Recap: Immediately following his defeat of Terry, who abandoned him, Rock is happened upon by an unknown assailant, for reasons unknown.
Chapter Twelve: Crimson Crisscross
Rock groaned as he rubbed the back of his head, struggling to pull himself to his feet. Towering above him, a man with dirty-looking brown skin, almost green, and clad in elaborate medieval-style armor stared down at him. With bright orange eyes the monster of a man traced over Rock's features, watching him as he stood and looked to his direction. Rock's own red eyes inspected the man, looking over his brown armor and light tan cape; short red hair spiking behind him. A wry smirk crept over the man's face, leaning down and grabbing Rock by the throat, his massive right hand grabbing his neck and his huge fingers clamping down on him. Rock groaned and struggled as he was held above the man's head, his strength escaping his body quickly.
At a nearby table, a girl with long red hair sat with a fairly young-looking boy with blond hair creeping out of the sides of his long and pointy green hat. "Hey Link?" The girl mused. "That's the guy that's always after you, isn't it?" The boy, Link, shifted in his seat to look over at the towering man that held Rock by the throat, Rock's legs flailing at the empty air under them, trying to summon the strength to kick at the man, but failing. "Hey yeah!" The young boy chirped enthusiastically, his left hand flying over his shoulder to withdraw the short sword from his scabbard. His right hand took hold of the shield buckled to the scabbard, and in three seconds he was equipped and ready to battle. "Well, what are you waiting for?" The girl grinned, her bright red eyes looking from the young Link to the towering tall man, but most intently, at Rock. "Go get him." "Sure thing, Lina!" Link hopped off his stool and dashed at the man, his sword raised above his head and his shield poised in front of him.
Though the young boy's battlecry was certainly enthusiastic, it was far from the most strategic of maneuvers. The larger man's voice came in animal-like snarls as his massive palm reached behind him, gripping firmly upon young Link's face as he was lifted into the air next to Rock. A sneer formed on his face as he took the two limp bodies and slammed them together, sharp groans of pain escaping in unison from his two victims. He reeled his left arm- the one that held Link- up above his head and fiercely drove it into the ground, causing the boy to lose his grip on his sword. The clatter of the fallen weapon caught Lina's attention, long wavy strands of red running down her back. She stood slowly, her large green shoulder guards rustling somewhat as she did. She took a moment to tug down on her light yellow t-shirt, dusting off a small spot on her red jeans. Once she deemed herself ready, she gripped the sword sheathed to one of her belt loops, the golden handle sparkling in the multi-colored lighting of the area as she deftly raised it into the air, pointing the tip of her weapon to the man who even as she watched alternated between hammering Rock's and Link's skulls into the hard floor. "Hey Ganondorf!" Lina called, about twenty feet or so between them. This clearly caught the man's attention, as Ganondorf turned to face the significantly younger Lina, holding a mildly conscious boy in each hand. "What do you want?" Lina, with her tiny frame and defiant attitude, stared down the much older Ganondorf with eyes of red. "I want you to put him down." A smirk and a scoff from the malignant figure, and he halfheartedly flung his wrist to the side, sending the young Link crashing into a table which toppled over in the hushed silence.
"The other one." Lina commanded in a voice that showed no intention of waiting. With a quick, curious grunt, Ganondorf glanced at the fading Rock in his hand and then to Lina. "This one? You don't even know who this is." His next line came in a clearly insulting tone. "And the great Lina Inverse only looks out for herself." The great Lina Inverse scowled ferociously at this, thrusting herself forward a single lunging step, bringing herself to be about ten feet from her target. "Just put him down." "I don't think I want to." Ganondorf retorted promptly. "You've clearly taken an interest in him because he has something you want. Gold, perhaps? Maybe a rare artifact or ancient magical secret? It's no secret that you're a selfish little girl, Lina. Perhaps I'll take this with me and find out what's so special about him."
With a single powerful bound, which eased into a run with leaping strides, Ganondorf was out the door with Lina on his tail. Across the street and into an alley, dragging a limp and unconscious Rock by the throat like a ragdoll until the towering cement wall of a building stopped him in his tracks. Turning around, he promptly spotted Lina scrambling down the narrow alley, her slender frame splashed in the blue light of night as she skidded to a stop. "Put... him down. I'm not messing with you anymore, big boy!" With a laugh, the man released his grip on Rock's throat, the limp body thudding against the ground. "Now buzz off, old man." With a contemptuous glare and a sinister chuckle, Ganondorf raised a fist towards his tiny opposition. "I'd like to see you try and make me." With a smirk that hinted at sharply pointed canines, Lina raised her hands above her head. "You got it. Darkness beyond twilight, crimson blood that flows..." "Wait, no!" Ganondorf's eyes became that of pure terror as he thrust his fist into the ground, a puff of dark black smoke laced with violet lining concealing his figure and fading away to leave nothing.
