Chapter Eighteen: Link vs. Ormek
Link mounted his horse and forced it to run all the way to Cantarus's outer wall. Once he reached the barrier, he dismounted and followed a mass of Cyntirian soldiers up a flight of stairs to the top of the wall and around the city's perimeter to the southeast corner of Cantarus. Link expected to see a huge mass of Tyfirian soldiers marching toward the city, but what he saw was nothing like he imagined. Only about five hundred Tyfirian soldiers were in the surrounding field. The small number of troops actually frightened Link more than if he had seen five thousand men. Ormek would only have sent such a small force to attack Cantarus if he had some brilliant plan that could not fail. Link drew his sword and shield and readied himself from what would no doubt be an interesting battle.
The number of Tyfirians soldiers was actually closer to two thousand, but they were split up into four groups of five hundred and were all approaching the city from a different direction. Link could only see one of the four groups because of the vast circumference of the Cantarus's outer wall. While Link hoped to engage General Ormek from his current position he was at the wrong end of the city. Ormek led the group of men that approached from the northeast.
"This is the day we have been waiting for all of our lives," Ormek called out fiercely as he rode his horse in front of his squadron. Ormek was dressed in the standard blue and grey of Tyfiria, yet the rest of his men were clad in strong armor. Ormek wore only a chain mail shirt beneath his outer coat, his shoulder armor that indicated his rank, and a pair of steel wrist guards. Most of his men thought he was grossly under equipped for an invasion on Cantarus, but Ormek was confident no Cyntirian could harm him. He decided to trade in his armor for speed and agility. Normally that would be considered ludicrous, but the Triforce of Knowledge had already increased Ormek's reflexes by three hundred percent. Armor would only inhibit the general from using his lightning quick reflexes.
"Today," Ormek continued in an authoritative tone, "today we have a chance to avenge the hundreds of years of enslavement that our ancestors and even we ourselves were forced to endure! The nation of Tyfiria, under the guide of the highest-ranking military officials including myself has to date destroyed every other major city in Cyntir and captured their inhabitants. Our prisoners are on their way to Tyfiria to be dealt with accordingly.
"The city you see before you is the last stronghold of our loathsome, slothful enemies. If we take it today, Cyntir will be defeated and the Cyntirians' land will be ours! We have already taken South Port Town and control the Strait of Cyntir, that is to say the Strait of Tyfiria! Once we emerge victorious today we will rule over our former masters the way they once ruled over us!
"I admit, we are outnumbered here, but we have something the Cyntirians do not have. Courage, valor, and the favor of the gods." Ormek then held up his right hand and let the symbol of the Triforce of Knowledge shine through his gauntlet. "Not to mention several of my new inventions. We can not fail today. Today justice will be served."
Ormek drew one of his swords and pointed it towards the castle guard atop Cantarus' defensive walls and shouted, "Open fire!" Upon his command five cannons of Ormek's design were wheeled to the front of the ranks and fired. They unleashed a barrage of bombs aimed at the soldiers defending the wall. Soon after the other three battalions fired their cannons as well.
Link heard the familiar thunderous sound and instantly knew what would follow. He ducked behind the battlements just as the bombs flew from the cannons and blew many Cyntirians off the wall. The defending soldiers were thrown in to a panic, they immediately fired their arrows at the invaders, but none of the projectiles even came close to hitting their marks. The Tyfirians were too far away. Several seconds passed by with out another Tyfirian cannon salvo, in which time the Cyntirians regrouped atop the wall.
"Get off the wall!" Link shouted to the warriors, knowing there was nothing they could do while the Tyfirians stood back and that another barrage was on the way. The Cyntirians ignored Link and stared at their enemies. Another thunderous noise reached Link's ears followed by a whistling noise. He ducked again and a dozen more soldiers were blown from the battlements. Blood stained the stone where the Cyntirians once stood. A few Cyntirians had the sense to abandon their position and fled, but the rest stayed put and another cannon salvo killed another group of soldiers. A few of the Cyntirians again tried to hit their attackers with their arrows, but the majority of the defenders attempted to get off the wall.
