A Cause worth killing for
A/N: Before the chapter starts, here's some info you may (or may not) want to know: This is the beginning of the second part of this story, however this part was planned way before the part you just finished reading. I also originally envisioned this second part as a doujin, influenced by things like Rurouni Kenshin, Assassin's Creed and, to some degree, Batman. However I did/do not have the utensils, competence or energy to make a doujin, but I really wanted to get the story out: So I decided to write it in fanfic-format. If anyone do feel inspired enough to make this a manga, however, please let me know (not that I know why anyone would want to do that). Anyhow, let's get into the story:
DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Legend of Zelda. It is the copyright of Nintendo.
Chapter 9: A lost soul and the birth of Vindictus
Link chased the man he had feared and hated for so long over Hyrule Field, shrouded in fog and with aching pain from his wounds. The Master sword felt like it was the only thing to keep him from falling off his horse, it somehow reassured him that if he just caught up, it would all be worth it. He saw Ganondorf in front of him, his heart skipping beats as he drew closer and closer to his wounded enemy.
"Soon", Link thought as he rode on. When he came close enough, he jumped over to Ganondorf's horse in an attempt to stab him through the heart. Ganondorf defended himself well, though, and for several minutes they clashed as the horse rode blindly across the field.
It was quick thinking that saved Link: He saw an edge materialize in the fog in front of them: The horse raced to the endless ravine at the border between Hyrule Field and Faron Woods. Reacting quickly, Link jumped off the horse and threw the Master Sword towards Ganondorf. The blade struck home and pierced the Gerudo's body, horror filling his eyes as he realized his steed had rushed him into certain doom. He tried to cry out his frustration, but blood spewed from his mouth. Link saw him disappear before he himself fell to the ground. The fall was unfortunate, however, for Link landed hard on his head, giving him a concussion and rendering him unconscious, on the borderline of life and death.
Link's body was soon found by a band of Gerudos. These were not just any Gerudo, but Ganondorf's private magician squad. When they had realized their leader had vanished from the side of the cliff, they felt a desire for vengeance and the band leaders, Koume and Kotake, two witches that practiced brainwashing magic, decided that Link would be there medium, their scapegoat if you will. They set up a camp with their small tribe of mystics and erected a monument, marking the place where they had lost their only leader in one hundred years, and soon they began with their rituals upon the still unconscious Link. They made deep cuts in his body, carving tribal patterns into his flesh and burned the lower part of his face and his throat. Every night they bandaged his wounds, making sure the torture would be endless, keeping him just alive. Through various concoctions and drugs they attempted to twist the young man's mind beyond recognition, granting him the most horrifying nightmares, nightmares involving his friends tortured and killed, Zelda's limb scattered across the ground and in his dreams he was helpless to prevent it. After suffering so much pain, Link's emotions sealed themselves away: His passionate, burning soul turned cold as ice and his cerulean eyes turned black, as if the pupils had expanded and pushed away the iris completely. Link's mind eventually locked away all of his memories as well, for if the torment had continued, his soul might've been lost forever. As it was, it was all locked away, sleeping underneath a hard shell.
For several months they tortured Link's lifeless body, banishing all traces of his former life. But then, one night, the Triforce, sensing his master was on the brink of being lost forever, awakened and forced Link's consciousness back. Link now had no memory, and he was not able to store new ones, he just lived in the moment, like an animal. He froze, so he figured that he would need clothes and the Gerudo had burned his old clothes. Link searched the silent camp for a new set of clothes. He eventually found them: He found Ganondorf's assassination garb, designed for silent killing and moving unseen. Link didn't know who they had belonged to, in fact he didn't even know his own name at that point, but he put the clothes on: A grey tunic, white trousers, light, slim black boots and a black cape. The belt had two blades equipped: A long curved sword, a katana, and a shorter, traditional Sheikah blade, used for deflection and hidden murders. The cape was designed so that when you desired, you could use it to cover both of the blades from public sight. Link was not even recognizable anymore: The new clothes, the black eyes, had bandages over most of his body and the lower part of his face as well as his throat were fully covered in bandages. Not only had his soul and mind been locked away, his appearance had altered as well: Link, the Hero from the Rebellion, seemed lost. Link realized that the Gerudo who slept peacefully around the camp, were responsible for his wounds and his suffering and he felt a lust for vengeance blossom within him: He slaughtered every Gerudo in the camp with brutal efficiency and then burned everything down. He then left the site and began to wander Hyrule Field, with no idea who he was, or where he would go, or why, only primal instinct leading him.
