The Scoundrels of Virtue

[Knuckle 484]

Endel wiped the sweat off his brow; it was cold outside, but he felt his body perspiring nonetheless. He gave Maia a quick smile. "Thanks. I'll let you know when I'm ready." She nodded, and the two of them simply enjoyed each other's company for the rest of the night.

 

---

 

As the sun peeked over the rocky dunes of Gerudo Deset, Endel and Maia felt their bodies thaw out from the night's cold wind. He almost regretted the warmth, knowing it was a first taste of the heat that would be scorching him in a few hour's time. Both of them quickly set about waking the others, then everyone cleaned up camp as quickly as possible before heading off. Of course, they had no idea where they were headed, and so they decided to travel to the nearest suspicious landmark one after the other. Nobody thought it sounded efficient or even hopeful, but there was little other choice. Endel pointed out the nearest of these points on the horizon, and they were on their way.

 

The heat of the desert didn't seem to rise all at once. As they traveled from one patch of raised sand and stone to the next, Endel was at first comfortably warm, then only somewhat bothered by the heat. As they reached the largest dune yet, he and the others were visibly exhausted by the extreme climate assaulting them. Worst of all, the desert light made them stick out to the native lanmolas, whose subterranean speed made traversing the sand a dangerous prospect. Endel was already running low on arrows from sniping them, and the others were getting plenty of cuts from tackling them head-on. At that point they were getting desperate for shade when Lorcan got their attention; off in the distance, he could spot an even taller dune crowned with small stones that matched his vision from the crystal ball.

 

As they approached, it became apparent their destination wasn't a dune, but a plateau of solid rock. At its base were more remnants of cut stone, and the plateau itself was clearly cratered as if some enormous object had been sunk into its summit and then removed later. The cut stones were unusually  smooth and intact, as if they'd been assembled and disassembled a decade or so ago. The nearby statue depicting an owl was, by comparison, extremely ancient looking. "We can play archaeologist later!" Torianna snapped. "We need to get to the top of that plateau before I collapse!"

 

It was no easy task climbing the cliff walls of the plateau, but its cratered summit provided them with the most baffling sight of all. The stones that crowned the hole did contain some pieces of white rock, but most of it was a blackish-brown stonework formed into a descending staircase. These stairs burrowed into the plateau and showed obvious signs of recent disturbance. Endel could tell someone had descended into this place recently. "I don't think there's anything deadly down there if Cheval decided to press his luck. The man hates fights." Endel thought out loud. "Still, we should be cautious. Let's take a short rest inside and then press on."

 

((I'll probably be without internet starting tomorrow since I'm going out of town, just a heads up. It'll take until Thursday for me to be back in a position to update. I should be able to watch the site just in case, but I'll see you guys Thursday! ))

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

((Enjoy your trip!))

 

The scorching heat from the desert gave way to a gentle chill as they descended the stairs to the underground cavern. Torianna walked a little ways ahead of the group, desperate to get away from that relentless burning up above. Their pathway darkened considerably the further down they went, and she found herself wondering how exactly Cheval was coping down here. Did he know about this place already? Or did he just get lucky?

A flickering lantern appeared around a corner, stopping Torianna just short of smacking into a solid stone wall. And there, lingering in the small patch of light, was Cheval. He was rummaging through a sizeable rucksack, appearing to be searching for something. His clothes were far from good condition, and he was in desperate need of a good shave. He glanced up at Torianna, and something akin to displeasure crept across his face.

"Oh, what did you do?" he spat, drawing himself up to his full height and yanking his sword from its sheath. Torianna blinked in astonishment as he trained the weapon on her, the tip of his blade glimmering in the dim light. "I knew we should never have let a networker into our base. What, did you separate the rest of the group? Send each of them off on a wild goose chase like you did to me? Come back to pick them off one by one? The day you set foot in our base I knew you were rooting to pull apart our organisation from the inside..."

Endel intervened at that point, grabbing Cheval by the shoulders from the right. "Stop! She works with us now... all right?"

