Legacies
A Sequel to Crossing
of the Paths
By MMM/AJ
A/N: Wow, I posted this chunk the night after finishing my bigass IB Math exam, how ironic! Consider this chunk a symbol of my victory over the oppressive exams of doom! Despite their efforts, those IB people still haven't managed to get me to stop writing completely, hehe. Anyway, here's a good 14-pager for you to enjoy. Now you get to see how the rest of the characters have fared during the 40-year time skip!
Part II - Resurrection
Chapter IV – R11
Ruru sat alone, listening to the mournful winds wail through the mouths of the cave above. The stone she sat on was ice cold and damp, and she shivered gently as the wind howled its eternal elegy through the passages above. The happy memories of her past danced through her head again as they had tended to do over the past many years. She could not help but wonder what had become of her homeland under Iresian control for so long, and what Ares had done with her sister Kalana.
A wave of restlessness washed over Ruru and she slowly stood, sighing heavily. She listlessly walked deeper into the cave that had become her home, rays of muted light shone down from holes in the stone above. She emerged into the main chamber of the cave, which was mostly round and big enough to accommodate 15 standing people. The water in the pond at the back of the chamber was totally still.
Ruru sat in front of the vast, half finished mural of Hyrule that she was working on. Every time she looked at it, the gorgeous scene struck a chord of longing and sadness in her, and she could hardly bring herself to continue working on it. The stunning panorama of Hyrule Field with the spires of the Castle rising in the distance had been beautifully depicted, but the Gerudo Valley and the Kokiri forest on either side had yet to be painted. Ruru sighed again, too caught up in her longing to pick up her brush once more.
There was a splashing in the pool and Ruru turned to see Onta's head sticking out of the water.
"Are you going to work on it some more?" Onta asked, his now middle-aged face dripping water.
"I can't let myself just sit with my sadness alone, and there is little else to do."
Ruru reached for her brush, but her hand was stopped by the sound of clattering footsteps coming down the cave passage toward them in the main chamber. Ruru drew her scimitar as the footsteps approached, but her suspicions were proven unfounded when she saw their ally and food provider Aquel enter the chamber. Aquel was a Dantunian Noble that they had met when fleeing the Iresians, and he had provided them with a place to hide and food to eat for many years. He was young and sprightly, 19 years of age, and had a youthful glimmer in his eyes. He was wearing a thick dark grey cloak.
"I've got food and news!" Aquel said eagerly, shedding his cloak and unslinging a knapsack full of food.
Ruru sheathed her scimitar and sat down near where Aquel was unwrapping their food. Her stomach complained loudly as she saw the wrappings come off of fresh fish, grilled Dantunian steak, and some assorted fresh fruits and veggies. Onta climbed out of his pool and joined them.
"What's the news?" Ruru asked, picking up a steak and biting into it.
"The Dantunian Council has secretly decided upon a plan of insurrection against the Iresians." Aquel said excitedly, sitting down on top of his cloak.
"I figured the news would be big if it could make you come to us during one of these hellish dust storms." Onta said, picking up a fish.
"The cloak helps!" Aquel said, patting it where it lay. "Now let me twll you what happened."
"As you know, the problem of Ares' magical abilities has been at the center of our debate. Though the Iresians under his control are easy enough to kill, his Lookalike Acolytes are near impossible to dispatch even with a full regiment. A handful of Acolytes can wipe out an entire army with their magic. Well, the council agreed that the only solution available to us is to fight them at the only place where we are evenly matched; right here in the Dead Lands."
Ruru nearly choked on her mouthful of steak when she heard what Aquel had said.
"Onta and I are sure to be found here if you stage the battle here! If Ares gets my piece of the Triforce, his power will become unfathomable!"
"I understand, but I am willing to wager my life that he'll be too occupied with the battle at hand to notice one little cave out of many in these barren lands. Besides, if you know of any other anti-magic zones in this world, we'd be happy to use them." Aquel replied.
Ruru nodded reluctantly. "I see your point. What have you and the council decided to do about the dragons and their fire? Dragon fire will not be affected by the anti-magic." She said.
"As it stands, that is our biggest problem, but we have a partial solution. The northern Kingdom of Bensor has secretly pledged to send us all five thousand of their Blue Dragons should we choose to stand against Ares." Aquel said.
