Tales of the Hylian Elite
A series of short stories by Imat156
Enigma the Zora, Jimmy the Goron, and Imat the Master Stalfos are all trademarks of Imat Inc. and should only be used with permission from Imat or his other titles. Imat can be reached via AOL Instant Messenger at BountyHunterImat. Any questions or comments are greatly appreciated and can be posted in this thread or sent to Imat Inc. is a fictitious company and should not be regarded as a real corporation.
Imat Inc. sincerely hopes that you will find this story entertaining and enjoyable.
Enigma: The Black GuardPrologue:
The Hero of Time. I despise both the title and the bearer. This Link character was never needed. The world would have run its course without him. Without him, the Black Guard would still be needed. The Black Guard would still be the warriors that the Zoras relied on. But now we are as normal citizens. We are part of the normal class, no more recognized then shopkeepers or bartenders. But we wait still. We wait for the time when our people will need us again, when we can finally regain our place of honor at the King's side. We wait for the one who got away, the one menace we could not stop. This journal will account the Black Guard's encounter with the menace, and our efforts to stop him.
Chapter One:
"The Tektites will be kept under control as promised, my King. We have sent three companies of spearman to take control of the lake, and the Blue Fins to assist in any underwater skirmishes. The bandits have been identified as stalchild. The weapons they stole from the armory were recovered. The Octoroks have agreed to a peace as long as we leave them the river and the falls-" said Reeno, the King's advisor and messenger.
"And the King of Hyrule does nothing to help us," interrupted the King of the Zoras. " Does he not realize we can't handle everything? Or maybe he's still mad about us having the Black Guard and him having nothing. No hero to present to his people, no elite warriors to help fight off the invasions. He's just angry that the Stalfos prefer his kingdom over ours, while we get the measly Tektikes."
"Yes sir, that was what the King said to you, in not quite so few words…But, he's right. He can't help us because his army is being battered left and right by the Stalfos and other monsters still trying to invade. Our army is rock steady, we barely send out more then a battalion at a time. The Black Guard rarely sees the battlefield, much less an opponent worthy of their skills. They have become bored with their jobs. They say they are wasted talent, that we should send them out to clear out the tektites once and for all. They need to see action, but all we can give them are a few elegant dinners and a training room."
"Yes, yes, I know. Wasted talent. It's just that we see so few real enemies nowadays that we have no need for them. Nothing rises up against the strength of the Zoras anymore. The biggest thing we see are Stalfos retreating from Hyrule's army. It's not that I want an invasion of any sort, I just would like a challenge before the army becomes lax. That includes the Black Guard."
"Yes Sire. Shall I tell the Black Guard to continue their training then?"
"Yes. And while you're at it, invite them to dinner tonight. It's been a long time since they've had a public appearance."
"As you wish sire."
And with that, Reeno left the royal chambers, heading towards the Water Temple, where the Black Guard made their home. As he left, another Zora left his hiding place in the chambers and ran to tell his master of the news.
Chapter Two:
"Can you believe that guy? The King is afraid of telling us bad news, so he sends a messenger to do it for him. How dumb is that?" asked Blue, one of the Black Guard.
"Now, now, Blue, we wouldn't want the good King to trouble himself with coming down here just to disappoint us again would we?" Asked Lightning, the defence specialist.
"You two cut it out. I want to see you hit all of those targets in under one minute. Ready?" asked Engima, the commander of the Guard.
"Yes sir."
"Go."
As Blue and Lightning take on the target task, Enigma, the leader of the Black Guard, consults with Reeno.
"Hey, Reeno. Do you think the king will ever give us a real assignment?"
"I don't know, buddy. He seems set on only bringing you out in the worst-case scenarios. I think he's jealous."
"Probably. But hey, who wouldn't be? I mean, we are the greatest warriors in all of Hyrule. Nothing can stop us!"
"What about these reports of increasing bandit activity? Maybe the stalchilds are feeding weapons to an invasion force. Heck, we may even see a Master Stalfos if these reports are true."
