Night had taken hold of Hyrule; darkness had fallen hours ago. On the highlands, several large beats thundered across the plateau, and yet the colossal soundwaves went unheard. It was a dreary night, to say the least. It had just started to rain, but Ruto was not plagued by a torrential downpour that night so much as a simple light rainstorm. The water from the sky turned the rocky ground of the flatlands to a muddy, puddle-ridden wasteland, through which three wild boars raced, completely unnoticed by the townspeople of the nearby settlement.

From a shaky watchtower in Ruto, two guards conversed in hushed tones. Their voices were riddled with fear and anxiety, for there seemed to be a great shadow of foreboding in the night air. "Have you heard the recent tales?" asked the first. "Aye. They say that there are legions of Moblins scouring the countryside. Say they crossed the mountains from Calatia," answered the second. the first watchman nodded. "Right. Well, apparently they've been causing a ruckus all over North Hyrule in the past few months. Be watchful of the plain, comrade," he said while gesturing to the vast expanse of terrain that preceded Ruto.

From the corner of the second guard's eye, he could swear he saw a light. The tremors from the ground far below seemed to confirm that something was coming. He gazed off into the highlands, squinting at the distant light, when from a completely different direction an arrow fired and skewered him through the chest. He gasped aloud, stirring the other guard, who turned to see his fellow vassal fall from the tower and hit the ground below with a resounding "Whump!" A groan came from where he had landed, and then there was silence.

Before the guard could even sound an alert, the sound of thundering hoofs became quite clear. He stared down at the three boars, each carrying two full-sized Moblins on their broad backs. The cowardly vermin carried idiotic expressions, save for one who seemed to be leading the pack. The leader seemed, odd as it was, intelligent for such a breed of monster. The watchman's jaw dropped as the frontman brandished its massive warclub and flung it with full force at the crooked supports of the very tower he was keeping lookout from. The entire structure, bereft of support after the damage caused by the well-aimed toss, fell over. The remaining watchman was crushed under the debris.

Not wasting any time whatsoever, the five Moblins stole away from their steeds and made their way to the Town Hall. One of the lackies produced a bomb from a bag he had been carrying over his back, and lit the fuse. The sparks lit up the scene to reveal the skin of the Moblins - deep teal, and covered in all sorts of scars and tattoos. He aimed carefully and hurled the explosive through a window of the building, while two others stormed through the door with two empty burlap sacs each, their facial features alive with a blend of stupidity and greed. The assault on the hall ended quickly - the two Moblins re-emerged from the building with their spoils. rather than taking the mayor's prized trophy collection, they had grabbed just about everything else they could find. Rupees, metals, weapons, books... anything that could hold value.

It was not the perfect getaway, however. On their way back to the edge of town, a red-haired man intercepted the bomber, and slit his throat with his jagged wooden sword. A few townspeople gathered around the man, and held up lanterns to see who it was. Blank Fireside stepped away from the dead creature and looked at it. His heart panged with fear as he recognized the breed, and he watched with a face pale as a ghost as the others scurried away without noticing their fallen brother. His eyebrows lowered as his face took on an angered expression this time, and he prepared to run after the heathen minions.

OOC: This is for anyone, and more than one person. It really doesn't matter who, or how many Just don't go titan on me and do something unrealistic.

Saber yawned as he walked slowly through the town. It was late....and wet. Taking a glance at Ally over his shoulder, he could see she was enjoying the pleasant change form the desert where their booth was. Suddenly he heard a trembling. Holding up a finger to Ally, he used his tracking skills to determing the direction of the rumbling and trying to place the sound he had heard before. Suddenly it hit him. Boars. The same steeds the bandits had ridden when---BOOOOOM!!!!!

He winced as an explosion rang out from the other side of the town. he saw a flash and plume of smoke, and memories once again began to flood back. This could be the same band--no time to hesitate. Signaling to Ally, he began to launch himself forward full speed, and after a few seconds was greeted by the sight of a boar whose momentum had carried it into the heart of the town. Hefting his saber above his head in one hand, he prepared to meet his foe. The rider had seen him, and quite obviously planned on slaughtering and looting him, and began to charge himself.

