Disclaimer:
The Legend of Zelda is property of Nintendo.
Author's Notes:
Well, I'm sorry this chapter's taking longer than usual, but it's packed with action that should help make up for its delay. I was incredibly busy over Thanksgiving weekend and basically made no progress on the story at all over the four days off. I'm kind of just making up excuses, but they're true so I figured I'd supply some reasons for my lateness. I've also had a lot of homework in the form of papers and stuff to do but I should finish with that today.
A lot of questions this time, and I apologize if I miss some. I'll normally try to answer any questions posted in the reviews or any vague subjects that are brought up.
To Sareth: Your review for chapter 17 was awesome! The poem was incredible as well! I really liked it. And about the Goron thing; you're right about basically everything you said so I guess the situation wasn't exactly accurate, but the majority of them did survive, as pointed out later. I was also wondering if you were getting the good quotes from somewhere or coming up with them yourselves. Judging by your reviews, you would be capable of writing some really good stuff. And I loved the Goron special forces too. And now to address your thoughts about the battle in the dam and the escape. The Gorons were attacked with an altered, magical, ice that spread over an average human's body with as little as just a touch, as you can see by the way the door and the Hoshenans were frozen. The reason that it didn't completely freeze and encase the Gorons was because of their tough skin, and, now that you mention it, it could also be because of their body temperature. And as I was writing the escape part I was thinking hard about whether or not I wanted the Gorons to use their roll to escape. I didn't ignore, I just chose to have them run on foot. A reason could be that the hall was too small to fit the Gorons in their balled up form. Another could be because if they rolled they would be defenseless against the ice arrows and would be frozen in a second. They can only wield their weapons and dodge or deflect the arrows upon their feet. And although most Gorons have little speed on foot, these are the special forces. They've been trained extensively to be able to easily match speeds not attainable by average Gorons. I'm not shooting down all your thought or anything, I just wanted to explain my reasoning, and I hope I did a good enough job. Thanks for all the great reviews!
To Regulus Deathstorm: Great reviews! And thanks a lot for them. Judging by the reviews, you haven't reached this chapter yet your points aren't being addressed in the chapter immediately following the one you reviewed about. That's incredible to be considered among Split Infinitive and Fierce Deity. Split Infinitive doesn't seem to get as much acknowledgement as Fierce Deity, though it could just be because his stories have fewer chapters, but I respect and admire his work greatly, so I figured I do some free advertising. I did get the idea for the elven bread from Lembas, which was created by J.R.R. Tolkien in Lord of the Rings. And I've never played Chrono Cross before, so that's kind of weird if Kard is the name of a soldier, but cool too.
To all: As I said before, I will try to address all of the questions or issue raising comments that are put in reviews.
Oh, and anybody who's seen the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King trailer should know where I got the inspiration for Kard's speech. I definitely did not copy word for word, though. And when I say Hyrulians, don't think I'm being an idiot and accidentally calling Hylians by a wrong name. Hyrulians is the term I use when referring to all the citizens of the entire nation of Hyrule; the Gorons, Zora, Gerudo, Kokiri, Hylians, and anything else. And I also looked at my word count for my story before I put this chapter up and saw exactly 74,000 words. That's kind of weird. I don't know if anybody's actually read this far into the author's notes, but as always:
Read, enjoy, and PLEASE REVIEW!
The Legend of Zelda: The War of Power
Chapter 19: The Last Stand
The Goron army charged into Hyrule Field as the river exploded from the underground with tremendous force. The water rose hundreds of feet in the air and boulders were thrown to the side by the fountain. The Gorons yelled triumphantly as the Hoshenan and Solatian soldiers looked on with fear. The river soon flooded its banks and formed a massive wave that surged toward the armies, and the men could do nothing to defend themselves as the water poured over them and lifted them easily away from the ground.
The water rose to tremendous levels just outside of the Castle Town wall and flooded the field as the many soldiers desperately gasped for air. The river surged over the grassy expanse, depositing injured soldiers as it did so, and the water level soon began to recede.