Cheval lowered his sword, still wearing that same look on his face. It was clear to Torianna that this man had been through something unsettling on his journey, after all, months of solitude must have been hard on him. He moved with the uneasy disposition of a man on the edge as he turned to face the rest of the group. Torianna pushed herself away from the wall, shooting the scoundrel her worst glare. Lorcan moved to stand between the two of them, regarding Cheval with a thoughtful glance. Even Maia appeared somewhat unsettled.

Silently, Cheval slipped his blade back into its sheath, his eyes never leaving the assembled group. "What the hell happened while I was gone?" he muttered darkly.

[Franne 2]

Cheval looked so different since they had last seen him. Maia had never really talked much to him before and had barely seen him during their trip. As a result, she didn't know him very well, though it was clear that something had happened to him that made him act this way. He had missed a lot, but to react to Torianna like that... 

It was quiet for a few seconds.

No one seemed to want to answer Cheval's question. Maia glanced at Endel. It was such a difficult question to respond to... So much had happened, she didn't even know where to begin...

Not that she would answer, no. Cheval didn't know her, and she thought that it would be best for Endel or Lorcan to reply, and because Lorcan wasn't an option, well...
It seemed like everyone thought kind of the same way. She saw both Lorcan and Torianna looking at Endel, and Cheval noticed it too.

"Well? Endel?" 

[Knuckle 484]

((I'm back))

 

Slowly, Endel recounted the story of their adventures after that fateful evening in Kakariko. Cheval, of course, had been sent off by Telma to help the Great Fairies in undoing most of Kazdan's dark magic. As Endel told him about the demise of that horrible menace, Cheval let out a bitter laugh.

"So, the beastly man is destroyed." He added. "a real shame what happened to Skallin though. That one had more substance than all the Castle Guard put together." Endel gave a solemn nod. "At any rate," Cheval continued, "Let me catch you all up on my... interesting little excursion through Hyrule."

 

Cheval cut right to the chase of making excuses for disappearing off the grid, in his typical fashion. "It's not like I was slacking or anything, but I've been so busy running errands for a bunch of magical ladies that there just wasn't any time for reports." He shrugged his shoulders to make it look like he was a helpless victim of circumstances, but the others just sighed in disappointment. "These fairies... they have a Goddess-given duty of defending the realm from supernatural threats." Cheval continued without a hitch. "After seeing off those poor kids we rescued, I had to travel to this weird place. There's an extremely powerful Queen of the Fairies here, and she made me her servant; so now, I get to do fun stuff like killing hordes of monsters, checking up on the other fairies..." His expression dulled, "basically the opposite of what I enjoy doing."

 

Suddenly a light seemed to go off in Cheval's head, and he clapped his palms together. "Hey! you guys don't have anything to do right now, since you found me and all. Maybe that crystal ball led you here so I'd have some help with all these crazy errands! "

Endel sighed harder and rubbed his temples. "No way, I don't think-"

"Say no more, I know we can help each other out, old buddy!" Cheval rested an arm on his baffled friend and gave a big smile. "Look, just help me with one mission from the Fairy Queen and I'll tell you what you need to know. It just so happens I have a lead on that Jaydon guy you mentioned, give me a hand and then I can take you to the place he's hiding." Cheval stretched out his hand to seal the agreement rather abruptly.

It was Torianna's turn to show her frustration this time. With a loud groan, she shook his hand with heavy exasperation. "But I'm doing this for my brother, not because I think you're worth helping!" She spat.

"Much obliged! The Queen is just a little further down this passage. Just be thankful, she said this place used to be full of monsters before some guy cleared it all out." He skipped ahead a bit then turned to beckon them. "Come on now, let's get one last mission from her and then you're free to go with me and keep looking for Jaydon!"

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

"I can't believe he's using that information to bribe us," Torianna muttered darkly to Lorcan as they proceeded down the passage. "Doesn't he care about the scoundrels? Doesn't he have any sense of loyalty?" Lorcan quirked an eyebrow at that, shooting her a surprised glance. She scowled. "Shut up."

