Well, it's nice to be back to being Slywolf again. That's all I have to say. This chapter's introduction, therefore, will be done through an interpretive dance.

Slywolf does something very complicated involving two sporks, a small chimpanzee, and the cast of Riverdance.

Chapter 20: Darkness

Part 39: Darkness Ascendant

The transport landed silently in the jungle, all lights dimmed. On board, Marth, Fox, and Lycis checked their weapons. Samus flipped some switches, and the windows slid open, revealing a landscape softly watered by a light rain. She turned to Marth, and gestured him to the side. "I wish you'd let me come with you, Marth," she whispered, her visor sliding up. "I don't trust Lycis."

Marth shook his head. "Samus, there's nothing to distrust. You'll be far more useful here, guarding our exit route." He looked out at the jungle, and gave a half-shrug. "You're the only one of us capable of flying this transport, and you're the only one of us capable of working the tel-array."

The bounty-huntress sighed. "Okay. But I know the Chozo, and I know the space-pirates. There's no telling what traps the Chozo might have set before they abandoned this world, and there's no telling what the space pirates have created to supplement those traps."

Marth shook his head one more time, clearly not about to be swayed. "We need you working the array so you can keep us informed about enemy activity."

Samus nodded, still not happy. Her visor closed once more, and she walked off unhappily.

Fox and Lycis scanned the forest, neither of them speaking. McCloud had Crystal's staff strapped to his back, and his own pistol at his side. Lycis was holding his broadsword in hand, but seemed relaxed.

Marth walked right past them, and up an ancient path. "Come on. The triforce piece is up there."

Fox grunted. "How do you know?"

Marth turned and shrugged. "I just do."

Grimacing, Fox said, "Ah, great. That means it must be up there."

Lycis spat. "Come on, mercenary. Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Securely locked in the same box I put my sense of altruism in."

The bulky warrior laughed, and slapped the vulpine pilot on the back. "Well, unlock it! There will be plenty of treasure up there, I'm sure."

Fox sighed. "Coming..."

The three heroes walked along the path, a solid wall of armour against anything approaching them. That didn't stop the ambush. All of a sudden, the bush around them became alive with dozens of screaming insect-like space-pirates, clawing and blasting at the trio.

They learned, and learned painfully, that fancy molecular armour is of no use against brute strength and an exceedingly heavy broadsword. Lycis casually spun his blade, and five of the pirates were cut down at once. In the space of a few minutes, all the pirates had been eliminated, and rich red blood heavily stained the ground. Marth stared at the Master Sword, at its sharp glow in the darkness of the jungle. It had been in no way affected by the battle, not stained or chipped. Indeed, it seemed to glow even stronger than it had prior to the ambush.

The King had a strange feeling that the blade hungered for the blood of yet more evil. Sheathing it, Marth looked around. Fox was inspecting one of the fallen pirate's weapons curiously. With a shrug, he used his edged staff to slice it from the pirate's hand and then placed it in his pack. "Hey, what are we waiting for? Let's get up to that shrine."

Lycis was staring into space, as if he was seeing something else. Marth knew he was looking past the pirates, and across the years, to a place and time that now no longer existed.

He watched the older man stand up, as he shook his head. "Come, mercenary, Your Highness. We have much ground to cover, I am sure."

The trio once more set off, hiking up the path. They did not know what would come.

But they were sure they would be ready for it.

Fox stared up at the building. It was an ancient shrine, he was sure of it. But there was something about it. The angles... They didn't look right. There were curves and lines, shapes an Euclid couldn't name. But what was worse was the almost sickening organic look of the building. As if it had grown, instead of been built. He had a strange thought that, while the Chozo may have used this building, they had had no hand in its creation. "Are you sure that the Triforce is in there?" He asked.

Marth nodded, curtly. "It is. I can feel it now... It's calling to me."

Fox waved his hand vaguely. "Well, yeah... But this seems... there was only that one ambush as we came up the path."

"The mercenary is right, Your Highness. This was far too easy."

Marth ignored them both. He walked up to the entrance portal, and ran his hand along the pillars on either side. "The feeling is strong..." he murmured.

Fox and Lycis eyed one another. The knight nodded. "I will follow immediately after the Prince. You will bring up the rear and provide covering fire and communication with Miss Aran."

Fox nodded, and then had to run to catch up. Marth was already inside the shrine. Lycis walked through the door after him, and Fox… pulled up short. A stone block had suddenly fallen, separating him from his companions. "Oh, crap…"

Marth looked around the room, waiting for his eyes to adjust. He gasped in surprise when he saw the glowing object on an abandoned altar. "Lycis! The triforce piece… it's just… Lycis?" He asked, slowly.

Had that been a thump coming from behind him? Dreading what he was about to see, the King turned around, and made the triangle symbol over his heart. "Gods and Goddesses preserve us…" he said, softly. The knight lay on the ground, dead from an immense hole in his breast. His expression didn't even register surprise. "I… I failed him again…"

"Don't blame yourself, Marth…" a cold, familiar voice echoed from the shadows of the room. "There was nothing you could have done to save him."