Quickly sheathing her blade, Lina ran to the fallen body and kneeled down next to him. With a few rough pats on the cheek, she questioned in a semi-interested manner, "Hey... guy? You all right, there?" Strands of blond hung over the fallen Rock's face, his breath faint. "Hrm.." Lina mused. "He needs a healing spell." Standing and holding her hands a few inches above Rock's chest, her hands began to glisten with cyan sparkles as the alley became illuminated with the glow of her palms. "Detoxify!" She called as the sparkles and the glow itself - an aura of healing energy - sank into Rock's body, causing the body to glow with the same light for a few seconds until the illuminescence was one with the darkness.. Rock coughed hoarsely as his eyes clenched shut, the pain in his throat evident as he sat up and rubbed his head, a dark pink and red mark across the length of his throat where Ganondorf's powerful grip had come down on him. Groaning in pain, he eventually managed to open his eyes, his vision blurred as he looked up to see nothing but a mix of colors standing before him. "His eyes..." Lina whispered to herself. Even in the moonlight, the powerful ruby of Rock's eyes could not be obscured. Hearing this, Rock focused his gaze on the center of the unknown amalgam that presented itself before him. Lina kneeled down, checking Rock for any evident signs of injury. "You all right there, guy?" Confused as to what had happened exactly, Rock looked dumbfounded as he nodded at her, his eyes fixed on hers. "I... yeah, I'm okay. Um... not that I don't appreciate you saving me and all, that was really nice of you. But, who are you?" Smiling, she stated plainly. "Why, I'm Lina Inverse. Sorceress extraordinare." Holding out his right hand, Rock smiled softly at his rescuer. "My name's Rock... it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Inverse." Clasping the gloved hand and giving it a rough shake, Lina pulled Rock up to his feet. "Can the 'Miss' business. Just call me Lina." "Alright... Lina. Should we go back?" "Nah, it's just 'bout closing time. You can just head off on your merry little way if you want." "Oh... um... alright. Thank you." "Don't rub it in, new guy." Rock let off a quick, nervous chuckle. "Right, right... I'll just go." "You do that."
"But.. before I go..." Lina sighed as she shot Rock a look. "Geez, what is it with you!? Do you never leave!?" "Um... can I have my hand back?" The tint of color on Lina's face was lightly brushed with a stroke of pink - she clearly was the type to flare up in anger quickly - as she flung Rock's hand back at him. "You're lucky I forgot about that! Now go!" Rock gazed with a blank look into Lina's eyes as she glared back with furrowed brows, the two standing in moon-tipped darkness until Lina - having had her fill of standing in an alley with nothing to say or do - turned and stomped away. Stationary for only a few moments, Rock zipped up the cuffs of his red jacket and walked after her.
Chapter Twelve: Crimson Crisscross
Rock groaned as he rubbed the back of his head, struggling to pull himself to his feet. Towering above him, a man with dirty-looking brown skin, almost green, and clad in elaborate medieval-style armor stared down at him. With bright orange eyes the monster of a man traced over Rock's features, watching him as he stood and looked to his direction. Rock's own red eyes inspected the man, looking over his brown armor and light tan cape; short red hair spiking behind him. A wry smirk crept over the man's face, leaning down and grabbing Rock by the throat, his massive right hand grabbing his neck and his huge fingers clamping down on him. Rock groaned and struggled as he was held above the man's head, his strength escaping his body quickly.
At a nearby table, a girl with long red hair sat with a fairly young-looking boy with blond hair creeping out of the sides of his long and pointy green hat. "Hey Link?" The girl mused. "That's the guy that's always after you, isn't it?" The boy, Link, shifted in his seat to look over at the towering man that held Rock by the throat, Rock's legs flailing at the empty air under them, trying to summon the strength to kick at the man, but failing. "Hey yeah!" The young boy chirped enthusiastically, his left hand flying over his shoulder to withdraw the short sword from his scabbard. His right hand took hold of the shield buckled to the scabbard, and in three seconds he was equipped and ready to battle. "Well, what are you waiting for?" The girl grinned, her bright red eyes looking from the young Link to the towering tall man, but most intently, at Rock. "Go get him." "Sure thing, Lina!" Link hopped off his stool and dashed at the man, his sword raised above his head and his shield poised in front of him.
Though the young boy's battlecry was certainly enthusiastic, it was far from the most strategic of maneuvers. The larger man's voice came in animal-like snarls as his massive palm reached behind him, gripping firmly upon young Link's face as he was lifted into the air next to Rock. A sneer formed on his face as he took the two limp bodies and slammed them together, sharp groans of pain escaping in unison from his two victims. He reeled his left arm- the one that held Link- up above his head and fiercely drove it into the ground, causing the boy to lose his grip on his sword. The clatter of the fallen weapon caught Lina's attention, long wavy strands of red running down her back. She stood slowly, her large green shoulder guards rustling somewhat as she did. She took a moment to tug down on her light yellow t-shirt, dusting off a small spot on her red jeans. Once she deemed herself ready, she gripped the sword sheathed to one of her belt loops, the golden handle sparkling in the multi-colored lighting of the area as she deftly raised it into the air, pointing the tip of her weapon to the man who even as she watched alternated between hammering Rock's and Link's skulls into the hard floor. "Hey Ganondorf!" Lina called, about twenty feet or so between them. This clearly caught the man's attention, as Ganondorf turned to face the significantly younger Lina, holding a mildly conscious boy in each hand. "What do you want?" Lina, with her tiny frame and defiant attitude, stared down the much older Ganondorf with eyes of red. "I want you to put him down." A smirk and a scoff from the malignant figure, and he halfheartedly flung his wrist to the side, sending the young Link crashing into a table which toppled over in the hushed silence.
