A/N: I own nothing except a copy of this great game. Second note: A single singer is demarked in italics "like this", while a crowd singing is demarked "like this."
Link stood before the breach, gazing at the massive portal before him. He peered out into the distance, looking to the east and to the west. In the distance, he could see that Impa and her army was currently entering the abyss of their portal. He turned the other direction, and saw that Ishaka was entering the portal as well. As for Lana, it looked like one of the larger Ravagers had picked her up and hoisted her upon his shoulder. Link wondered how'd she'd reacted to that. Probably with great protest.
He glanced back towards Impa's force, and felt a pang of sorrow in his heart. They hadn't found the princess yet, and if Lana was to be believed, they were now entering three separate worlds in their search for her. That left four dimensions at least to search through, and it was already difficult enough to find someone in this world.
"Mister Hero, sir?"
He turned around to see a rather boyish-looking lieutenant in the Hyrulian army walk up to him. While Impa and Sheik had taken a relatively even split of forces, and Lana and Ishaka had taken entirely Ravager forces, Link was with a force that was almost entirely Hyrulian. Ishaka compromised by sending him what he called his most loyal and trustworthy soldiers, to stand by Link's side at all times. None of them had said much so far, instead standing a silent and watchful guard over the hero. Considering the rather intimidating warpaint they had on their faces, and the dark and scary uniforms they wore, perhaps it made sense that this lieutenant was afraid of them even though he technically outranked them.
"Call me Link." The Hero said. He didn't like being given a title: it felt like they were all placing something on him that he felt that he had not earned yet. Yet despite his modesty, he still could not shake the reverent stares that some of the men were giving him. It was as if they were within the presence of royalty, or perhaps even more than that.
"You shouldn't be so bothered by all of this, Link." Proxi's twinkling voice echoed through his head. "They idolize you! That's something to be proud of. It means that you're doing good things!"
Link subtly shook his head. Maybe so, he thought. But I don't like having attention drawn to myself. It's…weird.
"Er…right. Link?" The lieutenant asked. Link nodded, granting him permission to speak. "Are we ready to proceed?"
Link glanced at him, and then again at the portal in front of them. It seemed to be vibrating and pulsating, as if beckoning them to enter. Whatever it was that Link could make out from beyond the rift, it certainly didn't look like Hyrule. He looked back to the lieutenant.
"Yes. If you are."
"Do…do you have anything to say to the men before we enter the rift?" The lieutenant asked. He was clearly fishing for Link to give some sort of heroic, inspirational speech. Link tried to fight off the growing sense of embarrassment. He hated talking in public. He was much more comfortable with letting his actions speak for him.
But as he glanced across the legions of men that were staring hopefully, expectantly, and perhaps even a little bit fearfully towards him, he realized that his own personal quibbles would have to be put to rest. These men needed a hero to lead them. So, biting back the urge to gag under the stress, he found the words.
"I've never been one for talking." He said. He saw some of the men in the back lean forward, and so with a clearing of his throat Link started speaking louder. "I don't know what we're going to find on the other side of this breach. I just know that it isn't going to be home. At least, not a home we recognize. But no matter what, we've got to do it. Because it's the right thing to do. And know this: You've got the Hero at your side. How can you go wrong?"
He saw the men exchanging soft conversation with one another, but one thing was clear: they were buying it. Looks of worry turned to looks of confidence, and even excitement. Link managed to smile himself.
"What do you say? Will you follow me?"
The roar that echoed through the crowd was all the answer that Link needed. In a display of heroic resolve (at least he hoped), he unsheated his sword and held it high towards the sky. He felt the light of the sun glint off of the blade making it positively radiant. With a surge of energy, he raced through the opening.
.
They were floating. That was the first thing that Link noticed about the landscapes and hills and houses that were around him. As his force all followed him in entering the portal, the first thing that everyone noticed was that they were on land that was somehow suspended in midair. Somewhat fearfully, the force huddled to the middle of the land mass, as if standing too close to the edge would cause them to fall overboard and into the abyss below. Link stepped up on a rock a few feet tall, and surveyed the surroundings.
There was a town in the distance, at least something that looked like a town, and at the far edge of it was a statue. Well, less a statue and more of a massive monument. It looked…strangely familiar, like he had seen it before. Before he could find the words, Captain Weylon, the man in charge of the Hyrulian brigade, let out a cry.
"That's…that's the Goddess Statue! We must be in the Era of the Sky. This must be Skyloft*!"
There was a murmur through the crowd as they processed this information. Link himself found himself moved to introspective silence. This was where it all began, he thought to himself. He considered it sort of an honor that he would even step foot upon these sacred floating islands.
At that moment, there was a terrific explosion in the distance. They all watched in shock and awe as a large chunk of the town in front of them exploded into a shower of debris and fire. There was a roar that echoed across the air from that explosion, one of dragon's fire and hate. Link felt his grip on his sword tighten. He knew who was behind that explosion.
"Orders, Link!" Captain Weylon shouted. Link turned towards him.
