A/N: I own nothing except a copy of this great game. Second note: A single singer is demarked in italics "like this", while a crowd singing is demarked "like this."
The preparation for the coming storm was long, and fraught with anxiety. For the majority of time, they were kept waiting in Castle Town, wasting time training while they waited for the return of Ishaka's scouts. Ishaka had only trusted a paltry few of his absolute swiftest men to try to scout the location of the Valley of the Seers, and even then instructed them to only get as close as was safely possible. Even with these instructions, it was clear and present that Ishaka was immensely worried for the health of his men and women he'd sent to the unknown. Nights would pass, and long after the rest of the kingdom was asleep he would be sitting on the balcony of the princess' chambers, pipe in hand and staring out into the abyss.
It was during one of these nights, as he lay deep within his thoughts and the fumes of his pipe that he became aware of another presence on the balcony. He turned his shoulders slightly towards the source of the noise, but not enough to actually look at his companion in the eye. His voice was gruff.
"Ain't it pas' yer bedtime?" He asked. From the shadows, Lana emerged. She was carrying her spellbook in hand, and had a worried expression on her face.
"Impa told me to come check on you." She said. "She said that you haven't slept much more than a few hours a day, and it's been a week since you sent out the scouts." Ishaka snorted.
"Sheikah needn't both'r. I be jes' fine."
"Somehow I doubt that." Lana said. She paused. "You know, she worries about you a great deal. So do all of us. You're taking this awfully hard. You don't need to prove yourself to Hyrule, or whatever it is that's causing you to be so devoted to stopping Cia. It's, well, it's unhealthy to be acting like this."
There was another long pause. Ishaka took a drag from his pipe. Then he spoke.
"'ow close were yeh?" He asked.
"Who, Cia and I?" Lana asked.
"Tha's righ'."
"Well, she was like a sister to me." Lana said. "A big sister. Someone that I looked up to. It breaks my heart that she's taken this path. It just…" She sighed. "I feel so helpless, like this is all my fault." Ishaka listened to her silently.
"D'ya think she can be saved?" He asked. Lana shrugged.
"I want to believe so, yes. In fact, I think that she's just fallen astray from her path."
"Yeh thin' so?" Ishaka asked. He turned to face Lana. "Yeh think she be jes' a misund'rstood bird, is tha' wha' yeh think?"
"Well, I want to believe that, but at the end of the day I don't know what goes on in her head anymore than I-"
"Tha's right. Yeh don't know." It was near pitch-black out now, and the soft glow from his pipe was the only thing illuminating Ishaka's face. Lana nearly took a step back in fright. The pained rage was clear in his barely visible eyes. "Lemme ask yeh som'thin': 'ow long ago did yeh run fr'm Cia?"
"I…I think about a month or so ago?" Lana said, after a moment's thought. Ishaka sighed, like an adult dealing with a clueless child.
"Tha' th' firs' time yeh saw 'er like this?" He asked. Lana nodded.
"Yes. I had no idea what she was doing up to that point."
"I'll tell yeh." Ishaka said. "Abou' three ta four months ago, I getta runaway fr'm one a th' villages my Ravagers were ta protec' fr'm some raiders. Was a littl' girl, 'bout ten ta 'leven years old. Clothes torn, hair a mess, wailin' an' cryin' like she's seen th' gates 'a Perdition. Took me 'bout an 'our or so ta get 'er ta calm down." He was starting to shake with fury. "She took me an' some 'a my men down ta 'er village. Jes' a mess, miss Lana. Nothin' left standin', and bodies strewn 'cross the way. She'd been 'idden un'er a rock durin' th' whole thin', and only came out aft'r a day or so. She ran ta th' only safe place she could thin' of: my camp, inna mount'ns bout'a half day's travel fr'm 'er village. She'd 'eard 'bout me, and figgered I was a friend. She…she was too afraid to look for 'er parent's bodies withou' a friend. All this time, babblin' 'bout Bulblins and Bokoblins praisin' a 'Lady 'o th' Rose.'" He watched Lana recoil. "Oh?" He asked. "Yeh know tha' person?"
Lana did not speak. All she could think of were those wonderful days deep in the garden of the Triforce, as their teacher showed her and Cia how to create life in nature. And how, though Lana's daisies were something to admire and be proud of, they paled in comparison to the first thing that Cia created.
A purple rose.
"Yeh may think she be savabl'." Ishaka said quietly. Throughout all of this pain and anger, his voice had not risen. "I c'n un'erstan' that. But I don't 'gree wit' it. I can't see 'ow a lady okay wit' killin' families inna mountains fer giggles is worth savin'. 'Ow a lady who made a littl' girl try ta steal my knife ta cut 'er throat when I told 'er I found 'er parents, only stopped when Brudduh Dembe 'eld 'er tight ta stop 'er, deserves mercy." He paused, taking a deep breath. "I ain't gonna give it ta 'er. She cross'd th' line firs', miss Lana."
"But would crossing the line after her make things much better?" Lana asked.
Ishaka was silent, because he had no certain answer.
…
The scouts returned the following morning. Of the five that Ishaka had dispatched, only three were still able to walk. Brudduh Denbe had taken it upon himself to carry one of the wounded, a young teenaged girl, miles and miles, and looked like he was going to pass out himself from exhaustion. The other injuried party was an average-looking Craol, who, judging by the splint on his forearm and wrist, had taken a nasty spill. They were led to the infirmary, to be treated for their injuries and the rather severe sunburn that they had all gotten in the days trekking across the Hyrulian fields.
Brudduh Denbe was so weakened from exhaustion and heat stroke that he was confined to a bed, and his voice was little more than a whisper. It must have been an interesting sight for the nurses to see a group of Hyrule's most important people gathered around the bedside of what they assumed was a regular rank-and-file member of the Ravagers, but that was where Lord Grantham, Link, Lana, Impa, Shiek, and even Marin-as-Zelda were that afternoon. Ishaka was sitting in a chair right next to his wounded companion. He was leaning in so close that his ear was barely an inch from Brudduh Denbe's mouth, allowing the weakened man to speak. One could hear a pin drop as he listened to his comrade's tired words.
A series of whispered words.
"They was safe an' 'idden fer a few days," Ishaka said. "They foun' where th' Valley is. Cover'd in monsters, th' likes o' which are truly mighty 'n pow'rful."
A pause. Denbe whispered something more.
"They went an' got caught by some creat'res. Ain't sure how. Think it might'a been th' Sorceress lady's magic. Got chased offa th' mount'ns. Tha's where broth'r Firenze broke 'is arm. Sistah Sera got 'it by a pois'ned arrow on th' way down. She didn't feel it 'till 'bout halfway 'cross th' Hyrulian Fields."
Denbe whispered again. This seemed more frantic. Ishaka looked both confused and stunned.
"Say that 'gain." He said.
He leaned in even closer, to the point that Denbe's lips were practically brushing against his ear. His face was a mask of worried concentration. The others waited with baited breath for his latest translation. Ishaka looked a little pale as he related the last bit.
"He says…there were a voice inna wind. Echo'd 'cross th' mount'ns. Loud an' like thund'r. Lady's voice. Sayin'…'Run 'long, littl' childr'n. Tell m'darlin' Link I be waitin' fer 'im.'"