Darunia watched as a small lake was formed around the perimeter of the city, the water level reaching the knees of the Gorons as they stood safely upon a large hill. The enemy soldiers were not as fortunate, though, as the river had completely covered them. The soldiers struggled violently to push themselves above the water despite their heavy armor, though some soon failed and met their doom beneath the waves caused by the powerful river.
The Gorons stood poised for battle as the majority of the soldiers climbed the hills to safety. Still more survived as the lake spread out and the water level decreased significantly, allowing the men to stand. Darunia yelled a command and the Goron army charged the scattered Solatians and Hoshenans who had no time to devise a counterattack.
The Gorons fought valiantly, overpowering the army of men with tremendous strength and speed. The soldiers soon found themselves being slaughtered as they attempted to gather together and retaliate. They were disorganized, and the Gorons used this tactical advantage to easily gain the upper hand in the battle.
"To victory!" Darunia bellowed triumphantly.
***
Mikau and the Zoran army reached the tip of a hill and gazed at the sight that lay before them. A few miles away, just before the gate of Castle Town, a fountain of water erupted from the ground and swept the enemy soldiers away before strewing them about the field. The general watched as the Goron army charged into the chaos and overtook their enemy, yelling cries of victory as they did so. The Zora's spirits were quickly lifted and the entire army became eager for battle. Mikau could see that Ruto was amazed at the scene that played out before them.
"We may actually do this," she said unbelievingly, as if to convince herself.
"Onward!" Mikau yelled as the Zora army began the charge across the fields.
They soon covered the distance between them and the gates of Castle Town and engaged in battle with their enemies. Mikau's fins across his forearms became sharp and blade like as he deflected a soldier's blow with ease before cutting a gash across the man's chest. Ruto followed suit, her fins becoming like steel, and slew a Solatian warrior with amazing grace. The small Zoran army overwhelmed their enemy with their spears and deadly forearm blades and soon reached their allies across the battlefield. Mikau and Ruto made their way to the Goron leader as he destroyed a soldier with his hammer.
"Darunia!" the Zoran princess said happily, causing the Goron to turn and look upon her.
"Princess Ruto," he said respectfully, "It's good to know you're alive. And thanks for the help."
"We owe you our gratitude," Ruto said, smiling, "I thought we would surely be destroyed when we marched against the Solatians. We did not expect any aid."
"Neither did we," Darunia said, "But with our people working as one perhaps we can end this war now." Ruto agreed and turned back to the battle, fighting at the Goron's side.
"I suppose Mahalda devised this plan," Mikau addressed Darunia as he cut through another soldier.
"Sure did," the Goron king said, smiling, "We'd all be dead if it wasn't for the confusion the river caused."
"Brilliant," the Zoran general said, "Is the general here now?"
"General Mahalda and the Goron Elite should arrive soon," Darunia answered, "Although the battle may be over by then." The two allies smiled and continued fighting the enemy, sure that their victory was near.
***
"Lady Impa!" a messenger pounded on the door of the war room, "Lady Impa! Something has happened! You might want to come see!" The Sheikah flew swiftly to the door and opened it, glaring at the soldier.
"What is it?" she snapped.
"The Gorons," he said, "The Gorons have attacked the enemy just outside the city!" Impa barely heard these words and she was dashing down the corridors of the castle, soon arriving at the stables with amazing speed. She mounted her steed and raced toward the city through the mass of soldiers that were rushing to the Castle Town gate. The Sheikah spotted Kard yelling at the guards at the raised drawbridge.
"What's going on?" she asked the general.
"Darunia's attacked," Kard said, "The Gorons destroyed the underground dam that controls the river and flooded the field. The enemy is scattered and the Gorons and Zora are engaged in battle with them. My men are readying for battle so that we may aid our allies. Though we must wait for the water level to recede before we attack." Impa nodded.
"I will sound the alarm," she said, galloping off.
Kard quickly heard many horns sounding from the direction of the castle, raising the alarm. Every Hylian soldier recognized the warning and prepared themselves quickly, grabbing their weapons and rushing to the gate.
***
Amir rushed out of the inn and onto the streets as the sound of the trumpets flowed throughout the city. He watched as soldiers sprinted in the direction of the city gate and soon heard Alria emerge from door behind him.