"Get your men into the city! They're probably slaughtering innocents there!" Captain Weylon nodded. He whistled, and led the charge with the strongest segment of the armed force towards that town ahead. Link felt a presence next to him. It was the leader of the Ravager squad assigned as his personal guard.
"What of you, sire?" The large man asked. He was burly, hairy, and had multiple piercings in his ears and nose. Ishaka had assured Link that Big Finn was as loyal as a guard dog, and would watch Link through the end of time. The man wielded what seemed like a tree trunk for a club, so Link was not one to doubt the boastings of the Ravager leader.
"We follow them. If the Dragon Warrior shows up, the rest of the army gets out of the way and we engage him." Link said after a split's second of decision.
"A fine plan." Big Finn rumbled. He looked around to the tattooed and piercing-covered Ravagers around him and let out a snarl. "On the Hero, scummies! No one touches him!" The baker's dozen of Ravager soldiers let out a synchronized bark like a wolf, and all brandished their shields and spears.
With that, Link led his protective team into the mania of the burning city of Skyloft.
.
In the center of the burning city, as the civilians ran screaming from his hordes and what feeble defenses they had were overrun, Volga knelt on the ground. He took a deep breath, savoring the smell of burning earth and wood and blood. He opened his eyes, and reared back and let loose another roar. Embers spit from his mouth as he screamed to the heavens.
"Every last human in these lands will fall to my blade!"
Several islands away, watching the carnage with a growing sense of boredom, stood a man. He was most definitely unlike any other man around, with long white hair and greyish pale skin. His ears were long and pointed, adorned with teal earrings that gleamed in the morning sun. A large, dark-colored scarf was wrapped around his neck, giving him a very posh look. He looked less like a warrior than a very progressive nobleman. He watched another explosion rock the city, and yawned.
"That Volga, so full of himself." He said, stifling another yawn. "He forgets that it is I, Ghirahim, who leads the Demon Tribe*."
He licked his lips, savoring the thought of putting all of those pesky humans running screaming for cover to the sword, his in particular. It had been such a long time since he had tasted human blood, and certainly in that quantity. When the Sorceress had approached him for his help, he had laughed off her advances, even when she tried utilizing some of her feminine wiles to appeal to him. She had been soft and warm, and despite that being a very convincing sales pitch, what had really gotten Ghirahim chomping at the bit was what he sensed within her: a dark and yet very familiar power that he had forever sworn himself to. That was all the convincing he needed. She'd been rather off-put by his response, breaking the close embrace and muttering something to herself about how "her hero," whoever the hell that was, would never have turned down her advances. Ah well, such was the disappointment of being human. He pitied her, but did not envy the frustration of such silly and carnal temptations. Humans. They disgusted him! He would never be one of those filthy creatures.
He sighed, though, and drummed his fingers impatiently across the pommel of his sword. Volga was taking an awfully long time. What in the name of existence was the hold-up?
.
The Skyloftian captain Dorias tried to ignore the bleeding. An arrow from a Bokoblin archer had grazed his forehead, and while he knew that he had barely been scratched, the cut was enough to get the faucet running. He'd removed his helmet, to give himself a better chance to frequently wipe the blood from out of his eyes. His small force of soldiers were steadily losing ground, and though most of the civilians had gotten a head start in escaping the city he knew that when the last Skyloftian soldier fell they were all doomed. He knew how fast Bokoblins could run after their prey.
A squad of them came charging, blades drawn and screeching. Dorias bravely gave the order for his small contingent of men to hold the line. If they died, they were dying on their feet.
At that moment, coming in from the street perpendicular to them, a roar arose. The Bokoblins halted their advance and turned just in time to be utterly massacred by a charging of soldiers in glittering unforms that looked eerily familiar to Dorias' own and yet still unrecognizable. They ripped through the Bokoblins like tissue paper, their swords and spears and shields effortlessly shredding the leather armor that had proven so tough for Dorias' mens' weapons. As soon as this reinforcement from the Goddesses began to engage the enemy, one of the new soldiers raced forward towards him.
"Captain Weylon of the Hyrulian Royal Army!" The newcomer barked. Dorias didn't know who he or the Hyrulian Royal Army was, but he was relieved nonetheless. "Who's in charge of this operation?"
Me." Dorias said. The small piece of cloth that he'd wrapped around his head was soaked through, and he knew that his face probably looked like a crimson mask. "Captain Dorias, of the Skyloftian Guard. Though…I don't really know where this 'Hyrulian' is or where you've come from. I suppose I cannot be too picky of my savior."
"What's the situation, sir?" This Captain Weylon was likeable already. Equal in rank and yet still deferring to the man that knew the terrain best. Dorias spoke quickly.
"These creatures came from the surface, on some sort of dark magic bridge. Even through some sort of hole in the sky. They easily took the northern islands of Skyloft, the dark islands, and they've been steadily pushing into the rest of the islands here in the south and southwest. Until you showed up, I'd all but written off holding onto Skyloft."
"And now?" Captain Weylon's voice was somewhat hopeful. Sighing, Dorias shrugged.
