Thirty-Seven
Rusl looked across the path to the others crouched at the top of the rock wall on the other side. The late afternoon sun played over the small group of warriors crouched over the road leading south from Castle Town's east gate where it crossed over a small wooden bridge. It was seldom used, but the group of enemy soldiers made straight for it, escorting a supply convoy no doubt containing foodstuffs plundered from the ruins of the farms in Faron Province.
Ashei met his gaze, silently nodding, then gestured to the row of archers next to her: some Hyrule Soldiers, some Arnak's men, and others volunteers from among the civilians in the Kokiri Forest. They readied their bows, drawing back arrows to aim at the approaching convoy.
Rusl turned to the small man crouched next to him, whose hands rested on a box with a plunger handle connected by wires to the bridge below. The swordsman nudged the other man, and he lifted the visor of his protective mask to nod his readiness.
The former soldier drew his sword, tensing the muscles in his legs in preparation for his leap. Around him, others did the same, and the tension in the small band of fighters could be plainly felt as they waited for the enemy convoy to move into position.
Almost there… Almost there…
"Now!" Rusl shouted, springing down onto the top of the rearmost covered wagon.
Others followed him, wielding swords, axes, spears, and any other manner of weapon they had managed to get their hands on.
Back up on the cliff, Barnes pushed down the plunger on his box, and with a great blast of sound, the bridge disappeared in a cloud of smoke and splinters, taking the two lead wagons in the convoy with it.
As Rusl slashed open the top of the wagon, Ashei and her archers rained arrows down onto the scrambling monsters, mostly Bulblins, felling them before they even had a chance to threaten Rusl and his team.
The other swordsmen made quick work of the remaining Bulblins, and jumped into the driver's seats on the other three wagons still on this side of the bridge. Rusl leaped forward through the stacked supplies in the back of his own wagon, stabbing through the Bulblin driver before the creature even knew he was there. Sheathing his sword, Rusl seized the reins and pulled the horses hitched to the cart in a tight turn, sending them back in the direction from which they had come.
Rusl felt the vibration as others leaped into his wagon, settling among the stolen supplies. He urged the horses on to greater speed, hoping to flee the scene before the massive army camped in the wide plain beyond could send in a force after them.
Ashei came forward and nodded to Rusl as she sat on the seat next to him. As she turned to check on the other wagons behind them, she pointed into the sky and shouted, "Trouble!"
He dared a glance behind to see winged shapes swooping in, blades flashing in the sun and angry, screeching cries echoing off the rock faces along the path.
Rusl snapped the reins again, sending the horses careening along the narrow road. If they could just get to the southern forest, these supplies would go to the gathering army there, increasing their chances of success when they finally began their march to reclaim their country.
Ashei stood, taking aim at the Oocca pursuing them, and loosed a volley of arrows, two at a time. Rusl glanced back to see the other archers doing the same in their own wagons.
As the path opened up into a wide field, Rusl looked off to the left and saw the gates of Kakariko, and to the right, another wooden bridge over a narrow chasm. Rusl steered for the bridge, trampling a small, bug-like creature beneath the horses' hooves as the wheels clattered over the beaten dirt road.
Ashei and the other archers continued to fire at the pursuing Oocca, faster as the winged beings approached the rear wagon, readying bombs. With multiple small detonations, the rear wagon erupted in flames, and its occupants dove out, rolling along the path. Rusl didn't get the chance to see if they were all right, as he had to snap his attention forward again when the wagon bounced over the wooden bridge and into another narrow ravine of rock where the road had been cut out of the hill across the path.
Beside him, Ashei stumbled when the wagon went over a particularly rough bump and nearly pitched over the side, but Rusl let go of the reins with one hand and grabbed her arm before she could topple out.
"Thanks!" she shouted. Looking up, she readied another arrow. "Let me return the favor!"
