Welcome to Season 2 of "The Legend of Zelda – The Metroid's Shadow".
I told you this was going to be a long fic, didn't I? And not just because of the words… but of how it is.
Now… ready to go on?
If you forgot what happened on the season finale, I suggest you go to Season's 1 Mission 31 for the Pirate's and CGA's last stance, or Mission 28 for Samus' and team stats.
Either way, if it's even your first time reading –without having read LoZ-MS in the first place- it's still good, but it'll be better the more you know.
So, without anything else to say, enjoy the continuation.
Now… for the most important stuff on a Fanficion: the disclaimer:
Disclaimer:
Metroid and Legend of Zelda belong solely to Nintendo. Other Characters belong to their respective owners.
The skies of Lake Hylia started to gain a bit more of gray colors in the clouds, announcing with them a probable cold condition or even rain.
Ark, who had just left the lake, was currently walking through the fields of this land
"...This place's lack of technology disgusts me..." he muttered to himself.
He walked slowly across the broken drawbridge into Hyrule Market, what was once a lively place had now become completely deserted; he looked around before pulling the hood over his helmet, making the only thing visible on his face the eerie glow of his visor…
Far away from them, however, in the Lost woods, Jack had stayed at his ship to make repairs, plus cleaning up the Phazon mess left behind so that it didn't effect the environment and cause an ecological disaster. The last thing he needed was being charged with damage to their forest.
Spatial anomaly detected.
This tore Jack away from his ship repairs and made him check the vicinity... All he could pick up were some residue of variable energies, and there seemed to be a trail... Something had appeared nearby.
"Come on out now... No need to hide."
The Legend of Zelda – The Metroid's Shadow
Season 2
Mission 32 – Jack's last stance, Samus' reencounters
A cloaked figure stepped out.
En…
"Oh, I do not hide from you, sentient." His voice echoed over in a monotone. "I wish to hand you a proposition. My Father has an interest in this land and wishes to know if you would ally with him." he waited for questions to return.
Jack still kept his arm cannon raised at the enigma, being careful to remain wary of it. His visor was picking up some weird readings, mainly recognizable energy readings, but some of them were unknown.
This appeared to be a creature from another dimension or something.
"Sentient? Why did you just call me that? And who exactly is your father anyway?"
"I called you a sentient because that is what you are. You are a sentient being and I do not know the specific name of your race. Thus, I thought it polite to call you as such. Anyway. My father is the great shadow being, Ankokutenshi. He has become tired of our old existence in a void of shadow and wishes to find a new land. This area seemed suitable." He did not speak as if the other should recognize or know Ankoku, nor did his voice waver from the monotone in the slightest.
"Well that's fair enough. I'm a human just in case you want to use it for later. I just thought Sentient meant something different to you that's all..."
Shadow being? The whole idea of magic existing was a little absurd, but a person MADE from shadow? Come on. Oh well, he may as well keep an open mind to all of this. There were after all some pretty messed up things in the universe. Heck this scenario might be the same as the Aether incident...
However, seeing as how his visitor wasn't hostile, Jack lowered the arm cannon and resumed with his repairs.
"Your dad sounds like he's planning an invasion of this place... And if you don't like living in a place of shadow... then find the light switch."
"Your humor is wasted upon me, human, I do not laugh." En simply spoke on, no longer pursuing the humor. "Perhaps you could call it that, but it is no matter. My Father is more benevolent than anything else. He will not harm anyone who does not first defy him. Have you other questions?"
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind..." Jack was still trying to repair his shattered engines, and a question raced into his head.
"Yeah... I have another question. If your father offers this 'utopia' and if people don't accept it, will they be destroyed becasue they don't share his views? Or will he allow them to continue with their lives? Just wanna ask, because I'm sure there's been a lot of this in human history..."
"Resistance will be dealt with according to the situation. Violance will be met with violance. Reason, with reason. My father is not unreasonable, to the contrary he is quite reasonable. However..." En moved his head slightly to the side, "angering him is not advisable." He stayed silent, waiting for any other questions.
