Heroes of the Order

[eunhathes]

Chapter One: Ayr Hyuko

The autumn twilight seeped back into the sky. Ayr stood beside her machine, the Bitterstar. Long ago, sometime before the Empire of Citadel, before the uniting of the world under Pantheon, so long no one could dare to remember, she imagined that someone had stood in this same place, with a different machine then, and with a different purpose in their hearts. Back then, she recalled, they named these weapons, these machines which towered and lorded over Mortals more than twice their height. They called them Ampas. Each bore an individual name, much like people do. Just like her Bitterstar.

She shifted her weight to the left, resting against her pole-arm, the Oracillion. Carved out of teak wood, a single shaft was butted and bladed with tempered sapphire. The technique to make these weapons was lost to the rest of Citadel, but the people of Mowershe never forgot how. She thought back to her youth, living in the port town of Fare. The smell of summer nights and the insufferable humidity washed over her. Ayr smiled. Too long had it been since the last Hyuko left the rest of her family behind. How she longed to see her mother again.

The wind kicked up and blew the dust of the ravine into her violet tinted hair. The blue headband adorning her forehead prevented her hair from impeding her view of the ravine. Hundreds of feet beneath her, down in this chasm, there was a single party of grodsich. The ugly marauders had been raiding a local hamlet for their cornmeal for a month before the Order stepped in. Ayr recalled the day she swore her Oath. The tree was fresh and full of life, only fifty years old. The Knight who initiated her said that that tree was planted exactly the same day that she had taken her Oath, the eighth of Longshadows.

Footfalls sounded behind her. Soft and cautious, she knew it could only be one person. "Kumo, what's wrong?"

Kumo stopped. He was amazed at how easily Ayr could tell him apart from the others. He was the best Infiltrator-Itinerant on this continent, but this single Sentinel-Warrior could pick him out of the din beneath their position. "It is my turn to stand watch." Ayr turned and looked into Kumo's crimson eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off, "We will be attacking at dawn. Sleep. You will need it."

Ayr shrugged, tossing her headband's ragged ends over her shoulder. She looked at Bitterstar. "I'm leaving her here. She'll make to much noise if I move her now." Kumo nodded in assent.

"Dou fixed us a meal." Kumo commented. "Get some." His eyes fixed their gaze on the camp in the ravine.

Ayr stepped quickly back down to their makeshift campsite on the side of the canyon walls. Dou towered above everyone. Ayr always relaxed when she saw him. He was a Scholar, he had said once. A Priest, charged with aiding the sick and wounded. His face echoed hundreds of patients healed, and countless lives lost. He seemed tired, but his face always held a smile. "Ayr!" He raised a bowl, "Come eat. I made us a stew with the last of that dewkoss meat."

She looked around at the others here. All Knights, just like herself. She sat beside a scantily clad woman. She was Umbra, from the house of Malefen. Slight of frame and sensually accented with curves, Umbra was a beautiful sight to any gender. Her red hair shone like burnished copper. She never met anyone's gaze, as she was afraid of people's ridicule. Umbra was a Mage, and a powerful one, too. Some people had said that she could have easily vied against one of the great Guilds for her Archmage status. Umbra had once stated that she would not. Not for the love of the Willow.

To her left, sat Umbra's Guardian, the formidable Azure Renge. He sat demurely beside his ward, his orange mane covering the ground around him. Besides Dou, he was the tallest in the camp; Ayr only came up to his solar plexis. He was never far from Umbra, and his morning star, the Tremuchette, never left his side.

There was one who was not a Knight of the Order there; a lowly Skirmisher-Warrior named Div Crawson. His towhead and green eyes betrayed his youth and inexperience. Ayr was fascinated by him. He seemed quiet and shy, but perhaps that is what attracted her. She would not idly fall into another's infatuation, however. She would do her duty this time.

Dou handed Ayr a bowl of stew. It smelled as sweet as her mother's meals. "Eat up. There's plenty to go."

Taking the bowl, Ayr thanked the Priest. She spoke around the food in her mouth, "So, how will we take them tomorrow?"

Umbra spoke, setting her finished bowl aside, "All I know is that Kumo is up to something new." Her voice was velveteen in the ether, simply flowing forth like it was a natural inevitability, much like water over a falls. "I don't know what he has planned, but he seems to think it will fare better than the last attack."

"Yes." Div spoke up, glancing at the rest of the people around the fire. He was a late attachment to this team. "Order losses were heavy in that engagement." Div shuddered. It was his unit that had been routed. "But, it was fortunate to discover a team of Knights out here. Even Grandmaster Kumo agrees." He sunk his shoulder slightly, rueing his enthusiasm just then. "Even if he does not show it."

The previous week, Kumo had been leading a squad of Skirmishers in a strike against the grodsich. Almost at the same time they had left, a team of Order Knights had been dispatched to aquire a scroll from a school in the south of Eosayre. It supposedly held the Dimarian Oath on it, and was crucial to building the Library at the Sacred Copse. Though they had it in hand already, when they tried to enter the ports to go home, they passed through a hamlet. Still burning, the Knights literally ran into the commanding Knight, Kumo Kaido. He carried in his arms the only Skirmisher he could pull from the conflagration; Div.

Over the next week, Dou healed the boy, almost critically wounded, while the team and Kumo pursued the grodsich across Citadel held territory. Tomorrow, they would be in Eosayre, and could possibly elude the Team there.