"That's not even close to enough! The Iresian Army has close to thirty thousand men, each with his own blood dragon mount! You can't hope to win!" Ruru said hotly.
"No, there is some hope. You know that Dantun has always been the most militaristic nation of our old alliance, and ever since the Iresian Coup, Ares has allowed us to keep our army, mainly because it is no threat to his Acolytes and he finds war entertaining. We easily have fifty thousand man with horses and weapons, nearly double Ares' army. With the five thousand dragons from the north we can stand a fighting chance, but only here in the Dead Lands where their magic is useless." Aquel finished.
"It will be close, you realize. The Iresian Dragons have only ever been matched by the Gorons in terms of strength. Even if you achieve victory, your people will be decimated and the losses will be beyond all imagination." Ruru said soberly.
"Just think of it though! With Ares vanquished and the Iresian Army destroyed, you and Onta could return to Hyrule! This will be a battle to liberate not just Dantun, but also Hyrule, Bensor, Il'Nead and all other nations that Iress has subjugated! We could go down as legendary heroes of the entire world!" Aquel said in a heroic voice.
Ruru looked back at her half-finished mural and was filled with a new and more powerful wave of longing. She was still filled with the dreadful premonition of Ares attaining the complete Triforce, but now the prospect of returning home was too much.
"All right, if it is the only way." She said begrudgingly.
The sound of shuffling feet faintly echoed through the nearby cave passageway and Ruru leapt to her feet, grabbing her scimitar.
"Oh cripes I forgot!" Aquel suddenly said, and stood. "I brought someone with me. I didn't want to bring him in here without first telling you," Aquel said, and then yelled down the passage, "Come on in Isaac!"
A man who appeared to be in his thirties emerged into the room. He had thick, spiky, sandy hair, an almost unnaturally young looking face, red eyes, and Ares' symbol embedded in his forehead. He wore a thick set of brown leather armor, a dark brown cloak, and some sort of steel collar around his neck.
"This is Isaac, he's our informant." Aquel said, gesturing toward Isaac.
Ruru scowled, deeply suspicious of Isaac's red eyes and forehead symbol. She put away her scimitar only with great reluctance, staring into Isaac's eyes in order to attempt to get a reading on him. When he extended his hand in order to shake hands with her, but she refused.
"I can understand your distrust Milady Elder. Even to this day I meet with Anmor and even Ares himself, so appropriate apparel is necessary in order to blend in. I can assure you that the only spying I'm doing is for Dantun." Isaac said
"He has already provided us with much valuable information on Ares' tactics and the inner workings of the Iresian government." Aquel piped up.
"I appreciate what you've done for us." Ruru said, finally assenting to shake Isaac's hand.
Isaac's gauntlet was rough leather, and it felt cold and impersonal in Ruru's hand. Isaac's grip was powerful, and as Ruru looked into his red eyes she could sense some ulterior motives hidden deep within him. She could not place them though, and she was deeply worried by it.
"Aquel tells me you've eluded Ares for almost forty years. Out of curiosity, how have you done it?" Isaac asked, reeking of unusual curiosity.
"Oh it's quite a tale! Tell it for us!" Aquel said merrily.
The fact that Isaac wanted to know these things deepened Ruru's suspicions, but she still had too much faith in Aquel to believe that he would be so easily taken in by an enemy spy. She swallowed her suspicions as best she could and retold the harrowing tale of how she and Onta had evaded Iresian pursuit. As she told it, Isaac appeared to be absorbed in her retelling, but showed no signs of emotion. Aquel was enthralled, and he vastly enjoyed the story as it played out.
"Now Onta and I live here in the Dead Lands, the only place where Ares and his Acolytes can't sense us. For all his magic and mental power, he cannot find us here where any energies, arcane or otherwise, mean nothing. Not even the magical essence of my piece of the Triforce can be sensed." Ruru finished
Isaac nodded. "That's quite fascinating, I must commend you for evading Ares so skillfully, often times I have heard him ranting and raging over the Triforce. You have artfully kept it from him."
Ruru suddenly perked up her eyebrows. "Does he have any leads at all as to where I am?" She asked.
