Raider’s Tag

[Cralex]

“Someone’s coming.”

It was late afternoon at the southernmost part of Hyrule’s lush field, relatively close to the Ordon Village. The sun was slowly beginning to set, but it still provided plenty of light to see by. Concealed on top of a small plateau, which was covered with vegetation and had steep yet navigable sides, several smallish creatures lay in wait with their mighty Bullbo mounts. Most held clubs or bows, but a few had swords and other various weapons as well. They were all listening intently for the one who spoke to say more. The smallest member of the group lay flat on his belly closest to the edge while peering toward the North through a pair of rare Hawkeye goggles. The zoom setting on his loaned goggles was set to maximum. Unlike his Bulblin companions, he sported a pair of pointy ears on his head instead of sharp horns, and fair skin instead of ghoulish green skin. He spied on the group approaching from the North.

I can see them now… A horse-drawn wagon… Escorted by four men on horses...

As the small figures far in the distance slowly got closer, a ray from the sun reflected off the wagon’s escort, revealing them to be wearing full-body armor of impressive caliber. The light revealed something else to the small spy, which brought a grin to his face and a sneaky gleam to his eye.

A strong guard, a big wagon, and those shields… No doubt about it, it’s them!

“It’s them, alright, the royal tax collector, on time as always. The Golden Triangles are on their shields.”

As the unsuspecting yet well-defended tax collector slowly made his way toward the last stop on his route before returning to Hyrule Castle, the fairyless and scarred Kokiri known as Raider momentarily lowered his goggles to survey his group. His Bulblin companions were eager and well trained and their mounts were strong. Soon, it would be time for the raid to begin. Raider smiled with his approval.

This is going to be fun…

OOC: This story is an introduction in progress, so please don’t post in it until Raider goes his own way. Also, the “Hawkeye” item in this introduction is in Raider’s possession for storytelling purposes only. Therefore, he will no longer have it by the time he encounters another player character.

[Cralex]

Raider continued to watch the tax collector’s party as it made its way toward Ordon Village and, unknowingly, toward him. As he did, he could not help coveting the Hawkeye goggles, which he had loaned from King Bulblin.

Such a rare and useful device. I wonder how King Bulblin ever managed to get his grubby hands on it? However he got them, I’ll have to get a pair for myself one of these years…

As the party made its way through a narrow part of the road, a panic suddenly ensued among them as arrows flew through the air, aimed at them. Immediately following the arrow barrage, several Gerudo appeared out of nowhere, riding their dark Gerudo stallions. Without giving the confused Hylians any chance to recover, the Gerudo pressed their ambush with arrows and swords flying. Raider watched the Hylian knights struggle against the fierce female Gerudo emotionlessly, but with interest.

Quick, clean, effective. It’s always fun watching a Gerudo raiding party work. The Hylians may be strong, but they don’t possess nearly the same wild instinct that the Gerudo… and I have. Those Hylians don’t stand a chance.

Sure enough, the surprised and outnumbered Hylians lost the fight, with all four knights and the tax collector tied up, wounded, or killed. Before long, the triumphant Gerudo began to ride off with their stolen rupees and horses, letting out whoops of victory.

“The Gerudo stole everything… just like we planned.”

Raider quickly got off the ground and mounted his loyal Bullbo, Butch, while his Bulblin companions mounted their own Bullbos and prepared for battle. Still wearing the Hawkeye goggles, he peered at the approaching Gerudo while preparing his crossbow to fire. His target, the lead horse, was almost in range. Raider hid his nose and mouth behind his black cloth and smiled deviously at his game.

The Gerudo take very good care of their horses… I’ll bet King Bulblin and the rest of the tribe will be happy to have their horse meat back on the menu again!

Without another thought, Raider fired his crossbow...

[Cralex]

Raider’s bloodthirsty crossbow bolt eagerly leapt forward, finding its mark in the chest of the lead horse. What followed was a wonderfully chaotic chain reaction, the stuff of a juvenile delinquent’s favorite dreams. The lead horse stumbled for a moment and fell forward, catapulting its helpless Gerudo rider high into the air! Without any time to veer out of the way, the next row of two horses tripped over the lead horse with similar results, as did the next row. All five riders landed hard and did not get up. Sadly, all of the remaining riders managed to dodge the fallen horses, putting an end to the amusing domino show. After a moment of pandemonium, the numerous remainder of the Gerudo party collectively charged towards Raider’s position with a vengeance.