He glanced up just as her arrow pierced a bomb an Oocca overhead was carrying, and the winged being disappeared in a cloud of smoke and feathers. Rusl nodded his thanks, pulling the horses hard to the left as they burst into another open field.
This was the most dangerous part of the mission; the southern plain in Faron Province north of the thick forest was the longest stretch of wide-open space where they would be most vulnerable to attack before they could disappear into the woods with the stolen supplies.
Ashei remained standing, firing back at the Oocca still pursuing them, but Rusl, glancing off to the right, saw another problem: Bulblin riders on horse-sized boars, charging out of the southern entrance to Castle Town at the north end of the field. The thick trees in Faron Woods would shield them from further aerial attack, but if the Bulblins pursued them into the woods…
Shouting to the other archers, Ashei turned her attention to the Bulblin riders and began firing at them. The resistance fighters loosed a volley of arrows at the pursuing Bulblins, and several toppled from their saddles, shrieking, but a few dodged and spurred their mounts closer to the wagons.
Watching one out of the corner of his eye, Rusl drew his sword and took the reins with his other hand, urging the horses on. As the Bulblin drew closer, he leaned over and slashed at it, catching the archer riding on the back in the shoulder and sending it tumbling to the ground.
The rider swung at him with a club, but Rusl ducked under the blow and slashed back. The Bulblin leaned out of range of the strike and pulled its mount away from the wagon.
As the convoy drew closer to the forest entrance, the Bulblin slammed its mount into the wagon, trying to tip it over. In response, Rusl reversed his grip on his sword and stabbed down, not at the Bulblin but at the horse-sized boar it was riding.
The boar squealed in pain and abruptly changed course, throwing the Bulblin from the saddle. The creature trampled its former rider as it thrashed and writhed, running off blindly to slam full-force into the trunk of a thick tree.
Rusl grinned quickly as he checked the other wagons. The other swordsmen and the archers had taken care of the rest of the Bulblins, and they were now free to escape.
The former soldier urged the horses forward again, into the safety of the woods. He drove them through the cramped tunnel leading to the Forest Temple, a tight fit for the wagon, and stopped in the dried-up pond where a weird purple fog had been before Princess Zelda dispelled it.
He leaped from the seat and shouted to the others. "All right, let's get these supplies off the wagons and to the people that will need them. It's almost time for our final offensive."
Ashei paused as she pulled a box out of the back of the wagon. "Do we have enough people to take on a force that large?" she asked quietly.
Rusl sighed. "Not really. But we have Link and the other Triforce bearers, so that might make up the difference."
The other warrior nodded slowly. "Let's hope so."
Midna was the first to meet him as Link entered the forest village, looking around at the crowds of people moving about in preparation for something.
"Hey," she said, waving in greeting. "Where have you been? Everyone's been looking for you."
"I had to think about something," Link replied.
Midna touched his arm, her face concerned. "What happened? I asked Viktor, but he wouldn't say anything."
"Raneses captured Erik and Val," Link said, feeling his jaw clench.
She gasped. "Oh, no. What happened?"
Quickly, he described what had happened back at the Dark Lord's fortress, including his inability to draw on the Triforce of Courage.
The Twilight Princess frowned thoughtfully. "I'm no expert on the Triforce, but sealing off a piece so its bearer can't use it doesn't sound like something your ordinary Sheikah would know how to do. I think we should ask the others just how they know Val. Something doesn't seem right here."
Link nodded. "I have to talk to my mother first, though."
Midna smiled. "Of course. Take as long as you need. I'll see what I can find out in the meantime."
"Do you know where she is?" he asked.
She nodded and pointed off at the Hero of Time's house. "I think she's still with Freia."
"Thanks."
Midna nodded again as she moved off. "See you later."
Link headed for the stump-shaped house where one of his predecessors had lived, and caught the end of a conversation between his mother and the Sheikah agent as he drew closer.