"Okay then... I'm brought. So, what does he want from me? A mere sentient?"
Jack had just stopped fiddling with the engine to his ship, he saw it as unfixable. This irritated him greatly and kicked the machine. He doubted he'd be able to find a replacement on a world like this...
"Sorry, as you can see, I'm having engine problems."
"Well then, in exchange for your loyalty, my father and my brothers and myself will do all we can in order to fix your vessel. Is this agreeable, human?"
"Hmmm… tempting, tempting…" he made a gesture signaling thought "but I hardly belive you can help me with… this"
And he pointed the downed ship.
"I'd like to keep talking longer, but the sooner I finish this, the better: I have people to catch…"
En looked at him hardly but finally closed his eyes.
"Very well then… until then…"
And as he entered he vanished, swiftly like the wind.
"Wow…"
Samus had just entered yet another chamber in the water temple.
She had her cannon raised, and checking the radar, and meters for anything suspicions.
"...Quite the odd room..."
Xion walked in after Samus and jumped about three feet into the air as the door slammed down behind him and bars came down in front of both doors.
"What the?" Jaith looked back at Samus, then to the other door, "This doesn't bode well..."
A slight mischievous chuckle echoed through the room
"Seems like you offworlder fools have fallen into my trap!" a voice said as Dark Link fell through the ceiling and onto the center pillar.
"...Should have known better..." Samus mumbled. A trap... She raised her cannon and trained it on the shadowy being.
"...You again, what do you want!" Xion yelled.
"..Same question here…"
"Actually it was originally a trap for my other half... but meh, I'll take what I can get..." Dark Link said, he drew the sword off his back, "The point is I'm going to rid this temple of you cretins one way or another..."
"Oh yeah? You and what army?" Xion said unholstering one of his Gunsabers, "There's three of us and one of you... what makes you think you have any chance?"
"He does have a point you know..." Jaith said also training his cannon on the shadow.
"...I don't know... perhaps because I'm just more cunning and full of tricks?" Dark Link said with a grin as two tendrils of water formed up behind him, each housing a small sphere-like bioform inside, "Or maybe it's because I have a army of allies in which to attack with!" he said before laughing.
"Jaith... Xion... Rule number one... NEVER ask the 'you and what army' question... As you can see..." Samus said aloud and brought up her scanner to find out some into of the two of life forms just behind the shadow. "...Get ready to move.. Those things are capable of lifting and throwing... And I need not emphasize on how careful you both should be..."
Dark Link chuckled and hovered into the air, a light blue aura surrounding him, he pulled his sword back and slashed straight at them, sending a large blue wave at them.
Jaith and Xion both jumped out of the way, in opposite directions.
The twin creatures formed themselves a pair of arms each out of the surrounding water. And charged at Jaith and Xion, leaving the shadow to Samus...
As Jaith and Xion left both ways, Samus jumped back and away from the slash.
"Phazon... Feh..."
She was facing off against some other copy with phazon. Joy. She landed with a croutch and locked her cannon on to the hovering figure and fired of a barrage of power beam shots at the shadow.
Dark Link jumpped to the left (Samus's Left), holding his blade in his right hand he deflected any of the power beam shots that got too close to him with it. Holding up his left hand with a sly grin on his face. A black sphere-like object with a small fuse forms in his hand, with a spark and a hiss coming from the object's fuse the shadow chucked the object with full force at Samus...
Jaith rolled out of the way of a tendril of water sent shooting at him by one of the creatures, he aimed his cannon and fired at the bioform, only to have his beam narrowly miss the creature as it moved down the main tendril of water. Steam emitted from the water tendril as the light beam passed though it.
Xion jumped to the side as a tendril came up through the grating undernieth him and attempted to grab him, he fired off a few shots from his weapon at the creature in the center of the second main tendril, but it only seemed to enrage the creature more.
Samus had no clue what such orb was. And it was going to fast to take the time to read the info on the object's nature as the sensors scanned it. She moved her cannon en route to the object and fired a missile off into it.
