The first chapter of the final Act is up! Hurrah!
Ok, there are a fair number of questions about previous chapters to answer. In my explanation, the creator of Majora's Mask used to be a good guy before falling to the dark side or whatever and becoming the Fierce Deity as he is seen in Majora's Mask. Actually, he was originally much more powerful: the Three Goddesses sealed away much of his power after they defeated him.
XxascendedsaiyanxX has asked some questions about Link's abilities and hair colour. The green hair thing came from the fact that when you mix yellow and blue, you get green. I'm aware that this usually isn't how hair colour is passed on genetically in real life, but it does happen with flowers, so close enough... Also, his hair does not have a blond tint to it. It is basiacally the same colour as his tunic. However, it does turn orange in Gerudo form and only the tip of his fur in Wolfos form is green (the rest being grey). Finally, the only reason Tin Soldier and Wolfos masks could be used to "trick" Link's powers into activating was because they were (for him at least) transformation masks to begin with. It's possible that he might be able to "learn" other forms by finding more transformation masks, but non-transformation masks would have no effect.
Edit: Oops! I forgot to include my final Start of Act disclaimer! So, here it is, even if it is a bit late...
I do not own The Legend of Zelda at this time and it does not look likely that I will own in within the next few weeks.
Flags
The battle flags are flown at the feet of a god unknown.
-Rush, Armour and Sword
Music: Zelda Reorchestrated's (zreomusic:dot:com) Termina Field
The armies of Ikana arrived at the ranch four days later. The day after that, the assembled peoples of Termina began their march towards Clocktown. Three days after that, they erected a field fortification to act as their base of operations for the coming siege. It was time to send out scouts and determine to location of the defenders. Then, plans would be made for the assault.
The army was comprised of a number of units. First, there were a number of humans, arranged under a flag depicting the Clocktower. The Clocktown survivors had been formed into a militia unit, much like the farmers who had defended Romani Ranch, but on a significantly larger scale. The farmers themselves had taken all available horses and trained as a unit of cavalry. Meanwhile, though far from competent otherwise, the twenty or so wizards in training could cast a number of destructive spells which would be useful in the coming battles.
Next came the Wolfos of the Mysterious Woods. Their flag showed the head of a wolf. There were ten packs of approximately twenty each, temporarily allied against the outside threat of Majora's Mask. Though their clawing attacks were slow, they covered a wide area and could be quite devastating. Their vulnerability after attacking was made up for with their immense forward speed and almost impenetrable blocking abilities.
After that were the Gerudo, flying a skull and crossbones. Every ship with a shallow enough draft to sail upriver had been filled to capacity and brought as close to the ranch as possible. This made their numbers comparable to those of the Wolfos. However, where the Wolfos relied on brute force, the Gerudo fell back on their natural dexterity. They could dodge almost anything and wait for a chance to strike when their foes were vulnerable. They also had a small number of magical objects, which were being used by the scouts and would unfortunately be out of power for the main assault.
The Stalkin were the last of the main attack force, under a banner of sword within a crown. With the weakness of an individual Stalchild and their vast numbers, they were cannon fodder and they knew it. With the exception of the commanding officers, none of them even had arms or equipment. However, they would do their duty without complaint; any who fell in battle would merely regenerate back home.
Though the Deku Scrubs, Gorons, and Zoras were present, they would not take part in the battle directly. There simply weren't enough of them to go charging off into combat. However, they would still fulfil useful functions. The Deku Scrubs had taken it upon themselves the scavenge a variety of materials from the swamp with which to equip the army, including Deku Nuts, Deku Sticks, and a number of toxic substances. The Gorons were well supplied with explosives, and had formed an artillery battery which would join the siege engines of Ikana in battering down the walls. The Zoras brought with them an important necessity: vast quantities of food.
This battle would mark a first: all seven peoples of Termina united under a single banner. To commemorate the occasion, a new flag was commissioned. After some discussion, the consensus was to place the symbols of each race around a single centerpiece: the Lifesong Orb, which had started the quest of the one who had united them. The issue of the flag decided, the leaders of the various factions began to discuss battle plans.
A traditional siege would probably fail. No supplies had ever been observed entering Clocktown, so obviously trying to starve out the enemy would be pointless. Therefore, they would have to storm it and take it in a direct battle. The overarching strategy had three phases. The first was to create a breach in the wall. This would require defending the siege engines and cannon long enough to batter down a piece of the barrier. The second phase would be to charge for the breach and clear a path into the city. The Stalkin would form the Forlorn Hope in the assault, with the others close behind. Finally, the city would have to be purged of the enemy. Two forces would circle around the town, killing any foes they met. Meanwhile, a small force of elite units would accompany Link and Mythisper in an assault on the Clocktower itself.
Only one thing had to be decided before the attack began: would the trebuchets and cannon be set up in the same spot? If they were together, it would put the cannon about 200 metres closer than necessary, placing them in unneeded danger. However, if they were apart, then there would be two spots which needed defending. Both ideas had there own undesirable risks. In the end, since Link-goro pointed out that cannon become more effective as they approach their targets, the decision was made to place them together. As soon as the scouts reported back and the information they brought was factored into the strategy, the battle for Clocktown would begin.
Music: Zelda Reorchestrated's (zreomusic:dot:com) LttP Cave
As the armies of Termina planned on how to take Clocktown down, Majora's Mask was considering the best method of holding it. It obviously couldn't venture into the battle directly, as much as it wished to. If it was again defeated, then all of its creations would vanish. Even the mighty Majora's Mask was not invincible, despite the vast amounts of power it had stockpiled. Therefore, the most important thing would be to defend the Clocktower. If it could sufficiently protect the center of its domain, the Terminans would eventually run out of people to throw at it. When that happened, this continent would be its.
Already measures had been taken for the defence of the Clocktower. Twelve mighty golems patrolled the area immediately around it, each moving across one twelfth of the timepiece's circumference every hour. The inside of the tower itself had been reworked: though it still kept perfect time, every portion of the clock had become a deadly trap. Especially well protected were the four iron rods which contained the souls of the Four Giants. If those were to escape, then the Giants would return to life and immediately come to the aid of the Terminans. However, the defences were probably irrelevant. Majora's Mask could likely create a force-field around the entire Clocktower which would prevent anyone from entering.
Soon the foolish mortals assaulting his citadel would begin their bombardment. The Mask made a few more commands, and its forces positioned themselves. The time was coming for the inevitable victory of Evil, beneath the purple of the banner of Majora's Mask.
Comment: Sorry for having two filler-type chapters in a row, but I wasn't really sure where the Battle of Clocktown was going to go when I wrote this. The next chapter has a little bit more action in it. Also, expect a fair number of opening quotes to be from the song "Armour and Sword", I've been saving it for this Act.
