Luckyclovr2: Unfortunately, Ganon Apotheosis is not a very popular series, so I lack the motivation to write. Writing a chapter that will be read by 50 people takes as much time as writing a chapter that will be read by 3,000 people. Obviously, I would have more encouragement to continue in the second case. Anyway, I want to thank you for your support. In fact, I wrote this chapter because you asked for it.
The Hell's Lake
The immense cave looked like a vision of hell. A viscous magma covered the ground. At times a bubble formed on the surface of the lava and burst, throwing burning shreds in all directions. Of course, the heat was hard to bear and the light emanating from the magma illuminated the walls with a red-orange glow. Everywhere basalt pitons emerged from the liquid rock. Their existence was ephemeral, the convulsions that shook the underground volcano regularly causing them to collapse... but other pillars formed just as quickly as the cooling lava was accumulating. Large, much more stable platforms also emerged from the lava lake. Buildings and monuments were visible on each of them. On one of these basalt platforms, there was even a Greek-style temple, surrounded by columns and with a triangular pediment representing... Hades. What other deity revered in Thyatis would have been more in his place in such a place?!
Crossing a good part of the cave, a kind of elevated road zigzagged between the lava pitons.
Four people were on run, eager not to expose themselves longer than necessary to the thermal radiation of the lava.
In the lead was a Thyatan Amazon in armor, with a large bronze shield on the left arm and a Corinthian helmet. She looked like an animated statue because the group's wizard had cast on her a Stoneskin spell.
Behind came an elf in a short dress. Her hair was red. She had a dagger on the belt and held a bow. Her eyes were attentive, she was looking for traps.
Next was a young woman with pointed ears. She was not an elf, but a Hylian who had followed Calamity Ganon from Hyrule. She was dressed in white and had a backpack.
Finally, coming last was an Alphatian wizard, recognizable by its fringed dress, pendant earrings, curly beard, wizard staff, and tiara.
Arriving on the platform, Princess Zelda staggered and remained standing only because Reyleth, the elf thief, had caught up with her. She was sweating in big drops. She was dressed to face North Alphatia in winter... not to cross a volcano. She feverishly stripped herself of her coat and stuffed jacket, while looking around her.
The first platform was also the smallest. But the second was not very far away, Zelda also heard the witches who had settled on the forecourt of the temple of Hades shout insults at them. The hardest part of the road had been crossed...
She coughed, her lungs irritated by the vapors of sulfur that were stagnating in the cave... Oh yes, there were also the toxic gases. Any human being would be at a distinct disadvantage if he had to fight in such conditions. No wonder Fatis Morga's Dungeon was considered impossible to conquer.
The basalt platform was relatively flat and Y-shaped. The left part of the platform was thinning and becoming a new elevated road, zigzagging towards the second platform. The right branch of the Y skirted the wall of the cave and passed under a waterfall spitted out by a demonic mask carved into the rock. Zelda saw the road continue beyond the water veil and reach the first road at the foot of a staircase that went up towards the temple of Hades.
The choice seemed simple, taking the shortest route (and getting sprayed with water) or taking the longest route that avoided having to go under the stone mask
Zelda's instinct warned her that the mask and the waterfall were not harmless, but also that the choice would not be trivial... whatever the route is taken.
Escorted by Forianna, the Tyatis' Amazon, Princess Zelda approached the stone mask. Those who had sculpted it had given it a demonic appearance. An animal face with two large oblique and cruel eyes, the water came out of the mouth adorned with fangs. The forehead was covered with sharp spikes.
As they approached a few meters, the eyes lit up with an evil red glow as the mouth twisted throwing water as it articulated a few words:
"Face what you fear most, or lose what is most precious to you. Each one must go forward alone and suffer the consequences of his choice without the help of his companions."
By reflex, Zelda retreated by shaking her hands on her chest.
But, already, the eyes of the mask were extinguished.
Tourane, the Alphatian wizard, was the first to recover from his surprise.
"I think the choice to which the mask refers is the road we should take. It's some sort of toll. One of the roads leads to great danger... the other to the loss of something precious."
