So let's see, last we left off, Link had just beaten the Ruby Master of Blades and claimed his prizes, the Meteor Mitts and the Ruby Greatsword. Overall, it seems like he's doing pretty well so far. But how will he do against the Sapphire King of Shadows... Well, let's find out.
Chapter 19
The Sapphire King of Shadows
"First the Master of Blades, now the King of Shadows, huh?" Link asked, carefully observing his opponent. Surprisingly, he hadn't turned intangible yet, meaning he was either braver than most Poes... or different in a special way.
"We were in life the greatest of Dolan's soldiers. The Master of Blades struck from the light, and I from the shadows. Though his mastery lies within the blade, mine lays within the arcane arts," said the Poe, waving his lantern to the side on the last part, creating a trail of blue flames before they died out.
"Your friend used magic too," Link said as he brandished the Ruby Greatsword. "I don't think you'll have too many extra tricks up your sleeves."
"Ah, you see..." said the specter as it started to vanish from Link's sight, "That's where you're wrong."
Link was about to question what he meant before ducking as the flaming lantern swung above him, more than ready to smash his head into the wall. Rolling away, he responded quickly and turned with the sword in hand, cutting at the specter behind him, though it wasn't there.
"Still invisible, huh?" Link asked, turning constantly such as to not be caught off guard. "You fight like a coward."
Luckily, Link got the reaction that he was looking for, and the Sapphire King of Shadows came into view, barreling at him with his lantern spinning in front of him. Link merely braced himself and held up his sword grabbing the blade and the handle, allowing the Poe to slam into him blade-first. Link quickly planted his feet and swung upwards with his blade, hoping to disarm the Poe. However, all this did was stagger him and open his guard for a single heavy strike that left a large wound in his spectral torso, simultaneously burning away at his robe.
"Smart move, mortal," the Poe said before floating back a few feet, seemingly unaffected by the wound he had sustained. "I never thought anyone alive would attempt to enrage me as my partner did, let alone use the same technique to wound me. Perhaps you hold more surprises than I."
Link didn't know what the specter was talking about, but he did know that what he had just done worked. Though the Poe gave no sign of feeling it, he had definitely received a wound that would hinder him. The King of Shadows quickly turned invisible again, Link being forced to rely once again on his instincts or be hit rather hard by a flaming lantern. He decided that at this moment, he didn't need to be able to swing his sword, and as such equipped his shield onto his right hand with his sword held over his shoulder. That being said, he kept moving; he wasn't going to risk just trying to block from one direction alone, especially when he had just nearly been struck from behind naught but moments ago.
Seeing a blue light from the corner of his eye, he quickly raised his shield towards that direction, taking a huge blow from the Poe, though he held fast and used all of his might to swing the Ruby Greatsword one-handed, and though it threw him off balance, he managed to land a good hit on the Poe that he was facing. Most of his blow was diffused by the lantern, however. Though something peculiar happened, namely that the blue fire of the lantern changed to the same crimson red of the Ruby Greatsword. The Poe recoiled for a moment before he was engulfed in the same flames, quickly trying to put himself out, the flames slowly turning to blue and subsiding, Link mentally questioning what he just saw.
"Did I just do that?" he asked himself, noting how the ball in the Poe's lantern matched the color of his sword while the fire remained crimson. Link acted quickly, striking the ball again with his blade, two-handed this time, getting a similar result before taking one more swing and basically detonating the Poe with a massive fiery burst.
The ball is channeling the fire from my sword... Link thought as he dodged another blow from the Poe. Maybe it'll channel other fire as well.
Shouldering his blade once more, Link chased after the fleeing Poe right before it turned invisible, catching it with a large burst of Sparks. However, Link noted that over time, his own fire spell had grown beyond what he'd label as 'sparks,' and now was a large torrent of flames, like a flare.
"Ah, Flare."
Snapping his fingers again, he caught the Poe in a large wave of Flare, turning the ball a brilliant gold and igniting the Poe once again. Quickly grabbing his sword, he struck the lantern again and turned it a mix of crimson and gold, the Sapphire King of Shadows being bathed in flames of the very same color.
"GAH! How?!"
Link rolled to the side and lept up with his sword held high before bringing it down, ripping the cloak off of the specter and revealing his overall skeletal form, though it still had a black undercloak to keep most of it concealed.
"Unprecedented... You've done more damage than I ever though you'd be capable of. You truly are worthy of the Trial of the Dead."
"Your friend said that too," Link said as he held his sword before him. "And worthy isn't enough. I need to beat it."
The specter nodded before reaching to his lantern, his hand turning invisible as the ball did so as well before he moved his arm away, having removed the ball from the lantern. Shortly after, the ball ignited, glowing with a powerful blue flame.