"So, why didn't you give us more of a warning about the slaves' descendants? You must have known they were still in the area, and Leif would have left if he had known what they were planning," Nomi said, a bit of heat creeping into her tone. "If you had been more specific, Leif would have left right away, and Rickard wouldn't have died. It's just like Leif said." She pointed her finger at the other woman. "Rickard's death was just as much your fault as those who killed him!"
Freia sighed quietly. "I am sorry for what happened to your family. You are right; we should have been more specific in our warning. But, you have to understand, we had very few agents then, and we could not spare anyone to watch your family more closely. I've regretted it for years, and so has Viktor. Rickard did not deserve what happened to him."
Link looked back and forth between the two women, puzzled. "You know each other?"
Nomi turned to look at him, the anger in her face fading away at the sight of her son. "We met before you were born. She and her brother came to make sure your father and I hadn't found some sort of weapons cache hidden in the manor."
Freia nodded. "I understand you found this cache, Hero. Do you have the Staff of Lightning?"
Link produced the item, holding it out for the agent to see.
"Use it wisely," Freia said. "It is capable of terrible things." After giving him a meaningful look, the Sheikah agent departed, leaving Link and his mother alone.
Nomi gestured to the staff still in his hands. "That's what they were guarding all this time? That's what was in the manor that they didn't want us to find?"
Link nodded silently, looking down at the inscribed lightning patterns.
Nomi smiled and reached out to touch Link's arm, as if trying to confirm he was real. "And they let you have it. I'm proud of you, Link. I know your father would be, too, if he were still here."
Link sat on the ground, leaning back against the stump-shaped house of his predecessor. "What happened to my father? Rusl always told me that he thought you had been attacked in the forest by bandits, but we were never able to find out exactly what happened."
Nomi sat down next to him, tucking the folds of her simple dress around her legs. Her face took on a distant, sad expression, one that spoke of a pain long remembered and thought of often over many years.
She was silent for several moments. "He…" She paused. "He died. He died defending me from those who attacked us, and they killed him right in front of me. I… I thought they had killed you, too. I didn't see you anywhere, and I must have gone half mad, thinking everything had been taken away from me at once." Link's mother looked over at him, and he saw tears forming in her eyes. "If I had known you were still alive, I never would have left. I… I never would have abandoned you."
A sob escaped her, and Link leaned over to place a gentle hand on her arm. "I have never felt abandoned. I've always known you and Father were taken from me, that you never would have left me behind willingly."
Nomi smiled, reaching over to touch his cheek. "You're just like him, you know. Leif always knew exactly what to say."
Link smiled back. "Tell me about him. I remember bits and pieces from when we lived at the manor, but I don't really know anything about him."
And so, for the next hour, she did. Nomi told her son stories of his father, ranging from how they met, -she had thrown her father's shaving water out into the street and drenched him- to some of his adventures in trying to re-establish the family mines in the mountains. Leif's brother, Rickard, featured in most of the stories, though Link noticed that she said nothing about what eventually happened to him. He knew this already, from his discussion with the mountain warrior back at the manor, and so did not press her for details.
Nomi paused in the middle of a story -an account of a lively discussion Leif had had with her parents that proved he was not as stupid as they thought him- when a servant, a man whose name Link remembered was Martyn, stumbled out of the house the King was staying in, utter grief and anguish on his face.
Curious, Link got to his feet and made his way over to the servant, Nomi following. The little man was sobbing, clenching the fabric of his finely made tunic in his hands and occasionally wiping his nose on his sleeve.
The Hero could already guess what had happened, but he approached Martyn and gently touched him on the shoulder. "What is it?" he asked softly.
The servant started to answer but sobbed instead, shaking his head.
A weeping soldier, one of the King's bodyguards, stumbled out of the house in much the same manner Martyn had, clutching his spear. His distraught wail confirmed Link's suspicion.
"The King is dead!"
Arnak stood at the window running the length of the conference room of Falcon's Pride, watching Nimbus City recede in the distance. It had been determined that little could be done for the city itself right now, so all available personnel had been loaded onto the warships docked at the base that could still fly.