The steps leading up to the battlements were not wide enough accommodate such a vast number of retreating men and many of the soldiers were trapped on top of the wall waiting for a chance to get down. The next time the explosion ringed from the cannons, many of the cornered Cyntirians hurled themselves off the wall into the moat below to escape being blown to bits.
Before long Cantarus' outer wall was left without a single guard standing to defend it. Link hid himself on the wall behind the battlements, awaiting the Tyfirians' advancement of their troops. Once the wall was clear, Ormek gave the order to cease the cannon fire.
"Attack!" Ormek ordered. The Tyfirians rushed the virtually defenseless wall. The cannons were wheeled closer to the city along with the rest of the troops, but it required the strength of four men to push the explosive weapons. Once the Tyfirians reached the moat they dropped several platforms into the water. The platforms were one of Ormek's inventions. They were designed to float on top of the water and also connect to other platforms by a series of hooks located on one side of the wooden squares. The first platforms were hooked to the ground around the moat and then another platform was hooked to the end of the first. The Tyfirians used the floating scaffolding to build a bridge to the base of Cantarus's wall.
Once the Tyfirians were within firing rage a hand full of Cyntirians returned to the top of the wall and let their arrows fly. Many of the arrows hit their marks, but few of the hits were fatal to the Tyfirians. One of the cannons was fired again and quickly put down two the renegade archers. Link lifted his head up and saw the cannons were now within an arrow's shot. He drew an arrow from his quiver, which he had replenished with the arrows of a fallen Cyntirian. He powered up a fire arrow and shot it into the muzzle of one of the cannons. The weapon exploded and killed the Tyfirians manning it as well as those who were close by.
More Cyntirian archers made their way to the top of the wall and let lose their arrows. More Tyfirians fell, but they returned fire, using longbows, another of Ormek's innovations. Longbows were six-foot long and could pierce plate mail even from the base of the wall. When the wall was clear again, the Tyfirians brought out tall ladders and ran them across the newly formed bridges. They planted them at the base of the wall and hoisted them up against the structure.
At the northeast part of Cantarus, Ormek jumped on top of one of the ladders as it was lifted up. He drew one sword and threw himself to the wall before the ladder crashed against it. He landed next to three Cyntirian defenders and quickly killed all of them with three quick cuts and a smile on his face. Once his enemies were dead, he drew his other sword and led his forces down the stairs leading down to the ground. They were met with more Cyntirian resistance, but Ormek along with the help of his troops forced them back. The Cyntirians were both amazed and terrified by Ormek. It seemed that every time one of his blades fell one of their brothers was killed. Still the soldiers attempted to overwhelm the general once he reached the bottom of the stairs. They swarmed around him and tried to attack. Ormek would have fallen had it not been for the rain of arrows fired by the general's men from atop the wall. Most of the Cyntirians were struck dead by the arrows and those that were not, were cut down by Ormek.
The Cyntirians soon fell back into the city and away from the wall, while the Tyfirians located the controls to a nearby drawbridge and opened the gate allowing the remainder of one of the four the invasion forces to flood into the city. The northwest and southwest corners of Cantarus fell a short time later, but Link managed to rally the troops in the southeast.
At first the Cyntirians were reluctant to follow someone who was obviously not one of their own, but when Link managed to throw an advancing Tyfirian of the wall and topple one of the siege ladders they took courage and followed the mercenary's lead. The Cyntirians stormed the battlements and forced their enemies off. They threw down the Tyfirian ladders whenever possible and soon they recaptured the wall. Many of the ladders broke when they hit the edge of the moat or sunk beneath the water all together. However, as soon as they achieved that small victory one of the Tyfirian cannons fired again. The blast killed three more Cyntirians as the other cannons were prepared to fire.
Link shot another flaming arrow at one of the cannons, but missed his mark, he shot another arrow in the same manner and destroyed another cannon. Link drew yet another arrow, but he heard a deafening crack and instinctively hurled himself to the ground. Moments later the area where he had previously been standing exploded and hurled stony debris in every direction. The cannons continued to fire at the wall until the Tyfirians succeeded in lifting up their assault ladders again. The Tyfirians soon swarmed up to the battlements and engaged the Cyntirians.