"You improve our odds, but not by much. They're trying to steal Lord Levias' soup, and without it we're absolutely finished." That last sentence clearly threw Captain Weylon for a loop, so Dorias summarized succinctly. "Lord Levias is our best hope to even the tide. But if he's hungry, he isn't going to be helpful. Fickle bastard, but he's worth the wait." Dorias pointed to the north. "They destroyed the bridges that connect the northern dark islands with ours, so getting him the soup has tactical purposes as well."
"There's a sentence I never thought I'd hear in my military career…" Captain Weylon muttered. Captain Dorias shrugged. Weylon cleared his throat. "Alright, Captain, here's the plan. You take your most wounded men and have them fall back. Serve as a last-ditch defender for the civilians you've got guarded to the southwest." He gestured to the oasis-like island where scores of Skyloftians were huddled. "Anyone who can fight? Have them join us. We'll, uh, get the soup."
"Let me take command of a flank." Dorias offered, as soon as he'd ushered some of his more wounded off of the field. "I know the terrain well." Captain Weylon smiled.
"I appreciate the offer, Captain. But, no offense, I've seen stuck pigs that bleed less than you are right now." Weylon replied.
"It's just a scratch." Dorias said, wiping the blood out of his eyes again.
Captain Weylon heard the sounds of battle, or, more specifically, the sounds of one man doing battle with a horde. He smiled.
"Actually, Captain Dorias, I think you can sit this one out."
.
At that moment, Link and the Ravager guard came around the bend, colliding with the Bokoblin force like a thunderstorm. The fifteen of them against a few dozen wasn't even a fair fight. The Bokoblins crumpled like tin foil against the advance, turning tail and running away from the fight. Link eventually took center stage, forming the spearpoint of an advance up the hill and towards the Goddess Statue. With every slash of his blade, a few enemies fell. Even Big Finn, one of Ishaka's strongest fighters, could only marvel at the speed and ruthlessness of Link's might on the battlefield. There was almost something destructively beautiful about the ease with which he cut through the armies of darkness.
At the base of the Goddess Statue, as Link lopped off the head of a Moblin sergeant, he thought he heard something in his head.
Proxi, was that you? He thought.
"Not me, Link!" The little fairy replied. "I'm too busy hiding from all of these monsters! Seriously, how do you handle these disgusting beasts?"
Link rolled his eyes at his fairy friend's timidness, and then thrust his sword through the chest guard of a Bokoblin soldier. Once again, he heard a tickling in his head like a voice. Only this time, it was clear enough to form words.
"Link…Master…I wait for you under the Goddess Statue."
"Okay, I definitely heard that!" Proxi shouted in Link's head, causing his ears to start ringing a little bit. "Maybe we should go see what that is all about?" Link nodded with a pained look of annoyance on his face, and then broke off from the battle to investigate the Goddess Statue.
.
The interior of the place reminded him a little bit of the interior of Great Fairy Fountains, except…older. It was a pretty and ornate place, and clearly a place of worship as well. Link couldn't help but find himself calming down from the adrenaline rush that the battle outside had given him, and found himself currently in a vague form of peace.
In the middle of the atrium was a pedestal upon which a sword rested in the stone. It was a pretty-looking thing, tinged teal and blue and glowing softly. It certainly made Link feel a little bit jealous. Here he was, cutting through the armies of darkness with a standard white sword from the Hyrulian armory, and this thing looked like it could cut through a meteorite.
There was a flash, and to Link's shock a woman emerged from the sword. Well, sort of a woman. She was looked more like a blue statue carved in the form of a woman, dressed in dark blue and purple garb. She didn't appear to have arms either, instead having flowery cape-like extensions from her shoulders. A blue crystal was embedded in her chest, serving both as a pretty jewel as well as something that held her cape (and arms) together. She had cuts into her face that resembled eyes, but with no true iris or pupil in either. It gave her a dignified, pretty, yet incredibly uncanny appearance.
"My name is Fi. I was waiting for you." The woman-like being said. Her mouth wasn't quite matching what she was saying, as if she was speaking a different language from a long-lost age. Despite this, Link was somehow able to translate it perfectly. He didn't question it. Fi cocked her head to the side, as if she was judging Link. "You are not The Master, but I can consider you a master." She finally said. Link wasn't quite sure what that meant, but if that put him in his good graces he didn't mind. Something about this girl was unnerving. It was either the eyeless eyes or the fact that she was floating in the air like a genie. Probably both. "My mission is to serve you." Fi said again.
Link blinked, and then fought back the urge to cry out in surprise and shock. Fi had, in that split second, suddenly flown forward and was now floating a mere few inches from his face. Either she was trying to intimidate him, or she simply had no understanding or respect for the concept of "personal space."
"My assistance is necessary for your success." Fi said again. Link was in no position to argue, not when he saw that this floating girl-thing was about a head taller than he was. "Shall I accompany you?"
Link nodded, to let her know that he agreed with her question and partially to get her out of his space. Just like that, Fi backed away from her new master, and passively started floating a few feet from him. At that moment, a troop of Bokoblins raced around the corner, and entered the sacred hall of the Statue whooping and hollering.
