The Legend of Zelda
Legacy of the Sages
Chapter 14: A Hero Awakens, Part 2
Hyrule Castle Town was covered in a blanket of firm darkness. The dark and almost suffocating air came from the far northern edge of Hyrule, being slowly sent into the former jewel of the land by the power of seven powerful crystals. Vaati kept a close eye on these crystals, using his magical powers of the wind to alter the effects of the atmosphere over the place as he kept to his work.
Malgannis watched over it all with a very satisfied smirk across his face. Chaotic energies boiled within his body as he gazed across the destruction caused by his power and the powers of those at his side. He watched as Warglin troops began piling the treasures of the castle in one tremendous pile, while the bodies of the dead went in another pile to be burned, and possibly eaten by the feline troops. In the village beyond, Rok'Thar soldiers began looting what remained of the buildings of Hyrule Castle Town, pleasing themselves with the destruction and chaos they were causing.
Malgannis smiled inwardly, something that he could physically accomplish with his organs if he used the correct nerve endings. The Rok'Thar were all fools. They followed Vaati thinking that the army of Hyrule had managed to kill their entire village and sack it during the night after the attack upon Hyrule Castle. Of course, Vaati never mentioned that the burned corpses in the field of the camp were in fact eaten before the village was sacked…eaten by a horde of Warglin warriors.
Malgannis gazed upon their newfound kingdom. Everything was going smoothly; even smoother, now that they had defeated the Seven Sages. Each of them had received great battle scars after succeeding in defeating the Seven Sages, and wandering inside of the infamous Dark World beyond. They all had received physical, or in a lot of cases arcane, changes upon their bodies, some of which they preferred not to speak of to others due to their paranoia and distrust for one another. Vaati had gained a change in his eye color…Malgannis reflected that since the Dark World was influenced greatly by the true forms of those who enter in its domain, especially one such as Ganondorf or himself, those who enter were able to also have their physical forms changed by their experience in the Dark World. Vaati's anger against the boy in green was one such example, causing his eyes to change from Amethyst to a glowing and dangerous red.
The Necromancer probably had the most change of the group. His conflict with the dark energies of the Dark World left him scarred…his own helmet had cracked in two due to the energy storms formed in the Twilight Realm. He replaced it by creating his own helmet made of the dark Twili Iron deep within the mountain realms of the Dark Realm. In Hyrule, his helmet looked like that of a monstrous black sentinel. Malgannis compared it to the chosen armor of his former people…a race bred for battle, destruction, and for dominance of the known lands.
"It seems that our work has paid off, lord Malgannis," the Frostmancer said in his cold voice.
"It was a much better turn of events once we wiped out the forces of Hyrule's chosen brat's kin," the Shadow Druid hissed, tossing a poisoned dagger into the air and grabbing it by the blade expertly between his clawed fingers. "The look on the Warglins' faces when we denied them their sport was too priceless."
"It is too bad that the prince managed to get away," the Pyromancer said as his body continued to seemingly burn into flames with his power, "I would have liked to kill him myself…the way I plan on killing that little wench, Zelda, and all who dare defy our might—OOF!"
"No one—touches—THE GIRL!!!" Vaati shouted as he punched the Pyromancer in the jaw, "The right to that damn little brat belongs to me! I will break her…the same way I broke her father—one piece at a time!!!"
"Cease this folly," the Shaman said as he winged down from the sky, tucking his wings in to act as a natural cloak, "The time to deal with the young princess will come later. Am I right, Lord Malgannis?"
Malgannis looked down upon the six others, his smile still on his face. "Absolutely, Vampire Lord," Malgannis said, "The time to deal with Zelda will come when the kingdom is under our grasp. Now that we have the capital, the rest of the lands should soon follow. I think that we should set an example for those who will potentially threaten our existence. Wouldn't you say so, Necromancer?"
The Necromancer was silent during the escapade involving the rest of the Sorcerers up until that point. Though his entire face was obscured by his helmet, his dark eyes glowed eerily from the helmet's sockets. The Necromancer took a deep, rather rasping breath as he voiced his opinion.
