Chapter 25: Knowing the Wrath (of God)
Purifying the Deep Coppice Arc
Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda, this is just a Fanfiction.
Featured Music: "Uncharted Fates" - Fire Emblem 10: Radiant Dawn OST. Chapter Briefing.
"Psyche Out"; Scaverin's Theme - Street Fighter III'rd Strike OST (Online Edition). Scene 2 (First Half).
With Link's re-awakening he learns a horrible truth in that during his seven-year long sleep in his acquisition of the legendary Master Sword, the warlord Ganondorf Dragmire has managed to overthrow Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule and has gained complete control of the highland country. In doing this he has not only crushed all hopes of a free Hyrule from the public but successfully infected all of the holy temples devoted to worship of the Sainted Three.
Having met with the country's last remaining hope, Sheik of the rebellion, Link is delivered with the option of joining with them in order to bolster their numbers and morale. In spite of his initial motivations to assist the princess Zelda in protecting her country and the Holy Triforce, the newly christened Hero of Time finds himself with no more patience for the daughter of Daphnes. Having been manipulated multiple times by her and even by the people in his childhood, he agrees only to assist Sheik in his quest as far as his home of the Kokiri Forest.
In meeting with fellow soldier Raynard Van Garrick he, Link, Navi and Sheik all temporarily join forces in an effort to free the forest of the evil Dreadlord Dragmire has breathed into it. Pressing on into the deep thicket of the Forest Temple, the three heroes all hope to break the hold the tyrannical king Ganondorf has on the divine sanctuary.
In playing the Minuet of Forest, Link hears the far-off voice of his old childhood friend Saria; the young girl whom raised him from birth. Though he mercilessly staves off the feelings of hurt and betrayal he holds faith in the one goal he had longed for in his entire quest for the Spiritual Stones...
A reunion.
Scene 1
Stepping through the corridor's second door, the newly teamed up Sheik and Raynard turned their eyes around the area they stood in, frowning as they did. Having sauntered through the corridor behind them they now resided in a rather large room indeed; numerous entrances and exits into new areas lay to the duo's sides in all directions. In the centre of the room however was the eye-catching dais and the four torches surrounding it. Laid in platforms overlooking the tall podium, the sconces burned with no fire; narrowing their eyes over at it in search, the party of two began to approach via the stone staircase before them.
"Looks... dangerous," Raynard began, his eyes narrowing with a hint of suspicion at the end of his sentence. "Somethin' went down here before we got here Sheik."
"It certainly looks like it...," Sheik murmured out, his soft voice bouncing across the small walls of the platforms next to them. He stepped silently across the plush red carpet laid out around the platform's outline, seemingly investigating the torches themselves. Using his slim fingers he ran them across the top of the sconces, seemingly searching for something. "Something most definitely took the fire from these." The Sheikah wisely stated with a confirming narrow-eyed nod.
"Hmph...," Raynard huffed with a nod of his own, this one of annoyance. "What a pain..."
"Oh it's better than I could have hoped for..."
Their senses tensing violently, the rebellion's two swivelled their heads 'round in sudden search, their fingers twitching for their weapons. Unfortunately for the pair they couldn't seem to locate the interrupting echoing voice; a masculine, deep voice that seemed somehow familiar.
"To find the rebellion's leader separated from his valuable pawn...," the voice knocked against the walls emphatically and threateningly. Sheik reached for his knife, snapping his fiery eye 'round in quick search for the man's voice. "I just cannot let this opportunity slip by..."
"I know that voice..." Sheik murmured out in recognition, his brow furrowing in response.
"You know him...?!" Raynard hissed back next to him, surprised.
Further shocking the duo a robed figure stepped forth from the darkened shadows of the north-end of the room. Seemingly having come from the long staircase and its platform and door, the cloaked man smirked back at them as he brought his hood down to reveal his bald-headed face.
"You...!" Sheik gasped out, his crimson eye widening in a mixture of awe and realisation. Still similarly curious the watching dark-haired Raynard darted his head between the pair, unsure.
"Wh-What? Who is it?"
Pulling his dark-brown robed arms back into a basic fighting stance, the figure revealed now to be the confident-expressed Scaverin glared back at the pair before him. As the dark holes in his cloak's arms lit up in a visible blue light of Aegir, Scaverin's eyes narrowed hungrily.
