Chapter Five: The Lure of the Soul Thief
Ekrin, a grey haired man clad in Tyfirian armor, shivered as he rode his horse through the deep snow drifts and bone chilling mountain winds of Lorshimnen. Despite his appearance, Ekrin was no warrior. He was only dressed as a soldier to hide who he really was, and what he really was, was a blacksmith, notwithstanding a very well known and skilled blacksmith. The reason for Ekrin's fame came from his association with the late general Ormek of Tyfira. About three and half years prior, Ormek instructed Ekrin and many other blacksmiths in the making of various weapons never before used by the Tyfirians or by anyone else. Ekrin did not know where Ormek had come across the designs for the new weapons, but they were truly ingenious, so ingenious in fact that the weapons allowed the Tyfirians conquer most of Cyntir even though they were horribly out numbered.
After the brief Cyntir-Tyfira war, Ormek's various inventions were all rounded up and locked away, but rumors of the general's deadly weapons spread quickly through out the east. Many nations tried to form alliances with the Tyfirians in exchange for the weapons and instruction on how to make more, but Tyfiria's king, king Talrid, would not allow the weapons to leave Tyfiria. He was afraid of the problems Ormek's inventions would cause if they found their way into the wrong hands. But more so than that, Talrid knew the only reason Cyntir and their allies would not retaliate against the Tyfirians for attacking Cyntir was their fear of the weapons.
It soon became apparent to all those who sought after Ormek's inventions that Tyfira would not let their greatest advantage go so easily. Rather than concede defeat, the king of Acromiar decided to kidnap the blacksmiths who were instructed by Ormek and Ekrin was no exception. The Acromiarians tried to force him to make cannons for them, but the demon hordes attacked before he could. Once the demon assault began, Ekrin was evacuated from Acromiar and held in a remote prison until he was later recovered by the Tyfirians, after Acromiar had been destroyed.
After the Acromiar incident, the Tyfirians grew even more determined to withhold their weapons from the rest of the world, but once they learned of the seeming superiority of the Siragons' weapons, they agreed to lend the Asreans some of Ormek's creations in exchange for a long standing alliance. Ekrin was currently on his way to Ulron-Chi to instruct the Asreans in the construction of cannons to be used in the fortress's defense.
"How are you holding up in this cold?" asked general Syrus, the tall commander of the forces of Tyfiria stationed at Ulron-Chi. Syrus was also well acquainted with general Ormek before his death. In fact, Ormek was Syrus's mentor. He was promoted to the rank of general after the Cyntir-Tyfiria war and while he did not understand completely how Ormek's inventions worked, his old teacher instructed in him on how to effectively use the new weapons in battle and therefore it was almost as crucial that he arrive safely at Ulron-Chi as it was that Ekrin did.
"I've made it through colder winters in Tyfiria, general," Ekrin replied through his chattering teeth. "Though, to be quite honest, I think my blood is freezing in my veins."
"Ha, you Tyfirians no nothing of freezing," A Zora, who was traveling with the convoy shouted. "My brother's blood and my own is actually prone to freezing in this type of environment."
"Yes, Gilthas," Syrus sighed, "We've been hearing you and Targas complain about the cold since we started traveling through these mountains."
"Were not complaining about the cold," Targas, another Zora burst in, "We're just showing you worthless slaves how weak you really are. Even though my brother and I are in real danger of freezing to death up here, we are still managing to keep up with your troops." Syrus growled at the Zora inaudiably. There was quite a bit of tension among the members of the convoy, for not all of the members were from Tyfiria. The two Zora brothers were actually from Cyntir. The Zoras' ship had been destroyed by the Siragons while en route to Ulron-Chi. They managed to swim to a nearby Lorshimnenite port, where they stayed for a few days until the Tyfirians came to the same port after their ship had been damaged in a battle with another Siragon vessel. In an effort to show good will towards his enemies, Syrus allowed the Cyntirian Zoras to accompany his men while they journeyed to Ulron-Chi on foot, but the Zoras had done little other than anger the other members of convoy for the entire trip.
"I can't wait till we get to Ulron-Chi, so we can dump these fish," Syrus growled, not caring whether the Zoras heard him or not. He then turned to a Goron that was walking next to him and said, "Magmus, how far do think we are from the fortress now?"
"I'd say we'll reach our destination in oh, maybe six hours." Magmus answered. Magmus was the convoy's scout. He was a Lorshimnenite warrior who acted as a guide for those who approached Ulron-Chi by trekking through the southern mountains. Magmus was an average sized Goron, he wore an iron helmet as well a red waistcoat and a pair of sturdy boots, which was uncommon attire for a Goron.
