Hey, so I didn't forget to update this week. Go me. Um, well I've got nothing new to add, really. I've got a few ideas now for later, and I'm thinking about pushing sequelly shit off for a tad. I know what I'm going to write in between the end of main Botw shit and sequel shit, and the beginning of the sequel shit, and after sequel shit (I'm hyped to write this part), but mid-late sequel shit is gonna be rough. Anyways, if anyone's got an idea for that part feel free to make a suggestion.
Chapter Sixteen:
Ganondorf blinked the light out of his eyes. Despite how many times it had happened to him recently, it was still an uncomfortable feeling.
He looked around at the landscape, instantly recognizing where they were. The elevated plot of land gave an exceptional view of the kingdom. They were sitting on the eastern part of the Great Plateau. A few ruins stood to the right of them as they gazed out to Lake Hylia.
Rain pattered gently against the grass. But the grey clouds couldn't cover the brilliance of the sunset, reflecting off Hyrule's most prominent lake. Orange rays of the fading sun draped the kingdom, basking the land in soothing dusk glow.
No one spoke for a minute. There was something serene about the image. The trio, standing triumphantly over the ruined kingdom. Despite the turmoil and trouble, they had survived. Ganondorf had felt the unspoken bonds of fellowship begin to form between them. Although he was not nearly as close to either of them as Link and Zelda were to one another, Ganondorf had a connection to them. Even though he would kill whoever admitted it.
Finally, Zelda spoke. "We should probably get some rest. It's been a long day."
Link nodded in agreement, and Zelda led them back towards the Shrine of Resurrection. The faint blue lights lit up to greet them. Zelda and Link searched through the various boxes stacked against the wall for sleeping rolls. Ganondorf went into the other room and came up to the healing chamber. Placing his hand on the structure, Ganondorf frowned.
The energy emanating from the traces of the strange liquid was definitely healing magic. It seems whatever technology the ancient Sheikah had allowed them to create false magic. Interesting. Perhaps that was why the liquid felt so wrong.
But how? How was this strange, false magic created? It felt similar to the energy coursing through the Divine Beasts and the Sheikah Slate. But it carried a distinct, however faint, trace of magic older and darker than either. But it was muted, locked away from the surface. It would be almost unrecognizable to anyone less experienced than himself. Ganondorf frowned, trying to distinguish the strange, unearthly magic buried in the liquid.
"Ganondorf?" Someone asked. Ganondorf opened his eyes and turned. Zelda was standing in the entryway to the room with two sleeping rolls in her arms. "Link went to find a good camp for the night. What are you doing?"
Ganondorf grunted as he stood up, pain flaring in his chest. Apparently the monster hit him harder than he thought. "I was just examining the energy in the pool there. It felt strange when I was healing Link, so I was trying to understand why."
Zelda pursed her lips in a frown, copying his own expression. "That's odd. Perhaps I'll ask Purah about it. Or Robbie, but he's better at the mechanical aspect of the machines, rather than the things that make them function."
Ganondorf nodded, not having the slightest idea what she was talking about. Zelda motioned at him. "Alright come on, Link's probably alright got a fire going. And hopefully something on it."
Ganondorf raised an eyebrow. "You trust him with your food?"
"I admit, the first time he cooked something I was skeptical. But he really does know how to make a decent meal. Frankly, it's not surprising, given how much he can wolf down."
Ganondorf shrugged, and Zelda handed him his sleeping roll, wincing slightly as he extended his arms. Zelda caught the sound.
"Are you alright?" She asked, looking at him quizzically.
"I'm fine, the blight just hit me harder than I realized. I'll heal myself once we find Link," Ganondorf said, brushing off her concern.
"Actually, if you don't mind, I'd like to try," Zelda said.
"I thought you didn't know healing magic," Ganondorf asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Mipha gave me a...teaching session, and taught me some. I haven't gotten a chance to try it out yet, though," Zelda told him.
