You Can Run
They did. Immediately three of the guards ran into the fortress on their way up to the intruder. Two others drew bows against him, loosing arrows onto the roof rapidly.
He ducked into the nearest entrance, hoping that he would fare better on the inside. He sprinted round a corner, down a hall, retracing his steps to the kitchen and its second way outside.
He made it to the ramp, but once he looked in he saw the three guards dash into the room and start up the ramp. He didn't stop. He dove into the air over the guards, latching onto a piece of fabric hanging on the wall between the two ramps. Once he had secured his position, he gripped his boomerang. He lashed it out at one of the guards.
She didn't see the missile until it was too late. It connected to her neck with a crack. She fell to the floor with a thud, as his weapon span back around to his palm. By now another guard had leapt out to him, she too grabbing the cloth. It gave way under the stress, ripping the crest to the floor. Shikotsu landed without a sound. The girl hit her head on the table, knocking her out as well.
He leapt back as to find the third's position, but she was gone. A slight wisp of air rushed by his ear. He ducked as fast as he could, as the silver blade sliced the air overhead. He span around with a kick to her feet, but she had already sidestepped and readied to swing again. She brandished a glaive.
He had yet to receive training against one. She lunged at him with the blade held back. He dodged to her right, but the glaive came with her. It found a score on his right shoulder. His blood sprayed out onto the wall. He tackled her to the ground before she could strike again. His boomerang held flush against her neck, his legs pinning hers against the floor. He pulled his head back and smashed his to hers.
He had a little trouble standing for a time, but he beat them without shedding their blood. But his wound flowed readily in their stead. He quickly threw a small bit of sand onto it and wrapped it with a piece, torn from his tunic.
He made his way up the stairs. but only to find the guards waiting for him on the outside. He jumped against his right wall and then away from it, going over the women's blades and their heads. He didn't quite make the landing, but he recovered fast enough to keep running. He pulled two corners tight as he fled and lost them. But with the whole clan on the search for him he would have to lay low for a time.
Deep within the fortress, during Shikotsu's escape, a guard took off down a hall, meeting Nabooru halfway.
"What's going on!?!" Nabooru exclaimed.
"A intruder ma'am!"
"What!"
"A young boy, he's evaded several of our sisters already."
"Where was he last? Take me there!"
"Yes ma'am!"
Meanwhile, at the far side of the fortress, the intruder began scaling up the stone face. He had escaped his pursuers, and this seemed as the most logical place to hide. He ascended towards some form of lookout forged into the cliff itself.
"Ha! They'll never find me there."
Back inside, "Check the prison hold! He might try to hide there!"
Shikotsu nearly fell when he saw the arrow land a couple of inches form his head. Sadly, he did fall when a sudden shot of pain rushed up his leg and back. The second arrow had found his outer left thigh. On his way down, he watched as more arrows bombarded his previous position.
He had climbed near well the entire plateau, so the fall stung a little. But not as much had he of landed on the masonry. He felt the snap of wood under him, followed by fabric tearing, and finally onto something soft.
His eyes rolled in his head from the fall, but mostly the landing. He could not recall ever being so dizzy. He recovered slowly, but it was okay. He was in a different area, below the fortress. A grotto of sort he reasoned.
He found himself in a large room with stone pillars forming a circle each near the wall. There were funny little glowing things on the walls as well; odd, high-pitched tones rang in his ears.
He immediately saw a spot without the spots, the exit. A set of stairs leading up into the structure he imagined. He didn't care, he wanted out. He took no more that two steps towards the stairs, when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed movement.
He ducked back behind a pillar. Now, without his head spinning, he obtained a better look of the room. The glowing spots on the walls were candles. They covered the walls. Creating an aura around the limestone pillars. He could also hear clearer. The sounds of a woman's cries could be heard echoing through the room.
He peaked around the pillar. In the center of the room, on a large circular mat of blankets and pillows, he saw Ganondorf "enjoying" the company of one of the young girls from before. He turned back around the pillar blushing; covering his nose from his near nosebleed. He almost screamed. But he regained his composure and began to hop from one pillar's flank to the next. He made it to the stairs, but while heading up them, the girl's cries stopped. He looked over his shoulder only to see Ganondorf's yellow eyes burning through the dim room. He dashed out the door at the top, slamming it shut.
"Uh-oh..." He said as he leaned up against the door.