"Reeno, you worry too much. Just leave the fighting to us, we can handle it. Even the famed Master Stalfos is no match for us. Gerudos run in fear at the sight of us."
"Speaking of the Gerudos, the King is trying to create a treaty giving us their river. With that river, any attempt at attack they make we can counter, then take control of the whole valley."
"Why would we want the Valley? It's too hot and dry there for us to live comfortably."
"Yes, but then the King of Hyrule would be in our debt, wouldn't he? That is something the King values more then anything else."
"I suppose so. But I don't see the Gerudo's as being much of a threat, even to Hyrule-"
A Zora assigned to guard the waterfall then bursts into the room, panting for air.
"Enigma, you must hurry. The falls have fallen under control of the Tektites. They launched a sudden and major counteroffensive, crushing my forces. They are even now trying to break into-"
"Enigma!" Shouted a voice running down the hall. Enigma then saw a badly wounded Zora wearing a blue cape fly into the room.
"Enigma, the Octoroks have breached the Temple's gate. They are storming in with amazing numbers. We can't stop them!"
Chapter Three:
"Blue, Lightning, suit up, we've got invaders at the Temple's Gate and the falls!"
"Yes sir!"
"finally, some real action! I've been waiting for something like this since the start of the Black Guard."
"Men, this isn't a joke. That Zora who just burst in was a Blue Fin. If the Octoroks can break past them, we have a serious problem on our hands!"
"I knew we should have taken them out a long time ago…But the King just didn't listen, now did he?"
"I said that's enough about the King Blue! Get over to the falls. Lightning, you take the Temple's entrance. I'll go check on the King. If you can't handle the enemy, retreat by any means necessary."
"Yes sir, right away sir!"
And with that the three Guardsmen split up. Blue to the falls, Lightning to the Temple's entrance, and Enigma to the King. None of them knew then what they were really up against.
As Lightning headed towards the entrance, he saw many wounded or even dead Zoras lying on the ground. Most of them had blue capes, signifying them as members of the Blue Fins. When he finally reached the entrance, his jaw fell open in awe at what he was witnessing. In one crushing sweep, some 2,000 Octoroks had broken through the defences and everything else in their path. The Zoras stationed there never stood a chance against such an overwhelming army. The only question was, how could an army of Octoroks this strong have banded together without the King's knowledge?
But Lightning had no time to think more about that, for as soon as he entered the area he was bombarded by rocks. He used everything he could to defend himself from the storm of rocks of all shapes and sizes.
Finally, after many minutes of this rock shower, Lightning saw his chance. The Octoroks were distracted by a small group of Zoras who had taken them from behind. He quickly ran to the nearest batch of Octoroks and unleashed his lightning, killing them instantly. He then shot his fins out at a line of Octoroks coming at him. Before his fins could return, though, a new group of Octoroks came from behind and knocked him to the ground.
Thinking quickly, he shot out another electric blast, killing the new group as it surrounded him. He pushed himself off the ground just in time to see another flurry of rocks hit the ground in front of him. Jumping over a pile of debris, Lightning shot his fins at another line of enemies, lining himself up so that he could hit a group of Octoroks when the fins returned also. When he looked around again to see how the battle was going, he saw that most of the enemies were being defeated by the other Zoras. He turned around just in time to get hit by a rock on the head, which knocked him out.
Chapter Four:
Just as Lightning was knocked out, Blue had reached the falls. Lucky for him he had come from behind, giving him the element of surprise. There were literally hundreds of Tektites surrounding a Zora wearing a suit of light armor. He could see an Ocarina in the Zora's hands, and realized he was letting the Tektites into Zora's Domain.
Before he could react, he heard a rustle in the bushes behind him, and turned in time to see another Zora wearing light armor come out of hiding. The other Zora quickly pulled out a spear and charged at Blue. Blue dodged this and shocked the Zora, then pulled his own spear. He thrust at the Zora's heart, but his spear blocked the attack. The Zora then thrust back, stabbing the spear at Blue's legs. Blue jumped over the other's spear and landed behind him, stabbing him through the back into the heart. The Zora collapsed immediately and died.
