud of himself for managing to deceive the creature. As for Torianna, she just wanted to dislodge the shrapnel of panic wedged between her ribs.
"Good work back there, Lorcan," Endel said as he returned to the group with Skallin at his side.
"Don't tell me," Torianna chipped in, brushing her hair aside, "that little trick was something you picked up in the woods, eh forest boy?"
Lorcan dug an elbow into her side, shaking his head softly.
"Can we please just leave?" Maia asked, looking around nervously and paying Lorcan and Torianna no heed. "This place is really rather disconcerting..."
-
((I looked at it very briefly, but with all the independence dispute in the UK I didn't want to run the risk of ending up an international student by studying in Scotland))Once she'd led them down to the basement, the only thing Torianna could think to do was shut Skallin away in the large cupboard. She then ushered the rest of the group into the sideboard that was pushed up against the left wall. It was essentially a hollow block of wood, intended to store fancy china and silverware, although it had only ever been used as a work surface for map planning. It was a tight squeeze for the four of them. They sat in a line, their legs curled up in front of them, shoulder to shoulder.And now all they could do was wait, listening to the rhythmic thuds of footsteps over their heads. They sat in the dark, the only light coming from the minuscule pinprick-width crack between the doors. Endel had a hand pressed over Maia's mouth, and Lorcan looked incredibly uncomfortable wearing all his armour in such a confined space. Torianna hated sitting, waiting, hoping that they could stay hidden. It felt like cowardice to her.But all concerns of productivity shattered when the door to the basement was shoved open with a bang. Torianna dragged her sleeve down over her hand and pressed her fist to her mouth, hoping that the fabric of her shirt was enough to muffle her heavy breathing. She could feel the tension in Lorcan's arm muscles, pressed against her. As the footsteps descended, and the heaving breaths of the beast grew in volume, it took all Torianna had not to yell. As the low, guttural growl grew closer, she felt horrified knowing what her little brother had become.Lorcan's palm was clammy against hers, but she needed to know that he was still there, beside her. -
((I'm so sorry for not replying for a week! University applications are enough to make me go insane right now... but on the plus side, I've got offers from all my university choices now so life should be a little simpler!))
Just as the boredom was beginning to get the better of Torianna, she was approached by a chipper looking Endel and Maia. They chattered, their heads close together as they approached, and Torianna couldn't help but smile. She knew they were soft for each other! Lorcan was trotting along behind them, his eyes averted like he felt heavily uncomfortable in this situation.
"Torianna," Endel said, finally acknowledging her with a warm smile. "Found anything of note?" She shook her head slowly, and Endel sighed. "Never mind. We've got business to attend to down at The Network headquarters!"
"HQ?" Torianna asked wearily. "Are you sure that's smart?"
"They've all barricaded themselves in. We've got the upper hand in the situation, so there's no cause for concern. Besides, it seems like the best place to stake out and wait for Jaydon. He has to return at some point!"
Torianna nodded, her father never took well to stragglers. Without further ado, the four of them took off at a brisk walk to the Eastern side of the city. Lorcan filed in next to Torianna, offering her a small smile.
"So..." she muttered to him once Endel and Maia were a few paces ahead. "Those two...?" Lorcan raised his eyebrows and nodded, blowing his cheeks out. Torianna couldn't fight the smallest of laughs, nudging him with her elbow. "I told you so!" she teased him. He simply shook his head, grinning a little despite himself.
While Lorcan's eyes were averted, Torianna took the opportunity to quickly circle around him and leap up onto his back. A slight 'oof!' escaped him as he buckled under her weight, but he quickly straightened up again, quirking an eyebrow and looking up at her in bafflement. She shrugged, smiling as she laid her arms on his shoulders.
"It's a long walk across town to HQ, and I'm very tired from all the wandering around!" she said by way of explanation. "Besides, you love it." He let out a heavy huff but took off after Endel and Maia, who had now gained a considerable amount of distance on them.
-
((It was brilliant thanks! I didn't know you had a tumblr! What's your url?))
Torianna took to the town markets. She rubbed shoulders with the townsfolk as they went about their daily business, listening in on conversations and trying to catch snippets of information. Unfortunately, the conversations were extremely mundane, even the ones who spoke of something interesting never mentioned anything of use to Torianna. How strange that these people could live in a time of such crisis and conflict, yet close their blinds to block out the battles fought beneath their windows.
She lingered as long as she could, looking over the market stalls, as if she had the intention of purchasing something. She even slipped her fingers into the pocket of a wealthy civilian she passed. She took nothing more than spare change, simply for thrill of thieving again. It had been some time since she'd done that. And just as she decided that she'd lingered as long as she could, things stepped up a little.
A man came sprinting towards the market stalls, glancing quickly over his shoulder behind him. The new arrival was dressed in straight black trousers and a pale grey shirt, hidden beneath a brown leather jacket; a classic network criminal's attire. He ducked around a table stacked with fruit, then quickly flipped it over, sending the fruit scattering across the cobblestone. Two guards appeared behind the table as the criminal continued to run, they were struggling to surmount the obstacle in their path. Torianna sighed. Useless!
