Lance burst into the war room with anger. He had just received word that Arkannas had entered the realm of Hyrule and was now trying to attack the Zoras' Domain. He sat down at the long, wooden table that all his captains and generals sat at. They all had either glum or nervous looks on their faces. Lance didn't think that any of them wanted to go to the Zoras' Domain. He didn't care.
"Okay," he began. "We gather as many men as we can and launch a full assault on the forces attacking the Domain. They may be able to hold out on their own, but I don't want to take the chance. We will be there before tonight."
"Tonight!" one of the generals cried. "We wouldn't be able to get there tonight at full gallop!" "Yes we will," Lance said bluntly.
He proceeded to explain the way they would do this. There would be no element of surprise, just a full on assault that wouldn't stop until they had to retreat or the enemy was eliminated.
"So, is everyone clear on this?" Lance asked after he had explained. Nobody seemed to have objections.
"We leave in an hour," said Lance. Everybody then proceeded to collect their armies and meet in the square.
It was the longest hour of Lance's life. He stood in his room, tediously waiting for his squire to arm him ready for the battle. He almost didn't think they'd meet the hour deadline.
They barely did. Lance arrived in the Market just as all the warriors began to file in. He didn't hesitate to ride to the head of them and gallop in the direction of Zoras' Domain without a word. His men hurried to catch up with him.
The ride was duller than when he was being armed. Besides the lightning fast speed, there was almost nothing to entertain him. He didn't even have fun watching little creatures run across the path as he raced the direction of the Zora River.
They crossed the river and wound around the natural wall until they reached the gate that led to the Zora River. Once again, they rode around the winding pathways around the river, sometimes across it, and to the wooden bridge. When they saw the waterfall, they were horrified.
The flow of water had stopped. There was a large boulder at the top stopping the flow. But that was not the horrific part.
The guards were dead. They were plastered to the wall around the entrance. Their blue blood oozed down the wall, spears impaling them to it, hanging them above the water.
It was despicable. Lance had never seen anything so gruesome. His hatred toward Arkannas deepened greatly. His blood began to boil and he felt like steam was coming from his ears. He let out a battle cry, his men following suit, and he raced around the paths and across the wooden plank that had been laid across the gap.
He could hear the clashing of weapons before he entered. Lance led his horse over the large bluffs that led to the lake inside, with another waterfall overhead.
Arkannas's men were swarmed around the lake. They were dismembering as many limbs as possible from the bodies of the Zora warriors. Lance's Zora part of the army he'd brought were filled with hatred as well, and they charged madly to assist their comrades.
Lance cried out in anger and rode out into the water, trampling as many creatures wearing blackish tan as possible. Every enemy he passed that wasn't trampled, he cut down with his sword.
He had definitely inherited his father's skills. His father was an expert with the sword since age ten, when he first set out to recover the Spiritual Stones and save Zelda. Lance had been an expert since he was four. Link always had the thought that someday Lance would be able to defeat him in a sword duel.
Lance didn't let a single orc, zombie, Dark Elf, or demon out of his sight without missing at least one limb. He was already covered with spurts of the black blood of the men of Arkannas.
I Where is the evil sorcerer himself? /I Lance thought. It was then that his question was answered.
That creature that Lance had seen the night of his coronation was there, on top of the waterfall. He stood menacingly holding his flame-shaped sword up high in the air, laughing maniacally.
It was the same one that seemed to be Arkannas's right hand man. He had sharpened dragon ribs strapped on his back, yellowed and decaying. His cloak, wrapped around his entire body, was flapping in the breeze that came from the Zora's Fountain behind the Queen's throne.
It was then that Lance saw Mikao race up the stone stairway to Queen Ruto's throne room. Lance feared the worst. They'd already lost Saria. Would they lose another Sage too?
Lance bolted after him, wanting to make sure that his Zoran head captain would not be lost as well as his fiancée.
His horse struggled to get up the steep stairway, but Lance just kicked her on until they reached the top. What he saw confirmed his suspicions.
She was dead. Ruto, Queen of the Zoras, lay there on her throne, her blue blood flowing into the water that came from the Zora's Fountain. Her legs were in a tangle and her eyes were wide open, an aghast, horrified look on her face. Mikao was on his knees, holding her now limp arms in his, he looked like he was about to weep, but had not the strength to.
The waterfall was right to the left. He could hear repulsive creature still chanting and cackling. Mikao was distraught. He was now openly weeping, holding his head in his hands. Lance felt compassion for him and slowly trotted over.
"Mikao…" he said. "Why?" he said, to no one but himself.
"What did she do to him? What was it that he wanted with her that made him do such a thing?" he mumbled, silent tears streaming down his face.
Suddenly he began to tremble with anger. He slowly raised his head in the direction of the foul thing on the waterfall. His face was contorted with utter contempt. Slowly, he reached for his rapiers, almost dropping them with his quivering.
"Mikao, I know you're angry, but—" Lance began. "I'll kill him!" he shouted. "I'll shred him to pieces!"
"Mikao, no!" Lance shouted. He knew Mikao was no match for this being. Mikao ignored him and continued his blind, infuriated sprint toward the cloaked being.
Lance leapt off his horse and slapped her rear. She understood and raced out of the Domain. He then went in pursuit of Mikao.
"Stop!" Lance shouted. "Don't do it, Mikao!"
He reached the creature and halted a few feet behind him. It had heard the water splashing with each step Mikao took, and was waiting for him.