Marth looked nervously around the room, searching for his enemy. The voice came again from behind him. "Though, that's been happening a-lot lately, hasn't it…?" He spun around, but there was nothing there. The voice came from the other side now. "Your friends… dying or betraying you… and just think. If you hadn't come to this place, he would still be alive now…"

Marth started to sink to the ground, the room seeming to spin around him. "No… no…"

That cold, emotionless voice came from the shadows once more. "Yes… yes… you failed again, Marth. You couldn't protect him. Just like you couldn't protect your beloved wife and daughter… you're a failure. You don't belong here! You don't deserve the triforce! You deserve nothing!"

Marth growled, and pulled himself up. "I will not let him die in vain…" He shook his head, shaking away the thoughts that clouded his mind. There would be time to mourn Lycis later… now, he had to ensure that his death had been for a cause. He reached out for the Triforce-piece on the altar. He suddenly hit something solid. Something was around the triforce, in the way. "What…?"

The shadows coalesced in a corner of the room. "Not so fast, my old friend," the figure said, stepping from the darkness. "We have…unfinished business. And as Ganondorf's Lieutenant, I claim that piece, and all of the Triforce of Wisdom, in the name of His Majesty." He drew his sword, a sword that sucked in the remaining light. "If you want it, you have to get through me."

Marth turned around, slowly. His eyes flickered with a cold anger. "So be it, Link." The King of Hyrule drew the Master Sword, and narrowed his eyes as it burst into full-glow. "So be it."

Part 40: Darkness Triumphant

Keller shook his head. "Still trying to goad me with that name? Still believe that's who I am?" He took a step forward, and the wind of lost years blew after him as he took step by heavy step towards his enemy, Soulblighter in front of him. "I am far stronger now than I ever was. And if you think appealing to our old friendship will save you…"

Marth interrupted. "No. No I don't. Because we were never friends. The man I knew is dead. And if you think that just because you have his body I'll shy from destroying you, you have another thing coming."

The vampire chuckled. "Ah, Marth… still insisting this is all a dream… something you can wake up from? Well… if this is a dream, then it's a nightmare…" Keller held his sword up and pointed it at Marth's neck. "You can not win this fight."

Marth knocked Soulblighter aside with the Master Sword. "If you want to fight me, then stop toying and let's do this."

"So be it." Keller faded out of sight, suddenly.

And then sprang at Marth from behind, sword raised. Marth moved quickly, rolling to the ground and spinning to face his assailant before charging at him, sword blazing. Keller sidestepped, shaking his head. "You'll have to do better than that, Marth old-boy. You'll have to do much better than that."

Marth sliced his sword around again, trying to get him. "Stop talking and fight!" He roared, angrily.

Keller wasn't there any more. He was next to Marth, just watching through his helmet. "You don't understand…"

Marth lashed out once more, his sword making a keening sound as he stabbed towards the vampire.

Who had appeared behind him. "This isn't the tournament any more, old friend."

And so the strange battle continued. Marth used all his skill, but it was never enough. Keller was never there. He was never in range. He was always just out of reach, or to the side. His defences were always ready. Marth was growing more and more angry. "Damn it, Keller… STAND AND FIGHT ME!"

There was a hiss of drawn steel from behind him, and then Marth felt a heat in his side. He crumpled to the ground, unable to do anything as Keller stood over him and put his dagger away, shaking his head. "Like I said… this isn't the tournament anymore, Marth. This is real. The stakes are high. The stakes are life, the universe…" The vampire raised his helmet, and looked down at him with those fiery red orbs, "and everything."

"Why didn't you use your sword…?" Marth whispered, feeling his life's blood run out.

"Because you weren't worth it," Keller said the sentence as simple fact. "You weren't worth the energy it took to stab you." He put a hand out, and lifted it into the air. Marth felt himself rise up, and move erect so he was meeting Keller's eyes with his own.

Marth was past caring… he was feeling his life leave him, and he couldn't care about anything more. Keller, however, had other plans. "I could let you die," he murmured, "but I'd prefer for you to live. I want you to live the rest of your miserable life knowing that when it came to it, you failed when you most needed to succeed. Failed the galaxy, failed yourself. Failed, like you failed Lycis. Like you failed Roy. Like you failed Zelda. And like you failed me."

Marth felt the heat in his side slowly retreat, his senses slowly returning. With them came the shame, the agony of knowing that Keller was right. "No…" The vampire snapped his fingers, and he fell to the ground, unable to move, just to watch as Keller slowly reached out for the Triforce-piece. And grabbed it. "No!" There was a moment when the universe screamed in agony, and then the golden object flashed red, and was gone. "NOOOOO!"

Keller turned back to face Marth and gave a mocking salute. "Farewell, enemy mine… perhaps next time we meet you'll be worth killing." And he stepped back into the shadows, and was gone.

"No…" Marth grabbed at the ground underneath him, and started to cry. He didn't see the door slide open, didn't hear Fox run in and curse, or, later, feel Samus pick him up and carry him back to the ship. All he could here were Keller's words to him, those terrible, true words. 'I failed… I failed them all…"

In our next exciting adventure… well, you'll just have to wait, won't you?

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