Ganondorf nodded in understanding. Zelda turned and led him out of the shrine. They found Link near the Temple of Time, and indeed he had a fire and a boar rotating slowly over the flames. He looked up at them as they approached with a small smile. His bedroll was already set up, tucked away in one of the corners of the courtyard overrun with grass and weeds. Zelda placed her own roll near the fire, and Ganondorf followed in suit, placing his a bit farther away from the flames. Oddly enough, the places they placed their bedrolls formed a triangle, and every roll was facing one of the small ruined buildings before the actual temple. Strange.
Zelda and Ganondorf joined Link by the fire. Lacking any utensils or actual camping gear, Link was forced to use the Master Sword to carve up the animal, something he was obviously apprehensive about. He handed them slices of meat that they ate with their hands, again lacking plates.
"Not to sound ungrateful or anything," Ganondorf started, chewing his slab of meat. "But why did you teleport us here, instead of Kariko village or anywhere civilized?"
Zelda blushed in embarrassment. "I'm not sure, really. When I was enclosed with the Calamity, I spent a lot of time looking out here. So perhaps I was just drawn to it."
In a quieter voice, Zelda continued. "Or maybe I'm just not ready to face them."
The silence was deafening. All three stared forward at the fire, slowly consuming the meal. The cackling of flames and grinding of meat were the only sounds that broke the terse silence until a shrill cry echoed over the fire.
In an instant, all three of them were on their feet, Ganondorf gripping his trident in one hand while flames coated the other, Link whipping the Master Sword from its sheath, and Zelda with her fists balled with Divine light. Once they registered the fact that it was only a lone Keese, they sat back down, albeit uneasily.
"Maybe it's time we rest for the night," Zelda suggested, voice trembling lightly. Ganondorf nodded in agreement and moved to get up. Zelda's quick gasp stopped him. "Wait, I wanted to try and heal before we settle down for the night."
Ganondorf rolled his eyes but didn't object. Zelda knelt down next to where he sat and placed her hands on his chest. Ganondorf winced softly at the pressure. He had already determined his ribs were merely bruised. While he could have used his healing magic to fix it himself, it seemed like a better use of energy to let it heal naturally. But if the Princess wanted to exert her seemingly limitless power on him, he wouldn't object.
Tendrils of foreign magic flowed into his abdomen. Ganondorf straightened, uncomfortable with the strange power reaching out to him. It was alien, almost in the way the Sheikah liquid was. But where the Sheikah water felt diluted, the Princess' power was whole. It was overpowering, pushing all thoughts from his mind as the magic entered his bloodstream. His wounds were gone in an instant, but the strange power persisted. Instead of fading into nothing like the healing magic, it delved deeper into his bloodstream. Ganondorf smiled. The Divine power made him feel giddy, like a child with their favorite toy. He felt powerful, invincible even. He could feel the bright power in his veins, a pulsing light that pushed against his skin, climbing through his body, seeking to fill every pore and-
Ganondorf's eyes widened with panic. The light filled his throat, choking him. He couldn't breathe, his airways sealed off. Ganondorf leapt to his feet, slapping Zelda's hand away. A quick glance at his skin revealed that his skin was actually glowing, golden light bursting forth from the veins bulging against his skin. Ganondorf stumbled blindly, grasping desperately at his throat, trying to suck in even a modicum of air. He was dimly aware of Zelda and Link trying to calm him down, but how could he when his skin was about to explode.
Smoke began rising from his body. Ganondorf wanted to scream, but no sound came out. The Divine power in his body was burning, trying to destroy whatever virus it thought he was. He heard Zelda cry out in alarm at the sight.
Ganondorf slammed his fist into the side of a tree. Where it had come from, Ganondorf didn't know. Gripping it intensely, Ganondorf tried to expel the Divine magic that was trying to erase him.
But whatever he tried, the golden power just redoubled its efforts. The stench of burning flesh intensified and Ganondorf wanted to scream again. He was running out of air, his lungs burning almost as badly as his skin.
