I really need to stop with these huge chapters... So yeah, the reason why this took so long was not just because its so rediculously long, bu also because writer's block, as well as the fact that I just finished another story I've been working on forever, and the fact that school is horrible. So, you know, life stuff. But anyway, since this chapter is so long, I won't say too much about it here, aside from the fact that I freaking love writing Ghirahim. Nuff said. Now for the guest reviews!
Cia23: I could totally see that... ;)
ShadowRouge: Indeed we have Groose! (as well as Pipit and Karane, most likely who you were thinking of) And yes, I can't wait for Nabooru either!
Arrowsheena: Oh she so is though! And yes, Skyloft is here! Hooray!
Guest: Thanks!
Anonymous: I'd like to stay in SS personally, specifically Skyloft, because who wouldn't want to fly around on giant birds all day? But if I was there, like I said, I would fly around on my Loftwing, and pretty much just chill and explore the sky, since its so pretty :D
MajoraSkull99: Yes, i have! I don't get what the hate is for Lana personally, and I think her Skull Kid costume is pretty cute!
GrayishGirl: I know what you mean... That mission could get annoying at times... :P
miano53: Yeah, typos typos. I'll have to fix that eventually.
Guest: Yes, I was at schermerhorn and it was AWESOME! I cried so much and I'm such a dork that I even did a lame girl cosplay of Link! Hahaha XD
Ok, with al that outta the way, let's get started!
Chapter 12: The Land in the Sky
A mummer of dissent rippled through some of the Hylian troops as their number approached the column of light that would supposedly lead them to the fabled isle in the sky. While any soldier in Hyrule's army was trained to be loyal and dedicated to their creed no matter who they served under, there were quite a few who were still questioning whether the Sheikah guardian's decision to make a relatively unexperienced recruit, who had only been given his newfound tittle because of his apparent status as the hero of legend, second in command of the entire army and the sole leader of the mission that they were deployed in now. This subtle disgruntled attitude largely came from the fact that any of the soldiers who had been assigned to fight alongside the young hero were years older than him, not to mention that before Impa had hailed him as the new hero, Link technically had been ousted from the army for insubordination, something that most of the soldiers knew from the countless rumors spread amidst their number. Among these rumors were several more unsavory, wildly untrue ones, such as the assumption that the hero had been elevated to his current status upon the princess's request in the aftermath of the two of them being intimate with each other, even though they had never met before the battle in Hyrule Field. And of course, many whispers had gone around amongst the ranks that Link was largely to blame for this war, as it was Cia's lust for him that had prompted her violent attacks on Hyrule in the first place.
And yet, even despite the largely unpopular opinion on him, the hero knew little of it himself. The soldiers who were dissatisfied with having to serve under his leadership kept their complaints mostly to themselves and let their distaste for him boil under their skin as they begrudgingly followed him, fighting alongside him, but silently refusing to give him the respect that they owed him in his position.
And so it was that Link thought little of it as he led the way to the column of light, miles above which floated the mythical floating isle known as Skyloft. The hero had heard tell before of a land sitting high above the clouds, but now as he stood below it, preparing to ascend to the heights that it sat upon, he could actually see it with his own eyes, something that was hard to believe in and of itself. And yet, after everything that had happened over the past few weeks alone, there was relatively little that Link wouldn't believe anymore.
"So," Proxi interrupted the hero's wonder as he looked up to the isle. "Are we ready, Link?"
Link didn't respond immediately as he took a glance back at the group of soldiers behind him, impatiently awaiting his command to enter into the column before them at go up to Skyloft. He finally realized that this would be his first mission without Impa to guide him, to be the one truly in charge. He was on his own now in leading out in this charge, and the hero had admittedly never been in such an authoritative position before. It was certainly a great deal of pressure for Link, who up until but a few weeks ago, had been little more than a mere recruit amidst and army of thousands, and yet now he found himself at its very head. As Impa had told him, these soldiers depended on him, and even more than that, the still-missing princess depended on him, so he was determined not to let any of them down.
"Yes," the hero said with firm resolve, undaunted by the path ahead as he stepped forward towards the glowing column. "We're ready."
The moment Link stepped into the pillar of light, he began to feel himself getting lighter until he found that his feet were no longer touching the ground at all. Even the soldiers who didn't think too fondly of the hero couldn't help but watch in awe as he began to be lifted up by the magical column of light, ascending closer to the island in the sky with each passing moment.
"W-what's going on?!"Link asked, completely startled as the troops got smaller and smaller below him.
"Its ok, Link!" Proxi giggled in amusement at his shock as she flittered alongside the confused hero. "It's just like Lana said: the column is taking you up to Skyloft!"
Link continued to stare down at the troops as they hesitantly began to follow after him into the column, before letting out a sigh and shaking his head with a sardonic grin. "Somehow, I doubt that this is going to be the weirdest thing to happen during this mission," he said jokingly, coaxing another bright laugh out of his fairy companion, one which he joined in on.
Surprisingly enough, even though Skyloft was miles above the surface, the journey up there only took a few minutes, for in what felt like no time at all, the hero found himself deposited from the column of light and onto solid ground once more. After the strange feeling of weightlessness finally wore off, Link finally took the opportunity to glance around at his new surroundings to find that not only was he in a completely new land, but a completely new era as well.
Skyloft certainly lived up to the fantastical legends often told about it. Rather than being one singular island as most scholars believed it to be, it was composed of one main, large island and several outlying smaller ones. A colorful town was nestled upon the large island, abundant with many humble, yet unique dwellings. To the south was a main square and beside it sat a stone tower that somewhat resembled a lighthouse. Near the island's center was a large tent, most likely housing some sort of market, though the wooden planks barring its entrance told that it was clearly shut down at the moment. A large lake, fed by a waterfall pouring from an islet above sparkled on its eastern side, and, perhaps its most noticeable feature was the glorious statue of a heavenly, winged woman towering high over the entire town. For the longest moment, the hero stood admiring the area, noticing how even though the air was certainly much lighter up here, it seemed somehow fresher and cleaner than the air below. And indeed, the skies above the island were a pristine shade of blue, speckled with the occasional fluffy white cloud every now and then. However, these skies were far from empty as very large birds of many different colors soared through them, something that awed all of the soldiers as they finally arrived in Skyloft after Link.
"Wow…" the hero mused in clear amazement as he took a step forward into the island. "It's incredible up here…"
"Who could have ever guessed that all those stories about a city floating in the sky were actually true, huh?" Proxi said as she flew a little bit higher to get a better view of the entire island.
"Yeah, but… where is everyone?" Link asked with a frown as he looked around to see that the town seemed to be abandoned, and even more disturbingly, even a bit ramshackle, as if a recent disaster had just struck it. "I mean, people do live up here, right?"
"Good point," the fairy said with a nod as she glided up a little higher, hoping to spot something, and sure enough, to the far northeastern corner of the island, where the ground was strangely barren and desolate, but it certainly wasn't empty. The area was littered with monsters, mainly bokoblins, rampaging wildly as they began to advance down towards the main part of the island. Meeting them in battle was a fairly sizable number of knights, clearly natives of Skyloft, barely going forth with their weapons held aloft as they prepared to protect their beset home by any means necessary.
"There's a ton of monsters to the north!" Proxi reported to Link as she got back down to his level. "It looks like whatever army this place has is trying to fight them off, but they're really outnumbered. They won't be able to get rid of them all on their own!"