When they met, Saber threw himself parallel to the ground and launched into the air by placing his left hand on the boar's forehead. As he flipped through the air, time seemed to slow, and he brought his blade down in a fatal arc, catching the passenger Moblin on the upper half of its neck and following all the way through as it swung its club uselessly at him. He landed and turned to see how Ally handled the boar.

Alicheae had followed Saber to the sound of the rumbling. What she found surprised her: boars. Not ten, not twenty, but easily thirty.
While in shock, her accomplice Saber launched into action. He easily slaughtered the rider, leaving the boar for her to attend to.
The boar was easy to handle. She was quiclkly able to subdue the beast by leaping onto the snout and flipping onto the saddle. She quikly grabbed the reins, now covered in the passanger's blood, and brought the boar to a stop.

ooc: I didn't take out the driver, but oh well, let's assume I got them both.

Saber smirked. Excellently handled, she had the nomad's blood in her all right. They had a long, fruitful future ahead...the bandits! He remembered the situation and turned towards the rumbling. The rest of them seemed to be retreating...this boar must have strayed too far and been left behind. He ran to the captured boar and jumped onto it behind Ally. "Nicely done, Ally." Looking around, he saw the red-haired man take out his foe. "Head for that guy, the redhead over there!" He whispered, pointing, then he called out, "Swordsman! Allies on the way! Wait for us!"

Alicheae grinned. She was at the peak of her game right now, and proud.
She turned noticing that Saber was watching a red-haired man fight. As soon as she noticed he caught her eyes and told her to follow him.
I hope this man is an ally she whispered to herself.

A restful sleep had overtaken him long ago, allowing sweet dreams to slowly enter into his mind and bring him peace after a long day of training. His staff sat by the doorway, still retaining its glowing form from all the power he'd had it absorb during the course of refining his skills and making certain that the abilities he'd learned from Master in the past year were still at peak performance. The slight drizzle had added to the night air, bringing a sort of pleasant rhythm that only helped him sleep.

Of course, the interruption of that rhythm by the sound of an explosion snapped open the crimson eyes and brought him out of the bed of the room he'd rented in the inn for the night. He was instantly at the window, resting a hand on the sill as boar-back Moblins appeared in his vision. 'Just like back then in Rauru . . . it can't just be coincidence.' A smirk appeared on his lips as he saw them going into that stupid Mayor's Town Hall, but lest he be sent on another boring mission by that drunken man to search for a bunch of trophies . . . he grabbed his staff and didn't even walk to the doorway.

The floor seemed to open up beneath him as his passage to the mystical - yet potentially fatal - Void formed from the shadows of the room. He was outside the inn in a mere second rather than the five minutes it'd have normally taken him, just in time for the boars to stampede past him, throwing his cape up in the wind of their passing. Well, he couldn't just allow them to leave. Not after such a rude departure; they hadn't even said hello to him.

Nor had they spoken to at least three other people he sees, it seems. Blank Fireside, that Sabertache guy, and some girl he didn't know all emerged and began slicing into the Moblins. Well, he certainly wasn't going to let them have all the fun. What good would all this training he'd spent the day going through do him without utilizing a chance to put it to good use?

Stepping forward and into the moonlight, Alpha allows his glowing staff to emerge from beneath his cape. Sparks emerge from it every so often, arcing out to a passing rain drop; even having spent all day practicing the Rohtric techniques, it still has a lot of electricity to get rid of before it will return to being a normal staff. Swinging it around with practiced ease, the Sheikah unleashes a razor sharp blade of electricity, which screams towards his target. "Rohtric Dwors!"

After mounting the boar, Saber was nearly blinded by a bright flash of electiricity. Let's see...super powerful mage....is it...? He squinted and sheltered his eyes from the rain for a better look. Yup--it's Alpha. As they sped towards the red-haired man, Saber gave a shout of recognition to his acquaintance from the cafe fights.