"Great," Syrus said facetiously, "Six more hours of hiking through Siragon infested mountain passes in waist deep snow, while having to listen to those blasted Zoras. This should be fun."
"It'll be fun watching you Tyfirians freezing your rear ends off," Gilthas chimed in. Syrus sighed and shook his head, more than a little annoyed.
"Want me to club 'em with my mace?" Magmus offered. Syrus laughed at the Goron's comment and continued to push his way through the snow.
"I forbid it!" Impa said to Zelda, within the confines of the princess's chamber located within the keep of Ulron-Chi. "I can not let you leave the safety of the fortress."
"You don't need to worry about me," Zelda replied, "I know how to handle myself. Besides, I talked to Aramoth, and he told me the Siragons haven't been sighted anywhere near the fortress since their initial attempt to take Ulron-Chi. The patrol won't be in any danger."
"Princess," the king's orders were very specific. "I must protect you and if I let you go out with the patrol, I would be shirking my responsibilities to both you and your father.
"Fine, I won't go," Zelda sighed.
"I just don't understand why you want to get closer to Link," Impa continued, "He obviously doesn't want you here."
"I know," Zelda said, "but I have been wondering what happened to him for thirteen years. I can't just leave now that I've finally found him. Something happened to him after he left Hyrule and I'm going to find out what."
"Fine," Impa said, "but you'll have to find another way to get close to Link. Going out with the morning patrol is simply out of the question."
"I already agreed not to go," Zelda replied. "I'll just have to find another way to keep an eye on him."
"Yes, well in any case," Impa said, "prince Vilamaros has requested that you come to the main hall in the fortress keep and join him and his brother for breakfast."
"Oh great," Zelda shook her head, "Vilamaros is trying to court me now. You know, when I came to Lorshimnen I hoped to escape his type."
"Nevertheless," Impa replied, "they are our hosts and I think you should accept the invitation."
"Sometimes I hate being a princess," Zelda sighed, "Very well, inform the Asrean princes that I'll be with them shortly. Let me get dressed and then I'll make my way to the hall." Impa nodded and then left the princess's quarters. She didn't have to travel far to the main hall of the fortress keep. She quickly made her way to the hall, told the princes of Zelda's decision, and returned to the princess's room, but when she re-entered, Zelda was nowhere to be found.
"Did the princess already leave?" Impa question the two royal guards stationed outside of Zelda's quarters?
"No mam," the guards replied in unison. "Why, is she missing?" One of the guards asked after he processed Impa's comment.
"I knew she gave up on going with the morning patrol too easily," Impa said to herself as she made her way to the window and discovered the princess's bed sheets tied together hanging out the window.
Zelda pulled the collar of her Asrean overcoat up as she saddled her horse with a soldier's saddle and mounted the animal. It had been long time since Zelda had been anywhere without a royal guard nearby and it had been even longer since she had snuck past any guards. She felt free for the first time in years, though she also felt a little guilty for tricking Impa into leaving. Zelda had dressed herself in the clothes of an Asrean warrior and covered he face and hair with an Asrean helmet. It was clear to her that she could not go on the patrol in her royal clothes, so it was crucial that no one recognize her, especially since she was now trying to avoid her own guards.
Once Zelda was mounted, she made her way to Ulron-Chi's outer wall where she managed to blend in with the soldiers ready to go out on the patrol.
"If Aramoth was right," Zelda thought to herself, "Link should be joining this patrol. With a little luck, I might be able to learn more about what is troubling him."
Link stood atop Ulron-Chi's outer wall as the tip of the sun rose over the mountains of Lorshimnen. His thoughts were occupied with many things that morning, but the thing he thought most about was his meeting with Zelda the night before. He was shocked to say the least when he saw the princess so far away from her home. His heart sank the instant he realized it was her.
Part of the reason, Link was so hostile to Zelda the night before was that he wanted her to leave. He was worried when the Siragons finally came, Zelda would be hurt or killed, just as in the dream he frequently had about watching all of his former friends being murdered by the demons. Despite the way he acted the previous night, Link did care about the princess's well-being. He hoped that by telling the princess he wanted nothing to do with her, she would be compelled to leave. He did not want Zelda to experience the horrors that he had become so accustomed to.
The other reason Link wanted the princess to leave was the memories that came back to him when he looked at her. Everything he had been trying to forget for thirteen years suddenly returned to him when he saw Zelda.
Link's train of thought changed suddenly when the morning patrol arrived at Ulron-Chi's main gate. Link quickly descended from the fortress wall, found and mounted Epona and then joined the patrol. He took a position towards the middle of the pack, but he also made sure not to mix himself in with the rest of the troops. Though he did not know it, Zelda, who had already blended in with the Asrean troops, placed herself towards the back of the patrol so she could keep an eye on him.
