The mysteries of the Past, Present, and Future are only rarely revealed.
The Oracle of Earth
By Pata Hikari
Based off The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons by Nintendo and Capcom.
Chapter 10: Pursuing Truth
"So, where is your Amazing Glowing Sword taking us now?" Maple asked cheekily.
"It's not just any sword." Navi bopped Maple on the head, "It's a special blade." She paused, "What's it called again?" Navi smiled weakly.
Link sighed, "The Noble Sword, OK?"
"Ah. Neat. Something I don't know about." Navi flew in front of Link, "That's rare, you know."
Maple glanced at the new Fairy. There was something odd about her. The elders in the Clan often had this aura of power and wisdom around them. One that told you that you were speaking to someone who had the experience to know exactly what they were talking about. Navi had the same sort of aura around her. Maple could tell that everything she did was likely to be calculated, that she knew more then she would ever let you know. Link and Saria clearly couldn't see just what Navi was. Kalo appeared to have some idea. But it was clear that none of them, even Maple herself, knew the full extent of her power.
Hmm… this assignment just keeps getting stranger and stranger. Maple closed her eyes in thought, OK Grandma, just what did you see in that vision of yours?
Syrup Relom looked outside with worry. With the weather out of control (right now hail was falling) there was a pretty good chance that quite a few homes would be destroyed. Already the streets of Terra Town were beginning to flood. Syrup was positive that unless something was done soon disaster would strike.
"Mother! Maple!" A woman's voice called out, "We're back!"
Syrup sighed. Now, how to explain to her daughter why she had sent the sole heir to the Relom Family Arts to do the Three knew what. (Of course, she didn't dread that nearly as much as explaining her actions to the rest of the Clan Elders.) Yet Syrup had lived a long life and knew better then to try to put unpleasantness off. "I'm in the kitchen Wafla!"
She grinned as her daughter walked in. Despite being in her thirties she still looked young, a pleasant side effect of her skill in the Magical Arts, with her short red hair combed back simply. Her purple eyes looked upon the world with a gentle shine. Right now she was wearing the typical witches outfit, a long black dress with a widebrimed hat. (The outfit being the only real typical thing about the Relom family…) Syrup watched as her Wafla looked around for a moment, before shrugging.
"Where's Maple?" Wafla asked, "I have a little gift for her."
Syrup winced, the very first thing to come up had to be Maple. "She's off doing some things." She said quietly.
"Oh?" Wafla eyed Syrup, "When will she be back?"
"I have no idea." Syrup said flatly.
Wafla's eyes slightly widened, "Well, when did she leave?" She asked, now concerned.
"Yesterday morning." Syrup answered, praying that Wafla would take this calmly and not freak out.
"What?" Wafla's scream shook the building. So much for not freaking out. "She's been gone a whole day? Mother! Where the heck is my daughter?"
"If I knew, I would have told you." Syrup said matter-of-factly, "But I don't know exactly where she is. And the subtle instability that's starting to spread through the planet is affecting my powers. So I can't divine where she is accurately either."
"But… what possible reason could there be for Maple to go off alone?" Wafla asked, her eyes bulging with worry.
Syrup winked, "I'm glad you asked that. Go get Miken and I'll show you."
Wafla glared at Syrup for a moment, before sighing in defeat. "Fine…"
Syrup smirked, before heading upstairs to her room. Inside there was a closet filled with hundreds of glass spheres. Many of them were covered with dust from the many years they had sat there. But Syrup reached for one that had only been placed there yesterday. She then walked downstairs to the Seeing Room. It was a small and dark room. With various spells inscribed into the walls the faint smell of vanilla incense filled the room, not for any special purpose, just because Syrup liked the smell. In the center of the room was a small round table with four chairs around it. More spells were carved into the table and chairs. Wafla and her husband, Miken, were already sitting in the chairs. Miken was a lanky man, with long thin limbs and an equally thing body. He was wearing a black shirt with yellow marks on the sleeves. Baggy jeans almost completely obscured his legs. His skin was very pale, with a faint bluish tint. His sharp green eyes focused on her as he scraped the small fins on his wrists against each other, something he did when he was nervous. Short black hair covered his solid face.
