Chapter Thirteen:
Ganondorf opened his eyes, groaning. Goddesses, he never wanted to do that again. Ganondorf's magic reserves were completely drained, sucked dry off every last drop. It was going to take weeks to recover from this.
Clambering to his feet, Ganondorf looked around the room. Both the Princess and her Knight were gone. Nice of them to wait for him. Ganondorf stumbled to the freshly opened door. Light spilled in through the crack. He shielded his eyes against the brightness, blinking as he took in the sight surrounding him.
Green grass swayed in the light breeze, before abruptly dropping off. Ganondorf climbed out to the edge of the cliff. Looking out, he observed the kingdom. Hyrule Castle loomed in the distance, eerily dark and quiet. It was creepy. For the last year, it had been consumed by the swirling purple of Calamity Ganon's malice. He had gazed on it sometimes, sitting atop Spectacle Rock or one of the other mountains. He hated the sight, even before it had been overrun by the Calamity. It disgusted him, the enormity of the walls, the glowing liveliness that radiated from it every night. The Calamity only made it worse, as if conquering the castle proved its dominance over all of Hyrule. It's swirling purple mass-Malice, Zelda told him-cowing all the other races. The ultimate symbol of Hyrule's weakness.
Suddenly, the ground shook. Ganondorf stumbled. He nearly fell over the edge of the cliff, but threw himself back at the last moment to avoid plummeting to his death.
When the shaking stopped, Ganondorf turned to see the source of the quake. A tall tower had erupted from the ground. It was made of strange wicker walls with strange platforms attached on various points on the structure. At the top was a larger, circular platform with a cone shaped pronged roof held up by five beams. A blue light shined from within the tower, gleaming gently. Ganondorf stood and started walking towards the tower. He approached the bottom of it, and stared up at the structure.
"Zelda? Link?" He called.
A shadow fell over him. "Ganondorf! You're up! Hold on, I'll see if I can get you up here."
After a few moments, light began to swirl around him. The same feeling of disconnection enveloped him and he reappeared atop the tall tower. Checking his magic reserves, he was slightly disappointed to find them still empty. It would have been nice if she could replenish his magic, but he supposed it was too much to ask for. Link and Zelda both stood there, the former dressed in a rugged tunic and pants. He looked good, for someone who had been half dead for the past year. Only the faintest scars remained on his face. His blue eyes were still sharp as ever, staring unblinkingly at Ganondorf. But before where they had regarded him warily, they now bored into him with interest.
"Where the hell did this thing come from?" Ganondorf asked, gesturing vaguely.
"It's a Sheikah Tower," Zelda informed him, running a hand on one of the railings.
"I can see that," Ganondorf snorted.
"We...found it while exploring the Great Plateau," Zelda said, glancing at Link. "We also found this contraption. It doesn't seem to be of Sheikah origin, but it seems to allow one to glide on gusts of wind."
"Fascinating. But what about this tower? Where did it come from? And why was it not corrupted, like the other Sheikah technology?" Ganondorf asked, ignoring the blatant lies.
"It was hidden underground and inactive. Gan-I mean the Calamity could only possess active Sheikah technology, the ones we were able to fix. So these Towers, and the Shrines were untouched by the Calamity's power."
"So what do they do? And wait-they?"
"I don't know. But it seems the towers are able to scan the landscape and create a map. It's incredible! I wonder if it's also able to scan for lifeforms, or other things. And yes, there are several more. I'm not sure exactly how many, but we saw a few rise. See there's one by Hateno Village, one by the Dueling Peaks, one near Death Mountain."
Ganondorf scanned the landscape and indeed, there did seem to be more of these towers in the distance.
Something in the distance grabbed his attention. Rocks tumbled down the side of Death Mountain, sending up plumes of dust and ash. That was strange. Death Mountain was usually quiet.
Something moved on Death Mountain. It was hard to make it out from this distance, especially since it was covered in debris. But there was really only one thing that they could be able to see from here.