As soon as Ishaka finished, he placed his hand on Brudduh Denbe's forehead, and shushed him as a means to let him know he could rest. The tired scout nodded, and was mercifully asleep in moments. While he was doing this, everyone turned and looked towards Link. Lord Grantham was the one to break the silence.
"She really does have something for you, doesn't she?" He said. He furrowed his brow in thought. "Is…is it even safe?"
"Is what safe?" Impa asked. Lord Grantham shrugged.
"Is it even safe bringing Link into battle?" Lord Grantham asked. "For all we know, Cia is playing us like a harp in order to get close to the object of her affections." He looked angry. "I'm not about to lose a good man as well as the princess."
"What option do we have?" Impa asked. "Simply leave Link here with the 'princess'?" She asked. Only those privy to the truth of Marin's identity could catch the slightly sarcastic tone she'd put on the word "princess." "I highly doubt that this is the right move. Link is a greater fighter than most of our soldiers."
"All o' them." Ishaka said. "'E's almost as good as me." He winked at Link. "No 'ffense, 'ero."
"Ishaka, could you take this a little bit more seriously?" Impa asked.
"I am!" Ishaka snapped back. "I jes' be tryin' ta keep th' boy calm! 'ow would yeh deal wit' th' thought that all this is a'happ'nin' cuz a' some crazy lady's stalkin', an' it's cuz a you?" He asked.
"He has a point." Sheik offered. Impa sighed in exasperation.
"All you're going to do is make him afraid!" Lana said.
"I'm not afraid."
Everyone turned and looked in shock. Even Proxi, who had materialized in order to help her friend, had nearly fallen out of the air in shock. Link's voice wasn't the voice of a worried and scared little kid. It was a confident voice, the kind befitting a hero. He looked at everyone, took in the fact that this was the first time that any of them had heard him speak (especially Sheik, who was gazing at him in total wonder), and spoke again.
"I'm not afraid of her." Link said. "I mean, I'm upset because I feel like all of this is my fault and there was no way I could control that, but that doesn't mean I'm afraid. It means I'm willing to do whatever is necessary to do what's right."
There was a pause to let this sink in. Ishaka broke the silence.
"Hee hee hee!" He said. "Spok'n like a true 'ero ther', kid! That be a man I be willin' ta foll'w through battl'."
Link offered a thin smile, but truthfully he wasn't sure that smiling was the right thing to do.
…
"Are we in agreement?"
Lord Grantham stared at the others across from him. They were all gathered around the table that held the map of Hyrule, the game of war played out in front of them. The general area of the Valley of Seers had been circled by a red ink quill, and everyone was staring at that blank space on the map as if it was the most important location in the world. And considering the stakes of things that were involved, it might as well have been.
"I see no reason to disagree." Impa said. Marin, still dressed as Princess Zelda, was confused.
"Wait, I need to understand just what we're doing. You're just rushing into the Valley of the Seers, without a specific plan?"
"It's more complicated than that, Marin." Impa said. "We march in, yes, but at that point we split our armies. The Hyrulian army stays low on the ground, while the Ravagers take to the mountains so that we may have some semblance of cover. It's better to have a pronged attack than to just rush in. Cia is expecting us either way, so it would be wise to have something difficult to work with should she be anticipating our moves."
"It is the best we can do, I suppose." Sheik said quietly. "I for one have no objection."
"That's good." Impa said, her eyes narrowing. "Because last I checked you were not one of the commanders of our army."
"Easy, Impa." Lord Grantham said. "Let's be civil here. Sheik hasn't done anything to suggest to me that he is anything but on the straight and narrow."
Impa stared at the mysterious masked Sheikah warrior in front of her, before sighing and nodding. Ishaka smirked.
"Well then. What we be waitin' f'r?"
Lord Grantham shrugged.
"My approval, I suppose. Marin might be playing the Princess, but in reality I'm the one that is in charge here." He paused. A mighty sigh. "I never expected it to be like this. I don't know how Zelda was able and is able to handle the pressure."
"For what it is worth, I think that you seem to be doing an admirable job." Sheik said. Impa glanced at him, and then nodded.
"I agree with Sheik here. You would make Zelda proud." She said. Grantham chuckled.
"You all are just feeding my ego at this point." He cleared his throat. "Still, orders are orders. I hereby order, as standing and acting commander in chief of Hyrule's army and acting regent of Hyrule, that you all take our strongest forces into the Valley of the Seers and put an end to Cia and her uprising. By any means necessary."
No one noticed the saddened expression on Lana's face except Ishaka.
…
The march was long and tense. Like before, the Ravagers were utilizing their disorienting style of march to cover the more traditional march of the Hyrulian forces. Impa, from the safety of her horse, couldn't help but smile. She was growing used to this sort of thing, even though it had only been a short time that she'd been working with the Ravager nation. It was like having a protective blanket in the cold, these men and women that were progressing forward yet still safety encircling the bulk of her forces. Ishaka was riding next to her, though she could tell that he much preferred walking on the ground with his forces. A man after her own heart.
There was a groaning sound. Impa glanced behind her to see Proxi was floating around Link's head, and very frantically at that.
"I'm so bored!" The little fairy cried. Link frowned, and waved at her in an effort to get her to shut up, but the fairy deftly ducked his swinging hand. "Isn't there a way to help pass the time?" She asked. Impa was about to tell Proxi that there was nothing that they could do and that it was best that the little fairy suck it up, when she heared that little "hee hee hee!" of Ishaka.
"'Ey boys!" He shouted. His voice carried surprisingly well across the Hyrulian plains. "Lit'le miss fairy 'ere wanna know if'n we gots a way ta pass th' time while marchin'?"
"OOH RAH!" The Ravagers all chanted in unison. Ishaka smiled a little bit.
"Whatcha say? We g'nna give 'er a good 'un?"
"OOH RAH!" The Ravagers all barked in unison.
A humming began to carry throughout the air. It grew louder and louder as more Ravagers caught on and followed through.
Zuum zuum zuum zuum zuum zuum zumm…
Zuum zuum zuum zuum zuum zuum zumm…
The voice of a young male Ravager cut through the air.
He was just a little greenhorn and he surely shook with friiight
He stood atop th' mountains and made sure his gear was tiiight
He had to stand and listen to the wind's awfully howling roar
You ain't gonna fight no more!
Every Ravager jumped in on that last line, startling the Hyrulians caught in a momentary reverie for the soloist voice. Impa, Sheik, Lana, Link and the rest of the Hyrulian forces listened in wonder as the whole field was lit up with the singing of men and women.
Gorrrry gory what a helluva way to diiieee!
Gorrry gory what a helluva way to diiieee!
Gorrry gory what a helluva way to diiieee!
You ain't gonna fight no moooooore!
Another round of humming. The next voice came from the other side of the ranks.
'Is everybody ready?' good ol' Brother Ishaka cried.
Our hero bravely answered 'yes' although he knew he'd liiied.
And as they leapt from off the rocks he heard that awful roar-
You ain't gonna fight no mooooore!
Impa smiled as she heard some of her own forces start to hum along. And despite herself, she heard her own voice (tentatively) joining in on the chorus.