He could feel Ganondorf's footsteps coming up the stairs. He tried to hold the door shut, but it only took one thrust to crash through the wooden door and send the boy against the wall. The boy reached round to his back, now lying in a heap of splintered timber. He pulled out a long sliver of the door from his back, covered with his blood and dust.
Ganondorf emerged from the stairwell, his eyes focused on his prey, no sword or weapon in hand. But he didn't need one. He threw his long muscular arm toward him, Shikotsu rolled to the side just as Ganondorf's hand smashed into the wall, cracking multiple bricks.
Ganondorf's eyes slowly moved over to the boy's. And when their eyes met, Shikotsu knew evil. Ganondorf dove and nearly crushed him. But Shikotsu was much faster that the giant, and he put it to good use.
Shikotsu ran as never before on the way out. He could hear Ganondorf's thundering footsteps behind him. Then, all of a sudden, they stopped, but Shikotsu did not. He finally reached the outside, only to find Ganondorf waiting for him with several guards.
His father stood there laughing, arms crossed as the guards rushed in. Shikotsu rolled to one side and hopped up to the first floors roof. He continued along the edge of the cliff. He hopped down to the ground and made a break for the gate. He saw the ladder used by the watch to get up there. He leapt as high as he could on the ladder and was on the top quickly. With all of the guards after him, he hadn't though of where to go next. He looked out to the desert.
He didn't know if he could make the leap and still get up. but the guards had already started up the ladder. He took a quick breath, and stepped off the edge.
The air rushed by him so quickly, but the fall felt so very slow. He could feel each beat of his heart pounding within. As the ground closed in, his instincts took over and he landed perfectly.
As he took off into the desert, he looked back to see an archer standing upon the plateau opposite the tower. With that, she loosed the arrow.
He couldn't see it in the dark, but she had made the shot clean. It soared on target, until finally hitting its mark.
Shikotsu's body went limp in pain. He fell to his knees, as blood dripped into the sands. He tried to cry out in pain, but found he could not. The arrow saw to that. Everything slowly faded black; he fell forward, the arrow protruding from his neck.
"I'm sorry Nabooru...so very sor..."
Everything faded into inky darkness.
They did. Immediately three of the guards ran into the fortress on their way up to the intruder. Two others drew bows against him, loosing arrows onto the roof rapidly.
He ducked into the nearest entrance, hoping that he would fare better on the inside. He sprinted round a corner, down a hall, retracing his steps to the kitchen and its second way outside.
He made it to the ramp, but once he looked in he saw the three guards dash into the room and start up the ramp. He didn't stop. He dove into the air over the guards, latching onto a piece of fabric hanging on the wall between the two ramps. Once he had secured his position, he gripped his boomerang. He lashed it out at one of the guards.
She didn't see the missile until it was too late. It connected to her neck with a crack. She fell to the floor with a thud, as his weapon span back around to his palm. By now another guard had leapt out to him, she too grabbing the cloth. It gave way under the stress, ripping the crest to the floor. Shikotsu landed without a sound. The girl hit her head on the table, knocking her out as well.
He leapt back as to find the third's position, but she was gone. A slight wisp of air rushed by his ear. He ducked as fast as he could, as the silver blade sliced the air overhead. He span around with a kick to her feet, but she had already sidestepped and readied to swing again. She brandished a glaive.
He had yet to receive training against one. She lunged at him with the blade held back. He dodged to her right, but the glaive came with her. It found a score on his right shoulder. His blood sprayed out onto the wall. He tackled her to the ground before she could strike again. His boomerang held flush against her neck, his legs pinning hers against the floor. He pulled his head back and smashed his to hers.
He had a little trouble standing for a time, but he beat them without shedding their blood. But his wound flowed readily in their stead. He quickly threw a small bit of sand onto it and wrapped it with a piece, torn from his tunic.
He made his way up the stairs. but only to find the guards waiting for him on the outside. He jumped against his right wall and then away from it, going over the women's blades and their heads. He didn't quite make the landing, but he recovered fast enough to keep running. He pulled two corners tight as he fled and lost them. But with the whole clan on the search for him he would have to lay low for a time.
Deep within the fortress, during Shikotsu's escape, a guard took off down a hall, meeting Nabooru halfway.
"What's going on!?!" Nabooru exclaimed.
"A intruder ma'am!"