Darn it! One of them must have spotted us! Looks like we’ll have to get our hands dirty…

“Charge!!!”

Raider removed the Hawkeye goggles from his face and retrieved his whip from his belt. He cracked it into his Bullbo mount’s side and the Bulblin force sprang forward at the charging Gerudo in unison. Both Bulblin and Gerudo forces launched arrows at teach other, both sides suffering casualties as a result. As the two sides met, the Gerudo attempted to weave around the deadly boar-like Bullbo, as a head-on collision with one would surely mean certain doom to whomever was unlucky enough to be struck by the living battering rams. Most of the Gerudo riders made it. Some didn’t and were quickly swept away by the brute force of the hardheaded Bullbo. Although the Bulblin riders had the clear advantage in a head-on fight, the Gerudo were better suited to fighting the Bulblin riders on their flanks, as the Gerudo’s long halberds and gave them a longer reach then most of the weapons held by the Bulblins. However, Raider’s whip had the longest reach of all the hand-to-hand weapons. He fearlessly drove his Bullbo to wade into the Gerudo forces, ramming or trampling anything that moved. As for those that eluded Raider’s Bullbo, he cracked his whip left and right and any Gerudo or horse that had the misfortune of being too near, attempting to break his prey’s focus with sharp pain. After a short yet bloody war, it became clear that the Gerudo were somehow loosing to the brutish Bulblin. With only a handful of survivors left, they attempted to retreat.

“They’re running away! Archers, shoot them before they escape!”

Although Bulblin aren’t always the most accurate archers, they were able to finish off the fleeing Gerudo. Silence spread across the battlefield. The unwounded Raider’s heart pounded in his chest as he tried to catch his breath. His eyes shone with an adrenaline-induced fire, and he wore a smile of pure exhilaration on his hidden face.

Look at all this! Look at how strong I am! This is what I live for!!!

As a victorious roar swept through the Bulblin forces, Raider suddenly recognized a familiar Gerudo lying on the ground with a broken leg. Despite the ruthless fight, she was still alive. Raider dismounted from Butch and removed the cloth that was hiding his face, which now wore a cool and dangerous smile. Upon seeing his face, the Gerudo’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“You!”

[Cralex]

After recovering from the shock of recognizing Raider among the Bulblin forces, the wounded Gerudo gritted her teeth against the pain in her leg and shouted at him.

“What are YOU doing with the Bulblins? How dare you attack us after we found you and brought you to your rightful power? We are your people! And you call yourself a Gerudo…”

The moment she said it, Maya realized that something wasn’t quite right about the young “Gerudo” that she was looking at.

Wait a second, where’s the jewel on his forehead? And his eyes, they’re blue, not gold! Could this mean…?

Raider saw realization in Maya’s face and correctly guessed her thoughts. He was thoroughly enjoying himself and he sarcastically mocked her

“What’s wrong, Maya? Can’t you recognize one of your own people? I guess not, since fooling you was way too easy!”

Indeed, it had been easy. Raider had simply disguised himself as a Gerudo, which didn’t require much work once he stuck a convincing jewel to his forehead and altered the apparent color of his eyes with a simple yet effective magic spell, thanks to his red hair and darkish skin, and passed himself off as a long-awaited male heir to the Gerudo throne. As he appeared to have no ambitions for world domination and no special powers aside from an impressive tactical instinct, Maya and her fellow Gerudo were all too happy to accept him as a non-Ganon leader when they came across him. Almost immediately, Raider came up with a bold plan to ambush and rob the Royal Tax Collector right before he finished his route and began to travel back to Hyrule Castle. This plan involved getting information about the Tax Collector’s route using the Gerudo’s uncanny talent for getting what they want through pleasure. If the plan succeeded, it would make the Gerudo people rich and powerful. Raider, however, had other ideas.

Meanwhile, Maya was trying to figure out the motivation behind Raider’s deception and betrayal.

“But why? Even if you are not really a Gerudo, you still could have become powerful acting as our leader! You would have lived a life of luxury as one of us! What did you have to gain from betraying us to these beasts?”