" I Ah, the dissolute Zora, lover of the Queen, has come to vent his anger, /I " the creature rasped. Lance could smell its putrid breath from where he stood. It smelled like death. He saw the jagged, root-like fingers tighten their grip around its weapon.
"You will die this day!" Mikao shrieked. The foul being simply wheezed a hoarse cackle.
" I Let it begin, /I " it said maliciously.
Without hesitation, Mikao raced for the cloaked thing, rapiers in each hand. He struck hard and fast, but the creature blocked every one of his blows. This didn't look good. That thing could flip Mikao over him any second!
Lance drew his blade and came to Mikao's aid. Mikao wielded two swords, yet the cloaked being managed to block every single one of his attacks with lightning speed.
Mikao came harder. He did two blows at once, but it just blocked one and dodged the other. Their battle started getting more intense, more epic as they started flipping around and jumping off the stone walls.
Lance didn't make it in time. He came almost five feet away from Mikao when he watched the impossible happen.
Mikao thrust his blade at the creature. Lance could've sworn that it touched it, but it didn't seem to. The blade came right at its face. The creature was unmoving. The next thing Lance knew, it was bent over low, under the blade. It then grabbed it and wrenched it out of Mikao's hand. How could it do that without cutting itself!
While jerking the blade out of Mikao's hand, it flipped around, causing Mikao to flip sideways. He landed hard on his side, yelping with pain. Then the beast laughed maliciously and jabbed his open hand into Mikao's throat, causing it to temporarily seal up, nearly snapping his neck.
Mikao clutched his throat, wheezing heavily, trying to breathe. But the creature wasn't done with him. It jabbed its heavy, unique blade into his leg. Unable to cry out, Mikao's eyes bulged widely.
Then the cloaked being stepped hardly on the wound he'd created, causing Mikao to let out a muffled cry. Lance watched in horror, unable to do anything but watch. Literally. He couldn't move! The creature must've cast some enchantment to make him watch.
After releasing its boot from Mikao's leg, Lance saw blades at the bottom of the boot. They were dripping with blue blood. How many blades were on this thing!
Then, torturing Mikao even more, the beast stepped on his shoulder, making it immobile and pained. His throat finally started to clear up, so he could cry out audibly again, causing heads to turn below.
Again, after releasing his boot, Lance saw the many wounds created from the boot on his shoulder. Lance just wanted it to stop.
The most horrifying part hadn't even begun. The creature got down low, right in Mikao's face, and said something to him. Lance couldn't hear it, but from the fear on Mikao's face he knew it was bad.
It put its blade down by his arm, and slowly pressed the sharp metal into it, right below the shoulder. Mikao was shaking his head, begging it to stop.
It pressed harder, and pain was visible on Mikao's face. It then began to saw with the blade, slowly and painfully. Mikao began to shriek, but the beast jabbed him in the throat again and made him muffled once more.
Lance could hear the blade cutting through muscle and tendon. Mikao was now writhing and squirming, trying to move from the cloaked being's death grip, but it was no use. It was too powerful.
Lance closed his eyes. He didn't have to watch entirely. But suddenly his eyes snapped open. The spell deprived him of any movement whatsoever.
Lance finally heard the blade touch the stone ground, and Lance knew Mikao's arm was now detached from his body. The blue blood was all over the water, flowing down the waterfall. Lance could hear cries of, "What's it doing to him!" and "We have to help him!"
Lance knew it was already too late for Mikao. He could only helplessly watch in revulsion.
The creature stood once more. It raised its blade into the air, now dripping all over with Zoran blue blood. Mikao shook his head violently, trying to shriek. Tears started to well in Lance's eyes as he watched Mikao beg for his life.
The creature was not swift. It jabbed the blade down, but once it made contact with Mikao's skin, he slowed and let it inch through the tissue protecting his heart. Mikao shrieked, even through the rasp in his throat. The blade inched slowly through his chest, until finally it reached his sternum. It then pulled the blade out, and thrust it into the hole created. It slammed through his sternum and splattered through his heart. Mikao's face slowly turned from pain and fear, to peace.
Even still, the creature wasn't done. He pulled the body up and pushed the blade further from his chest, going from his chest out his back. The hilt of the sword now touched Mikao's collarbone. The creature then twisted the blade from his heart and sliced through his neck, decapitating him. He then kicked his headless, on-armed body off the waterfall and let it splash into the lake below.
The repulsive beast then picked up the head of Mikao and, to Lance's horror, reached up the wound until it touched his brain stem. It pulled hard on his brain and the entire organ was pulled from his skull. Lance knew what it was doing now.
It tossed the brain down the waterfall, letting it splash as well. All it wanted was the skull. It grabbed what was left of his spine and yanked the skull from the skin of the head. It tossed the floppy, limp form of the head's skin off too.
It then took the bloody skull and washed the blood off of it, so it was now a white outline of what used to be Mikao's head.
" I A gift for the master, /I " the creature croaked. It put the Zoran skull into its cloak pocket, there to rest until it reached Arkannas, where he could string yet another skull to his sickening belt.
" I Alas, I have not the time to battle with you, your Highness. I would if I did, but as you can see, I have no more men, and I must report my failure to the master. Until next time, King Lance. I look forward to it. /I "
With that, it disappeared it a mist of black smoke, and it was… wherever Arkannas was. Lance had to find out. He couldn't let Arkannas attack Hyrule City before it.
He was finally allowed to move. Lance, trembling, stumbled down the steep, stone stairway and down the lake where his men mourned the death of their Zoran captain.