"The first thing we must do is strengthen our forces here," he said in his dark voice, "Afterwards; we need to deal with the princess by dealing with her potential allies. All of Hyrule could make a potential resistance force, even with our combined powers. The resulting damage would probably collapse the very kingdom we are trying to dominate. I agree that we must deal with any resistance at its source, or in this case, sources, before we deal with the princess."
The group nodded in agreement. As always, the Necromancer's lack of emotion gave him an easier access to logical thinking. However, Malgannis wasn't fooled. He knew that the Necromancer was by no means emotionless.
"Now," Malgannis said as he turned his attention to the castle, "the time has come for us to make our base of operations. Long ago, the great Ganondorf used his power to create a castle through magic and stone. The time has come to see what the combined powers of the Seven can do!"
Without another word, Malgannis began casting spells, bringing his arms into himself and steadily releasing his power as he flung his right palm outward, sending a wave of energy into the castle and the structures surrounding it. The castle began to crumble, its foundations giving way and giving rise to a set of newer, more deadly looking foundations. The Warglins dutily carried the treasures away as the structure began to form a large tower in the shape of a giant stalagmite rose from the ground, surrounded by stone infused with chaotic energies that created the basis of a fortress.
Malgannis turned to the other six, glaring at them crazily. "Create a wing for each of you according to your needs and powers," Malgannis said, "The design shall be based on my own. Make note that this part of the castle that you will make will be yours alone. I'm not sharing."
Without another word, Malgannis continued the construction of his part of the castle, molding the stones and chaotic rock surrounding it into a terrifying structure. The others quickly followed suit, creating wings of their own similar to Malgannis' design, though with their own unique architecture and building material.
The Shadow Druid made his out of gigantic thorned plants, allowing them to grow and take root in the soil where the castle once stood. Stone and black marble from the original structure was taken in by the mighty plant, used as blueprint for the design for the plants to grow upon.
The Frostmancer's design was simple, with no unique features other than the fact that it began to grow so cold in that area that stalactites of ice grew from the towers of his portion of the castle. When it was done, it looked much larger and more terrifying than the original design, reminding one first glimpsing upon it of icy ruins found in the northlands.
The Pyromancer made his design opposite of the Frostmancer's. When the building was complete, the stone structure was like Hell on Earth, flames writhing and twisting from the mighty structure as they threatened to eat anything in sight. However, he focused his power on his side of the structure alone, and no flames left the vicinity of his section of stone.
The Shaman's design countered them all in its uniqueness. It was made completely of rock, looking almost like a natural rock formation rather than a castle. There weren't even any windows, providing very little light to enter the structure save for a hole atop the "upper courtyard" of the building.
Vaati's piece of the castle came next, and his matched his arrogance tenfold. His design required only the finest of the marble and stone that was a part of the original castle design. He even went as far as adding crystal into the structure, providing several glowing colors of green, blue, yellow, orange, red, purple, and even black. He smiled victoriously at his creation, seemingly trying to rub it in to the others that he believed that his design was the greatest of the rest.
That was before the Necromancer had his chance. With his dark powers, several skeletal minions rose to do his bidding to build his part of the castle. Several giant skeletal hands began gathering the stone and arranging them the way the Necromancer pleased. When it was all done, the castle looked like a physical example of all things evil…of all things dead…
…of the mighty castle that was the Necromancer's heritage…
"Pool your powers into the center," Malgannis said when the outer castle was done, "Combine your powers, and follow my lead as we finish the job…"
The six others did as they were told, pooling in their energies into the center of the newly built castle while Malgannis began to form them all into a solid structure. The earth beneath the castle began to shift and tumble inwardly as more and more was absorbed into the castle's construction. Malgannis smiled at the destruction they caused for the glory of their own goals.
You shall be very pleased, Master, Malgannis said to himself.
Seven years later…
Link felt the strange feeling of being teleported from one place to the next wash away slowly. However, it was still incredibly dark. Link had no idea where he was; moonlight and starlight always entered the Temple of Time due to its glass window roof. Link suddenly realized that he had his eyes closed. Mentally slapping himself for not realizing it earlier, he opened his eyes.
The change in lighting wasn't much. It was still dark; darker for even nightfall. Link could tell, for some reason, by judging the air of the day that it was barely daybreak. The fact that it was so dark was hard to understand to him.