Gorrry gory what a helluva way to die!
Gorrry gory what a helluva way to die!
Gorrry gory what a helluva way to die!
You ain't gonna fight no more!
Another round of humming. This time, Ishaka jumped in.
He tripp'd upon a lit'l rock he 'and't seen b'fore
Those who saw 'im tumbl' down all knew he'd die fer sure
An' all they thought 'bout 'im as they star'd at all th' gore
You ain't gonna fight no mooooore!
By now, every soul marching through the plains joined in on the chorus.
Gorrry gory what a helluva way to die!
Gorrry gory what a helluva way to die!
Gorrry gory what a helluva way to die!
You ain't gonna fight no mooooorrrre!
And so it went, throughout the day. Creatures of nature and passerby stopped in wonder and confusion as they listened to this massive force singing about a foolish young man's death, and wondered just what had gotten into the mighty army of Hyrule.
…
It was midday when they arrived in the Valley of the Seers. It was clear as day that they had arrived, for the entire landscape dramatically changed. The grassy fields of the Hyrulian Plains gave way to barren and cracked rock, and trees and gently sloping hills were replaced with craggy and threatening rock formations and haunting ravines. It was almost like stepping into another dimension.
Amongst the army that had fallen rather silent, Sheik quietly offered his opinion.
"There is a great evil in the air. This is the place."
"Indeed." Impa said. She turned to Ishaka. "Take your Ravagers and begin climbing into the mountains." She pointed to the only entrance into the Valley: a narrow ravine that was closely protected by two craggy mountain ranges. The ravine itself was so narrow that the Hyrulian army couldn't go any more than four men at a time, turning their mighty ranks into a sickly-looking thin line.
Link had maneuvered himself to the front of the pack, alongside Impa, Sheik and Lana. Ishaka had long since disappeared, he and his Ravagers melting into the rocky overpasses like stones. It was eerie.
"I do not like this place." Captain Weylan muttered. Lana sighed.
"It was much prettier here, once." She said. "The land reflects the heart of the one that rules it." She looked mournfully at the dead rock. "Cia has twisted this place into something most terribly unlike what it used to be."
"Pass it down the line." Impa said. "Stay on guard." She could see that they were reaching the end of the ravine, and that the entirety of the valley was going to spill out before them. She wanted her troops to be prepared. There was an awful feeling in the pit of her chest, something telling her that things were not as they seemed.
They reached the end of the ravine, and true enough, it was clear that they had entered the Valley of the Seers. It was a massive land, and the rocky exterior was morbid and threatening. They were not welcome there, and it seemed as though nature itself was letting them know this. Impa gazed ahead into the distance. Though there was a large hill in the center of the Valley that seemed natural in design, there were structures atop it that were not possible within the natural course of geology. Something had built though gate-like structures.
"That's the place." Lana said. "That's where we will find Cia."
"General Impa!" One of the Hyrulian Captains cried. "A storm approaches!"
Impa looked to the sky. Seemingly originating from that spire in the center of the forsaken hill, storm clouds of a sort were emerging. It was clear to the Sheikah that Cia, the dark Sorceress, created them. Her thoughts were confirmed when she heard a fell voice in the air. A woman's voice, sing-chanting in an ancient and foul language. The skies darkened, and magic clouds blotted out the sun. Impa could see the enemy approaching.
"Formations!" Impa barked. "Shield wall!*"
The Hyrulian army, in understandably swift terms, raced out and began to form into their standard siege defense. Soon, Impa felt herself more comfortable with the status of her army. They were defending the only entrance (or in the forces of darkness' case, the only exit) to the valley, and now each Hyrulian soldier had a man to his flank and two to his sides. But her confidence began to wane when she saw the force that was approaching them.
A massive army was approaching, comprised of Moblins, Bokoblins, Bulblins, and even several Lizalfos. They outnumbered the Hyrulian forces, and by the nonchalant pace with which they advanced, it was clear that they believed they had the advantage.
The forces of darkness stopped about a stone's throw away from the Hyrulian army. They were howling creatures of most foul nature, and resorted to stomping their spears and shields into the ground and shrieking in an effort to get the Hyrulian army's resolve to break. That would make things easy. But Impa had trained her soldiers well. They dug their heels into the ground, and raised their shields as a single unit in defiance.
Then a voice carried through the wind. It was a woman's voice. Mysterious, enchanting, and utterly terrifying at the same time.
"Ooh, has the hero come to see me at last?"…"Well then, Link, don't keep me waiting…"
Impa heard a grunt, and saw Link had unsheated his sword and was gripping the blade so tightly that his knuckles were white as snow. He was not appreciative of this witch's fascination with him.
The leader of this army was a bulbous Moblin, who lumbered to the front of the ranks.
"Hyroolins!" He said in his mangled speech. "Lay don yer weapons, or be slaught'red like PIGS!" He was staring Impa directly in the eye, having singled her out as the leader of this army, and the two engaged in a silent stare. Though the Moblin's stare was fueled with a genocidal hatred for humans, Impa's stare was that of a refined warrior, unperturbed by petty threats. Neither budged an inch.
It was getting dark. Impa got a nagging feeling that there was something behind her, and then noticed that the Moblin commander was no longer looking at her but at the mountainside behind her army. The Sheikah warrior turned around.
…
It started as a couple of pinpricks of light, scattered across the rocky façade. Torches, carried by Ravager soldiers. Yet almost like wildfire, the number of pinpricks spread. Two became a dozen. A dozen became two dozen. And so forth. Soon, it seemed like the entire mountainside was alit with scores of torches. Impa's sharp eyes, through years of training, could see that it was an illusion: each Ravager was standing with his or her arms outstretched in a T-shape, holding a torch in each hand to create the impression that the army was far greater than it actually was. But illusion or not, it was a powerful and mighty sight. And it filled her with a surging confidence.
She looked back towards the Moblin commander. He was staring at her again, though the confidence in his eyes was long gone. In its place was uncertainty.
Fear.
He blinked. And took a step back.
"No." Impa quietly whispered to herself. She drew her Biggoron Knife, slowly and with purpose. "There is no escape."
Then, as if on cue, hundreds of Ravager soldiers let loose a blood-curdling scream.
"FORWARD!" Impa roared.
…
The Hyrulian forces surged like water from a burst dam, and caught the forces of darkness on their heels. There was a horrific cacophony of screams, shields splintering, swords and spears hacking and stabbing and clanging, and the sounds of death resonating through the air. Impa could see that, along with the Ravager sleight of hand, she had managed to break off the enemy advance. Now, there was some breathing room to put together a plan of attack.
"Cia is at the top of the ruins," Lana said. She had broken away from the advance and had regrouped with Impa. Alongside them emerged Link and Sheik. They turned to the Sheikah general for advice. Impa was ready for it.
"The Valley splits into two major pathways: to the east and the west." She said. Using her Biggoron Knife as a pointer, she gestured to the west. "Lana, take Link and half of the forces and go that way. Sheik and I will attack from the east."
"What about Yeeshasa-I mean, Ishaka?" Lana asked. Impa looked around, and shrugged.