He just shook his head softly, and Torianna bit back a sigh. She couldn't give a damn about aiding Cheval with his errands, she just wanted to know if her brother was safe. She had barely heard a thing from him since that day in the castle, had never seen him. Even when rescuing Lorcan, Jaydon was nowhere to be found. She couldn't help wondering how much of him was actually left. Not to even mention what kind of a state her father must be in...

A soft glow distracted her from her thoughts as they neared the end of the chamber. The group spilled out into a wider circular room with a pool of water at its centre. As the glow faded, the assembled group found a young girl sat in the water, with sullen eyes and a snub, red-tipped nose. Her hair was long and silvery, tucked neatly behind her elongated ears and spilling down over her shoulders to cover her bare chest. Shimmering white blue wings extended out behind her back, as if they were petals unfolding from a bud. The smallest hint of a smile spread across her thin, faintly purple lips.

"My loyal servant," she said, barely moving her lips. "I see you've brought company."

[Knuckle 484]

Cheval's face turned a bright shade of pink. "Er... yeah, these guys are here to help me with duties." Endel forgot how much his boss hated being subservient to anyone.

"I've been expecting you, friends of Cheval." the Great Fairy said, turning now to them. "Word of your deeds has come to me from several corners of Hyrule. Many of your actions have saved the innocent and perpetuated the peace of this realm, greatest of all being the defeat of that Sorcerer Kazdan."

 

Now it was Endel's turn to blush a bit; he'd never dared to think of himself as famous. The Great Fairy continued as if she hadn't noticed their averted gazes. "Unfortunately, there is still work to be done. The seeds of Kazdan's work must be destroyed before they grow too strong, but none of you are ready for that task." She regarded them matter-of-factually. Torianna shot her a piercing glare, but remained silent. "But we cannot afford to sacrifice time for the sake of training. Therefore, I ask that you travel to the Arbiter's Grounds and clear the evil remnants of that place. Your task is not an easy one, but it will prepare you for the final stretch of your quest in ways you cannot anticipate. This is my last request for you and your friends, Cheval. Remember; you are all gifted with power sufficient, but you must find the confidence to wield it."

 

---

 

"What a waste of time!" Torianna moaned as soon as they'd left the cave. "If I'd known she was going to send us on such a wild goose chase, I would've bailed to go look for Jaydon while the rest of you wasted time here!" 

"You could at least thank her for refilling our water and giving us the supplies to make the trip." Endel shot back. He wasn't in the mood to deal with his partner's grief this time. "And we didn't know better, so now we have to-"

"Just do what these airheaded mystics and gods tell us to, right?" Torianna interrupted, "Do you even listen to yourself anymore? You've gone soft!"

Endel tried one last time to swallow his anger "Look, I know you want to go and find Jaydon, but we don't really have a choice. Let's just do what the Great Fairy said-"

"You're not even trying to understand me!" Torianna blew up. "Trust The Advisor, trust the Great Fairy... you act like you're doing the right thing, but guess what? You're just doing what everyone else tells you to do! If you want to have no backbone then fine, but stop acting like my feelings don't matter!" She was shaking visibly now; both of them had completely lost control.

"If you're done acting like the world revolves around you," Endel hissed through clenched teeth. "The rest of us have work to do. Whether you like it or not, we're going to the Arbiter's Grounds." He locked eyes with Torianna in a furious glare of his own. "You can come with us or you can leave, simple as that."

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

Endel's words opened up a black pit in the bottom of Torianna's stomach. Honestly she just wanted to smash her fist into this idiot's teeth, knock some sense into him! He was running around from pillar to post following this order and that, hoping that somehow he'd stumble across the correct solution. As for Torianna, she was sick of taking the back-seat while he bungled this mission. She'd spent far too long letting him delay saving her brother, and she was sick of it.

