Author's Notes: Happy New Year!!!
Crawling on all fours, Rosalinde peeked her head over the edge of a hill overlooking the town of Yanis. It was quiet and peaceful, not a single sign of trouble or conflict. It looked like nothing out of the ordinary had happened here in years. She frowned slightly as she scanned the area once more for any indication of trouble; she had been expecting something...
Laying flat on her stomach, she rolled over to where her star knight and Commander Lhinalagos were lying prone as well, their eyes trained forward.
"I don't see anything ..." she remarked, pressing her body closer than needed into the spartan. "It looks... peaceful...?"
Her star person gazed through the scope of his arbalest, scanning the buildings and surrounding landscape. "It does." He noted aloud. Nothing seemed amiss or suspicious.
"Think it's a trap?" Lhinalagos questioned with narrowed eyes, his brows furrowed with worry.
"No," Chief replied without looking at him.
"No?" Rosalinde tilted her head slightly, pushing a bit more of her frame against his armor. Trying to see through his scope. "How so?" She inquired.
The Master Chief passed her his rifle for her to peer through, the large weapon too cumbersome for her to properly wield, she struggled to keep it still for a few moments before getting the hang of it and looking through the scope.
"Oh!" The image was so clear and his scope rivaled any telescope she's ever used. "This is amazing!" She praised, moving from one side of town to another.
Shifting his gaze towards Lhinalagos, Chief gave a quick explanation: "A few pieces of Zenorian armor were left out on display; they look like some kind of warning, but the town itself seems fine..."
Nodding, the Commander turned back to gaze at the village. "It couldn't have been any of my men; we've been stuck in Fort Pikkimp for months, and there hasn't been much activity around this area since the war began," he muttered quietly.
Humming in thought and lowering the Arbalest, Rosalinde handed the rifle back to Chief, "Perhaps some local farmers took a stand?"
"Ter Rosalinde," Lhinalagos frowned and shook his head, "These people haven't lifted a sword in generations, a militia of such a small nature would hardly be capable of organizing and training themselves to repel invaders."
The dark elf nodded in agreement before a sly smile graced her features. Scooting herself over to the Spartan, she rested her chin on his shoulder plate. "Well, stranger things have been happening lately," she mused with an impish grin. "Who knows what could be going on in this town, right Master Chief?" She winked at him.
The spartan simply glanced at her briefly, before returning his attention to the task at hand, "We need to find out what happened here." He stated in a neutral tone. His visor shifted once more to the seemingly peaceful village.
"Yes, but how shall we do that? Just waltz on in?" She questioned, raising her eyebrow in curiosity. "If it was indeed a trap..." She trailed off as she playfully tapped his shoulder plate.
The Chief rose to his feet and slung his rifle across his back, "Then we deal with them."
Rosalinde perked up at his words. The sheer confidence in them was infectious, she couldn't help but giggle, her ruby eyes shining brightly. She quickly jumped to her feet as well. "If you're going, then so am I!" She chirped happily.
Lhinalagos sighed and reluctantly stood up alongside them, "While I'd rather have you both remain here while I investigate first," He paused and gave an apologetic smile. "I know better than to try and dissuade the two of you..."
With that said he turned on his heel and began marching down to where the rest of their small army was stationed, a good mile away from town, hidden by trees and the rocky terrain.
"Then it's decided!" The dark elf grinned broadly, clasping her hands behind her back. "Let's go, shall we?"
Chief didn't respond verbally, but instead began moving down the hillside with Rosalinde trailing after him closely, practically skipping as she walked. Her long teal hair bounced slightly as she moved.
As the duo neared the edge of town, they slowed their pace, weapons drawn and at the ready.
The town was eerily quiet; nobody seemed to be out on the streets or going about their daily lives. It almost seemed abandoned... "Where is everyone?" Rosalinde asked quietly. Her ruby gaze darted around nervously as she held her staff tightly.
Chief's head swiveled about, looking through the various doorways and windows of each building they passed by. His visor scanning the area for any potential threats. Nothing came up on his motion tracker but still.
"They're hiding..." Chief spoke calmly, his eyes still trained on the streets ahead.
"Hiding?" She blinked in surprise, her brows furrowed together as she looked around, "But from what?"
"Us."
She pursed her lips for a moment, then nodded hesitantly. "How can you tell?" She whispered.
"Everything looks like it was dropped suddenly. Tools, clothing, even food." The spartan gestured to a few things that were left out. "They're all over the place. They ran inside quickly and hid."