They both were staring at her, they wanted answers. Syrup smiled, "It's good to see you again Son." Of course, Syrup had a right to be difficult. She was old, after all. "It's been three weeks. How have you both been? How was the trip?"
Wafla rolled her eyes, but Miken glared at her. "Where is Maple?" he asked.
Syrup shrugged, "Like I told Wafla, I don't know. She's off doing something important." She grinned, pulling out the glass sphere, "This Memory Orb should tell you what you need to know." Memory Orbs are special glass balls that a person who knows the right spell can imprint some of their memories, sights and sounds, feelings and emotions, one can imprint as much or as little as they need. Syrup used them to record her visions, which was fitting seeing as they had been discovered thanks to one of her visions. She placed the Orb on the table, "I suggest you read it mentally, instead of letting it play an image."
Wafla's eyes widened, "Wait… you sent Maple off because of a vision?"
Miken sighed with relief, "Well, then it can't be too bad."
Don't be too sure… Syrup thought. The three then touched the Orb with one finger. Syrup figured that she should look over her vision again. The three then activated the Orb, becoming absorbed in the recorded memory…
The sound of thunder filled the air. She was standing in the middle of a great expanse of cold and barren stone. There was no sign of life.
"Hey there." A woman's voice said.
She spun around, somewhat surprised to hear another human being. She nearly fell back when she saw who it was. It was Maple. But not the young girl she knew, no, this was Maple as a fully grown woman. Maple wore the black dress of the witches, yet there were five symbols sewn into the dress as well. The marks of the Sheikah, Hylians, Zoras, and Ayikes surrounded an upside down silver triangle. The same symbols were embedded in her hat as well.
"Hey, behind you." Maple said calmly, as an inhuman scream filled the air.
She slowly turned around, and saw an army of demons and twisted beings. There were thousands of them, each one unique and horrible. They screeched for her blood. She glanced at Maple, the girl had a calm look on her face.
"What a bother." Maple said dully. She raised up her hand, "Be gone pests." Almost instantly every demon suddenly burst into white fire, they let out screams of pure anguish as they burned. Within a few moments there was no trace of the demons left.
She stared at Maple in shock. How had she done that?
"It's coming." Maple said, before pointing to a golden door. It was inscribed with five symbols. A mirror that shined in the dark, three swords crossed over each other, a closed eye in a square, a broken heart, and a twisted shape.
"Well?" Maple pushed her forward, "Open it."
She grabbed the handle and pulled open the door, beyond it was pure darkness. It leapt out, overtaking them both.
The next thing she knew she was standing in the middle of a great battle. Countless solders fought on both sides. The screams of war and death filled the air.
On one side there were three generals, on the other there were two. The side with two generals were starting to push back the side with three. Yet the side with three stood fast, and would not let a single inch be gained easily.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Maple appeared in front of her again, "Tell me, what side do you think can win?" With that everything blurred and became distorted. When it was clear again, the battlefield was empty except for the bodies of the fallen. "The war isn't over yet." Maple shook her head, "The most important battles have yet to come."
There was a flash of light. And two people appeared doing battle. One was… what was it? A man? A woman? She couldn't tell. The man/woman pulled out two blades. The other was a man of regal gifts. He was elegant and cultured. He held up his hands clad in steel and razor sharp. The man/woman and the elegant man charged towards each other, their weapons clashing.
"They don't want to fight." Maple said, before they were back on the barren rock. "Nobody does."
She glanced at Maple, what did it all mean?
Maple smiled, "Ragnaök." She said as fire surrounded them. The flames grew larger and hotter, yet before they could consume them they suddenly shifted, becoming a ruby door. This time her family crest was engraved in it, as well as some strange sign she didn't recognize. She walked over, and opened the door.
Then they were inside a large city. Two figures were engaged in battle. One was cloaked in Holy Darkness, the other was… Panche? No… it wasn't her. But someone else. The strange thing was, while the two were locked in combat of the most intense kind, their faces were calm and peaceful. Even somewhat loving.
"They succeeded despite their efforts." Maple smiled as the armies of evil rose again to attack the city. "But I digress, there is still much that needs to be said."
On one side were the armies of chaos. On the other side was a single man, standing in front of two girls. Hundreds of demons charged, yet the man killed each and every one. Not one bit of blood touched either girls. For hours this went on, until there was not a single demon left.