His expression was one of absolute fury mingled with impatience. He watched Torianna, waiting for her to offer a response.

"Fine," she muttered, burying her hands into her pockets; it was all she could do not to slap him. "If you want to follow another needless order, be my guest. I'm not wasting any more time with this drivel." She paused a moment, glancing around at the assembled group. Maia stood just behind Endel, her fingers laced together nervously. Cheval watched on impassively, while Lorcan looked visibly distressed by the confrontation. Torianna's stomach churned as she realised that he was hedging.

"Lorcan?" she asked, squinting in the harsh sunlight. A look of panic passed over his expression and he began compulsively shifting weight from foot to foot with each second. His curls flopped down over his eyes, shading his expression as he painfully deliberated. Torianna's fingers twitched, itching to grab him by the arm and pull him away with her.

But his response came clear. A simple, guilt-ridden shake of the head. The pit opened up and swallowed her diaphragm, her lungs, her heart.

"I see," she muttered. Then, with all the disdain she could muster: "Good luck."

[Knuckle 484]

Everyone else watched as Torianna packed her things and left the group. Endel didn't even pretend to notice, and Cheval seemed to be thankful for the turn of events, but Maia and Lorcan both looked much more anxious. As they began to pack their own bags and prepare for the journey to the Arbiter's Grounds, Endel had to admit to himself that they'd just lost a good fighter when they needed one badly. Cheval was a good addition, but could be a little less agile than he'd like to admit. But the damage had been done, and for better or worse they were going into the desert without Torianna.

 

Having relatively less experience in the region than Cheval, Endel reluctantly gave the role of leader back to his old boss as they traveled the sands and stones of Gerudo Desert. As the older thief warily guided them through "enemy territory" in his words, Endel took a moment to calm himself by talking with Maia.

"I don't get it. She's been in the Network her whole life, she ought to know that sometimes you just have to follow orders." Endel confided as Maia listened. "I know she cares about her brother, but whether you believe in your boss or  your creator, we all have to listen to somebody, right?"

Maia seemed to consider his words thoughtfully for a while, but it was clear she was straining to stay neutral this time. Endel sighed upon realizing he was putting her in an uncomfortable situation.

"Sorry, we can talk about something else now if you like." He said.

[ButterflyBabyBlue 2]

When Cheval and Endel weren't looking, Lorcan threw the occasional glance over his shoulder just in case, in case she was coming back. In case she realised she was simply frustrated and caught up with anger in the moment and turned back to them. Cheval was always quick to tell him to hurry up or focus. Once, Lorcan had turned to give Torianna a roll of his eyes and realised it was Maia walking alongside him.

Of the other three, Maia was most sympathetic to Lorcan's mixed emotions, but she could only give him so many sorrowful looks, only so many pats on the shoulder.

"Keep up, Lorcan," Endel barked at him from where the others were walking ahead of him in a line. "She's long gone now, anyways."

Lorcan turned to glare at their backs, his hand going to his bag. He felt the outline of the crystal ball, feeling heavier than ever now, and considered for a moment before deciding against it. Best to wait until they stopped for rest, he thought.

Still, he missed Torianna more than he should have, and the others knew it. Even Cheval, who had been gone for most of their adventures.

Well, this wasn't the only misfortune he'd ever run into, and moping about it would do no good - not that he could actually complain.

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

Solitude seemed to worsen everything, as far as Torianna was concerned. The heat became more oppressive; the meagre supplies she'd taken from the group were heavier on her back; her anger multiplied in the pit of her stomach. Did Endel even try? Did he even care? And Maia... she'd said nothing, didn't try to talk Torianna out of it. She didn't even say goodbye.

And Lorcan... Torianna didn't want to think about Lorcan.

They were the first people she'd ever dared to call her friends, and now she regretted it. Burn them all anyway.

She occupied herself for the first few miles of her journey by playing out scenarios in her head. She pictured Endel grovelling for forgiveness, Maia begging for her assistance, Lorcan with fat tears in those puppy dog eyes. But the images weren't quite as satisfying as she'd hoped they'd be, and a tiny part of her knew that she was just compensating for her sense of abandonment with anger.