The dark elf nodded slowly, her eyes scanning over the abandoned items scattered about; he was right, everything did look like it was hastily discarded.
As they made their way further into town, Chief kept his rifle ready, while Rosalinde peered into an empty home.
Suddenly she felt a strange sensation in her gut, a feeling of dread that made her shiver. Ears twitching slightly, and the sound of wood creaking from behind drew her attention.
At the same moment, Chief caught movement on his motion tracker "Contact, behind us." He called out, spinning around, and with blinding speed, the spartan put himself between Rosalinde and the would-be ambusher.
The assailant, clad in brown leather armor, a red cape, and messy purple hair, had jumped off a roof with a dagger in hand, ready to plunge the blade into the dark elf's neck... Only for the Spartan to interpose himself between them...
"Ack!" The figure shouted as his neck was grabbed by the Spartan who slammed him hard into the ground, pinning his arms down in one fluid motion. "Ow!"
Pressing his knee onto their chest and keeping a hold on his wrists, Chief quickly disarmed the individual of their weapon, tossing the dagger away.
Rosalinde took a few steps back as she watched with wide eyes as Chief subdued the mysterious figure.
"W-What?!" The human man cried out as he struggled against Chief's grip, his face contorted in pain.
"Who are you?" The spartan demanded gruffly, tightening his grip slightly, drawing a sharp grunt from the attacker. His eyes narrowed through his visor, glaring down at the writhing form beneath him.
"Owowowowowowowow!" The purple-haired man winced in agony as he continued to squirm around. "I'm not– haha..." a nervous laugh escaped him, his voice growing quieter, "The one you need to worry about... haha..."
An arrow being drawn from a quiver caught the Spartan's attention, and he quickly looked up to see another man standing on a roof nearby, drawing back the string of his bow and aiming at Chief and his captive...
Raising her staff defensively, Rosalinde's eyes narrowed as she prepared a spell "You've got a lot of nerve ambushing us like that," she hissed in a dangerous tone, her teeth bared in a snarl.
Chief stared down the archer, his mind racing through multiple scenarios on how to dispatch him with extreme efficiency.
"H-Hey now! Let's just talk this out like civilized folk, yeah?!" The pinned man beneath Chief stammered nervously.
Chief said nothing as he glared back at the red haired-archer who kept his aim trained on them both. Squeezing the man's wrist harder and causing the purple-haired stranger to cry out again.
"Gahhh! My arm! My arm!" The assistant cried out in pain.
"Drop the bow and get down here," Chief commanded firmly.
"That's not going to happen." the archer called back in a stoic voice. His gaze never wavering or leaving the Spartan.
The Master Chief's grip tightened even more. The man let out a pained groan as he tried to wrench his wrist free. "I won't ask again."
"Please, this isn't necessary..." a voice from the sky called out to them, catching the group off guard.
Both Chief and Rosalinde looked skyward to find a gryphon and its rider slowly descending from above, the sun shining behind it as if it were coming straight from the heavens itself, casting an almost angelic light upon the majestic beast...
The archer relaxed slightly but maintained his grip on the weapon, watching the newcomer carefully. As did Chief, his hold loosening somewhat on the squirming stranger below him.
"Oh, thank the gods," the purple-haired man sighed in relief, trying to look at the newcomer, "About time you got here!"
"Please," the figure repeated softly, "There's no need for violence." They pleaded gently as the gryphon landed on the street nearby.
The gryphon's rider, a young, lightly armored knight with blonde hair, slid off her mount with ease and grace, her blue eyes peering directly at them. She extended her hands out to them, opened palms and upturned. "We mean you no harm."
The purple-haired man struggled beneath Chief's grasp. "Tell that to my wrist! He practically shattered it!" he cried out in distress.
Rosalinde eyed the new arrival, taking note of their attire and appearance. Shoulder armor, shin and waist guards, and a simple green and white tunic that covered her well-endowed bosom. She didn't look like much of a threat, but appearances could be deceiving...
"Identify yourself," Chief spoke up in a cold, steely tone, his gaze locked onto the gryphon rider.
The blonde-haired woman gave him an odd look as if she wasn't sure what to make of him or his request. "I am Celeste, I formed the militia here."
Chief said nothing, but his grip on the squirming man relaxed further as his gaze flicked from her towards the archer, who still had his weapon trained on them, then back to Celeste again.
"A militia? Here?" Rosalinde's brows rose in surprise and curiosity.
Celeste nodded with a smile. "Yes! We've driven off Zenoira's forces and freed our people from their tyranny." she declared proudly, "Thanks to Ser Gammel," the gryphon knight pointed at the man Chief was currently restraining. "And Ser Mandrin," she then pointed at the archer. "We were able to succeed in our efforts!"