“Because-” Raider grinned at her while raising his hands in victory. “-nobody has ever outsmarted both the Hylians AND the Gerudo before!!! Just think of the challenge involved in fooling both the world’s strongest race and the world’s most cunning race at the same time! Think of the thrill of victory! Not only that, but the Hylians will blame YOUR people for the ambush since you attacked them and they never even saw me. After all, what’s one more black mark on the record of the treacherous Gerudo race? As for your people… nobody will be around to tell them what really happened, and I’ll get away without blame once again!”
Before the astonished and speechless Maya’s eyes, the triumphant Raider drew a dagger and advanced on her. His mouth seemed to utter inaudible words and he vanished into thin air mere feet in front of her, while the sound of his footsteps also became impossible to detect. Defenseless against this invisible specter, Maya felt a sharp pain in her throat seconds later, and then nothing at all…

[Cralex]

The next evening, at the Bulblin’s base camp to the East…

The sun was low in the sky and cast everything in a hazy orange glow. Celebration of the recent victory over the Hylians and the Gerudo was in the air, and many Bulblins sat here and there around the wooden camp, eating, drinking, and smoking merrily. Raider, however, had not joined them. Unlike his companions, he was never one to drink or smoke excessively, preferring to remain sharp-minded at all times. Instead, he spent his time since yesterday’s battle training or resting while the Bulblins looted and partied. Raider now emerged from his ramshackle tent after a nap and stretched. After looking around for a moment, he lazily made his way over to King Bulblin’s tent.

What an exciting raid that was! I almost forgot how ruthlessly efficient the Bulblins are. They may bumble a bit on their own, but they are invincible when under the command of a mastermind such as myself. Now why don’t I ride with them more often?

Raider walked by a group of Bulblins that were sitting around a campfire enjoying their supper. Their meat was clearly only half-cooked and smelled horrible. Not only that, but the grotesque source of their meat looked suspiciously like it once had arms and legs… They waved an invitation for him to join their feast, but Raider wrinkled his nose in quiet disgust and ignored them.

Ah, that’s why. For all their brutal effectiveness, Bulblins can sure be disgusting creatures sometimes…

As Raider continued to walk, the sound of grass crunching underneath his booted feet reached his pointed ears and the scent of nearby water reached his nose, sensations that he found much more pleasing then those from the Bulblin’s grisly meal. He continued to ponder the habits of his green companions.

Now that I think about it, they have been acting even more savage then usual lately. I don’t have any problem with slitting a few throats or throwing myself into a deadly raid if it serves my purpose, but cannibalism is another story…

He walked by another tent, one that was different from those used by the tribe. Although the tent was filled with darkness, Raider’s suspicious gaze met that of one of the tent’s occupants. He had always distrusted these “visitors” and their excessively sadistic ways, but King Bulblin seemed to revel in their presence, becoming drunk with their infectious bloodlust. As he pulled open the flap of King Bulblin’e tent, a single thought went through Raider’s head.

Yes, I think it’s about time for me to be elsewhere.

[Cralex]

The moment Raider set foot into King Bulblin’s spacious tent, a dagger leapt at him from inside the tent, cutting the air. The dagger missed his head by a mere fraction of an inch and lodged itself in one of the posts that was supporting the tent. Almost as quickly as the dagger was thrown at him, the unflinching Raider snapped his right arm across his body and took hold of the dagger, pulling it free from the post. He then took three quick steps toward his attacker and fiercely brought the dagger down hard… into the table. Raider leaned over the table and glared at his attacker, although he could not prevent a smile from coming to his lips as they spoke the Bulblin tongue.

“I see you are just as untrustworthy as ever, King Bulblin.”

The great King Bulblin, who was more then five times a massive as Raider with his height, girth, and muscle, sat back in his heavy chair and laughed a loud, deep, cunning laugh. A twisted version of Raider’s own roguish smile came to his face as he responded, “And I see that your nerves haven’t dulled at all since your last raid, my friend. So, won’t you come and sit with me, Redo?”

Raider’s eyes flashed at the mention of his real name and his grip on the dagger, which was still lodged in King Bulblin’s table, unconsciously tightened. His “good-natured” roughhousing attitude was replaced with a cold and deadly serious one and all traces of his smile vanished from his face. Staring directly into King Bulblin’s bloodshot eyes, he threatened him, low and dangerous.

