Marth chose to sit quietly and motionlessly with Zelda, both of them being well on guard. It was unnerving, knowing that something would come, but not being sure when. Marth, with absolute faith in Ike and Link, could only stare ahead and wait for a sort of signal or any other thing of importance.
A buzzing noise, one that made both Zelda and Marth draw their weapons with great speeds, sounded from a corner of the room. Looking towards the other, they both remembered that they had brought a phone with them to keep mind of what was going on at Marth's coven. Zelda had the same, but she had one that was smaller for travel purposes.
Lifting it up and pressing the call button, Marth placed the phone gently against his ear and listened. "Hello," whispered Marth, remembering a small fact about Alexander Graham Bell's wife while he was at it. "Oh, Robin! How's it going?"
"Okay," Zelda heard Robin sigh from over the phone, Marth nodding to her as to remember what they say. "What happened over here is either what you want to hear, or never want to hear. Take your pick."
"I'd like to hear it either way," mumbled Marth, quite accustomed to bad news. "Does it have to do with Roy?"
"Somewhat, but I'll get to that part later," Robin said, Zelda beginning to grab a book and pen from thin air, casting a thumbs up to Marth while doing so. "The Messenger came, hell bearing and all. We succeeded in killing and sealing him, and he currently resides with me."
Marth noticeably stiffened, Robin seeming to sense it over the phone. "And no, Roy hasn't been hexed or cursed, don't worry," hissed Robin from over the phone, seeming to try and put it as gently as possible. "There's something else with Roy, too. I think his emotions and enemy's emotions link when sealing. He'd most likely do as a beast metal detector. Or, that is when the beast is sealed. He only got these readings from when it was being sealed, so do with that what you will."
"Okay, Robin," mumbled Marth, Zelda's pen making frantic scratching sounds. "Thank you for telling me this. I appreciate it."
Hanging up, Marth turned around, a sigh escaping his lips, joined by a cloud of vapor. Zelda nodded at him before the book and pen disappeared back into thin air, the only remnants of them being the soft scent of ink wafting in the air.
Staying silent, Marth and Zelda continued to wait, their minds mulling over both new and old information. It was odd, they knew it was, but they knew that the time was coming. Soon, but not soon enough.
[ t]
vii.
"Okay," Ryu sighed, grabbing the Sword of Seals in attempts to have Roy not burn his hand. "You think of it as a torch, but think of it as an extension of your arm. Cheesy, yes. But it's truthful."
Roy groaned from Ryu's advice, a cool draft blowing in from the windows as the two of them waited for Robin to come back. "It's nice," he mumbled, thinking hard as he reached out to grab the sword, hesitance in his hands. "I think I understand. Maybe if I just–"
A thin layer of fire ignited as soon as Roy touched it, a huff coming from his lips as he retracted his hand. Ryu frowned before he turned it back to how it was, quickly shading the flower from the glow of sunlight streaming in from the window. Roy grabbed it with humid fingers and placed it into his pocket with uncertainty, the feeling of English fading from his mouth.
"Would you like to try again after we eat? It won't be much," said Ryu, the smile on his face appearing to be somewhat uncertain. "I think that Peach made some extras from yesterday and put it in the fridge. Come, leftovers aren't that bad. They're better than what we normally eat, really. But I shouldn't be complaining so vibrantly."
Roy slowly nodded, swallowing a lump in his throat before he followed, rather uncertainly, Ryu to the kitchen downstairs. Robin met them halfway, appearing to be confused before he sighed and followed them to the kitchen. They were all hungry, Roy wouldn't lie. They hadn't eaten for a good five hours.
"You say that Peach has leftovers down here, right? I think she might've put them out before she left earlier," Robin tried to recall, a shock of violet running through his fingers as he dragged his hands through his hair. "Either way, it's not going to be too good."
Ryu frowned over at Robin, an eyebrow rising before he leaned down and opened the door to the kitchen, looking around slowly before he invited the others in, all of them seeming ready to eat. "Food is," Ryu paused, frowning before he banged his head against a nearby wall, Roy jumping slightly from the shockwave running across the room. "The Messenger ate it. I'm sorry, but you guys can do with my cooking for now, right? I mean, we all should keep trying to train Roy. It won't do us any good if we starve ourselves before the true battle."
"Yeah," Robin sighed, moving to the table on the side of the room in a short flash. "We should eat something. Ryu, you're not as dull as I thought."
"Not quite the sharpest yet, huh? That's okay, I don't need much smarts in this coven," he said, searching in the fridge and bringing out a package of eggs, holding a good nine to the dampened sunlight flowing through the windows. "Besides, I'm not finished with my training. I have much more to learn than this. Someday, I might even regret the advice I tell you two on those rainy days."