Link suddenly remembered that his hand was holding something. He looked down at his left hand and gazed at the beautiful weapon within his grasp. The Master Sword gleamed in the dim light as if it had a light source of its own. It was such a beautiful blade; a blade of many legends. It was once the key to the Triforce, and a key to the gateway between the lands that protected it. It was the legendary blade that helped defeat the monstrous Ganondorf. It was a blade that defeated Ganondorf's minions one by one. It was the same blade held in the hands of his ancestor, and said to have been forged by the three goddesses themselves.
It was also the blade that took my life away, Link reluctantly said to himself.
Link sheathed the blade into its leather scabbard on his back. He suddenly felt the all too familiar metal surface of his Hylian Shield. He took it off of his back, examining its surface. He was rather surprised that it fitted his arm the same way his Deku Shield did. He gazed upon its surface, noting that time seemed to have almost no effect upon it at all.
He wasn't sure if the same could be said for the rest of his supplies.
Link decided to examine his Kokiri Bust Bag. Taking it off of his belt, he examined the bag that seemed to barely fit inside of his fist. He pulled out the contents one by one, even taking off the ones on his belt, and examined each and every one of them carefully.
His slingshot had turned puny. He wasn't surprised. Fairy Slingshots were designed mainly for the use of children or Kokiri, and weren't meant for adult Hylians. His sling was in even worse conditions. What was left of it that didn't decay with time was too small to fit in his hand, let alone toss a fist sized rock or Deku Baba Nut at any target whatsoever. Link decided that it wasn't too big of a deal; his arms were big enough to probably toss any stone or nut as far or even farther than the sling could ever give him when he was a kid.
He examined the rest of the items at hand. His food supply…what wasn't dust already, was virtually inedible, which meant that Link had no means of food or water for his journey. He had a small supply of arcane potion left…though Link was sure he could find another means of finding magic in the future. His Boomerang, though a little smaller, would still be useable. He even tested its effectiveness for a few moments, allowing the weapon to buzz around his head a couple of times before catching it and putting it back on the ground. He also had the Lightning Rod, albeit it was smaller than when he first got it, his Fairy Ocarina, a couple of still-solid Deku Sticks (though what he was going to do with them, Link was not sure), his climbing rope, Inigon's old knife, and the Kokiri Sword and Deku Shield.
The last item that he had was the Ocarina of Time. Similar to his Fairy Ocarina, and to the Master Sword, the Ocarina of Time had withstood the test of time itself, and was probably the oldest Hylian artifact in all of history. The knowledge that it was once held in the hands of his ancestor, and possibly held in the hands of many other heroic individuals forgotten throughout time, was rather mindboggling. That knowledge alone made Link feel rather insignificant, even though the Ocarina was barely bigger than his fist.
No wonder Vaati wanted to get his hands on this, Link thought.
When Link was done, he proceeded to sort out the weapons he needed and didn't need. Placing the majority of items into his Kokiri Bust Bag, he buckled his boomerang, the Lightning Rod, and the Ocarina of Time into his belt, before placing the Deku Shield and Kokiri Sword into the bag as the last items. Link was sad that he would be parted from these two precious tools…almost as if they were friends he would never see again.
Well, one can't be too attached to material possessions.
Link had his back to the Door of Time when he heard them; footsteps. Link's instinct decided that he should sit very still, providing a tempting target to whomever or whatever was coming near. He waited until the last moment, when the footsteps were close enough that Link was sure the person was right behind him, before he whipped around and drew the Master Sword—
—right into the face of a rather surprised Sheikah.
Link and the Sheikah stood there for a moment or two, eyes locked for a few seconds, before Link lowered the blade away from the man's face. The Sheikah breathed a sigh of relief before bowing once to the boy in green.
"Greetings, Hero of Time," the Sheikah said, "Long have I awaited your awakening."
Link was rather surprised that the Sheikah would use the title of Hero of Time when addressing him. From what Link understood, his great grandfather was the Hero of Time, not him. He was about to correct the Sheikah for his mistake before the Sheikah held up his hand and continued.