"It didn't say 'something precious', Tourane," replied Reyleth." It said 'the most precious thing you have' that is to say something that no one will want lose."
"Yes it's true, you're right" admitted the wizard. His eyes went from the waterfall to the long road. "That said, the mask did not say anything that would allow us to understand which route corresponds to one choice or the other."
Zelda shook her head.
"My most precious possession..." Mechanically, her hand had landed on the Sheilkah Slate. "No, the very reason I'm here is for this slate, I can't afford to lose it."
"Calm down, Princess Zelda," replied Forianna. "I am your bodyguard. I will recognize the way."
The Amazon approached the waterfall but Reyleth intervened.
"I'm the most qualified to find a trap. It's up to me to go first."
Despite the perilous situation, Zelda could not help but smile. She felt blessed to have made talented and dedicated friends. Instinctively, she looked in the direction of Tourane. He smiled with embarrassment, misjudging her intentions:
"No, I don't propose to go first... I'm no coward than any other, but a wizard wasn't really the most suitable person for a recon mission."
Reyleth held her dagger in her hand and slowly approached, constantly looking around her, listening to the slightest sound. The waterfall was only a few steps away, and the drops of warm water were already falling on her face.
The elf resolutely entered the waterfall. The passage through the waterfall was a refreshing interlude but... the thief felt a presence near her. Her sharp senses spotted an invisible being. Its hands were trying to undo her belt... where she wore her tools. Instinctively, she rolled while kicking. She touched someone and the elf had the satisfaction of hearing a cry of pain.
As the invisible individual ran away, the redhead had a big smile:
"Princess, there's an invisible thief on this road. Pretty good, by the way. But I think I taught him a lesson in ethics... you don't steal from another member of the Guild."
Forianna stretched her muscles and looked at the longest road.
"Well, it's my turn. I'm going to explore the other way."
Her short sword in one hand, her aspis shield raised, the Amazon advanced slowly, with caution.
The female warrior from Thyatis had already covered half the road and was now as far from Zelda and Tourane as from Reyleth (who was waiting at the steps leading to the second platform).
Suddenly, the eyes of the stone mask lit up...
A fluorescent energy barrier appeared behind the Amazon while the voice of the mask was heard:
"Rise from your ashes!"
Perplexed, Forianna had stopped, watching all around. But these words were not directed to her. At the end of the bridge, a whirlwind of dust had formed and clotted. A skeleton appeared first, then the flesh and muscles covered them. Within seconds, an ogre had materialized... and not just any ogre. Under her Corinthian helmet, the eyes of the Amazon betrayed her surprise.
She recognized Bjorg... for years he had ruled the arena of Thyatis, the most powerful gladiator of his generation... until he met Forianna. Their clash was one of the most contested in the history of the arena. Finally - under the eyes of the emperor Thincol I Lorion- Forianna won the victory.
The monster roared with anger, raising high his club adorned with bronze spikes. Dressed only in fur loincloth and a belt of human skulls, he was terrifying, his body literally deformed by an enlarged musculature.
"I'll find you, scoundrel, and I'll get my revenge."
But Forianna was content to smile...
Certainly, seeing her worst enemy come back to life was witchcraft capable of terrifying anyone. But, as the monster ran towards her, the Amazon prepared for the confrontation without any real nervousness.
She had defeated him a year earlier and had fought a lot since, facing stronger, more dangerous opponents. Her personal weaponry was also far better than the basic equipment of a gladiator.
From the first platform, Zelda and Tourane watched the fight with admiration. Much smaller than her opponent, unable to dodge because of the narrowness of the passage, Forianna used her shield to deflect attacks outwards without blocking them head-on. Bigger, heavier, slower... Bjorg was even more embarrassed than she was by the narrowness of their battlefield and could not strike with all his might. Although stupid, the ogre had understood that using all his strength would unbalance him... and make him fall into the lava that bubbled under the natural bridge.
After the third exchange of blows... the Amazon suddenly stooped down and planted her xiphos in the foot of the humanoid monster.
Bjorg howled in pain and... lost his balance. With a howl of terror, he fell into the abyss. His body disappears into the lava.