"What's going on?" she asked, yawning.
"Another battle," the Calatian answered, immediately sparking the girl's interest.
"Let's go," she said, "I want to help." Amir nodded and started off before hearing a voice yelling at him from behind. He turned to see Hawehn standing just outside the inn, glaring at him angrily.
"Where are you going?" she asked angrily.
"We have to help," Amir tried to explain.
"You're just going to get yourselves killed," the woman argued, "You two fight recklessly. I don't know how you've survived this long."
"How can you expect the Hylian soldiers to fight if you don't want us to," the Calatian said, "They have just as much to lose by death as we do, yet they still battle. We are able and willing to fight, and I cannot let myself stand by while everyone is destroyed." Hawehn looked at the ground, the man's words sinking in.
"Fine," she said sadly, "But be careful."
"Don't worry," Amir said, smiling before sprinting off down the road, Alria at his side. The two soon neared the entrance to the city and encountered a mass of soldiers gathered about the gate. The large Calatian easily forced his way through to the front, Alria following in his stead, and met Kard standing at the head of the Hylians.
"What's going on?" he asked the general. Kard turned in the direction of the voice and quickly recognized Amir from the previous battle.
"Ah, it's you," he said, addressing the Calatian, "The Gorons and Zora have attacked and we are preparing to aid them in the battle."
"Then why are we just standing here?" Alria asked, confused.
"The Gorons flooded the field," the general answered, indicating the water that was leaking through the strong wooden drawbridge. "They used the river outside the city," he explained upon noticing the two's confused expressions, "I don't have time to explain it all now. I hate to say this, but I'm going to need you two to stay near me during the battle. We may encounter the other sorcerer and I cannot risk fighting him alone if it means Halberd will escape once again. I'm going to need your help." Alria and Amir stood bewildered for a second before nodding. From what they had gathered, the general was a man that would never bring himself to rely on others and they were shocked at his request.
"We'll help," Amir said, "The sorcerer and the king must be destroyed."
"That is our main objective," Kard began, "If the cowards have not fled the battle already." An archer from atop the wall suddenly shouted at the general from above, stating that the water level had reached adequate levels to begin the attack. Kard immediately gave the order for the bridge to be lowered and it fell to the ground quickly as water poured over the soldiers, reaching the soldiers' knees. The general shouted once again and the soldiers charged into the field, attacking the Hoshenan and Solatian armies viciously.
Kard fought his way into a mass of enemy soldiers, ducking a blow as he did so and plunging his sword into the man's chest through the middle of his armor. Kard ripped his weapon free and spun quickly, cutting a gash across a soldier approaching from behind. The general kicked the injured man powerfully, sending him to the ground, before turning and countering another attack with ease. He threw the enemy's sword to the side and stabbed him in the stomach before narrowly dodging a blade intended to severe his head. He winced in pain as a weak blow cut into his arm but continued fighting with superior speed and power. The general noticed briefly that Amir and Alria had entered the fray and were destroying their enemy swiftly.
The battle raged on ferociously as arrows formed raging clouds above the field and soldiers fell constantly to their enemies. Then, when the nations of Hyrule thought that victory was near, a harsh cry echoed over the expanse of Hyrule Field, splitting the ears of the many soldiers. The men followed the sound and looked to the southwest near the area where the Lost Woods once stood. The sight shocked and chilled the armies of Hyrule to the bone, and many could only stand and gaze as their doom approached.
"Not now," Kard said quietly, "This can't happen now…" The general watched as the beast people of Coshrak sprinted across the fields, letting out agonizing cries and swinging their crude weapons wildly.
Coshrak was a terrifying nation that was normally cut off from the outside and left the affairs of the world alone. They were more beast than anything else, and they fought with unrivaled ferocity. The largest Coshraks stood at a height of nearly eight feet, and the smallest seven, making them tower over the races of elves and men. They had powerful, muscular bodies that could compete with the speed of the Gerudo steeds. The beasts' skin was colored a shade of green or blue and was slimy and tough and their form resembled that of a man. Their faces were marked by a pig-like nose and their piercing red or black eyes and jagged teeth. They normally possessed thin, straight hair that reached the middle of their backs and had elven length ears. The male, warrior Coshraks donned a simple large cloth around their waist that left their upper body and half of their legs bare. They were fierce warriors, known to be able to defeat humans and elves whose numbers totaled twenty times greater. The beasts killed and engaged in battle for the sole purpose of spilling the blood of their enemies, and they lived for this sensation.