The battle was fierce and bloody with dozens of proud warriors falling on both sides, but the Cyntirian soldiers' desire to defend their families eventually gave them the edge as they once again drove their foes back. However, as soon as the Tyfirian soldiers retreated the cannons opened fire. This time the Cyntirians did not abandon the wall, they drew their bows and rigged up some flaming arrows as quickly as they could and fired them at the large firearms. One more of the cannons exploded after three arrows simultaneously found their mark. With their two other cannons in danger of being destroyed and most of their siege ladders broken or beneath the water of the moat the Tyfirians broke up and went to reinforce two of the other invading platoons.
"Ha, take that ya dirty slaves," one of the Cyntirians called out. The soldiers were busy congratulating themselves when a rain of arrows was fired at them from within the city. Many of the arrows hit the Cyntirians and most of them that landed proved fatal. The defenders were enveloped in confusion they blindly fired the arrows into the nearby streets and hit nothing. Another volley of arrows emerged from the city and killed a dozen more soldiers.
"I knew it was not going to be that easy," Link said to himself as he held up his shield and sidled down the stairs leading to the ground. As he did so two arrows bounced off his shield and fell harmlessly to the ground. Atop the wall the Cyntirians were disorganized and were easy targets for the hidden Tyfirian longbowmen. Only a few soldiers had the sense to get off the wall and take refuge in the city. The hidden archers were from Ormek's company and were following orders to clear any remaining soldiers from the perimeter to ensure they did not get blind sided during the next phase of the invasion. The relentless fire from within the city soon whittled the Cyntirian resistance down to a sparse two dozen soldiers who fled into the city streets.
Link was one of the first men to take cover in the streets of Cantarus. He ran through the alleys with his eyes peeled for Tyfirian soldiers. He searched the city for several minutes and ran into only one archer. As he turned a corner the archer fired an arrow at Link and missed only by an inch. Link responded with an arrow of his own that hit the archer in the shoulder and dropped him to the ground.
Link then stopped for a rest and contemplated his situation. Cantarus was overrun by Tyfirians and would no doubt be destroyed before nightfall. The Tyfirians' new technology was too much to compensate for, not to mention the overall lack of soldiers needed to successfully push the Tyfirians back. Cantarus was doomed, but not all hope was lost. Link knew if he could defeat Ormek, his conquest could not continue past Cyntir, but also there was a chance Cyntir could be restored. However, Link did not know where Ormek was. Link looked over the tops of the buildings and spotted the tallest spire of Cyntir Castle. Undoubtedly, the Tyfirian invasion would not stop until Cyntir Castle was destroyed and the king was captured or killed.
Link decided he would have the best chance of finding Ormek at the castle and ran for the king's residence. When he arrived he discovered Cantarus' inner wall was already under attack. About eleven hundred Tyfirian soldiers were already surrounding the wall with six hundred patrolling the streets rounding up civilians and taking them as prisoners. The Tyfirian cannons had massacred the Cyntirian defense. Three hundred Tyfirians were killed in the assault, but roughly four times as many Cyntirians were lost. Needless to say Ormek's plan was working perfectly. For an attack on an enemy stronghold losing fewer men than the defending force was a remarkable achievement, not to mention four times fewer. However, the assault on Cyntir Castle was not likely to have the same results. Because of the bulky size of the explosive weapons the cannons could not be maneuvered through the city safely and thus the Tyfirians were without their greatest advantage.
As Link ran towards the inner wall he saw dozens of siege ladders already propped up against it. Dozens of Tyfirians were engaged in combat with the Cyntirian Royal Guard and although the Tyfirians were out numbered atop the wall they were able to force their enemies back with the aid of much crossbow fire from the Tyfirians at the wall's base. Link was bewildered by the how fast the Tyfirians reloaded their weapons. Reloading a crossbow was usually a very time consuming act in battle, simply cranking back the string could take dozens of seconds, but the Tyfirians could reload in just under three seconds. This ability was a result of yet another of Ormek's inventions. The crossbow used a spring loaded cocking mechanism, which grabbed the string and pulled it back into place when activated.
Link did not stop to watch the Tyfirians for long; he jumped back into the battle almost immediately. He pulled out a couple bombs from his bomb bag and hurled them into the midst of a group of Tyfirians gathered at the base of a siege ladder. The bombs exploded and threw Tyfirians every which way. Link bolted up the ladder before anyone had the chance to make sense of the explosions.