"No, he is completely in the dark and it infuriates him" Isaac said with an amused grin. Aquel chuckled.
The smile faded from Aquel's face as he realized what time it was. "I'm afraid we should probably be going now, that story has taken most of my time here and I'll be missed at the palace soon." He said, pulling on his cloak.
As Aquel prepared to leave, Isaac looked over at Ruru's mural. He nodded appreciatively as Aquel fiddled with his hood.
"Hyrule?" Isaac asked tersely.
"Yes, though it's not finished." Ruru said. "Besides, I don't know how much of it Ares has burned since I've been gone."
Isaac leaned close to Ruru and whispered, "No, he has not destroyed your home, he rather takes tributes from all who live there. He regards Hyrule as a rich land that is too productive and useful to destroy."
"Let's get going Isaac, it'll take us a good hour to cross back through that dust storm!" Aquel shouted, walking out into the next cave passage.
"Thank you!" Ruru said to Isaac as he left.
Chapter V – J5
It was coming, a tiny glimmer in the sky that foreshadowed unimaginable destruction. Isaac's summons sparkled as they fell out of the sky towards the pinnacle of Air's rock, and Jenna could only look on in horror as death came down to greet them all. As the summons neared the summit, Jenna covered her eyes with her arms and screamed at the top of her lungs.
"No!" She cried, and bolted upright in her bed.
She had had the dream again, her memories of Isaac's final battle had crawled up out of her subconscious mind to haunt her. The covers were drenched in sweat and her heart was pounding. The gentle sound of the Lemurian Fountain outside her window floated in and comforted her, but she was still shaken after having to relive the most frightening moment of her life. It had been a miracle that they had survived at all, but Ares' great floating ship had stopped the summons at the last second, and Isaac was never seen again. This still did not stop Jenna's dreams from rewriting the scenario into a much worse outcome, and she slowly caught her breath and climbed out of bed to get dressed.
An easy, warm breeze flowed through the open windows of her tiny Lemurian house and caressed her skin as she pulled on a fresh set of clothes and brushed her teeth. She didn't doubt that she had slept in again, and that Felix and the others had already eaten breakfast. She sighed softly as she opened the door and walked out into the Lemurian City.
It was yet another average, dull day in Lemuria. The blue haired Lemurians lazily idled in the streets with nothing to do and nothing to hold their attention. They had all gotten used to the sight of Jenna and her friends, they had stayed for many years here. These years meant little to anyone in Lemuria, but familiarity develops independent from age.
Jenna strolled over to the marked and plunked down several coins to buy herself breakfast and an extra serving for Piers, who was living outside of the city and amongst the ruins of Ancient Lemuria. Ever since the Lemurian Senate had dictated that Piers' banishment remain final, she and the rest of the party rotated the duty of bringing food and company to the isolated Piers. It was Jenna's turn this morning, and she knew that he would be upset at her lack of punctuality. She thanked the Lemurian shopkeeper who had sold her the food and strode down through the city and toward the stairs that lead down to the tunnels under the city. Lemuria's permanent fog misted all around her and she unconsciously wished that she could see the sky again.
The tunnels underneath Lemuria were as dank and dark as always, the slow swishing of the tide flowing through the stone was hypnotic as Jenna walked past docked Lemurian ships sitting anchored in the dark water. It wasn't too far of a walk to reach the ruins of Ancient Lemuria, where rubble and wild plants reigned supreme.
Piers' somewhat crudely fashioned cottage stuck out like formalwear in a casual dinner, the collapsed pillars that were scattered around it told tales of prosperity long past. The weeds that consumed the whole area wildly tangled around the ruins, looking like great green veins wrapped around jutting bleached white bones. Jenna quickly hop-stepped through the tall foliage and knocked on Piers' door.
"You're quite late." Piers said sullenly, opening the door.
The inside of Piers' cottage was nearly as untidy as the yard, his books were scattered everywhere, lying open on tables and discarded on the floor. Oil lamps sat idly on any surface handy. The air smelled of must and even a hint of body odor, and Jenna stepped over the books carefully as she made her way over to a table to set down their food.