The rain was miserable. Dogura loved rain, but he hated being a damp samurai. While he would have normally stayed at the wind mill, he was hurried to get to the mayor. There was a statue in the middle of the Town Square of Ruto town, and he wished to be removed from it. Being a wanted man, it would make Ruto Town Square a target for the King. His muscles ached, for he had walked all the way from a training session deep within Deku Woods. He was sore, tired, and just plain sick of walking. As he made his way up the mountain, slipping now and again on the paste that was the walkway, he heard a loud noise in the distance. What in blazes? Dogura thought, all the while linking this crime to Fang for some unknown reason. Dogura, aching, didn't wish to run, but he had many friends and acquaintances on this mountain.

Darting up the mountain trail, Dogura stopped in Ruto Town Square, about 20 yards from the real reason he had come. As he stood, he heard thunder. Deep thunder that made the ground tremble. Dogura slowly looked down, noticing the pebbles dancing just beyond his feet. As Dogura slowly looked upward, he noticed then stampeding boars... headed right in his direction! Things seemed to go in slow motion, as the beasts were only about 7 feet from him. Dogura was used to thinking quickly, but was under harsh circumstances. He closed his eyes, and braced himself for the worst impact... The boars blew right past him. A miracle was all he could think, as he wheeled around, and gave chase...

Alpha's colossal display of electrical energy zipped after the renegade Moblins, and seemed to home in on the leader of the pack. Another Moblin rode too close to the superior one, and was consequentially seized from his steed and flung back towards the Rohtric attack. A terrible scream came from the creature's mouth before it was entirely consumed by the power. As the light cleared, there was nothing left save for a charred pile of ashes, which was lost in the accompanying breeze of the rain. The lead Moblin continued to ride on, without so much as a glance back towards his subordinate. It truly showed how heartless these Moblins really were.

The boar that Saber had commandeered grunted savagely, launching a thick stream of a disgusting yellowed mucus from it's monstrous snout. It could feel the man sitting on its back, and jerked quite suddenly to the left. Saber was thrown off of the greasy, hairy back and fell to the cold, wet ground beside its dead master as it bolted away, kicking up a puddle of a blood, water and dirt blend. As the boar thundered on, it came quite close to tearing through Dogura's chest. The samurai was indeed fortunate to have seen it coming.

Blank looked around at the people who had gathered beside him. He had never met the two mercenaries, but when he caught sight of Alpha he felt a sizable lump form in his chest. The Sheikah had been present at the incident the previous year, in which the same type of Moblins had unloaded a barrage of explosives on Rauru's Stock Pot Inn. It seemed Alpha was coming far too close to finding out exactly why Blank turned white as the moon itself when he saw the creatures. He shook off the feelings, and simply nodded to his friend, before turning and doing the same in greeting to Dogura and the others. He then jerked a thumb in the direction the Moblins had ridden and nodded yet again. Without a word, Blank took off after the two remaining evildoers.

Saber didn't need words to understand the situation. He waved to the friends he recognized and signaled to Ally to follow Blank on the boar.

OOC: You know you were knocked off the boar, right?
Ally saw Saber's signal and followed Blank, trying to keep the beast she was riding under control. "Easy girl... boy.... thingie!" she yelped.

Alpha finds his shoulders slumping at the sight of one Moblin carelessly sacrificing another to protect himself, without even the slightest sign of remorse as he continues to ride off into the distance. Such heinous malice and selfishness does not deserve to exist, as far as the Sheikah is concerned. 'That must be the leader,' he thinks to himself as he readies his staff for another strike . . . only to realize that at the speed the creature is traveling, he'll be needing to spend some time catching up before his attacks will be able to cover the distance while retaining their punch.

He quietly sends off a salute towards Blank as the Hylian makes note of his presence, and then Alpha stops in his tracks, coldly figuring the distance that the thing is away from him, as well as the speed as which it is stampeding away. As soon as the necessary calculations are completed, his scar changes color from blue to violet and he . . . disappears.

The portal to the Void has opened at his feet, and the Sheikah allows himself to drop down into it without question. Then, using the numbers he has figured, Alpha opens a new gateway back to Hyrule, winding up roughly one hundred yards in front of where the boar-back Moblin is charging. His staff rises upward, and he swiftly swings it in a horizontal motion, unleashing the electrical blade in the same horizontal manner. "Rohtric Dwors!"