"The other one." Lina commanded in a voice that showed no intention of waiting. With a quick, curious grunt, Ganondorf glanced at the fading Rock in his hand and then to Lina. "This one? You don't even know who this is." His next line came in a clearly insulting tone. "And the great Lina Inverse only looks out for herself." The great Lina Inverse scowled ferociously at this, thrusting herself forward a single lunging step, bringing herself to be about ten feet from her target. "Just put him down." "I don't think I want to." Ganondorf retorted promptly. "You've clearly taken an interest in him because he has something you want. Gold, perhaps? Maybe a rare artifact or ancient magical secret? It's no secret that you're a selfish little girl, Lina. Perhaps I'll take this with me and find out what's so special about him."
With a single powerful bound, which eased into a run with leaping strides, Ganondorf was out the door with Lina on his tail. Across the street and into an alley, dragging a limp and unconscious Rock by the throat like a ragdoll until the towering cement wall of a building stopped him in his tracks. Turning around, he promptly spotted Lina scrambling down the narrow alley, her slender frame splashed in the blue light of night as she skidded to a stop. "Put... him down. I'm not messing with you anymore, big boy!" With a laugh, the man released his grip on Rock's throat, the limp body thudding against the ground. "Now buzz off, old man." With a contemptuous glare and a sinister chuckle, Ganondorf raised a fist towards his tiny opposition. "I'd like to see you try and make me." With a smirk that hinted at sharply pointed canines, Lina raised her hands above her head. "You got it. Darkness beyond twilight, crimson blood that flows..." "Wait, no!" Ganondorf's eyes became that of pure terror as he thrust his fist into the ground, a puff of dark black smoke laced with violet lining concealing his figure and fading away to leave nothing.
Quickly sheathing her blade, Lina ran to the fallen body and kneeled down next to him. With a few rough pats on the cheek, she questioned in a semi-interested manner, "Hey... guy? You all right, there?" Strands of blond hung over the fallen Rock's face, his breath faint. "Hrm.." Lina mused. "He needs a healing spell." Standing and holding her hands a few inches above Rock's chest, her hands began to glisten with cyan sparkles as the alley became illuminated with the glow of her palms. "Detoxify!" She called as the sparkles and the glow itself - an aura of healing energy - sank into Rock's body, causing the body to glow with the same light for a few seconds until the illuminescence was one with the darkness.. Rock coughed hoarsely as his eyes clenched shut, the pain in his throat evident as he sat up and rubbed his head, a dark pink and red mark across the length of his throat where Ganondorf's powerful grip had come down on him. Groaning in pain, he eventually managed to open his eyes, his vision blurred as he looked up to see nothing but a mix of colors standing before him. "His eyes..." Lina whispered to herself. Even in the moonlight, the powerful ruby of Rock's eyes could not be obscured. Hearing this, Rock focused his gaze on the center of the unknown amalgam that presented itself before him. Lina kneeled down, checking Rock for any evident signs of injury. "You all right there, guy?" Confused as to what had happened exactly, Rock looked dumbfounded as he nodded at her, his eyes fixed on hers. "I... yeah, I'm okay. Um... not that I don't appreciate you saving me and all, that was really nice of you. But, who are you?" Smiling, she stated plainly. "Why, I'm Lina Inverse. Sorceress extraordinare." Holding out his right hand, Rock smiled softly at his rescuer. "My name's Rock... it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Inverse." Clasping the gloved hand and giving it a rough shake, Lina pulled Rock up to his feet. "Can the 'Miss' business. Just call me Lina." "Alright... Lina. Should we go back?" "Nah, it's just 'bout closing time. You can just head off on your merry little way if you want." "Oh... um... alright. Thank you." "Don't rub it in, new guy." Rock let off a quick, nervous chuckle. "Right, right... I'll just go." "You do that."
"But.. before I go..." Lina sighed as she shot Rock a look. "Geez, what is it with you!? Do you never leave!?" "Um... can I have my hand back?" The tint of color on Lina's face was lightly brushed with a stroke of pink - she clearly was the type to flare up in anger quickly - as she flung Rock's hand back at him. "You're lucky I forgot about that! Now go!" Rock gazed with a blank look into Lina's eyes as she glared back with furrowed brows, the two standing in moon-tipped darkness until Lina - having had her fill of standing in an alley with nothing to say or do - turned and stomped away. Stationary for only a few moments, Rock zipped up the cuffs of his red jacket and walked after her.