Roy frowned, watching Ryu take out a large pan and turn on the stove, the scent of gas spreading through the air. "You've been to another coven? That seems nice," whispered Roy, imagining a coven with many other people like Ryu. "People who are similar to you just walking around, showing the world some good that it may have. Maybe someone there looked up to you as much as I do. But that's rude, to imagine something like this without asking for the truth. So, how was it?"
Ryu paused for a moment, pursing his lips while Robin tensed slightly, a glint of violet flashing through his hands for a split second. "It wasn't quite the same as this one. All of the members had to fight each other more often than I'd like to say. They treated it like a pyramid, whoever won the most was the leader. But the leader was a power hungry man. I never understood it," said Ryu, gently breaking the eggs on the side of the table and putting them inside the pan with great speed. "Besides that, I did have someone who looked up to me. I've long forgotten her name, but I don't quite think I'm worthy of being a teacher."
Roy nodded, closing his eyes to absorb the information, the soft draft of eggs wafting through the air. "I see," mumbled Roy, leaning forwards and resting his head on the table. "What's the name of that coven, then? Maybe some of them know more about the dark, and we can get answers from them instead of the, probably dead, Messenger."
"Impossible," whispered Robin, Ryu simply grabbing salt and pepper and putting it on the eggs. "That coven isn't in this dimension, it's in another. I can't trade between dimensions like Marth can, but I know that much already."
"He's from mine," Roy said, leaning back to sit up in his seat. "I remember seeing him there. He seemed to train really hard, but I only started to talk to him here."
Ryu walked over with two plates filled with eggs and jerky, a sheepish look on his face as he tried to explain the jerky. "No bacon, so I used something close to it," he said, Roy just letting out a small laugh before he grabbed a fork and started to eat, Robin frowning before he shrugged and ate from his plate as well. "Do you want any syrup?"
"No," Roy and Robin rang out, the food well enough without it. "Thank you for asking."
Ryu let out a short laugh, pouring them all a small glass of lemonade. "Do you want any lemonade? I mean, I can just put it in the fridge for later unless you don't want to save it for later."
"Oh," Roy perked up, Robin shaking his head slowly, Ryu putting his in the fridge. "I want some, please. Thank you for going through all the trouble of giving us breakfast. Bacon or not. I'm surprised you can cook, though. You don't seem like the type of person to do so."
"Wandering makes you learn things you wouldn't expect to learn," mumbled Ryu, a small bag of jerky resting in the palm of one hand as he ate his meal. "I don't think I've gotten a hold of eggs in a while, though. I'm glad you like them so much. Anyway, we should hurry and finish up training you, Roy. You just have a thin wall of fire, now. So, if we give you a good hour or two, you can finish and then train until Marth or someone commands you to head out."
Roy swallowed a thick piece of jerky, the taste of raw, unfiltered meat filling his throat with a burning feeling before he stood and grabbed the lemonade that Eyu had left him, soon returning to his seat. "So we can wait here until we're called," whispered Roy, shovelling eggs into his mouth before he took a gulp of lemonade, Robin making a questionable face towards him. "What if Marth calls early? I don't mean to jinx it, but it's just a pure question."
"Well, we hope that you at least know how to keep your hand from burning off," laughed Robin, a serious glint in his eyes as he was reduced to giggles. "But Marth is much wiser than to call you so early. Only a fool would take an untrained soldier out onto the battlefield."
Roy and Ryu nodded, their frowns deep as they ate on, the warm feeling of the air soon dissolving into one of comforting silence. With screeches of chairs and creaks of the floor, they soon cleaned up and prepared to go back to teaching Roy how to use the Sword of Seals, the sword being as hard to use as getting a typewriter to work after jamming it.
Ryu, with much patience and little time, began helping Roy once again, Robin seeming to stay quiet as he watched and observed. He seemed to say things he noticed, but Roy never really remembered he was there. He was as forgetful as a needle lost in a sea of carpet.
{next}
Little Mac, with the eyes of a well trained eagle, silently watched the sea of dust and clay move, the whole of his legs stained with most of it. He had been standing there, in the middle of the country, for quite a while. His coven, one with the same morals as his, had sent him out as a messenger. He even recalls Marth informing him that he was also a part of the group of minute men.
Had he gotten a say in the matter, he would've declined and gone on his way, but fate had it out for him. So, he was here. Waiting, as silent as could be, for a beast he wasn't quite sure of.
"You're too patient," he heard behind him, the tip of an accent showing through. "How long you out here for? Some of the townsfolk say days, but I say you're looking for someone. My wife wants you to come inside and eat, and I can't pursuade her to let a man sit and brood. Come on, boy."