Blue turned back to look at the Zora with the ocarina, but he was gone, and the Tektites were starting to pile into the Domain. He quickly jumped up and unleashed an electricity burst to kill the stragglers, then ran inside to stop the rest of them. When he entered, he saw the Zora with the ocarina heading towards the King's chambers. He'd walk right into Enigma, who was unbeatable in duels. So Blue left him to Enigma while he went after the Tektites.
Everywhere he looked there were Zoras running from the swarm. Most were heading out through the Lake Hylia exit. Hopefully Lightning had taken care of the Octoroks by now. He ran down to the waterside, only to be ambushed by a large group of Tektites. He unleashed electricity on them and then used his spear to take out the rest. He was just finishing up the last of them when he heard screaming. He looked over to see a few Zoras trapped in the middle of a group of enemies. He ran over and started breaking a hole in their circle with his spear. When he got to the center, he started killing any Tektites who got too close.
He had created a large enough hole that the other Zoras were able to run to safety, but there were just too many of them for Blue to handle alone. They were slowly closing in on him, and he couldn't stop them forever. He slashed at one, thrust at another, and was turning to attack a third when he was knocked down. This started a pileup of Tektites, and soon there were too many for him to throw off. He was knocked unconscious by a Tektite landing on his head.
Chapter Five:
Enigma reached the King's chamber before any of the guards did, so he knew it was bad out there. He quickly checked on the King, then hid from anyone entering the room. After a few minutes of hiding, he heard footsteps coming up the ramp. He peeked around the corner to see a Zora with light armor and a sword. He waited until the Zora was in range then lunged with his spear. The Zora seemed to know the blow was coming, for he just blocked with his sword and kept moving forward. Enigma tried to stab him from behind, but again he seemed to know it was coming and just jumped over it. So Enigma ran in front of him and stood there in a defensive position.
"You would do well to step out of my way, little Zora!" The Zora said.
"I don't know who you are or why you're here, but you won't be getting past me. The Black Guard is unbeatable. Your puny armor won't help you here."
"Oh, but I don't think so, Enigma. The Black Guard is totally beatable. Just have a look at your friends." Said the Zora while he placed his hand on Enigma's shoulder, letting him see the other Guardsmen.
"This, this can't be possible. What kind of trickery is this?"
"No tricks, just weakness. The weakness of your own men. They couldn't defend themselves from even a small army of monsters. And neither could you. If you fight me, you will end in defeat. And I do not deal out mercy generously. I would strongly advise against a duel with me."
"I'm not afraid of you. I am the best dueler in all of Hyrule. No one can beat me!"
"Ah, but that is where you're wrong. I Can and Will beat you if you fight me now."
"We'll just see about that!" said Enigma as he threw his spear at the Zora and pulled out his sword.
The Zora easily deflected the spear and slashed at Enigma. Enigma blocked and then rolled, plunging his sword up towards the Zora, but the Zora again deflected the blow, knocking Enigma to the side.
"Ha ha ha, puny Zora. You know not what you fight. I am not the simple Zora you believe me to be. I am much more. You will learn this the hard way. If it is a duel you want, it is a duel you will get." Said the Zora as he snapped his fingers.
Chapter Six:
Suddenly the whole room started fragmenting, changing into something entirely different. Enigma found himself on a floating platform over an ocean. But the ocean seemed to be moving, growing upwards instead of outwards. It was as if a giant hand of water were reaching up towards the platform.
"Now you see what I truly am. I am not just a Zora. I am not a physical thing that can be fought. I am the ocean. In this world I rule over all Zoras, just as I will in yours. I cannot be defeated. Others before you have tried, but they have all failed. I am the true ruler of all Zora kind!" Boomed the hand in the water.
"This can't be happening! It's just not possible!" Shouted Enigma over the sound of rushing water.
"Oh, but it can be. And it is, puny Zora. Now, prepare to die!" said the hand as it finally grew up to the platforms height and slapped down over it.