"A servant of God...," the bald-headed warrior began lowly before chuckling maliciously as he narrowed his eyes forward, his words echoing quietly and hauntingly. "My child..."
DROOM
His nerves biting at him, Link snapped his straw-haired head around to his rear to find the raised door behind him becoming inaccessible due to the steel bars slamming down with it.
That can only mean one thing, he thought.
"Link!"
Sure enough, two forms leaping upward to his front made the blonde youth swivel 'round in narrow-eyed glare. Along with Navi's warning call came the recognition of their forms; skeletal soldiers glowered back at him as they back-dashed through the air, presumably to gain some valuable space. Dressed in mere dark-cerulean rags around the midriff, legs and hands, they gave off a frightening persona indeed, especially when combined with the death-like glare of their hot-crimson beady eyes. Carrying iron steel shoulder pads, they looked the part of a soldier with the murky spherical shields they brandished. To finish off their similarly twisted aesthetic they both wielded a pair of zig-zag bladed swords.
A duo of Stalfos warriors.
Opting to take the initiative and, seemingly get lucky, the Stalfos on the right growled lowly as it began to pelt forward in a sudden lunge, sword held back. Narrowing his aquatic eyes at his rapidly-approaching enemy Link lowered his body and delivered a deft roll forward to evade the obvious assault. Unfortunately for him however, in his recovery he caught the flash of the second Stalfos rushing him from the left side with a biting stab attack. Widening his eyes this time the acrobatic Hero of Time pulled out the Master Sword in a heartbeat to meet the incoming threat.
CLANG-SKRRRR
Multiple sparks of iron and steel flashed between the engaged pair; the Stalfos roared emphatically and hatefully at the hard-eyed glare on Link's facial expression. Catching the sight of the approaching first Stalfos out of the corner of his left eye however Link grunted as he pushed at the first with his free Hylian Shield. Finding itself growling as it was sent stumbling a few steps back it offered the youth a priceless few seconds and space to work with in order to prepare for the next engagement.
Surprising him however, the skeletal soldier leapt toward him in an acrobatic manoeuvre involving the use of his bony ragged legs; in a daring air-spinning assault, the Stalfos struck him with a twisting trio of tumbling roundhouse swings. Though he was caught by the first one, drawing blood, Link managed to block the final two with his Hylian Shield as he spun back 'round to face his opponent. Landing from his air entanglement, the blonde youth's eyes double-took in a darting direction to his top right; snagging the sight of the second Stalfos warrior diving down for him he swiftly twisted himself across the wall behind him to avoid its plunging strike.
WHEEEEW-KA-CHINK
In expectancy of the emaciated warrior's inevitable missing jab, the poor demonic swordsman found his weapon stuck directly into the tough-looking wall. Taking deft advantage of the situation the wide-eyed Link exclaimed with effort as he brought down the Master Sword savagely across the Stalfos' outstretched and vulnerable arm.
SLICE
In keeping with the brightly-blue shining Master Sword, the skeletal soldier found itself roaring in great physical agony; along with its fallen limb came the rest of its body turning alight in a shower of emerald-green inferno. Perhaps shocked with the intensity and upgrade in strength of his weapon, Link couldn't help but become enraptured in the results of the engagement. Staring down at the shining steel of the divine instrument in his left arm, he could only widen his blue eyes down at it.
Unfortunately however the youth had very little time to react when he found the final Stalfos rushing at him yet again from his undefended side. With effort the narrow-eyed Link leapt to his left in deft evasion, barely dodging the lunging vertical slash the bony gladiator attempted to strike him with. Pressing on with a counter-attack, Link narrowed his eyes ahead before pouncing forward, Hylian Shield in his right hand. Grunting in light aching, the Stalfos was sent stumbling a few steps back from the youth's sudden pressure; following up, Link spun once lowly as he smashed the sky-blue hilt of his sword directly into the skeleton's lower torso.
SLAM
Gasping, the hell-eyed corpse found itself shot temporarily into the air from the sheer force of its opponent's strength. Following up his counter, Link held back the Master Sword with widened eyes before suddenly and finally spinning with great physical and mental effort, his weapon covered in a flaming Aegir.
