Defeating the Gods
I Breaking the Hero
"Almost there," whispered Link as he rushed up the long steep passage. The ambient light from the torches that lined the hall made Link's shadow flicker as he ran. The sound of his boots against the brick floor echoed loudly as he ran. He breathed heavily as he dashed closer to his destination. He could already begin to hear the sound of maniacal laughter from behind the heavy wooden door at the top of the passage. He was near his enemy.
At last he gripped the large rings attached to the door at the top of the passage and pulled. As the door swung open Link pulled the Master Sword from its sheath in preparation to meet his opponent. The torch light reflected brightly off its silvery surface. Link gripped the hilt tightly as he watched his cloaked opponent move slowly toward a strange collection of cables, levers, and gauges.
"I have been expecting you, Hylian!" whispered a strange voice from beneath the red cloak. His attire made it seem like he hovered just above the ground as he moved from place to place. After manipulating several knobs on the cables, he glided over to another portion of the room. Bronze tubes lined the floor and walls in various places, and the sound of rushing fluids and gases made an eerie sound as they flowed through these tubes. Small puffs of colored gasses could be seen erupting out of various vents throughout the circular room.
"What is this place?" asked Link as he cautiously approached the center of the room. Small electrical charges danced between various outcroppings in the ceiling. Link could not help but be amazed at the technological mystery that surrounded him.
"This is the future Hylian!" hissed Link's opponent. "It's destiny! You Hylians have oppressed the rest of us with your magics for too long…" He pulled a large lever and the ground beneath Links feet began to shake. Larger amounts of colored gas poured out of wall vents, and the sound of gears clanking against one another loudly rang in Link's pointed ears. He staggered back as he saw a silver cylinder emerge from the floor where he was standing. In a quick motion, Link flipped back and pulled his shield up defensively.
"They aren't our magics," said Link. "It is the power of the Triforce… the power of the Gods that protects us from murderers like you! What have you done with the others Agahnim?!"
"Your shield will not protect you against my weapons," chided Agahnim. "Now that you no longer have a monopoly on the power of the Gods…" He glided over to a console where he adjusted more knobs and switches. The ground again shook as four bronze cylinders began to rise from various places in the floor such that they surrounded the silver cylinder. Link decided he should strike his opponent before he could complete his techniques. He ran with tremendous speed toward the tall cloaked figure. Link drew his arm back, preparing to deliver a powerful slash. To his horror a strange light seemed to flicker around his opponent, and his sword passed through as if he had been made of thin air.
"You Hylians think you are so much better than any one else…" laughed his opponent. "You think your Gods have given you the Triforce because you are destined to rule…" Link spun around hoping to find some secret to why he was unable to harm his opponent. Instead of finding a source for his enemy's power, he saw a huge amount of lightning fly from the outcroppings on the ceiling and flow into the silver cylinder in the center of the room. It began to glow brightly, and after a moment, strange energy flowed through the tubes and cables on the ground into the bronze cylinders. The metal on these satellite pillars began to split apart, causing large amounts of steam to bellow from the depths of these metallic chambers.
"But you are not destined to rule Link…" hissed the cloaked man. "You are destined to serve me and to serve my kind…"
"And what kind is that?" asked Link as he held his blade up defensively. Strange noises began to come from within the bronze cylinders. Suddenly large dents began to appear on the sides of the bronze shells. It was clear that something inside was trying to break out.
"Unfortunately, you will not have an opportunity to do this," replied Agahnim. He pulled another lever and seemed to evaporate in a puff of smoke. The bronze from the cylinders was soon violently shredded into tiny fragments, revealing the 'weapons' that Link's foe had alluded to.
"What have you done…?" stammered Link. The creatures that stood before him appeared as if they had once been alive, but their bodies had wires and tubes sticking out of various places, and their heads were protected by large helmets with strange cables and flickering lights. There were four of them, and it appeared that their hands had been severed and replaced with sharp weapons. They offered no response to Link's question, but after adjusting to the light of the chamber, they all turned to face Link. He withdrew a few steps hoping to avoid being overwhelmed. In an instant, one of the mechanical Hylians leapt toward Link and swung with an axe-arm. Link leapt back, but not before another of his enemies had lunged toward him with a sword-arm. Link was lifted his shield up to defend himself, but to his horror, the creature that had attacked him unleashed a bolt of lightning through its blade into Link's shield. Link's muscles tensed as the painful energy surged through his body.
