The guards were on his tail that morning. They had discovered the noble's moaning body outside his estate, thinking that he had fallen from the weight pressed on the beams. He had awoken to tell them briefly that it was no accident, and that a man in black robes and a silver rose pin had knocked him out of the balcony.
Albert knew he would have precious time to escape the village. But even still, he could take his time. Knowing his own work, they would be too intimidated to do anything to him, especially armed. There were only 2 guards at the gate, both armed with spears and bows. They were obviously alerted of his late night rousing of the noble.
Albert took a good look at the guards. They had the typical hylian armor, but on their helmets was the symbol of the Triforce...upside down. He didn't get much of a better look after that, because one of the guards rushed at him, the other noching an arrow. Albert drew the Grayswandir and Fenrir, and decided it would be good to carry a disguise.
The guard that rushed him stumbled and landed on his head, nearly knocking him cold. Sighing, Albert kicked him in the head, knocking him out. The other began firing arrows like crazy, not even getting close to him. He rushed at the poorly trained archer, disarmed him, and kicked him in the ribs. The man doubled over as Albert took his quiver. He took his armor off of him, and put it in a rucksack he found in the cellar.
He fled the village, frantically looking for someone to help him. He wondered how the noble had come to aquire his family heirlooms, but set the tought aside when he approached a nearly destroyed caravan. Of those he saw were 2 Hylians, a Sheikah, and 2 Greudo (from his stand point), and about a dozen soldiers with the same insignia on their helmets.
"Hmm...more soldiers, eh?" Albert said to himself. "Sounds like fun."
He rushed into the fray, and killed 2 soldiers in the process. One of the warriors fighting the soldiers came up to him, after slaying a guard behind him.
"Mind if I help out?" Albert said.
"The more the merrier. You look like a seasoned fighter. The name's Meathos."
"...Meathos...strange, it sounds...familiar. But I digress. I am Albert."
The soldiers began fighting more viciously, thus ending more conversation with Meathos.
"I can't believe this is happening again..." A young girl sighed. "An entire century of peace gone down the tubes in a matter of a few measly years..." Sakura rose from her wooden deku throne that sat inside the shelter of a giant deku tree-house. She walked to the entrance and peered up into the canvas of the trees. The small patches of sun light shining down through the leaves hid the fact that a thin layer of the Great Deku Tree's own mana covered the village of Kokori, the Lost woods, and the Sacred Realm. This protective Mana sheltered the people and animals of these places from the harmful effects of the outside air.
Mido, Sakura's husband got up off of his chair and went over to her. "Savage pigs... First Kakariko, then Zora's Domain, now us..." Sakura's eyes narrowed, and she balls her fists. "I'll break down these damned walls. Even if I have to dig my way out--"
Her eyes lit up, and she looked out over the village. "That's it!" Mido shook his head. "It won't work Sakura. We've tried, and none of us can break through those steel walls..." Sakura looked up over at the wall where the enterance to the Lost woods lies. "Then, I'll just have to go under them... I'll just use my magic to--" Mido shakes his head again. "You've tried... Vines and plants are no match against these steel barriers apparently..."
She turns completely around and looks at him with some anger. "Do you forget who I am Mido!" Sakura says with a raised voice, alerting the others of the village, and causing the them to momentarily stop what they're doing to look at the two. "Sakura..." Mido says with some embarrasment. Sakura just stares at him. "I'm a Triforce Guardian!" She scans the village. "We can't even get into the Lost woods because of these walls... Our food supplies are running thin, and we've already lost three people this week alone... She looks over at a hut where the sick and weak Kokori kids are housed. "I'll be damned if I let these barbarians do this to my home. I'm going to get us out of here, if it takes every ounce of strength left in me."
Mido takes her hands. "Then what? You can't leave the forest Sakura... The Great Deku tree's health has been poor for some reason. I don't know if it can expend the energy necessary to create another tunic..." The two exchange looks of sympathy, and Sakura speaks. "...I can't let our people die because of these Hyrulian dogs who think they can rule the world."
She looks at the triforce symbol on her glove. "It was a mongrol like this that we fought against one hundred years ago." She looks back at him, with tears in her eyes. "You weren't there. You didn't see what I did Mido. The things I saw back then...the men that sacrificed themselves for the Hero of Time, and for the world..." She shuts her eyes and a tears rolls down her cheeks. "I don't want that to happen again."
She opens her eyes up, and begins walking towards the entrance to the Lost woods. Mido soon follows her. "I'll try again Mido. And I'll keep trying until I break down that wall. And then I'll move on to the next one and break that one too."
Sakura reaches the wall up to the entrance to the Lost woods, and quickly scales up the vine covered obstacle in a matter of a few seconds. She stands at the hollowed out trunk, next to the gossip stone, and puts her face up to the wall. "Lost children of the forest! Skull children! Please hear me! We are in need of your help!" She shouts.
Silence...
Sakura sighs, and tries again. "Please answer!"
But again, there is nothing... Nothing but the faint rustle of the leaves and grasses on the other side of the wall.
They were there. Listening...
Sakura starts pounding on the wall, and raises her voice. "You use to be of the Kokori race long ago! You're still welcome among us! Please! Answer me! We need your help! Our people..." She shakes her head, and starts over. "Your people! They're dying in here! Please help us break down these walls! Please..."