The boar that had been successful in dismounting Saber went crashing through the debris that the Moblins had created, and eventually crashed snout-first into it's filthy cousin, whom Ally had commandeered. The sheer force sent the mercenary hurtling to the wet, muddy ground, and two felled Moblins jumped out as though from nowhere to take back their steeds.

A hundred or so yards from where Alpha reappeared, the Moblin's senses began to ring, and it was quick to notice the blinding sweep of lightning riveting towards it. The beast tugged fiercely on the reigns that were fastened tightly to the boar, and the filthy creature reared high into the air. The menacing wave of electrical magic passed through the boar, completely tearing it in two and sending several other bolts in all directions. The lead Moblin landed on its thick feet with a great quake and instantly sprang into a jog, something out of the norm in the general understanding of a Moblin's behavioural patterns. It went south, avoiding Alpha and fleeing towards the steppes.

A child ran by, screaming as the mud kicked up on his fresh clothing. It was likely that his mother had lain out the outfit for the boy to wear the following day, and at first sign of a commotion he had hopped from his bed and slipped on the small jerkin and trailing, hoodless cloak. In his hands he carried two similar twigs, which looked shameful in comparison even to Blank's twin Deku swords. The boy wanted to replicate the nomad's fighting style, because so far it was the only one to succeed in defeating one of the Moblin swines. The scary man's lightning attacks had only succeeded in plastering the outskirts of the town with tainted blood.

He ran forward swinging his play swords and becoming quite messy, wearing above his wrecked clothing a wide grin that seemed to illuminate the dimly lantern-lit scene. Blank stopped and looked at the child, seeing a bit of himself as though staring into a mirror... or some kind of impossible time rift. Paint the kid's face red, make the attire a bit more savage, and add some real weapons and he's... Blank gasped at the thought. The boy ran forward in the rain shouting things like "Kill the ugly piggies, heehee!" and "Yah! Die, no-good Mobbles!" before another figure appeared to swoop him up and rush him back indoors. The mother looked at Blank, and then down to his blood-soaked blades, which were partially washed now due to the steady rainfall. She gave him a disgusted look, coldly as ice. "Shame on you!" she chastised the bewildered Hylian, who had apparently set alight the little savage inside the child.

"I'm... I'm sorry..." he mumbled, but into the emptiness before him as the mother and child disappeared into the warmth of the home and the door slammed shut behind them. The nomad turned around, looked towards the cloudy sky and sighed silently. He didn't want to bring the others with him in his pursuit of the remaining three Moblins. Sure, they were all powerful allies, but they had no idea... He decided that it would be best to just feign ignorance and act as normal.

"Right, well, Alpha's way out on the field now. Let's go get those Moblins!" The nomad charged off towards the Moblins, who had disappeared into the distance.

Moblins Remaining: 3/5
Boars Remaining: 2/3

Saber landed roughly on his feet after the boar threw him off, stumbling and falling over. He picked himself up in time to see a small child run into the battlefield and a cold terror gripped him. That child could be killed! His soft spot immediately forced him into action, and he rushed towards the naive child, intending to get him to safety. However, the boy's mother beat him there, and he stopped a few yards off, sighing in relief as the muddy ground rose up to his now-still ankles. From this position, he got a much clearer view of the child, and he realized just what the boy was doing.

The two sticks in hand, the yells and screams....he....wanted to be a warrior. Not only that, but he idolized Blank....He fought to stay in the present, but lost. His knees dropped into the mud without his knowledge, and his mind was thrust back over ten years ago, memories of his childhood breaking out of the barred prison he had stored them in at the back of his mind. He felt the warm sun, breathed the clear air, saw each individual blade of grass sway in the wind....just as he had so long ago.

He was sitting in the field, a small sheepdog--Emma--resting her head on his lap as he watched two colonies of ants collide in a vicious battle over the remains of the biscuit he had been eating. Every now and then he would nudge an ant with the tip of his shoe, knocking it over backwards. It was the sole entertainment he had at this time, everybody being in town and his father resting while his mother was in town shopping.

He enjoyed the insects' company for a few more minutes when he looked up and saw dust rising down the road. He stood excitedly, the startled dog leaping off his lap onto the ground and turning her own head towards the cloud. Standing on tiptoe, he saw that the dust was being raised by people--just as he thought.