"Yeah, I'm sorry. I overslept again. I think I'm getting out of shape." Jenna said apologetically as she swept some books aside and laid the food down on the table. "I see you're still reading up a storm."
"What else is there to do in this dreary place? I've already explored every single inch of these ruins and I can't go into modern Lemuria thanks to the Senate, so now I just read without end."
"At the rate you're going, you'll have read the entire unedited history of Weyward in another week." Jenna said, sitting down.
"There's more than enough history to last me years, and then I can read old fables after that. I don't think my entertainment is a problem." Piers said, sitting as well.
The two of them sat and ate in utter silence, each enjoying the delicious food that the Lemurian techniques had created. They had been in this situation before many times over the 40 years they had been hiding on the Lemurian isle, and due to the isle's magical properties, they still hadn't aged a day. It had taken Jenna many years to adjust to it, but since Lemuria was Piers' homeland it was a comforting familiarity.
Jenna sighed and reluctantly spoke to Piers, relaying the bad news she had heard. "The Senate has decided to send you out in a ship again to gather information on the state of the outside world. They've already forced the King to sign it."
Piers' fork clattered to his plate and he slowly looked up at Jenna with anger in his eyes.
"How many more loops are those fools going to make me jump through before they finally leave me alone to rot here in these god-forsaken ruins?" Piers said in an angry tone. "Drafting into service one who is banished is ridiculous, they should at least let me return and live in the city again if they're going to force me to risk my life just to see how far Ares' control has spread."
"I know your feelings and I understand them Piers, but please don't give the Lemurian Senate an excuse to banish you from the whole Island of Lemuria! You're lucky that they've let you stay here in these ruins, they could have easily thrown you out into the ocean."
"If I'm lucky to be living in this garbage heap, then I can't image what bad luck would be like." Piers said resentfully.
"Bad luck would be getting snared in one of Ares' traps and becoming one of his mindless servants! Listen, you cannot afford to be confrontational with the Senate now, they've been sitting around with little to discuss for months and if you give them reason to, they will focus all their attention on your deeds or misdeeds." Jenna said wisely.
"I'll do it, but only for you and Felix." Piers said reluctantly.
Jenna reached over the table and gave Piers a grateful hug. "In fact, I've decided to come with you to keep you company on your trip. You needn't be totally alone during such a trip, if there's only the two of us we should not be sensed by Ares or his men." Jenna said.
"No," Piers said calmly, "Nobody knows what the conditions are like out there, and out of our whole party of companions, you're the one I least want to see hurt Jenna. If anyone should come with me, it should be Felix. He is more skilled with the sword." Piers said.
"I'm perfectly able to take care of myself! Don't belittle my abilities in combat, you know how strong I am!" Jenna said, her temper climbing.
"Certainly not, you can be stronger than me even at times! What I'm saying is that, I'm afraid that should Ares discover and overpower us, I don't want you to be taken." Piers said, shrinking backwards.
Jenna sighed and stood up, her food still half uneaten. "I suppose, if you're that worried. I'll tell Felix of what you have said."
"Perhaps you can stay a bit longer? I've found a particularly mesmerizing book that I would like to share with you." Piers said, fishing a book from off of the floor.
"You have to remember that I can't read Lemurian script." Jenna said flatly.
"No worries, I'll read it aloud." Piers said, and flipped through the musty pages to the place where he had left off.
Chapter VI – T12
A deep metallic thrumming hummed up through the back end of the gunship as Tanis pushed the controls and gunned the engines. The ship's acceleration shoved him back into his seat, and the sky filled the screen in front of him as they gained altitude. A rattling echoed through the thick, sleek, red painted steel bulkheads as he turned the ship level with the horizon. The control panel underneath the skin glowed a warm red as readouts displayed altitude, air pressure, engine energy levels, and other unrecognizable graphs of data. Dim red light pulsed through narrow strips on the walls, making the inside of the ship feel alive and pulsing with blood. Tanis looked through the screen at the panoramic view of the Earth below them.
"Look at that!" Ashley said, pointing at the screen.
Miles below, patches of burnt wreckage and flames sparely dotted the sides of the mountains. Smoke was rising from most of them, and a few half destroyed hulls laid embedded in the scorched earth. More of Ares' gunships were darting about below, scanning the wrecks. They looked like flies flitting indecisively around a field of corpses.