Screw it. It felt good.

So she let herself run off angry endorphins for the best part of the afternoon as she traipsed across the desert, headed back the way they came. She marked off each landmark she passed on her mental check-list, but kept one eye on the falling sun. She knew she couldn't keep walking forever, and camping alone was a dangerous prospect.

So when a caravan came trundling along the horizon, Torianna was infinitly relieved. She stuck out her thumb, watching as the vehicle swerved in it's path, cutting across the sand towards her. As it drew closer, Torianna took in the two strange boar like creatures tethered to the front and the two ageing ladies sat in the drivers perch. Their long greying hair was interwoven with pressed flowers and cotton threads, and they were both dressed in loose fitting print dresses.

"You lookin' for a lift, little lady?" one asked. "You look all tuckered out."

It wasn't until she was tucked away in the caravan; between boxes of fabric and crates of beads, buttons, and thread; that Torianna let herself cry.

Edited 18 Mar 2015 by NayruGoddessOfWisdom (see edit history)

[Knuckle 484]

Eventually Endel's frustration subsided completely, allowing him to pay more attention to his surroundings. The desert became geographically flatter after they'd passed under an eerie-looking archway a few miles back. There were now signs of civilization, albeit from wild tribes of Bokoblin and the like. "Everything that would pose a threat to us here is long gone." Cheval assured him as he looked around warily. Endel's boss was a peerless scout, one that could be trusted to know dangerous territory long before it knew him. But something about all of this felt wrong to Endel; weren't they supposed to be heading into monster territory?

"Monsters always gather in excess around places like this," Endel cautioned, "So why is this ruined campsite empty?"

Cheval shrugged. "Where there's a horde of beasts, there's a single pack leader that draws them to his presence. I'd bet the leader withdrew deep into the grounds at some point." He theorized. "Nonetheless... it's getting dark already. The time moves quicker than it should out on this desert, and I don't want to risk going into the Arbiter's Grounds at night."

"We can't retreat after gaining all this ground." Endel reminded him. Lorcan shook his head in agreement. Maia seemed to have an idea.

"If we set up a light camp, they won't be able to surround us effectively. This place has a lot of cover from outside arrows and too many close corners we could use to our advantage."

 

Cheval gave a smug grin. "My thoughts exactly." He said, to which Endel rolled his eyes. "Set up nothing more than blankets, and be ready to rise at the crack of dawn."

[ButterflyBabyBlue 2]

Lorcan lay down between Cheval and Maia, curled up tight and gathering his blanket about him as best he could. He braced himself against the cold, his eyes flickering toward Endel who sat wearily on watch. 

After a half-hour of not being able to sleep, Lorcan eventually decided to look at his crystal ball. Just in case.

It still emitted a faint glow despite the darkness, almost pulsating. It took a few minutes, but he was able to make out a familiar shape.

Torianna was seated, dozing, in what appeared to be a carriage. Had she been kidnapped? Or had she simply managed to find transportation? 

Either way, she really was leaving. Headed toward Castle Town, toward her brother. Would she really take him on alone?

Unable to come up with answers to his own question, Lorcan worried until he eventually drifted off.

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

When Torianna finally awoke from her nights slumber, the caravan around her was still. She blinked in confusion for a few moments, before remembering how she came to be here. Sunlight streamed in from the end of the carriage, where the canvas was pulled wide open and the two women were sat in the early morning sunshine, stitching the fabric into clothes. The young thief extracted herself from the caravan, thanked the women for their assistance, then gathered to leave. One seamstress offered to let Torianna stay for breakfast, but she refused. She didn't want to be idle right now. After much relentless kindness, Torianna accepted a bag of fruit from the women, and took off.