Atop the wall the battle had turned into dozens of individual duels. Link was easily able to weave his way through the combatants to a set of stairs. He began to descend, but was fired upon by a Cyntirian. Link wanted to smack the soldier with the back of his hand, but he knew he was not dressed in the uniform of either Cyntir or Tyfiria and was consequently a target for both sides. Link retreated back to the top of the wall and engaged a Cyntirian in battle. He tried to tell him he was on his side, but he would not listen and continued to attack. Link had no choice but to take the soldier down. He brought down the hilt of his sword on his opponent's head and knocked him out cold. As soon as the Cyntirian hit the ground a Tyfirian who Link easily managed to defeat attacked. Link continued to fight both Tyfirians and Cyntirians for several minutes and even killed a couple of the Cyntirians who were bent on his death.
Link stayed atop the wall fighting everything that moved until a group of Tyfirians opened the gates and the remainder of the Tyfirian forces poured in. Link watched helplessly as the Tyfirians rushed Cyntir castle using their longbows and crossbows to shoot their enemies from the battlements. The Tyfirians maneuvered a large battering ram through the gates of the castle and immediately began pounding on the castle doors. Before long the Tyfirians broke through and poured into the stronghold. Link ran for the castle the moment it was breached. He weaved passed more pairs of Cyntirians and Tyfirians struggling to kill one another, dead bodies of countless soldiers, and the severed limbs of others.
Once Link made it off the wall he made a mad dash across the small field that separated the castle from the inner wall. He dove into the castle as arrows from both sides narrowly missed him. Link headed straight for the king's throne room. He passed dozens of groups of soldiers who were busy fighting the opposing faction. Most of the soldiers were too busy to bother to attack or follow Link, so he made it to the throne room with almost no resistance. Inside the chamber he had been thrown out of only days before, Link finally found what he was looking for. Near the king's throne that had been tipped over during the battle, Link saw Ormek fighting three Cyntirians. Though he was outnumbered Ormek managed to kill all three of his opponents with two powerful slashes of his swords.
Behind where the king's throne had previously stood was a doorway, which led to a case of stairs. With his enemies dead, Ormek hastened up the stairs and Link chased after him. Link ran up three flights of stairs before he found himself on one of the castle's walls. Like the rest of the city, soldiers were everywhere fighting to avoid death. Not far from the top of the stairs Link saw Ormek and Latimar dueling. It was obvious the Cyntirian king was not fairing well. He had a large gash across his forehead and he was kneeling as though he had been stabbed in his right thigh. Latimar desperately tried to stab Ormek with sword, but the Tyfirian general knocked every strike away with the one sword he had drawn.
Ormek laughed as he saw the terror in his prey's eyes. "What's wrong Latimar, can't you kill a weak slave?" Ormek chuckled. Latimar stabbed at Ormek once again, but his sword was met with a powerful blow from Ormek's blade and was knocked away from the king. Ormek grabbed Latimar by the collar of his silk clothing and forced him to his feet. "Where is your mighty Royal Cyntirian Guard now?" Ormek growled as he pressed the edge of his sword against king Latimar's throat. "Your tyranny ends now!" Ormek yelled. He was about slit the monarch's throat when Link shot an arrow at him. Without turning around, Ormek hurled himself to the ground and landed on his back. The arrow whizzed past him only an inch from its mark.
Ormek quickly leapt to his feet and faced his assailant. "Link?" he said in amazement, "You are still alive? I must admit, I am impressed. Tell me boy, did you make it to the Blizzard Temple?" Link smiled and pulled the Talon of Soarlec from its place. "I underestimated you," Ormek said with a look of puzzlement. "You survived the subzero temperatures of the Frozen Fortress, the deadly climb to the Blizzard Temple, made it past my best ships, and lived through my invasion of Cantarus. You truly are remarkable person." Ormek looked back at Latimar and then smiled cruelly at Link. "If I had an army of soldiers like you Tyfiria would be unstoppable. Why don't you give me that little trinket of yours and join me? Help me defeat these foul Cyntirians and I will reward you with your weight in our captured gold."
