Legends of Ardonis

Status
Not open for further replies.
A

Auroth

Guest
Original poster
For many in the vast realm of Ardonis, today seemed like any other. The weather was pleasant, the forests were filled with the calls of their inhabitants, and all felt right with the world. Except this was no ordinary day. The Soothsayers have foretold the appearance of the Chosen Knight.

King Halcyon and King Zephyr of Mordred and Illium sent their best to meet the chosen. Each for a different reason. The Chosen Knight was foretold to join the forces of Illium in erradicating the dark empire of Mordred. The Illian knights went forth to meet their new ally, while the Mordredling Assassins went to eradicate the knight before he could become a problem.

Edward skidded and tumbled down the slope of the nearby mountain, finally landing in a soft bush to catch him. How he arrived in the mountains he had no clue, and he was equally clueless to the path laid before him. After the world stopped spinning, he slowly sat up with a groan, brushing dirt and leaves from his ginger hair.

"What the hell just happened?" he groaned, standing up slowly to lean against a tree. He had to have been drugged and abandoned in the mountains... Yeah, that's it.
 
Gwen's green eyes scanned the mountain pass, carefully looking for danger. She swayed with her horse as she lead a small squad of men to their location. Beneath her helmet and steal and leather armor, she looked like another man. Her chest plate had the seal of Ilium on it, just like the three men behind her. The squad was not alone. A stealth unit was nearby, hiding in along the rocks and scattered trees. Just out of sight, a few more units followed. Each was armed and well trained, some of the best men and women the country had to offer.

Gwen's thin eyebrows raised as she continued to study the landscape. "This would be easier if we had a description. Go to the mountains ten days after the eagle poops twice in one hour. Look for a man with hair and a nose on his face."

"Oh, come on General, it's better than walking the same ten feet over and over again at the palace." One of the men offered.

She sighed as the continued to ride along the rocky roads, sun shinning happily upon them. "Do you hear that?"

"No?" Another of the squad offered, keeping his voice down.

"The birds have stopped. Even in the distance." Gwen, explained. "Be alert, but act natural."
 
The Assassins have located their target after three days of searching these wretched mountains. The leader raised his hand, getting the attention of his underlings. A couple of hand signals were all the instruction he needed to give. They began to encircle the young man they came across.

Edward dusted off his shirt and jeans, realizing they had holes from his tumble earlier. He grumbled and looked around, but stopped as he realized how quiet it was. Just a moment ago there were animals everywhere... He felt eyes upon him, making him shiver. Nothing nearby was a particularly handy weapon except for a fallen branch, barely the width of his wrist.
 
Gwen pushed her horse a little faster. Rather than a slow steady pace, he began to trot. Someone was near by. Gwen's thin, pink lips pulled upwards into a smile. Her heart began to beat a little faster. Her green eyes quickly scanned the rocky terrain, looking for the target. The trees had thinned out, leaving the small group very open. The stealth unit no longer had the advantage of the evergreen forest behind them, but instead had to rely on the rock formations and steady footing. The hard packed earth road turned to a loose path, which grew more narrow.

As they turned around a corner, she spotted a young man. He wasn't wearing armor or anything that resembled Illium or Mordred clothing. Gwen gave the sign to proceed with caution. She kept her eyes on the young man as they began to continue up the ascending path. If they had found him, surely someone else had as well. She was unsure if the young man was aware of their presence, he seemed to be aware he wasn't alone at least.
 
He looked around, slowly grabbing the branch. Just like handling a baseball bat, right? A rough, awkwardly shaped bat... yeah. He stood still and listened, slowly breathing. A bush rustled and he turned around, gripping the branch tighter. Just a squirrel... then a knife came out of the same bush and sliced him on the ear. He cried out in surprise and pain, gripping his bleeding ear.

Before another knife could come flying at him, he hid behind the tree, looking at his hand. That was blood. His blood. He looked around, more carefully attention to detail. He heard another rustling bush and ran over to it, bringing the branch down hard over it.
 
The young man let out a cry as something wizzed by his ear. Gwen muttered curses as she dismounted her horse, hand going to the hilt of her sword. She didn't draw it, not wanting to scare the stranger. There was a rough incline between the small squad and the strange man. Gwen struggled to to move up the hill with the shifting gravel and rocks. A few times, she fell to her hands and knees, but continued the fierce climb to the young man, her three companions close behind. She ran through dozens of scenarios in her mind. Hopefully there were only a few assassins and she could get him out quickly. She had no objection to giving her life, but she had to defend the man long enough for the second squad to arrive.

At last she made it to where the side of the mountain leveled out again. The man swung a tree branch on top of a bush. She could see patches of the assassin hiding within.

"Our priority is to defend him until reinforcement arrives or all enemies are removed. Keep a sharp eye." Gwen commanded, her voice steady.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The assassin stumbled out of the bush, wildly slashing at his target. The metal claws tear through the branch, making Edward stumble back in surprise. He rolled out of the way of a jab, trying to kick him in the side. He struggled to get up, looking around for another weapon. The only thing around was the small knife that cut his ear, lodged into the tree behind him. With a tight grip, he ripped the knife free from the thick bark, cutting his hand with a hiss of pain. Even the knife's handle was sharp enough to cut him. He turned around to find two assassins rushing at him. 'There's two now??' he thought, leaping out of the way and skidding part of the way down thr gravelly hillside.