"I bet you are wondering what all has been going on in this world since you have 'disappeared,'" the Sheikah said, "No doubt you are surprised that I am addressing you by the title of your ancestor, much like our friend beyond this portal has done."
"Uh…" Link said in confusion.
The Sheikah pointed to the sword in Link's left hand. "It is without a doubt what title, and duty, you carry upon your shoulders. Only the Hero of Time is capable of carrying the legendary blade, the Master Sword; that blade that was responsible for the deaths of countless thousands under Ganondorf's command in days past. The blade now belongs to you, as it had belonged to your great grandfather in the ages past…which makes you the hero that you are now…"
"My name is Sheik," the Sheikah said, "I am one of the last of my kind, one of the sole few who walk upon this earth, when our kind had died long ago at the hands of the King of Evil. We met once before, seven years ago…remember?"
Link's eyes opened up in shock. Of course! How could he forget? This was the Sheikah that Kyle had taken in and healed back when Link was last at Kakariko Village. Could it have been that long ago, when, to Link, it only seemed to be less than about two weeks?
"You seem dumbstruck," Sheik said, "Did you forget to talk all of a sudden?"
Link was taken aback at the Sheikah's words. However, his surprise quickly deteriorated.
"Not really," Link managed to say, "Then again, I'm surprised I can even move, seeing as I've been asleep for the past seven years!"
The Sheikah nodded in understanding. "I understand that you are going through a difficult time at the moment, but right now we've got to move. Hyrule Castle Town had been abandoned during the past years; much like it was around a hundred years ago. The villagers were driven out, and now the city has become a fortress, filled with undead monsters and abominations made by the Seven Sorcerers. I've been asked by the resistance, mainly through King Hyrule I, to help guide you on your mission."
"So, what's the plan then?" Link asked.
"Follow me," the Sheikah said, "I'll explain some of what's been going on since the time when you were dormant."
Link followed Sheik as he made his way out of the chamber of the Master Sword. Link sheathed his blade and followed closely behind the Sheikah, wondering what all has happened to the land he once called home…the land he left behind when he picked up the Master Sword…
I wonder what's happened to Rose, Link thought.
Link's thoughts were dashed away as they entered the main hall in the Temple of Time. The Spiritual Stones sat motionless in the pedestal, though due to the darkness of the land had lost their fair glimmer and shine that made up their inner magic. Link guessed that it was because of the damage done to the land, and because of his mistake…
His hopes sunk even further at the sight of the door. The only entrance and exit in and out of the Temple of Time was blocked off, completely caved in or barricaded by debris. Link couldn't even see the area outside, though foul smelling wind made its way through the doors of the temple.
"Alright," Link said, unsheathing his sword, "I'll go ahead and chop up this debris to get us out of here."
Link's sword was about to come slicing down on the wreckage when it struck hard into a set of daggers held in Sheik's hands. Sheik quickly moved Link's blade away from the wreckage, as if protecting it from the Hero of Time.
"What was that for?!" Link asked, "You said we had to get out of he—"
Sheik shushed Link quietly. "Listen carefully," the Sheikah said, "Do you hear that?"
Link didn't hear anything at first, but put his ear up near the wreckage to attempt to hear what was going on. He suddenly backed away as he heard an all too familiar moaning sound outside of the Temple of Time's gates.
"ReDead," Link whispered.
"Kyle told me you once encountered these creatures," Sheik said, "I also had a similar encounter; one that almost cost me my life. If it weren't for my skills of stealth and Kyle's superior healing skills, I would have been dead for certain."
Sheik walked over towards the leftmost wall from the door, taking out some climbing ropes and strange daggers from his pack.
"ReDead are monstrosities," Sheik said as he prepared the climbing rope, "They are creatures formed when Necromancers have a lack of properly decayed bodies to use as a tool to create their skeletal minions. They are creatures formed under intense care; it takes months to create a batch, used when Necromancer minions steal semi-fresh bodies from graves. They are placed into chambers of foul potion, and their flesh begins to expand until barely skin and bone is all that's left. They have but one purpose in life; to feed off of the life energy of Hylians and other races, specifically through blood in the jugular veins."