The hero nodded in serious understanding, knowing right away that even though their primary mission was to find the Gate of Souls, he simply couldn't ignore the plight of this endangered city, especially if the monsters' presence here was Cia's doing. And so, he turned towards the troops behind him as they continued to look around Skyloft, not entirely sure how to address them or give them a command to move out, and so he decided to follow after how Impa spoke to them, standing as tall and firm as he could and speaking loudly and authoritatively. "The island is under attack," he informed them, his expression unyielding even though most could sense the hint of nervousness in his tone. "There are enemy forces to the north and they're attacking the people who live here. We need to go up there and help them before they-"
"Hold on a minute," one of the nearby soldiers, one who was clearly much older than Link, interrupted rather rudely. "Aren't we supposed to be looking for that Gate of Souls up here?"
"We will look for it," Link assured, still mindful of their main goal. "But we're going to help the other army first. We can't just do nothing while their home is in danger."
"But this place isn't our home," another soldier retorted snidely. "Why risk our lives to save some town that died out centuries ago anyway?"
The hero paused for a moment before answering this, his fists clenching at his sides in sudden anger. Upon hearing such selfish hesitance, he was quickly reminded of how he had been kicked out of the army, simply because he had been the only one who wanted to act amidst those who should have been willing to leap into battle without a second thought. However, instead of dealing with the incompliance of fellow recruits, Link found that he was surrounded by a legion of unwilling soldiers who had already passed through training, many of whom had been in the army far longer than him, who still did not want to fight as he did. Some things apparently never changed.
"Because it's the right thing to do," the hero said in clear aggravation, glaring coldly at all of them for their cowardice and selfishness. "You all can do whatever you want. I'm going to help them, even if it's without your help."
Most of the soldiers exchanged a glance upon hearing this, realizing that Link was indeed serious as he turned and began to head off towards the western side of the island, not even bothering to look back and see if any of them were following him. However, while many of the soldiers simply decided to stay back stubbornly, complaining about the hero's poor leadership skills, a few decided to march on after their second general, respecting the resolve and bravery that he was showing in preparing to face off against such a threat, even if he had to do it alone.
Proxi flittered alongside Link as they approached the makeshift set of keeps that the Skyloftian soldiers had holed themselves up in, glancing at him with concern all the while. She knew that the hero was fiercely independent, but going into a fight like this without any allies could prove to be dangerous. At the same time, the fairy could also sense that her companion was certainly agitated, something that would certainly impair his fighting skills if he let it get the better of him. "What's the matter, Link?" she asked a bit hesitantly, particularly noticing his cross expression.
"Nothing," Link answered a bit harshly, keeping his sights set straight ahead.
"Oh, come on…" Proxi said as she landed upon his armored shoulder. "I can tell that you're upset, so don't try and hide it! What's wrong?"
The hero's scowl deepened as he shook his head, finally deciding to vent his frustrations. "They're all cowards," he said quietly, though it was quite clear that he was fuming. "Nothing but selfish, stubborn cowards. I thought things would be different in the actual army, but it's the same exact attitude the recruits had. What good is even having an army if no one in it is willing to fight to protect innocent people, no matter who they are?"
The fairy frowned to herself, hesitating to tell him the theory for the real reason behind the disagreement within his ranks. Unlike Link, Proxi had heard the whispers of discontent among the soldiers, but she didn't want to let the hero know about them lest they damage his morale and make him loose confidence in himself. After all, Link was still starting out and he still had much to learn. And certainly, one of the things he needed to learn most was how to take charge in a situation exactly like this one.
"Well…" Proxi said a bit avoiding, not wanting to give the hero the truth quite yet. "At least not all of them are like that. It looks like you still have a few good men after all."
The fairy guided his gaze behind him to show the group of about fifty marching dutifully behind him, the only ones left out of a group that was originally two hundred. Link sighed in slight dissatisfaction at this, knowing that they would still be incredibly outnumbered even when combined with Skyloft's forces, but some soldiers were certainly better than none.
As the meager group made it to the first keep guarded by the Skyloftian troops, a captain from within it was quick to spot their approach as he dashed out of the keep, holding his spear in a defensive position as he stopped the hero and his soldiers. "Halt!" the captain demanded, giving the Hylian troops a suspicious glare. "Who are you and what is your business here?!"
"Don't worry," Link said reassuringly, understanding why the Skyloftian soldiers would be on edge as they were in the middle of an attack. "We don't mean you any harm. We're here to help."
"Really?" the captain said, clearly not buying it. "Just like that that witch and her dragon knight came here to 'help' before they betrayed us and made things even worse?"
"So Cia has been here…" Proxi commented to Link as the two of them exchanged a brief glance, before the hero spoke once more.
"I can promise you that we have nothing to do with them," Link said firmly. "In fact, we're trying to do everything we can to stop them."
"Well, if that's the case, then feel free to go ahead and try!" the captain said, feeling a bit more at ease upon hearing this confirmation. "We can use all the help we can get because at this rate, we're bound to loose Skyloft!"
"We won't let that happen," the hero said confidently, drawing his sword in preparation to fight. "Do you know who's in charge of these monsters now?"
"Well, the witch is gone, but the dragon knight's still here," the captain informed. "Their base is to the north, but we-"
"Hey!" a sudden shout broke through the conversation, apparently coming from the northern side of the keep. The Skyloftian captain, as well as the hero and the Hylian troops all turned to see what the commotion apparently was, which turned out to be three youths, all around the same age as Link, who had emerged from the rush of the battle and into the keep. The one who had called out was a young man of a strong, burly build with copper eyes and fiery red hair proudly groomed up into a high pompadour. In his hand he held an unlit bomb and it was clear from the tears and dirt on his clothes, which clearly showed that he was not one of the armored soldiers, that he had just come from the midst of the fray itself, as well as his somewhat winded expression. The other young man of the trio was clad in a uniform vaguely similar to the hero's, cap, tunic, and all, save for the fact that it was a golden yellow instead of green. Brown hair emerged from under his cap and his medium blue eyes were filled with zeal as he wielded his sword broadly. The only girl of the three of them was also clad in such a uniform, only hers was a pale shade of green and her hat was round and flat. Her ginger hair was tied into two long, yet functional pigtails and her weapon was clearly a bow as she held it tightly, the quiver on her back full of arrows as she looked as equally capable of fighting as her male companions did.
"We need more ammo!" the brawny young man said, tossing his bomb into the leather bag at his waist, which appeared to be able to somehow hold a sizable amount of them. "Those pests are really giving us a hard time out there!"
"Not to mention that dragon knight!" the golden-clad young man said a bit breathlessly, checking over a small burn wound he had received on his arm, most likely from the foe in question. "He nearly roasted us all alive!"
"I knew that witch couldn't be trusted from the moment she showed up here!" the girl said with a frown. "No one who goes around parading herself like that ever has good intentions. Now we have to fight both that dragon knight and that creepy demon lord off!"
"Well, we might as well get to it then," the first young man said as he restocked his pouch full of bombs. "We gotta do whatever it takes to save Skyloft!" Before the three of them could set out once more however, the first young man happened to spot the hero still standing at the entryway of the keep watching the scene. "Hey!" the burly young man exclaimed with a wide grin, calling the attention of his companions. "Look, you guys! It's Link!"
The trio immediately rushed towards Link, who was absolutely confused as to how they seemed to know him, even though he had never seen any of them before. "Hey, Link!" the young man in yellow greeted warmly. "How's it going?"
The hero frowned, still wondering how he seemed to be recognized in a time that was not his own. "Um… do I know you?" he asked all three of them, something that quickly caused their invited smiles to fade into the same confusion that he was showing.
"C'mon, Link!" the stronger young man said with a slight chuckle, believing that the hero was merely joking, though he was completely serious. "Quit messing around! We're your buddies! Groose," he said, referring to himself. "Pipit," he motioned to the golden-clad knight, who grinned and nodded knowingly. "And Karane!" he said, poiting to the girl who smiled playfully. "Now, let's go! We don't have time for games, and besides, we could really use your help out there busting up those creeps!"