"Oh, I'm sure he'll make an appearance when he needs to." Impa said. "For now, focus on your goals. Move!"
Link and Lana sprinted forwards, with the white sorceress whistling commands. Link was more interested in leading the charge than he was in actually planning the tactics, and judging by the way he was launching himself into the fray it was smart to have a more cerebral partner in Lana to back him up. Impa and Sheik looked at each other, shared a silent nod, and headed for the eastern keep.
…
Link let out a roar, and with a windmill motion slashed through a defending group of Bokoblins. They fell to the ground in various frozen poses of death, and the Hero took this opening as a chance to push forward. He raced up the pathway towards the western keep, a shoddy-looking building held together by flimsy wood, old stone, and what appeared to be bone of an indeterminate source. He was the first one of the Hyrulian forces into the breach, and with a cry engaged the nearest beast he could see.
"Link, watch out!" He heard Proxi cry. He turned to his left to see an armored being lunging for him, coming at a speed most inhuman. Link instinctively braced himself for impact, but then watched in shock as the armored being was sent careening off to the side and into the walls of the keep, propelled by a bolt of white lightning. He looked to the source of the blast, and saw Lana standing there, flashing a "V" sign with her middle and index finger and a bubbly grin on her face. Link nodded resolutely, and returned to attacking anything that he saw. Lana followed after him, making sure to stay close to the Hero and his uncanny ability to slay any beast that crossed him.
One of the Hyrulian captains, a stout looking fellow, raced forward and tackled the keep boss. It was a rather pudgy, unimpressive Bulblin, and with one stab to the neck it was finished off quickly. The captain popped back up.
"The keep is ours!" He shouted. "Regroup before pressing forward!"
At that moment, several waves of Ravagers came sliding down the side of the mountainous hills to the right of the keep. They swiftly entered the fray, eliminating any stragglers in the keep, before one of them rushed forward.
"Brother Ishaka sends reinforcements." The calm Craol said. "We are at your command." He turned to Link. Link looked shocked that they were following him, but then got into action. He gestured to the Hyrulian captain and his men, and signaled for a holding position. To the Ravager, he signaled for an advance on his flank. "Understood." The Ravager captain said. Compared to the Hyrulian captain, he was dressed in muddy and poorly-kept rags. But the look in his eye coupled with the enemy blood dripping off of his knives was more than enough to show he meant business. He gave a sharp whistle, and the Ravagers behind him began reloading for the next assault. Link gestured to Lana, who nodded resolutely, and the company raced out of the keep and to the north where Cia waited.
…
From their overhang high above the battle, two beings watched the proceedings. Cia turned towards Volga, a sneaky smile on her lips.
"A fascinating view, is it not?" She asked. Volga frowned.
"We have the reserves to hold off an attack, but I do not see why you insist on holding them back." He said. He looked very annoyed, and was growing moreso by the second. "Why do you risk our position?" Cia giggled, and wrapped her arm around Volga's shoulders.
"Volga, my dear, don't you know there's more than one way to roast a Cuckoo? Just because these wretches seem to be advancing with ease doesn't mean that they are winning. In fact, so far everything is going as I would expect it to. And I still have several cards to play." She looked to the west, and smiled. "Oooh, my darling Link. Isn't he a most wonderful fighter? By the Goddesses, he is even more handsome in person, and so close I can practically taste him…" She licked her lip slowly, as if savoring a moment. Volga frowned.
"That whelp would not be so forward, I reckon, if I put my spear in his spine."
"You will do no such thing." Cia said. She hissed, and dug her fingernails in the minute opening in Volga's armor, right where the chainmail connected at the base of the neck and shoulder, so that she was feeling nothing but skin. She heard a small grunt of acknowledged pain, and smiled. "You will not lay a hand on my beloved, do you understand?"
"But Mistress Cia-"
"Besides, big boy…" Cia interrupted. She looked to the east. "I see a far more appealing target." They both watched as the taller Sheikah warrior broke from the main assault, and began to lead a small attachment of forces into a narrow ravine away from the beaten path.
"The Sheikah Warrior is a mighty foe. Substandard to me, but mighty to them." Volga said. Cia made a dismissive noise in the back of her throat.
"Mmm. I don't care how mighty she is. She's in my way." She turned to Volga, bringing her arm back to her side. "Kill the bitch. I don't care how."
Volga grinned. It was not a pleasant sight.
"With pleasure, Mistress Cia."
…
She had left Sheik to lead the advance, though truthfully she knew that the Sheikah warrior was going to be bogged down for the meantime unless some flanking route was discovered. Impa hated herself for abandoning the majority of her forces with some "Sheik" that she did not trust and whom she believed was a liar, but her fears were at least partially allayed by the presence of Ravager forces coming to reinforce the keep that they had captured. If Sheik tried anything, she knew that they would end it with ease.
For the Ravagers fought dirty. And there was a part in her that admired that tenacity.
Impa led a small band of Hyrulian forces through the ravine. There was only one way out of the ravine, and it looked like it came out at the same location that the rest of her army was headed to. Impa gave a series of hand signals, and ordered her men to follow her.
She needn't have wasted her time.
There was an inhuman roar, and then a burning red blur. Impa barely had time to react as her squad was killed in a terrifyingly swift fashion. The last of her men barely had time to scream before being engulfed in the fiery breath of that Dragon Warrior, who stood at the exit of the ravine, between Impa and freedom.
At the same time, Impa turned behind her to see vines of an unnatural color and projection growing across the way, completely cutting her way of entrance off. She was trapped.
"Pathetic." Volga growled. "These vermin were barely worth an exercise." He looked at the body of the last Hyrulian he'd slain, and dismissively kicked it off to the side. He looked back up at Impa, and smirked. "Well what do you know, little Sheikah. It would appear that you've nowhere to go."
Impa stared at Volga with an icy cold expression on her face. She was silent, and then a smile graced her lips.
"You're smiling. Are you feeling okay?" Volga asked, twirling his spear disorientingly as he slowly closed the gap between the two of them. Impa's training was far too advanced to allow her to be thrown by such a cheap battle tactic. So she let him know.
"Yes. For you don't understand. I'm not trapped in here with you. You're trapped in here with me."
She lunged for the Dragon Warrior, Biggoron Knife brandished.
…
"Hi-YAAH!" Link yelled, slicing through a Moblin's shield (and the arm that held it). As the creature roared in agony, he stabbed it in the chest to end its suffering. He looked around. They were advancing well on his side of the battlefield, but there was no sign of Impa's forces. Lana raced up alongside him, and noticed his look of concern.
"They must still be bogged down!" Lana said. She seemed to have read Link's mind. "We're too far ahead of them!"
"What should we do?" Proxi asked. "We can't leave them, yet at the same time we can't abandon our keep!"
"Hero!" One of the Ravager captains rushed forward. "We can bull-rush* the enemy in an effort to break things open!"
"You'll lose too many men," Lana said. "I can't in good conscious let you all do that."
"What would you propose we do?" The Ravager captain asked. "We can hold position, but that risks letting the other half of the force suffer severe casualties or even be overrun."
"What do we do?" Proxi wailed.
"Don't worry." Link said, surprising everyone with his sudden bout of speech. "Have faith in Sheik…and in Impa."