"What!"
"A young boy, he's evaded several of our sisters already."
"Where was he last? Take me there!"
"Yes ma'am!"
Meanwhile, at the far side of the fortress, the intruder began scaling up the stone face. He had escaped his pursuers, and this seemed as the most logical place to hide. He ascended towards some form of lookout forged into the cliff itself.
"Ha! They'll never find me there."
Back inside, "Check the prison hold! He might try to hide there!"
Shikotsu nearly fell when he saw the arrow land a couple of inches form his head. Sadly, he did fall when a sudden shot of pain rushed up his leg and back. The second arrow had found his outer left thigh. On his way down, he watched as more arrows bombarded his previous position.
He had climbed near well the entire plateau, so the fall stung a little. But not as much had he of landed on the masonry. He felt the snap of wood under him, followed by fabric tearing, and finally onto something soft.
His eyes rolled in his head from the fall, but mostly the landing. He could not recall ever being so dizzy. He recovered slowly, but it was okay. He was in a different area, below the fortress. A grotto of sort he reasoned.
He found himself in a large room with stone pillars forming a circle each near the wall. There were funny little glowing things on the walls as well; odd, high-pitched tones rang in his ears.
He immediately saw a spot without the spots, the exit. A set of stairs leading up into the structure he imagined. He didn't care, he wanted out. He took no more that two steps towards the stairs, when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed movement.
He ducked back behind a pillar. Now, without his head spinning, he obtained a better look of the room. The glowing spots on the walls were candles. They covered the walls. Creating an aura around the limestone pillars. He could also hear clearer. The sounds of a woman's cries could be heard echoing through the room.
He peaked around the pillar. In the center of the room, on a large circular mat of blankets and pillows, he saw Ganondorf "enjoying" the company of one of the young girls from before. He turned back around the pillar blushing; covering his nose from his near nosebleed. He almost screamed. But he regained his composure and began to hop from one pillar's flank to the next. He made it to the stairs, but while heading up them, the girl's cries stopped. He looked over his shoulder only to see Ganondorf's yellow eyes burning through the dim room. He dashed out the door at the top, slamming it shut.
"Uh-oh..." He said as he leaned up against the door.
He could feel Ganondorf's footsteps coming up the stairs. He tried to hold the door shut, but it only took one thrust to crash through the wooden door and send the boy against the wall. The boy reached round to his back, now lying in a heap of splintered timber. He pulled out a long sliver of the door from his back, covered with his blood and dust.
Ganondorf emerged from the stairwell, his eyes focused on his prey, no sword or weapon in hand. But he didn't need one. He threw his long muscular arm toward him, Shikotsu rolled to the side just as Ganondorf's hand smashed into the wall, cracking multiple bricks.
Ganondorf's eyes slowly moved over to the boy's. And when their eyes met, Shikotsu knew evil. Ganondorf dove and nearly crushed him. But Shikotsu was much faster that the giant, and he put it to good use.
Shikotsu ran as never before on the way out. He could hear Ganondorf's thundering footsteps behind him. Then, all of a sudden, they stopped, but Shikotsu did not. He finally reached the outside, only to find Ganondorf waiting for him with several guards.
His father stood there laughing, arms crossed as the guards rushed in. Shikotsu rolled to one side and hopped up to the first floors roof. He continued along the edge of the cliff. He hopped down to the ground and made a break for the gate. He saw the ladder used by the watch to get up there. He leapt as high as he could on the ladder and was on the top quickly. With all of the guards after him, he hadn't though of where to go next. He looked out to the desert.
He didn't know if he could make the leap and still get up. but the guards had already started up the ladder. He took a quick breath, and stepped off the edge.
The air rushed by him so quickly, but the fall felt so very slow. He could feel each beat of his heart pounding within. As the ground closed in, his instincts took over and he landed perfectly.
As he took off into the desert, he looked back to see an archer standing upon the plateau opposite the tower. With that, she loosed the arrow.
He couldn't see it in the dark, but she had made the shot clean. It soared on target, until finally hitting its mark.
Shikotsu's body went limp in pain. He fell to his knees, as blood dripped into the sands. He tried to cry out in pain, but found he could not. The arrow saw to that. Everything slowly faded black; he fell forward, the arrow protruding from his neck.
"I'm sorry Nabooru...so very sor..."
Everything faded into inky darkness.