Before Link could insist that he really didn't know any of them, he was cut off by Karane, who had circled around him and was holding the end of his scarf in her hands, admiring the skillful stitch work of it. "Wow, Link," she said in slight amazement. "This is a beautiful scarf! Did Zelda make it for you?"
"Zelda?!" Link asked in alarm, completely forgetting about the previous conversation as his thoughts all centered on the missing princess as he assumed that if her name was known here, then certainly she must have somehow visited Skyloft at one point or another. "The princess was here?!"
"Princess?" Pipit asked, raising an eyebrow. "You must really be out of it, Link. Zelda's not a princess, and besides… isn't she up here with you somewhere?"
"What?" the hero asked in complete bewilderment, exchanging a brief glance with Proxi as she continued to float nearby, eagerly awaiting to give an explanation.
"I think I get it…" the fairy said, and of course, only Link was able to understand what she was saying. "They must think that you're the hero from their era, the chosen hero of the goddess Hylia! The Zelda they're talking about was the goddess's human incarnation, not the princess."
"Oh…" Link nodded in understanding as well as slight disappointment as he realized that he was nowhere closer to finding Zelda than before. But even so, he decided to relay what Proxi had just told him and explain to Groose, Pipit, and Karane that he was not the Link they believed him to be, telling them that him and his troops were from another time entirely, but that they had come to aid in the fight nonetheless.
"So… Let me get this straight…" Groose said, scratching his head in confusion as he tried to piece everything together. "Your name is Link, and you're a hero, but… you're not our Link?"
"Right," the hero nodded, hoping that it cleared things up.
"And… you come from the future?" Karane asked, obviously bewildered by all this.
Link nodded once more before explaining the situation even further. "And the witch and the dragon knight who attacked your home in the first place are named Cia and Volga," he clarified. "They started a war in the Hyrule of my time and so we're trying to stop them by finding and closing something called the Gate of Souls."
"Hyrule?" Pipit asked, not familiar with the term.
"Hyrule hasn't been formed in this time period yet," Proxi quickly said to Link. "To them, it's only known as the surface."
"I mean, the surface," the hero corrected, knowing that explaining that much would take too much time.
"So, what's this Gate of Souls thing, huh?" Groose asked curiously.
"It's where all these monsters are coming from," Link said, remembering how Lana had defined the Gate of Souls. "I was told that closing it would keep any more from coming."
"Well then, let's close it, by all means!" Karane said with resolve. "Anything to get rid of all these destructive beasts! Where is it?"
"I don't know," the hero said with a frown. "We'll have to find it first."
"Don't worry," Groose said with a broad confident grin. "We'll help you find it and drive these dirt bags outta here!"
"Thanks," Link said with a grateful smile, finding these young new allies to be more courageous and willing to fight than even his own troops. "Now, let's go!"
Without another word, they group of four, as well as the Hylian troops and a faction of Skyloftian troops headed out from the keep, only to find that the pathway leading to the island holding the enemy base had been destroyed by their foes. However, they didn't let that stop them as they cut a path through the town towards the north, specifically, the area surrounding the towering statue of the goddess Hylia.
The troops were quick to engage against the monsters all over the place, hoping to stop their advance from moving to any of the untouched parts of the island, or more specifically, the allied base to the southeast, where most of the civilians of the besieged town had gathered for protection. However, it quickly became apparent to Link, as he tore his way through the enemy forces skillfully, that the dragon knight was indeed at the head of this attack. Volga stood upon the raised up island that contained the enemy base, watching fiercely as his forces dueled the combined Hylian and Skyloft troops.
"Hah!" the dragon knight laughed in triumph, knowing that certainly the meager, vastly outnumbered army could do little to take down the monsters Cia had supplied him with. "Every last human in these lands will fall to my fiery blade!"
Unbeknownst to Volga however, another figure stood not too far behind him, glaring disgruntledly at the dragon knight whom he had been forced to work with by the black witch, whose power was the only thing he had taken note of during her initial strike upon the island. "That Volga, so full of himself," the mysterious foe scoffed to himself, crossing his arms and scowling dramatically. "He forgets that it is I, Ghirahim, who truly leads the demon tribe!" The self-proclaimed demon lord cast another harsh look at the dragon knight, who was unaware of his presence, before he vanished in a cluster of diamonds, already planning on how he was going to take charge of this strike himself.
Meanwhile, Link fought alongside Groose, Pipit, and Karane unflinchingly, all three of them utilizing their respective skills in combat. The hero, of course, cut his sword through any foolish bokoblin that dared to enter into his path. Groose utilized his wide supply of bombs nicely, tossing one into every group of monsters he came across and not even bothering to watch the explosion as he prepared the next one. Pipit, much like Link, also showed a great skill in swordplay, as could be seen from how he thrust through the enemy forces with an obvious level of experience. And Karane's expertise with her bow certainly came in handy as she was able to take aim from afar and strike down most of her foes in one hit. Altogether, the four of them made a fairly powerful team, and yet even as skilled and determined as the youths were, it was clear that the monsters were going to keep coming all the same, no matter how many they took out.
"We'll have to take Volga out if we want to end this," the hero said to his allies as they continued to fight. "Is there any way to get up there?"
"All the paths have been broken up," Pipit said with a frown. "But the captain came up with a plan a little while ago. We're going to try and convince Lord Levias to reconnect them."
"Lord Levias?" Link asked in confusion. "Who's that?"
"He's the great sky spirit," Karane said as she aimed an arrow towards a nearby bokoblin. "Whenever Skyloft is in trouble and needs his help, we ask for his aid and offer him a sacrifice of his favorite delicacy: pumpkin soup."
Though the hero found this information to be somewhat strange, he nodded nonetheless, already getting an idea of what their plan was. "So do you have any pumpkin soup?" he asked, hoping that there would be some on hand.
"It just so happens that we do," Groose said with a wide grin. "We got a whole big pot of it waiting right inside the Goddess Statue! All we need to do is get it to the edge of the island, and Levias well eat it right up!"
"Sounds like that should be our first goal then!" Proxi said to Link, who had already reached the same conclusion.
"I'll head up that way then," the hero said to his companions. "Can you guys hold them off here?"
"Sure thing!" Groose said as he threw another bomb at the attacking monsters, not even flinching from the fray once as Pipit and Karane did the same. Satisfied that they would succeed, Link began to cut a path away from the monsters and towards the northern entrance of the statue. However, as he approached it, a sudden voice sounded out, its sound ethereal and mysterious, yet strangely familiar as the hero stopped in his tracks and listened to it.
"Link… Master…" the distant, yet close voice said almost beckoningly. "Come… I wait for your arrival underneath the Goddess Statue…"
"Did you hear that?" Link asked Proxi almost immediately after the voice faded.
"Hear what?" the fairy asked, having not heard the voice, even though the hero had as plain as day.
"That voice…" Link said with a frown as he got moving again, knowing that there was no time to waste, even though his curiosity was certainly aroused. "It sounded like it was coming from the statue…"
"Well, we're heading there anyway," Proxi said, fluttering on ahead. "Maybe there's somebody in there."
The hero nodded in agreement with this as he continued on, eventually making it into the open entrance of the statue. The room inside of the statue was elegant and almost sacred in the feeling it put off, silence echoing through the tall chamber as Link stepped inside of it a bit hesitantly. However, aside from the architecture of the room itself, the first thing that caught his eye was the beautiful sword resting within the stone pedestal in the center of the chamber. The blade seemed to be bathed in a heavenly light, one that suddenly intensified as the hero took a slight step closer to it. The sword flashed brightly about a second later, and out of it emerged a being unlike any Link had ever seen before.