Growling, Link drew his sword, but felt a rush go past him. Fi had raced in front of Link, and had rushed in to deal with these creatures herself. It was surreal. Link thought he was watching an ice skater, the way Fi swooped and twirled and pirouetted through the air, gliding smoothly throughout the entire time. The only difference between an ice skater and Fi was that he'd never seen an ice skater literally kicking Bokoblins and Moblins in the face with bladed heels. They never stood a chance.
"Lord Levias requires some of his favorite meal in order to be summoned to the battlefield." Fi said. She picked up a large vial and held it in the crook of one of her wing-arms. "I shall carry this to the feeding spot. If you would protect me, Master?" Link nodded, and ran forward before this strange girl.
.
Just outside the Goddess Statue, Link saw a group of Hyrulian soldiers (as well as his Ravager guard) round he corner and rendezvous with him. Big Finn stared at Fi with a confused expression.
"Who's the lass?" He asked. Link shrugged.
"Her name is Fi!" Prozi suddenly said, appearing by Link's ear. "She has the Pumpkin Soup for this Lord Levias!"
"That's good to hear, because we were given a bit of a tricky order." One of the Hyrulian soldiers said. "We have to rescue some of the Skyloftian soldiers from one of the islands north of the Knights Academy. The only problem…" He gestured to a large gap between the islands. "…is that there's no way to cross."
"Lord Levias will have an answer. Come. I calculate with 97% certainty that he is most hungry." Fi said. She glided ahead of the group, forcing the confused group of soldiers to follow after her.
Any doubts that Link had over the ambiguous nature of Fi were quickly dispelled when a group of Bokoblins charged towards her. Instead of doing her usual ballet of death, there was a flash. Instead of Fi, a sword most similar to the one in the Goddess Statue was carving through these creatures like ribbons, causing everyone following her to gape. Big Finn, who'd been crushing a Moblin's neck with his bare hand, dropped his dead prey in shock.
"Did that lady just turn inta a sword?" He managed to ask. Link looked back at him and shrugged. Considering the insanity that they'd been subjected to since the start of this war against Cia, a woman-like being that flew through the air and could turn into a sword was hardly the most ridiculous thing they'd ever seen.
Fi reached the edge of the precipice, dangling the pumpkin soup over the edge. There was a deep rumbling sound. It sounded like a voice.
"Ho ho! My favorite soup!" A deep and earthy voice said. "Did you bring it for me?"
"Lord Levias, we ask for your help to defeat those threatening the sky. Will you aid us?" Fi asked. There was another rumbling sound. It sounded like a grandfatherly chuckle.
"Ah, yes. So the roads have crumbled? Well, let me see what I can do…" Lord Levias' disembodied voice said.
"Look!" Proxi shouted.
Link turned to see emerging from the cloudy shadow a most tremendous sight: an old, wizened whale-like creature seemingly swimming through the sky while pushing a massive piece of floating continent. The piece of continent was wedged into the gap between islands, creating a sturdy and makeshift bridge for them to cross over. Fi uncorked the vial of pumpkin soup, and tilted it downwards. Lord Levias floated under it, happily guzzling the warm and sweet-smelling mixture.
"Always delicious, that pumpkin soup!" Lord Levias happily rumbled. He dipped low, and disappeared into the cloudy abyss.
.
From his perch far to the north, Ghirahim watched this development with a mixture of annoyance and disgust.
"Ah, so the Great Spirit of The Sky has shown up…" He muttered to himself. "Levias, you flying nuisance! Begone!" He yelled impotently at the air, knowing that the beast was too busy enjoying its soup to hear him. Growling, he turned towards one of his Moblin commanders. "Send as many of your whelps as you can afford towards the Knight Academy and town square. I do not know whatever the hell it is that is keeping Volga so preoccupied, but I know that I can rely on you." At that point, Ghirahim drew his sword and held it dangerously close to the Moblin's throat. "I can rely on you, yes?"
To the Moblin's credit, he did not flinch. Just a grunt, a nod, and then a blsat form his war horn to order a mobilization of the forces. As soon as he'd run off, Ghirahim sighed. Truthfully, he had no confidence in that stupid beast to do anything more than be a pincushion for enemy swords. But they still had strength in numbers at this point, despite the arrival of this blasted enemy from whereabouts unknown. And though his sword was practically crying to spill blood, Ghirahim resisted those impulses. He didn't like getting his hands dirty in such trivial battles. Instead, he imagined himself standing atop the ramparts of the headquarters he'd built earlier in the day, and in a flash he had disappeared.
Link heard that horn blast, and felt a pang of adrenaline surge through him. That was a horn blast to signal advancement. That meant that whomever was in charge of these dark forces had reinforcements, and was planning on using them. Fi had clearly heard that sound too.
"Master, I will retreat to help aid the allied forces in defending the town. You can take care of the enemy commander, yes?" Link barely had time to nod before she had flown off. Link felt a large hand on his shoulder.