"Hey Zelda, the Guardians that were possessed by the Calamity. Do we know if they turned back to our side?"
"I'm not sure," Zelda frowned. "I didn't really have time to check. I suppose it would be nice if they did."
"Uh-huh. And what about Divine Beasts?"
"They're probably in the same state as the rest of the Sheikah technology. Why do you ask?"
"Cause I'm pretty sure Vah Rudania is attacking the Gorons."
"What!?" Zelda exclaimed, whipping around. She too spied the Divine Beast crawling around the side of Death Mountain. Vah Ruta exploded from the lake near Zora's domain. In the distance, the cracking of thunder could be heard, along with a great mechanical bird's cry. "Oh Goddesses. I thought with the defeat of Calamity Ganon everything would go back to normal. Why are they still possessed? Shouldn't the Calamity's influence be gone?"
"We don't have time to wonder about it. We need to deal with them."
"Ok, ok. We should stick together and take them down one at a time-"
"No. That will take too long. I need to return to the Gerudo."
"But we don't know what we're up against-"
"I don't care, my people come first. Send me back. I'm all out of magic so I can't teleport myself."
"If you're out of magic, then that's just another reason why we shouldn't split up. You'll never be able to reach Naboris. It's lightning defense is impenetrable."
"I'll figure something out. My people will be slaughtered. I have to protect them."
Zelda gave an exasperated sigh. "Fine. I'll send you to the desert. Link, I'll teleport you to the Lost Woods. Reclaim the Master Sword then head towards Death Mountain. I'll see what I can do about Vah Ruta."
"What about Vah Medoh?"
"When we finish with each of our Divine Beasts, head towards Rito Village. We can't take on four Divine Beasts with only three people."
Ganondorf frowned, but nodded. Link inclined his head as well, a determined fire in his eyes. Zelda exhaled, gathering her own magic. Soon, light gathered around the three of them. It swirled around them, and then they were gone.
Zelda appeared above East Reservoir Lake. Far above it. Too far up to jump down. She would probably shatter her back trying. Zelda turned, looking down the edge of the cliff she was on. Beneath her, she could see a mother Lynel with her cub. The mother glared at her, hand on the hilt of her sword. Zelda decided it was best to just leave.
Zelda teleported down to the top of the dam. She looked up at Vah Ruta. The Divine Beast rested in the water, spraying water from it's trunk. Purple lights shone from within the titan, illuminating the lake with a violet glow.
Sadness washed over Zelda at the thought of her friend. Mipha was always kind and gentle. She was loved and respected by the Zora. Everyone looked up to her. Mipha was everything a princess was supposed to be, kind, beautiful, strong, caring. She was the pinnacle of the Zora, their pride and grace. And now she was gone, all because of her.
Shaking her head to clear it of these negative thoughts, Zelda looked again at the Divine Beast in front of her. The water had not ceased sprouting from the mechanical trunk. She frowned. That was odd. Retrieving the Sheikah Slate from her waist, she scanned the Divine Beast. It was not taking in water from anywhere. So where was this water coming from?
Then Zelda realized something. Ruta wasn't using the water as a weapon. It was just gushing forth from the trunk like a geyser, as well as dumping water like waterfalls from four other areas. Ruta didn't have many powerful weapons besides its main cannon, but it did have weapons. This water spouting was not one of them. So what was it trying to do?
Before she could figure out an answer to that question, Vah Ruta spotted her. It cried a metallic roar, and shifted to face her. The weapons Zelda had been wondering about turned on her, shooting blocks of ice at her. Zelda raised her hand, shooting a beam of light. The beam smashed through the chunks of ice. Ruta roared in frustration, water spraying into the air, some of it splashing over the edge of the dam.
That's when it clicked. Ruta was going to flood the dam, and send a wall of water crashing through lower Hyrule, destroying everything in its path.