"Recently," Sheik said as he got a couple of daggers and began testing the wall's thickness, "the Necromancer has advanced his form of ReDeads. They are swifter, stronger, and have a bigger desire for blood than the average ReDead. They are creatures that are fully determined to kill their prey, going so far as to take great damage to their bodies in order to do so. The only good thing about them is that they take years to create, and there are very few of them out there. If you ever see these creatures, ReDead Maulers is what we hear they are called, kill it on sight. Otherwise it will catch your scent and it will follow you to the ends of the earth until you are dead and your blood seeping into its fangs."
"Well, that's comforting," Link said sarcastically, "What are you doing with those?"
"You don't think we're going to dig our way out, do you?" Sheik asked as he tossed two pairs of daggers and a rope to Link. Link suddenly noticed that the rope was attached to Sheik's waste, and that Sheik had attached a pair of daggers to his hands and feet, and already he had one of them attached to the wall in preparation for the climb.
Link sighed as he reluctantly began strapping the daggers to his hands and feet. And here I thought Death Mountain was the last I ever saw of rock climbing, Link said to himself, then again, I was wrong about a lot of things lately.
Hyrule Castle Town was little more than a shadow of its former self. The market was reduced to ashes. Homes were destroyed. Buildings that once stood tall and mighty over the rest had come crashing down into their foundations. The town was covered in a dark mist, almost completely blotting out the sun. Monsters and other creatures scurried about in the shadows, seeking a meal of anything and everything living that passed their noses.
Beyond, towards the northeast, the shadow of the great volcano called Death Mountain was the only thing that penetrated the clouds, though the sight was not one worth gazing upon. Dark clouds covered the mountain in a thick blanket of fog, and one could almost believe that it was covered in snow and ice. To the north of the town were the shadows of eight mighty towers that signified the great castle of the Seven Sorcerers; a building that further added to the blight that was once this great town.
All in all, Link felt very upset about what Hyrule had become in his absence.
Link was standing on the roof of the Temple of Time along with Sheik. Sheik was allowing the boy in green to gaze upon the land before they left the town behind. Link could not believe the destruction that had been caused to the land since he had been gone…even though, to him, it had barely even been a few hours ago since it was a place that was green and good.
"This is all my fault," Link said, "None of this would have happened if I hadn't have grabbed the Master Sword. I can't believe I didn't see what was going on earlier."
"None of us expected that the Seven Sorcerers would attack that day," Sheik said, "I was in Kakariko Village when it happened. The refugees stated that they were caught completely off guard. Historians compared it to the tragedy that occurred a hundred years ago. No one could have foreseen this happening."
"And yet I could have stopped it all," Link said, clenching his fists until they felt as if they were about to break, "I wish I had listened to Darin. That's the last time I ever ignore my guardian fairy."
Sheik let Link stare at the surroundings a little while longer before setting up their climbing equipment again. "We'd better get down soon," the Sheikah said, "Moblins like to patrol at night every now and then. The resistance would be very upset if I brought you back as a corpse instead of the genuine article."
Link personally didn't care how he ended up. The way he felt right now, he was at the point that death seemed like a good idea. After all, he deserved it…
And what would Rose think if you died a coward's death? The voice whispered in his head.
How am I even sure that she's alive? Link asked the voice.
The only way to find out is to survive, the voice whispered, and to make sure that when the day comes that you will finally have that peace you rightfully desire that you have a home to go to…all the more reason for you to accept this quest.
You're starting to sound like that knight in the Chamber of Sages, Link said in annoyance.
The difference between him and me, the voice said, is that I happen to be the closest thing to common sense that you'd ever hope for. You're the Hero of Time now. Start acting like one.
I'm no hero, Link said to himself, not after what happened to this place.
Tell that to Rose, the voice said firmly, and tell that to the Kokiri, the Gorons, the Zoras, and all the others who owe a debt to you when you were still young. Like it or not, you have paved your way to this position even before you were given the title. Your great grandfather was the same way.
How do you know that? Link asked the voice, and why am I even talking to you? You're just a figment of my imagination.