"Looks like humanity still hasn't given up the fight." Tanis remarked sadly, trying to imagine the scope of the death below.
"Perhaps the survivor you senses is in one of those wrecks?" Ashley asked, pointing at a ship that was still half-intact.
"No, it's further south, we need to keep flying. I can sense nobody in those wrecks below." Tanis said solemnly.
Tanis pushed on the control sticks and flew them further south, and the mountains slowly but surely passed under them. The thrumming of the engines behind them was smooth and relaxing, almost hypnotic. The wrecks on the ground grew less and less frequent until they passed into view of a massive area of burnt and cratered land on the side of a larger mountain.
Tanis could feel that the one they were searching for was in those ruins below, so he directed the gunship to descend. The engines quieted to a degree and the ground began to approach them and grow in the screen. As Tanis watched, details among the wreckage came into view. He saw that the massive craters were covered in melted rock and glass, evidence that energy weapons had impacted here. He saw that the ruins were composed mainly of concrete and steel, and that there were large girders and support beams throughout the rubble. He knew this meant that this used to be a large building of some sort, and when he saw Ares' symbols painted on the ruins in several places, he knew that the humans must have struck here. One portion of the ruins was still standing, what looked like a concrete arch with a door in it leading down. Tanis guessed that there was a passage beyond, and he knew that this would be the best place to start searching. As the gunship gently touched down onto a generally clear position in the debris field, He pushed a button on the control panel and the whole ship powered down all at once. The side door hissed open and then the engines fell silent and the light strips on the wall darkened.
"What did you do that for?" Ashley asked in a partially frustrated tone.
"We don't want someone trying to steal this like we did, do we?" Tanis asked in reply. Ashley only shook her head and sighed.
The two of them stepped out of the ship and into a blast of smoky, hot air. It was hard for Tanis to breathe the scorching, dust filled air, and right away sharp bits of rubble and debris poked his feet painfully. He and Ashley stumbled through the wreckage over to the concrete archway and tried to pry the door open. It was crumpled and most likely had debris holding it shut from the other side, so it wouldn't budge when Tanis tried to open it. He frowned and then used his powers to rip the door out of its frame and off of its hinges, showing a passageway half-filled with rubble beyond. He grunted with frustration and began moving large pieces of concrete and steel out of the way so that they could get through.
"How deep do you think this is?" Ashley asked, looking on awkwardly.
"I'd guess a couple hundred feet." Tanis replied, tossing a steel girder away like a toy with his mind.
"Is our survivor down there?" Ashley asked.
"I think so, yes." Tanis said, throwing a large chunk of cracked concrete to the side.
Tanis felt himself using energy steadily as he cleared the passageway, and the two of them slowly made their way down a stairwell and into the darkness. Ashley flicked on her flashlight and illuminated the rubble in front of them, and Tanis continued the grunt work of lifting and throwing it all out of the way. He wasn't getting any physical exercise this way, but he could sure feel his psychic energy reserves getting strained. When they moved the last chunk of concrete out of the way, they emerged into a half collapsed room that appeared to be some sort of laboratory.
The entire left side of the room had been buried under collapsed concrete and steel, but the other half was still intact. Lab equipment, a familiar sight, lined the right wall, and off in the furthest corner rested a darkened tube that Tanis assumed to be a cloning tube. He skipped right over the other lab equipment and walked straight up to this tube and looked into it, but could see nothing through the opaque liquid and in the dark. He took the flashlight from Ashley and shone it directly into the tank, but could still see nothing. He handed it back to Ashley and then fumbled around on the ground for a stone.
The tank itself had partially fallen over, as the ceiling above it had buckled to a degree and pushed on the tank, causing it to crush downward and lean. It was obvious to Tanis that the mechanism could never open the tank properly now, so he found a large enough chunk of concrete on the ground and hit the bottom of the tank as hard as he possibly could. A web of cracks spidered out from the impact and the oxygenated liquid began seeping through. Tanis hit it in the same spot a second time, and a small hole opened. The dark liquid then began pouring through this hole with all speed. Tanis hit the hole a third time and it widened dramatically and the glass around it began to shatter. With one more blow, the entire tube gave way and completely shattered, releasing a torrent of liquid into the room that washed over both Tanis and Ashley like a tide. Ashley shrieked and jumped backwards, trying to avoid getting wet but failing.