She leapt into the path of the criminal and delivered a sweeping kick to his shins. The unexpected blow sent the man stumbling onto his front. He skidded for a few feet before eventually coming to a halt. The two guards finally caught up, and wrenched the man to his feet.
"Thanks," one of them said. "We've been tracking him down for three days now!"
"...Torianna...?" the man spluttered, heaving for breath as the guards twisted his arm behind his back to stop him from escaping.
"Rueben," Torianna said with as much indifference as she could. She knew him. She had worked with him back in the network. He was high up in the ladder, they'd been on missions together. He was probably the closest thing she'd had to a... friend in that place.
His shoulders rose and fell as he gasped for air. "Y- you betrayed us?" he stammered. "You betrayed your family for- for these people?"
Don't flinch, she told herself.
He shook his head in disbelief, but Torianna wouldn't let herself look away, even when he spat at her feet in disgust. The guards tightened their grip and turned Rueben away, dragging him back towards the castle. He fought all the way, but never quite managed to escape.
-
((Sorry for not replying sooner! I spent the weekend in London for MCM Comic Con which was awesome, but kept me very busy!))
As they made their way out into the streets of Hyrule Castle Town, the day seemed almost ordinary. The sun was low in the sky as it was still rising, casting long shadows along the cobbled streets. The air was cold and crisp, and there were a few civilians braving the autumn to go about their business. Each of them cast the Scoundrels a weary eye, trying to place the situation. Endel assured each of them that Hyrule Castle was back under Hylian control, but that they should still exercise caution.
As for Torianna, she found the morning to be extremely sobering. The crisp air helped to clear her mind of the haze from yesterday. Though she wasn't keen on the idea of tracking down her brother, she knew that it had to be done. She thought of the way that Jaydon had advised her on how to handle her father, how he had left the Scoundrels alive and unharmed despite his orders. Her brother may have been fighting for the wrong force, but he would never have led her to harm.
Whoever this demon may be, he wasn't her brother any more.
Lorcan remained close by her side as the group came to a halt at the edge of the fountain in castle town. As Endel cast a glance around the streets, Torianna wondered what it would be like to be like Endel; to always fight for Hyrule, without regard for himself. To change in the way that he had when he turned to the Gods, to admit that maybe you were wrong.
"Is everyone clear on their orders?" Endel asked, his breath misting in the air. Their was unanimous nodding throughout the group, before they split up to find out what information they could."
-
((Oh that's an awful shame
))Torianna wasn't up for this. She was absolutely exhausted after everything she'd been through today. She'd had to deal with an emotional Maia, she'd been tortured by Kazdan, and now she'd had her arm torn open by her little brother. She couldn't help but wonder how much of her little brother was actually left inside of him. She hated the thought. Still, despite the throbbing pain in her arm, she had to offer Maia a little respect. Maybe the serving girl was terrible at keeping her cool in a battle situation, but she'd sure as hell pulled herself together for Torianna's sake.
"You're right," Endel said, dragging her back to reality. "But first, we need to rest up. Let's get the princess out of here and to safety. Your highness, I think it's best that you stay in the Scoundrel's base for a few days.
Zelda nodded, still holding herself in a proud manor despite how weary she looked.
* * *
Ashei found Torianna a new shirt and leather jacket when they arrived back at their base. She liked the shirt, but the leather jacket wasn't as good as her old one. This one was a feminine fit, and finished just around her hips rather than properly covering her back like the last one. Still, it was better than nothing.
She was sprawled out on her bed, trying to keep her weight off her bad arm when suddenly a sharp knock came from her door. She frowned, getting up and pulling it quickly open. Lorcan was stood on the other side, looking tired and a little disappointed.
She frowned. "What up, monkey man?"
He nodded at the room behind her, asking permission to come in. She stepped aside and he walked in, his hands fisted in his pockets. For a moment, he seemed like he was going to say something, before remembering that he couldn't.
"Come on, spit it out," she teased as she pushed her door closed.
He rummaged in his pocket for a few moments, before pulling out a folded piece of paper which he handed to her. She frowned, pulling the folds apart.
Written inside in Lorcan's messy script was the words: "I'm sorry."
She frowned, looking up at him. "What are you on about, monkey man?"
The Scoundrels of Virtue
in Roleplaying
Posted
"Let's think about this logically; they know that we're disbanded, but that doesn't give them much to work with. So we don't have the support of the organisation behind us - that doesn't mean that they know how to stop us!" Endel's words seemed to be of some sort of comfort to the silent guardsman, who nodded, if reluctantly. Endel continued "what we need to do now is find our next focus. We've recovered Princess Zelda, Lorcan's safe again, and the water supply in Hyrule should be taken care of by now, though we may want to check in on that. The only other missions left to us are to find Cheval, finish off Jaydon, and take care of the network."
"No biggie," Torianna said sarcastically. Endel shot her a look.
"Lorcan, why don't you go get washed up and dressed? Meanwhile the rest of us will head down to the bar and start planning our next move," Endel said. Lorcan nodded and scampered off to the bathroom, Endel and Maia quickly followed, heading down the stairs.
Torianna sighed, running a hand through her hair. There was definitely an elephant in the room, and she seemed to be the only one concerned about it. They find Cheval, sort out her demented family... and then what?