Oh, I'm no figment of your imagination, the voice said, unless you think that all those times you saw those monsters in the past you were making up names for them, or that every time something shouted into your ear when you were at risk of attack you just happened to move before you were killed…I'll let you think about that for a while. I'm not going anywhere.
Link had no idea what the voice meant, but his attention was drawn away when he heard Sheik cough to get his attention.
"If you've had enough sightseeing," the Sheikah said, "we should get moving. Let's go!"
Link nodded silently before driving a dagger to the side of the wall. He paid close attention as he made his way down the side of the Temple of Time, making sure that he didn't fall down the side of the large building. Sheik followed closely behind, making sure that they both were kept together by the climbing rope before making his way down.
As they went down, Link didn't notice a loose stone on the side of the temple. As he drove his dagger into what looked like a solid crack, the stone came loose and he nearly fell down the side of the building. He barely managed to drive his dagger into another stone before falling to his doom, possibly taking Sheik with him.
Link looked down towards the ground, thanking Din, Nayru, and Farore that he didn't manage to fall the long way down. However, his thanks turned to curses as the stone hit the ground with a thud…one loud enough to attract the attention of anything nearby.
Several low-pitched moans signaled the arrival of several ReDeads exploring the vicinity of the fallen rock. Link prayed silently to Farore that the monsters wouldn't look up, hoping that the goddesses would smile on him enough to ensure his and Sheik's safety.
The ReDeads didn't look up. They continued their moaning as they looked around and suddenly stood still, the prospect of prey gone from their sight. Link sighed in relief, and attempted to drive his daggers back into the stone and warn Sheik that the ground below them wasn't safe to travel on, though he was glad that they didn't get caught.
"HEY! Who turned out the lights?!?"
The goddesses hated Link. He just knew it.
The familiar voice of Darin suddenly slipped out of Link's hat before suddenly tumbling through the air. One look at the ground below and Darin froze. The ReDeads looked up, their undead moans quickly turning into excited screams at the prospect of fresh prey.
"SON OF A PREGNANT WOLFOS!" Darin shouted, flying up and hiding in Link's pocket. Link glared down at the shadow fairy in frustration.
"About time you showed up," Link said sarcastically.
Darin poked his head out of Link's pocket, his tiny body shivering in fear of the creatures below. "What did I miss?" Darin asked with a nervous chuckle, keeping most of his body out of sight as he stared up into Link's face.
"Nothing much," Link said, "save for the fact that we're both seven years older, Hyrule's been conquered by the Seven Sorcerers, and I've been turned into the Hero of Time; plus the fact that we are about to get eaten alive by a pack of ReDead!"
It didn't take long for the information to sink into Darin's head. He beamed up at Link from inside the tunic pocket. "Cool!" he said, "I'm finally an adult now! This is awesome!"
"If you both are quite finished," Sheik said, climbing down to their position, "We've got to find a way out of here!"
Darin flew out of Link's pocket, hovering between his charge and the annoyed Sheikah. "Don't worry, mister," he said, "ReDead are incredibly slow and stupid. They can't climb walls. We're perfectly safe!"
"Um, Darin," Link said as he looked down, "I think you should check your theory really quickly."
Darin looked down at the ReDead below, and his black wings almost turned white in fright. Below, a pair of rather disgusting-looking ReDeads was climbing up the walls of the Temple of Time, using very powerful clawed hands. What was worse was that they were travelling at inhuman speed, their eyes glomming red with the prospect of prey. Link had felt his blood suddenly turn colder than a winter's night out in Hyrule Field. He didn't know what was scarier; the ReDead Maulers or the prospect of what they were going to do to them once they got caught.
Link, the voice whispered, quickly. Jump and face them!
Are you insane?!? Link mentally shouted at the voice, I'll be butchered alive!
Be swift, Link, the voice said firmly, use your powers. Show yourself why you are called the Hero of Time. Face this enemy! Use your powers and defeat them! Be quick, or your friends' lives will also be at stake as well as the lives of the entire land of Hyrule! Now FACE THEM!
Link looked over at Darin and Sheik. Darin was hovering around in a panic, obviously traumatized at the prospect of being killed by a pack of ReDeads. The Sheikah was also scared, clinging to the wall with all of his might despite his uncontrollable shivering. It was obvious that the Sheikah was very afraid of these ReDeads in particular…either that, or the ReDeads were exerting control over the Sheikah boy with their wild red eyes, rooting him to the spot.