"The things we do for love." Maple shook her head, "We're silly people…"
A young woman walked up to her. The girl was a Gerudo, her intelligent eyes sparkled. "I am the heir to your gift." The Gerudo said, "When you find me… teach me all you know."
Maple nodded, "You must. Otherwise she will fall."
The Gerudo looked up, "Farewell. The stars will join you." She vanished in a golden light. Leaving a golden door, with a silver triangle engraved in it. She opened it without hesitation, nothing happened. The door just vanished. But then a rumbling sound was heard from above. She looked up and saw that the sky was shaking.
The stars fell, turning the world into a scarred mess. Maple just laughed. "The God of the Silver Triangle comes."
The earth shuddered as a single star landed in front of her. The star shifted into the form of a man. He held up a sword made of two blades twisted together. Behind him an upside down silver triangle glowed.
"He's mine." Was all Maple said, "He shall either fight for the Golden Triangles, or he shall aid Ragnaök. Either way, I will follow him."
Then the terrible god raised his sword, and struck the earth. With it a door with the signs of the Sages upon it appeared. All else faded, leaving her alone with the door.
She opened the door. Inside was a room made of light, floating in the center was the Triforce. The three Golden Triangles linked together to form a perfect shape. She walked up to it slowly. It was so beautiful, she couldn't help but reach out and touch it.
Then the Triforce shattered, millions of tiny shards scattered across existence. The room made of light faded, leaving her in darkness. Without a floor to support her she fell into the abyss.
She suddenly hit ground. Groaning, she stood up. She was standing on a large steel platform. In front of her was a white door that had no handle with a strange symbol engraved in black. The symbol was a large circle with two lines dashing through it to make an "X." Within each quarter of the square was a star. And in the center of those stars was a circle with an "X" and stars inside, going on forever.
"You don't have to look inside this door." Maple said, appearing in front of her once more. "You may not like what you see."
She shrugged, she had gone this far, why not continue?
"OK, don't say I didn't warn you." Maple shrugged and waved her hand, causing a handle to appear on the door.
She grabbed the handle and opened the door, and she was suddenly in a dark dungeon. She walked through the damp hallways for what seemed like eternity. She reached a huge room with no lights. She called out, checking if anybody was there. Then the lights came on.
Din, Nayru, Farore. The Great Goddesses. Creators of Life, Death, Light, Darkness, Law, Disorder, and all else. They were bound to the wall, being held up by crystal chains. They did not say anything, they merely cried.
She ran up to the Goddesses, pulling at the chains. Trying everything she knew, yet nothing happened.
"You can not break the chains." Maple said, "You lack the proper gift."
How then could she set them free?
"They come." Maple looked behind her, "Behold."
An Angel and a Demon charged forward, cutting the chains with ease. The Goddesses nodded, thanking the two, before vanishing.
Then, before her eyes, the Demon and the Angel changed. Becoming two children clad in the green of the fields. They looked at her, smiling kindly. "There is one more door you need to open." The boy in green said, his hat flopping around.
A large black door appeared, with the markings of the Sages surrounding a Triforce… with the Silver Triangle in the center. Four strange masks formed the handle. She looked at it for a moment, before grabbing the handle and pulling it.
"Behold… Ragnaök." The girl in green said, holding up her golden sword.
And the Face of Pure Evil peered out from the door. She screamed as she quickly pushed the door shut, watching it burst into white flames.
"Find them." Maple, having become the child she knew once more, pointed to the children "And it shall all come to pass."
A pure light suddenly overtook her.
The three recoiled from the force of memory. "What the hell was that?" Miken shouted.
"That was the vision I had that made it necessary for Maple to leave." Syrup said.
"By the Gods…" Wafla whispered, "What is my poor girl going through?"
Miken shivered, "Who knows?"
"Well, now that I've explained it too you." Syrup nodded, "We have a town to waterproof."
"What?" Wafla blinked.
"If you don't want Terra Town to become Terra Lake, I suggest you come with me." She laughed, "Besides, it's another way to get that worthless Constinoble in even more dept to us!"
"I like that idea." Wafla smiled weakly… "Will Maple be alright?"
"She'll be fine…" Syrup said.
