Eventually though, they had to break up. "So...we good?" He asks them, adding "And be honest. If you're still terrified, tell me. As you may have guessed...I'm a bit out of it when it comes to people," which earns some chuckles from the goddesses. "Also? Don't feel like you need to suck up, or deliberately try to appeal to me."
"Well now the danger is a crushed spine," Farore laughs. "And I thought GORONS were the masters of that."
"Sometime, you should explain...everything," Nayru suggests. "So we at least have an idea of what that weapon would've done."
"Speaking of, Farore, if you don't mind me saying so...you've got some balls, doing that. Few things can tank a BFG at point blank range," the Slayer tells her with a chuckle. Farore blushes at the compliment, but then asks "Wait...you call that a BFG?"
"Because it is a Big. Fucking. Gun. 9000 to be exact," he explains. "The ball itself can do massive damage, but the tracers are what'll get you. This thing can kill a room, with one pull of the trigger," he tells them, eyes going wide as they try to imagine the destructive power it has.
"OK...not to interrupt all that, but, have you found a way to kill Ganon?" Din asks, her arms crossed.
"Good question, but...I'm not sure," he explains. "LOTS of raw data to process. More than even MY little fleshy brain can handle. I have an idea, I just need to confirm it," he explains, many eyebrows rising. "And I know how. See...I'm not at full power right now. Most of my weapons work, save for the Crucible," he explains, pulling out its hilt. "But I had a base. A base, that with your permission...I can try and summon here. The Fortress of Doom," he finishes.
"Fortress of Doom? You DO know that sounds EXACTLY like a villain lair's name right?" Nayru points out. "None of the places Ganon has liked to hole up have had names that ominous. Granted, most of the time it's in the vicinity of Hyrule Castle."
"Don't worry, it doesn't have like, blood, spikes, skulls, and all that," he tells them. "Just some statues, stained glass, swords in barrels, tapestries, and things like that," he says, his eyes widening as if realizing something. "Oh, and to my knowledge...the best computer in the entire multiverse. Also the server has all the information, from every world I've encountered," he explains, adding "Oh, right. You don't know what those are. Well...a computer's basically an electric box that can think? I think that's the best way to put it. And a server's a bit like that, but is specialized in holding information," to their confused expressions. "Look, it might be easier to show it to you."
"OK, so...how do you summon this 'Fortress of Doom?' Where would it even go?" Nayru asks him. "Good question. Is there anywhere high up, with a view?" He asks back.
"I have an astronomy tower," Nayru says, leading the way. "Oh, and here, some of the rooms you didn't get to see," she explains, as they pass through the observation room primarily used for looking down upon Hyrule, as well as the dream room from which they can see, and influence, the dreams of their citizens. "Everything goddesses need to do their jobs," she explains as the Slayer nods.
"And here we are," Nayru says, as the four of them get up to the tower. It was open to the air, with a telescope, and a great view of the Sacred Realm below. "Nice view up here," Nayru says, looking down. "If you look down there, you can see we actually have a bit of an audience," she points out, and the Slayer looks down, seeing some people gathering.
"I thought we were alone up here, that this was dedicated just to you three," he asks, and Farore clarifies.
"ALL of Hyrule's past citizens are here. OK, mostly. Those who have served Ganon in the past, or other baddies like him? Yeah...they're not up here. But everyone else? They're here. And the ones that get to live closest to us? The ones connected to us, in some fashion. The ones who've helped fight Ganon and his ilk in the past." As the Slayer looked, he saw lots of men in green tunics, many with multiple girls hanging around them. Also a group of six individuals looking on from another area, close to another group. "Those guys, are all the sages," Farore explains. "That group of six? Hero of Time Link awakened them all as part of his quest. Those other sages helped Hero of Wind Link restore the Master Sword's power. Speaking of, that's them," she says, pointing out each hero to the Slayer, amongst the crowd. "Someday...we should take you down there, let you meet them all," she adds with a smile, but the Slayer raised an eyebrow.
"I thought Link reincarnated," he asked. "That the current Link, sleeping in the Shrine of Resurrection, should be the only one. And none of these...should exist."
"I understand the confusion," Nayru points out. "But it's more complex than that. Sure, the Spirit of the Hero, and Hylia Reborn, reincarnate, yes. But that's more...a point for the soul to grow around. The Courage, and Wisdom, inherent to each, acts as a focus point that guides each incarnation, as they age, and grow up. The same traits always manifest themselves, but in different ways. But each incarnation is also forged by their own life experiences, how they grew up, the people they knew, forming their own preferences, likes and dislikes. So as an example, the Hero of Wind Link could sail on rough seas for days without ever becoming seasick. But would've been a TERRIBLE horse rider. Meanwhile, the Hero of Twilight Link would probably vomit on a calm sea for Wind Link, but his bond with his horse is like few others."
