The stench of blood, charcoal and blight blew through the fields…
The green that was once within the Mainland fields began to fade and die… Everything outside the Castle town walls began to crumble and become discolored as if a type of dark oil had leaked into the dirt and was slowly creeping closer and closer to the core of Humanity within (the woman, children, elderly and severely injured holding onto to main source of hope and purity inside the very Castle itself). Everything looked so…bleak.
Another small breather (the enemies fell short for now)… The men had collected at a spot in the open fields where they had been making camp now. They were covered in filth, sweat, and dirt with scraped faces and bent armor plates: a tribute to the fighting and struggle gone passed.
They looked around at the scene: More soldiers dead… Even some Goron now lay motionless in the dust… Sir Lanzo returned with less of his troops; he stood there looking at Link with his palms out, shaking his head disheartedly… More men gone… The strong were starting to fall…
Yet, the enemies kept coming, and they only grew in size and number each time… How were they supposed to hold out any longer?
Soldier: "At this rate…we won't…" he didn't want to finish that thought.
So many of their friends lied before them, mangled and torn. The odds were against them. It was harder than ever now not to crack… A feeling of powerlessness, hopelessness began to build…. It had now been five days and still no signs of freedom. …This maddening Hell felt never ending… Is this how they were going to die? It was very quiet again. …Had Hylia forgotten to actually come back and save them?
Chapter 18e: The Great War (Part 5): Falling Between the Cracks
"This can't be happening!" one of the men yelled, holding his face in a panic. He fell to his knees into the dust, "This…can't be. This is it. It's the end of the world."
Link was in a dark place himself. I think a part of him may have agreed, but…not in the same sense. His eyelids were a little puffy; his face speckled with muck –he looked strained, as if he'd aged. He stood tall, fighting his own limitations, gripping the Blade with a serious stare. The air still hung heavy with grey clouds and it was harder to breathe. He knew something was coming; he could feel it stronger than ever before…
Everyone did… They all responded in different ways though: it was a moment of truth –the time to figure out who you really were; the time to see what you're really made of. …And if you deserved to make it or not…
"What do we do?..."
One of the soldiers threw down his sword – its hilt was cracked and broken: "What can we do?"
Lanzo: "Don't give up hope." He handed the distraught man his spare sword.
The soldier looked at him a little unsure…but he managed a grateful smile.
"What do we do?" the other man repeated again, his voice becoming more frantic. Clearly there was nothing they could do here – they probably had to move camp again. "We can't fight this!"
Link still had his eyes fixated. He started to walk forward towards a small hill as if to get a better look: "Then fall back..." He spoke out in a monotone voice, clearly focused on something else at the moment.
"What?..."
Link stared, looking out at the desolation –the impending doom… His hand gripped the Blade tightly and steadfastly.
"Sir Link?"
He didn't respond.
The group followed him up the hill to see the heavy clouds weighing over the once plentiful land. Something just didn't feel right. They all grew very quiet for a moment. A few of the men felt very sick.
Link's body felt lucid, but a pain in his tired knees always brought him back into reality. He could not run as fast as he used to be able to but he still acted as if he could –he had to; he had to at least try… He had pushed through it so far, despite how tired, stiff or fatigued he might have felt. He had held his ground remarkably well thus far. Perhaps…it all came from that solid place within him Hylia had been counting on. He wanted to fight –He was somehow reveling in this. It was the ultimate test –not just of his strength and fortitude but mainly of his mental stability. He always loved that kind of challenge the best.
It was then soft roars and cackles were heard whispering –it was different this time though. They came a lot faster and sooner than the time before –their aura felt more powerful. One of the men lost his breathe and fell to a knee, shaking; his comrades grabbed him to keep him up.
They appeared: large beasts; new and many beasts. All at once they appeared but this time…they seemed patient and exuberant. Their mouths broadened, revealing serrated teeth and long, pointed tongues – it was as if they were silently laughing. It was a sight beyond sight.
All the soldiers felt this horrible sinking feeling in their chests.
As the variety of creatures parted across the land and sky you could see why they appeared so care-free this time.
Deep reds and sickly greens broke in front of the men as if a portal to another realm ripped the air. Reality twisted before them. Notions of what was real and not melded. And behind the crowd, an un-seeable spec way in the distance…was why: A huge, wickedly equipped atrocity carrying with him black clouds and thunder -The Demon King.
"No Gods, why?!" One of the weaker, mentally beaten down soldiers cried out, holding up his hands in question and submission.
"Why have you forsaken us?!" Another joined him. "Hylia, dear Goddess, why have you abandoned us!"
The Hero stood there, staring out…
"Save us! Please save us!" A few more faltered, dropping their weapons, clasping their hands towards the sky.
Link held up his sword: "…Your prayers won't vanquish the demons…" He was grinning with a type of eager, tarnished self-satisfaction: "Your prayers will not save you." -Not when the Gods you beg to don't listen. Not when they're too busy bickering among themselves… "We carve our own world. Make our own choices. Decide your own fate…"
The men on the ground just looked up at Link as if he was a part of this whole crazy mess, while the others, still standing, grew motivated, unsure of where Link was finding this zeal from.
The hot wind blew in their faces. The enemies seemed to be baring their claws now. So it was time for the humans to bare theirs back…or die.
"Make our own fate? –Heh," one of the Knights chuckled, also holding up his sword, "Better to die on your feet then like a sniveling fool." He briefly looked at the cowering, crying men beside him.