"I'll follow you two in a minute…" Miken said as the other two left. He looked at the Orb. It frightened him, really. No other vision his Mother-in-law had had ever been like that. He hoped that Maple would be alright…
Night had come, and with it a cool clear sky.
"Damn it! I was hoping there would be no sleeping outside!" Maple whined.
"Ah, quit your whining." Navi bopped Maple again, "You do it way to much."
"Stop that!" Maple rubbed her head, for a fairy she could sure hit hard.
"It's not that bad." Link rolled his eyes, "You just pull out some sleeping bags."
"But what if it rains!" Maple said, a hint of panic coming into her voice "I mean, see this hat, it's dry clean only! I can't get it wet!"
Saria pulled the hat off Maple's head. "How do you clean something without getting it wet?" She tugged at the rim for a moment, "Weird."
"Give me that!" Maple snatched thee hat back, "You don't just take a Witch's hat. It's likely to get you blasted!"
Link pulled the hat out of Maple's hands, "Really? Blast away then." He smirked, before tossing it to Saria, "Put it in the bag if she's so worried about getting it wet."
"OK." Saria pulled open her sack and stuck the hat in it.
"Gah!" Maple's eyes seemed to shrink down to dots as her mouth hung open, "What did you just do?" She dashed over to Saria and grabbed the bag, "My… huh?" She felt the bag. "It's… empty?" She shook it, feeling nothing. "What the hell?" Maple opened the bag and looked inside. "What is this?" She stretched open the sack. "It's… what?" Maple continued to pull open the bag. By now the opening had stretched to a level that shouldn't have been possible. Inside there was… something. She reached inside and wrapped her hands around a bunch of Ember Seeds. "OK, this is just weird." She began pulling stuff out of the bag, tossing out Ember Seeds, Saria's boomerang, a half eaten sandwich(?) and three different shirts and skirts. "What is this thing!"
"When was the last time you cleaned this?" Kalo asked Saria, hovering over Maple.
"Um… two decades…" Saria grinned sheepishly.
Kalo groaned. "I thought you were a neat person…"
Saria rolled her eyes, "Oh come on! It's just so easy just to shove everything into those sacks. It's not like they can ever get full…"
"Wait. These bag's can never get full?" Maple sounded on the verge of panic.
Link shrugged, "Well, in theory they can get full. But you'd probably need to shove a planet or something in it."
"By Din…" Maple shook her head, "How do I get my hat out of here?"
"Like this," Saria calmly reached into the bag and pulled out the witch's hat.
Maple stood there for a moment. "You people are crazy."
-OK, this is where the next Essence of Earth is; in this building.- Akime said.
Shadow looked around the dark room. "Are all Artifacts of Power in dark, abandoned areas?"
-Pretty much, good for hiding stuff in. Sucks to be you, though. Anyway, why do you want to meet up with Linky-boy here?- Akime questioned him.
"Because…" Shadow sighed, "I'd rather have him run into me then for me to seek him out."
-Oh.- Akime paused, -Oh, by the way, there are about twenty Darknuts coming this way. I don't think they're coming here to redecorate.-
"…" Shadow glared at empty space, trying to give Akime a guess on how he was feeling. "And you hadn't told me this in advance… why?"
-'Cause you never asked. Silly Shady!- Akime said cheerfully.
"I hate you." Shadow muttered.
"Come on." Link pulled out some sleeping bags, "It's not like you're going to die."
"But…" Maple sighed, "It's not that simple! I've had bad experiences with camping… one time a couple of Cuccos decided to use me as a toilet as I slept! Another time some Deku Scrubs fell asleep around me, I was trapped! And this one time some brats took my clothes and scattered them throughout the land!" Maple took a few deep breaths after her rant.
"…" Everybody stared at Maple. "Maple, you Lose at Camping." Navi smirked, "I mean, come on, that's just sad!"
"Oh shut up you little insect." Maple muttered.
"Look, I'll protect you from the big bad things." Link said sarcastically, "I'll make sure nothing shits on you. OK?"
Maple glared at Link, "You're asking for a fireball, you know that?"
"Come on, let's just go to bed…" Saria yawned. "Look, we can either argue all night, or we can sleep."
