The ancient Gerudo constructions the Yiga Clan had taken over as checkpoints along the path to their hideout had been completely razed, littering the valley with wood and stone debris. Even sections of rock jutting off the cliffside had been demolished, making previously narrow portions of Karusa Valley wider than it had been before.
Astor pressed on through the destruction, arriving at the entrance to the Yiga Clan Hideout, which was a smoldering ruin.
There wasn't anyone in sight. The antechamber beyond, which was usually guarded by Yiga Blademasters, showed no sign of life, and Astor could only imagine the emptiness and disarray in the passageways beyond.
The princess's warning briefly crossed his thoughts, and the aloof expression he'd maintained up to that point changed into an amused sneer.
Well played, Your Highness…. Only a minor setback… Although, I wonder if any of those banana-worshiping degenerates are still alive...
Astor vanished and reappeared near his hideout in the Gerudo Highlands. Some ways off, he spotted two familiar silhouettes sitting on the edge of a cliff.
Of course, the two most useless members of the Yiga Clan had retreated, he mused, wondering how long the two imbeciles had been waiting for him to return.
Still, Astor approached the two apprehensively as they stood, sensing he was about to get an earful.
"Hey, prophecy man! Why didn't you tell us we'd get walloped?! I would expect you to warn us that the Gerudo chief is going to come trampling into our hideout to attack my men! Why were you conveniently missing today of all days?!" Kohga shouted, exasperated.
In truth, Astor hadn't foreseen this, but seeing Kohga's pain was a sweet consolation. There was a sick pleasure in seeing someone as irritating and shiftless as Kohga lose his composure over an attack on his precious Yiga Clan. Astor was smiling inside, where they couldn't see it, though he maintained a straight face.
Sooga, who had yet to utter a word approached, and as the elite Yiga blademaster towered over him, Astor knew he'd overplayed his hand. He instinctively tensed as Sooga grabbed him by the collar of his robes and lifted him, forcing Astor to balance on the balls of his feet and toes.
"I'm afraid we cannot overlook this failure, 'seer'."
"Can't do it!" Kohga chimed in.
Astor couldn't hold back the dismissive smirk that played across his lips, already knowing what to say to retake control of the situation.
"Fate decides all…even this defeat. As you well know, if you decide to turn against me you will make an enemy of Calamity Ganon."
"You slimy—" Kohga began, but before he could finish his sentence, Sooga's fist collided with Astor's face.
The sheer force knocked the prophet off his feet and he looked up at Sooga in wretched disbelief, pressing his hand to his throbbing cheek.
Kohga cheered, "Yeah! Knock his raggedy ass out! How dare he try to use our devotion to Lord Ganon against us. Thinks he's chosen or something? You're not special!"
Sooga leaned down, taking Astor by the collar once again. Astor weakly held out a hand in an attempt to defend himself, but it was of little use against a man twice his size.
"The Yiga Clan has served Lord Ganon for nearly 10,000 years. You can't turn Calamity Ganon against us—especially if we kill you first." Sooga slammed Astor's head against the ground, followed by a swift roundhouse kick in the ribs.
Astor gasped for air. The wind had been knocked out of him. He could barely breathe.
"You deserve whatever Lord Ganon has in store for you in the next realm..." Sooga drew one of his blades at his hip.
The prophet found he was in too much pain to move, let alone summon the relic.
"C-calamity Ganon... Avenge me…" Astor closed his eyes.
A blinding light consumed the three men and the Yiga departed in two bursts of smoke respectively, paper talismans featuring the inverted eye raining down in their retreat. Astor shielded himself from the light, lying prostrate on the ground, lacking the strength to retreat from the presence he could sense was the antithesis of Calamity Ganon. A magnitude of dread he hadn't thought himself capable of overcame him, and his whole body quaked. What was going to happen to him?
"Prophet of Doom, your fate is in my hands." Hylia entreated him gently.
Her voice was so tender, Astor couldn't help but raise his head to meet her gaze. Her eyes were the deepest blue he'd ever seen and the white dress she wore had long flowy sleeves that seemed to billow, though the day was breezeless. Her resemblance to the princess was remarkable—although the Goddess's appearance could only be described as otherworldly and ageless.
And he couldn't wipe the dumbstruck look off his face no matter how hard he tried—for the Goddess herself was standing right in front of him. How was that possible? Was he even allowed to look upon her without bursting into flame?
His existential terror subsided at the soothing sound of her voice, left only to wonder how she could speak to him so benevolently, for all that he was.