"You ain't alone, hero!" Big Finn barked. His beard, red enough as it was, was starting to get stained with enemy blood. "You got me and my scummies here, savvy?" The other thirteen Ravagers roared in agreement, and that gave Link a surge of confidence. The platoon made its way to the north, hacking and slashing through stout enemy resistance. None of them, however, were capable of stopping the Hero and his brave guardsmen. Their progress was halted, however, at the sight of another massive gap to the west. There was no earthly way to cross the gap, and Link turned around to see that a veritable score of enemies were charging towards them. There was no way to escape. They were trapped. Beside him, Big Finn let out a howl.
"Blood and bone, scummies! Blood and booooonnnneeee!" He started twirling his club around his head, and started bashing anything that came close. Link wasn't about to let this insanely brave man get all of the fun, and with a yell of his own began to fight back against the charging tide.
.
Fi landed at the Academy a few short minutes later. As soon as she'd arrived, a bloodied Skyloftian ran up to her.
"The Lady of the Goddess Sword*…" Captain Dorias bowed respectfully for a moment. He then handed Fi a large vial. "My men recovered this at the base of the Goddess Statue, My Lady. Would you be willing to summon Lord Levias again?" Fi cocked her head to the side, as if confused by this request.
"I am uncertain as to the necessity of re-summoning Lord Levias, Captain." Fi said. "He does not like to be called too often for favors. He is old and doesn't move much."
"Be that as it may," Captain Dorias said, trying not to think about the fact that he was arguing with a walking sword. "If he returns a bridge to the west we can make a final push towards the enemy commander and run them all out of Skyloft. Surely he can get behind such a request?" Fi seemed to think this one over. Then she spoke.
"I calculate with 90% certainty that you are correct, Captain." Fi said. "Very well. Instruct your men to hold the Academy for as long as possible, Captain. You will know when it is time to move forward with your assault." With that, she flew off again.
.
Ghirahim watched the battle from the safety of his command with a growing sense of distaste. He watched that floating waif arc through the air, no doubt carrying another vial of soup for that interloper Lord Levias. He hissed, and was about to go after her himself when there was a flash and a bang next to him. Volga stood ramrod straight next to Ghirahim.
"And just where have you been?" Ghirahim asked. Volga was impassive as he spoke.
"Hunting a brigade of soldiers to the east." Volga said. He seemed to smirk as he talked. "Their screams were pathetic for men of their position." Ghirahim was filing his nails on the edge of his sword, clearly disinterested.
"Hm, good to hear that you enjoy playing with your food before you eat it. I tend to do the same thing myself. In the meantime…" He suddenly exploded. "They're mounting a counterattack, you overgrown lizard!" Volga turned his head towards Ghirahim, a slightly confused expression on his face.
"Can't you handle them yourself, Sword?" He asked. Ghirahim snarled like an angry dog, and stomped over towards Volga.
"Let's get something clear here, you overgrown reptile. You may think otherwise, but the truth of the matter is that your Sorceress Cia has lent you on retainer to me, and not the other way around. So when I ask you to murder humans, I expect you to murder. Humans. Am I clear?" He finished his rant standing a foot from Volga, positively glowering at the mountainous Dragon Warrior. Volga nodded.
"Transparently." He said. Ghirahim drew his sword.
"Good. Now, cut through their feeble little armies like butter. I'm going to give that blonde-haired fool who's cornered to the west a nice, warm red grin*." He had barely taken a step when he felt the flat edge of Volga's pike in his stomach, preventing him from going any further.
"Mistress Cia has ordered not a hair is to be harmed on her hero." Volga intoned. Ghirahim rolled his eyes so far back into his head he could see his own thoughts.
"Well, you can tell your Mistress Cia that this is war, love, and accidents happen." Volga seemed to not want to argue, and instead disappeared in a flash of fire and brimstone to follow Ghirahim's orders. "Goodness knows she can play nurse for the sniveling runt, the way she was slobbering over him." Ghirahim muttered to no one in particular. He had heard of this strange emotion that the humans called love. He personally found it weak and had no use for it. Yet, when he thought of the way that Cia had talked about her love for this "Link" fellow, that there was something decidedly off about the entire thing. Even by humans' pathetic, whimpering standards.
.
Fi rushed through the fields, completely horizontal to the ground in order to minimize wind resistance. She whipped past the skirmishes between Skyloftians and Bokoblins, and raced past the Hyrulians cornering and finishing off Moblins. She turned a corner, and saw that her master and his guard were right ahead.
Link and the Ravagers were doing quite well, considering the odds. The fifteen of them were steadily keeping themselves from being overrun, but the sheer tide of enemies was slowly pushing them towards the brink. There was only a few feet left between them and the abyss. Fi calculated that there was a 55% chance of them falling if she did not get to them in time. That was too high a chance to take.
She rushed past the defenders, and uncorked the vial of pumpkin soup. The sharp aroma wafted through the air, and before long there was a familiar rumbling.
"Ho ho! Was it you that summoned me?" Lord Levias' head poked out of the clouds in the distance. "Shall I move the bridges for you again?" He didn't wait for a response, instead letting out a groan and pushed a large continent towards the gap between islands.