“I told you to never call me that! My name is Raider. If you call me that again, I swear that I’ll pull this dagger right out of this table and show you what it looks like when it is thrown at you! And unlike you, I never throw a dagger with the intention of missing my target. I never miss.”

If Raider’s threat fazed King Bulblin at all, he did not show it. He let the staring contest and the tension in the air hold for a moment, two moments, before dropping it. He chuckled.

“You’re too high-strung for your own good, Raider. Most people as old as you are rumored to be try not to overexcite themselves. Mark my words, your temper is going to get you into big trouble someday, and not even you will be able to escape!”

Raider said nothing, but he released his grip on the dagger and sat down at the table. Although he appeared to be relaxing, he was still angry.

Most people as old as I am are dead, and the only one who is in trouble when I’m mad is whoever made me angry in the first place!

Taking Raider’s silence as willingness to move on, King Bulblin continued talking.

“However, it is the enemies of the Bulblin tribe that fall when you are in command. Ha! We have never been as strong or as rich as we are with your latest victory. Well done! My forefathers were most wise when they accepted you into our tribe. You may be small, but an ageless warrior such as yourself is a true asset to us.”

Raider’s dark blue eyes narrowed with suspicion. “I know that already. What’s with all the praise? My victory may be glorious, but aren’t they all? What’s the catch?”

King Bulblin leaned in close. “Rumor has it that you plan to run off on your own again, Raider. Why go and do whatever it is that you do by yourself when you could stay here, with us?” He gestured around the tent, where various exotic plunder lay, and toward the Bulblin camp outside. “Just look around you, our power and wealth grows every day. These new visitors of ours are wise and powerful as well. We could all learn much from them, perhaps enough to gain some real power, real plunder! Think about it: What’s one raided caravan, no matter how rich, compared to a city, or even an entire nation! With their power, we could really do it someday. Blood and riches would flow like rivers, and we would be the lords of our world! But we need your cunning to pull it off. How about it?”

Raider thought about it, and he didn’t like the sound of it. All too well, he knew from what he had heard during his long life what happens when someone gets too ambitious and too greedy and goes mad with power… One of the legendary heroes comes out of nowhere and cuts your ambition short with a shining sword. No, much better to take what you need and live on the underside of society then try to take it over all together.

“Thanks, but I’ll pass. I just stopped by on my way out to get my share of the loot. Besides…” Raider grinned evilly. “…even a great leader like myself enjoys a little lone wolf hunting from time to time!”

King Bulblin grunted. He knew the thirst for the solitary hunt as well, yet he could not simply depart from the tribe as freely as Raider could. Raider’s sly manipulating had managed to hit a nerve with King Bulblin and gave him a valid excuse to leave.

“Very well, Raider. We wish you many victories upon the battlefield as you leave. Before I give you your share, however, don’t you have something to give me first?”

Raider, showing feigned or real reluctance, took out the loaned Hawkeye goggles. He sighed. “And here I was hoping that you would forget to ask about them. Fine, you can have them back.”

King Bulblin reached forth a green hand and took the goggles. After checking that they were still in working order, he grabbed a pouch and tossed it to Raider. “And here’s your reward for a job well done.”

Raider hefted the pouch, feeling the weight of the rupees inside. Still as stingy as always. The rotten slimeball cheated me again! Good thing I’m not in it for the money… “Thanks. I’ll leave you to your celebration. Until next time…” Raider got up and walked outside. Before he got too far away from the tent, he heard King Bulblin call after him. “Don’t forget about my offer, Raider! We can still become strong together when you come back!”

Not in your lifetime, my friend. I’d rather not get myself killed. Pray that you don’t get our entire tribe wiped out in a foolhardy pursuit like this.

The dark Kokiri known as Raider mounted his Bullbo, Butch and rode off into the dusk without a word or a glance back at the drunken Bulblin camp. As he rode away. Although somewhat troubled with the recent increase of the Bulblin’s desire for power, he was already planning his next thrilling adventure…

OOC: This is the end of Raider's introduction, but don't go forgetting about him! He's out there... Somewhere...