"heh…"
The moment the missile made contact with the object, a huge explosion rocked the room, causing Xion to lose balance slightly.
"The heck?" Xion said turning to the source of the explosion.
The two creatures also seemed to be shaken by the explosion.
Samus drew her cannon back and held it in her left hand.
"Ahh.. Explosive..." But her eyes were not on the smoke s that hung in the air, but to where the shadow had gone. The explosive was probably a distraction to avert her eyes from the true threat.
"Heheh!" coming straight out of the smoke to the right was Dark Link, his sword now on his back and a black bow in his hand, he drew back an arrow charged with dark energy before releasing it at Samus.
Samus frowned behind the visor, and stood quickly to the side with a profile turn. Avoiding the arrow and raising her cannon again and fired of a power shot.
"Gah!" Dark Link reared back as the power shot contacted with his left shoulder, dropping his bow which disappeared in a wisp of black smoke before it even hit the water below the shadow.
He glared at Samus with his red eyes before drawing the sword off his back.
Great. A sword fight.. And Jaith had her grapple beam... And avoiding the energy scythes of pirate's at close range was always 'fun' but somebody who was seasoned the sword…
The two creatures moved away from Jaith and Xion and headed for the center of the room, the two tendrils of water merged into one, several more lesser tendrils extended out from it and whipped at all three of the enemies in the room.
She took an offensive/defense stance. But was interrupted at the two water like creatures merged into a larger singular form, and swung out tendrils of itself at her Xion and Jaith. she jumped back and away from a watery length aimed for her.
Jaith and Xion both managed to avoid the tendrils being whipped at them.
"...This thing's got to have a weakness..." Jaith muttered staring at the creature, the two bioforms orbited around each other inside the main tendril, '...Those things have the ability to control the movement of water, and it seems they're also capable of increasing their power over it by working together, so if I can separate them, then their power should weaken...' he aimed his left arm at the creature, or more accurately, he aimed the grappling beam at it. He fired the beam and managed to snag one of the creatures on it.
"Gotcha..." he grinned as he pulled back and ripped the captured creature out of the main tendril, which dropped much of it's form as half of the power controlling it was removed, Jaith twisted his body and arm, slamming the biofrom into the wall before opening fire on it with his arm cannon.
Dark Link charged straight at Samus, pulling his sword back and lunging at her with a stab.
Steppeding quickly back and turned to the left (hers) in a profile step to avoid the stab. This also served as a counter as she reached her left hand to grab Shadow Link's arm, and spin with her back to him. The aim was to bring her right cannoned arm up, and bend it to elbow ram him in the back of the neck, or upper back in the center.
Dark Link was looking straight at her with a grin as a light blue aura formed around his body, he cackled as it exploded outwards as a shockwave of energy.
Samus's eyes widen behind the visor as the environmental danger meter blarged and shot off through the limit of the bar, and a flash of blue flooded her vision. The explosion of the energy sent her back with a burning jarring sensation like getting slammed into by a wall of fire, or something similar. She hit the grated ground with a crash and dented the point of impact before rolling over herself at least four times before coming to a stop. She gritted her teetch to the sting that still hung from the area that met the blast impact. Her vision still had an outline of blue.
'SAMUS!' Jaith's attention was turned from beating the bioform senseless to the resent shockwave that had orginated from the shadow, "Xion, Slash!" he yelled whipping the creature at him before disengaging the beam.
"Now your talking..." Xion said, activating his weapon's energy blade, he slashed at it as it flew at him, cutting it right in half. A high-pitched scream came from the creature as both halfs of it fell onto the grated floor and bounced around while seeming to shrink, in a few moments there was nothing visible left of the creature.
Enraged by the death of it's sibling, the second creature charged straight at Xion while whipping it's tendrils at him savagely.
Dark Link turned to Samus and laughed
"Do you really think you have a chance against me?" He pulled back his sword as if going to strike at her again. But without warning a light beam shot pierced through his left shoulder, "ARGH! Cheap shot!" he screamed out as he collapsed onto the ground, dropping his sword and clutching his wounded shoulder.