Ever since Link arrived at Ulron-Chi, he had been spending most of his time in the surrounding mountains searching for Siragon encampments, but had found none. Link rarely went on patrol with any of the men stationed at the fortress, but the patrol he was joining had been charged with a certain task that Link wanted to make sure went smoothly. The patrol was supposed to meet the Tyfirian supply convoy that was expected to arrive that day. Normally, Link would not care about what seemed to be such a simple mission, but the former mercenary was aware of who was with the Tyfirians and he wanted to make sure that both general Syrus and the blacksmith Ekrin arrived at Ulron-Chi in one piece. He knew both men would be needed in order to defend the fortress from the Siragons successfully.
The patrol was expectedly uneventful as the Asrean soldiers made their way through the icy mountain passes of Lorshimnen, but Link still kept his eyes open for a Siragon attack. The Hyrulian was made uneasy by the terrain he found himself crossing. There were tall pine trees in every direction, which severely limited the troops' visibility. Link knew a small band of Siragons could easily hide themselves in the trees and prepare to attack when the time was right and he suspected that they had done just that.
Link had been on edge for the last few weeks. He had been expecting a massive Siragon assault on Ulron-Chi ever since he first came to the fortress two months prior, but no such attack had come. In fact, there had been little Siragon activity of any kind in Lorshimnen. The demons had raided few villages (most of which had already been evacuated by the order of Lorshimnen's king,) but other than that, the Siragons had made themselves scarce. The beasts were not even trying to prevent supplies from getting to Ulron-Chi, which greatly concerned Link. In his experience with the Siragons, the demons always tried to beat their enemies by depraving them of supplies, unless they were sure of their victory, as was the case with Carthor. Link was worried that the lack of Siragon activity indicated the beasts had no doubt in their minds that they could take the fortress when the assault began.
The patrol marched for about three hours before they spotted the Tyfirian supply convoy approaching from the south. Link felt a great deal of relief when he saw the Tyfirians, but the relief was short lived. Before the two patrols could meet with one another, a reign of black arrows shot out of the trees on the west-side of both armies. The arrows struck and killed many soldiers and chaos erupted among the armies as they tried to spot their attackers.
Zelda was horrified as she watched dozens of soldiers fall lifelessly to the ground all around her as the arrows pierced their armor. The princess began to panic as did many of the other soldiers. She did not know what to do; she could not see her attackers, so she could not defend herself. Link on the other hand raised his shield and kicked Epona's side. The steed then bolted in the direction of the Tyfirians.
Link guessed the whole purpose of the Siragon ambush was to capture general Syrus and Ekrin and he had no intention of letting the demons succeed. Zelda, unsure of what else to do decided to stay close to the hero and followed him from a distance.
Link was not the only one to try and reach the Tyfirians before the Siragons. The commander of the Asrean forces quickly ordered his men to defend the Tyfirians, though many of his men were still too frightened to listen to their orders, still dozens of mounted Asrean soldiers managed to start galloping towards the supply convoy. Because of Link's position in the patrol when the attack started he had more distance to cover then the Asrean soldiers who were ahead of him. However, none of the soldiers made it to the Tyfirans. When the soldiers got within fifty feet of the supply convoy, the ground began to explode around them, killing many of the riders, but there were no bombs or cannons anywhere to be found.
"Land mines!" Link shouted at the top of his lungs. A few of the more experienced men knew what Link was talking about, but the vast majority of the men were more confused then ever. The land mines the hero was warning the others about were really just bombs that were buried just beneath the ground. These bombs were rigged to explode whenever something stepped on them.
"Fall back!" the Asrean commander yelled, "It's a trap!" The Asreans then tried to retreat, but a legion of Siargons had already sealed off both ends of the pass to ensure their prey could not escape. Link, was at a loss for several moments. He knew he could not make it to the Tyfrians, without tripping one of the mines, but he also knew he would not be able to retreat unless he could manage to rally the panicking Asreans and create a coordinated defensive. Link was about start calling the troops to him, but before he could, an arrow whizzed by his head. The hero looked in the direction the dart came from and saw general Mygar atop a pitch-black horse, with his arm outstretched, holding a black bow. Link knew the Siragon had only fired a warning shot. If Mygar had wanted to hit him, he would not have missed.
Mygar stared at Link for a few moments before he turned his steed around and bolted in the direction of the Tyfirians. Link knew Mygar was hoping he would follow after him, but the hero could not allow the deadly general to escape. Something deep within himself compelled him to pursue the demon. As Link chased after Mygar, the Siragon guided his horse into the minefield. Link knew that if he followed Mygar's path exactly he would be safe from the mines. He decided to follow his quarry through the dangerous plot of land and Zelda in turn followed Link.