Behind Forianna the energy barrier disappeared.
Exhausted by the brief battle, and especially by the heat on the bridge above the volcano, the warrior of Thyatis completed the crossing and sat down on the steps, taking off her helmet and accepting a few sips of the water bottle that Reyleth handed her.
Worried, Ryleth got up and wanted to cross the bridge again.
"Princess, give me the Seikah Slate, I guarantee no one will steal it from you."
Nevertheless...
A wall of translucent energy blocked the bridge. The eyes of the stone mask lit up.
"Each must go forward alone and suffer the consequences of his choice without the help of his companions."
Zelda was the third to try the crossing. Like Forianna, she chose the longest route... and therefore to face her worst enemy.
Like the first time, the eyes of the mask lit up while an energy barrier prevented any retreat.
"Rise from your ashes."
Surprised, the people of Mystara saw an unknown creature take shape. He was a blue-skinned humanoid, very large. He had long horns and his head was similar to that of an orc with canines coming out of his mouth. However, he also wore beautiful armor, a long red cape, and a red skullcap adorned with a row of spikes. In his right hand, the creature was holding a chiseled trident.
But Zelda recognized the creature:
"A Moblin!"
Yes, it was definitely a blue Moblin, although its horns have a different shape. But... it was widely accepted that the Moblins were primitive brutish humanoids. Of course, they knew fire, and could even shape coarse weapons. However... this Moblin seemed... how to say? Civilized.
The Moblin had heard Zelda's exclamation and looked at her with interest. To Zelda's surprise, he spoke (while all the Hylians knew that neither the Bokoblins nor the Moblins could speak):
"Yes, I am a Moblin, Princess Zelda."
He raised his arm and on the back of his hand appeared the Triforce:
"My name is Ganon! The Devil-King Ganon!"
Ganon took a few steps and then turned around, pointing his trident towards the ground. Immediately, part of the natural bridge collapsed behind him. He then stretched his trident towards the lava lake and a pillar of magma formed reaching the height of the bridge before cooling and solidifying with unnatural rapidity.
The Devil-King Ganon jumped to the top of the pillar he had just created and then turned to Zelda, raising his hand. Several flashes of lightning converged in his palm, giving birth to an electric sphere that he threw at the princess.
The latter had not stood idly by. Channeling the energy from her Triforce fragment, she pushed the lightning ball back, sending it back to Ganon. The Devil-King had excellent reflexes and hit the ball of lightning... sending it once again to Zelda.
And so began a strange game of ping-pong, the lighting sphere serving as a ball. After several exchanges, Ganon was struck by his own spell... and screamed in pain, enveloped in an electric aura and lightning flashes that flashed around him.
The Devil-King fell on one knee but straightened up quickly. Stretching his trident towards the bridge, he caused the collapse of a part of the structure. To avoid falling into the lava, Zelda leaps forward, reaching a still stable part.
Ganon stretched his trident towards the lava and... a new pillar was formed. He jumped to the top and raised his hand to form a new ball of lightning.
The ping-pong game resumed and for the first time -after several exchanges- it was finally Ganon who was struck by his own spell. While lying on the ground, Zelda materialized the bow of the goddess Hylia and an arrow of light.
Struck by the arrow of light, Ganon disappeared for a moment in an explosion of golden light. But it took more than that to defeat the Devil-King.
He collapsed what remained of the bridge and Zelda had no choice but to take refuge on the first pillar created by Ganon. The strange Moblin had already created another pillar, and on its summit raised his hand to form a ball of lightning.
The fight continued...
A deadly game of ping pong where players jumped from one piton emerging from the lava to another.
Zelda hardly got up while Ganon laughed.
This was the second time she was struck by a ball of lightning. Searching her belt, she took a red potion and drank the contents.
The potion of Cure Severe Wound restored her health.
Fortunately, until then, the confrontation was largely in her favor. Ganon had been hit eight times by his own lightning ball, and seven times by an arrow of light.
And he didn't have any healing potion...
After collapsing the pillar on which Zelda was standing, forcing her to jump on another, the Devil-King created a new ball of lightning.
The ping-pong game resumed.