As the liquid subsided and flowed away, Tanis's eyes widened as he took in the sight of the tank's inhabitant lying there in front of him. It was another of his species, but not similar to him or Ares. Her skin and fur were extremely dark grey, almost black. Her tail region was bright, crimson red like that of Ares. There were blades growing out of her shoulders, knees, and one on the tip of her tail. They glinted a silver sheen in the flashlight beam. There was a smooth, silvery machine attached to her back, it covered her entire back, her second neck, and the back of her head. It appeared to be attached near the base of her spine. She was slumped over forwards unconscious and did not move.
Tanis stood speechless, wondering what exactly to do as the figure before him remained limp and lifeless. He almost reached down to touch her, but something caused him to hesitate. Just as Ashley was about to say something, the form of this stranger suddenly convulsed and Tanis stood back as she began coughing and retching.
As the coughing finally stopped, the stranger's form stayed bent over forward and silence filled the room for a few strangling awkward moments. Then, she finally rose and faced Tanis, looking straight into his eyes with a gaze that could pierce stone. Her eyes were just as purple as Mewtwo's. Tanis got a complete look at her, she didn't have a standard chest plate like that of any other Mewtwo, but it stopped around her neck, making room for small but noticeable bulges where it normally would be. Ares' spined symbol was on her forehead as well, and as she scrutinized Tanis, he sensed a deep feeling of mistrust and spite in her.
"You're not my father…you're Tanis." She said bluntly.
"Who are you?" Tanis asked, still quite gripped by the shock of surprise.
"My full name is Shakara et Benca, but if you find that lengthy then you may just call me Shakara." She said flatly. "My father told me of you Tanis, he said that you were weak, and that he had destroyed you. I'm curious, how are you alive?"
Ashley suddenly drew one of her Pokeballs and stepped forward, scowling at Shakara. "She works for Ares! Let's take her out!" Ashley said hotly, preparing to throw the Pokeball and begin a battle.
"Me? Work for him? My father is a vicious, nearly heartless killer who only cares for conquest. I would never kill on his behalf, ridiculous little human." Shakara snapped. The machine attached to Shakara's head hummed loudly and she suddenly bent forward and gripped her skull with her clawed hands.
"No, I will not obey!" Shakara suddenly growled, and then the machine hummed louder and lit up like a Christmas tree. Shakara cried out in pain and stumbled to her knees.
Tanis knew then that there was an ally here in Shakara, and he formed a small energy blade in his hand and bent down to cut away the machine gripping Shakara's head. "Hold still!" He urged her, and then stabbed the blade into the silvery metal where it was stuck to her back. The device crackled and then fell silent, and Tanis slashed at it a few more times. It gave up the fight and made a loud click before falling off of Shakara's body like a leech that had drank its fill. Tanis saw a fresh burn mark on Shakara's back, a mark in the shape of Ares' three sword cross embedded in her flesh. There was also a small metal plug leftover in her back near the base of her spine. It looked as if the input plug where the module had been attached might even be attached to her spinal cord. Shakara sighed with relief and stood back up.
"For that I am grateful to you, but don't think I'm ready to trust you and your human friend yet Tanis." Shakara said, hardly smiling at all.
"You could at least act thankful." Ashley quipped, frowning at the whole spectacle.
"Whatever," Tanis said directly, "it doesn't matter to me. Right now I'm in dire need of some information you might be able to provide for me. Tell me, what year is it? When did Ares say he defeated me?"
"I just came out of my cloning tube and into real life, so don't expect me to know whatever date it is. I do remember my father mentioning that he had killed you about forty years ago however."
"Forty years?" Tanis said, stumbling on the words. "Yet neither Ashley nor I have aged a day in our stasis pods! Right now I don't have time to admire Ares' stasis technology though, tell me, what is the extent of his empire?"
"My father controls this entire planet. He never gave me much information on the state of the world's affairs, but from what he has told me, he keeps the human population under control growing food and manufacturing supplies for him. He has some major ambitions on other worlds and he's been using this planet as his home base."
