The noise out front could be heard by those gathered in the meeting room inside HQ. The term "Meeting Room" was a bit gracious; it was a smaller room adjacent to the main, featuring a sizeable table, chairs, maps and the like. It was serviceable for its intended use - in this case being the briefing of information pertinent to their mission at hand and storage of light goods. Hoping the disturbance outside was unrelated to the business at hand, Gerik raised his voice slightly to reassert his monopoly over the attentions of those present, wrapping up his orders in a gruff, businesslike manner.
"The Gerudo have kept us secret and safe for a while now. We need to return the favor. Twenty-four Moblins, one Lizalfos. Caravan under attack, right at the Fortress gates. The chests behind you contain skins of good, clear water. Tale as much as you need, and beat a hasty path to assist our benefactors. Time is a factor."
The Commander stood and moved to the door, opening the wooden portal and holding it there, waiting for those present to file out. He didn't have to wait very long before a hulking, obviously perturbed mass creaked the main door slightly ajar, and then slowly open. The mass is in dented and blackened armor, carrying a sword of questionable origin on its back. The form didn't seem overtly hostile, but Gerik wasn't going to let a minor detail like that keep his stomach from twisting into a knot and adrenaline lance through his veins, telltale of his combative instincts kicking in.
The hulking creature was followed quickly by Rath and a small contingent of Sheikah. Probably more than this place had seen at one time in quite a while; the Shadow Folk were something of an endangered species at this point in time, thanks to the efforts of the man they had all come together to oppose. Gerik relaxed just a little, and quietly spoke to Rath.
"Is there something we need to discuss, Rath?" he questioned. The Shiekah chieftan nodded. Apparently, they were all quiet in varying degrees. He crossed the room to join Gerik, exchanging low tones with the veteran Guard.
Meanwhile, all parties bearing a Shard felt a somewhat familiar thrum of power originating from the back of their hand. It was a feeling, but not their own. Mostly, it was camaraderie. A sense of belonging that old friends might have, or at least people who were very accustomed to one another. Brothers of millennia that rarely spoke, but knew everything about each another. The people experiencing this shared the sensation, but understood that it was not their own. It was more of a suggestion of companionship. And it suggested that they needed to come together.
Join together, and become stronger.
The glow that usually accompanied this flow of power began to illuminate them all in the telltale triangular pattern commonly associated with the Triforce. This glow had been showing itself too often as of late. Though it was symbolic of the trust that this powerful artifact of the Goddesses had allotted them, the recent frequency of its activation was a looming portent of things to come. Perhaps this was one of those things.
Rath and Gerik quietly conversed. The tone of their discussion pitched and lowered, but the words remained quiet and forcibly respectful as they continued. When they were quiet, Rath approached the group with a small, silvery flute in hand. "When you are all ready," he began with a smooth, dangerous sounding voice, "I can move you to the Colossus. From there, head east to the Fortress."
The Shiekah Lord turned his attention to his clansman, the slender, silent one with the Deku Staff. While he wasn't quite sure what to make of him, he was one of Rath's people, and as such was a person he could place responsibility upon. "When I perform the music, little Cricket, I want you to join me with your violin. The experience will be... useful, later on."
"The rest of you - if you require anything or anyone, you have two minutes to locate and return."
INTERMISSION
Gerik and Rath motioned for the group to gather in a circle. Holding hands wasn't quite necessary, as they were all of one purpose on their intended destination. Still, if some felt more comfortable in manual embrace, it would earn them just the slightest of odd looks, and nothing more.
When everyone was close, Rath began playing calm, melodic notes on his flute. It was accompanied by the dulcet tones of an expertly pulled violin bow, courtesy of the group's token Sheikah, which seamlessly transitioned into the
Requiem of Spirit. The stringed instrument seemed to take in a portion of the incandescent brilliance swirling about the group of Shard Bearers, their surroundings blurring and being replaced with a windy location of stone and sand, a great monolith of carved desert rock providing them protection from the red, rising sun.
It was the Desert Colossus, and true to their word, one could see the Gerudo Fortress in the distance. It wasn't a massive length of space to have traveled, but it was a start. Moreover, anyone attempting to view them would see them start from an already known location, further protecting the safety of the Oasis.
Much to do, little time to do it. Let's hit the ground running.
CoGM's Note: All action taken in this cycle will happen during the INTERMISSION. If you need anything, if anyone has an excuse to find their way back to the HQ, if you're doing a Meet & Greet with Sir Knight, then's the time. If I'm handling the transition to the Desert Fortress after this rotation, we will discuss other actions then. Questions: tag me or Double in the OOC, or shoot me a PM. Thanks all, and I hope we're good to go now. Good hunting.
Location: Oasis, Resistance HQ, INTERMISSION
Interacting With: The Knight
Cricket stepped from the meeting room, laying eyes upon the sight unfolding before him. He cocked his head to the side, not unlike a very confused dog. The Shiekah's first instinct was to ready his staff or grab for one of his larger blades to combat this obvious threat, but was overruled by a dash of common sense. This thing, person, wasn't actually being threatening. That was unexpected. He was unsure as to whether he could take such a person in a stand-up fight without resorting to Deku Nuts or Bombs, anyway, and it would be a shame to waste them upon a potential ally. Unstable, possibly. But potential ally nonetheless.
That's when the power of his Triforce shard let itself be felt. Not merely felt, but seen, as well. Just as when he met others possessing a piece of divinity, his gift from Nayru glowed from the back of his hand, radiating power. As it did with the others in the room from earlier. As it did with this warrior before him.
Cricket cautiously leaned his staff against a nearby table and raised his Triforce illuminated hand. He smiled, and slowly approached the behemoth. Locking eyes (at least, what he thought were his eyes), the mute Sheikah smiled with a sense of wonder, ad nodded once. He bowed, keeping his glowing hand visible and eyes raised to the newcomer. As he rose, a flourish of his free hand demonstrated the finesse of his sleight-of-hand work, seemingly pulling a loaf of date bread from nowhere. He winked twice, drawing attention to the tattoo around his eye; a mark proclaiming him as one of the Shadow Folk, a clan known for their undying loyalty to the Royal Family of Hyrule.
He nodded again, and wordlessly offered the bread to the battered and traumatized Hylian Knight.