Warden: "They are coming and they are going to come in hard this time. We need to find ground; we're sitting ducks here."
Lanzo: "Should we…fallback?" He turned his head suddenly and shouted out orders: "This is not a retreat, we fight! -But fallback to the Castle! This is it men, the last stand! We must defend the castle town walls!" He readied his troops for this final showdown (conveniently good placement for them if Hylia was to return).
And not a second too early. As the battle ready men took up their swords and backed down the hill a rush of those fast moving, black creatures moved forward. It was loud. They were different from the previous enemies they had faced however: they were more…vicious? Their claws and teeth seemed a little longer and flesh more gnarled and resilient. They must be getting a type of boost from the Demon King's presence. Luckily the weight of their new armor seemed to slow them down a little though. Link, the Warden and the other knights used that weakness to fight them off.
Many of the men who had been on their knees and/or praying had actually lost their will, their mind and were the first to be swarmed upon. Another Captain lost his life as he pulled up and saved three of them… Carnage swept in fast.
Saved praying man: "Captain! Captain!"
One of the other fighting soldiers slapped him: "Get a hold of yourself and do it fast! Draw your sword or his death will have been in vain –All of you!" He yelled at the three of them over the noise and they seemed to snap out of it.
The Warden hollered: "More of those ghouls are coming in fast from the East! We need to get out there or Lanzo's company won't make it!"
An officer looked through a spying glass: "Some of the giants and- I –something else, other things –Gods," he cringed realizing what he was seeing was real, "Over in the West."
The Warden glanced over the see hordes of lizard-like giants headed towards the red mountains. He looked up; flyers darkened the sky – probably headed straight for the Castle. Unidentifiable globs seemed to trudge into the mines and up the white mountains. And (what we know as) moblins…small ones carrying all types of objects (swords, axes, bows, broken boards and debris – things clearly pilfered from the men's own fallen comrades or the rubble) to use as weapons rushed straight toward them from where the Demon King stood way off on the horizon; huge ones with tall shields and armor lumbered behind the swarm.
Soldiers: "…The Hell are those things?" "There are so many!"
Knight: "Numbers do not mean greatness! They are foolhardy, chaotic." He tried to encourage them, though he sounded a little less convinced himself.
Senior Officer: "Yes –Stay organized! That's what they want – they want us to panic and break apart. We will hold strong as long as we stay in formation!"
The small moblins had begun to come upon them now. Everyone was fighting –luckily these guys were not too tough, just annoying/distracting in nature. Not terribly difficult to beat unless you grew plain impatient or got outnumbered.
From behind them more goron warriors came rolling in to help. They were bashing the creatures in a rush; it was clear they were concerned with getting past them to head towards their red mountains, but they were not there only in self-interest. The goron war chief bellowed at some of his brothers: "Help the humans in the East! We must split up and give them our aid! Only then can we go to our own lands."
Link yelled to the Warden: "Go with them! Back up Lanzo; get to those town walls! We'll catch up to you!"
Warden: "What? And leave you and your men here to deal with this alone?"
Despite it all Link's head held firmly forward (he ignored the Warden completely). It didn't look like Link would be leaving the fields but instead going further out. He had avidity in his eyes and a lot of pent up energy to release –where it came from no one could figure out, but… He wanted to christen that Blade. He wanted to prevail and to mentally endure –he wanted to feel it, physically agonizing and long, one last time, the most intense battle ever. I will last long enough – he knew, and swung that sword, took heavy, hard blows to his shield, sidestepped and dodged with a focused glare. He quickly learned how to take down these enemies and was doing it rather quickly now. He was a smart fighter.
Whatever dark power the Demon King was emanating through the land had no effect on the Hero. It never had before nor ever would.
The Warden nervously stared for a moment, trying to decide what to do. His troops also stopped and were watching Link, waiting impatiently for their orders to leave with the gorons (who were already on the move). The Warden mumbled to his troops: "Gods, it's almost like he's one of them…" Link moved and attacked so effortlessly as if the fact they were…monsters didn't even matter. It just seemed inhuman or extraordinary to him…
Truth is Link's whole life was about forging his spirit more than that simple Blade tonight. The dark whispers sent from collective nightmares couldn't match the ones already conquered in his mind. The Blade simply needed to catch up to him.
The General fighting with his men behind Link yelled: "Get moving, Warden! We've got his back!"
The Warden could see they would be fine: "Right." He turned back to his men, "Let's go!" – They hurried off to act as the second defense line to the Castle town. "We have a wall to defend!"
The General behind Link kept fighting; he yelled to the troops that remained in the fields with Link, on that little hill: "Keep together!" And they did. Though a few got injured, they managed to keep their wits and formation about them and thin out the mixed group of enemies.
Mainly Link didn't say too much more. He was too busy fighting –too intent on the enemies and himself (his body, his movements, where to move, strike next). He…wasn't the type to really shout out orders and tell others how to fight (he was used to being alone and holding his own most of the time); instead he took off a little ahead of them all and ended up showing them how to do it. Occasionally he would fall back to take any tails off the other men who seemed to be struggling.
The General and a few of the more advanced Knights soon also took a bit of a lead (as Link had), acting as a break in the enemy attack formations from each side.
-o-
Despite casualties, Lanzo and his party of men (including Orville) would fight well, slowly making their way back to the castle town walls, which they climbed and fought off of as the beasts tried to beat them down. The gorons quickly rolled and bowled their way across the field to their aid; they were able to keep the larger monsters from doing any real damage – the walls would stand for now.