"Then I shall not waste your time."
Link was taken by surprise when the Poe threw the ball at him, still burning with the blue flame. Quickly rolling out of the way, he saw the object smash into the wall, the cracks that radiated from its point of entry radiating blue. Suddenly, a sort of tether made from the same blue fire the Poe was using connected the ball to the Poe's hand, allowing him to pull it back.
"This is my Channel Orb, a ball made of a special ore that takes on the properties of whatever magic it comes into contact with. It was gifted to me by the Dolan of late, a prize for serving him for so long," the Poe explained before swinging the Channel Orb around, taking many flaming strikes at Link, occasionally scraping the ground and setting it on fire.
So that's why when my sword hit it, it burst into flames. It was channeling Inferno.
Link kept dodging, having no other options, lest he be hit by the devastating weapon.
But then that means if my sword could ignite it when it was merely acting as a focus for Inferno, then what about the Meteor Mitts...?
Link quickly sheathed his sword and grabbed his shield, waiting for the Poe to strike again. He quickly did so, throwing the orb right at Link. Bracing himself, he let his shield take the brunt of the blow before reaching his other hand around, grabbing the orb directly. As he had expected, not only did it turn crimson like when he'd struck it with his sword, but it also changed the color of the tether to fiery red, burning the Poe once again. Link quickly took this chance to throw the flaming Channel Orb at the Poe, nailing him right in the torso and breaking some of his ribs, Link seeing the bones clack to the floor.
"That was... Way more than I thought it would do," Link admitted. He had thought that it would only lit him on fire again; the ribs were just a nice bonus.
With the flaming Channel Orb still roasting on his chest, the Poe had to quickly revert it to his blue flames before he was burnt to death. Or, rather, re-death. Once he had done so, he removed it from his chest, floating back to the top of the room.
"I must admit, you have done far better than I thought you'd do. Though I fear even you will not find a way out of this."
Before Link could question what he meant, the Poe hurled the Channel Orb to the center of the room, the blue flames growing brighter before it crashed into the ground, bathing the whole room in a chilling blue flame. Link's breath became visible, and he felt that the temperature had dropped like a stone. He knew what the Poe meant- even if he were to beat him, he'd freeze to death.
"What if I..." Link said as he braced himself before charging towards the Channel Orb, at this point a slow trudge due to the powerful release of flames and how much frost was coating his body. Reaching its point of impact, Link used all of his might to punch the orb. It took a moment, but it gradually turned crimson, the blue fire turning to a potent crimson before screams of pain and confusion were heard as a flaming form fell to the floor.
"Y-you've... You've d-done it..." the Sapphire King of Shadows said. "I do not know how, but you've bested me..."
Link watched as the red fire was gradually replaced by blue, the King's corporeal form burning away. And once again, Link was left talking to a smiling flame. But at this point, he'd figured that it would have happened, so he was fine.
"Amazing. Not only did you best my partner, but me as well! You may have what it takes to finish this nightmarish trial. My Channel Orb. Take it. You may find greater use for it than I, and it may help you against the final test of this trial."
Link nodded, grabbing the Channel Orb and holding it up. Since it was now free of the lantern and not being used to kill him, he was free to examine it to the fullest. All in all, it was made of a highly-polished material that appeared to be metal, and it had steel bracings along the edges, cutting it into eighths. At the points where the braces crossed were rings that revealed an inner core that was perfectly reflective. Holding it with both hands, he was satisfied to see that the core started flowing like magma, the other shell changing to black to look like igneous stone.
"I like it," he said as he tossed it between his hands, the ball being surprisingly light for its size.
"Our master is the final challenge you must face, brave warrior. Continue through this Emerald Grave, and you shall face him. Go, and may luck be on your side, for you shall need it," the King of Shadows said before the fire subsided.
"Well, that was quite the ordeal," Marze said as he flitted out of Link's hood, covered in frost. "My scales are frozen together..."
"Then melt them," Link said as he held up the Channel Orb, its radiant heat being enough for Marze to quickly melt his scales.
"...Okay, thanks," Marze said as he situated himself on Link's shoulder.
Link nodded and turned to the door, which was now unbarred allowing him through. Going back through the previously Redead-infested hallway, he re-entered the hub room, looking back up to the large switch encased in ice. Grabbing the Channel Orb, Link experimentally tossed it, noting how he could likely throw it very far... potentially far enough to hit the switch.
"Let's give it a shot," Link said as he reared back, hurling the weapon at the switch and striking it dead-on, destroying the ice and striking the switch, changing its color and opening the barred door. However, the ball stayed on top of the pillar.
"Wait, the King of Shadows did something to give it a tether... What if I..." Link said as he mimed pulling a rope, a red tether of flames appearing between his hands and the Channel Orb, allowing him to pull it down.