Kard snapped out of his thought and found Darunia in the thick of the battle. He made his way to the Goron, seeing Ruto and Mikau at his side, and consulted him.
"We can't face the Coshraks now," Kard stated.
"I know," Darunia agreed, "Our people are not prepared for such a threat, and we are far too few."
"Without the aid of Calatia," Kard began, "fighting now would lead to our destruction."
"We can't just give up," Ruto argued.
"We may have to run," the Hylian general sighed, "Though it pains me to say that. King Darunia, can you lead your people over Death Mountain?"
"Yes," the Goron answered, "But I do not wish to flee this battle."
"We have no choice," Kard stated sadly, "You must gather your people that remain on the mountain and make for the eastern coast. I know that the Gorons are not fond of water, but you must escape through the sea. If the vessels of the nearby villages have not been destroyed, you can use the boats to cross the waters. The Solatians do not patrol the eastern shores, and you should be able to travel unhindered to the northern reaches of the continent. Mikau and Princess Ruto, you must lead your people along the western shores. You and your warriors should be able to reach Lake Hylia and regroup with the other Zora and then reach the sea through the river. I will take the Hylians through the frozen wastelands north of Castle Town and we will meet at the Halfling city of Torous."
"The Coshraks are approaching too fast," Mikau observed, "We cannot escape before they are upon us."
"Each of us will gather our greatest fighters and we will delay the Coshraks' progress," Kard started, "long enough so that the majority of our people can escape."
"Fighting our enemies with even fewer numbers than we already have is folly," Mikau said, "How do you expect to survive?"
"I do not," the Hylian general said simply.
***
Amir turned as he heard the bellowing of the Coshraks and watched as the massive beasts charged over the green of the field. Alria cursed beside him, noticing the creatures as well.
"What are those things?" she asked.
"I've heard that they are called Coshraks," Amir answered, "They come from a remote island on the Great Sea."
"We're dead," the girl stated. Amir smiled despite the situation.
"Not yet," he said, "And I'm sure General Kard has formulated a plan of some sort." The Calatian searched the area for the general who had been separated from the two in the thick of battle. He needed not to look long, however, as Kard soon came walking toward them, a grim look upon his face.
"Get out of here," he said to the two, "I need you to accompany the civilians as they attempt to escape. Me and my best men will defend the town until we are slaughtered. That should allow the people enough time to escape into the colder northern regions. The beasts will not follow there."
"We can fight," Alria argued, "You know we can. Why not have us remain here?"
"The people can't be left defenseless," the general explained, "They must have some protection, and you two have proven yourselves to be quite able warriors."
"That's not your entire reason behind this," Amir said doubtfully.
"No," Kard paused, "It is not, though it is most of it."
"So why do you want us to leave?" Alria demanded.
"You two, unlike me and my fellow Hylians, are under no obligation to die for our cause," Kard said, "By all rights you shouldn't even be here." He looked at Alria. "You chose to leave your Gerudo, those whom you once cared about most, to join us and defend the lives of innocent people. You can do far greater good if you accompany the people on this treacherous journey." The general turned his gaze to Amir. "You, Calatian, have proven yourself to have bravery and cunning that surpasses ordinary men. You are the only one of your nation that has come to our aid, and I am beginning to think that Calatia has forsaken us. One so noble as you does not deserve to die in a fight that has been hopeless from the beginning. You both must go."
"We are also under no obligation to obey your orders," Amir paused before continuing, "But we will go." Kard smiled, a rare event, and clasped the man's hand before doing the same with Alria.
"I would liked to have sparred with you after this mess was over," Kard said, "Farewell." Alria and Amir looked with respect upon the general as he marched off to gather his men.