"I have to get out of here," whispered Link as he managed to crawl back a short distance. The largest of the four began to swing the ball and chain that was attached to its forearm. In a matter of seconds the massive weapon flew across the chamber and slammed into Link's arm. His shield warped under the tremendous pressure of the spiked ball, and he was sent flying backwards. The fourth of these creatures appeared to be a mechanized woman. She had crossbows attached to her forearms, but instead of shooting at Link, she fired arrows at the ground beneath him. As soon as they pierced the floor, a sheet of ice spread across the ground. As Link landed, he found he was unable to stop sliding until he collided painfully with the wall. The axe-handed creature opened its mouth and blew a ball of fire towards Link, but he managed to use his sword to grip the ice and propel himself out of the way of the attack. As fast as he slid, he was not quick enough to avoid a slashing sword attack from the lightning-wielding creature, and blood spurted out of the fresh laceration in Link's arm. He rolled back and cradled the cut flesh with his hand. The crossbow opponent took aim at him.
"Take this!" shouted Link as he quickly pulled out his hookshot and fired it toward the crossbow-armed figure. As the hook stuck deep into the helmet, the other three opponents leapt toward Link, but not before he had started reeling the woman toward him. Using her as his own ball and chain he swung her around and threw his other opponents back. Just before the chain had finished retracting, Link delivered a fierce kick to the woman's helmet, causing it to be broken and torn off her face. She flew backward a short distance. Link immediately took aim at a second opponent, but before he fired, he looked back at the woman. As she returned to her feet, it was clear that she had not been seriously hurt by Link's attack, only thrown off guard. As Link saw her face, he staggered back.
"No…" he whispered. There was no hint of emotion in the blue eyes of the crossbow-armed woman. The skin of her face was paler than he remembered, but there was no mistaking the identity of this opponent.
"Then that means the rest of you are…" started Link. He withdrew slightly as his opponents began to close the distance that separated them. He turned swiftly toward the entrance. Using the speed of his Pegasus boots, he dashed away from another fireball and a spiky ball and chain attack from his largest opponent. An arrow flew by his head and struck the door, freezing it solid. Link reared back his golden-gauntlet enhanced fist and slammed it through the frozen barrier. He sped down the steep passage that he had so anxiously ascended only minutes before. The torch lights that lined the hall blew out with the wind he kicked up as he rushed by. After a few moments of frantic running, a tear escaped Link's eye. His speed caused it to roll horizontally across his head and onto his long pointed ear. He clenched his fists as he rushed out of the tower and across the grass.
"Enough!" shouted Agahnim to his four creations at the entrance of the tower. They immediately and unquestioningly ceased their pursuit.
"I think I have made my point…" said Agahnim as he watched Link vanish on the horizon. "The rule of the Gods has come to an end… The Triforce will now serve me!"
Link continued running for quite some distance. His eyesight blurred as tears slowly rolled across his face. At last he tripped on a stone that had been concealed by the tall grass and tumbled a short distance before flopping onto the earth.
"This changes nothing," whispered a low voice from behind him. Link recognized it immediately, and clenched his fists as he whirled around. There stood the great owl Kaepora Gaebora towering over him.
"Did you know it would be them???" shouted Link angrily. The owl nodded. Link put his head down.
"Link, we must still defeat Agahnim," said Kaepora Gaebora. Link breathed deeply, attempting to regain control of his emotions.
"I don't think I can kill them," whispered Link.
"They're already dead," answered the owl.
"There must be a way to bring them back…" hissed Link angrily. "I looked into her eyes… if you could've seen it…"
"Love is powerful. It is not wrong to grieve some, but you must not let your pain strangle you…" whispered the owl. Link raised his head and looked up at his large, feathered companion. His large eyes seemed to plead with Link, but the encouragement faded as fresh tears welled up again in his eyes.
"Link," whispered the owl. "Don't…"
"I'm sorry," answered Link. "But I just don't care any more…" He strapped his hookshot to his belt and dashed away as fast as the Pegasus Boots would let him. The great owl stood tall as the wind swept across the fields. After Link had disappeared the owl turned to face the great tower Link had fled from.
"My most convincing work yet," whispered Agahnim as his invisibility technique flickered away. A puff of smoke came from the owl's neck as Agahnim looked at him.
"Not perfect…" said Agahnim in a disappointed tone as he reached into the feathers to adjust a bundle of cables. "But certainly enough to break that so-called hero…"