Once again it was Ganon who was the victim of his own spell. As he collapsed, temporarily immobilized, Zelda materialized the bow of the goddess and shot an arrow of light. Like the first seven times, the Moblin howled in pain as the golden explosion formed a sphere around him.
But this time, the monster vacillated and lost balance...
In the last cry of helpless rage, he fell into the lava!
As the liquid stone burned Ganon to the bone, a sphere of black and purple mud formed over his corpse. A laugh was heard:
"Enjoy your victory, princess. Killing me is one thing. But you should have understood that I never stay dead very long. The stone mask gave me the opportunity to create a new avatar, but I have already created others elsewhere. So this is not our last meeting. I wish you good luck in the future. I wouldn't want a pathetic monster in this pitiable maze to give you a quick death. I have a very personal vendetta against you, Princess Zelda. Do not frustrate me of my vengeance by letting you kill."
The sphere of malice flew towards the ceiling of the cave and disappeared by a crack.
Exhausted, the four adventurers sat on the last steps of the staircase. It was a little cooler when we were moving away from the lava, and they ate and drank to restore their strength.
It was truly an expedition to hell.
After Ganon's defeat, they had wasted a lot of time and energy in rescuing Zelda, a prisoner of a piton in the lava lake... Luckily Reyleth wore an elven rope wrapped around her waist. She also excelled at grappling.
As for Tourane, he had to cross the waterfall, since the first road had been destroyed and the invisible thief had taken his mage staff from him.
Weakened and exhausted, however, they had reached the temple of Hades.
The witches have retreated around their cauldrons and cast hateful glances at the quartet, apparently reluctant to seek confrontation. No doubt the crossing of the bridge made them understand that adventurers knew how to defend themselves.
Zelda looked around her with a disgusting pout. The ground was crawling with disgusting creatures: peeled rats, pustular toads, spiders, and snakes.
"Princess," murmured Reyleth " I don't know if you noticed, but there's no way out of that platform."
Indeed, no bridge or staircase left the temple. The platform protruded on the side of the cave and on the other three sides the lava was bubbling, spitting toxic fumaroles.
It was Tourane's turn to approach Zelda.
"The witches... they are not human they are Hags."
The Hags were demons with the appearance of old women, Zelda vaguely remembered having read something about it, they were responsible for the larvae. The larvae are the souls of humans condemned after their death to wander in a hell known as the Gray Waste of Hades.
She nodded and waved away.
Their choices were limited. Check the entire isolated island in the middle of the lava in search of something that looked like an exit or enter the temple.
She chooses the second option.
The temple was dark but cooler than the outside. A statue of Hades wearing his famous helmet was at the other end of the aisle of columns. An altar covered with dried blood and a dagger were just in front.
But Zelda hardly paid attention, a very beautiful woman was in front of her... finally a beautiful woman up to the waist, because the bottom of her body was that of a snake.
"I am Echidna, the mother of monsters, daughter of Gaia and Tartarus. The incarnation of primordial chaos."
At first unable to answer, Zelda shudders by understanding that she was facing the avatar of a goddess.
She flinched and bowed deeply.
"Honored Echidna, I apologize. I enter this temple in search of an exit to leave this island isolated in the middle of a lava lake. It was in no way my intention to disturb these premises in any way. "
The goddess made a gesture towards the statue of the god.
"Make an offering. If it pleases the mighty Hades, he will help you."
"Noble Echidna, can you tell me what kind of offering would be agreeable to the mighty King of the Underworld?"
"Your blood."
Zelda hesitated for a brief moment. Obeying the divinity's request, she cut her wrist deep enough for blood to flow.
As a few drops of blood fell on the altar, a red whirlwind wrapped around the adventurers. Before the temple of Hades disappeared, the princess had time to hear the last words of Echidna "Child, remember. Good is not good. Evil is not evil. What is wrong is not respecting everyone's share."
When the red swirl dissipated, Zelda and her companions were in a mausoleum, much smaller than the monumental temple of Hades. A stone sarcophagus was at one end of the room. Stone gargoyles lined the walls. These statues represented humanoid monsters with animal features, a horn on the nose, and leather wings on the shoulders.