There was silence around the fire. Soon, the six moons rose high into the sky, and shined down upon the mortals gathered there. Ayr leaned back and gazed into the heavens, "Perhaps Divinity is smiling upon us?"

Umbra spoke in reply, "Or perhaps Pantheon is frowning." Umbra was opposed to chasing these hooligans across the countryside. She felt the sooner they had the scroll back to the Copse, the safer it would be.

"No. I don't think so." Dou spoke calmly and softly, a soothing trait of his. "But if you desire, I will pray to both for success tomorrow, Umbra."

Umbra smiled sardonically. "If you wish, Hyrosh. If you wish." She stretched and yawned. "For now, I am retiring. Tomorrow proves to be a long day."

Ayr turned and looke on as Umbra and Azure both slinked off to sleep. No one pretended not to know that those two were lovers. Most Guardians do fall in love with their wards. They seemed to make an akward couple to Ayr though. "I agree." Kumo had suddenly appeared where moments before there was nothing. "We all should get some sleep." He proceeded to fall sideways a pace from the fire. "Div. You will take this watch." With that, he was fast asleep."

The two remaining knights, Dou and Ayr, nodded to each other. It was time for rest. Ayr fell asleep, gazing at the moon of Jiret, the Dreamer. She wondered what it would be like to go to Jiret sometime.

[eunhathes]

Chapter Two: Dou Hyrosh

The sun was still hours from arising out of its slumber. Yet Dou was awake. He had stirred first two, maybe three, hours before the dawn. He had meditated, and then had gone to looking over the edge of the cliff down at the grodsich camped beneath them. He was still wrestling with the reason why Kumo held such malice for them.

This was still the case when Ayr touched his shoulder. When Dou turned, the rest of the had quietly broken and were prepared to strike. Ayr held out Dou's staff, nodding silently down towards the cliff where the grodsich were located. Dou followed the others as they made their way down the cliff side. There was a narrow, winding path that made several hairpin turns.

They had left thier campsite in shambles in favor of haste. Dou did detest this part of most assignments. It was only when all other negotiation had failed that violence and combat were necessary. He, like most of the Order, detested heavy combat. They felt there were simpler, more eloquent ways to solve disputes. However, it was the Battle of Merkis Moor that gave rise to the necessity of the Warriors. Someone had to defend that knowledge which others would wantonly destroy.

Dou could see that there was obvious good intent in the actions Kumo was taking. He still had to wonder if he was harboring malicious hatred, though. It seemed either answer could be applicable. The grodsich had destroyed a civilized settlement, and had also decimated a squad of skirmishers. The only thing Dou was concerned about was the idea that Kumo might be trying to even the score with the grodsich. However, what he did not know was the orders under which Kumo was operating, and that would make all the difference.

Quite suddenly, Dou realized he was standing alone, beside Umbra. Kumo, Ayr, Div, and Azure all had moved into the camp. The basic idea of this action was to sneak inside their camp and capture the grodsich chieftan. It was even more baffling to Dou why they would need to capture the chieftan. Grodsich were mostly harmless, half-intelligent creatures who preferred combat over anything else. They were bred during the Age of Dreaming by the ancient people to fight thier wars. Without purpose now, they dissolved into ruthless fighting and bloodlust.

Dou watched, crouched under an overhang waiting for the signal for him and Umbra to act. Umbra sat beside him, staring into the bleak dawn. Light had just begun spilling over the canyon sides and into lighting things up. The grodsich, though not as intelligent as the other Mortals, they still knew a thing or two about tactics and had set up a perimeter guard. Four grodsich stood guard over the camp, one at either of the corners of the campsite.

Dou watched as Kumo made his way to the Chieftan's tent, and silently entered. Each of the three warriors quietly stood watch around the tent for any changes. It seemed a simple plan to Dou. Then again, the simplest of tactics always did work best. At least, so it seemed to Dou. He steeled himself for the flight that he would be needed for.

In a brief and unseamly instant, one of the grodsich guards noticed Azure. The Guardian was quick to silence the creature, but not quick enough to keep from alerting the others. Dou rolled his eyes and readied his staff to fight. He was not cut out to do so, and never would proffess to be so. He felt the ether raise around him. He glanced to his right to see Umbra gathering mana for a spell. Instantly, half of the camp was enveloped in a brilliant blue-white light, dazzling and terrible to behold. The Mage had effectively silenced half of the combatants in this fight with a mere stroke of her hands.

Dou moved hastily as he could to the fray, where Kumo appeared momentarily with the Chieftan. Throwing the bound grodsich to Dou, the Itinerant Kumo turned his blade upon the other grodsich attacking them. Ayr struck out with her pole-arm, easily disabling three of her encircling foes. A fourth thought himself the wiser and ducked, only to be caught by the Sentinel squarely in it's arm. With a tremendous snap, the thick bones in it's upper arm broke into two pieces.

Holding onto the chieftan as tightly as possible, Dou took massive strides across the camp to where the path down the ravine was. The way would lead them to Eosayre, but they would not ever be going that far this direction. The others were going to break the grodsich will to fight while Dou and Umbra kept the cheiftan safe. This was a safe and sound plan to Dou, who disliked the combative style of the Warriors.

So that was how it was. Dou looking at the unconscious grodsich chieftan and Umbra looked towards the campsite. Finally, it was nearing noon day, and figures approached. Kumo, with a tremendous grin across his face, shouted, "We have the book!" For, indeed, above his head he brandished a thick, leather bound volume. Dou was now curious.