"This is really cool," Link said as he caught the ball. "I may even be able to use it like a ball and chain because of this tether."
Putting it away in his pouch, he went up to the now-open door and opened it, revealing a room that was pitch-black, much like the hub room before he lit the torches.
"Looks like a job for the Ruby Greatsword," Link said as he drew his flaming blade, lighting the area. He was startled when he saw the chest that held the key, as between the chest and him was a large chasm that he couldn't jump over.
"Not a job for the Ruby Greatsword then..." Link said as he sheathed his sword, instead getting out his Channel Orb.
"The tether can pull the orb back, but can it pull me if the orb is stuck?"
Link was ready to test his hypothesis by spinning the orb above his head before arcing it at the chest, hitting hard in front of it and getting it stuck in a crater of its own make. Pulling hard on the fiery tether that connected him to his orb, he was satisfied that it didn't budge, meaning he could try this out.
"Marze, stay here. This is going to be rough..."
With a running head start, he jumped as far as he could, maybe getting over half of the chasm before falling downward, using the tether to catch himself before climbing up, which took a little while due to the weight of his armor and gear. Reaching the top, he pulled the orb out and opened the chest, revealing the key to the final door in the Emerald Grave.
"*Whew* There we go," Link said, placing the key in his pouch. "That's the last thing I need. Now, let's get back over..."
Link started swinging the Channel Orb around before slamming it into the ground the same way he had before, using the same technique as before to get back to the other side. Once he reached the top and pulled himself over, he took a few minutes to catch his breath, as all the running, jumping, and climbing had worn him out a little, especially after he had battled Redeads, undead knights, and vengeful spirits.
"So, do you think you're up to it?" Marze asked, making sure Link was ready. From what he'd heard about Link's conversations with the Master of Blades and the King of Shadows, the man who owned the Emerald Grave, Dolan, was still there, and he waited behind the locked door.
"I guess this is as ready as I'll get," Link said as he stood, sighing. This was going to be rough...
Heading back into the center room, Link approached the locked door, looking intently at the heavily-gilded locking mechanism.
"This guy really was rich as a god..." Link said as he placed the gilded key in the lock, turning it and opening the final lock in the Emerald Grave.
"All right, let's do this," Link said as he entered the room, a large room that at the opposite end rested a throne, a large golden chair with emerald fabrics. Sitting in the throne, which was surrounded by two large torches with green flames, was a colossal being standing at least twice as tall as the Master of Blades. Clad in an emerald cloak with golden accents and bearing a golden crown covered in emeralds, Link could see that the being was skeletal, and he could see that beneath the cloak was a suit of emerald armor, and it also had golden details. Evidently, Dolan enjoyed emeralds. As Link thought about it, he remembered hearing stories of how the King of Evil from times passed had enjoyed topaz jewelry, and even bore it in his armor.
Link was shaken from his reverie when the skeleton started shaking, accompanied by the sounds of harsh inhalation, as if someone were taking a breath of smoke after not having breathed for a while, which Link figured was the case with the skeleton. It eventually rose its head, green lights filling the hollows of its eyes, those lights falling onto Link.
"So... Someone has come to claim their prize... You've come far, brave one... But I fear you will taste no victory... You will be a nice addition to this Emerald Grave..." the skeleton said, its bones rattling as it laughed.
Link merely drew his sword, the skeleton being taken back for a moment.
"You bested the Master of Blades...? Impressive... I'd imagine that the King of Shadows, too, fell to your might... No matter... You, much like everything else here, will expire... And your body will rot and decay, never again to see the light of day..."
Link responded by gritting hit teeth, raising his sword to a combat position and letting the blade roar to life. He was going to keep the Channel Orb as a trump card for now; he couldn't risk the creature before him adapting to him too quickly to his strategies.
"You raise your blade... Yet both you and it shall fall on this day... I am Dolan Arcturus, the wealthiest man in all of Hyrule..."
As the skeleton, Dolan, spoke, he rose from his throne, his bones creaking and cracking as he did so, walking to the center of the room. Slowly raising his hand, a large scythe was called to his hand, a blade of emerald aiming at Link's neck. Then behind him materialized a huge skeleton made seemingly of crystals, towering over both Link and Dolan, the skeleton being at least a good 50 ft tall.
"Though I'd prefer if you'd call me by my true name; Stalicus, the Emerald God of Death."
Ho boy.
So yeah. Dola- Stalicus. Things just got pretty real, didn't they? Especially when a 20ft skeleton guys summons a 50ft skeleton made of crystals. And a scythe... And then calls himself the god of death... So yeah. See what happens next time!
OniHelix out!