Link stabbed right through the Moblin that had attempted to tackle him off of the island, but found his sword was caught somewhere in the beast's belly. Frantically, he tried to yank the blade out, all while not losing his balance and tumbling over backwards to his doom. Finally, in desperation he gave a cry and yanked the blade out. He pulled it clear, but started to stumble backwards. He didn't know how much space he had left, only that he was going to tumble over backwards and fall to his death. He gave a scream as he started to tumble over the cliff.
Suddenly, he felt a very large hand grab him by the scruff of his tunic and hoist forward. Big Finn was single-handedly keeping Link from falling down into the unknown abyss below. Link didn't speak, or perhaps couldn't from the fear. He saw Big Finn's eyes widen, and then he pulled Link into his chest. The Hero barely had time to register what was going on before he was shotputted forward into the air. Link screamed, thinking that Big Finn had thrown him to his death, but instead landed hard on the moving island that Lord Levias was moving. The massive whale-beast finished pushing the piece in place, and as soon as it was secured the rest of the Ravagers leapt over onto safer ground. With no worries of what lay behind them, they turned to what lay in front of them. And that involved cutting through the Bokoblins with ease.
No sooner had they finished their task when a massive explosion rocked them from behind. They turned around to see Volga, standing in a small crater of his own making, twirling his Dragonborne Pike tauntingly.
"Hm…this should be interesting." Volga said. "Are you whelps ready to fight a real warrior?"
"The Dragon Knight is here!" Proxi said in Link's head. "Let's show him what we're made of!"
Standing beside Link, Big Finn spit defiantly at the ground.
"One man against fifteen scummies? Awful bold odds there, pidgin!"
To their surprise, Volga chuckled.
"You are right, human. These are terrible odds. Terrible odds for you."
With a roar, he lunged for them.
.
This was no good. Fi watched as the fifteen men including her master did battle with this mighty warrior. By her calculations, Fi estimated that there was a 15% chance that her master would defeat the Dragon Warrior, but that was with the assumption that the rest of his companions would die in the process. Fi had seen these crazed men fighting, and calculated that there was an 88% chance that keeping most of them alive would save her master's life again at a later time. It was time to act. While they were preoccupied, she flew to the east.
She flew even faster than she had flown towards the west to repair the bridge, for she knew that time was of the essence. That Dragon Warrior was fast, and she calculated that any dawdling on her part would result in an 100% guarantee someone would die before she returned. That was a chance she was not willing to take. Ignoring the attempts by Moblins and Bokoblins to cut her legs out, Fi kept flying until she reached her destination.
The Fairy Fountain of Skyloft was very rarely used, and had been completely abandoned by the locals. Even the attacking forces of darkness had only sent a token force over there, whom Fi dispatched with dissonant ferocity. She floated to the middle of the summoning circle, and began to speak the words of summons. The Great Fairy of Skyloft might not wake for most people, but for the Lady of the Goddess Sword? That was as close to a guarantee as one could get.
Her thoughts were answered with a shrill and joyous laugh, and soon the Great Fairy was floating in front of her. Fi blankly stared up at her.
"Oh Great Fairy. Lord Levias needs extra strength to defeat the Dragon Warrior of Darkness." She said. The Fairy put a finger to her chin as if in mock thought, before smiling and laughing with a thumbs up gesture. There was an explosion, and she disappeared into a flood of little fairies. Fi was patient, and listened to the outside. A storm was coming.
.
Lord Levias thought he smelled something delicious. He sleepily opened his eyes, and saw a massive pumpkin dangling in front of him. Licking his lips, he lunged forward, only for the treat to be yanked up and above him. Amused, the ancient beast chased after the pumpkin on a string, carrying himself high into the clouds. As he ascended he could hear the whispering pleas of fairies. He smiled to himself. For the treat of such a large pumpkin? He might be willing to sing for the Goddesses himself. Their request was child's play for him.
He snatched the pumpkin with a large gulp, and licked his lips in satisfaction. Then, sighing deeply, he let the energy build up within him. When he had hit a critical mass, he let out a roar and the thunder and lightning came flying after.
.
Volga snorted in disdain as he pulled his pike from the back of one of the fallen tribals. There were nine of them left, counting the obvious leader…and that puny hero. He smirked, twirling his pike menacingly. He did enjoy stalking his prey. He was so wrapped up in the chase that he never saw it coming.
Link and his group looked on in wonder as a bolt of lightning arched down from the heavens, striking Volga directly in the chest. The Dragon Warrior gave a roar of pain, the pulsing electricity enough to knock him to his knees. He was breathing ragged and hoarsely, and Link sensed that the end was near. With a yell, he charged his fallen foe. Swiftly, Volga held up his pike. There was a flash of fire and brimstone, and he disappeared.
"Aw, yeh COWARD!" Big Finn roared. "Up and buggered off, why don't yeh? If yeh kill six o' my men, at least face yer death like a Goddess-damned MAN!" He pounded his club in the ground furiously. He sighed. "Lemme send 'em off like warriors, Link. Scummies like them don't deserve ta rot in the sun."
