After Dark: The Great Clancer War

Chapter 2: Clancers

Link swung his sword around recklessly. A zombified hand grabbed his shoulder and threw him to the ground. Link recovered and sliced off the monsters head. Another one quickly took it's place and clawed at the Hylian's neck. Link drove the end of his weapon through the zombie's head. He jumped back only to land in the arms of another enemy. He kicked it in the shins and cut it's head off.

Link turned around and noticed Samus up on a high platform. She was fighting more monsters at the stone altar. Blood was dripping from the ceiling and falling onto them.

Link performed a spin attack to knock off all the enemies around him but they just kept coming. He didn't even have his shield or arrows with him. His only weapon was the Master Sword which seemed useless in a battle against a horde of undead monsters. The zombies came back at him a swarmed him.

Link fought back with all his might but there were too many. He felt his sword fall from his grasp when yellow teeth sank into his warm flesh. Blood was flying out of his tunic as he felt stabbing pains in his neck, arms, legs and torso. Soon he was on the ground and the zombies were crowding around on top of him, trying to get their share of the victory. Link cried out to Samus but she couldn't hear him. He felt his arm being torn off by a large zombie with no eyeballs. Link choked on his blood.

It was the end.

Link closed his eyes as the T-Virus penetrated his body. The virus bit at his nerves. It moved throughout his body. The zombies stood up seeing that their prey was no longer alive. They all backed away and created a large circle around the Hylian boy. Link was lying in a large pool of his own blood. He stared up at the ceiling as the virus mutated him into one of the undead.

Link opened his eyes.

"A dream? Was I really dreaming?"

He struggled to move but couldn't. Something was holding him down. Something soft and warm. He tried to get up but he fell down quickly.

"Ugh, I'm so weak..."

Link decided to rest in the fluffy bed for a while.

"Wait, a bed?"

Link looked forward to see his feet being covered by a blanket. His head was propped up on a white pillow. Yep, he was definitely in a bed.

"But who's? Where am I anyway?"

Link looked at his new surroundings. A small red lamp was on the night stand next to his bed. A small picture accompanied the lamp. There was a mirror and dresser across from him. A closed closet stood on the side next to a few small drawers. The wallpaper in the room was a dark shade of purple but the window was open and the light of the sun brightened up the area. Link closed his eyes and relaxed.

"Okay, I'm in someone's bedroom..."

The singing voices returned and rung through Link's head. It was beautiful as if they were the voices of a choir of angels.

"That singing. Where is it coming from?"

Link opened his eyes and looked out the window. The sound was entering the room from there.

"Whatever it is, it's outside." Link glanced at his surroundings again. It seemed like a perfectly normal bedroom, which made him assume that he was in a perfectly normal home, and that the events from before were merely dreams he was having.

"Wait, Sonic and the others...Was I dreaming about them too? When we went back to Raccoon City? Was I dreaming about Zelda's sickness? No, I couldn't have. It seemed so real. What about the tournament? Was that all a dream? I can't remember..."

Link held his head and massaged his temple area.

"First thing's first. I got to find out where I am."

Link through the covers off his body. Fortunately, none of his clothes were taken, but all his equipment was gone. Link jumped out of the bed and fell on the floor.

"Why am I so tired?..." Link pulled himself to his feet and stumbled about the room. He noticed various pictures on the walls. All of them contained the same photo of a person. At least, Link thought it was a person. Whatever it was, it wasn't human. The portraits portrayed pictures of an alien like creature.

"I've seen that face before."

The face of the creature was the same as that of the clouds outside. It was ghost-like as it had minimal facial features. For starters, the face was completely white with large black eyes and a large gaping mouth. It really did resemble a ghost if you looked at it. The only difference was that the creature had brown spiked hair and a yellow cap with the letter "N" printed on the front. The alien stood on two feet and looked like it was wearing some kind of black shoes. Besides that, the creature was completely naked but had a pretty muscular build. All the pictures contained similar photos of the same person.