Mido finally makes it up the wall and joins Sakura. He breaths for a moment, and shakes his head at Sakura. "They're called the Lost children for a reason Sakura... They can't hear us. Ganon made sure of that when he corrupted their minds..." Sakura shakes hers right back in anger. "No! They can hear us. I heard nothing at first... but then I heard movement. They're listening Mido. I know they are." Mido narrowed his eyes and turned towards the wall. Most of the other Kokori by now had gathered on the rooftops of the tree houses, witnessing what was taking place. Some exchanged concerned glances, others exchanged looks of uncertainty. "If you are there, then help us! Help your people! We'll die in here if we don't get any assistance!" Mido shouted angerily at the wall.
Silence for another moment...
...Or so it seemed.
The battle, as long and droning as it was, ended rather quickly. The prisoners overran the Hellriders, ending them. The elite desert troops were defeated, Meathos the last of them.
Soon after the Kakariko escape, however, the prisoners had intercepted a caravan full of wounded prisoners and soldiers alike from the Front. The fifty prisoners, blinded with rage and adrenaline, rolled over the wagons and carriages with ease. But, by the end of it all, there were roughly eight or so of the escapees left.
13, 33 and 337 scavanged weapons and shields from the soldiers, and released their creativity. They positioned the bloody and mangled bodies in the shape of the Triforce, only it was point up. Beside their creation, the words 'THIS WAY UP' with an arrow pointing up, with the Triforce, were made with the weapons of the dead soldiers. Below it all, the number '1337' was written in whatever they could find. Arms, legs, weapons, wood...
It was now full-fledged day-time. Meathos, Jedam and a slew of recruits stood around their mess, ate, and got acquainted. There was a man named Albert, who ahd introduced himself foolishly in the heat of the battle.
There was a man named Sirithe, who had been injured on the Front. He was in the Wolfpack, but could not be trusted. He was not tied, but he was being watched.
Another Gerudo was also present. A woman. Meathos hadn't caught her name.
There was a 'Jack', with a strange accent. A few others were scattered.
Meathos found himself studying Gnisal, who had wandered off, and looked to be inspecting the dead. Every once in a while, he would tear a small piece of leather from his garb, and place it on one of the bodies. The Hellrider walked up, and asked what he had been doing.
"Go away, leave me alone." Gnisal snapped with a hoarse, almost tortured voice. He seemed nervous and unnatural. "Go!"
More and more time passed, and before they started actually moving, it was nearly 4 in the afternoon. The sky hung low, the clouds at half-mast. The sun was hiding the world from its view. The vagabonds, exiles, militia, were lost and forsaken by the world. They had no one but themselves.
"To get through this, we'll have to be hard as steel. We are now a militia, the volunteer army of the people. We will do our part in this world, this history. We are the Metal Militia, and we will take down the fascists." Meathos heard someone say. He liked it.
The last of the Hellriders plopped his square helmet on, cleaned his weapon, and helped the others try to get a wheel from one of the lead carriages to the old WarWagon in the back of the line.
The WarWagon was essentially an armoured carriage, heavy. It had a small chamber in the front of it, horses still intact. They would run when whipped, turning a tread beneath their feet. That tread had 'teeth' onlong the edges, which fit perfectly into the grooves in the tread below. The horses would run, and they would move the massive container of steel and wood.
In the sides were small slits for observation and bows. The back had a massive hatch which would open, letting its cargo of bloodthirsty soldiers free. It was a dark armoured hell, ensuring survival into a deeper level of the world of the damned.
That wagon would be their headquarters, their supply tent, their life line. It's 40 feet bay would hold enough for a short time. They would need more soon enough...
"A raid is coming..." Meathos warned the distant Hyrule Castle. Its immense size was being veiled by smoke and fog... But he noticed something odd: A small line was stringing from the massive gates that faced North... Reinforcements?
"More of them?" Jedam sighed. "Where do you guys come from? Trees?"
"I wish..." Meathos' eyes were trying to see the line clearly from the great distance. "There's got to be..." He turned to Jedam. "If we can see them from here, and not even the windows in the Market or the Castle..."
"Time to move, I'm seeing." Albert walked up to the two opposites. He looked at the two of them, and chuckled. The others looked at him, rather confused. "You both are damn familliar," he glanced to the Gerudo "but, I didn't catch your name. Halse, is it?"
Jedam's ears perked. "What... What did you say?"
Meathos rested the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. 'This is too fcking weird...' he thought.
"Halse? For some reason, I think your name is Halse..."
"It'd Jedam." The Gerudo walked away immediately, thinking hard. Meathos left aswell, but in a different direction. They would leave as soon as they could.
Hellrider walked on weak knees to the 'front' of their caravan. The survivors were throwing their bundles of supplies and equipment into the armoured wagon, and the injured used up the medical supplies and room.
"Captain," the one named Sirithe started as he formed up on Meathos' left side, "I think we should head to the Forest."
"The Forest?" Meathos had been stationed there before, once. He had seen nothing but trees, and heard the occasional twig snap, or a flute play. He knew all about the Kokiri of legend, but he had never seen one himself. Nor did he know anyone who had. "Why would we do that?"
"They wouldn't expect us to go there, Sir. And if they did, we would have the wall as protection. Maybe even the Kokiri, if they knew our cause."
"Somehow, I don't think they would welcome a tank rolling up to their realm and have a Captain of the Hellriders step out, demanding 'sanctuary'." Meathos chuckled and sat on a dead soldier.
"...It is the farthest from them, though." Sirithe gestured to the castle. He picked up a helmet off of the ground. "Hnh... Panzer Battalion."
Meathos chuckled a bit, and told Sirithe to spread the word. They would go to the Forest. As the wolf walked off quietly, the demon drummed on the hilt of his weapon, his life, and listened to the bombs within his head.