"Riches do not interest me," Link said defiantly, "only making things right does."
"All the more reason you should join me then," Ormek growled. "These cursed Cyntirians ruled over my people for six hundred years. They treated us like dung, and forced us to work to build up their kingdom and what did we get? A lifetime of imprisonment along with the countless murders of our people, not to mention the games they played with us to amuse their own sick appetites. This monster especially," Ormek said as he pointed his sword at Latimar, "This beast spent the lives of hundreds of slaves to uncover a city in the desert that does not exist. He is responsible for the death of my entire family and all the lost years of my life and the lost years of everyone in Tyfiria.
"My point is Link," Ormek continued, "It is time the Cyntirians were brought to justice. They can not be allowed get away with committing such atrocities against my people. Besides, if I do not destroy the Cyntirians, they will eventually come after my people again. I can not allow that. If you desire to set things right you will join me or at the very least stay out of the way."
"I can not do that," Link said coldly, "Yes, your people were mistreated, but that does not justify destroying an entire nation."
"Mistreated!" Ormek yelled, "What do you know of the torment of my people!?!" At that moment Ormek eyes faded to the darkest black, his voice became deeper, and it also seemed to Link that another metallic voice echoed the same words Ormek spoke. For a split second the space directly around Ormek became distorted, as if the light around him was bent. The general clasped his forehead with one hand and fell to one knee. The sudden change that took place in Ormek paralyzed Link and chilled him to his very core. A few moments later Ormek returned to normal and stood up once again. "With all due respect, Link," Ormek continued in a much calmer tone, "You never witnessed the mass killings of my people nor did you see them beaten daily for not being able to work at a pace no mortal could meet."
"I have seen what you have done to the Cyntirians," Link said, "and I would say, you are no better than those you seek to destroy." Ormek scowled at Link upon hearing Link's recrimination of him. He punched Latimar in the jaw and knocked him out cold. He then drew his other sword and rushed towards the Hyrulian. Ormek moved so quickly, Link barely had enough time to respond. He drew his own sword and shield and turned away Ormek's first lunge. Ormek was quick to attack again, but his slash was deflected by Link's shield. The Tyfirian's swords then turned into a blur. This time Ormek was not going to toy with his enemy like he had before.
Link once again found himself defending against the merciless onslaught of General Ormek. He found it was near impossible to launch an attack of his own and was forced the stick to defense. His arms were burning and his response time was slowing. Link knew he could not beat Ormek in a straight out sword fight, so he decided to try other weapons. The first opportunity he saw Link blocked both of Ormek's swords and pushed the general away from him. Link dropped a few steps back and sheathed his sword and replaced his shield on his back. He then pulled out his bow and strung an arrow. He fired it, but Ormek ducked it when the projectile was mere inches from striking his torso. Link fired another three arrows, all of which missed, but managed to drive Ormek back. Before Link could fire another shot Ormek pulled a small knife from underneath his gauntlet and threw it at the hero. The knife struck Link on his right forearm. The sudden burst of pain caused the mercenary to drop his bow.
Ormek charged again, but Link managed to draw his boomerang and toss it at his attacker. Ormek dodged the boomerang, but it bought Link enough time to pull out a bomb and light it. In one fluent motion, Link snatched his returning boomerang out of the air and chucked a bomb at Ormek. The bomb landed next to the Tyfirian and exploded. The blast knocked Ormek off his feet, but he managed to throw his weight and get back up before Link could dish out another bomb. Ormek advanced again, and again Link threw his boomerang. However Ormek managed to knock the weapon out of the air with one of his swords. Link tossed three more bombs at Ormek, but the Tyfirian was as fast as lightning. He swerved and darted and avoided the first two blasts. The last bomb he managed to hit with another throwing knife and the weapon exploded in air, but because of his and Link's proximity to the bomb both men were blown back. Link got back to his feet first, but Ormek was soon to follow. Ormek was about to slash at Link once again, but the hero whipped out his hookshot and fired it at a wooden post putruding from the castle wall. The chain pulled Link away from his enemy and dropped him a safe distance from his opponent.