…
Clang.
Clang-clink-CLANG.
WSHAK!
They had been fighting for what seemed like an eternity, though Impa knew it had been nothing but a few moments. The Dragon Warrior Volga was a truly poised warrior, and had been defending himself from Impa's attacks with nothing more than a dismissive look on his face.
Clang.
"You fight well," Volga said. He swept low, forcing Impa to jump up and land on one of the large rocks just off of the pathway and a little way up the hillside. It seemed to give slightly under her feet, which seemed strange. But she could not focus on that. "But you fight like all Sheikah." Volga chided. "And I have killed many Sheikah."
Impa scowled, and went for a cross-body slash.
Clang.
"Agryppa*!" Volga shouted, deflecting the move.
Impa went for a pirouetting slash, attempting to disorient the Dragon Warrior while at the same time hoping to clip his leg at the same time.
Denied.
"San-Sotuka*!" Volga shouted.
Impa was getting frustrated, and tired. Volga seemed to have limitless energy. She went for a series of overhead strikes, intending to test the mettle of Volga's weapon.
The dragonborne spear held strong.
"Krea*!" Volga shouted. With dizzying speed, he lashed out and backhanded Impa into the canyon wall. She collided against the rock hard. She felt a severe pain in her shoulder, and knew that it had been dislocated. Her Biggoron Knife clattered uselessly to the ground. Volga smirked.
"You utilize the techniques of the great ones with flawless precision." He said. "But merely knowing the moves of legends does not make you one. It makes you predictable, for everyone knows the legends!"
But Volga didn't know Impa.
When he was a mere few feet from the fallen Sheikah warrior, she suddenly spit at him. Impa, through meditation, had developed strong lungs. This allowed her to projectile spit at great speeds. The globule struck Volga right between the eyes, and directly in them as well. As Volga growled in disgust, Impa reached down to the dirt with her good arm, grabbed a handful, and threw it as hard as she could into Volga's eyes. The Dragon Warrior gave a roar of pain, and hastily began to wipe his clouded eyes clean.
Impa slowly stood up, watching her foe clean his eyes while in great pain. She gingerly felt her shoulder, gauging the damage. It was a clean dislocation. Good. She dug her foot into the dirt just underneath her Biggoron Knife, and as soon as she was ready she moved.
With a cry of rage, adrenaline, and extreme pain, Impa simultaneously kicked her Biggoron Knife up into the air whilst popping her shoulder back into place. She felt the joint slide in like a puzzle piece, and felt a sort of relief that the pain she now felt was merely tenderness.
That would heal.
Then, with catlike reflexes, she reached her good arm out and caught her Biggoron knife on the descent. She twirled it around, and ignored the smarting pain in her shoulder as Volga finally got the spit-enhanced dirt out of his eyes and stared at the now-rearmed Sheikah warrior in shock.
"Round two, freak." Impa said.
Growling, Volga regained his spear and held it at the ready, prepared to engage Impa again.
He never got the chance.
Impa watched in shock and awe as a large dark rock behind Volga, the very same one she had stood on earlier, seemingly came to life and lunged through the air at the Dragon Warrior. In midair, it grew arms, legs…and there was a very familiar scent about it.
Volga barely turned around in time to see what was coming.
"EULALIAAAAAA!"
Ishaka smashed into Volga like a cannonball, hitting the Dragon Warrior with a modified tackle-clothesline combination. Volga's spear was sent off to the side, and Ishaka's knives were knocked away as well. The Ravager captain was astride the Dragon Warrior, throwing several sloppy yet brutal lefts and rights from full mount. Volga was able to defend himself for the most part, but one of the punches connected and Impa swore she heard the telltale sound of a nose being broken.
Volga roared, and hoisted Ishaka off of him. The Ravager warrior hit the dirt with a grunt of pain. Volga tried running for his spear, but Ishaka was swifter, having gotten up and tackled Volga again. This was more of a running tackle, as he was not fully able to bring the Dragon warrior down. Instead, Ishaka grabbed Volga in a waistlock from behind, and with a roar lifted the Dragon warrior up into the air for a brutal belly-to-back suplex. It looked like Volga had landed directly on his head, and such a move would be fatal to a mere mortal.
Alas, Volga was no mere mortal.
As Ishaka lay stunned on the ground, a dazed Volga grasped his spear, which had been sent clattering near him by the shockwaves of the suplex. As soon as Volga's grip was tight around the handle, there was a flash of fire, and Impa watched as Volga disappeared into the distance as a dragon-like flame.
All this happened in the span of a few seconds.
Impa raced over to Ishaka.
"Are you alright?" She asked.
"Y-yeah, I be fine…" Ishaka groaned.
At this admission, Impa kicked Ishaka in the gut, sending the Ravager leader back down into the dirt.
"Oof!" Ishaka said. "Wha' wa' tha' fuh?" He wheezed.
"You ass! I had him dead to rights, when you had to spring in and interrupt me! I did not need saving." Impa said. She helped Ishaka back up to his feet, chiding him the entire time. "On top of that, if you were really there the entire time, then why in the name of the Goddesses did you wait until the very end to reveal yourself?" Ishaka got up, and with a "hee hee hee!" he shrugged.
"Figgered yeh were doin' jes' fine up until th' very end, Sheikah! Tha's when I stepp'd in." He said.
That got him a slap right across the cheek.
…
They emerged from that dark corridor into the next opening in the valley. To their left, they saw the emerging Hyrulian army led by Link and Lana. Impa glanced to the right, and saw that Sheik had broken through the enemy defenses and was bringing the second half of the pincer movement forward. Impa watched with satisfaction as both halves of the army converged in the center of the plain, hammering Cia's forces like a hammer and anvil. They began to retreat, scrambling back up the steps of the ruins towards where their leader lay in wait. Impa was about to rush forward, but flexed her shoulder too much and groaned in pain.
"Hold still, Sheikah." Ishaka said. He harshly grabbed her by her other shoulder to prevent her from moving, and before Impa had time to react he'd taken a piece of cloth from the bottom of his duster and ripped it off. He hastily wrapped it around her wounded shoulder, and then around the base of her neck to create a makeshift bit of armor to keep the joint from overextending.
"What-are-you-" Impa tried to fight him off, but the Ravager captain was deceptively quick. Impa didn't like having a bulky bit of cloth impeding her entire range of motion, but it did dull the pain. And that was good enough, she supposed.
She glanced at Ishaka. The bottom of his duster, normally low enough to reach his ankles, was now closer to the middle of his calves. Impa looked at him and offered a sympathetic smile.
"Sorry about your coat." She said. Ishaka shrugged.
"S'alright. I jes' sew it up when we get back. Tha' lady Cia owes me some needl'n' mat'rials when we be done."
…
"Impa." Sheik said, as Impa and Ishaka ran to rejoin the group. "What happened to your shoulder?"
"Dislocated it." Impa said. "It's a little sore, but back in place."
"Goodness, that sounds painful!" Lana said. "I can heal the swelling and microtears if you need me to."
