Astor stood at what had been the entrance to the Yiga Hideout. Along the way, he'd passed piles of debris where there had once been a network of walls built along the canyon of Karusa Valley. The entrance itself, which had once been neatly cut into the rock, was now an angry burning hole. There wasn't anyone in sight, the hideout was not only destroyed but desolate and abandoned.
The princess's warning briefly crossed Astor's thoughts. Astor's blank expression changed into a haunting sneer, almost smiling in a deranged way.
Well played, Your Highness…. Only a minor setback… Although, I wonder if any of those banana worshiping degenerates are still alive...
Astor vanished and reappeared near his own hideout in the Gerudo Highlands. Some ways off he spotted two familiar silhouettes sitting on the edge of the canyon. Of course, the two most useless members of the Yiga Clan had retreated, the prophet mused.
Still, Astor approached the two apprehensively, knowing he was sure to get an earful.
Kohga and Sooga took notice as the Hylian neared, the two imposing figures being clearly irate as they stood.
"Why didn't you tell us we'd get walloped? I would expect you to warn us that the Gerudo Chief is going to come trampling into our hideout to attack my men! Why were you conveniently missing today of all days?" Kohga shouted, exasperated.
Astor was smiling inside, where they can't see it, but maintained a straight face.
Sooga was the one to approach Astor, towering over the much smaller man, and that's when Astor knew he'd overplayed his hand. He tensed as Sooga grabbed him by the collar of his robes and lifted him, Astor's feet barely making contact with the ground.
"I'm afraid we cannot overlook this failure, 'seer'."
"Can't do it!" Kohga chimed in.
Astor gave Sooga a dismissive smirk, already knowing what to say to retake control of the situation. "Fate decides all… Even this defeat. As you well know, if you decide to turn against me you will make an enemy of Calamity Ganon."
"You slimy -" Kohga began, but before he could finish his sentence, Sooga's fist collided with Astor's face. The seer collapsed to the ground, looking up at Sooga in disbelief.
Kohga cheered, "Yeah! Knock his raggedy ass out! How dare he try to use our devotion to Lord Ganon against us. Thinks he's chosen or something? You're not special!"
Sooga leaned down, taking Astor by the collar again. Astor weakly held a hand out in an attempt to defend himself, but it was of little use against a man twice his size.
"The Yiga Clan has served Lord Ganon for nearly 10,000 years. You can't turn Calamity Ganon against us, especially if we kill you first." Sooga slammed Astor's head against the ground, followed by a swift roundhouse kick in the ribs.
Astor gasped for air. The wind had been knocked out of him twice. He could barely breathe.
"You deserve whatever Lord Ganon has in store for you in the next realm..." Sooga drew one of his blades at his hip.
The prophet was in too much pain to move, let alone summon his orb.
"C-calamity Ganon... Avenge me…" Astor closed his eyes.
A blinding light consumed the three men and the two Yiga disappeared into puffs of smoke, scrolls featuring the inverted eye raining down in their retreat. Astor shielded himself from the light, lying prostrate on the ground, lacking the strength to rise and a little bit fearful of the presence he could sense was the antithesis of Calamity Ganon.
"Prophet of Doom, your fate is in my hands." Hylia entreated him gently.
Astor remained very still. She came to stand in front of him, but still, he didn't look up to meet her gaze. The goddess perceived his confusion and fear of her.
"You're wondering why I've come… I've seen your ultimate fate, Prophet of Doom, and I know you will call out to me when confronted with the reality of Calamity Ganon's betrayal. But it will be too late for you. And, as proof that my words are true, already you are questioning why the Calamity would allow you to endure such humiliation."
Astor finally answered the goddess, his voice weak and wavering with defeat. "Calamity Ganon is… going to betray me? That cannot be…" If he had any confidence left after being beaten down so horribly, then her words had ripped that away as well.
Hylia knew he believed her, but his denial and grief were so great. "Your gift of foresight is no match for mine." The goddess reiterated.
"The grand fate I thought I had was all a lie…? Am I really just a nobody? Put me out of my misery then… I have no desire to continue an existence where I have no purpose."
"You're still a young man, Astor. You can still have a meaningful life."
Astor scoffed trying to hide his tears. "The goddess is apparently dumb and blind. If Calamity Ganon is to betray me, then I have no reason to be..."
Hylia sensed his anger at her. She had revealed a truth he wasn't ready to confront, but she knew it had to be said if he was to be saved from his terrible fate.
"I wouldn't spare you just to leave you without a purpose. I know all about you, Prophet of Doom. You've had unfortunate circumstances, but you are not inconsequential. You were a veiled birth. This was a sign of your gift, but it was viewed with suspicion, and you were abandoned. I willed that you be found. You grew up in an orphanage where you went unnoticed. They sent you away at 15 years of age. You managed to make a living with fortune-telling using a Sheikah relic you recovered. People would come to you with all sorts of questions that concerned important matters in their lives, people wanting to know the identity of their soulmate, a look at their unborn child, whatever they wanted to know could be seen in that orb. You were the same age my current descendant is now that you gathered the courage to look upon your own future. But there was nothing. You threw that orb across the room and wept. Your heart darkened and you turned to Calamity Ganon. You suffered much and you wanted to bring Hyrule to its knees. You invested yourself in serving the Calamity with such intensity it greatly diminished your desire for anything else. But, that's what you wanted. Anything to not have to remember that you'd always be alone. You abandoned me long ago, but… even the princess's faith in me hangs by a thread."
Astor tensed at the mention of the princess, knowing the goddess could read him so easily, but there was nothing he could hide from her. It was all kind of amusing to Hylia.
"You… You're the one that's been meddling with my visions? Why are you doing this? Why would you bend fate itself to spare me? What's wrong with you? Go mind that wretched girl who bears your blood and leave me be."
"I'm helping her by helping you. You have the gift of prophecy, which my current descendant is sadly lacking as my lineage is weakening."
"I'm well aware…" Astor said irritated. And then, fearful of what the goddess might read his thoughts he lashed out. "Your lineage can rot… The only intention I have towards that girl is to ensure she never unlocks that awful power." The prophet said, defensively.
A soft smile crossed the goddess's lips as she knelt to whisper in his ear, and what she said frightened him so badly he, at last, gathered the strength to raise his voice and try to stand and confront her face to face, but Astor could only lift his head and raise an arm to try to summon his orb. "Hear me, Calamity Ganon, rain down your destruction on this… this…"
Hylia's blue eyes regarded him with pity. The resemblance to the princess was uncanny, though the goddess's appearance could only be described as otherworldly and ageless. She began to fade away. "There is no destruction, Astor. There is only…"
The goddess's voice faded out as Astor finally lost all ability to remain conscious.
A/N: Astor used manipulation. It wasn't very effective...
Prometheus17: Had these scenes in mind for a while and finally here they are for others to read. And here you see that Astor's relationship with the Yiga Clan has been violently and prematurely ended.
Impa and Urbosa really do have Zelda's best interests in mind, but Zelda can't help but feel left out that she didn't get to contribute to their raid on the Yiga Clan. I originally was going to have her go with them, but I felt it would be a hard sell for her to convince them to let her accompany them to the one place where everyone is trying to kill her. lol But the good thing is that with this alternative, she could meet and talk with Astor in an unexpected way.
Faylian: I wish we'd got more dialogue between them in canon, but sadly we didn't. Nearly non-existent, unless you count in battle dialogue. Enjoying your reviews!