"...That should teach you to hit a lady..." Jaith said coldly to the Shadow.
"..Lady..?"
Samus hopped up to her feet and shook her head to remove the blue highlight to everything.
Lady, now that was a familiar word, but no time to think of the past.
She drew her cannon up and aimed it at the shadow.
"Well, getting blasted or not... Yeah, I think I can stand a chance against you... Thanks Jaith..."
Dark Link was laughing
"You offworlders are formidable foes indeed... even without the aid of magic..." his form started to fade away, "I think I'll take my leave now heh..." he said before completely fading away into shadows.
"...Figures..." Jaith muttered before looking up at Samus, "No problem, we're a team, that's what they're for right?"
"Yeah... team and all... so does that mean you guys will HELP ME!" Xion yelled, he was hoisted into the air by several of the water creature's tendrils, "This is very uncomfortable and- urk!" he was silenced by one of the tendrils wrapping itself around his neck and squeezing.
"..Son of a... Dammnit.. Hold on Xion!"
She turned to look at the thing binding the reptile. Trying to cut off his air flow and choke him.. Not on her watch. She raised her cannon and took aim. Only hesitant for a second for a sharp shot, and charged her cannon to mid charge, and fired a shot off to blow off or damage the tendril binding his neck.
Samus's shot had managed to seperate the tendril wrapped around Xion's neck, without being connected to the central tendril it turned back into regular water and slashed back into the pool, but this didn't stop the creature from growing a new tendril in it's place. It whipped Xion across the room and into one of the walls before turning its attention to Samus and Jaith.
"Just peachy... though my neck and back are killing me..." Xion said slowly standing up, "I'm just a magnet for pain aren't I?"
"Xion! Are you alright?" she spoke this aloud but kept her eyes on the water beast. "Jaith don't suppose you could pull that things core out like the last one do you? Or has this one wizened up..."
It was at this moment she though of how useful the ice beam would be right now.. Freeze, and shatter... But that would have been too easy now wouldn't it?
"We can talk about that later..." Jaith said to Xion while looking up at the creature, "Guess they're only way to find out if this works again." he said aiming the grappling beam at the creature and firing it off into it; a direct hit. "Guess this one's just as dumb as the last..." he said as he attempted to pull the core out, just to have it pull back with the same strength, "...Though...I have been wrong before..."
"Hmm... Jaith, you have light beam ammunition... By nature it has intense heat. And heat can evaporate water."
"...That's true, but unfortunately I don't have enough ammunition to evaporate this entire pool..." Jaith answered tugging on creature with the grappling beam harder, but the creature managed to pull back with the same strength once again, "I don't think it's coming out..."
The creature formed several more tendrils of water and lashed out at Samus and Jaith with them.
"Ahh.."
Samus quickly rose her cannon up. The targeting reticule split off into several separate reticules, locking on tot he tendrils. In quick succession, she pointed and moved the cannon's barrel to each tendril firing out rapidly.
Ganondorf was sitting on his new throne as a small stalfo came to greet him, "Lord Ganon..." he bowed, "The offworlder has returned and is requesting to speak with you..."
"Allow him entry..." Ganondorf commanded.
"No need..." Ark said as he stepped through the chamber doorway, his armored boots clanging against the stone floors of the castle...
"Ah yes ...Ark was it... I hope you bring me good news..." Ganondorf said resting his arms on his armrests and touching his fingertips together...
"...Unfortunately not... my target unfortunately has support... numerous support... that and those blasted space pirates interfered as well..." Ark explained, "...Also... there was another... a shadow demon by the looks of it... It didn't take a genius to know I was outnumbered severely..."
Ganondorf frowned, "Unfortunate indeed... but as it turns out... I have another task I that I require your assistance in..."
"My service doesn't come cheap... Ganondorf What will I be getting in return..." Ark asked crossing his arms.