"What is this thing?"

Link brushed it off his shoulders and exited the room. He needed answers, not questions. If he was on some kind of alien planet, he needed to get out of there as quickly as he could. He wanted to find his friends.

Link walked into what seemed to be a kitchen. The singing continued. He could also hear a clinking sound coming from somewhere; the sound of glass and metal meeting each other. Cooking appliances stood on the others side near the front door. Drawers and cupboards filled the empty spaces in the room. A creature was sitting at the table on the far side of the room. It noticed Link walk in. The creature stopped stirring it's cup (of what looked like tea) and stood up.

"Oh, you're awake," said the female voice. Link nearly jumped when he heard her voice. This creature looked like the one he saw in the pictures, except it was a pinkish color. Link didn't know what to say as he heard the voice. She spoke so fluently even though her mouth did not move at all. What was she? "Are you alright?" asked the creature as it walked over to the Hylian. Link took a step back right into a wall. He froze with his back against the cold metal.

"Look..." he said. "...I have no idea where I am or how I got here. I just need to know, am I dreaming?" The creature stopped and adjusted the red hat on her head. She stared at Link, though because of the way her eyes were, Link couldn't tell where she was staring.

"This is not a dream. I don't think so anyway," she said. Link relaxed himself.

"Not a dream?"

Link noticed his equipment sprawled in a neat pile on the table next to the cup. He looked at the tiles ground before replying.

"So, I'm not dreaming. And, you're real?"

"Last time I checked," giggled the alien.

"Uh, okay." That was all he could say. Link couldn't go against her words. After going through Raccoon City, hell he'd believe anything. "Could you at least tell me where I am?" he asked.

"Esperance," replied the creature.

"What?" the creature motioned for Link to sit down at the table.

"Why don't you take a seat?" Link hesitated before looking out the window. Still, the voices continued. He went over to the table and took the empty seat. The creature sat down as well and started stirring the cup again. Link seemed nervous. He glanced at his sword but directed his attention back at the creature when she cleared her throat.

"My name is Sarie," she said. Link didn't answer. "I found you lying in the middle of a field outside. I thought it would be best to bring you back here so you could recover your energy."

"How long was I lying in the field?"

"Don't know, I just found you there." Link drooped his down.

"How long was I here? Could the others have left me? Or was I separated from them for other reasons?"

"You okay? Maybe you should lie down again."

"I'm fine thanks."

"What's your name."

"Link."

"Link? That's a nice name. So, Link why were you lying in the middle of that field?" Sarie's voice was so soothing, almost as soothing as the singing outside.

"I...don't know...I was just there."

"Really? Well, I can tell by your looks that you're not from around here."

"And what gave you that hint?"

"The ears."

"Ah, figures."

"Anyways, you're in Esperance. It's one of the many different regions here on Clance."

"Clance?"

"That is the name of our planet."

"Wait, your planet? You mean to tell me that..."

"Hm?" Link froze for a few seconds before continuing.

"You mean to tell me that I'm not on Earth anymore?"

"Earth? Is that the name of the place where you come from?"

"Yes. According to you, I'm not on Earth anymore."

"You're not. Wherever that is."

"Great."

"So you have no idea of how you got here?"

"Well, kind of. It's really confusing."

"Okay..." They both sat there in silence. Sarie would always take the occasional sip from her warm cup. Link was feeling uncomfortable. What if he would never see his friends again? What if he could never go home again? Just when he was getting settled in, he gets lost on some alien planet.

"Definitely not my day."

They both listened to the singing voices coming in from the window.

"Who's singing? I've been hearing that since I got here," asked Link. Sarie looked up at him.

"The Clancers."

"Who?"

"The Clancers. The people of this planet. Like me."

"Oh, so that's what you are. You call yourselves Clancers?"

"Yes. All Clancers have a natural singing voice. Whenever we're happy we sing. Others join in and our songs spread around the whole planet for other Clancers to hear."