Ruta shot more blocks of ice at Zelda. She destroyed them easily. Then she summoned four balls of light from her hands. They circled above her palm for a moment zooming off and smashing through several cannons each, destroying them before smashing into the pink orbs that controlled the water flows. Ruta cried out again. Zelda raised both hands, sending a massive blast of light at Ruta's trunk. It was a shame to damage the magnificent beast, but if it was hurting her people, she didn't have a choice.
The stream of water sputtered, eventually slowing to a stop. Ruta roared, turning back towards the center of the lake, its trunk raising itself over its head, droplets of water still spilling into Ruta. Zelda teleported to the top of the Divine Beast and peered down. Offering a prayer to the Goddess Hylia, Zelda teleported into the belly of Vah Ruta.
Link blinked the light out of his eyes. Zelda's power had been...more brilliant than he expected. She had come a long way from the block headed, bitter Princess he once knew.
Rubbing his eyes, he was finally able to see where he was. He was surrounded by tall, green trees. Wildlife flourished in the undergrowth, with an abundance of grass and flowers, supported by bright beams of sunlight breaking through the leafy barrier.
Link had heard tales of Lost Woods and the Great Deku Tree, but he had never been here before. When he had first claimed the Master Sword, he had been but a boy. His father was a knight and was accompanying the Royal Family on a pilgrimage to the Temple of Time on the Great Plateau. If he remembered correctly, it was a year after Zelda's mother had died. Excavation for the Guardians and the Divine Beasts had already begun. King Rhoam was taking her there to see if she could awaken her power, since she had not been able to do so from the Castle. Zelda had been a bright eyed child, staring at the ancient building in awe. Her father had to stop her from scaling the temple to get to the steeple. After praying in solitude for almost half a day, the King ordered his father and the other knights to set up camp for the night. Zelda had wandered off somewhere. Link was left to his own devices, so being the curious child he was, he climbed to steps up to where the statue of the Goddess Hylia stood. Before her was the Master Sword, the legendary sword that seals the darkness. Zelda had been in this same spot not long ago. Link felt invigorated, like there was some power filling him. It drew him to the Master Sword. Link stepped towards the blade, heart pounding. A mystical light shone upon him, drawing the attention of the King and some of the other knights. Link couldn't see it, though. His eyes were locked on the Master Sword. His blood was pumping faster than he had ever felt. In his heart, he could feel the bond between himself and the blade. Link placed his hand on the hilt. The blade hummed in response. Link smiled. Then in one motion, pulled the Master Sword from its pedestal and raised it skyward.
The rest of that day was a blur. Link remembered the King talking to him, and knights whispering about. His father's eyes shone with pride. But behind them all was Zelda, looking at him from a distance, her face slowly changing to disdain as the day dragged on. Her eyes never looked him in the eye, instead looking at the knights coming up to him and expressing their awe and respect. Link began training with his father and the other knights, quickly surpassing most of them. Even without the legendary blade, he was more than a match for all but the most skilled warriors.
Link attended many feasts and parties and such. His reputation had spread far, as the warrior who wielded the legendary blade. They heard of his combat prowess and were impressed by him. At first it had been nice, all that attention. But Link soon realized they didn't really care much for him. Like Zelda, he was more a symbol, an icon that represents something than he was a person to them. No one really cared how he felt, so long as he looked nice and held the Master Sword. Even his father and his mentors never bothered to ask how he was. Link started training on his own, outside the Castle walls. It was just him and the Master Sword. Although it was just a sword, it responded to his emotions. It sang when he was in the heat of battle, matching his thrill when facing a horde of monsters. Whenever he was down, it would glow dimly. When he got fed up with all the fake smiles and lies the sword would guide him to a solitary spot where he could sit and watch the stars.
Link didn't remember when he started staying silent. It was a gradual thing, after he came to his realization. He started ignoring people and disappearing from events. And before he knew it, he was being called "the Silent Hero". Link didn't bother objecting. It was an easy excuse to not have to deal with anyone.