Looking behind himself, Little Mac saw a man, no older than him, motioning for him to follow. Sighing, Mac found himself interested in the offer and entered, the house seeming to emit a damp feeling. But it was very homely, and he liked it.
Glancing once more towards the man, he saw a beautiful sea blue staring at him. Stiffening at the sound of a voice with the same accent, but much higher in pitch, the man let out a hearty laugh.
"Why you standin' out there lookin' tough when you can't even take a woman's call for dinner," he chuckled, the scent of snuff and oil radiating off of him. "Hello there, I'm who they call Bowser. I'm a darn good shapeshifter, and I'm proud of it. A nice thing for a turtle to have, eh?"
Mac, now squinting as to find a flaw in his disguise, nodded quietly, a small smile of acknowledgement on his face. "The militia is just about run by you at this point, huh? Well, that's a good disguise you've got on there," he said, turning his attention back to where the kitchen was, the scent of steak and gravy filling his nose. "The typical dinner here, I'm guessing. It seems nice, really. Who's your wife, anyway? Could it be someone like the Villager, or maybe you took your shot at the mannequins? I'm not one to judge if you just call whoever is in the kitchen your wife as a pet name. I can understand it, too. But I guess curiosity got the best if me."
Bowser let out a gurgling laugh and shook his head,"Not even sure myself," Bowser said, nodding his head towards him. "But I know that the woman in there is my wife. She doesn't show her face often, but she's there. Why, you think it'd be hard for a man like me to find a darlin' to spend their life with? Life got a lot to teach you, boy."
{next}
Ike stood still, a soft and gentle fog seeming to form outside, Red squinting as to see. "I can't bring out Charizard," he hissed, Ike and Link overhearing his panic. "What's going on, anyway? We went from full out warzone to this thing. It smells like fresh laundry here. I could probably stop by the cleaners for a while, too. But I'm not supposed to be here, right? I'll just send out my Pokémon during battle and stay here. So annoying."
Link frowned, his ears twitching before he rubbed at his nose and stood without the slightest hint of a sound. The dirt under his feet stirred in the motions of a ripple, an air of serenity following him as he grabbed his sword and prepared his quiver.
Red, now standing and preparing to leave, nodded to them before he took off, a sudden burst of wind blurring their vision for a short moment. Ike felt his stomach drop at the soft tremors brought from a beast they hadn't seen, his emotions seeming to swirl inside him before he wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. He didn't feel ready for this.
"No worries," Link whispered, his breath smelling of honeysuckles and dew, Ike's senses dulling to the point where he could barely hear Link's words. "I will be there, and Queen Zelda will be there, and Marth will, too. If we worry now, then we cannot be of full use to our leaders, the ones we protect and who protect us in return. So, do not worry."
Ike frowned at Link's advice, the pit in his stomach growing deeper before he swallowed his emotions in a painful gulp and stood. "I'm not worried about that, but we won't have much of an edge. It's afternoon and the Dark grows stronger, well, at dark. If we don't hurry with this then we might as well surrender our souls," he mumbled, his fingers suddenly seeming to not obey his orders, his sword falling onto the floor as his hand stood outstretched to something. "I don't even know if I can put my entire faith into Marth for this, and I'm not one to be so discouraged. I feel like I'll freeze from fear and die right there, a pitiful death that most would talk about in secret. Gossiping hens bringing it up whenever they've no one else to talk about."
Link frowned and nodded, an understanding look in his eyes before he relaxed his muscles, the frown on his face lessening before he approached the exit at a wide paced stroll. "Come, we should try our best, no matter how much fear tries to strike us down," he said, glancing back at Ike who was lifting his sword from the ground with a gentleness Link could only associate with fear and karma. "The battlefield is fear itself, and as soon as it gets you, you're either going to become a survivor or break down. I know most of us never wished to be who took down the Dark every century or so, but sometimes I'm glad I am. Just be happy that you've met the people you have, no matter how rough it gets, okay?"
Ike nods, the sound of a flare going off, signalling for the battle to begin immediately. Ike and Link, both silent in understandable terror, rush from their position and make their way into the heart of the battlefield. There's a noise of a roar, and Ike feels his heart pang. Taking a deep breath, the smoke clears and their opponent stands clear before them all.
Ah, another chapter for you all. As a side note: I'm doing this by phone, so it's a lot harder to edit some things like commas where periods should be and vice versa. So, in belated advance, please excuse any mistakes for now. They'll soon be fixed when I get on a laptop or something of the sort. Thanks for understanding.