"That's amazing."

"Thank you."

"You sing?"

"Of course I do."

"Why don't you sing with them?"

"Because I'm taking care of you."

"Oh...Well, I wish I could sing. You're pretty lucky to have an entire race that can sing naturally."

"Yes, it is quite magnificent." They both listened to the angelic voices. Link had never heard anything so beautiful in his life. He couldn't help himself. Link pulled out his Ocarina and started to play with the Clancers. Sarie continued to listen. Link hit every note on time and all the right pitches. Music was just natural to him.

"You play very beautifully," said Sarie. Link stopped.

"Thank you." He continued. Sarie leaned on her arms on the table and stared at the Hylian. Link closed his eyes as he played. After a few minutes, he stopped and put away his Ocarina. The Clancers continued.

"So, this is Esperance?" he asked.

"Yes," replied Sarie. Link stood up.

"You mind showing me around?" he asked as he collected his equipment.

"Sure." Sarie and Link exited the house. Sarie shut and locked the door behind her. Link looked around. The sun was still up high in the sky. There were more clouds out this time. All of them with the same facial expression as Sarie.

"Why do the clouds look like you?" asked Link.

"All Clancers have the same face on them. The spirits of Clancers who die get placed into natural objects on the planet, like clouds. It is like a way to remember those who have died."

"Wow, that's interesting." They walked out under the sun. Link spotted a forest of trees in the east. Mountains were up north. Link took in a breath of fresh air and exhaled. For some reason, the air was damp, even though there was no water to be seen.

"Hey what's that up there?" he asked. Link pointed up ahead at a black hole in the sky. Sarie stared at it for a while before answering.

"I...don't know. Let's go see." The pair ran up to the black rotating vortex. A large cluster of Clancers were standing crowded around underneath the event. Link and Sarie approached the group from the back. Sarie tapped one of them on the shoulder.

"Hey, what's going on here?" she asked. The Clancer turned around. His color was a greenish-blue and he was wearing a yellow worker hat.

"The Empire is at it again! This is the second time rift they've made!" Link stared at the large man. He looked very panicked.

"Could this time rift be the reason how I got here?"

"Another one of those monsters could come any moment!" said the man hysterically. "Do you remember what happened last time a time rift was opened?" Sarie looked past the man at other Clancers in grey. Some of them were wielding spears while others were unarmed completely. She turned back to the man.

"Can't the king's guards handle this?" she asked.

"Unless the monster is anything like the one last time, I don't know if they will last," replied the man.

"Wait, wait, what's going on here?" asked Link.

"This guy a friend of yours, Sarie?" asked the man.

"Yes, Ron, he is," said Sarie.

"Do you mind telling me what that thing is up there?" asked Link.

"It's a time rift. The empire has been using those to spawn monsters from the past. They plan on using the time rifts to take over the planet."

"The empire?"

"A group of Clancers who think they can do what they want," explained Ron. "They were supposedly wiped out a few years ago, but somehow they have risen to power again. Damn..."

"What's so bad about the empire? Aren't they supposed to enforce laws and stuff like that?"

"Not these guys. These guys think they own the planet. They have recently started to forge an army. We're not sure what they plan to do with it, but it can't be good."

"Wow. And here I thought this was a happy place." One of the guards came up to the trio.

"You are going to have to leave here, folks. It's dangerous. Who knows what kind of creature will come out of there," he said. The guard was wearing a small hat and was wielding a large spear. "King Aster's orders."

"What about all these people here? Aren't you going to tell them to go too?" asked Ron.

"Yes, but right now we need to get as many people out of here as we can." For some reason, the singing in the background had stopped. Link just realized it.

"Hey, the singing stopped."

"That's not a good sign," said Sarie. "We should get out of here."

"Wait, I want to see this." The ground started shaking. Some of the Clancers cried out as they fell.