The figure that had apparently come out of the sword was feminine in its appearance, somewhat angelic and enigmatic all at once. Its body appeared to be made out of metal, and it seemed to have no arms, though if it did they were covered by a blue and violet flowing cloak draping down its shoulders. Its figure was elegant and shapely, clad in a short purple dress with a large blue diamond upon her chest. Its fine legs were covered in aqua blue bands, though it did not stand upon the ground but rather float gently above it. Its face, as well as its short hair, was light blue in color, and its eyes were vacant and pupil-less, its expression emotionless as it looked upon the hero, who stared back at it in bewilderment.
"Greetings. My name is Fi," the being spoke in a feminine, almost robotic tone. "I have been waiting for you, Hero of Hyrule…"
"What… what are you?" Link asked in amazement, looking up at Fi as she hovered in front of the sword she had come out of.
"I am the spirit of the blade that stands before you, the Goddess Sword," Fi said eloquently. "I have awoken from my former slumber within the blade in order to aid the sky folk in this battle, however, before you arrived, we were betrayed by the black witch, Cia, and left to the hordes attacking the island now. You seek to aid in this situation, even though you and your troops are not of this time, correct?"
"Yeah…" the hero confirmed, though he was still confused. "But… how did you know that?"
"I am knowledgeable in many things," the sword spirit said. "I was created by the goddess to aid her first chosen hero, and so there is much that I know of the present, as well as some foresight into the future. As such, I am able to recognize that you are not the Master, but I can consider you a Master."
"What does that mean?" Link asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
"It means that my mission is to serve you," Fi said, inclining her head in respect towards him. "You are a reincarnation of the Spirit of the Hero, and therefore, you are worthy of being my Master."
Before the hero could say anything to this, the sword spirt leapt high into the air and quickly lunged towards him, still hovering in the air as she came in close and leaned into his face. "My assistance is necessary for your success," Fi said as her face was but a few inches away from Link's, who was startled at her sudden approach. "If it is your will, then allow me to accompany you on this mission and lend my aid in this fight. Does this satisfy you?"
"Um… yes, it does," the hero said, knowing that any help was certainly welcome. "Of course you can come along, Fi."
"Thank you," the sword spirit said with a polite nod, glancing behind her for a moment as the Goddess Sword vanished into thin air, apparently joining with her so that she could fight free of it. "Until our shared mission is complete, please allow me to call you, Master."
"Oh, you don't have to do that," Link said humbly, not used to being referred to by such a title.
"But I insist, Master," Fi said, clearly not taking no for an answer. "Now, I concur that you need assistance in transporting this pumpkin soup to the sky spirit, Levias, correct?" she asked, referring to the large vat of soup sitting in one of the corners of the keep, confirming what Groose had said earlier.
"Yes," the hero said, though he wasn't sure how he was going to lift something that large, much less carry it to the edge of the island.
"Very well then," the sword spirit said, finally backing up a bit as she glided towards the pot. "I shall carry this pumpkin soup to the desired destination, as it will help our allies advance upon the enemy." Without another word, Fi lifted one of her cloaked arms, surrounding the vat of soup in a blue aura as she caused it to levitate off of the ground, as though it weighed nothing at all. "Where would you like me to transport the soup, Master?"
"This way," Link said, admittedly surprised that Fi was able to do something like that so effortlessly, but nonetheless, he led the way out of the chamber and back outside, where the monsters had clearly began to press on towards, hoping to put an end to the Skyloftians' plan before it could come to fruition. Of course, Groose, Pipit, and Karane, as well as quite a few soldiers were hot on their trail, and the hero was quick to leap back into the fray immediately, knowing that Fi would have to be kept safe if they ever wanted the soup delivered. However, the sword spirit herself was far from helpless, for as Link prepared to defend her, Fi glided gracefully past him, still somehow keeping the soup suspended in midair as she spun into several bokoblins, the sharp tips of her cloak cutting them fatally. The hero couldn't help but watch in amazement as the sword spirit fought in a way that was almost akin to dancing, every move fluid and elegant as she spun and leapt through the air. Her skill and finesse did not go unnoticed by the youths as they continued to fight, taken aback by the sudden, strange appearance of their apparent new ally.
"What is that thing?" Karane asked as her, Pipit, and Groose all stared at Fi in amazement, not knowing that even in the midst of battle, the perceptive sword spirit had heard her.
"I am called Fi," the sword spirit informed, turning towards the three of them as she came to a stop in front of them, briefly glancing behind her to make sure that the pumpkin soup was still untouched. "I am the spirit of the Goddess Sword, and I wish to aid in this battle serving under my new Master." Upon saying this, she abruptly turned back towards Link, who was preoccupied taking down several monsters swiftly, still pressing onwards towards the point where the path going towards the enemy base had been cut off. Knowing that it was her duty to aid him, Fi glided off to join him, prompting the vat of soup to follow after her and leaving Groose, Pipit, and Karane duly impressed with both the hero and the sword spirit as they followed after them as well.
Fortunately, the edge of the island was quite close to the Goddess's Statue, and so, after clearing the pathway of enemies, Link and Fi made it there in a relatively short amount of time. Upon reaching their destination, the sword spirit held her arms out in front of her, causing the pot to levitate out over the gap between the main island of Skyloft and the barren island. For a moment or two, both the hero and the sword spirit waited expectantly as their allies joined them, all of them hoping that the sky spirit would appear to aid them, and sure enough, soon enough a deep, rumbling voice could be heard throughout the skies.
"Ho ho! Is that my favorite soup I smell?" the sky spirit said as he swam through the air itself as though it were water, gliding in close to the island. Levias was a whale-like, enormous in size, yet benevolent in nature, something that all of the people of Skyloft knew, hence their reverence towards him. He floated a close to the island as he approached the vat of soup, pausing for a moment as his sagely red eye drifted over to the group gathered on the edge of the island. "Did you all bring this for me?" he asked in anticipation, his large belly already rumbling from his insatiable appetite for the soup.
Upon seeing Levias, all of the Skyloftians lowered themselves to one knee in respect, and Link and his troops followed suit. Fi was the one who ultimately spoke up however, gliding a bit closer to the sky spirit in order to address him. "Lord Levias," the sword spirit began politely. "We offer this sacrifice to you and ask for your help in defeating those who threaten the sky. Will you aid us?"
"Ah, yes," the sky spirit agreed unhesitatingly, as watching over the skies was his duty. "Anything for that delicious pumpkin soup! So the roads have crumbled? Well, let me see what I can do…" Before anything else, however, Levias was quick to scoop the entire vat of pumpkin soup into his wide mouth, clearly enjoying the meal before he got to work on the task at hand. The sky spirit swam backwards away from the island, taking note of the large islet floating nearby and realizing that it would serve as the perfect solution to this problem. Increasing his speed, Levias glided towards the land mass and collided his strong head against it, the force of the impact enough to push the islet forward through the air until it crashed between the two disjointed islands and came to a halt between them, forming a much-needed path.
As soon as the road was connected once again, the Hylian and Skyloftian forces pressed onward, Link and Fi both leading the way as they pressed on against their enemies, hoping to get a foothold on the enemy base. However, this sudden change in the landscape did not go unnoticed by Volga as he led a strike down towards the south, hoping to strike the allied base.
"What happened?!" the dragon knight demanded as both islands rumbled from the islet colliding against them both. "Who reconnected the paths?!"
"It appears as though the 'Great' Spirit of the Sky has shown up and opened the road up for his dear little sky folk…" the demon lord deadpanned crossly as he suddenly appeared in a flash of diamonds behind Volga.