"Don't bother." Impa said. "Save your magic for people that are seriously wounded." She glanced at the ruins before them. "We won't be able to fit the majority of the army up on those narrow stairways. We'll have to bring the most armored soldiers up through for the siege, I'm afraid." She turned to Ishaka. "Have your Ravagers hold position at the base of these ruins. We'll take the Hyrulian ranks up the ruins, led by the Wolves." She turned towards the ruins. "Let's go pay Cia a visit."
…
Cia sat upon the throne, slouched in her seat and impatiently drumming her fingernails along the armrest. Volga appeared before her in a flash of red. He looked quite silly to begin with, in her mind, carrying on with that overly-macho persona. The sight of him with cotton stuffed up his clearly-broken nose was enough to get her to giggle.
"Mithtress Cia, your humor ith mothst foolith." Volga said. He seemed unwilling to acknowledge how stuffed he sounded. "Why do you not thend out reinforthments?"
"Because, sugar, they're still falling into my trap." Cia said. She gave a theatrical yawn. "I knew that they were going to split the army so that they could make their way up my ruins. I was sort of hoping that they'd leave the Hyrulians down at the bottom, but that's ok. I don't mind massacring a bunch of ragged vermin like those 'Ravagers.'" She frowned. "What a preposterously silly name. Who could name their people something so…childish?" She blinked once, and looked at Volga again. "My orders for you are to retreat and lick your wounds, big boy. I have much larger plans for you than to just deal with these little people knocking on my door." Volga nodded, and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Cia sighed, and got off of her throne. She began walking towards the balcony-like viewing point at the edge of her staging ground, softly humming to herself.
"Time to do some weeding…" She muttered softly.
…
In a large battlefield, numbers could make the difference between one side losing and the other. But in close quarters, the more-disciplined army would win out. And there was no better-trained group of soldiers than the Twilight Wolves of the Hyrulian army.
They moved in a spear-like formation, with two at the point and four along each side of the "spear head." Their pitch black armor was like that of the Darknuts (in fact, they had been smelted from the armor of fallen Darknuts), and they each carried a massive bronzed shield. In lieu of a sword or spear, the Wolves preferred to smash their shield forward directly into the enemy in front of them. Upon contact, the shield made a disproportionately loug GONG noise. It served both as a definitive proof that their foe was dead, and a psychological advantage against the trembling foes that were still left in front of them.
For once, Ishaka didn't feel the need to rush to the front of the fray. He was content to let those ten maniacs do the work for him.
And work they did, clearing the way on the increasingly narrow terraces cut out into the rock that formed the levels of the ruins. The Hyrulian army moved slowly, in a phalanx-like formation, and casualties were dropping to a standstill. Bokoblin archers were desperately firing volleys of arrows into the mix, but the Hyrulians simply raised their shields high, forming a roof like a tortoise shell.
Hidden deep inside the phalanx, Impa gently slid in between rows of soldiers, barking out orders and words of encouragement.
"Stand tall! Hold your shields as strong as you ever have! If you do, not one of you or your brothers will fall! We will make it to the top of the mountain at this rate! They cannot stop us."
Link was right at the front of the formation, alongside Ishaka, Lana and Sheik. Lana and Sheik were creating small barriers from magic, while Link was just holding his own shield up. Ishaka was grumbling something awful about having to hide behind the others.
"If you're so disappointed, you should have picked up a shield, Ishasha-Ishaka!" Lana corrected herself. Ishaka smirked.
"An' defil' me hands wit' them ugly-ass Mobl'n shields? As if, miss Lana!"
"Then pipe down!" Impa shouted, having reappeared next to him. "Or I'll use you as a shield."
"Now, now, Sheikah, tha' ain't nice, innit?" Ishaka said with a grin. "'Ardly neighb'rly a' ya."
"I'll show you neighborly, you ordo…" Impa said.
…
Capturing the keep in front of them was easy. The armies of darkness were so intimidated by the lack of casualties on the Hyrulian side that most of them chose to drop their weapons and flee in fright. Impa decapitated the brave (or perhaps foolish) keep boss that stayed behind to defend his post, and reassessed the situation.
She was about to bark an order, when she saw all of her army looking up and above her. Impa turned around. High above them, on an overhanging cliff at the top of the mountains, was a beautiful woman. Her face was obscured by a bird-like mask, but there was no doubt that she was absolutely stunning underneath. She was dark-skinned, with red and ornate tattoos glowing across her body. Her apparel was…revealing, and Impa knew that this was the one that they were looking for.
"Cia! We would have words with you." Impa said. She pointed her Biggoron knife in the direction of the black sorceress threateningly, and sensed Link, Lana, Sheik, and Ishaka rush forward to join her side. Cia, though far enough that it was difficult to really see her features, cocked her head to the side as if she was amused. Then her shoudlers started to shake, and the sound of her laughter filled the air. It was both a melodious and terrifying sound, and Impa felt the hair raise up on the back of her neck. Cia lifted her scepter, an ugly-looking thing that was made of twisted black wood and adorned with a dark purple jewel on the top (that looked strikingly like a purple rose), and slammed it bottom first into the ground. There was a little rumbling noise, and then nothing happened. Impa looked around, and in her confidence decided to taunt the sorceress.
"I don't suppose that was for us?" She said. Cia laughed again, and shook her head. Her smile was very visible from this distance, and slowly she pointed her scepter towards the base of the ruins.
She hadn't even finished the motion, and Ishaka was already sprinting down the cliff side.
…
They felt a rumbling under their feet. The most fortunate ones were the ones standing directly atop the epicenter, for when the ground opened beneath their feet at least their deaths came quickly. It was the ones that were just away from the breaking point of the ground who were unlucky, as the poisonous gases that emitted from the ground seared their lungs and left them to choke. By this point, the vast majority of the Ravagers had scrambled away from the collapsing earth, and were taking cover anywhere they could find it. For what had emerged was a monster.
It looked like a plant, with four angry teethed heads, all snapping and drooling at the prospect of fresh meat. They all separately lunged forward, snapping up screaming warriors to their doom. The plant seemed to be slowly moving, terrifying those that were closest into making a run for it. Of course, that just left one open to the hailfire of bullet seeds that could cut into even the hardiest of armor.
"Manhandla…" Impa whispered. They had been outfoxed. By the time Impa brought her forces down to help the Ravagers, too much time would be taken and their numbers would be terribly low. And Cia would bring forth reinforcements that would cut the Hyrulian army to pieces. But if they did nothing, then the Ravagers were doomed.
Which was why Impa was flabbergasted that Ishaka was barreling down the mountainside, alone, towards the beast with his knives brandished.
"Ishaka, NO!" Impa shouted, desperately trying to get his attention.
…
Ishaka didn't listen. Or, perhaps, he couldn't listen. For the real Ishaka was submerged within layers of testosterone, rage, paternal fear, and berserker fury.
He was practically leaping down the mountainside, taking it at seemingly ten feet a step. If he made even the slightest misstep, the resulting tumble and fall would surely kill him. But the Ravager captain was nimble and agile down the rock side, and in mere seconds he was at the floor of the canyon.
He heard the screams of his men and women. He watched as they all desperately tried to take cover. The older soldiers were pushing younger ones out of the way, in hopes of saving them. Some brave fools were trying to distract the beast, so that the rest of the army could escape. Except their actions were matched by the rest of the army, so the Manhandla was stuck in a sort of limbo, as if unsure of what to eat next.