One capital ship had been too badly damaged to repair on the way, and three smaller ships had been completely obliterated in the explosion. Fortunately, most of the fleet docked at the base had already departed for the rallying point when the captured Oocca fortress detonated, or the losses would have been much more severe.
The Sheikah had provided Viserys the coordinates of the shipyards, and those present at this meeting had been surprised to learn that they were currently only a dozen miles from Hyrule, hovering over the Gerudo Desert.
"What are they doing there?" Raskys asked, checking the coordinates against the map again.
Viserys tapped the section of the world map depicting Hyrule, indicating the notations recorded on it. "Since it was captured, Raneses' army has used Hyrule as a base from which to conquer the rest of the continent. It may be his main focus at this time, but I must admit that I am unsure. I know too little about this Dark Lord to get an accurate grasp of his strategy and make plans to counter it. All we can do is destroy as much of his operations as we can in hopes of slowing the invasion."
"My fellow Triforce Bearers and I will deal with the Dark Lord," Arnak said from the window, turning to face the others. "I need only to rejoin them."
Raskys smirked. "It's too bad you can't teleport." He paused, the smirk fading to be replaced with a curious look. "Or can you?"
The big man shrugged. "I do not know. I have never tried to do it on my own."
Viserys turned as a messenger entered the room and handed him a dispatch. After dismissing the messenger, he read through it and frowned.
"It appears much will be decided in Hyrule," he said. "This says that the army encamped outside the capital is mobilizing. The scouts thought that they were perhaps preparing to move on the independent cities to the south, along the coast."
"The slavers?" Raskys asked. At Viserys' nod, he scowled. "I say let them go. I won't shed any tears if they're destroyed."
The Mercenary King inclined his head in acknowledgment. "True, but you must remember that not everyone in those cities is directly involved in the slave trade." He turned to Arnak, changing the subject. "I suggest you contact your allies in Hyrule and appraise them of the situation. I will supply ground troops if they mean to take their country back."
Arnak nodded. "They will doubtless appreciate this. I will contact them immediately." He took out the Gossip Stone Princess Zelda had given him and moved off to call her with it.
Midna led the way as Majacen followed her over to where Link stood talking with Princess Zelda. Queen Zelda, she corrected herself, based on the recent news. There would have to be a coronation to make it official, but Hyrule's rulership rested solely on the Bearer of Wisdom's shoulders now.
The wizard had been very interested by the description of what had happened to the Triforce of Courage. As Majacen had told her, very few people should know how to do something like that, and he wanted to question the Hero further on Val and what, exactly, she had done.
"Your Majesty," said Majacen as they approached, "Allow me to express my deepest condolences for your loss. Your father will be missed."
Zelda nodded once. "Thank you." She paused for a moment before continuing, something indecipherable flickering across her face for an instant. "Unfortunately, the Dark Lord will not allow time to grieve. I have just received word that the army camped between Kakariko and Castle Town is mobilizing. Something tells me they mean to march on us, on this refuge, and assault it."
Majacen sighed, turning to Link. "Then is it time for the Hero to fulfill his sacred duty once again. Hyrule's protection depends on you." He gestured at Link with one hand. "But to do this, you will have need of the power gifted to you. Please, describe for me what was done to the Triforce of Courage."
The young warrior did so, adding details as prompted by those listening. Majacen frowned thoughtfully throughout the entire description, his expression growing more and more concerned.
Finally, when Link was done, he spoke. "The number of individuals who would have the knowledge necessary to do such a thing is extremely limited. Sealing a piece of the Triforce so that its bearer cannot draw on its energies is not a simple task. I was unfortunately not paying enough attention to your team. Could you provide me with a physical description of this Val?"
Link did so, and Majacen's expression went from concerned to surprised. "Did she ever tell you her full name?"
The Hero shook his head. "She just said to call her 'Val', and that her full name was too complicated to pronounce."