Ashley suddenly interrupted the conversation in order to pose a question. "I know that since you're inside Ares' Empire, you're going to be entitled to some information, but how do you know such an extensive amount?"
"I am his daughter if you haven't guessed already. He wanted me to be at his side to conquer worlds, so he felt it necessary to let me know what he terms "the basics". Why do you need to know any of this?" Shakara retorted sharply.
"Because we were fighting to stop his conquests when he sealed us in stasis pods and apparently dropped us into Purity Lake like a load of rubbish!" Tanis said, not liking the manner in which Shakara was speaking to his friend.
Shakara suddenly looked away into the darkness of the lab around them. "So this is the lab my father grew me in, how delightfully dismal. I'm sure the rest of the world under his control will be just as fun."
Tanis ignored Shakara's strange remarks for the moment, he was too busy being happy that Ares was basically keeping the world alive instead of destroying it. He knew that they might just have a slight chance of defeating him if they managed to get control of the Triforce. Then, he remembered Ares' scheme to collect the Triforce and resurrect Darkest, and so he turned to Shakara to ask about it.
"Did your father ever tell you about one named Darkest?" Tanis asked.
Shakara turned to look back at Tanis. "No, who is he?"
"Never mind. Has he mentioned anything about the Triforce?" Tanis asked.
"Only that it's an artifact of great power and that he's been looking for the missing third piece ever since he killed you." Shakara said.
"Yes!" Tanis and Ashley both said simultaneously, and Ashley raised her hand in the air, expecting a high five. Tanis was unfamiliar to that custom though, so he ended up leaving her hanging.
"You're afraid of what he might do with it?" Shakara asked.
"Let's just say that it wouldn't be good for any of us." Tanis said.
"It would be good for me!" Shakara suddenly said in a snappish tone. "He would give me whatever I wanted!"
Tanis was taken aback for a moment and was silent before speaking. "You were just acting as if you hated him!" He said confusedly.
Shakara's expression shifted, and she suddenly stared intently at the floor. "Forget it. What else do you want from me, I want to leave this place now." She said sullenly.
"Well, my friend Ashley and I are probably going to go on a search for the final piece of the Triforce to get it before Ares does. Would you be interested in coming with us, or do you have more feelings for him than you realize?" Tanis asked.
Shakara looked down at her feet for a few moments before looking back up at Tanis without any visible emotions on her face. "Anything to get away from this place." She said, sighing heavily.
"Where are we going to head next?" Ashley asked.
"I don't really know, but if the Triforce was here on Earth then Ares would have found it by now, so perhaps he has gone to the Zelda Universe to search there?" Tanis said. "I'm just not certain how we can get there. My father never left me instructions on how to create a dimensional portal, he told me I could figure it out myself."
"My father has an interdimensional highway setup around this entire planet, he told me about how he uses it to spread his influence to different worlds." Shakara piped in as they began walking up the stairs toward daylight.
"Really? Perhaps we can use it!" Tanis said excitedly.
"We'd need one of his ships to use it though, he told me that it's a high energy dimension vortex that is too turbulent to travel through without the protection of steel hulls around you." Shakara said.
"We've already captured one of his gunships. Apparently fate has already laid out our course for us," Tanis said as they approached the top of the stairs.
"Your father told you quite a lot during your stay in your tube, didn't he?" Ashley observed.
"He explained almost every element of his empire so that I would be prepared to stand beside him when I was ready."
"Ironic that you would end up using this against him!" Tanis said, nearly chuckling as they emerged out onto the rubble of the base on the surface.
"So this is why he left me…" Shakara said, shocked at the devastation that the humans had inflicted on the base.
Tanis didn't hear her words however; he was too far ahead walking briskly towards the gunship. "We're in for quite a ride you two, let's get going!" He shouted as he stepped into the smooth steel interior of the ship once more.
A/N: This chapter was especially hard to wring from the mighty grasp of the writer's block monster, and the IB exam didn't help that. It may have some errors scattered through it due to the fact that I've been cramming so heavily lately, and my head is overrun by equations. Feel free to point out any brainless/idiotic errors that I might have made in my math-induced haze. Thanks again for reading and reviewing!