Link nodded sadly. He looked around. The armies of darkness were retreating to the north, and were even descending on fell beasts and a dark staircase to the surface world. He so badly wished to chase them down there right now, but there were more prudent things to accomplish. Gathering the ill and wounded. Paying a due to the dead. Everything that good and noble armies and heroes had to do. He watched with some bit of sadness as Big Finn knelt in the middle of his fallen brethren, saying some old prayer in a language he didn't recognize. Then, as soon as the massive man was done, he reached down and plucked something from each of the mens' necks. They were gold pendants that had come from a necklace they each wore. Link recognized them as Soul Coins*, and had heard of this practice before. Yet he had never seen it in action. Quietly, Big Finn fastened these gold pieces to his own necklace, to the point where his started to make a sweet (if melancholy) jangling noise as he walked. He quietly walked up to Link.
"If it ain't too much ta ask, laddie, I'd like yeh ta help me bring 'em back to the Knight's Academy. They deserve funeral pyres, not a natural rottin'." He said softly. Link, recognizing this simple request, and nodded. He gestured towards some of the Skyloftian and Hyrulian soldiers, and they began to help gather the slain Ravagers.
It was later that night, as the sun was beginning to set, that it all took place. While the Skyloftians had gladly buried the brave Hyrulians who had fallen in defense of a world, time and dimension that was not their own, Big Finn had insisted on this sendoff. So, in the middle of the town square before hundreds of onlookers, the big Ravager was allowed this simple request.
.
After quietly saying a prayer that the soldiers all recognized, no matter what army they served in, as the Prayer of Relief*, Big Finn lit his torch. He gently dipped it on each of the pyres, and the oil the Skyloftians had generously provided quickly caught to the flame. Within moments, the six pyres were alight.
It was beautiful and haunting, tragic and yet uplifting. For while these were men who had fallen and had gone on to their eternal rest, oh what a brilliant light they gave! Link watched from the edge of the square, and felt something deep within him. He couldn't quite put the feeling to words, and instead stayed silent and reflective. Fi floated next to him, but wisely chose not to say anything. The spirit of the Goddess Sword did not understand human customs like this, but knew that it meant something to them…and that was all that mattered.
As the flames died down to embers, and the ashes that were all that remained of the pyres began to sweep away into the wind, the remaining defenders and civilians turned in for the night. Big Finn walked up to Link.
"Thank you fer doin' that for me, laddie." He said. "Truly means a lot. As brilliant in death they was in life, y'know? That's all I can do fer them. They'll be remembered fer that…" He then reverently pointed to his necklace. "…and fer this. I'll carry 'em back to Ishaka, and let 'im know some of our brothers are finally asleep."
"Does Ishaka do this for all of his men?" Proxi asked. Big Finn shook his head.
"Nah, just fer the men that serve under me. It's somethin' that comes from my old tribe, back when I had one." He looked melancholy for a moment. "More I think 'bout it, more I realize 'ow generous Brother Ishaka is about allowin' that. I know Itami is a little buggered out by it."
"Why would your companion be displeased with respecting your tradition?" Fi asked. Big Finn smirked and shook his head.
"It ain't a matter of disrespect, ma'am." Big Finn said. Link glanced at Fi. She seemed to smiling ever so slightly at being bestowed such a title. "Itami…well, he's a bit of a grump." He took out a cigarette, and lit it up after a moment of fiddling with a match. "I don't know what tribe he came from, but they was a lot less…vibrant than mine, yeh know?"
"What does Ishaka think of him?" Link asked. Big Finn chuckled.
"The world, laddie. He thinks the world o' Itami. An' don't think I don't like the guy; Itami is one o' me closest scummies in the entire corps of Ravagers! He's just…I guess the term would be 'cynical?' Yeah, that'd be it." He paused, and then spoke. "I be a good doggie, loyal to me master Ishaka. Point me inna direction an' off I go! But Itami? Briliant sunavabitch. Any decision Brother Ishaka makes? He runs it through Itami. They're incredibly close, laddie. The tightest of scummies. But very different in thought." He chuckled. Link smiled a bit, though still a little bit confused.
"I've never really talked to him." He said. Big Finn chuckled, and poked Link in the shoulder.
"That's 'cuz he don't like bein' the center o' attention, laddie. Much happier…well, maybe not so much happier as much as 'satisfied'…workin' on the sidelines. Me personally? I think Itami undersells 'imself." He sighed once, breathing in the smoke. "I don't wish ta keep ya up too late, laddie. We're gonna crush 'em in the morning, yeah?" He saw Link's nod, and smiled. "Good, good. I got yer back, laddie. No matter what." He clapped Link on the shoulder, and sauntered off. Fi watched him go, and spoke.
"He seems loyal, Master. I would not suspect anything less from him than full support for you."
.
He had watched this entire display with a sense of disgust. Humans and their morbid fascination with death and the next life. He had hidden on a rooftop, watching that oaf speak some words that ultimately meant nothing about ilves that had been snuffed out like blowing out a little candle. And yet still they remained! Still they threatened. Well, that naturally dictated a response. But what?
A sly smile graced his face, and he licked his lips. He would lure them down to the surface, as they were no doubt itching to do. And then, once they were away from the influence of that ridiculous interloper Levias…he would tear them apart from the inside.