After wandering the fields for a few days, Link regained his ability to memorize what he saw and experienced, step by step. He could remember his name, but he felt so frustrated: He had no idea where he came from, or where he had gotten his wounds but most of all: He felt like he had no purpose in life, and the thought of living without meaning consumed him.
One day he was standing not far from the gates of Castle Town. He had regained two frames, two images that he assumed were part of his past: He could remember was drinking in a tavern, feeling huge pity about other people's misery and he also remembered a beautiful girl he did not know: She was nailed to a cross, blood dripping down her body and he could do nothing but stand by and watch it happen. He hated the feeling of knowing that there were many people walking this earth, just suffering, without anyone protecting them or helping them.
"Then I will protect them", he thought, the idea came to him naturally, "Yes! That is what I will do!" He had found a purpose: To protect the weak, to shelter those who cannot shelter themselves. But how would he carry it out, where would he go?
Then he remembered where he was: He remembered Hyrule Field, with Faron woods to the south, the Eldin province to the west and Castle Town to the north. It all seemed clear now.
"If I am to protect people", Link thought, "Then I have to be where there is as much people as possible." And with that, he set off towards Castle Town, content that he had a destination: Somewhere to go.
He arrived in the afternoon and walked in with the steady stream of people moving into the city along with him. He heard strange rumors about some "Hero's" disappearance months earlier, but Link paid them no mind: After all, the business of heroes did not concern him. He went into an inn, sat down at a table and considered potential courses of action: "If I just sit here, I cannot protect anyone", he thought, "But if I wait for nightfall, then I can move out." There were others in the small dining room with him, people chatting, socializing at every table. No one sat by his table, but he did not care, the less attention people paid to him, the better. From what he could tell by listening, the country had undergone some crisis, namely a war of some description. It seemed that the young queen was doing everything in her power to repair the kingdom. Link mused:
"If she just rebuilds everything she cannot protect her people in the process... Guess that's what I'm gonna do from this point". He felt content now, yet he could not shake a feeling of complete... chill. He felt cold inside and it caused him discomfort, but he guessed it would wear off at one point or another.
Link rose up from his seat as darkness descended over Castle Town, and left the tavern without a word. The man at the reception brought his attention to his bill, but Link gave him one look with his pitch black eye and the man backed off. "I suppose fear can indeed be useful", Link mused as he walked out onto the streets. He was in the poor districts of the city, districts plagued by criminals and gang-warfare. He decided to trust his instincts again, simply pace around, keeping a sharp eye.
He did not walk far before he passed a dark alley, from which he heard screams and sobs. Link's interests peaked so he snuck into the dark alley and found a young girl with dark hair and a man, stinking of liquor, about to force his way into the girl. She begged him "Don't, please don't!" But he was not compelled to do so. Link felt furious, yet the fire that burned in the bodies of men, did not burn in his own. He felt only hatred, cold as a winter storm, a hatred that did not forgive, would not burn out. Link waited until he stood directly behind the man and drew his katana. The man turned around to see what was happening and was surprised when he found that the blade had already slashed through his lungs, ending his life in an instant.
"This feeling", Link felt something happen within him as he spilled the man's lifeblood in the alley: He felt a strange warmth starting to eat away the cold in his soul. The feeling lasted for only an instant, though, and then the ice came back into his being. His emotions froze again and he looked up at the girl he had just freed from her oppressor, her eyes looking relieved and terrified.
"Go home", Link said, his voice just as cold as his soul, "Go somewhere safe and tell no one what happened here!" She nodded and complied, running back to the place she called home. Link then looked down upon his victim. What Link did next, he had no idea how he did it, he just did it. He opened his hand over the dead man and whispered: "Fire, consume!" And it did: Magical flames enveloped the corpse, and unlike normal fire, this truly did consume. The man had burned to a small pile of ash within a few minutes, and Link spread the ash out on the street with his boot, erasing all traces of the bastard's existence. Link cleaned his blade and then continued walking through the night, on the streets and the rooftops, looking for more helpless to protect, more wicked to slay, his black eyes always sharp and his blades always ready.
- Two years later
Two years: Two years had passed since Ganondorf was banished from Hyrule. Two years since the denizens of Castle Town had witnessed the Gerudo tyrant and their own champion disappear in the fogs of Hyrule Field, never to be seen or heard of again. These two years had not been the easiest for anyone.
The very first thing that happened after the rebels' victory was that princess Zelda, only eighteen years of age, was installed as queen of the Hylian nation. The rebel army was immediately disbanded, the war was over and they had lost their leader. The veterans were decorated for their service and most returned to their former lives as farmers, merchants or craftsmen. The Ravens, the elite regiment, resumed their work as guards in Castle Town with two exceptions: Bren, deciding that he no longer desired to bear arms, became a doctor in the service of the royal house of Hyrule, also tending to wounded soldiers. Grath, however, never quite got over the loss of his idol, his role model. He left the life in the City to assume the life of a wanderer. Rumors said that he ended up in Termina, but no one truly knew what he was up to. Bren was greatly disheartened and they said his first words were: "I knew that boy was too young… somewhere deep down."