Enigma rolled out of the way of this and charged up an electricity burst. He unleashed it on the hand, which seemed to effect it. It seemed to shudder just barely before slapping down again. Seeing that it might be effective, Enigma unleashed another blast, causing the hand to shudder even longer.
Finally Enigma saw why the hand shuddered whenever the electricity hit it. Blue and Lightning were trapped in the water unconscious and the electricity was hurting them. It was their movement that created the "shudder" in the water.
Enigma was faced with a choice: either keep hitting the hand with short bursts of electricity and risk the death of his partners, or hit it with one long burst, enough to wake them up so they could escape. The answer, of course, was obvious, as Enigma let out a long burst, trying to drag the two Guardsmen out of unconsciousness. Finally, after wearing himself down to exhaustion, Enigma saw his partners wake up and try to escape. After awhile they gave up in their attempts and starting slicing the water with their fins, only to have it regroup.
Enigma had one last idea to try out on the hand. Getting the attention of his partners by slicing through the water with his fins, Enigma pulled out an unlit bomb and threw it into the water, then shot a fire arrow at it. The bomb lit and quickly exploded, leaving a large gap in the hands "body." Blue and Lightning saw their chance to escape through the whole, using the hookshot to get up to the platform. Then all three threw bombs into different areas and blew them up, creating even larger holes. After a few bombs each, the holes were starting to join together, and finally the water started to collapse on itself.
Chapter Seven:
The Black Guardsmen waited a few minutes, but the hand didn't come back up. Blue noticed a strange doorway under the water where the hand used to be, and so they jumped off the ledge and dived into the water. When they went through the doorway, they all woke up exactly where they had fallen unconscious. Enigma looked over and saw the Zora with the armor clutching his arm as if he had been injured.
"You haven't seen the last of me, Enigma. I shall return later, when I have recovered. For now, enjoy your freedom while it lasts. Goodbye, puny Zora." Said the Zora as he seemed to liquidate and become a light blue pool of water, which disappeared down the falls.
"Wait, who are you? What are you?" Shouted Enigma as he ran towards the edge of the falls. But it was too late; he was nowhere to be seen.
"Boss, did you see what I saw?" Asked Blue, running in after finishing off the Tektites.
"If by what you saw you mean a giant hand made out of water, then yes, I did." Answered Enigma.
"Boss, I just had the weirdest dream." Said Lightning, returning from the Water Temple.
"It wasn't a dream, it was real…sort of." Said Blue.
"It was another dimension, ruled by that Zora who became the water hand. He's the one who brought us there. He said he'd be back, so we must be prepared. Guardsmen, back to the Temple, we must begin more training at once!" Said Enigma.
"I don't think so." Said a voice behind them.
"Oh, uh, My Lord, I didn't realize you were still in here. Why don't you think so?"
"Because of your inability to stop this menace, the Domain and the Temple are ruined, not to mention the death of almost my entire army. The Black Guard is therefore terminated, and you three are lucky I won't throw you in prison because you're heroes. But don't push that luck. I want you out of the Temple and into the Domain as civilians within 24 hours. Now, be gone with you!" Said the King.
"My Lord, I beg you to reconsider. The invaders were just too strong in numbers, we didn't have enough manpower-" Started Lightning.
"Silence!" interrupted the King. "I said out, and I want you OUT! Leave now or I will charge you with treason!"
"Yes My Lord. We shall leave at once." Said Enigma, calmly.
As soon as they had left the room, Enigma said, "We must do as the King says, but be prepared to fight if and when that Zora comes back. We know how to stop him better then anybody else, not to mention the fact that we are the best. We can train at my house, I have a target range and sparring area there. Until that Zora returns, lay low, make yourself invisible to the King and his men. Goodbye."
"Yes Sir, as you say Sir. We'll see you when the time comes." Said Blue and Lightning in unison.
And with that ends the Tale of Enigma and the Black Guard, the elite Zoras of Hyrule. No one knows when the menace shall return, but it can be guaranteed the Black Guard will be there to stop him once again. The End.