"And how did such a thing happen, Ghirahim?" the dragon knight growled, glaring at his ally, though he referred to the demon lord as such very loosely.
"Don't ask me," Ghirahim said with an unconcerned shrug. "Mistress Cia tasked you with taking this island, Volga, so perhaps you aren't very good at your job…"
Volga's burning scowl deepened even more upon hearing such patronizing words as he gripped his spear even tighter. "She tasked us both with taking the land in the sky!" he retorted harshly. "Remember your place, demon lord. I am the one in charge of this strike, not you."
"Oh, of course," the demon lord said with clear sarcasm in his tone. "Forgive me, 'Lord' Volga. Thank you for reminding me of my humble lot. Now, if you don't mind me asking, how was it that the sky folk summoned Levias again, since you're so smart?"
The dragon knight growled in rage at the demon lord, hating his entitled, snobbish attitude and wanting to rip him to shreds right there and then for it. And yet, he restrained himself, remembering what Cia had commanded; if they wanted their plans to work, then they needed Ghirahim's cooperation, as much as Volga hated that fact. "Well, why don't you go find out and take care of it?" the dragon knight asked, his voice low and feral.
Ghirahim seemed to ponder this for a moment or two before a coy smile crossed his features. "Very well then," he agreed, seeming almost willing to follow Volga's order, though the dragon knight doubted he was going to be that compliant. "I'll go. After all, running through a few human hearts should brighten my mood…" Without another word, the demon lord teleported away, leaving the dragon knight to continue on his advance while he headed northward instead. Of course, the moment Ghirahim was out of Volga's earshot, he let out a disgruntled scoff of aggravation, rolling his eyes in disgust at the conditions he found himself working under. He was the feared Demon Lord, the leader of all of the monstrous forces that ravaged both the surface and the sky, and yet, because of the black witch, he had been reduced to little more than the dragon knight's lackey. And yet, Ghirahim knew that he wouldn't have to endure such humiliation for much longer; after all, working with Volga, and even Cia were only a means to an end, an end that the demon lord planned on reaching quite soon.
Meanwhile, the Hylian and Skyloftian troops were cutting through the aggressive enemy forces the best they could, even despite the fact that their number was still insurmountable. The enemy base was well fortified, and even getting into it and capturing it wouldn't drive out their foes for good. Most likely, that would take the defeat of the enemy commander, though as they got closer to the enemy base, the allied troops found that the dragon knight was nowhere in sight.
"Hey!" Proxi chimed out as she flew overhead. "Where's Volga at? We need to take him down now!"
"I deduce that there is an 80% chance that the dragon knight has set a course for the allied base," Fi, who was also able to understand fairies, said to Link as the two of them fought side by side.
"Then we need to stop him before he gets there," the hero said after ripping his blade across yet another bokoblin. "Are you guys coming?" he asked Groose, Pipit, and Karane, who were not fighting too far away.
"Sure thing!" Groose said with determination, ready to fight as ever. "We'll give that scaly punk what for!"
Pipit and Karane nodded in agreement with confident smiles, and without any further deliberation, the five of them were off, leaving the rest of the forces behind to deal with the enemy base. However, none of them were aware of the figure standing out of sight, watching their advance carefully and calculatingly. "So, a flock of sky children are going to fight Volga, are they?" Ghirahim chucked slyly to himself. "I'm sure he'll simply adore such playmates…" The demon lord paused for a moment however, his grin fading into a scowl upon catching sight of one of their number, specifically the green-clad hero. "The sky child!" he hissed in hatred, his hands balling up into fists for a moment, before his glare evened out into a sinister grin. "Perhaps this battle won't be such a bore after all…" Without another word, the demon lord vanished in a flurry of diamonds, his dark laugh echoing behind him as he prepared to make his next move.
The path to the south was relatively clear of monsters, and yet what the hero and his companions were not expecting was a trap to be sprung upon them as they ran through one of the empty keeps. More specifically however, the trap was set after most of them were out of the keep; Groose, Pipit, Karane, and Fi had all made it out just fine, but right before Link, who was covering the group from behind, found himself trapped as the door to the keep suddenly and inexplicably slammed shut right in front of him.
Of course, all of the hero's allies were quick to stop in their tracks the moment this happened, and they were quick to attempt to open the doors in order to free him. First, Groose attempted to blow the door down using one of his bombs, but it did little good and so they all began to pound and push against the doors, futilely trying to get them to budge. "Link!" Pipit shouted so that he could be heard through the thick doors. "Are you ok in there?"
"Yeah!" the hero answered back from thin the keep, glancing behind him briefly to see that all four doors of the keep were shut tight. "But you all need to keep going! I'll find a way out of here and meet up with you soon."
"Are you sure?" Karane asked with concern, however, before Link could offer a reply, he was abruptly cut off by a sudden voice laughing darkly from behind him.
"Well, well, sky child… It's been a while…"
Though Groose, Pipit, and Karane had not heard this voice, Fi, who had particularly sensitive hearing had, and she recognized it instantly. "All of you, follow my Master's words and go face the dragon knight," she said quickly to the three of them, her tone just as serious as ever. "I must aid my Master."
Before any of them could protest, the sword spirit hurriedly darted up into the air, propelling herself up over the walls of the keep. Knowing that there was little else they could do, the three youths simply decided to do as both Link and Fi had said and continue on with their mission, hoping that the hero and the sword spirit would reunite with them soon.
However, before Fi arrived inside of the keep, Link found himself completely alone inside of the keep with an all new enemy. He appeared to be a man, though he was unlike any man the hero had ever seen. He was tall and of a somewhat muscular, but still lean build. His skin was ashy white, while he wore a cleaner shade of white tights with diamonds cut into them, along with matching gloves and a golden sash. A blood red cape was draped upon his shoulders, running down his chest as well as splaying out behind him, the inside of it covered in black and gold diamond designs. One of his eyes were hidden behind an unbroken curtain of white hair, though the rest of it was short, and his visible eye was black and filled with murderous intent as he looked upon the hero with a sinister grin.
"At long last we meet again, sky child…" the demon lord said, eyeing Link as though he was but prey. "I was so hoping we'd have a chance encounter like this, and once again, my dear boy, you don't disappoint! Though I must say that scarf is a rather tacky addition to your already drab attire…"
The hero gave him a confused, yet distrustful look as he held his sword out in preparation, already knowing that this meeting was going to result in a fight. "I think you have me confused with someone else," he said unflinchingly, knowing that, just like Groose, Pipit, and Karane, this new enemy most likely believed that he was the hero of this era.
"You've forgotten me so soon, sky child?" Ghirahim asked with a fake pout, feigning hurt. "Very well then. Allow me to remind you exactly who I am!" With a snap of his fingers, a long, thin, curved saver-like sword appeared in his hand and he ran his long, almost snake-like tongue along the length of its metal surface in order to unnerve Link before he pointed it at him challengingly.
However, before the hero could engage the demon lord in battle, the sword spirit finally appeared, landing elegantly between the two of them as she prepared to defend her master if need be. "Master, are you all right?" she asked, glancing back at Link briefly.
"I'm fine," the hero said with a nod, giving Fi a small smile of gratitude. "But thank you anyway, Fi."
The sword spirit nodded in response to this, but before she could say anything else, Ghirahim cut in. "Well, if it isn't my lovely little emotionless counterpart," the demon lord said with an almost flirtatious smirk. "How many ages has it been since we've last met, Fi? If I recall correctly, our last encounter was during the great war, was it not?"
"This is not a time for reminiscing, Ghirahim," Fi said coldly. "We have come to defeat you and your forces, and so we shall."