The royal council was reestablished as an institution, however it encountered trouble. King Harkanian had always considered the advice of the council and always took their opinions into account when making royal decrees and decisions. His daughter was not too keen on doing the same. She firstly appeared to be, but when the council approached her with a remark that a royal wedding, to bring a royal heir, would soon be of the essence, she exploded with anger. Ever since then, the young queen had preferred to approach the council like a bulldozer and they were now most careful with how they presented matters. The queen had focused hard on rebuilding her broken nation after Ganondorf had allowed it to decay.
When Link had disappeared, Zelda first refused to believe it: She waited for him to return every day, for the first few months. In time, however, her heart shut its door, refusing to realize that her love had been lost that foggy day. Instead the young woman drowned herself in her work, her job as monarch of Hyrule.
Two years had passed, and this was a day just like any other. Zelda started her day meeting with her most favored under-cover agent: Sheik. One of the things Zelda had done was to reinstall the Sheikah as the primary agents of the royal family, to prevent future usurpers like Ganondorf. Now, however, she had a very specific mission for Sheik.
"You called for me, your highness", Sheik said with a bow, his red eyes scanning Zelda's face.
"Yes", she replied, "I have a most important mission for you." Sheik kept silent, waiting for her to go on. After a moment, she did: "Three officers from the royal army mysteriously disappeared last night. I want you to investigate their disappearance and report your findings back to me." Sheik nodded, understanding his mission, and left the regent with her other duties.
Sheik first went to the barracks, where he asked around what the lost officers had been up to last night. The answer he received was: "They talked about going down to Julia Bar last night". Sheik went there, making sure to not attract unwanted attention. He decided to ask some of the personnel about the soldiers. He walked up to a waiter and asked him: "How's business going?" The man turned to look at him and Sheik noticed he looked stressed for some reason.
"What do you want?" He asked.
"Three soldiers are said to have been here last night, were they?" The man now turned very pale.
"Vindictus", he whispered, "Vindictus." Sheik got no time to ask further questions, as the man stormed out of the bar. Sheik briefly considered following him, but he was interrupted by a drunk at a nearby table: "What is it you wanna know about 'dem guards *hic*?" Sheik slowly turned to look at the man, sitting alone at his table, with a mug of ale within reach.
"I want to know what they did at this place." Sheik sat down by the table, focusing his eyes on the bum. The bum laughed quietly.
"All of us in these 'lower parts' of town knew what they were up to", he took a loud sip of ale, "Them soldiers used to work for the Shizu mob back when it was around. Lately, however, they've been selling drugs in these parts. They've used their weapons to make sure that their customers pay up and force their employees to do the dirty work and since civilians aren't allowed to bear arms they can't defend themselves. Not happening anymore though."
"What makes you say that?" Sheik was now genuinely intrigued.
"You heard the guy say Vindictus, right? Well, here's the thing: There is a man that has become feared and revered in these parts. He stalks around at night, looking seemingly killing people at random, but I don't think he does."
"Go on", Sheik encouraged.
"You know the Shizu mob I mentioned?"
"I've heard of them", Sheik replied, "They mysteriously disbanded one night and were never heard of or seen again." The drunk nodded at his words.
"No mystery about that, young man: It was the work of the same man responsible for the death of the guards. He who earned his name the night he wiped out the Shizu mob: Vindictus, sometimes referred to as The Vindicator", Sheik now listened intently as the man took another sip, "He only acts during the night, nobody's got a good look on him, he simply comes in and stabs his target with a single blow but what makes him special is what he does with the corpses: He sets them on fire and they turn to ash within minutes. Rumors say that his face is like the harshest blizzard, showing no emotion, not even as he deals his killing blow. Though I don't think he's merely an assassin, for he wiped out the Shizu mob, dozens upon dozens of men fell to his blade on that single night, the fires could be seen all over the neighborhood. No one is sure what his motives are, but secretly there are those who view him as a divine savior. No one knows where he roams during the days." He finished his mug of ale and rose up from the table, slightly unsteady on his feet.
"Don't wait for those soldiers to return to their barracks, son", he said as he headed for the door, "They were claimed by Vindictus, and they are now naught but ash in the wind." Sheik remained at his seat alone for several minutes, considering what he had heard.