The gaze of the stone creatures was fixed upon them.
As the princess looked towards the front door, Reyleth had moved in the other direction. On the stone coffin, she had seen a plate of copper on which was placed a medallion formed of a single ruby cut in the form of a flame.
Fascinated by the huge gem, the thief had forgotten all caution. Tourane wanted to stop her... too late.
As the thief's fingers landed on the medallion, the gargoyles moved.
Shouting in anger, they threw themselves at the intruders.
Zelda raised her hand and the power of the Triforce manifested itself in the form of a dazzling sphere of golden light. Touched by this light the nearest gargoyle to Zelda howled in terror and pain as its thick, rock-like skin began to smoke. The other gargoyles were not wounded but receded... the divine light of the Triforce was anathema to demons.
In front of the entrance, Forianna was fighting another gargoyle. Blocking the first attack, she swiftly rotated her shield to prevent the creature from grasping it then... sliced its clawed paw. The monster fell to the ground, writhing in pain.
"Princess, hurry up!"
The monster blocking the entrance squeezed the stump of its arm trying to hold back the flow of blood coming out of it. It was dying but two other gargoyles were about to attack.
Zelda saw the situation of her bodyguard and ran under her arm to rush towards the opening.
Forianna followed, fighting fiercely.
The former gladiator received several violent blows and the protection offered by the Stoneskin disappeared. Two other gargoyles fell under her sword before the others decided to retreat, impressed by the resistance of this prey.
Exhausted, and panting, the Amazon encouraged Zelda to walk away while she covered her back.
"Reyleth, Tourane?!"
"Zelda, we were closer to the door and we almost didn't return... there's nothing more to do."
"But we can't leave them."
"Princess, are you still hearing battle noises? No. "
Zelda turned to the tomb and saw the gargoyles watching them from the entrance but they didn't seem to want to pursue them. The Hylian heard their yelling, the flapping of their wings... but nothing else.
"They may be unconscious but still living!"
"It is admirable to keep hope when everything is against us and not to want to abandon our comrades. But, let's face it, Reyleth and Tourane are already dead. We're both hurt and exhausted. If we go back inside it will be to die with them."
Demoralized, Zelda went down the path along the edge of the lava lake. The Temple of Hades was a hundred meters away. The Royal Priestess of Hyrule had difficulty with the idea that her two friends had died. Once again it seemed so unfair. But it wasn't something new to her. She couldn't stop Ganon from killing the Champions, her father... It wasn't the first time she was powerless to save the people she loved. Suddenly, Forianna's voice was heard:
"Princess, get back to the present. I need you now."
Pulling away from her dark thoughts, Zelda looked around her... to discover that two adventurers were blocking their way. The ragged clothes, wearing coarse bandages, it was not difficult to understand that they had suffered a lot to get here. Bitter, Zelda said to herself that she should not look better. As for the Amazon, her shield was bumpy, and blood smeared her armor.
"On the attack," cried the first adventurer.
"Back off," said Zelda, "the path is narrower up."
Forianna raised her shield and obeyed.
Probably thinking that their prey no longer had the strength to fight, the two men approached.
However, as they walked along the edge of the lava lake, Zelda threw a handful of iron powder and murmured:
"Reduce." (1)
She cast the spell on the large slab of rock that she had noticed at that place. The stone was reduced by half and fell into the abyss... which caused a landslide under the feet of the two adventurers. They only had time to scream before being thrown into lava.
Zelda's triumph was a brief one.
Heads emerged from the liquid rock, the monsters looked at them, visibly furious for being disturbed.
They emerged from the lava, climbing on the rocks. There were about twenty of them.
They were foul humanoid creatures with a long tail, clawed hands and feet, pointed ears, and a sneaky, disgusting beard growing out of their face. Their skin was moist and scaly like a reptile. They were armed with a cruel, saw-toothed glaive capable of dealing great damage.
They were Barbaazu - Lesser Baatezu, the vilest and most effective soldiers of the Nine Hells.
(1) Reduce is not really a spell, it is the reverse effect of the Enlarge spell.