"And after each Link's natural death," Farore explains, "They come up here, obviously. But the Spirot of the Hero is removed from them, for future incarnation. Don't worry, this doesn't hurt them. In fact, it's only way they can find peace. Otherwise they'll want to explore, adventure, and respond to fight Ganon, even after their time has come and gone."
"So simply...you loan out the SOTH, and Hylia Reborn, so they can do what they have to do," the Slayer asks, "and upon them dying, they have to give it back? Otherwise, no peace? No proper eternal rest and relaxation?"
"Correct," Nayru responds. "And they're always glad to give it up in the end. It's like the last time they pick up a sword. Always ready to leave battle behind, in exchange for peace."
"Yeah, 'peace,'" Din says with a smirk. "For some of them...I doubt how much peace they're getting. Curious side effect of the Spirit of the Hero, or SOTH as you shorten it to? They all tend to get a lot of...female attention. IE, look at Time over there," she points out. "Now, each Link has his Zelda. But you can also see how he has some redheads next to him? One of them is Malon, a rancher girl that also crushed on him. The other two are the sisters from Termina, Romani and Cremia. And two of the sages, Saria and Ruto, also like him. And that's just Time." She then shows off another Link. "And that one, Twilight? He has the only brunette Zelda, his choldhood friend Ilia, and also his companion, the Twilight Princess Midna." Din follows that up with another small laugh. "Even the current Link had both his Zelda, and the Champion Mipha interested in him. And that was a hundred years ago. Who knows who'd be interested now."
"Some day we should introduce you to them all," Nayru says. "But back on topic. How are you going to summon your Fortress?"
"Well, first, I have to summon the Praetor Suit," he explains. "Worry not, I'll make sure the equipment launcher and Doom Blade aren't armed."
"Praetor...that's what you call your armor huh?" Farore says, all the girls taking a step away as his armor appears around his body. "And Doom Blade? I'll admit...badass name," she comments as she traces the tip with her finger.
"Is that one of the things that makes you...you?" Nayru asks. "Look like a villain. Have a name like one. A base with a villain name. Check off every box on the villain checklist. Yet...not be?"
"Well someone's figured me out," the Slayer responds, double checking his armor's systems. "Now, if you're looking for anything flashy, or anything...sadly that's not the case. I CAN narrate what I'll see in my visor though," he offers.
"No need, we can all..." Din says, but frowns, along with her sisters, all straining as if trying to do...something. "Or rather, we should. We SHOULD be able to telepath with you, and thus see what you see. But why isn't it working?" She asks angrily. "We can't get into your mind!"
"Hmmm, I have an idea," the Slayer says, taking his helmet off. Immediately, the goddesses all relax, and the Slayer could feel the presence of all three in his mind. Hello ladies. I thought it was proper etiquitte to take me to dinner before mind stuff happened, he thought with a smirk, causing all three goddesses to recoil, both physically as well as telepathically out of his mind, each in danger of turning as red as Din's hair.
"Sometimes people can't sense us in there. Those really sensitive can, especially our champions. But you...sensed us right away? Even responding with something like...that?" Nayru asks while still blushing, as the Slayer puts his helmet back on. "And why couldn't we do that before?"
"Psychic blocking alloys in the helmet," he explains, tapping it. "The shit I've dealt with in the past..." He trails off, concentrating. "OK, beginning search for the FOD's location," he says to them, watching the readout on his visor. "This part can take a while."
"Wait," Nayru says. "Do you happen to know...where you were, before we summoned you?" She asks. "I won't claim to understand your technology, but if you can find that...you should be able to find the FOD from there?" She suggests.
"Good idea, though it's not like there's a marker or anything there," the Slayer explains. "Hmmm, the location in Hell is unique though. Let's see..." he says as he searches. "OK, I found that. Now...that's it, got a lock," he tells them. "Accessing systems now. Dimensional transit drive is coming online. Spatial transit drive is coming online. All other systems green. Dimensional transit drive is now at a hundred percent. Spatial transit drive is online. Gravitational anchor offline, dimensional anchor offline. Now...transit will begin in three...two...one...mark. Fortress of Doom is now on the way here," he tells the goddesses. "It can take a while, and it won't officially arrive until I give it a destination, all it knows is to come this way," he explains further, removing his helmet. "However...you all should get final say for where I park it. Your realm after all. And thus, this is why I'm taking the helmet off. NOW I'm letting you in my mind, so you get a visual of the FOD, so we can help determine together where best to park it."
"No smug comments," Din warns, as the three of them enter his mind. The Slayer had to admit...it was actually a nice sensation, now that he thought about it, realizing as the goddesses all smiled and blushed that they could tell what he was thinking. But he focused on the Fortress of Doom, for their visual reference.