Gammel gave a nervous chuckle as he continued to wiggle about "Hah... yes! See, I'm a decent person! You can let me go now, yeah?"
The spartan glanced down at him and then back to Rosalinde who simply gave an unsure shrug.
Chief slowly removed himself from Gammel, allowing the smaller man to quickly get up and back away while rubbing his sore wrist with a groan. "Gods, that hurt..." he muttered quietly under his breath.
Mandrin finally lowered his bow and climbed off the roof with a hop, a bounce of his feet on a barrel, then landed on the street with a soft thud of his boots.
Seeing the confrontation had found a peaceful end, Celeste let out a sigh of relief, her shoulders sagging slightly. "Please, forgive our rudeness. It's been quite some time since we've seen anyone besides Zenoira forces..." She smiled warmly at the duo.
Twirling her staff idly and giving Gammel and Mandrin a critical look over, Rosalinde nodded in agreement, "That is understandable," she mused, looking back to the gryphon rider. "My name is Rosalinde," she gestured to Chief, "And this here is my partner, the Master Chief."
All three of the strange new faces stared at him for a long moment before Gammel tilted his head in confusion, "... The master... of what?"
Rosalinde pursed her lips for a moment and looked at her spartan companion, "He's the master of many things..." She grinned with a hint of playfulness. "But right now we are working together to free Elheim from Zenoira's control, just like your village."
Chief remained silent and allowed Rosalinde to speak on their behalf.
Gammel and Mandrin glanced at one another shrugging their shoulders dismissively while Celeste gave the dark elf a thoughtful expression.
Her eyes suddenly widened with realization "Wait... Rosalinde...?" The gryphon knight questioned, her eyes scanning the dark elf's features. "Augur and aid to the Turenós?!"
The dark elf gave a bright smile at the recognition of her title and raised her hand to her chest, placing it over her heart, "The very same." She said proudly.
"Oh wow! This is amazing!" The young blonde's face lit up as she clasped her hands together excitedly. "To think I'd ever meet one of the Oracles!"
The dark elf let out a light laugh and waved her hand dismissively. "Please, please," She mused with a hint of merriment.
Watching from the sidelines, Gammel elbowed Mandrin in the side lightly with a sly smile. "My knowledge of Elheim culture and lore is... rusty," he began with a sheepish smile. "But I think you tried attacking royalty or something..."
Mandrin frowned and crossed his arms, "You tried jumping her with a knife..." he pointed out with a hint of agitation.
Chief looked between all three of them as they bantered. Keeping his visor trained on them all to ensure that no more tricks were up their sleeves.
"I'm so sorry for the confusion," Celeste bowed her head apologetically to Rosalinde, ignoring the two men beside her. "When we saw the both of you approaching our town, we thought it might be some Zenoiran ruse..."
Rosalinde gave a curt nod and smiled softly. "We understand completely." she turned to Chief, "I think it's safe to say, there is no trap here... Right Master Chief?"
The spartan stared down at her and then at the three individuals before them, his expression unreadable behind his helmet. "If there is, we can deal with it," He replied firmly.
The trio of militia fighters seemed to tense up slightly at his words, but quickly relaxed when they realized he was only joking. At least… they hoped he was.
"Anyways..." Celeste coughed lightly, "You mentioned your mission is to free Elheim from Zenoira?" she asked curiously, tilting her head to the side. "But I can't imagine you'd come alone..." she trailed off, hoping for more information.
"We are not alone, no..." The dark elf shook her head and pointed towards a distant hill. "The resistance is stationed nearby, waiting for us to return with news," she explained with a hint of pride.
Celeste perked up at the mention of more allies and quickly glanced back at Mandrin and Gammel, who both nodded in unison, their faces stern with determination as well.
"Please!" She spun back around to face the pair once more, her hands clasped tightly together. "Allow us to assist you! Let us join your ranks and help you on your quest!"
Rosalinde's eyes widened at her request but quickly softened as a gentle smile played across her lips. "I would be honored to have such courageous souls beside me." She mused softly, her voice full of kindness. "And I'm certain the rest of the resistance will feel the same way."
The gryphon rider smiled broadly at those words "Thank you!" she replied enthusiastically. "We won't let you down!" she assured them.
Chief looked between the group before finally speaking again, "I'll inform the resistance forces." With that, he turned on his heel and marched off back towards where Lhinalagos was waiting with the rest of their men.