"He knows that he goes to his death," Alria said, "Loyalty and bravery such as this are not found often in men these days."
***
"You have all heard the news that has been relayed to us by King Darunia," Mahalda told his squadron of fifty Goron warriors after Kard's desperate plan had been explained to the Gorons in full. "Today, we likely march to our doom," the general continued, "So be it. If taking a stand against our enemy means a chance for our people to live on, then I am willing! This battle will be our last, but the same will not serve true with our people. The Gorons will live on, and the day will come when our people and our allies will take back this land that has been given to us! Evil will not reign while the Hyrulians still remain upon this earth to challenge it!" The Gorons stomped their feet in appreciation and yelled in deep, booming voices that flew across the wide expanse of the field.
"Now!" Mahalda yelled, "Prepare yourselves! For now is the time we fight!"
***
Just one hour later, the Coshraks had nearly crossed of the immense expanse of Hyrule Field, a journey which took usually took ten hours to traverse on foot, and a small army of Hylians, Gorons, and Zora was gathered before the gates of the city. Kard stood at the head of the soldiers alongside Mahalda. Mikau had reluctantly accompanied Queen Ruto as she returned to the majority of her people and prepared for the journey through the sea. The Zora general had decided that the princess came before his own desires to stay and fight and that his people would crumble without a leader. He had been forced to leave the command of his small squadron to Mahalda. Darunia was also needed to lead his people to safety.
Kard looked over the miniscule army of five hundred that stood, terrified but determined, before him. He turned and watched as the Coshraks came within the range of the bows of the Hylians and stopped upon a hillside. A number of the Hoshenan and Solatian soldiers that had escaped from the battle were among them, and the number of enemy soldiers totaled over twenty thousand. A man stood at the front of the beasts, a victorious look upon his face. Kard recognized the evil man, and the hate welled up inside his body as he remembered the name of the sorcerer who had taken the life of King Harkinian. The general turned to his army.
"I see the fear in your eyes!" he yelled powerfully, "The fear that this battle will be your last! You look upon the enemy gathered before us, and you tremble! I will not deceive you! We stand here and wait for our inevitable destruction! But do not give in to your fears! Remember that we fight not for ourselves, but for our families and our friends who try desperately to escape our fate! We fight for the safety of others! We fight so that others do not have to! We fight for the good of the world, and the safety of this land! Our enemies will soon know that the spirits of the Hyrulians cannot be quelled by the darkness that overtakes our nation! When the day comes that our people fail to rise against overwhelming odds and fail to take up their swords against the darkness, then hope is lost! But until that day comes, we will fight!"
The army erupted into cheers, forcing their fears and doubts aside, and rallied behind the general as they charged the enemy with ferocity unrivaled by that of any nation, fighting for the sake of all.
***
"What was that?" Zelda asked nervously as Link and Dek listened intently for the sound to repeat itself. The princess was startled as once again tremendous agonizing howls flew into the night air from the depths of the dark forest.
"Wolfos," Link said, recognizing the sound and drawing his sword, "This isn't good. It sounds like there's hundreds."
"Those things sound huge," Dek commented, "Wolfos of that size aren't native to this forest. They're probably sent by the same person who sent those dragons after us." The elf removed his bow from his back and fit an arrow to the string as Zelda unsheathed her elven blade.
"We should get out of here," Dek said, "Maybe we can avoid a fight."
"Good idea," Link said as the howls drifted through the forest once again. They threw their supplies that littered the ground into their packs and sprinted along the riverside, attempting to escape the fierce creatures, though without much avail. The sound of the wailing soon moved closer and quickly seemed to surround them. Zelda gasped in surprise as a monstrous beast leapt down in front of her from atop a tree, only to be pierced by Dek's arrow as it entered its throat. It groaned and fell over in a heap, giving the three a chance to study their attacker. The creature was enormous, and would have stood eye level to Link had it been alive and standing on four legs with large feet and deadly claws. Enormous muscles could be seen beneath its grey fur and its jaw was immense. Its head resembled that of a wolf, though the snout was shorter and the ears longer.
"What is that thing?" Zelda asked, in awe of the creature's size.