Ormek bent over and the waist and took in several deep breaths. He shot an angry glance at Link and groaned. "You are a much better warrior than I thought, Link," Ormek wheezed. Link was glad to see Ormek fatigued. It was the only sign he had seen that showed Ormek was not invincible. After a few seconds of rest Ormek sprang back into action. He stepped over Latimar and charged again as Link threw another bomb at him. Ormek hit the explosive with one of his knives and it detonated. Before Link could light another bomb, Ormek came down on him with his swords. Link managed to get his shield up in time and blocked the blades. He drew his sword once more and the battle reverted back to a sword fight.
Link once again found himself unable to attack. The magic of the Triforce of Knowledge allowed Ormek to respond his movements too fast. At that moment, Link realized what he had to do to defeat Ormek. He had to do something the Tyfirian was incapable of doing himself, use magic. Link backed away from his enemy and assumed an odd stance, he made a few motions with his hands while Ormek watched, interested in what his opponent was doing. He was shocked to see a dome of fire form over Link. Ormek performed a back flip, but when the dome expanded he was caught in the flame. Parts of Ormek's clothing caught fire, but he dropped to the ground and smothered the flames.
Ormek was undaunted by the fire, he rose to his feet and attacked again. Link was still tired from the sword fight and knew he would not fare well once the fighting started up again. He made more motions with his hand and was surrounded by a large blue crystal. It formed just as Ormek swung at Link who did nothing to block the attack. Ormek's blades crashed against the magic barrier. Link stood unharmed and took a swipe at the general. Ormek blocked the blow and attacked again, but Link was not harmed.
"What manner of man are you?" Ormek asked exasperated. Link did not respond, but instead attacked. Ormek was forced to go on the defensive for the first time for the entire battle. Link attacked relentlessly, but could not brake past Ormek's twin blades, though he did manage to get close several times. Ormek kept defending until Link's magic barrier faded he then sheathed one sword and put all his strength into one downward swing with the other. Link blocked the blow with his own sword. Ormek grabbed Link's wrist and the two warriors were locked in a battle of strength.
"You are indeed a great warrior, Link," Ormek grunted, "You must tell me the secret to your power." Link said nothing and remained in a sword lock with the Tyfirian. Before long the symbol of the Triforce of Knowledge began to glow through Ormek's gauntlet. The General looked at the symbol confused until he saw the symbol of the Triforce of Courage appear on Link's left hand. Ormek slid his sword out of the blade lock and backed away.
"Link, the Hero of Time!" Ormek said as he stepped back. "Of course, that is how you managed to retrieve the talon. How did I not see it before?"
"You know who I am?" Link asked in shock.
"Of course, great hero," Ormek replied and saluted Link. "In my search for the Scepter of Sokor my journeys took me to Hyrule Castle. While I was there I spoke with someone who knew of your exploits. A sheikah woman told me all about your journey across time and how you defeated the King of Evil. I must say, I have often hoped to run in to you. It is unfortunate that we met on such ill terms. Allow me to again insist that you join me in my quest to destroy Cyntir.
"I will not join you," Link replied, "I can not overlook all the people you killed in your insane quest. Besides, you have upset the balance of the Sacred Realm by stealing the Triforce of Knowledge. It must be returned to its rightful place."
"In due time," Ormek said, "After I exact justice on the Cyntirians I will have no use for the relic. If you wish for me to return it at that time, I will do so, but not a second before."
Link was taken aback by Ormek's statement. He never expected Ormek would willingly give up the Triforce of Knowledge under any circumstances. The hero looked intently at his opponent. It was odd, but he did not sense the same evil in him that he had only minutes earlier.
"My task is almost complete," Ormek continued, "Cantarus is the last standing Cyntirian city. Once it is destroyed Cyntir will belong to Tyfiria."
"And what will you do with the Cyntirians you captured?" Link asked. As Ormek opened his mouth to respond Link felt the evil in the Tyfirian increase once more.
"We can not risk the Cyntirians organizing themselves and revolting. Therefore they will all be exterminated," Ormek answered.
"I will not let that happen!" Link said heroically.
"Link, you do not understand. You have not seen what I have seen!" Ormek said, "No one has. No one understands. No one can understand." Ormek's words sparked something inside Link. He knew all too well what it was like to have experienced things no one else could comprehend. Link was compelled to ask Ormek what it was that he could not understand.