"All right, then…" Ghirahim said, rolling his eyes at both of them as he held up his blade once again. "If it's a duel you both want, then it is a bloodbath you both shall get!"
Without exchanging anymore words, both Link and Fi leapt into action against the demon lord. The hero was the first to strike out, swinging his sword broadly at Ghirahim, who somehow managed to catch the tip of it between two of his fingers. Startled at this, Link hurriedly wedged the blade out of his grip with the demon lord merely grinned cockily at him, which the sword spirit attempted to use to her advantage by spinning towards him with her arms raised, though Ghirahim was quick to block this as well. Pleased that both of these attacks had failed, the demon lord decided to make his own strike against both of them by using his magic to transform his saber into a hefty black claymore before swinging it widely. Fi was quick enough to dash out of its path, but Link was not so lucky as the large blade tore across his chest, though fortunately his chainmail caught the brunt of the impact, leaving him relatively unharmed. As the claymore disappeared in a burst of diamonds, Ghirahim took the opportunity to go for another attack aimed specifically at the hero, but Link made sure to block his jab with his shield before giving a thrust of his own, one that successfully scrapped across the demon lord's almost metal-like skin. Ghirahim let out a pained grunt as he scowled at the hero, not noticing as Fi subtly transformed into the Goddess Blade behind him until she vertically tore across his exposed back. The demon lord stumbled forward as the sacred sword managed to draw out some of his black blood, and Link took advantage of this moment of weakness well by slashing out against Ghirahim brutally at every opening he got. However, the demon lord wasn't about to let himself be vulnerable for too long as he quickly backed away, gripping onto his blade tightly as he unexpectedly lashed out at Fi, sending a wave of demonic energy her way that she was unable to block. The energy hit the sword spirit squarely in the chest and repelled her backwards into the far wall off the keep, which she collided into roughly. During this strike, Link attempted to launch an attack on his own upon Ghirahim, but the demon lord moved far too fast, conjuring up a small, glowing red knife and sending it flying at the hero. The dagger struck Link in his unarmored shoulder and dug its way all the through, drawing quite a bit of blood and causing him unbelievable amounts of pain. However, before the hero could attempt to draw it out as it was slowly embedding itself deeper and deeper into his shoulder, the demon lord roughly shoved him against the wall by both of his shoulders, only causing him more agony. With a cruel grin, Ghirahim kept Link pinned to the wall, restraining both of his arms with one hand as he created another small dagger and pressed it up against the hero's neck.
"You've gotten quite sloppy since our last battle, sky child," the demon lord hissed darkly as he leaned in close to the hero, pressing his knife ever so slightly against his neck so that it elicited a trickle of blood. "But oh well… I suppose it doesn't matter now. At least I'll finally be able to deafen you with the sound of your own screams, just like I promised…"
Though Link had no idea what Ghirahim was referring to, her glared relentlessly at his foe, not showing any signs of fear whatsoever, even though the demon lord was poised to end his life in a mere second. However, before Ghirahim could fatally slit his knife against the hero's throat, he let out a sudden cry of pain as Fi, taking on the form of the Goddess Sword once again, slashed across his back brutally, repeating the process over and over again until the demon lord relinquished his grip on Link. By the time he could push the sword spirit away, the demon lord had been significantly damaged, to the point that he was doubled over in pain as both Fi and Link stood ready to attack him once more if they had to.
"You fools are so insensitive…" Ghirahim growled in frustration, his breathing short and shallow. However, even despite his wounds, the demon lord was quick to right himself as he stood upright once more, readjusting his cape and grooming his frazzled hair. "Who could have known that you were such a forced to be reckoned with, my dear Fi?" he asked, glaring hotly at the sword spirit. "Wish I could say the same for you, sky child…"
"You have been defeated, Ghirahim," Fi said with the slightest hint of distaste in her tone. "The common practice for one who has been defeated is to retreat, unless you would like us to solidify your defeat even more."
"That won't be necessary…" the demon lord said with a petty scowl. "I think I'll just take my leave for now and leave you to play with Volga, but be warned, both of you: this isn't the end…" With one last hateful glare directed at both of them, Ghirahim teleported away in an array of diamonds, the doors of the keep finally creaking open in his wake.
Since they were no longer in immediate danger, Link took the opportunity to quickly look over his injured shoulder, cringing as he saw the deep, bleeding wound torn across it. He could no longer see the knife that Ghirahim had stabbed into it as it had wedged itself in far too deep, and the hero knew that removing it would be no easy task.
"Master, are you alright?" Fi asked with as much concern as she could, gliding in close to inspect the injury herself.
"Yeah," Link said with a nod, even though the wound was quite serious. "At least it wasn't on my sword arm, so I can keep on fighting. Who was that anyway?"
"That was Ghirahim, the Demon Lord who claims to preside over the surface," the sword spirit said informatively. "He encountered my previous Master in battle several times and never prevailed. It stands to reason that Ghirahim sees the uncanny resemblance between him and you and mistook you for the Hero of the Skies." Fi paused for a moment as she examined the hero's wounded shoulder carefully, before reaching her analytical conclusion. "Master, I suggest removing the knife before continuing," the sword spirit cautioned. "Failing to do so could result in an infection, as well as further scarring to your internal tissue."
The hero took in an anxious breath, knowing that she was right, but at the same time, knowing that certainly Groose, Pipit, and Karane would be needing help in squaring off against Volga by now. And besides, so long as he didn't move his right arm that much, the injury didn't even hurt that much; certainly he'd be able to make it until they ousted the dragon knight and his troops from Skyloft, right?
"I'll deal with it later," Link said a bit stubbornly, already pressing his way past Fi to move onward towards the south. The sword spirit almost called out to him once more in an attempt to convince him to change his mind, but she saw no use for it since, just like her previous master, her new one wasn't the best at listening either.
The hero and the sword spirit were quick to cut across down the southern path of the island, only to find the area near the allied base in absolute chaos. Of course, since most of the common residents of Skyloft were hiding away within the base, the entrances to it were all fortunately sealed shut, but that didn't stop their foes from trying to break into it by any means necessary. Just a bit to the north of the allied base was Volga himself, commanding his troops in the midst of fighting against Groose, Pipit, and Karane. All three youths battled on courageously despite their impending exhaustion, as well as all of the burns and wounds that the incredibly strong dragon knight had inflicted upon them.
"If you children knew what was good for you, you'd stand down before you get hurt," Volga said in his usual hateful tone, lashing out his fiery spear towards all three of them.
"And if you knew what was good for you, you'd crawl back into whatever hole you crawled out of!" Groose retorted resiliently, sending a bomb flying the dragon knight's way, which he easily dodged.
"Don't make me laugh!" Volga shouted haughtily as he happened to land another hit upon both Pipit and Karane with a lash of his sharp claws. "You're all weak. I was expecting a battle worth my time, not this child's play!"
Link gripped his sword tighter upon hearing such callous remarks, even though he was still a sizable distance away from the fight, but he was quick to cross that distance, his sword at the ready as he leapt headfirst into the fray. "Then why don't I give you a battle worth your time!" the hero proclaimed courageously, already fully prepared to square off against this foe a second time.
"Link!" Groose, Pipit, and Karane all exclaimed in unison as the hero appeared, all three of them surprised, yet relieved to see that he was all right.
Their reunion was cut short however, as Volga set a glare that burned as hot as the fire he breathed towards Link, remembering well the battle that took place weeks ago in Hyrule Field. "You again…" he hissed hatefully, gripping his spear tightly. "Of course, you, of all people, had to come up here and get in our way. If it wasn't for Mistress Cia's orders to keep you alive, then I'd impale you right here and now!"
"Well, if she wants me so badly, then why doesn't she just come for me herself?" the hero asked defiantly.