"You're wondering why I've come… I have seen your ultimate fate, Prophet of Doom, and I know you will call out to me when confronted with the reality of Calamity Ganon's betrayal."
His jaw dropped. "Unthinkable! I would never waste my breath to-"
"Already you are wondering why the Calamity would allow you to endure this humiliation. But on that day, your humiliation will be tenfold. You will command Calamity Ganon to devour your enemies, but you will be the one to be devoured. The black malice will appear and spread so quickly..." she spoke in a sad, regretful way that sent a chill through him. "You can't move. You can't scream. But you are so afraid as the malice consumes you. And that is when you reach out to me. I have witnessed your pain and have known those final thoughts just as I can read you now…" the Goddess said, her tone even and somber, taking no pleasure in what she had to impart to him.
Astor tried to squelch a sharp inhale, her words too awful for him to fathom or even accept.
"Lord Ganon is…going to betray me? That cannot be… I am immune to Calamity Ganon's malice. It is a sign that I am his one true disciple… He gave me control over malice. It's not true. It's not—" His voice was weak and wavering with defeat. If he had any confidence left after being beaten down so horribly, then her words had ripped that away as well.
"Your gift of foresight is no match for mine." The Goddess said, emphatically.
"The grand fate I thought I had was all a lie? And my life and purpose is of little consequence to Calamity Ganon? Put me out of this misery then… I have no desire to continue an existence where there is nothing for me, except to be discarded and forgotten."
"You're still a young man, Astor. I have not forgotten you. You've just gone astray…" The Goddess intoned.
"J-just gone astray?! Why would you want anything to do with me?" Astor scoffed trying to hide his tears and the insurmountable shame and worthlessness he felt.
"I know all about you, Prophet of Doom. I have watched your life play out from the edge of time, and I have seen the disillusionment that led you down the path to servitude to Calamity Ganon and your descent into wickedness. You abandoned me long ago, but…even the princess's faith in me hangs by a thread."
Astor tensed at the mention of the princess. Was there anything that could be hidden from Hylia's knowledge? Could she see even the thoughts he'd pushed so deep and so far in?
Hylia continued. "You know now that her fate is to awaken her power as I've revealed to you. There isn't a single path in time where she does not."
"You… You're the one that's been meddling with my visions? Why are you doing this? Why would you bend fate itself to spare me? What is wrong with you!? Go mind that wretched girl who bears your blood and leave me be!"
"I'm helping her by helping you. You have the gift of prophecy, which my current descendant is sadly lacking as my lineage is weakening."
"I'm well aware…" Astor said, irritated. And then, fearful of what the Goddess might read in his thoughts, he lashed out. "Your lineage can rot… The only intention I have towards that girl is to ensure she never unlocks that awful power," he said defensively, growing lightheaded at where this conversation was headed.
A soft, knowing smile crossed the Goddess's lips. "You have dedicated yourself to serving the Calamity for such a long time with such intensity it has greatly diminished your desire for anything else...but not altogether."
"I don't desire anything else!" Astor shot back uselessly, desperately trying to rid himself of all thoughts of the princess. "You have shattered any illusion of purpose I thought I had."
"That's a lie, Prophet of Doom. You fight to keep your thoughts of her at bay, but still, they are there."
Astor looked up at her, deeply flustered, although desperately trying to project contempt.
Hylia knelt to whisper in his ear. And what she said next frightened him so badly he, at last, gathered the strength to raise his voice and attempted to stand - but Astor could only raise an arm to try to summon his orb.
"Hear me, Calamity Ganon, rain down your destruction on this…this…"
Those intense blue eyes regarded him with pity. Astor had to tear his eyes away from her, overcome by what she'd said. Astor relented, letting his head fall back to the ground.
"There is no destruction, Astor. There is only…"
The Goddess's voice faded out as he finally lost all ability to remain conscious as feelings of unreality consumed him.
A/N: Astor used manipulation. It wasn't very effective...
Prometheus17: Had these scenes in mind for a while and finally here they are for others to read. And here you see that Astor's relationship with the Yiga Clan has been violently and prematurely ended.
Impa and Urbosa really do have Zelda's best interests in mind, but Zelda can't help but feel left out that she didn't get to contribute to their raid on the Yiga Clan. I originally was going to have her go with them, but I felt it would be a hard sell for her to convince them to let her accompany them to the one place where everyone is trying to kill her. lol But the good thing is that with this alternative, she could meet and talk with Astor in an unexpected way.
Faylian: I wish we'd got more dialogue between them in canon, but sadly we didn't. Nearly non-existent, unless you count in battle dialogue. Enjoying your reviews!