"Wow, that's...unusual," Farore says. "Now, you HAVE been neglecting one little aspect. Once its here...how do we get to it?"
"Oh yes, I forgot to mention. Its portal drive," he tells them, even throwing an imagined portal, so they could understand. "Can't get onboard otherwise. And if we tried, the automated defense systems will kick in. Even though you technically could, from the towers."
"OK...where best to put it," Nayru ponders as she looks around, all four accessing the same mental image. "I'd ask you, but...something tells me you have no preferences, so long as its here."
Doom Slayer chuckles, responding "Pretty much. Hell, another idea? The Sacred Realm is its own dimension, yes? A small pocket off of Hyrule?" All the goddesses nod with raised eyebrows. "Well, where it last was, was in orbit of Earth. Do you want to put it in Hyrule's dimension, but in orbit of the actual planet?"
"Giving us a choice huh? On whether or not it goes here in the Sacred Realm? Why, afraid it'd...make this place look ugly?" Din asks.
"Well...another advantage that a Hyrulean orbit possesses can be a great view. Not that it's needed practically. BUT, the view out the main window can be AMAZING," he explains. "And...you three would get to feel closer to Hyrule. I take it there's some 'No visiting the realm except absolutely needed' rule? This could be a close enough," he continues, adding "Which I get the idea behind such a rule. But you should be able to enjoy the fruits of your labors. And, if it's true, that you're all but forgotten? You could literally walk among them, and so long as you don't attract attention to yourself, you're good. This could a good first step. I take it you three can handle vacuum?" He asks, the goddesses giving him confused looks. "The void. The space where mortals can't breathe," he explains.
"Oh! That!," Nayru exclaims. "Oh yeah, we can handle it. Din here even made the sun," she says, Din flexing with a smirk in response. "So...orbiting Hyrule?" She asks her sisters, and they nod. "Strange to think that Hyrule will have more than its moon going around it."
"Earth had a LOT around it. Almost to the point that it was crowded, and...a bit of a junkyard," the Slayer chuckles. "Now...do we head to the observation room?" He asks. "So I can finalize the 'landing' so to speak?"
"Actually...we could conjure a window here," Nayru suggests. "So they can watch too," she says, looking below at the crowd of Links, Sages, and loved ones, as she holds her hands up, and a spherical window appears in the sky, showing the space above Hyrule, grabbing everyone's attention, including those below, but then frowns. "Well, I just realized this will be difficult. We need to help you guide the FOD to where you want it to go, right, via telepathic link?" Everyone else nods, with eyebrows raised. "Yet, you need your helmet to do it. A helmet that blocks our link."
"Well...there might be a way to bypass that," he suggests. "Does it work with physical contact?" Farore and Din nod, and he extends his arms. "Each of you, take an arm. If you can do it...the exposed parts are probably best. He puts on his helmet, as each of the other two goddesses wrap their hands around his arm. Inwardly, he couldn't help but smile at the feeling of their smooth hands feeling his biceps, and based on the way they were subtly shifting their hands as if exploring, he could tell they were enjoying it just as much.
"OK," Farore says, clearing her throat. "So, how far out?" Slayer adjusts the projection of the FOD's "landing" site to be roughly in the same orbital distance as it was for Earth, and everyone nods.
"We're good?" He asks, and the three goddesses nod. "OK, destination set. Final approach in three...two...one...now." With a slight ripple in space, the Fortress of Doom appeared, which caused many gasps from the onlookers below. "Transit complete. Engaging Dimensional anchor...done. Engaging gravitational anchor...done. Dimensional transit drive powering down. All other systems are in the green," He says, turning to the goddesses. "Now, I'm afraid I must go there alone at first, to make sure it all works in person, just in case there's something I'm not getting," he explains to them. And, I have an empty pizza box, and who knows what else, on my desk. Can't have that.
"By the Triforce, that's impressive," Din comments, and the Slayer raises an eyebrow, before a realization hits him.
"Triforce...is that that triangle thing?" He asks them. The three goddesses all look at him, until they realize that he didn't know.
"Oh yeah...you wouldn't know. The Triforce is our holy relic. Our champions each bear a piece," Nayru explains. "But if all three are brought together, it grants a wish. Each of us contributed a piece," she explains, as the three of them hold up their hands. Then does the Slayer notice the set of three triangles on each, but on each goddess a different one glowed.
"OK, fair enough. Now...when the portal reopens, that's me inviting you onboard," he explains, as he opens a portal for himself, and heads through to the FOD.