"Do you know her, Majacen?" Zelda asked.
"I might," the wizard replied. "She might be…"
Majacen trailed off and fell silent for several moments, long enough for Midna to wonder what he was thinking. When he did finally speak, he changed the subject.
"It is no matter, and may not even be what I am thinking regardless." Majacen extended his hand. "If you will give me your hand, Hero, I will remove the seal from your Triforce."
Link held out his left arm, and Majacen gently gripped his wrist with one hand, holding the other palm-downwards over the Triforce marking hidden by the young warrior's glove.
After a few moments, the Triforce of Courage manifested itself, the bright golden light shining even through Link's glove, and the Hero drew in a deep breath, seeming to swell up a little. The aura Midna had first sensed a little over a year ago deep in Faron Woods -the one that drew her to a monster dragging an unconscious wolf behind it- flared out, and she could sense his power once more through her own abilities.
Majacen clapped Link on the shoulder. "You are fortunate that I know much about the Triforce, young one. You would not have been able to remove this seal on your own."
"How do you know so much about the Triforce?" Midna asked, curious.
The wizard turned to her. "As an emissary of the Goddesses, knowledge of the Golden Power is essential to my duties. I am often called upon to assist the Triforce Bearers in some way."
Link adjusted his glove as the golden glow faded away, his expression curious, also. "So… have you ever met them? The Goddesses, I mean."
Majacen nodded. "Yes, initially when I received my power, and twice since then."
Zelda looked genuinely surprised. "That is a rare honor. Not even the Royal Family of Hyrule has ever had the privilege of meeting those who created the world, to my knowledge."
The old wizard smiled beneath his thick beard. "I wish that I had the time to tell you of these encounters, but we have more pressing concerns upon us. We must make ready to go to war, and this must command our full attention if we are to succeed."
Zelda nodded. "The Hero and I must organize an army, as best we can. Viserys has promised us troops, but they have a great distance to travel to get here, and there will be heavy fighting in the intervening time."
Link clapped his hands together once. "Let's get to it, then."
Nabooru stood outside her tent, gazing up at the sky along with every other Gerudo in the camp. Passing slowly overhead, just beneath the level of the clouds, was a massive structure that could only be described as a floating city. She had seen several of the Oocca vessels called flying fortresses, which were over a mile wide, but this structure dwarfed them, spreading almost from one horizon to the other. She realized as she studied its underside that almost two dozen of the flying fortresses were docked to the floating city, seeming to be insignificant additions to the overall bulk.
Next to her, one of the warriors shook her head in amazement. "It is as if someone pulled the Hylians' capital from the ground and set it afloat in the sky. What are these Oocca, that they can build such things?"
Nabooru turned to the warrior. "Evil," she said bluntly. "They have allied themselves with the Dark Lord, and so are deserving of destruction." She had thought this before, but her unpleasant experience with being under Raneses' control had only strengthened her hatred of him. That horrible time was fresh in her mind, and she was only now feeling like herself again.
The warrior continued to gaze up at the floating city, her expression enraptured. "But sister, can you not admit that it is beautiful? Such wonders cannot be the work of something truly evil."
Nabooru had to concede that point. Overall, the city was indeed beautiful, with gentle round lines and soft colors. The sharp, twisted shapes of the fortresses contrasted greatly, as did the obvious additions in the surrounding area. Perhaps these Oocca were being controlled and were forced to serve the Dark Lord, just as she had been.
Nearby, the Matriarch caught Nabooru's eye and beckoned her over. She made her way over to the ruler, noticing on the way that she held a Gossip Stone in one hand. The raider found herself looking back up at the city occasionally, unable to look away from such an unusual sight for long.
The Matriarch looked up at Nabooru as she arrived at the ruler's tent and backed inside, speaking to person on the other end of the stone. "Nabooru is here, sister. Tell her what you have told me."