Ishaka raced past a few coughing Ravagers, who had swallowed a non-lethal yet still excruciating level of Manhandla gas, and let out a horrific battle screech.
"EEEEEEEYOOOOWWWW!"
As if on cue, the Manhandla went rigid, and all four heads turned to face Ishaka. They had no eyes, but it was clear that they were smiling. There was a sound of laughter in the air. Cia was watching from high above, no doubt terribly entertained by the show.
"Pick on som'un' yer own size…" Ishaka said. He twirled his knives, clockwise in his left hand and counterclockwise in his right. The Manhandla decided that he looked tasty enough, and lunged.
…
Ishaka leapt up, and stomped on one of the heads. He blocked off the lunging snaps of the other three with his knives, and as the head he stood on precariously rose up he struggled to maintain his balance. Seeing an opportunity, he slid down the neck of the head until he'd reached the core of the Manhandla plant. He stood atop the covering where the heart of the creature lay, and stabbed at it. It did not cause any real pain, but the Manhandla heads instinctively lunged in for the biting kill.
Ishaka barely had time to roll out of the way as all four heads converged, though he was grazed by razor sharp teeth. He grunted in pain as it tore into his forearm, and he rolled into the dirt. He heard a pained shriek from the creature, and knew that it had done what he wanted. It had loosened up the wall covering the heart. He turned around to face the creature again, only to see one mouth lunging in for the kill.
At the last second, he thrust his arms up and down like scissor blades, piercing the insides of both the upper and lower jaw of the mouth. He recoiled as much as he could as the pointed tongue inside tried to lash out at him, and he felt a minute cut on his cheek. The head was thrashing as much as it could, but Ishaka's knives (along with his boots planted firmly on the bottom lip) were keeping it pinned tight. Ishaka winced at the smell of corpses on the creature's breath, and with a roar extended his arms even further. He felt the jaws hyperextend, and the other three heads came in for the kill.
Ishaka yanked his knives out and rolled backwards, right as the three heads snapped the fourth clean off of its stalk. A spray of purplish blood came out of the useless stalk and covered Ishaka. Ignoring it, he rushed again, holding his breath as he saw the Manhandla begin to emit that poisonous cloud.
Feeling his eyes beginning to burn, Ishaka leapt up and thrust his knives down as deep as he safely could into the throat of another head, and then pulled apart in a reverse-scissors motion that bisected the jaws of the head. Immediately, the poison stopped emitting, and the Manhandla shrieked in pain. The other two heads lashed at him, but he leapt out of the way. They crashed into plant wall covering its heart, and for the first time Ishaka could see a soft puling red glow out from within.
Two heads left. They reared back and began to spit bullet seeds at Ishaka. Some of them caught the flapping ends of his duster, ripping the thing to shreds. Growling, Ishaka shed his ruined coat. As it fell to the ground, his upper body was now exposed. He was wearing a ratty beige shirt with the sleeves completely cut off, revealing intricate tribal tattoos that covered his arms from the base of his shoulders all the way down to his wrists. Scores of scars and calluses adorned his arms, and his looked less like a man and more like an ogre. He rolled out of the way of another series of bullet seeds, and picked up the shield of a fallen Darknut. He held it up to protect him, feeling the seeds nip at his ankles and the edges of his shoulders. He dug his feet into the ground, absorbing the shots.
Finally, the bullet seeds ceased, and the panting mouths dangled in the open for a strike. Ishaka spun around like a discus toss, and hurled the shield at one of the mouths. It caught it right in the maw, and the head jerked before falling lifeless to the ground.
That left one head. Easy.
He raced forward, and stood directly atop the weakened plant wall that covered the glowing jewel. The head looked at him and screeched, trying to get the man at its base to cower. Ishaka held strong. The head lunged.
Ishaka leapt up, and stomped downward right as the head's teeth crashed into the core. With the added gravity of Ishaka's mass, the head bit through the wall and directly into the jeweled core. Ishaka roared, and slammed his dual knives down into the mess.
There was a horrific shriek, and the Manhandla spasmed violently before falling utterly still.
Ishaka stood atop the fallen corpse, panting heavily. He was covered in blood, both his and the slain beast's. He grunted, and yanked the knives out of the dead creature. He leaned back, stretching out his back. Then he slowly turned towards the ruins, facing Cia high in her perch. She looked down at the sight below her. It seemed like the entire world had gone silent.
Ishaka's eyes were wild, the crazed look of a berserker. His grin spread from one side of his face to the other. He raised one of his knives up into the air, and pointed it to Cia. And he let out a roar that echoed throughout the Valley.
"I'M GONNA GUT YA LIKE YER PET!"
The Ravagers saw their seemingly-indestructible leader standing over the slain monster, and let loose the loudest Ravager scream yet. It travelled up the ruins, and filled the Hyrulians with a renewed vigor. They matched the scream with a roar of their own, and pushed against the armies of darkness like a tidal wave. Impa raised her Biggoron knife, and led her close allies up to the peak of the ruins where Cia waited.
…
Compared to the frenetic fighting below them, the staging ground where Cia waited was eerily silent. She was alone, standing with her back to the heroes, holding her arms up towards a dark void of energy floating above them. It was growing larger and larger, and whatever it was reeked of dark magic and evil.
"Ooh, Link." Cia said. She slowly turned around, facing the heroes. "How I've longed for this moment." She started walking towards them, her hips deliberately sashaying with each step. "You're even more precious in person."
"It's over, Cia." Impa said. She brandished her Biggoron knife threateningly. "Surrender now, and you will be granted mercy at trial."
"Over?" Cia asked. She laughed. It was both a beautiful and awful sound at the same time. "Why…it hasn't even begun." She suddenly stamped her scepter on the ground, and before any of them could react a dark symbol appeared on the ground, trapping their feet. Lana was able to leap out of the way, but Impa, Sheik and Link were trapped. Try as they might, it was like struggling against quicksand.
Link felt a burning in his hand, and saw the symbol of the Triforce glowing in his hand. He also felt an awful sensation, as if claws had sunk into his skin and were trying to rip it out from him.
But he was not alone. There was another glowing light, and they turned in shock towards Sheik, whose hand was glowing with the power, albeit from a different part of the trinity.
"Sheik, that's-" Lana began, but was cut off by a terrific boom.
They watched as the two pieces of the Triforce were ripped away from them, and flew towards the dark void ahead of them. Only to be caught midway.
"Oh, Link…" Cia said, admiring the two pieces of the Triforce floating above her hand. "What a beautiful present you've given me! Why…it's just what I was looking for. Who knew you were so thoughtful? But…you didn't have to get me two of them…though truthfully…" She held up her hand to show the others, and they watched it light up with the last piece of the Triforce. "…It's just what I was looking for…"
The Triforce of Power left Cia's hand, and attached to the other pieces in a gleaming light. Cia admired the breathtaking artifact of the Goddesses before her, and let out a happy little moan of satisfaction.