"So we have the energy to argue tomorrow!" Navi quipped.
"That's not what I meant!" Saria threw her hands into the air, "You people are all hopeless. I'm going to bed." She slipped into a sleeping bag, "Anybody who wakes me up will never be able to have children, ever." Saria said threateningly before closing her eyes.
"Well, good night." Link said quickly, "See ya in the morning Maple. If you can avoid being stripped in your sleep."
Maple growled, "I hate you all." She looked around for a moment, "Damn you people." She muttered before crawling into the sleeping bag Link had set out for her.
"Night night little Witchy!" Navi cooed, flying to the side as Maple threw a rock at her. "Hah! Missed me!"
The group was asleep within the hour.
Judging by the clock, Diran guessed that it was night. Of course, time seemed to have little meaning in this castle. Because without windows there was no way to tell where the sun was. It was really screwing with her sense of time. While it was really the least of her worries, it was one of the most irritating.
None of the strange people, who called themselves "Heralds" or something like that, had been around ever since she had eaten with two of them. She had tried looking around the hellish castle for them, but there was no trace. Heck, she would have even preferred the company of that creepy perverted girl to Onox… So of course, Onox was the only person she could find. And Diran tried to avoid that person as much as possible.
"Diran?" a friendly voice, Seilta, said, "Hi there."
"Oh! There you are." Diran smiled uneasily, "Where do you people go… can you leave this place?"
Seilta's eyes darkened, as she turned away, "I won't lie to you., that's Agahnim's job, yes. We Heralds can leave this place. But we can't take you out… if you want, I'll get you some things from the outside world. Some trinkets, or maybe your records." She smiled weakly, "Something to make your stay in this… prison… a little more pleasant."
"That would be nice. Though a friendly face is good as well." Diran placed a hand on Selita's shoulder, "Where do you people go anyway?"
Seilta shook her head, "We go to try to make sure our goals are fulfilled. I'm sorry, I can't say much more. I'm forbidden by an Oath to speak of much else."
"Oh…" Diran sighed, "Well, I won't invade your privacy. Can you just tell me is these clocks are correct. I want to know if it's really night."
Seilta giggled, "Yes Diran, the clocks are right. This place isn't that screwed up, Time still flows correctly."
Diran smiled weakly, "Thank the goddesses…" She shook her head, "By the way, do you have any idea why I'm even here?"
Seilta sighed, "I don't know what Onox is thinking. I really don't. To tell the truth, I think he's the only one who does."
Diran shivered, "There's something… wrong with him."
"There's something wrong with this whole damn castle." Seilta muttered, "Onox is just the center of it all." She placed a hand on Diran's shoulder, "It's like… he isn't even alive."
"But, that's not possible… he has to be alive." Diran whispered.
"Living is not a requirement for people like Onox…" Seilta said quietly.
Link walked through Hyrule Plains. "Hello?" He called out.
"Link…" A pained voice moaned.
"Huh?" Link looked around, "Saria?" He ran towards the source of the voice. "Are you OK?"
"Help me…" Saria came into his vision. She was tired and bruised. Her clothing was in tatters, everything about her was hollow. Her face was thin and starved. Tears flowed down her face. "Stop me…"
"Saria!" Link ran towards her, "What happened to you? Who did this?" He pulled her into an embrace, "Tell me what happened!"
Saria looked up at him, her eyes shining with sadness. "I'm sorry…" She took some steps back, pulling out a staff. "You have to stop me…" The staff glowed with a white light. "Please."
The earth shook as bolts of lightning struck the staff. "What the?" Link stumbled back, "Saria, what's going-"
The sky split as Saria thrust her staff into the ground. A circle of symbols formed around her. They twisted and shaped themselves into strange forms, before they shot up into the air. Cracking the sky like a million thunderclaps. "Do it!" Saria shouted, "Now! Before he comes!"
Link paused, what did she mean by that? "Saria… wha-" Link could never finish his question. There was a sudden explosion of fire. The flames spiraled around Saria, going up into the sky. The fires condensed into a ball, becoming pure black. It slammed into the ground, taking the shape of a tall man. Two glowing silver points appeared where it's eyes should be.
"Why didn't you… I'm so sorry…" Saria sobbed, as the flaming figure rose its hands. Silver flames shot forth, rushing towards Link.