"HYA!"
HACK-SLASH-SMASH
In ending his finishing technique, the Hero of Time found himself spinning as he twisted through the air before finally landing in a safe drift along the firm ground. In having been viciously torn apart by the holy instrument, the Stalfos soon found itself dissolving, just as its comrade had. Oceanic eyes narrowed Link still gripped the holy Master Sword with both arms, a hardened glare on his expression. Opting instead not to speak, the watching Navi couldn't help but grow a small smile on her face; the satisfaction at not only having to even advise her charge...
… but the silent contentment at knowing he relied purely on his own strength this time put the loyal guardian fairy's mind at ease.
The sound of a treasure chest being materialised behind him made him very briefly hover his eyes in its direction before re-facing the front. Pulling himself back up to a standing and straight position, Link let out a light sigh through his nose as he regained the use of both of his tools. Turning his firm-eyed frown to the metal spikes shooting up in response to the monster's defeat, his brow furrowed. Blowing away a loose long strand of blonde hair out of his eyes he leaned his head to the side in his stare before opening his mouth to speak.
"I sure hope Sheik and Raynard are having better luck than us..."
–
2
With an echoing laugh, the cloaked Scaverin shot his grin across the darkened skies of the deep Forest Temple's lobby. Having sent countless numerous snakes on after the speeding form of the narrow-eyed Sheik, the summoner watched on with glorious glee; with a contrasting hardened scowl behind the turban and scarf he wore, the blonde Sheikah ran across the walls in an attempt to outrun the flying and slithering snakes. His black eyebrows rising in recognition however, Scaverin grunted as he back-dashed into the air to avoid the yelling Raynard's leaping spinning assault; savagely twisting through the air with his halberd, the young dark-haired mercenary watched with disappointment as the blade of his weapon cut through the man's cloth.
Scaverin chuckled lowly and superiorly as he hovered through the air, eyes narrowing as he ran an index finger back and forth in response to the brash youth before him; as if a message of some kind. Scowling back, Raynard turned and spat diagonally downward at the plush red carpet below him before he short-hopped up to the platform before him. Using it as a vault he shot off spiralling from the dais as if he were a super-arrow fired from a ballista. With his eyes narrowing the watching Scaverin waited until just as the young axe-fighter approached before bending his cloaked body back downwards. Effectively avoiding the fiery warrior's revolving assault, the former devout furrowed his brow to match the effort he shot his foot up in a sudden kick. Time almost seemed to stop for the pair; wide-eyed, bewildered and even horrified, Raynard could only stare down wordlessly at the low fanged smirk his opponent wore so well before it was soon followed up. Similarly somersaulting skyward, Scaverin spun in a short overhead slam that sent the grunting Raynard careering down back to earth.
SMASH
Landing just shy of the lavish red rug, the poor youth was encapsulated firmly within a fresh site of wreckage; debris and other material spat up from the ground as Raynard was kicked roughly into it. Opting to interrupt however, the glaring Sheik darted in from the temple's wall, his target; the recovering Scaverin. Filling his brightly-blue cloaked arms with Aegir, the bald-headed summoner narrowed his eyes similarly as he clashed with the glowering Sheikah warrior.
CLANG-SKRRR
As they met in mid-air, the pair glared at one another through the threatening sparks that their weapons created; Sheik's long knife raged against the scowling Scaverin's Quintessence-filled arms, a veritable shield in and of itself. Surprising them both however a second knife, seemingly a throwing one, was tossed in the wide-eyed summoner's direction. Forcefully breaking the weapon struggle, Scaverin pushed himself against Sheik's hovering form causing the Sheikah to flip backward into the air he lingered in. Skidding ruthlessly through the ground, he managed to spit up similar rubble that his opponent had; narrowing his eyes in its direction, the glaring Scaverin found a corner of his mouth upturn into a satisfied smirk.
The similarly glaring form of Raynard huffed continually, evidently out of breath from his earlier vicious wounding; still leaning forward with his free left hand, seemingly the one he used to throw with, the culprit of the sneak attack revealed itself to the once religiously loyal summoner.