"Because apparently, she has 'other matters' to attend to," the dragon knight said, not hiding the derision for his supposed mistress in his tone. "But no matter. I'll still crush you like the urchin you are before I hand you over to her!"
"I'd like to see you try," Link said with a confident grin, poising his sword to fight. And indeed, without another word, the duel between the hero and the dragon knight commenced, sword and spear colliding roughly as both of them pressed hard against the other, hoping to outmatch each other in strength. After a moment or two of this however, Volga retracted his weapon and took in a deep breath, before letting a wide-range flame loose as he exhaled. Link managed to dodge its range, as did his allies, who were still as engaged in the battle as they were before. However, as the hero attempted to lash out against his foe, the dragon knight began to perform his signature move. Volga leaped high into the air and in almost an instant, transformed into his dragon form fully, using his large wings to hover in the air for a moment or two as he prepared to dive-bomb upon all of them. Link caught onto this almost immediately and, knowing that this was an attack that could not be defended against, he retreated away from the immediate area, encouraging his allies to do the same.
By the time the dragon knight collided with the ground, the group of five had all headed northwards, not only out of the range of his attack, but also out of his sight. "That guy wasn't kidding when he called himself the dragon knight!" Pipit exclaimed windily as they all took to an allied keep for a brief respite. "Who knew he could actually turn into one?!"
"He's gotten stronger since the last time I faced him a few weeks ago," Link said with a frown, glancing out from the keep to see that Volga, who was enraged that his foes had fled, was relentlessly laying siege upon the allied base. "We have to find a way to defeat him."
"Master, I have a suggestion," Fi spoke up. "I purpose that we ask Levias for his aid once more in dealing with the dragon knight. Certainly his strength will be able to combat Volga's."
"That's actually a really good idea," Karane nodded in agreement. "The only problem is that we don't have any more pumpkin soup on hand."
"There is actually another issue as well," the sword spirit reported. "While the sky spirit is certainly strong, I am able to sense that he is not as his full power at the moment, most likely because of the malevolent influence of Volga, Ghirahim, and their forces. However, I also estimate that we could be able to bring Levias up to his full strength by calling upon the assistance of a Great Fairy."
"I can sense a Fairy Fountain a little bit to the north of here!" Proxi exclaimed, flittering near the hero excitedly. "I'm sure she'd be willing to help us!"
"Master, please make haste to the Great Fairy," Fi said, setting their next mission in stone. "I shall distract Volga while you all accomplish this. I wish you luck in your endeavor."
"Thanks, Fi," Link said with a grateful smile to his new ally, knowing that she certainly was proving her worth. "Good luck to you too."
And so, the sword spirit set out to the south to square off against the dragon knight while the hero and his allies headed for the Fairy Fountain with Proxi guiding them along the way. The Fairy Fountain of Skyloft was a hallowed, revered place that few ever dared to enter into, secluded inside of an immaculate structure resting on the edge of the island. Because of this, Groose, Pipit, and Karane were all a bit reluctant to enter inside of it, but the one who stopped completely in their tracks upon entering was Link. The Fairy Fountain of this time looked almost identical to the one in Hyrule Field, and upon seeing its peaceful beauty, the hero was instantly reminded of how the princess had selflessly aided him in making it there. A sudden sense of longing filled him that he couldn't quite place, one that had something to do with Zelda, even though it had been weeks since he last saw her. But all the same, Link knew that now was not the time to be thinking of the missing princess, though finding her was certainly a high priority of his, he had a more immediate task he needed to be focusing on at the moment.
"Great Fairy!" the hero called out, remembering how Zelda had addressed her by standing within the magic circle in front of the fountain. "We need your help!"
With the bright laugh, the Great Fairy sprung up out of the fountain but a moment later, heeding Link's call without hesitation. "Well, hello, hero!" she greeted, giving him a playful grin. "What can I help you with?"
"We need you to make the sky spirit Levias stronger," Link said, inclining his head with the proper respect due to a Great Fairy as Proxi bowed her wings in homage. "Can you do that?"
"Why, of course I can, my dear!" the Great Fairy said with a giggle. "I'll send my little friends out right now and they'll get right on it!" With another loud laugh, the Great Fairy held her hands out wide, allowing a large group of sparkling pink fairies to fly out from the fountain so they could do the task assigned to them. However, she let Link go, the Great Fairy lowered her face in close to hers, giving him a coy smile of admiration as she stroked one of her long fingernails against his cheek gently. The hero flinched at this unexpected gesture as he felt the tips of his ears redden a bit from embarrassment, especially as he heard Groose, Pipit, and Karane giggling behind him.
"Take care, dear hero…" the Great Fairy said, her coy smile still present as she began to fade back into the fountain. "Come back whenever you are weary…"
As soon as the Great Fairy disappeared, the four of them all took it as their sign to return to the battle, and so they did. However, none of them could ignore the strange sight that was happening right above their heads, the result of the Great Fairy's magic no doubt. A large group of fairies floated high above Skyloft, all of them holding onto what appeared to be a fishing pole. The bait dangling from the end of this rod however was a heavy vat of pumpkin soup, which immediately attracted Levias from his spot not too far from the island. As the fairies held their lure in place, the still-hungry sky spirit swam towards it at an ever increasing speed, until he leapt through the clouds to catch it. At this point, the fairies let go of the rod and dissipated into thin air, allowing the pot of soup to fall right into Levias's open mouth, the empowered mixture giving him all the extra strength he needed.
No more than a second after ingesting the pumpkin soup, a dazzling array of several bolts of lightning jolted out from the sky spirits whale-like form, lighting up the already bright skies even more. The lightning bolts rained down upon Skyloft, fortunately none of them harming any innocent people as they were all aimed solely at the enemy forces, or more specifically, Volga himself, who was struck with one of them squarely. The dragon knight let out a sharp cry of pain as he crumbled to his knees in front of the sword spirit, paralyzed by the attack and left completely to her mercy.
"Is that enough divine intervention for you?" Levias's voice rumbled across Skyloft as he prepared to fly off into the clouds once more. "Good. I grow weary…"
As the sky spirit took his leave from the battle, Volga did his best to try and recover from his paralysis, though Fi was quick to take advantage of his moment of weakness. And, just as the dragon knight was able to force her away and reclaim his footing, Link, Groose, Pipit, and Karane returned from the Fairy Fountain, ready to leap right back into the fray.
"Master, Volga is weak," Fi reported to Link. "You must deliver the final blow!"
The hero nodded in agreement, exchanging a glance with his companions who all returned it with confident grins. "We'll all deliver the final blow," he said, brandishing his blade as they five of them converged on the hindered dragon knight. Volga let out a cry of both pain and rage as Link cut his blade roughly across his chest, unable to defend himself as Pipit did the same to his back. Both of them quickly dodged out of the way however as Groose tossed a bomb towards the weakened dragon knight, who was blown back by the explosion into Karane's range as she fired and arrow right for Volga's shoulder, pinning him to the ground and allowing Link to come in for the final blow. While the hero could have put an end to the dragon knight then and there, such a thing would have been cheap and unfair in light of all that had occurred, and so he simply landed a heavy blow across his armored chest instead of impaling him completely.
Volga let out a pained moan of defeat as Link backed off of him, though he still kept his defenses up just in case he had more tricks up his sleeve. However, the dragon knight looked completely defeated as he managed to weakly rise to his knees, clutching at his injured chest as he cast an angry glare at the youths. "You worthless children!" he shouted in rage at all of them. "I certainly would have defeated you if not for the Sky Spirit's interference… You won't be so lucky next time we meet, boy…" he growled specifically at the hero in seething hatred, not sparing another word as he called forth his crippled wings and flew off out of their reach, symbolizing to both the Hylian and Skyloftian troops that this battle had been won.