"So, you were once thieves stationed in Cornia... but now fight for Elheim?" Lhinalagos remarked with a hint of skepticism, his eyes narrowing slightly at the duo.
Gammel shrugged nonchalantly while Mandrin crossed his arms and leaned back against a building. The small town was now bustling with activity once more, the residents of Yanis having returned to their daily lives after the news of the Resistance's arrival was made known, and their intentions explained.
The purple-haired man waved his hands about. "Well, we've always been good boys deep down!" he mused in a light tone, his gaze flicking between the active town square and the elven commander.
"But after a run-in with some kind-hearted knights of Cornia... they convinced us it was better to fight for something other than ourselves..." he trailed off with a wistful sigh. His eyes drifted towards the sky as if recalling some distant memory. "We figured, why not try our hand at being heroes? You know?"
Mandrin rolled his eyes and shook his head. "He's romanticizing the whole ordeal..." the archer grumbled.
Lhinalagos simply stared blankly at them for a moment before letting out an exasperated sigh. "Well, regardless of your past, I am grateful for your aid." he admitted reluctantly, glancing back at the town square, "And it seems the people of Yanis are as well."
Celeste and Rosalinde strolled up to them from behind with baskets of fruit and bread in their grasp. The blonde gryphon knight beamed brightly, "We've been able to gather quite the supplies for your forces," she chirped happily, setting down her basket next to Lhinalagos.
Rosalinde set her basket down and stretched slightly "Not just food either," she mused with a slight smile. "The townspeople have been very generous with their support."
"The slavers up the road in Kiulkukka will be taken completely by surprise, I bet," Celeste remarked, her face lit up as she looked around for the large armored man that accompanied the dark elf.
"Ter Rosalinde, where has Master Chief gone?"
The Augur gazed about for a moment, then sighed gently, shaking her head, "He's probably off making sure we're not being spied on..." she murmured, brushing a lock of her teal hair out of her face. "Always so diligent and alert."
"The star knight is certainly dedicated to his cause," Lhinalagos mused with an impressed look upon his features. "I've never seen a man more focused on a single task before. It's remarkable really..."
"Star knight?" Both Mandrin and Celeste questioned curiously at the same time.
The commander gave a small nod and glanced at the duo, "Yes, Master Chief is from beyond the stars above." he explained in a casual tone as if it were common knowledge. "So says Ter Rosalinde anyway..."
Gammel perked up with interest, "Wait wait..." he held up his hand with a puzzled expression. "You're saying that big guy... Is some sort of god???" he questioned with wide eyes.
Rosalinde giggled softly and shook her head. "Not a god, no..." she mused, "But he is most certainly special."
The trio seemed to share an incredulous look as they stared at her, before Gammel finally spoke up again, "So what makes him so special then?" he asked in a skeptical tone.
Checking one of his arrows idly, Mandrin glanced up at the dark elf, "Besides being tall and strong-looking..."
The Augur's smile only widened further "I suppose you'll see soon enough..."
Nodding in agreement, Lhinalagos crossed his arms, "Speaking of which, we must prepare to march on Kiulkukka." He stated firmly, turning to address Celeste and Gammel. "Will your forces be ready to move out shortly?"
The gryphon knight nodded and flashed the commander an assuring smile, "Absolutely!" She spoke with confidence, glancing over to her other two companions. "Right guys?"
Gammel grinned widely and gave a thumbs up while Mandrin simply nodded back in affirmation.
The elven commander cracked a small smile and bowed his head lightly towards them, "Excellent." He turned and walked back into the crowd of people milling about around them.
Resting his back against a tree with his battle rifle in hand, Chief scanned the treeline around him, keeping an eye out for any movement. The rest of the combined forces of Yanis' militia and the resistance were beginning to march out, heading southwest in the direction of Kiulkukka.
Looking down into the town square, Chief watched as the townsfolk said their goodbyes to the fighters, wishing them luck in the coming battle. A few of the women had even gone up and kissed some of the men on their cheeks or hugged them tightly before returning home...
Rosalinde was busy bidding farewell to a few elderly townsfolk when Celeste approached her with the two thieves in tow.
Pushing off the tree and slinging his rifle across his back, Chief began making his way back toward the group; Yanis was a pleasant surprise, and the trio that had greeted them seemed competent enough. But he knew with the loss of this to town, the slavers and any Zenorian forces operating nearby would now be put on high alert.
Watching the afternoon sun slowly rise over-head, Chief set out with the rest of the combined force towards Kiulkukka and to liberate another part of Elheim from Zenoira.