"Shame on you...," the mantled man hissed forward in a mocking shake of his head, narrowing his eyes similarly. "Ambushing an old man from the back..."
Though he listened in silence, the watching Raynard merely twitched his scowl back at the sarcastic Scaverin.
"You could have really hurt me..." He threw into the air with a lop-sided grin, knowingly confident and derisive in tone.
As Sheik landed in a quiet frown he turned to briefly exchange a silent nod with his similar-faced ally. Running his finger across his clothed nose, Sheik abruptly snapped to his right and disappeared with surprising speed indeed; acting similarly, the narrow-eyed Raynard leapt to his mirrored left and vanished from the common eye, the wreckage below the only reminder of his existence. Watching quietly, the grinning former priest circled his cerulean-glowing arms in a visible sphere before using his right to handstand forward. Shooting out from the older man's sharp-right was the growling Raynard in a daring slide-tackle; grinning in his hand-standing position, Scaverin pushed up once to vault himself skyward for just a second. Surprised and, by now worried, Raynard's eyes widened as he realised he was directly vulnerable.
And in his enemy's grasp.
With a hungry lick of his lips, Scaverin pulled his glowing cloaked arm back into a fist before bulleting it down to smash into the exposed mercenary beneath him. Alarming both of the men however was the sudden appearance of cryptically quick form of Sheik; in a daring move the elusive Sheikah managed to insert himself between the glaring summoner and his wide-eyed prey. Forming a transparent shield made of a brilliant golden-coloured Aegir, the blonde Sheikah managed to successfully bat away the growling older man's assault attempt. Silently thankful, the gulping Raynard shot through unharmed before grunting as he used the ground beneath him to vault from in an audacious back-flip toward his hovering opponent.
Clocking him briefly, the narrow-eyed Scaverin shot his left glowing arm to his left to meet the yelling mercenary's spinning and drilling legs; a spiral arrow manoeuvre. In an astonishing feat however, the firm-eyed Raynard's technique managed to at last pierce through the cloaked warrior's defences.
"Hrngh...!"
Grunting out his agonised yell of pain, Scaverin found himself being sent soaring and spinning back down to earth.
SMASH-CRASH-DRRR
Breaking apart the east platform, Scaverin was sent viciously colliding through the new stone wreckage. Along with the smoke and debris that spiralled across the sky, the watching Sheik grunted as he rose up his bandaged arms in a diagonal cross to block his face.
"Raynard...!" He called through the chaos, his crimson eye narrowing on.
In spite of his concerned cry, the poor Sheikah received no word back from his ally and companion; watching on silently he readied his nerves for the worst scenario possible. Surprising the Sheikah a second time however, as the smoke cleared, the gasping Raynard was seen standing directly over the fallen form of their wreckage-covered enemy. Sighing through his nose as he registered the battle results, Sheik allowed himself to smile through the bright-white scarf he wore, nodding on in approving before leisurely approaching the pair.
"I won't lie...," he admitted with the smile in his tone. "I was worried there..."
Perhaps similarly amused, the visibly fatigued Raynard shot his Sheikah commander a light grin before leaning down presumably to reach for his seemingly defeated enemy. Distressing the pair of heroes however the wide-eyed Scaverin shot his left arm up to grasp at the similarly shocked Raynard's outstretched own left. In doing so he successfully managed to catch it in a locked engagement; pulling his right cloaked arm back he formed a visible blue-glowing blade of Aegir to pierce him with. Thinking fast, Sheik grunted as he tossed a pair of throwing knives directly for the summoner's vulnerable right arm.
Growling in an angered setback, Scaverin violently pushed the younger dark-haired warrior's arm to send him stumbling back and give the older man some room. Using the ground beneath him he back-rolled to evade the super-fast serrated blades; clanging viciously against the ground mere milliseconds in between, Scaverin at last recovered by standing up straight and darting his darkened eyes around to the similarly exhausted pair before him. His mind seemingly thinking through on possibilities and results, the summoner finally scowled in anger and disappointment as he glared on at his younger enemies.