While the humans began to celebrate their supposed victory, the demon lord watched them from afar, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face as he stood upon an abandoned islet above Skyloft. No more than a moment later, the defeated dragon knight haphazardly landed upon the same island, clearly winded and out of sorts in the aftermath of the battle he had just lost.
"I see you lost to that aggravating sky child as well, yes, Volga?" Ghirahim asked patronizingly, knowing that seeing the pompous dragon knight loose so embarrassingly was about the only good part of this loss.
"You're deluded," Volga scoffed, looking over his injuries. "That boy isn't the Hero of the Skies that you know. He's not of this time at all; he's of mine, but that doesn't make him any less frustrating."
"What?!" Ghirahim spat, spinning on his heel to face the dragon knight as his eyes widened. "You mean to tell me that there is more than one hero? How incredibly annoying… Well, no matter. I'll crush this one just like I plan to crush that little sky child as well…"
"You will do no such thing," the dragon knight said, even though he very much wanted to do the same. "Mistress Cia demands that the hero is kept alive and in shape."
"Whatever for?" the demon lord asked, rolling his eyes in exasperation.
"She lusts after him," Volga said with disgust. "So much so that she started a war simply to get him into her bed. Humans like her and that hero are such simple, loathsome creatures…"
"Hm… What shallow motives…" Ghirahim mused in equal distain. "But, if it's the hero that our mistress wants, then it's the hero she shall certainly get."
"And how do you intend on delivering him to her if neither of us are able to best him?" the dragon knight asked with doubt in his tone.
The demon lord's dark grinned widened as he set his sights upon the hero as he reveled in the allies victory along with his friends. "He's brought an army with him from your time, hasn't he?"
Volga nodded, not sure of where Ghirahim was going with this. "Yes, but most of them refuse to follow his command," the dragon knight said, knowing this information from the spies he had sent out during the battle. "He's far too young and fresh to garnish their respect, much less loyalty."
"Well then, that will only make things even easier!" the demon lord said with delight. "After all, it will certainly be much more fun to destroy all of them, including the hero, from the inside! Go back to your mistress and tell her that she'll have her hero…" Ghirahim let out a sinister chuckle as he held up his hand, clenching it into a tight fist as a glowing red aura surrounded it, his strange magic already starting to work. "She'll have her hero indeed…"
"You were amazing out there, Link!" Groose said heartily, giving the hero a firm pat on the back as the group of five headed for the allied base to tell the citizens of the town that it was all clear. In wake of Volga's defeat, all of the monsters had quickly vanished from Skyloft, leaving the island in the sky a bit battered, but safe nonetheless.
"You guys were all great too," Link said with a smile to all three of his allies. "After all, we all brought Volga down together, including you, Fi," he said to the sword spirit, who apparently seemed to be disjointed from the hero as she cast her cold glance up towards the skies above, as if she was detecting something up there.
"I take no credit for our success, Master," Fi said humbly, turning to Link as if nothing was wrong. "Our combined efforts were what won the day."
In the end, the four youths all agreed on this statement as they went on, engaging in friendly conversation the entire way, that is, until they entered into an empty keep on the way to the allied base. As the group walked through the keep, unaware of anything strange, the perceptive sword spirit was the first one to pick up on the sudden aura of evil that began radiating from a nearby source, though exactly what it was, she was unable to discern.
However, as the youths headed through the keep, the hero was the next one to feel something strange, only instead of sensing oncoming danger as Fi had, Link felt a sharp, sudden pain throb through his still injured shoulder instead. During the battle with Volga, he had largely forgotten about the knife still stabbed deep into his shoulder, unable to be removed through conventional means now as it suddenly caused a strange spike of pain to ripple through his entire body. The hero ignored for a moment or two, until he came to the entryway of the keep, which his allies had all already passed through. Unable to bear the agony any longer, Link was forced to lean against the side of the entryway, gripping his bleeding shoulder tightly as he tried to will the pain away the best he could, though he ultimately failed. The pain in his shoulder was only made worse by the sudden pounding headache that hit him, unlike any he had ever had before as he felt it begin to cloud his senses entirely.
Upon sensing that her master was not keeping up with the rest of the group, Fi was quick to spin around to see Link suffering behind her, and her concerned call was what alerted the rest of the group of his pain. "Master!" the sword spirit called out as she quickly glided over to him, Groose, Pipit, and Karane rushing after her.
"Link, are you all right?" Karane asked with concern as all three of them looked over his shoulder to see that it was starting to get an infection, just as Fi had wanted him of earlier.
The hero didn't answer however, as he placed a hand against his forehead, hoping to stop the jagged pain tearing through it. He shut his eyes tightly, wanting nothing more than for the spiraling anguish to end as it rippled through his entire body, until all at once it suddenly dimmed and his senses were filled with something else instead: a single, familiar beckoning voice speaking in his mind.
"Come now, hero…" the voice of the demon lord himself said softly to the hero, and as much as he wanted to drive it away, he found that he was unable to. "Surrender… Join your forces and serve under me… I promise it won't be that bad…"
Link cringed in pain once more as he shook his head, not entirely sure what was happening to him, though he had an idea that it had something to do with the demon lord's knife pulsating under his skin. "N-no…" the hero muttered in pain, desperate to fight off the dark influence Ghirahim was somehow pushing upon him. "I… I…"
"Stubborn little hero…" the demon lord said almost patronizingly. "Always wanting to put up a fight, just like the sky child… Fine. If that's the way you want it, then I suppose you'll have to be punished."
No more than a second after Ghirahim said this, Link let out a sharp cry of misery, much to the great worry of his allies as they tried to keep him upright, as well as conscious. None of them knew what was wrong with the hero, but they were all quick to gather that there was more to it than just his injury.
"That's right, hero…" Ghirahim said with a soft, triumphant chuckle as he felt the hero's consciousness begin to wane into his evil influence. Link could feel himself quickly slipping away and though he wasn't sure what he was fighting for, he could tell that he was losing. However, between both his injury as well as the spell that the demon lord had cast upon both the hero and all of his troops, he was simply too weak to fight it off any longer. With one final burst of pain, Link was rendered into the control of the enemy, though none of his allies knew it as he dangled unconsciously in their arms for what seemed like ages.
"Yes… Good boy…" the demon lord said to his new servant as he returned the hero's missing strength to him, though he had no control over it now. "Now rise. Rise, and fight for me now, your new master!"
The moment Ghirahim commanded this, Link's eyes suddenly opened and he immediately stood upright, his movements ridged and somewhat forced as he quickly pushed himself away from his confused, startled allies. However, when they all caught sight of the hero's eyes, they all instantly knew that something was gravely wrong. Not only were they unfocused and distant, they were also cold and dark, the slightest hint of blood red tainting otherwise light blue eyes as they were set in a malevolent glare straight ahead. But of course, what told Fi specifically that her master was lost to her were the words that he spoke seemingly out of nowhere, though they were in spoken to the demon lord, in a tone that was monotonous and lacked all of the life and benevolence that Link usually showed, a further sign that he had fallen into the enemy's hands: "What is your bidding, master?"
PLOT TWIST! But yeah, this is certainly gonna make the next Skyloft chapter interesting, huh? But sorry to say we're actually taking a break from the action next chapter and devoting it to Cia! YAY! I can't freaking wait because Cia is my absolute favorite! :D But anyway, what did you guys think of Groose, Pipit, and Karane appearing in this chapter? Fi? Ghirahim? Lemme know! Also, its time for another question: What stage is your favorite in HW? Let me know in your REVIEWS! I'll keep it short this time, so Until next time!