"Beautiful…beyond compare…" She said. She turned to look to Link, and blew her a kiss. "You're such a sweetheart, baby." Link flinched, and angrily turned the other cheek as if he'd been stung. Cia put a hand to her chest, as if hurt. "Link? Dear, why be so apprehensive? When you see what I've got planned…you'll be begging to be by my side…" The pieces of the Triforce began to glow. "And that's okay, baby, because I can wait. I'm all yours."
"NO!"
They all turned to see a terribly battered, but very much alive, Ishaka at the top of the steps, a crazed look of determination on his face. He tossed his two knives directly at Cia's face, intending to end it all there in a last-ditch move. Cia scoffed, and tilted the Trifroce so that it was directly in the path of the knives. They made contact, and promptly shattered into infinite shining pieces. Ishaka stared in horror as his trusted weapons were rendered little more than dust at the sorcerer's feet.
"Muh-my knives…" He said. It was as if he was unable to comprehend what he'd just seen. Cia tut-tutted, and pointed her finger towards Ishaka. A bolt of black lightning struck him. He gave a horrible scream of pain, as electricity coursed through him, and he tumbled back down the steps.
"Ishaka!" Lana cried out. Cia laughed.
"A fate befitting vermin like him." She said. She held her hands high, and the Triforce rose in the air.
Then came the voice. It was the voice of nightmares.
"Cia…the time to call the fragments of my spirit is NOW."
The spellbinding circle at the feet of the heroes dissipated, as Cia became preoccupied with the awesome power at her fingertips. The battle was lost. There was only one option.
"RUN!" Impa said.
The quartet raced away from the increasingly unstable staging ground, as ominous voices speaking foul languages and bolts of lightning filled the air. Strange, ancient symbols burned across the sky like the writings of the Goddesses. The Hyrulian and Ravager forces had long since retreated, intending to put as much distance between themselves and this hellish display above them. All that they could do was run.
Fly.
Flee.
Link was halfway down the steps as he thought he saw a black lump he passed by. He turned around, and saw it was the body of Ishaka. The Ravager seemed like he was moving slightly.
"Link, what are you doing?" Impa shouted. But Link was already moving. He raced back up the steps, and with a roar hoisted Ishaka up and over his shoulders. Huffing and puffing mightily, his face red as a tomato, Link ran back down the steps to rejoin his friends.
By then it was too late to go further. The horror was upon them.
"Get in close!" Lana shouted. Everyone obliged, and knelt by the white mage's feet, and she held up her staff and began to frantically chant an ancient spell. A soft ethereal shield of light, comprised entirely of glowing runes, was beginning to form around them. The only question was whether it would be ready in time.
There was a terrific boom. A massive dark pulse emitted from the top of the ruins. It raced towards them, the harbinger of their doom. Just as it was about to swallow them whole, the runes solidified.
The aftershock was violent, and Link was tossed into the wall of the magical shield. It was like hitting a brick wall.
Everything went black.
Et sic concludit hunc actum
A/N: Hope you are enjoying. R&R if you wish.
HYRULIAN CODEX
Shield Wall – A basic battle defensive formation. The army in question forms a square, leaving an opening in the middle for the commanding officers and color guard to be. It is best utilized by forces with superior armor to their foe, and if often used as a form of military snobbery: they are daring the untrained rabble to strike the wall. And the wall will hold.
Bull-rush – A basic offensive maneuver on the battlefield. In lieu of strategic planning, the force in question simply elects to throw fucking everything including the kitchen sink at a fixed point, hoping to win by sheer attrition and numerical superiority. Often used by overly confident commanders, who usually pay the price in blood of their fallen soldiers.
Agryppa – A famed Sheikah warrior of famed skill with the katana. He was said to swing his blade with enough speed and power to cut the thickest of trees in a single, horizontal slash, whilst appearing to have not moved. He is considered the founder of Iaijutsu, an old Sheikah martial art of the single horizontal slash at immeasurable speed and most measureable fatality.
San-Sotuka – A Sheikah warrior poet whose skills with dual knives were rivaled if not surpassed by her skill as a thespian and dancer. San-Sotuka incorporated many traditional styles of tribal dance into her arsenal, utilizing the smooth yet disorienting moves to get the upper hand on a foe before dispatching them with a series of short yet precise strikes to vital organs. She is considered the founder of Zui Quan, the Sheikah art of intentionally deceptive fighting. Her techniques are considered the most difficult of all Sheikah fight styles to master, and experts are demarked by two large red feathers that are attached to the wearer's belt. To date, Impa of Hyrule is the only living expert of this style to date.
Krea - A Sheikah warrior surmised to have Goron blood, Krea was just as well known for his hard-partying ways as his brawling expertise. Stories sing his praises for being perhaps the greatest drinker known to mankind, once having allegedly bested the Goron King Darunia in his era in a drinking contest, and then brawling his way through the equally inebriated King's Guard to the drunken delight of the regent. He was granted the honorary title "Big Brother" for life. As one would expect of a man of his stature, Krea won simply through sheer brute force and strength, battering his foes to a pulp…and then killing them. His is the most commonly learned style in warrior's circles, though rarely mastered: there is surprisingly a lot of thought that needs to go into a style that seemingly consists of "punching a foe till he goes limp." Krea is Impa of Hyrule's personal hero.
Manhandla – The legendary scholar Shad of Ordon once famously penned in the botanical section of his long-spanning scholarly encyclopedia Hyrule Historia "Though I at times doubt the existence of a higher power watching over us, I know for a fact that the devil exists and plots against us from below. For only he could have created such a beast as this."
Indeed, this passage is at the beginning of every scholarly entry concerning the nightmarish beast that is merely dubbed "Manhandla," to remind readers that there is no more fitting a name than this: a biological affront against nature that seemingly only lives to manhandle and destroy life around it. The "Manhandla" consists of a rooted base that, deep within, contains a jewel-like heart that is supposedly extremely sensitive to outside contact. That is why it is always covered by a layer of rock-hard plant wall. It is technically plausible to expose this jewel, but that would require stunning the beast.
And to do that, one must contend with the four "heads" that each Manhandla possesses. Similar to the Deku Baba, a Manhandla has heads armed with razor-sharp teeth and a most foul disposition towards life. All life is prey to the Manhandla, and it is equipped with many useful techniques to eat: each "head" can lunge at foes with blistering speed, or can spit rock-hard seeds with such force and quantity that they have been known to reduce even the sturdiest and oldest of trees into sawdust. And, in case foes get too close, Manhandlas can emit a noxious gas that sears the lungs of anyone that breathes in too long.
As if this wasn't enough, a Manhandla is not necessarily "rooted" to the ground. Its roots can propel it across the land at a methodical (though utterly terrifying for a plant) speed, ripping up and ironically tilling the land behind it. It is also able to create Manhandla stalks at nearby locations, whose seed spit works better than most artillery branches in military.
Mercifully, Manhandlas only seem to grow at a speed that would make Bonsai trees look swift, and only "hunt" in the most forsaken of lands, where nothing of worth lives or dares to live. Thus, they starve rather quickly.
There is no known record of a Manhandla being killed by anything except a concentrated army effort, and even then those occasions can be counted on one hand.
The number of men lost to do so is, understandably, horrifyingly higher.