A crack echoed through the air as the tree snapped in half under his grip. Ganondorf knelt, slamming his fists into the ground. Large cracks shot out in every direction as Ganondorf inadvertently accessed earth magic.
But the pressure let up a little. Just enough that his skin was no longer set aflame and he could breathe. But it persisted, attacking whatever it could inside him. Growling, Ganondorf summoned a ball of flame in his hand. Instead of the red and orange hues he'd expected, golden flames sprouted from his palm. The light magic lessened further, and Ganondorf redoubled his effort, growing the golden flame larger and larger until it was a beacon as bright as the crescent moon above. When the last trace of light magic left his body, a smoky black crystal ripped out of his body and grew to blanket the golden flames. Once the whole fire was consumed, the crystal shrank, consuming the brilliant fire. It shrank down into Ganondorf's hand and solidified into a solid black diamond, with jagged edges that glinted in the moonlight. It laid there complacently, not absorbing but into him again.
Our bargain is fulfilled, a silky voice spoke. Return to me at the nearest opportunity.
Ganondorf chose not to respond, breathing deeply to replace the oxygen he was lacking.
"Ganondorf! Are you alright!"
It was Zelda, followed closely by Link. Zelda's eyes were filled with concern, but Link's expression held nothing but wariness. Zelda reached him and knelt beside him, reaching out. Ganondorf snatched his hand back. "What the hell was that about!? You nearly killed me!"
Hurt flashed across the Princess' eyes. "I was only trying to help."
"Oh the healing magic did its job. My ribs don't hurt as much anymore. But that might be because the rest of me was just on fire! Your magic tried to burn me up from the inside out! What did you do?" Ganondorf demanded.
"I don't know," Zelda said, tears brimming in her eyes.
"I need you to tell me exactly what you felt. Magic, in whatever form it takes, always has a purpose. So I'll ask you again, why the hell did your magic want to disintegrate me!" Ganondorf roared.
Zelda sniffled, and Link laid a hand on his shoulder. Ganondorf tried to tug it away, but the youth's grip was surprisingly firm. Ganondorf leveled a glare that would have sent a veteran Gerudo warrior running, but Link met it. After a moment of the silent conflict, Ganondorf sighed, eyes softening.
"Sorry," Ganondorf muttered. "I didn't mean to yell. I think we're all just tired and need a good night's rest."
Zelda nodded timidly, wiping a singular tear away. The trio stood, Link and Zelda helping Ganondorf to his feet. They made their way to the campfire and went to their separate bedrolls. Ganondorf stored the black crystal under a rock nearby. Ganondorf shifted in his roll, finding a comfortable position, then immediately falling into a deep sleep.
Fuming. It was fuming. How dare he? The meddling human was not supposed to interfere! It's purpose had been nearly complete. Kill the bearer of the despised sword, contain the Princess, control the hated machines and destroy the pitiful world. The only thing it had failed was to find the source. But that wouldn't have been a problem. With time, it would have found it. The Princess was faltering, even after a year. She would struggle and flail as she might, but given time she would succumb. Even if it took it a hundred years.
But then the stupid, meddlesome, useless, pathetic, grime-sucking, shit eating, betrayer attacked it, and damaged it enough that the Goddess' offspring could destroy it. If it's puppets hadn't still remained inside the big machines, it wouldn't have survived at all.
But they had. Even with a fraction of its artificial life force surviving, it had clawed its way back to existence. It was almost lucky that the Goddess' descendant had shattered its false soul. It had been able to inhabit each puppet instead of simply one.
But then they had come again. And the sword-bearer was there! He was supposed to be dead! It had killed him, sent countless of the iron scraps after him. It had seen him fall! Why was the sword-bearer still alive?!
It whipped its ethereal tail at the ground, shattering the grassy earth with a thunderous boom. The sound echoed throughout the kingdom, letting the whole world know its fury. It snarled, its golden eyes flaring in rage. It had been attacked, and forced to flee. It had escaped the castle when the Goddess' child had attacked it, it had fled the mechanical beasts when the three had attacked. But no more. It's power was growing. It was summoning every smithereen of Malice it had spread across this accursed kingdom. Every smidget of its power was coming here, to it. Its false existence that was shattered by the Goddess' blood was reborn. All of it, every last piece of its power, was coming here. It could feel the Malice dragging its way towards it, flying free from broken machines or sloshing its way over solid ground. By sunrise its form would be complete.