"Vindictus", he thought, "No matter how elusive you'll be, I'll find you and make you answer for your crimes." No matter the motives, a murderer who takes the law into their own hands must be punished.
Finding a murderer that left few to no traces was hard, even if you were the best agent in the kingdom. Sheik decided to wait until nightfall, and then have a look around. It wasn't much of a plan but he had nothing to go by.
Sheik ran across the rooftops, silent as a bat and quick as a weasel. He constantly kept his scarlet eyes on his surrounding, trying to catch a glimpse of something. He did, eventually, see a shadowy figure sneaking around in a dark alley. Sheik followed him and witnessed a man's body being consumed by a mystical fire. Sheik saw the shadowy figure, standing in front of the burning body, however he only saw him from behind, where a long, black cloak covered his body.
"I've found you", Sheik thought and narrowed his eyes, preparing to capture his prey. He saw Vindictus turn his head around and he looked straight into Sheik's eyes and then he was not there anymore: Vanished like a puff of smoke. Sheik prepared to chase him when he felt a strong arm grab his arms and cold steel slick against his throat.
"Chasing a vindicator at night, are we?" Goddesses, his voice truly was as cold as they said, "Who are you, that seeks me out?" Sheik found it pointless to lie, especially as the murderer held a Sheikah blade to his throat.
"I am Sheik, an agent of the Royal Family." Vindictus facial expression didn't change one bit, his black eyes studying Sheik closely.
"Tell me, Sheik", He said as he tightened his grip around Sheik's arms, "What does the Royal Family want with me?"
"You killed three of the Queen's soldiers, and she wish to see you put on trial for it." Vindictus laughed a cold and heartless laugh.
"If I were to sit down tonight and tell you exactly why I do what I do, would you swear on not revealing my reasons? Not giving up my motives to anyone? To not tell a living soul about why I walk around killing people?" Sheik saw a chance at carrying out his mission.
"Of course, tell me everything!"
- Insert minor changing of PoV-
Link looked at Sheik, and noticed the agent's face tremble with excitement. He felt slightly amused and he let go of Sheik's arms, knowing that he could defeat him in combat if he had to. After all, who could match him, the one people called Vindictus?
"I kill", Link said, his voice as always slightly muffled by the bandages around his face, "for a certain law that I live by. My law is the only law that matters to me, and I follow no other boundaries, restrictions or rules."
"And what is this law?" Sheik asked him. Link gave him a piercing look with his black eyes.
"Those who oppress the weaker… will die. Did you know your guards have been making life rather pissy for quite a few people for the simple reason of making extra cash?" Sheik felt angry now.
"The weak can drag the strong to court…" Sheik argued, but Link found the statement laughable.
"Oh please, Sheik, don't be naïve. The queen has been too busy to rebuild this country from the revolution, or whatever, so the courthouses have fallen under heavy corruption. Every judge in this bloody city can be bought, so there is no one to bring justice to the poor, the weak, the helpless." Sheik knew this was true: Corruption had become a problem, but to think that someone would take law into his own hands, so grievously.
"Can you also tell me your real name? Where you're from, you're background perhaps?"
"I do not wish to tell you my name and, sadly, I do not remember anything about my life until a few years back. I stumbled around in Hyrule Field, helpless and lost, without purpose, so I set up brutal and swift justice as my goal in life and this city is the perfect place to pursue it." Sheik wanted to ask more but realized that further conversing would be pointless.
"Well then, Vindictus", Sheik said with a slight bow to the taller man, "I will return to the queen's side." He was about to do so when Link grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to look into his eyes.
"If you break your promise, then I will murder you, regardless even of my own justice", his voice was still so unearthly calm, collected and cold and those eyes that seemed to pierce the soul, made Sheik tremble. Sheik, who had faced numerous horrors for the kingdom, trembled just by one look of this man's eyes and one promise that his life would end. Link released him and turned around, retreating across the rooftops.
"Remember, Sheikah, if you break your promise then no locked doors of no Castle can keep you safe! No walls can shield you from my wrath!"
Even after Vindictus had disappeared in the darkness Sheik could still hear those last words, and feel the weight of each of them. He had to be smart, to put this all up to the princess, without telling her what Vindictus had told him tonight. Sheik did not fancy going to work the next day.
A/N: To be honest I actually prefer this type of story, much darker and more entertaining to write. If you don't see the heavy influences from Rurouni Kenshin, I have to say you must be blind, or just have no idea what it is about. This was originally two chapters but I decided to smack them together for you guys. Sorry if you found this bit confusing, I'll have to admit this chapter ended up being a bit blurry. Regardless, kindly Read and Review:
Sincerely
Sargeras111