Akame's voice answered, her tone defeated and disappointed. "Raneses has gone mad! He insists that we destroy Hyrule and draw out the Hero. He even told me directly that he does not care if we all die, so long as we delay the Hero until he commands otherwise."
Nabooru sighed angrily. "He is just like his ancestor; he does not care about his people, so long as we are able to further his plans. Do you see his true nature now, sister?"
Akame sounded hurt. "I do. I suppose it was too much to hope that he would live up to his promises. What should I do?"
The Matriarch answered. "Have all our sisters heard this order?"
"They have."
"What are his orders concerning the rest of his army in Hyrule?"
Akame was silent for a moment. "He has commanded his Darknut general to burn the southern forests and destroy Castle Town, engaging the Hero if he appears. The Gerudo are to assist with this." The raider sighed. "How are we to possess the Hylians' country if it is uninhabitable? His orders will make it little better than the desert, once Jotun and his troops have their fill of destruction."
"Have you considered surrendering to the Hylians?" Nabooru asked, suppressing the instinctive objection to even think such a thing. The cultural disdain for the Hylians was deeply ingrained.
Akame scoffed. "Even if we could find them, what good would it do? Raneses would destroy us all for doing it. I am risking his wrath even talking to you like this. Only because he is busy with whatever he is planning for the Hero did I even consider calling to ask your advice."
"What is he planning for the Hero?" the Matriarch asked.
"I do not know. Whatever it is, he requires time to prepare it, thus his insane order. He does not care what happens to us, as long as the Hero and his allies are delayed long enough."
The Matriarch looked up at Nabooru, still speaking to the raider on the other end of the connection. "I will bring my warriors to the Hylians' capital. We will meet there and discuss in person what to do."
"Thank you, my lady. I will instruct the patrols to let you through." Akame closed the connection.
The former ruler pocketed the stone, resting her other hand on the scimitar that hung from her belt, an ordinary steel weapon like those used by all of the desert warriors. Her usual weapon, the bejeweled scimitar of the Gerudo leader, was currently in the Dark Lord Raneses' possession, the warlord having claimed it as his own when he declared himself king of their people.
She placed a hand on Nabooru's shoulder. "Once we cross the border, head for the southern forest. You will meet the Hylians there, and ask to speak to the Hero. Explain our situation to him, and ask that he and his companions spare our warriors if they are forced to fight them. The woman Midna who released you from Raneses' control contacted me several hours ago and told me where we could find them if we needed their help. She and the rest of Link's companions will know who you are."
Nabooru nodded. "I will do this, my lady."
The Matriarch met her eyes. "Leave any prejudice or animosity you feel toward the Hylians here. The days of considering them our enemies are over. If I survive this war, I intend to forge a new peace between our peoples, so that we may ask for their assistance. The desert has been harsh to our people in the last few decades, and if Raneses does not ruin us entirely, we will die out on our own. We need any alliances we can get."
The raider clasped the other woman's forearm. "I will not fail."
Jotun, Supreme Commander of Lord Raneses' army in Hyrule, looked out over the wide plain that stretched between Hyrule's capital and one of its towns, Kakariko. Ten thousand soldiers, some his own people and others of the different races under Lord Raneses' control, stood massed in formation over the gentle slopes of the plain, stretching to the bridge at its eastern edge. He stood atop a platform elevating him above the crowd, built a few yards in front of the bridge leading to Castle Town behind him.
He raised his massive greatsword over his head, feeling the wind tug at the cloak that denoted his rank, hanging from the shoulder plates of his gold-colored armor. "BURN IT ALL!!" he roared. "Level the mountains, dam the rivers, and pull down their pathetic buildings! Lord Raneses commands it!"
The army replied with a yell of approval, the section of his own people cheering the loudest. Jotun waved behind him with his sword. "Destroy their city! Smash it all until nothing is left! BREAK IT ALL DOWN!!"