Another assassin threw another knife at him, planting it in the side of his leg. It cut through the muscle like butter, lodging in the bone and making him cry out in pain. He looked down at his leg, the knife buried in deep enough where he could barely see the handle.
 
Gwen hated assassins. She preferred her battles to be straight forward and out in the open. Assassins were sneaky and cunning. They hid in the shadows and took out a target before he had a chance to fight. If one could get close enough, they often lacked close combat skills. They would try to make up for it with smoke and mirrors or a strong dose of poison. Personally, Gwen didn't care for Illium's assassins.

Although her armor was fairly lightweight, it still weighed enough to slow her down in comparison to assassins. She drew her sword, the ringing sound of metal echoed off the rocks. The blade glistened in the sunlight, flashing a brilliant light as it moved through the air. She charged at the assassin who was further away from the young man. The sharpened steal slashed through him with speed and force. Bright red blood stained the dusty, dull red earth. With a short cry of surprise, the man fell to the ground. He pushed himself up, attempting to throw another knife at the man. Gwen kicked him in the head with her heavy, armored boot. The man went limp and Gwen continued to chase after the remaining assassin.
 
Edward looked up from his leg to find that the assassins were fleeing, one of their group already killed. He was disoriented and confused from the pain, slowly trying to pull himself up. About halfway up, he realized his leg wasn't going to support his weight without putting him through agonizing pain. Once he crawled over to a tree, he pulled himself up and leaned against it, examining the blade in his leg again. It was buried deep and still bleeding slowly. Better than bleeding out, he supposed. Edward slowly sank to the ground, feeling a bit nauseous. He shuddered to think of the pain of removing the knife.

The assassins remaining ran off from the fight, their cover blown and their numbers outmatched. Though they also feared returning... the king would be far worse than enraged when they returned without his head.
 
The remaining assassins were easily taken care of. Some fled. Gwen hoped they wouldn't be an issue later. She pulled out a rag and cleaned the blood from her sword and then sheathed it. The three men of her squad joined her. One held his arm where a knife found a hole in his armor and another had a steady stream of crimson stretching down the side of his face.

"Giland, hang back and watch from behind. Famor, Marcus, see if you can find the horses." Gwen said. With a nod, two of the men turned and worked their way to where the horses had been left. The horses were well trained to not run away, but the excitement may have spooked them regardless.

She wondered down a slope to the tree where the young man rested. The handle of a knife stuck out of his leg. The blood stained his pants a dark shimmering brown. She couldn't identify what the fabric they were made out of, but it resembled canvas. As it was predicted, he wore strange clothes. Gwen was unsure if it was luck or skill that kept the knife from hitting somewhere more vital.

"Don't remove the knife, it will bleed more." Gwen addressed him in her usual flat tone. "Come now, Knight, we should leave this place as swiftly as possible."

She extend her hand to help him up.
 
He heard the armored footsteps coming towards him, the stern and authoritative voice, soon laying eyes upon the knight. Maybe it was just the pain and blood loss talking, but he could've sworn the knight was a she. Though she may have helped him, he was getting a little delirious, even trying to stand on his own.
"Heh, not until you explain what's go-" -he stopped mid-sentence realizing he put an inkling of weight on the injured leg- "Oh, sweet Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Oh, damn that hurt!" he groaned, biting his knuckle as he leaned against the tree.

Though he had plenty raw potential, he wasn't quite the picture of knightliness at the moment. Filthy, battered, swearing indignantly under his breath...
 
He was not the most graceful man Gwen had ever seen. She wasn't sure what she was expecting him to be. Perhaps a barbarian giant that strutted around in a loin cloth and a few pieces of armor with a club as large as a she was. Or perhaps a wizard who shot forth fire balls from one hand and ice daggers from another. She was looking for something more....impressive.

"Now is not the time for explanations, nor the place." Gwen said as she wrapped an arm around him for support.

Giland was not far away. "The nearest outpost is an hour away at full gallop, General."

"It would behoove us to get under the cover of the forest if we can." Gwen replied.
 
He snickered a bit, still appearing a bit delirious. Apparently, he found the word 'behoove' amusing. Despite his delirium and failed attempts to avoid their help, he appreciated the weight being taken off of his leg. Edward wasn't one for accepting help easily, but when it came, he appreciated every bit.

"Sorry if I'm bein' a bit of an ass," he muttered, trying to cooperate to get on a horse to ride out of here. He didn't much want to be here when the assassins returned, either.
 
Gwen helped the young man onto her horse and sat behind him. The ride would surely hurt his tender wound, but it wouldn't do a terrible amount of damage. The knife would keep it from bleeding out more. She kept her stead at a slow pace, hoping to make the ride easier. The path was too narrow for the other men to surround her. Giland led the way, Gwen was second and Famor and Marcus brought up the rear. The descent down the mountain was slow, they'd be able to pick up speed once they were on a solid, wider trail.

Gwen's sharp green eyes constantly scanned the rocky terrain and the few trees and bushes, looking for any sign of trouble. A squirrel rustled in a bush and her muscles instantly tensed. When the gray culprit exited his cover, she relaxed slightly. Her movements were subtle, she didn't want to alarm the Knight about her apprehension.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom
Back