"It could've fit my head in its mouth," Link observed.
"We can't fight an army of these," Dek pointed out, "Let's go!" The elf yelled as the howls rose into the air once more and the three continued fleeing along the river. Two of the enormous beasts soon were running beside them, appearing with such speed that it seemed as if they had fallen from the sky. Link cursed loudly and swung at the creature galloping beside him, severing its head. Dek pierced the other with two arrows, though the beast did not cease his pursuit and lunged viciously. The elf drew a projectile with amazing speed and plunged it between the creature's eyes, halting its attack. Dek let the beast fall, leaving the arrow lodged in its skull, and continued his flight. He turned to see Zelda stop suddenly and felt her restrain him from going any further by grabbing his shoulder.
On the path ahead, Dek recognized the moonlit outlines of two of the creatures barring the way forward. The three elves waited helplessly as more of the beasts emerged from the dark forest and leapt down from trees far above. They were surrounded in the span of a few seconds, and stood with their backs to each other, attempting to protect all sides.
"Those definitely aren't wolfos," Link said as the beasts lunged at their prey.
The three elves furiously countered the attack of the many creatures, protecting each other and desperately attempting to fell the powerful creatures. Dek quickly found that it sometimes took three well placed arrows to kill a single of the wolves. He launched his projectiles with incredible speed, the arrows burying themselves deep into the flesh of the beasts before they were close enough to attack. He crouched as a wolf leapt above him and unsheathed his sword in the blink of an eye before stabbing upwards into the creature's underside and cutting a deadly gash in its flesh. He was briefly disgusted as the beast nearly fell onto him and blood poured out from the wound and over his body. Dek turned and plunged his blade into the throat of an attacking wolf before removing it and kicking the beast back, only to see it rise to its feet and eye him hungrily. The elf ended the creature's life with an arrow to the throat and hurled his sword toward another. The blade spun vertically in the air as it flew toward the beast and buried itself in its chest. Dek let out a sudden furious oath when the wolves did not allow him any time to retrieve his lost weapon.
"I'm gonna need that later!" he said angrily before drawing another arrow.
Link batted a beast's paw to the side before severing his head and parrying the claws of another. He removed the beast's outstretched limb from its body and plunged his sword into its chest before pivoting on his toe and digging a gash into a beast who had approached from behind. It growled furiously and lunged, though Link easily ended its life with a blow to the head and turned to battle another. He briefly glanced toward Zelda to see how she was faring against the beasts and watched her gracefully dodge the many attacks.
"Man, she's good," he muttered to himself.
Zelda sidestepped a charging wolf and severed its head with a powerful swing of her blade before leaping into the air as another lunged at her. She plunged her sword into its head as she landed upon the beast and flew off quickly when it thrashed violently in pain. The princess ended its life and continued to battle the seemingly endless mass of deadly creatures, realizing that they could not survive this fight for long.
"Cover me!" she shouted to Link and Dek who readily obeyed and positioned themselves near the princess as she sheathed her sword and knelt to the ground. She gathered her magic in her hands and her palms glowed red before a ball of flame formed over her fingertips. Zelda yelled and the magic exploded from within her, creating a dome of flame which spread outward rapidly, though it passed safely through the bodies of her two companions. The wolves cried in fright and pain as the intense heat overtook them, burning them severely and sending their bodies careening through the air. The attack illuminated the dark night sky and set fire to the nearby branches of the large trees. The flames danced upon the leaves of the trees and shrubs, casting a glow over the tired fighters and the many still bodies of the wolves littering the ground nearby.
"Wow," was all Link could say, "That was like Din's fire but on the village decimating scale."
"It was Din's fire," Zelda smiled, "It was just the real version."
"Fine," Link said with false hurt, "Rub it in. It's not my fault I learned the crappy version." The two laughed, though stopped quickly as wolves emerged from the shadowy forest once again, replacing those that had been destroyed in the battle. The beasts were more numerous than before, and the weakened fighters felt a slight tinge of fear grip their hearts as they looked upon the vicious monstrosities.
"This isn't good," Link said obviously as the wolves attacked and the battle began anew.