He let out a haughty laugh that no one heard aside from himself, and with a puff of smoke Ghirahim vanished into the night.
A/N: Another one in the books! Hope you liked it. A few tweaks here and there for the sake of narrative purpose and continuity, and a successful tie-in to the next chapter. Oh, and just in case you were wondering: Big Finn is essentially Billy Connolly from The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. You are now picturing Big Finn headbutting Moblins to death. Or…really just Billy Connolly in general. The Big Yin is quite the boisterous one, no? Also, "scummie" is a word Big Finn uses that roughly means "brother" or "friend."
Till next time! R&R if you can.
HYRULIAN CODEX
Skyloft – Skyloft is a mythical place, even by the standards of Hyrulian legend. That is because it is considered the "cradle" of modern civilization. Before humans and their kind roamed the surface, they lived on islands floating high in the sky under the watchful eye of the Goddess Hylia. Skyloftians were known to traverse from place to place via large birds, a species that has sadly gone extinct in the centuries since. There are rumors that the beginnings of the Reincarnate Trio legend begins in Skyloft, but so far evidence and primary sources to confirm any official ties remain scarce.
Demon Tribe – Little is known about this dark force, other than that they were the ones that kept the original Skyloftians away from the surface of the world (and some say perhaps even forced them off into the clouds to begin with.) There is debate as to whether the Demon Tribe was a large number of sorcerers who tamed many monsters under their dark magic, or whether it was simply the act of a few dark wizards taming the masses. Either way, it is considered a relief that this group is extinct. It did give rise to some more outlandish tales that drive historians today mad in trying to disprove: namely, that there was a Demon Tribe member who was also a living sword, as well as a dark and powerful king that was allegedly the source of all evil, incarnate in one man. Such stories are dismissed as outlandish rumors, the kinds of stories used to scare children at bedtime.
Lord Levias – Little is known about the specifics of Lord Levias, Protector of the Skies, but what is recovered is truly staggering. Allegedly a massive whale-like spirit that protected Skyloft, it is considered one of the first "deities" in the history of Hyrulian spirituality. Lord Levias was said to be a bit long in the tooth and slow-moving, but was a warm and friendly spirit that was considered a sort of grandfatherly figure to the Skyloftians. It is unknown what became of him after Skyloftians began to migrate back to the surface again. Some say that he descended to the surface as well, where he fell into a deep sleep at sea. A more likely and popular theory is that, seeing his work was done, the Golden Goddesses lifted him to a higher plane of existence as a reward for his faithful work. Interestingly, throughout the stories of Lord Levias there are frequent references to his fondness of pumpkin soup. This strikes most theologians as strange, as this is the first (and so far as they know, the only) religious figure that they've ever had to catalogue the eating habits of.
"The Lady of the Goddess Sword" – Legends tell of a beautiful, feminine figure that supposedly was resting within the Goddess Sword itself. This figure, though little is known about it in truth, was said to be a kind and helpful soul, and was fated to serve the one deemed as "The Hero of the Sky." There is also a rather sad conclusion to the legend of the Lady of the Goddess Sword: she was also fated to permanently inhabit the legendary Sword of Evil's Bane, but in doing so would forever sacrifice her consciousness in order to fully power the blade's might. No one is certain if this is true, as the Sword of Evil's Bane is long thought to be a forgotten myth.
"Red Grin" – A rather nasty slang term used mostly amongst swordsmen and mercenaries. The "grin" in question refers to a deep cut that the attacker makes on an opponent's face, cutting out from the edges of the victim's lips so that the scars heal like a jagged extension of the lips, making it seem like the victim is always grinning. The other option is to make this cut on the victim's throat. This choice is almost always fatal.
Soul Coin – A rather superstitious belief carried amongst some soldier tribes, and even the more spiritual of Hyrulian warriors. A soldier, before he goes to battle, takes a small trinket (usually gold) and carves some design into it. No one makes the same design, and there is something that is deeply personal in each design. That way, it is an extension of the self as much as it is a simple coin. The carver then fastens the coin to his or her necklace. This way, if one is killed in battle and is either too mangled or too dangerous to recover, then the fallen's comrades will at least carry this memento with them to remember their friend. It is considered an unspeakable crime to steal these coins from fallen soldiers if one is not verifiable as a former brother or sister in arms, and the penalty is ostracization from society…and that's not counting what happens if the convicted runs into one of his thefts' former soldier comrades…
Prayer of Relief – A simple poem that most soldiers recite to honor the memories of their lost brethren in combat. Though there are many translations, the Hyrulian translation goes as such:
This soldier has breathed his last/He has met the eternal night.
'But oh, my friends!' he'd tell them/'I burned a brilliant light!'
'You needn't cry or worry,'/'I've done my sacred duty.'
'I served and lived and fought and died'/'That's all you could ask of me.'
'Just do me only this favor,'/The soldier would proudly say.
'Remember the joy and love in life'/'Not just that I passed away.'
And when he gets to Heaven/To the Goddesses he will tell,
'One more soldier reporting sir!'/'I've served my time in hell.'