Link shielded himself from the fires.
Link's eyes shot open. "What the hell was that?" He said aloud. The strange dream was already fading from his mind even as he tried to hold it in place.
"Damn it…" He muttered.
It was then that Link realized that he couldn't see. All he could see was the white color of snow. "Oh boy…"
He was buried in snow. Just what he needed.
"Arrrg!" Link heard Maple scream, even with the sound muffled by the snow "I freaking hate camping! Hate it with a white hot haaaaaaate!" The sound of a large explosion filled the air.
The silence that followed that was an interesting experience, in Links opinion, Maple had somehow managed to scare away every single bit of wildlife nearby. Rolling his eyes, he dug himself out, grateful for the warming spell cast over the sleeping bag.
Nearly three letoe of snow had built up in a single night. Other then the large crater that had formed in the snow, which Maple crawled out of. Once she got out, she marched towards Link with murder in her eyes. She casually reached down and pulled Link up by the shirt collar. Link was impressed by the fact that Maple, who was shorter then him, was able to hold him up into the air with just one arm.
"I'm going to kill you." Maple said flatly.
"That wouldn't be very nice." Link smirked, "The hole in the snow is impressive, though."
Maple was not amused. "I hate camping. You will make sure I never have to deal with this crap again." Her eyes flashed green as she spoke.
"OK, what's your address?" Link replied, "We'll send you home to your deal old granny. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear you gave up."
Maple paled, dropping Link into the snow. "I hate you."
"And I'm sure you're a beacon of love and hope to the rest of the world." Link said dryly.
"Huh?" A green head popped out from the snow, "Oh, hi Link!" Saria said cheerfully, despite having the appearance of a decapitated head resting between Maple and Link. "Isn't snow wonderful?" She pulled herself out of the powder, wrapping the sleeping bag around herself like a blanket.
Both Maple and Link rolled their eyes at this.
The night had passed without event. Akime had told Shadow that the Darknuts were patrolling around the area before entering the shrine, for that is what it was. A shrine to Din.
"What's with all the focus on Din?" Shadow wondered aloud, almost every single church, temple and shrine in Holodrum that he had seen so far was chiefly dedicated to Din.
-Holodrum is Din's country. In the olden times when the Goddesses and all their servants walked the earth, Din was Queen of Holodrum. Now only those gods whose duties involve directly interacting with mortals come to Torre with any regularity. All that remains of the great legacy of Din's country is the many churches dedicated to her. It's a… pity really.- Akime made a sighing sound. -Proticen, Nayru's country, is now a heathen empire. Only the Lost Woods, Farore's country, is even close to what it once was.-
"And Hyrule…?" Shadow asked, surprised to hear this. Whoever Akime was, she was old. She knew of things that even the most ancient of records had no knowledge of.
-Hyrule belonged to the Sages. Why do you think that the Hyrulean ruling families are all part of the Sage Bloodlines? Or that the Elemental Temples are there?- Akime said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, -I thought you already knew everything Shady.- Akime taunted.
"Oh shut up…" Shadow muttered.
-Never!- Akime cheered, -Anyway, we have bigger issues to handle. The Darknuts have decided that they've patrolled the area enough. Now they're going to look inside here… geez, whoever sent them wasn't very commanding. The Darknuts are actually using their not-so-good judgment at times.-
Shadow didn't need Akime to tell him that, the sound of metal clanking against stone could be heard echoing through the old building. As a large group of Darknuts, about twenty Shadow guessed, marched into the foyer in a single file. They quickly gathered into neat rows taking the time to salute the Darknut that Shadow guessed was their leader.
Most people see Darknuts and Iron Knuckles as almost identical beings. It was easy to see why one could make this mistake, for Darknuts really did look like massive, living, suits of armor. However, Iron Knuckles are a type of golem made from metal. While Darknuts are living beings, much like Moblins in that they made from magic perverted by evil. Underneath that armor was a body of magically constructed flesh and bone. Darknuts are made to be faster, stronger, and more intelligent then the average Moblin, they are also more difficult to make. However, like all magically created beings, their minds are simple to subvert by a skilled mage and their souls are extracted from animals. The armor they wore was also not what it seemed, being a special kind of bone that Darknuts generated.