It was then that Link's instincts kicked into action. He knew that he was going to probably regret doing this, but if he was truly the Hero of Time, it was time he proved himself what he really was.
Link let go of his left dagger, and quickly drew the Master Sword. The sound of the blade being released from its scabbard caused Sheik to look in Link's direction, his fear immediately being turned into concern as Link raised the sword.
"Link," Sheik said, "What the hell do you think you are doing?!"
Without a word, Link cut the rope that held him and Sheik together. Quickly leaping off of the edge of the wall, he fell feet first towards the pack of ReDeads below. The two ReDead Maulers drooled in anticipation of the meal that was dropping to them with lightning speed…
There was just one problem; this meal didn't drop out of fear.
The Maulers were halfway up the wall when the Master Sword sliced into their backs and cut them both in half. Ichor and ooze dripped from their undead bodies as both ReDeads moaned in pain, their spiny backbones being sliced clean in half by the mighty bane of evil. Both their corpses dropped like stone, the magic keeping them alive slowly reversing itself and starting to backfire as they began to disintegrate on their way down.
The other ReDeads turned their attention to the falling boy in green, their lipless mouths drooling in ecstasy at the thought of fresh prey. Their hands slowly raised into the air, grasping blindly for the approaching body as it fell to the ground.
They were sorely disappointed when that body disappeared with a flash of light.
Link used Farore's Wind and teleported himself directly behind the ReDeads. The monsters had their attention focused on looking up, their hands covering their sockets-for-eyes to protect themselves from the blinding flash of light…
Tempting targets…
With a few swipes from the Master Sword, Link completely slain the pack of ReDeads, slicing them apart and sending pieces of their undead corpses all across the ground. When he was done, not a single ReDead was left, their body parts slowly disintegrating in puffs of green, magical fire. In short, it was a very gross mess.
Link cleaned the Master Sword of ichor and ooze as Sheik climbed down from the side of the Temple of Time. Darin came up and flew inches in front of Link's face, his body glowing dark red in anger.
"What in Din's name were you thinking?!?" Darin asked, "You could have gotten yourself killed!!!"
"Better me than all three of us," Link said, sheathing the Master Sword in its scabbard.
"There are other ways of killing ReDeads than a full frontal assault," Sheik said, "You risked your life recklessly. I agree with Darin; you could have gotten yourself killed, and I would have come here to retrieve you in vain."
"Well, I'm supposed to be the Hero of Time," Link said, "I think I just needed to prove myself what I was capable of."
"What you've proved was that you are reckless and willing to throw your life away at the slightest hint of danger!" Darin shouted, "Don't you remember the Sun Song? You could have used it to freeze those ReDeads! Now the whole bunch of them would be coming here at the sound of battle. We're dead anyway!"
The Sun Song? Link looked at the Ocarina of Time attached to his belt. Memories of his occurrence at the graveyard in Kakariko Village flooded into his mind. He slapped himself in the face.
Why is the world against me? He said to himself.
To be continued…
Kerian: Well now, this was an interesting chapter. I bet you were wondering why I didn't show Darin in the last chapter (I mainly had this particular scene in mind while I was writing Part 1.). Hyrule Castle Town has been transformed into a realm of ruins, monstrously powerful ReDeads stalk the streets, and Link convinces himself that he is the Hero of Time. All in all, not a bad chapter.
I bet you guys are wondering what Sorcerer's Keep is going to be like. Well, the Sorcerers use it as their main base, so there's not much else to talk about it. However, there will be scenes involving this castle in the future, so don't forget it!
I had a little difficulty in writing the next chapter to get this one done, so this one is being sent in half a chapter early. That being said, those who want to read more of the Redwall Story i made are probably not going to be too happy when they figure out I'm going to skip writing that tommorow and finish this. However, I will be writing both stories in my spare time in the future, so count on future submissions later.
Well, since we got that chapter by, it's high time I left the nest and took to the air (is that a spoiler?) to hunt for more inspiration. Until next time, me out!
-Kerian