Ganondorf smirked and a slight laugh escaped him, "Well, well, well... If pay you I must, then I guess I have no choice... It's simple what I'll give you Ark... that which you seek, the power to destroy and cause chaos to your heart's content... the more tasks you complete for me... the more I will increase YOUR power..."
"...Perfect... exactly what I wanted to hear..." Ark said with a hidden smile behind his visor, "What would you have me do then?"
"I need you to retrieve a certain seal of power... from the temple of shadows hidden deep under the graveyard of Kakariko Village, It along with the other Six Seals are the keys I require to execute my plan..." Ganondorf explained.
"Riiight... Kakariko Village... that's the one with the big mountain behind it isn't it?" Ark asked, upon seeing a nod from Ganondorf he smiled, "Perfect... You'll have your seal..." and with that Ark turned around and walked out of the chamber...
"Grrrr….That's it!" Tabais clenched his fist and it became engulfed in flame.
The void wasn't much of a pretty place to stay so long. Maybe one of the reasons Ankokutenshi was seeking a new place to live.
Not to mention Tabais' 'fiery' personality: he cannot simply stay put.
He swung it in an odd pattern of symbols and shapes, leaving fire behind, until he had created a seal which he moved to the ground.
"Hah, En showed me that from his books once. It's a warp seal. I can use it to get to the planet, but I'm not sure how to get back. Oh well, just a little dark energy, and..." the red and orange flames became a teal and green shade. They then erupted into a swirling mass of energy of the same colors, and Tabais jumped into it, without a second thought.
Jace sighed. "Father won't be happy."
"Alright! Time to find out stuff to make the ship at least fixed on the motherboard"
Jack looked at his downed ship for a moment.
Clearly this wasn't much of a nice scenario he would like to be much but he had no other choice.
Inwardly, he wondered about the faith of Samus and those scrambled group of chattering girls that had just left some hours ago. It seemed months since that happened.
Had the pirates got to them? How are they? What where they seeking on them? Is Samus doing fine?
Many questions in the head, spinning around and probably making him go dizzy.
He shook his head in order to clear his mind and continue with his work.
That would take a lot time, specially since the parts are either non-existent there or where hard to find.
"I wander what happened to those two though"
With that, his mind was with Link and Zelda, who had also seemed to run away.
An inner chuckle: why would anyone stay anyways?
Then, he noticed something. A small but yet audible 'crack'.
As he walked towards the source, cannon already ready, he couldn't help to ask if somebody had come back.
His HUD didn't show any known signal nor any real threatening life form… so… what was it?
The crack was heard yet again but this was much more 'visual' than by sound: as in 'old' science fiction movies, a small crackle started to appear in the middle of the air, nearby his ship.
The HUD showed signs of rising energy, but nothing more than that, so he rose his cannon up.
The crackle became bigger and bigger, giving sparks away in the surroundings until it gave a small 'pop'
With it, a blinding light in the area, covering around 3 feet the source.
After it cleared, a slim figure covered with the shadows of the trees appeared.
"Wha.. who… who are you?" Jack asked a bit surprised, looking at such figure. At some point it looked familiar.
He noticed the design of the armor that was visible from his position: it looked somewhat like those ones the girls tended to have.
The shadow smirked, raising a finger as if pointing.
The hunter didn't know how to react at it.
Finally, after a long stance and silence, the figure started speaking
"Chaos…"
Nothing. The next thing he saw was nothing more than pure concentrated light, tossing him away from his downed ship into the woods.
It was a fast unavoidable attack that didn't give him time to either react or counter it.
But what it is to counter: the ray was quite wide and piercing, throwing away some trees as he passed by them. Some of them where broken by himself.
A small grunt of pain, as he tried to stand up after such attack, finding that he himself had been wounded badly.
The shadow approached slowly, like an animal to it's prey, watching how his futile efforts to stand up where.
Even within the shadows, Jack could see a smirk.
Sayonara…
A big light engulfed that part of the forest, making it shake.
The ray's recoil could be seen from the outside, as if it where a geyser full of light.
It is probable this was Jack's last stance…
Mission 32 End