That all changed when he became Zelda's Appointed Knight. Now he wasn't just a symbol, going to parties or visiting villages and parading around town. He had a mission, a goal, something to do. He admired Zelda. She had a powerful drive. When she set her heart on something, few people, including Link, could stop her from achieving that goal. At first it was frustrating how Zelda would ignore him. But as he spent more time with the Princess, he began to understand her. And before he knew it, Link couldn't bear the thought of being without her.
And then he woke up in that place. Zelda had told him most of what happened, but he could tell there were things she was keeping from him. They hadn't really had much time to reconnect before another crisis popped up.
Right. He had to deal with this before he could return to Zelda. He had already failed her once. He would not do so again.
Link gazed upon the Master Sword. His sword. It glowed blue in his presence, as if to welcome him back. Link stepped up to the triangular platform and rested his hand on the blade's pommel.
"Hello, old friend," Link whispered. The blade hummed in response. Wrapping both hands around the hilt, he pulled his sword from the ground. It didn't come easily, but after one last tug, he freed the Master Sword from its pedestal.
Ganondorf opened his eyes. He was standing on the pedestal at the sand seal rally behind Gerudo Town. It glowed with an orange hue now, exaggerating the Sheikah symbols carved into the sides. The ceremonial sphere glowed with the same hue. Interesting.
Thunder boomed nearby. Naboris was close. How close? Too close. Too close to Gerudo Town. He had to find it and stop it somehow. Ganondorf could see a huge cloud of sand in the distance, occasionally lighting up with lightning. The shadow of Naboris loomed inside of it, slowly walking towards Gerudo Town.
Ganondorf charged into Gerudo Town, vaulting over the stone wall into the back of the throne room. Bulara jumped up from where she was sitting with the council members.
"Prince!" She shouted as he ran past.
"Icehouse!" He replied as he charged up the stairs towards his room. He slammed open the door. Picking the Thunder Helm up off the statuette it was on, he held it in the crook of his arm as he jumped over the railing, landing the stairs below.
"Wait, Prince!" Bulara shouted behind him, but he ignored her, charging out of Gerudo Town and into the desert.
He raced past the small outpost situated near the Palu Wasteland and put on the Thunder Helm just before he dove into the cloud of sand. Immediately, Ganondorf was bombarded by raging winds. The force of the winds were strong, pushing against him as he trudged through the sand. With every step his feet fell into the desert, dragging him down. It was a struggle to move. Everything surged against him, trying to knock him down, but Ganondorf kept moving forward. Lightning struck him, but simply absorbed into the Thunder Helm.
Finally, Ganondorf spotted the mechanical titan. It towered over him, its huge, monstrous legs slowly stomping their way through the sands towards his home. It was close, barely a hundred feet away.
Well now what? He found it, but how was he supposed to get up there? He didn't have any magic left, and it wasn't possible to scale the beast.
Oni's reserve of magic pulsed, signalling Ganondorf. Ganondorf tapped into it, and suddenly a memory surfaced.
"Indeed. The power from the humps is channelled primarily to its weapon systems. The Sheikah technology allows for its mobility. One thing I've noticed is Naboris seems the least stable to me. A few well placed powerful explosives could likely topple Naboris. It certainly wouldn't be easy, but it is feasible," Zelda informed him, staring up at the Divine Beast.
"You want me to try and blow up Naboris?" Ganondorf asked.
Oni throbbed a negative. Suddenly, Ganondorf's trident appeared in his hand. Frowning, Ganondorf allowed Oni to guide his arm back, and Ganondorf realized what he was planning. With a grin, Ganondorf threw his trident with all his might.
The black trident sailed through the air. It slammed into one of Naboris' legs, puncturing the thick metal. At the moment his trident came into contact with the Divine Beast, it unleashed a massive explosion of energy. Naboris roared, collapsing to its knees.
Ganondorf rushed towards the fallen colossus. The winds died down enough for him to move quickly through the sand. Ganondorf leaped on to the bottom platform of Naboris, just as it started to rise once more. Ganondorf summoned his trident to his hand, and headed into his mother's Divine Beast.