They had parked up just outside the Southern gates of Castle Town, and as much as Torianna hated to be here again, it was the perfect place. She needed some kind of hint as to whether or not her Dad was still staying in the city or if he'd moved along by now. And the best place to gather that kind of information, was his favourite tavern. The bartender there knew Torianna, and she knew he was dirty enough to take bribes. It was even safer to go there now, knowing full well that the place would be rid of drunkards, criminals, and gamblers.

That's how she found herself pushing open a black-painted door in a dingy alleyway in the East of Castle Town. But the place wasn't empty, as Torianna had assumed it would be. A half loaded tray of empty cups was left abandoned on one of the tables, as if the bar tender had been interrupted during his morning duties. And there, stood at the bar, was someone that Torianna thought she'd never see again.

He turned to face her, his hazel eyes flickering over her with thinly veiled disdain. He retrieved one hand from the pocket of his brown leather jacket, clutching a fistful of rupees which he passed to the bar tender, before turning his full attention to the thief. Little had changed about him since their last brief encounter; he stood as tall and lean as always, leaning against the bar on one elbow. He still had his same reasonably pale complexion, prominent nose, slightly lopsided mouth which curled into a crooked smile.

"I'm surprised that you had the nerve to show your face around here after all you've done, Tori," he said, dredging up annoyance in his old partner in crime. He hesitated. "Although, nerve was never something you were short of."

Torianna cocked her head, relieved by his familiar tone. "You're one to talk, Rueben."

[Knuckle 484]

Just as Cheval said, they were up as the first rays of the sun shot over the distant mountaintops. Their current leader roused them from their sleep, having taken the last shift of watch duty, and rushed them toward the apparent entrance to the Arbiter's Grounds. The prison itself, a daunting structure composed of many pillars and circular walls, only had a humble entrance at its base where they intended to enter. All that time the desert remained quiet; Endel could practically hear the beating of his heart from anxiety.

"There's almost certainly a huge ambush ahead..." he thought aloud. Cheval turned to him and quietly held a finger to his mouth. His plan must've been to assume there were many monsters in the area that hadn't seen them yet, because their leader never cued to brandish weapons or prepare to open fire with arrows. Or at least, Endel hoped that Cheval wasn't assuming the place was empty and all the monsters were straight ahead. They continued silently all the way up to the entrance, then broke into a casual walk as they passed under the stone gateway.

 

The architecture inside further aroused Endel's suspicions that this building wasn't at all Hylian. Just like the exterior, the walls of the first chamber were made of a cruder rock than any architect of Hyrule would tolerate. Most everything had a malicious edge to it, as if the prison had been constructed by some race of fiends. The only exception was a single, relatively new bridge that spanned a pool or shifting quicksand; this must've been added by Hylian Soldiers during their failed recapturing of this place. At any rate, it was a huge convenience to everyone since they had no other means of crossing the sands, which could pull any of them under in seconds. They continued to uneventfully over the bridge and into the next room.

 

Endel felt a strong chill overcome him as they entered a passage full of darkness. Two torches beamed across the area, but as they walked toward them Endel finally heard the sound he'd been dreading since they arrived; the shifting of bodies over the sand. Maia lit a torch to reveal dozens of tiny, spear-wielding stalchidren emerging from pools of sand to their left and right.

"Stick close and stay at each other's backs!" Endel warned them. "They may look like children, but those spears are the real deal!"

[ButterflyBabyBlue 2]

The group charged, and Lorcan drew his sword quickly. He stood motionless next to Maia for a moment or two, before Cheval's voice snapped him back to reality.

"Come on, Lorcan! You still thinking about your girlfriend?"

That did it for Lorcan. All his annoyance at Cheval, all his sadness over losing Torianna...

He flew forward, lifting his blade, and slashed mercilessly. The fact that they looked like children didn't faze him in the least, not in the moment. 

He hacked and cut his frustration away, deafening himself with the cries of the Stalchildren. While the others tried to strategize in some way, Lorcan had thrown himself into the midst of the group, uncaring, simply in need of a way to vent his anger out. And he didn't have Torianna to shout at here.