Shadow knew all this because he had studied the methods of creating such creatures, it was one of the things that he regretted doing…
-I think they've finally noticed you.- Akime commented.
Shadow shook his head, sure enough all the Darknuts were staring at him. Their leader stepped foreword, "Who are you?" The leader demanded, "Leave now, and surrender anything you have found here, and we will spare your life."
Shadow paused, that was different, most people who commanded Darknuts would not tell them to give people a chance to live. He quietly related this to Akime.
-It doesn't matter anyway, these Darknuts will attack the Hero of Time, and all that are with him.- Akime answered, -They're here to guard the Essence or just to use it to lure the Hero into a trap. You said you wanted to help Linky? Well then now's the time to help.-
Shadow smirked, "OK." He casually walked towards the Darknuts, "I don't see any problem with that. I just came to this place for shelter from the weather, didn't take anything…" He said slowly as he walked towards the Darknuts, making sure to not do anything suspicious. "So, I'll be leaving… now…" He was now right in front of the leader.
Shadow suddenly threw his hand in front of him. "Kneel before your new master!" Shadow commended, filling his voice with magic of commanding and control. He pressed his will against the Darknut, bringing it under his power. "You will tell me who sent you. Shadow ordered.
"…" The Darknut stood there, held in place by Shadow's power, before suddenly shuddering. Shadow stepped back as the Darknut began to glow. With a burst of power it blew Shadow back and drew its blade, "Insolent fool! You shall parish!" It shouted, "Attack!" It commanded it's underlings.
-Smooth, Shady, real smooth.- Akime said lightly as the mass of armor and swords charged at him.
Agahnim slumped down in his chair. He was so tired… "Damn that Lune Perin…" He whispered. "Where is he?" He asked nobody.
"Are you OK?" A gentle voice called as she entered his room, it was Lunel. "Still injured?" She asked.
"Yes…" Agahnim sighed, "That wretched creature did it to me."
Lunel smiled, sitting down behind him, "You've been thinking too much about that little Shadow."
"It's a mindless beast that's tricked itself into thinking it has free will!" Agahnim hissed, "It's a mockery of all that lives…"
"And we're not?" Lunel asked slowly, "You're so stressed out…" She started to massage Agahnim's shoulders, "Let me give you some help…"
"Thanks…" Agahnim sighed with relief.
"That injury must have been nasty," Lunel said, "If you're this tired from it." She shrugged, "How about we see how those little Darknuts are doing?"
"Sure…" Agahnim said, glancing at a mirror on the wall. Of course, it was no normal mirror. It, like all the mirrors in the castle, had been made by Lunel to allow the outside world to be seen. "These tools are useful, pretty clever workmanship, how'd you make them?"
"A secret." Lunel smirked.
"Oh well." Agahnim shrugged, "Mirror, show us the Darknuts."
The mirror flashed, the reflection in it began to ripple and warp. A moment passed and nothing could be seen but a blur.
An elegant room, simply decorated could be seen through the mirror now.
"Where are they?" Lunel whined, "I wanna see them!"
Suddenly a Darknut flew past the image on the mirror at high speeds, sword drawn. The image moved to capture the Darknut in it's sight. The Darknut held up it's blade as a blur moved to attack it. With a ring of two swords clashing the blur became clear, revealing a black cloaked person. The person was holding out a long, curved blade of simple design.
Agahnim's eyes widened, "Show me that creatures face!" He commanded the mirror, the image shifted to focus on the cloaked persons face. It was the face of a young man, just barely stepping out into adolescence. His blood red eyes contained an intense focus. While his silver hair draped over his pale, almost white face.
"Ohh…" Lunel smiled, "He's cute, give him a few years and he'll be a little hottie."
Agahnim clenched his fist's "He is the thrice dammed Lune Perin! That creature's form is nothing more then a pathetic attempt to appear human!"
"So that's the Lune Perin…" Lunel shrugged, "Funny, I pictured a demon that hungered for the souls of virgins. Doesn't he like to be called Shadow for some stupid reason?"
"Stop speaking of it like it's alive." Agahnim growled.