He ran into his house, shouting, "Father! Somebody's coming to visit, come look!" His father grumbled from his bed, refusing to move until his son started jumping on him. Reluctantly, he rose, and followed his son outside groggily--he had spent all last day tilling. Saber yanked him to the porch and pointed an eager finger at the advancing band of men. "See, what did I tell you, we're going to have--Father? What's wrong?" Looking into his father's face, he saw that the fatigue was gone, replaced with a hard, almost scary look. Roughly, he was shoved inside the house, as his father grabbed a sword off of the mantle.

"Stay." He said briefly, and shut the door. Hurrying to a window, he curiously poked his head outside, and saw his father leaning against the side of the house, waiting. As the group of men reached the house, he raised his hand in greeting. They exchanged a few words--Saber couldn't hear them from where he was--then the stranger in the front took a step forward, and drew back the cloak he was wearing, grabbing something on his hip. His father stared levelly at the leader, keeping a calm, cool expression. Behind his back, he unfastened the sheath containing the saber from his belt.

Suddenly, the stranger leapt forward, brandishing what he had at his hip--a small sword, not more than two feet long. He brought it across with such speed that all Saber saw was a glaring semicircle as the weapon whipped around towards his father, who didn't move until the last possible second. What he saw next was amazing. Never in his six years of living had he seen his father move with such agility. Spinning halfway around, he brought his sheath upwards, and the assailant's sword rang out as it collided with the metal container.

Spinning the rest of the way, he unsheathed the saber with a backwards grip and struck the tip of his enemy's sword into the dirt, then stepped on it, snapping the weapon in two pieces. Using his momentum, he brought the sheath crashing into the strange man's head, sending him flying and knocking him out cold. Then he spoke a single word; "Depart!" all the words Saber had heard his father speak before didn't have as much rage and hate in them combined as that single word, that single breath. The two other men, shocked, dropped their weapons on the defender's command, and picked up their fallen comrade, rushing down the road and calling out threats over their shoulders as they left.

Saber's father just stood there and watched until nothing but the cloud of dust they left behind was visible, then dropped his sword, falling to his knees. He took sharp, painful breaths for a while, then looked up at the window, which his son quickly vacated. Sighing, he picked up the sword and sheath, and staggered towards the house. Saber stood, staring, as his father passed through the door and looked down at him, the eyes that were so full of rage and strength before, suddenly devoid of anything but pain and regret. "Son...." He said weakly, putting the sword back on the mantle. "Don't choose this path." The boy nodded meekly, and--

"Let's go get those Moblins!" That single line broke him out of his trance, and his eyes snapped back open as he looked around, realizing that he was now lying on his back in the mud, the punishing rain pelting his face. Hopping onto his feet, he drew his saber, looking down at it.

"Trust me, Father....I didn't choose this path..." His shaking hand put the blade back in it's sheath, and he took off after Blank, putting the final locks on the cell of his memories.

Having gone out some distance from Ruto Town, Alpha is in no position to see the young boy as he foolishly rushes out in a stupid attempt to mimic the adventurers. Rather, the event that has him slightly shocked is the sight of the Moblin's boar leaping up into the air so that it takes the blow rather than its rider. Not that the fact that he has missed his target diminishes the satisfaction he feels as it slices through the giant pig like a knife through butter - a freshly sharpened knife going straight through heated up butter, for that matter.

But something is obviously different about this Moblin, and the Sheikah abruptly finds himself wondering what exactly it is. While its willingness to sacrifice other beings to preserve its own live is certainly an accurate depiction of its dark-hearted soul, the fact that it, unlike most of Ganon's monsters, has actually managed to think of a plan like sacrificing its fellows - rather than the standard 'charge without thinking about what'll happen once the attack slices me into pieces' idea. The creature almost seems . . . intelligent . . .

Well, all the more reason to wipe it off the face of the planet, Alpha decides with a smirk. Rushing forward towards the now-running Moblin, the Sheikah Mage brings his electrified staff up over his head, letting sparks fly off because of contact with the rain, and then slams it downward towards the creature's face.