"Impressive effort boys...," he murmured on before furrowing his brow forward as he continued, reaching for a Deku Nut on his belt. "But you cannot hide from God's wrath forever...," he claimed ominously, his deeper voice batting against the walls of the similarly divine Forest Temple. Raising up the Deku Nut via his left hand he glowered on. Watching on in silence both Raynard and Sheik similarly scowled back as they listened intently. "Kaminoikari-o-osoreru..." He finished before seemingly absent-mindedly dropping the tool in his left fingers.
FLASH
Sauntering on through the Forest Temple's lobby, Link couldn't help but blink back at the incredulous sight laying before him; a grave vision of pure destruction stewed away, with a platform and numerous spots around the centre dais having been ran through. Turning his oceanic eyes to his right he found part of the platform having been demolished, seemingly by battle. Stepping down the stone staircase Link and Navi made the approach to the standing forms of his allies; seemingly the cause of the building ruin, the frowning Raynard and narrow-eyed Sheik turned their gazes toward the blonde hero as he walked along.
"What happened here?" The youth pressed the rebellion's pair, briefly wandering his sky-shaded eyes in the direction of the wreckage next to the dais. "Looks like a bomb went off..."
"It did...," Raynard huffed in a vertical jerking nod, biting at the inside of his cheek. Turning his head back to face him as he came near, Link frowned silently in response. "In a sense..."
Raising only his straw-haired eyebrow in silent pressing, Link stared back wordlessly.
"We were... attacked," Sheik cleared up for his unsociable partner, standing back up slowly from his previously crouching position. "Almost as soon as we entered here."
"Attacked?" Navi questioned, a curious tone in her voice. "But who-?"
"Goddess knows...," Raynard muttered back in the guardian fairy's direction, a scowl on his lips as he rolled his shoulders, as if to return feeling. "Some old guy in a cloak."
Narrowing his eyes in recognition, Link darted them back at the dark-haired mercenary.
"We know of him or, I should say, the rebellion does," Sheik again clarified for the group, folding his bandaged arms in a stable frown behind his white scarf. "Scaverin. A former devout bishop of the Hylianis militaris ordinis; we believe he is Ganondorf's former link to the Hylian military and its other information."
Realising he was talking about the odd cloaked figure he had encountered within Jabu Jabu's insides, Link narrowed his eyes as he let them wander away in thought. Darting along his brow furrowed quietly in silent rumination. Noticing it, the watching Sheik tilted his similarly blonde head.
"What is it?" He pressed, curious. Double-taking casually in his commander's direction, Link narrowed his sky-blue orbs before re-opening his mouth.
"There was... a man... fitting that description... within Jabu Jabu in Zora's Domain," the Hero of Time dutifully answered, similarly tilting his head back at the Sheikah. Listening on in revelation, Sheik widened his one visible crimson eye. "He was the one I think Ganondorf placed inside to block my progress."
"This is seven years ago, yeah?" Raynard questioned curiously as he joined the duo, placing a hand upon his hip. Link nodded in his grave frown as he re-faced the mercenary. "So then who's to say that's even reliable?" He added on with an emphatic shake of his head. "That could have been anyone for all we know."
"I recognise the possibility...," Sheik shot over into the conversation, his arms as consistently folded as before. "But I believe him," the resistance's leader boldly claimed as he turned to eye the surprised-expressed Link. "It all connects, after all."
Hesitant to relent perhaps for fear of trust, Raynard merely rolled his eyes. "Whatever...," the halberd wielding warrior muttered out. "Hardly matters once we clear the place out."
Almost as if reacting to what the brash youth had said, a sudden dim light to the foursome's sides made them all tense up; snapping their heads 'round to face the source they all found a similar-numbered sphere of light all descend down to the torches in the centre of the room. Surprised, Link watched these dim but vivid colours all delegate themselves; red, green, purple and blue. Almost as soon as the spheres of fire landed on the sconces the lobby lit up brightly and, as if in response, the dais hidden beneath the centre of the room slowly rose on up. A period of uncomfortable silence pervaded between the group of four as they watched in similar stillness, perhaps unwilling to move.
"Did...," Raynard started, abruptly narrowing his eyes in his allies' directions. "Did you two do that...?"
Exchanging a look with each other, Link sighed through his nose to match the frustrated shake of his head, contrasting well with the hidden smile beneath Sheik's scarf.