Home sweet home, He thought, looking around. It was all there, and it all worked. Hayden's robot body was still there, which he immediately pulled down. Makes me wonder...can I get a replacement AI? I seriously doubt it, considering THAT is a world that still fights with swords and bows, and nobody knows what gunpowder is, nor steam nor electricity. Though I get a feeling that if I explain the concept, Nayru will understand, and want to help. He thought, glancing out the main window at Hyrule below. He did a quick tour of the rest of the main floors, before heading into his room to pick up the trash on his desk. But how to dispose...reentry. Magic may be ALL OVER this world, but the laws of physics always work. He does a double check to make sure the Fortress looks neat, and he has all the trash, before he heads back to the command room. And now for one of the most unusual uses for this thing, he thinks as he dials in some coordinates, for just above the atmosphere, before hitting the activation stone, and once the portal opens, tosses the trash in. And now for the ladies, He thinks, opening the portal for the goddesses.
"Welcome ladies, to the Fortress of Doom," he tells them, once the three are on board. "Forgive the delay. As someone once said, 'There are some things that just aren't done, such as drinking Dom Perignon '53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit.' And I would like to add to that, as inviting a beautiful woman over to a dirty house is also something that just isn't done. Let alone THREE," He tells them with a straight face.
"Was...was that a flirt attempt?" Din asks, coming closer to him as he touches a control, then deactivates his armor, smirking at him.
"Maybe it was," he responds. "I might be a bit out of it."
"So this is your base of operations?" Nayru asks, already examining the screens. "Nice place. So what do you have to do to figure out how to kill Ganon?"
"Well, it's a bit complex," he explains. "I just uploaded all the data I saw thanks to the helmet cam to the system, so it has all the data to work with. Though it may need more. I've had AI's in the past that help. Artificial Intelligence. From your perspective...I guess it would be a spirit. But running on machines," he explains to them. Heh, machine spirit. The Mechanicus would be proud.
"Hey...where's Farore?" Din asks, looking around. "Looks like she wandered off. Should we worry?" She asks.
"Not really, it's not like there's secrets here," The Slayer explains.
Meanwhile, Farore's inquisitive nature had taken her on a tour of the Slayer's strange castle in the void. It was a monument to the works of man, with stained glass, tapestries, statues, and more. Some parts even had bare natural rock, but with some ivy, which pleased her greatly. "This place could use more green," she says to herself, as she made some of the ivy grow with a wave of her hand. "This whole place could use a touch up." She had also noticed the twin towers, visible out the main windows, that both looked like they needed repair. "Maybe Din can help. Or Nayru."
But there was one room that was a surprise. It looked like it was the one section of the Fortress that was for the Slayer personally, with figurines along one wall, and a full bookshelf as well. Three instruments resembling classical guitars hung on one wall, but they looked like no guitar Farore had ever seen. There was also clearly a workbench, full of tools and machines she couldn't identify, as well as the cuirass of an older armor suit hanging via chains. "Wow Slayer, you've got everything," she says to herself, also noticing the multiple screens on his desk. "Just how advanced IS your technology?"
But it was not all marveling at wonderful technology. This glimpse into the man behind the Slayer took a sour turn when Farore noticed a painting of him in armor, holding a brown rabbit. "That...is so sweet. Big man, a killer beyond belief, and he has a pet rabbit," she smiles, but then notices an empty cage, and a bag of food, both gathering dust. As she reached out towards the cage, she could FEEL the emptiness within, the rage, the sorrow. "Oh no..." she said to herself quietly. Was THIS the cause of his pain? The monsters he had fought...killing his pet rabbit? Big man's got a heart after all. But then...we all sensed that, in the hug. It was shocking, but sad, to learn of his pain in this way.
But then out of the corner of her eye, she notices something under his desk. Picking it up, it looked like a photo, similar to the kind that Hyruleans had taken in the past with Pictograph Boxes, or the Camera rune on the current Shiekah Slate. The top left corner was torn off, but the rest of the picture was a woman and young boy, a boy that looked a bit like the Slayer in miniature. Her heart sank into her stomach, as she realized what happened. Slayer...did you lose not just your pet rabbit, but your wife and son? She had seen mortals lose loved ones to evil before. Ganondorf's minions were ruthless. But she could feel that there was rage present here, rage that never stopped. He didn't just hate the demons he slew for no reason. He was a man who had NOTHING to lose. A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered some of what was in that book. The author described the Slayer as cruel, a ruthless, barbaric killer. His fighting style wasn't one of efficiency, it was one of inflicting the most pain possible. He didn't just want his enemies dead. He wanted them to SUFFER as they died. The Slayer was a man who REVELED in the pain of his enemies, bathed in their blood, and for whom their screams of pain were the sweetest music. And she was starting to understand why. This was a man with everything, and now had nothing. He likely was a gentle soul too. After all, only the fool doesn't fear the fury of a gentle man. And therefore...he had to have been a VERY gentle man. She wanted to do something for him. Help ease his pain. But as much as it pained her, she knew business had to come first, so she pocketed the picture, as she went to find the others.