"Anyway…" Lunel shook her head, touchy… "How about we just sit back and watch?" She looked at the mirror, "Besides, now we can keep track of the Lune Perin, you know how it's impossible to find such beings by divination, you have to look for them manually."
Agahnim groaned, "Fine…" He muttered, "Lousy creature…"
Within the mirror Shadow could be seen. He peered around, watching his opponents. One Darknut rushed at him, but he managed to jump to the side. Two more swung their swords at Shadow, he raised his sword to block one while he kicked the other away. A ball of light formed in Shadow's hand, the two same Darknuts rushed at him. Shadow let the ball of light go, and it exploded into a flare of power. The two Darknuts were burnt away instantly.
"OK," Lunel smirked, "You have to admit, that was pretty cool."
-I have to admit, that was pretty cool.- Akime commented.
Shadow was to busy to respond, of course. As he still has eighteen Darknuts to deal with, with was really nothing to take lightly. Because he doubted that they would fall for the same trick twice, Darknuts weren't stupid after all.
"Die!" One Darknut screamed, rushing at him. It swung its sword at his head, Shadow ducked under the blow and thrust his own weapon, but the Darknut's armor deflected the attack. Emboldened, three more rushed at him, adding to the strikes that Shadow was having to block or dodge.
Shadow pulled back, jumping away from the Darknuts. "Man… it's been way to long…" He muttered, pulling his sword back. Blue fire began to form around the blade. The four Darknuts charged at him again, not about to let him get any rest. Shadow ran forward, his sword's fires beginning to glow brighter. He jumped up into the air, landing in-between the Darknuts. The fires surrounding his sword turned bright red.
"Heeyyyaa!" He shouted, spinning around in a circle with his sword held out. A shockwave of destructive energy flew out from the spinning Shadow. The Darknuts found their armor blown off by the shockwave, exposing them to Shadow's attack. Moving at such speeds that he was a blur, Shadow took out four more Darknuts.
"Fourteen left to go…" Shadow muttered.
"Oooohhh… he's good." Lunel giggled, "He gives me the shivers!" She squealed as Shadow spun through the air, knocking the helmets off some Darknuts.
Agahnim glared at her, "Have you no shame Foreteller?"
"None whatsoever." Lunel kissed Agahnim on the cheek. "Hey! There goes another one!" Lunel cheered, pointing at the mirror, "Go Shadow!"
"You do realize that you're cheering for your enemy?" Agahnim groaned.
"A cute enemy." Lunel wiggled her finger, "That's the difference."
"Come on!" Shadow called out, "I thought you guys were going to kill me?" He blocked a sword-blow and pressed a magically charged hand against a Darknut, burning it to ashes. With a rapid slash he decapitated another. He rolled underneath one's legs, then jumped up with his sword like an uppercut, cutting through the Darknut's armor and taking it out.
The next few minutes were a blur, as Shadow slipped into that state of mind where one does not think, does not speak, only acts towards one's own survival.
Soon, there was only one Darknut left, the leader. It's red and gold armor marked it as such. It held it's gold plated sword in front of it, "Who are you…?" It asked.
"I am a Shadow." He answered, clutching his sword with both hands.
With a scream the Darknut rushed at him, swinging it's sword at Shadow.
It never hit him. Shadow ducked under the blow, shoving his sword through the Darknut's armor with a screeching sound. For a moment there was silence.
"D- d- damn you…" The Darknut hissed, before dieing.
-Victory for Shadow!- Akime cheered, even as Shadow slumped down, dropping his sword, -You look tired Shady, but watch out, we're being watched.- Shadow jerked up, -Hey, don't do anything yet… here's what you do…-
"Whooo!" Lunel cheered, "He's amazing!"
"He's an animal…" Agahnim spat, "It's no more impressive then a rooster winning a cockfight."
"Hey, people bet on those things." Lunel grinned, "Wonder what he's going to do now?"
Within the image on the mirror, Shadow had turned. It looked like he was looking directly at them. Then he smirked.
"Odd…" Agahnim said, "What's he doing?"
Shadow bowed, "Hope you enjoyed the show!" He shouted out.
"That little monster! It mocks us!" Agahnim shouted.
"How does it know we're watching us…" Lunel shrugged, "He's more mysterious then I thought." She glanced at the raving Agahnim, "For the love of Farore, shut up!"