Another deafening cheer went up from the army, accompanied by a terrific racket as they slammed their weapons against their armor and each other. Jotun grinned fiercely behind his helmet. Any hearing this would be cowering in fear, even those who had destroyed one of the bridges leading to this field earlier today. They were not worth the effort, and so Jotun had not commanded any of his people to pursue them. A ragged band of rebels posed no threat to an army of this size, anyway.
At a great racket from the rear of the army, Jotun assumed some of his soldiers had had a particularly exuberant reaction, and he grinned again as he thought about all the destruction he would be able to cause with this force.
The Supreme Commander's grin faded, slowly replaced by furious disbelief as he looked closer at the disturbance and realized what was causing it. Even from this far away, he could see the gigantic being smashing his way through the army, tossing troops aside as if they were mere insects.
Jotun summoned the most virulent curse he knew in his native language and shouted it in rage. The Gorons were attacking! Gigantic rock-men were popping up throughout the gathered army and demolishing anything foolish enough to stand its ground, shouting merrily all the while.
As the monsters, humans, and his people pressed forward, away from the Gorons, Jotun jumped down from his platform and swung at the first Lizalfos to draw near to him. The sheer force of the blow sent it careening backwards, puffing into thick black smoke upon landing.
"STAND YOUR GROUND!!" Jotun roared at the top of his lungs. "GET BACK THERE AND FIGHT THEM!!"
"But sir," said a human, one of the long-haired warriors Lord Raneses had sent from some country far to the north of here, "how can we fight something like this? What are their weaknesses?"
Jotun grabbed the man by the lower edge of his intricately inscribed breastplate and hurled him over the heads of the nearby soldiers, back towards the nearest Goron. "Go find out!" he shouted after him.
Sighing angrily, Jotun tried to figure out how to deal with this. Gorons were practically indestructible, and if they weren't stopped, they could decimate even his huge army unopposed.
He pulled out his Communication Stone and tried to contact the Dark Lord. After several attempts, he finally received an answer.
"What is it?" Raneses snapped, clearly irritated.
"My lord, we are under attack by Gorons! Is there anything we can do to defeat them?"
"Fight them," Raneses responded. "You outnumber them, don't you?" With that, he cut the connection from his end.
Snarling in frustration, Jotun hurled the stone at the nearest Goron with all his strength. It bounced off the rock-man's back, and he turned in surprise to look at Jotun with a curious expression.
Grinning widely, the Goron rolled himself into a ball and sped forward, knocking aside or running over anything in his way. He sprang out of the ball and high into the air a few feet in front of Jotun, coming down with his arms and legs outstretched.
The Supreme Commander jumped out of the way, and the Goron landed on his head. But, showing unusual resiliency, the rock-man turned his hard landing into a roll and ended up on his feet, turning around to grin widely at Jotun again, one massive hand waving him forward in a beckoning gesture.
Jotun obliged, swinging his greatsword hard at the Goron's stomach. To his surprise, his strike landed, the Goron grunting at the impact as he moved too slow to intercept it. He clutched his stomach with one hand and retaliated with a massive stony fist aimed at Jotun's helmet, but the armored warrior dodged, the punch just grazing the side of his head. Still, the force of the blow spun him around, and Jotun felt the Goron kick him in the back.
He flew forward and hit the ground hard, rolling over just as another Goron, almost twice the size of the other, stomped down with a foot the size of Jotun's chest. He had seen this Goron before; he was the one known as Darbus, their patriarch.
"Having fun, Brother?" Darbus rumbled to the other Goron.
"Most definitely, Brother!" the smaller Goron replied, patting his stomach, which was undamaged as far as Jotun could see. Just after he finished speaking, he turned and slammed a fist full-force into a passing Bulblin. The creature flew at least a dozen yards away, shrieking.
Jotun decided retreat was the only option in the face of such overwhelming strength. There was nothing that could be done, since even though they outnumbered the Gorons several hundred to one, there was no way to kill a Goron with the weapons the army used. Their stomachs might be weak points, but if even Jotun's blade could not pierce their skin, he was unsure how to exploit this. Unfortunately, the reverse could not be said. The giant rock-men were using nothing but their fists, feet, and bodies, and they were decimating his army.