It would complete its mission. It would burn this world to the ground. It would eliminate the sword-bearer and capture the Goddess' offspring. And the meddling traitor would pay.
It's current, smoky form could not smile, but if it could, a savage snarl would be written on its face. Finally, its Master would be free. And it would help Him raze this world to ash.
Ganondorf exploded out of his bedroll, his heart racing. Eyes scanning the area in front of him for danger, Ganondorf saw Link staring at him from his own bedroll, hand on the hilt of his sword. Upon realizing there was no threat, the Hylian Knight raised an eyebrow inquisitively at him.
Ganondorf glared. "It was nothing."
The knight levelled a look at him that called bullshit but rolled over anyway. Ganondorf laid his head back down on the stone ground but did not close his eyes. The dreams were still vivid in his mind. They felt so real, like he actually was the Calamity. He felt the tendrils of Malice swirling around his gargantuan form, the smoky shadows of hatred bending to his will. It was angry, filled with a terrible rage that consumed every thought. The sheer volume of wrath was maddening. The creature's fury was like a wildfire, unstoppable and uncontainable, destroying everything in its path.
The ground vibrated under him. Ganondorf leaned up in his roll. Link had obviously felt it too, since he was now sitting upright. They locked eyes, and with an unspoken agreement rose and went to investigate.
Link went to wake Zelda, but Ganondorf stopped him. "One of us needs to be rested. We won't go far."
Link frowned, obviously not liking the idea of leaving Zelda unprotected, but listened to him. The two warriors made their way towards the northern part of the plateau. The pale moonlight shone on the cobblestone walkway. Link was constantly scanning the surroundings for threats, hand on the hilt of his sword. Ganondorf didn't bother. If there was danger, there was only one direction it would come from.
The air was tense as they made their way towards the northern edge of the Great Plateau. Whatever was causing those tremors was likely in Hyrule Field or the Castle itself. Either way, it wasn't a pleasant thing to wake up to.
Walking with Link reminded the Gerudo Prince just how lethal the Hylian was. While Ganondorf occasionally kicked a pebble or kicked up dust to announce his presence, Link was a wraith. He glided over the ground with silent ease. Ganondorf strained himself but couldn't even hear a whisper of Link's boots on the ground. Ganondorf couldn't help but admire the youth's grace and skill.
Finally they made it to the broken walls that surrounded the Great Plateau. Guardian corpses littered the area, scattered across the ground and clinging to the stonework. The damage was extensive, entire portions of the wall had been blown apart. Streaks of ash coated the surfaces, depicting how they assaulted this place.
But why attack here? There was nothing here. Besides some excavation projects, this place had been abandoned for centuries. Sure there were a few people that went on a pilgrimage to the Temple of Time, and the Shrine of Resurrection of course, but what else would cause the Calamity to attack this place so savagely?
Link headed towards one of the destroyed portions of the wall, and Ganondorf followed. Link's eyes widened as they settled on something in the distance. Ganondorf followed his gaze and blanched.
There, in the center of Hyrule Field, was the Calamity. An enormous, churning mass of Malice, rising higher than Hyrule Castle itself. It's smoky mass writhed like purple flames, towering into the sky. A colossal boar's head circled the pulsing cloud of purple energy. Across the land, Ganondorf spotted other chunks of Malice dragging themselves toward the main body. Some were small bits, barely big enough to be seen. Others could fill entire ponds. But regardless of size or where it was, it was all headed towards the swirling horde of death.
"Ok. Now we should wake Zelda," Ganondorf whispered, unable to tear his eyes away from the bulk. Link nodded mutely. They stood, staring at the monstrous form for another minute before turning and heading back towards the makeshift campground.