"The Triforce of Knowledge," Ormek said as he stared at the back of his hand and the symbol of the Triforce. "The Triforce of Knowledge has opened my eyes. It has shown me every slave that ever served in Cyntir. I have seen an innumerable amount of my ancestors killed at the hand of my enemies. I have watched them suffer at their masters hand. I have seen them whipped, beaten, ravaged, starved, and murdered. I have seen thousands of injustices against my people and will not tolerate them! If I could show them to you, I have no doubt you would join me."
Link stared at his own hand and marveled at the power of the fourth Triforce piece. He wondered how it could show Ormek such things. There were still many aspects of the Triforce of Knowledge Link and even Ormek did not understand and that is what made it so dangerous.
"Join me, Link" Ormek proceeded, "with the combined power of our Triforce pieces, we can rid the world of the evil Cyntirians and from there we can bring the rest of the world to justice."
"Can you not see it," Link protested, "The Cyntirians wronged your people yes, but not all Cyntirians are like Latimar. By destroying Cyntir you will also be responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent people."
"There is no such thing as an innocent Cyntirian," Ormek said in a metallic voice as his eyes darkened. Another chill went through Link and the Tyfirian attacked. Ormek went ballistic; he swung his swords with unequaled speed and strength. Link did his best to defend himself, but it seemed Ormek tapped into a new source of power.
Link was about to lose his control over his sword when the sound of a loud horn blared through the air. Ormek withdrew from the battle and gazed out over Cantarus. Beyond the city walls he saw an approaching army of some three thousand troops. Link turned to the south and saw a familiar sight, a band of Calrigan mercenaries.
"Retreat!" Ormek cried out at the top of his lungs to his troops that were within an earshot. "Some unknown enemy army approaches from the south! We must fall back! We have Latimar, the day is won!"
While Ormek was distracted with the new threat, Link sprang into action. He put away his weapons and pulled out the Talon of Soarlec. He pointed the relic at Ormek and read the inscriptions on the talon. Though Link had never seen the letters before, he was somehow able to read them and understand them. When he was finished with the chant, the Talon was surrounded with and orange flame, which fired a beam of fire at the general. Ormek fell to the ground and grabbed his right wrist. He fought the extraction process as best he could, but he could feel the Triforce of Knowledge leaving him. Link smiled and thought his journey would soon be over. However, before Link could finish returning the Triforce of Knowledge to the secluded part of the Sacred Realm, he heard a high pitch screech. The sound caused a surge of pain to course through the hero's ears. He dropped Soarlec's Talon and the beam of fire popped out of existence. The talon bounced off the hard stone floor and tumbled off the edge of the battlements. Slowly, Link's vision blacked and he lost consciousness.
Ormek growled as the screaming stopped and he sluggishly rose to his feet unaffected by the noise. "It's about time you got here," Ormek said as Shriek flew over to him and landed on his shoulder.
"Looked like you were in trouble," Shriek chuckled. "That green guy sure is tough." Ormek ignored the fairy and looked at the back of his right hand. The symbol of the Triforce of Knowledge still glowed with a brilliant gold light.
"Thank the goddesses," Ormek sighed in relief. He then walked over to Link. He held one of his swords to the hero's throat and froze.
"What are you waiting for?" Shriek asked, "Kill him." Ormek's hand trembled as he contemplated killing his foe.
"I can not kill this man," Ormek muttered, "not while he is unconscious. He is deserving of death in battle, but.... He is the only one capable of defeating me. It would be a mistake to let him go." Ormek still held his blade over Link's throat. The general was paralyzed. He did not want to kill Link, but he found it near impossible to pull his weapon away.
"Hurry up!" Shriek pleaded, "That other army is coming, we have to go."
Ormek's eyes flickered black as his sword pressed harder against the mercenary's throat.
"I ...can't," Ormek whispered. He fell to his knee and dropped his sword. He clutched his forehead and took a deep breath. A few seconds later Ormek stood up and retrieved his sword. He then walked over to the unconscious Latimar and hoisted him over his shoulder.
"You on the other hand I will not be so merciful to," Ormek growled and sped away with his prisoner.