As soon as Mygar came out of the minefield, he found a mounted Tyfirian soldier already galloping towards him with a long lance in hand. Mygar quickly drew one of his swords and kicked his horse's side. The black animal picked up speed, but the Tyfirian was undaunted. He knew his weapon had the greater reach and therefore he had the advantage. The soldier lowered his lance and aimed for the demon's heart, but it never found its mark. Moments before the lance pierced him Mygar struck the bottom of the tip of the lance with his blade and pushed it up causing it to miss him completely. The Siragon continued to drag his sword across the bottom of the lance until he was within striking distance of the soldier. He then pulled his sword away as he passed the horseman and without looking he swung his weapon backward and separated the Tyfirian's head from his shoulders.
Mygar's stroke had fell with such force that the soldier's head would have hit Link had he not ducked in time. Instead, the head flew past Link, hit the ground, and continued to roll until it passed under the legs of Zelda's horse. Though the head was no threat, Zelda's knowledge of what the object was caused her to pull back hard on the reigns of her horse until it reared up on its hind legs, lost balance, and fell over. Zelda was quick to get back to her feet, but as she stood up she discovered a Sirgon racing towards her with its sword drawn. Even though the very sight of the Siragon terrified her to no end, she somehow managed to summon up enough courage to fight her attacker. The princess managed to draw her light-weight sword and block the beast's first attack and then she launched an attack of her own, but it was blocked as well. The two circled around one another and exchanged blows until finally Zelda managed to push the demon backwards into the minefield with a well placed kick. The Siragon tripped one of the explosives and disappeared in a flash of smoke and flame. The demons blue blood and innards then sprayed in all directions.
As Zelda saw the scattered pieces of what was once a Siragon soldier, she wanted to throw up, but she forced herself to regain her composure. She knew she could not afford to dwell on what she had just witnessed. The princess quickly mounted her horse, which had already picked itself up, and began to look around for Link. To her horror she could not find the hero anywhere. Soon, the same panic that had taken hold over so many of the soldiers was starting to claim Zelda. She ran around the pass aimlessly, hoping only to avoid running into any other Siragons. Fortunately for her, before long she located the green clad warrior near the trees on the west side of the pass. He was dueling Mygar on horseback. He was swinging ferociously at the Siragon general with his sword, but he couldn't land any of his blows, but his attacks were so fast and close together that Mygar was stuck on defense. He was completely unable to launch any attacks of his own.
"It's strange Link," Mygar said as his sword clashed with Link's, "We have met on the battlefield many times and yet there has never been a clear victor in any of our duels."
"Than I will have to make sure we never run into each other again," Link growled as he swung at his adversary again.
"My thoughts exactly," Mygar laughed, "but there are too many hazards out here. It would be far too likely for a stray arrow to claim one of our lives. I don't want any of my soldiers to kill you. I want that honor for myself." With that, Mygar blocked one more of Link's blows then kicked his horses side and rode of into the nearby trees. Link wasted no time in chasing after his old enemy, nor did Zelda waste time chasing after Link.
"Maintain the defensive perimeter!" general Syrus shouted to his men as another wave of Siragon arrows flew through the arrow and claimed the lives of many Tyfirian soldiers. Fear was begging to spread through the Tyfirian ranks as they tried to defend themselves, but admittedly they were much calmer than their Asrean counterparts, most of which were more concerned with escaping than defending themselves.
The Tyfirians managed to remain organized until the Siragons began throwing grenades into their midst. Before long, Syrus was forced to order his troops to scatter in order to decrease the effectiveness of the grenades. Syrus had already guessed that the demons were after Ekrin and in an attempt to make sure the blacksmith remained safe, he kept him close by as met and killed many Siragons in battle, but no matter how many of the beasts he slew, they kept coming. The general soon began to tire from all the fighting, but he refused to submit to his foes.
It was not until a group of three Siragons attacked from behind and latched on to Syrus's back that he was finally brought down. The demons swiftly bound the general's hands, but Syrus kept struggling to get away. One of the Siragons then pulled a glass vile from his belt and threw it at the ground in front of Syrus. When the vile broke, it released a white gas. Once Syrus inhaled some the gas he quickly lost consciousness. After the general was captured, the Sirgons caught Ekrin with ease.
"We have what we came for," the Siragon who had released the gas called to his men, "let's pull out!" One of the Siragons then blew a horn and the demons immediately began to retreat. In less than a minute all of the Siragons had completely vanished into the western forest.