The Supreme Commander was just about to raise his horn to sound the retreat when a massive shadow blotted out the sun, passed, and another followed it. Everyone on the battlefield paused in their fighting and looked up. Reactions were mixed; the Gorons and some of the lesser monsters reacted with fear, while Jotun's people, the humans, and anything smart enough to realize who had sent what was casting the shadows cheered in exuberant relief.
Overhead wheeled three gigantic dragons, winged reptiles, the largest of which bore a set of plate armor specially crafted for it. It roared loud and long, a terrifying sound that shook even Jotun to his bones.
Darbus cupped his massive hands to his mouth. "FALL BACK, BROTHERS!!" he bellowed, waving a huge arm in the direction of the Gorons' mountain. "FALL BACK!!"
Seeing one of the smaller dragons swooping in, Jotun blew his horn, calling all under his command to come to him with all haste. What was left of the army surged forward in a tide of steel and leather, fleeing the approaching dragon in the opposite direction from the retreating Gorons.
The dragon opened its deadly jaws wide and loosed a blast of flame directly upon the crowd of rock-men. Most rolled into a ball and were thus unharmed, a large section of the plain catching fire around them, but an unlucky few perished under the intense heat, their exposed skin no match for unnaturally hot dragon-fire. One Goron, quick enough to roll out of the way of the gout of flame, was snatched up by the dragon's claws as it pulled up to wheel around for another pass. Jotun watched it pop the rock-man into its mouth, swallowing it whole.
The gathered monsters cheered, and Jotun let them for a few moments.
"All right!" he shouted finally. "That's enough. Clean up this mess, you worms! Get yourselves organized again! We'll have to postpone the attack until tomorrow."
At a chorus of disappointed groans from the nearby monsters, Jotun swung his sword at the closest one, slow enough that it could duck.
"Shut up! It's going to take the rest of the day to get you lot sorted out again, so get moving. You'll have your fill of blood soon enough." When the army was slow to obey, Jotun jumped forward and cut down a Bulblin with such speed and viciousness it didn't even have time to squeak in terror. "It's not a request, maggots! MOVE IT!!"
Almost grudgingly, Lord Raneses' army began to shuffle back into formation, facing the inevitable assault by whatever army the Hylians were able to muster. Jotun smiled nastily. With dragons on their side, as well as still-enormous numbers, the battle would be over quickly.
Having dispatched the dragons he had been keeping in reserve for just such an occasion, the Dark Lord Raneses sealed himself in his meditation chamber again, removing any distractions. He sat down on the bare stone floor in the exact center of the spherical chamber and closed his eyes, sinking into meditation.
Ganondorf manifested himself, his ancestor's voice filling Raneses' mind. "Now, we will unlock the next tier of power in the Triforce of Shadow. The process will take hours, but once it is complete, the powers of my creation will be fully under your control. The Golden Power will, at last, be ours to command."
Raneses did not show it outwardly, or in any other manner Ganondorf could detect, but a spark of amusement flashed through him at the use of 'our' in the first Dark Lord's statement. Though Ganondorf could not know it, Raneses intended to eliminate his ancestor as soon as the process was complete.
And, though Raneses could not know it, Ganondorf planned the same for him.
Author's Note: Much thanks to Seldavia and Cloudrunner Sparty for their input on this chapter. Some of the dialogue in the Kokiri Forest sections was improved at Seldavia's suggestion, and Sparty reminded me that Gorons are a little tougher than I originally gave them credit for. The battle at the end is more realistic now. Thanks, guys! The next chapter should be up soon, since after a recent burst of inspiration combined with an entire day off spent writing, I'm now two chapters ahead of this in my writing. Much thanks to all readers and reviewers, especially the regulars. Till next time!
(Revision Note: Fixed a couple descriptions; not much to do otherwise)