"Everyone get out of here!" shouted one of the guards. The civilians fled for their lives. Ron, Sarie and Link remained. The rest of the guards formed a circle underneath the time rift.

"Something's coming through!" said one of them. A brown, ghost-like face emerged from the rift. The rest of it's body followed through and it landed with a thud on the ground in the middle of the guards.

"It's a giant worm!" cried Ron. Sure enough, the monster in the centre of the group was a giant worm. Link was surprised to see it's face resemble that of the Clancers.

"It's a Clancer too?"

The large worm roared loudly and started thrashing about. The guards were sent flying in all directions.

"Ahh!"

"Whoa!"

"Ugh!"

"Oof!"

"No!"

The guards hit the ground hard. One by one they started to dissolve into the ground.

"What's happening to them!?" cried Link.

"They're dead. When Clancers die they become part of this planet, remember?" replied Sarie.

"Hey! It's coming this way!" exclaimed Ron. The worm noticed the survivors and charged at them. Link drew out his sword.

"Get out of the way!" Link dodged to the left while Sarie and Ron dodged to the right.

"Link! You can't fight it! It's too strong!" said Sarie. Link jumped up high and came down on the worm when it's back was turned. Blood gushed out of the wound on it's back as it howled. Link jumped back to Sarie and Ron who just stared at him in amazement.

"Link! You actually wounded it!" she cried.

"Uh, yeah it wasn't that hard..." he replied. The worm reeled back and charged again. Link drew out his shield and put it up.

"Get back!" he cried. Sarie and Ron ran back a few steps. The worm charged right into Link's shield head on, but he held his ground. He threw worm off him and slashed with his sword, this time across the face of the beast. The worm bled severely. It fell on the ground and squirmed. Link finished it off by jumping up and stabbing it through the head.

"Yahh!" he cried as his sword met the creature's skull. The worm tried to get out, but couldn't. Soon, it's tail went limp and it died. It's body started to bubble and dissolve into the ground. Link wiped the blood off his sword on the bottom of his boot.

"Man, that was easy. My strength came back faster than I would have expected."

Sarie and Ron ran up to him.

"That was incredible! No one's ever been able to defeat a Clance worm that easily before!" said Ron. "Just what are you, boy?"

"His name is Link. He's new here," said Sarie. Link holstered his weapons and looked at the spot where the worm died.

"So I take it that thing became one with the planet as well?" he asked.

"You got it! But that's not important right now, Link! That worm killed the king's guards! But you took it out with only a few swings of your sword! There may be hope for us yet!" exclaimed Sarie.

"Wait a second, what's she talking about?" asked Link.

"Link, our people are going through a time of civil war. When the empire started opening time rifts, we thought it was all over for us. The heroine who saved our planet a few years back left us thinking that we would be safe. But the empire rose again! Now we have no way to counter their monsters! You know how many casualties we had when the last rift was opened? Over two hundred! And that's only from one monster! When they started sending monsters from all over the planet, we'll be done for! But, then there's you..."

"Me?"

"You killed that worm beast with ease! Never in my life have I seen such bravery in someone so young!"

"Well, it wasn't that hard. I mean, those guards weren't even doing anything. They were just standing there when the worm attacked."

"Yes, but that's besides the point! Link, you may be the only hope we have if we're ever going to defeat the empire! We need to end this war!" Link glanced at Ron, then at Sarie, then at the ground where he killed the worm.

"No," he said as he turned around and started walking off.

"No? Hey where you going?!" said Sarie as she and Ron caught up to him.

"What do you mean 'no'?" asked Ron as the three of them walked at even paces.

"I mean NO," repeated Link.

"What, so you're going to just leave us here?" said Sarie.

"And here I thought he looked like the heroic type..."

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you guys. I have enough on my plate already."

"What do you mean? You just got here!"

"I know. Which is exactly the point. I need to find my friends."

"Oh so you would rather worry about a few friends when our entire planet is at stake!" exclaimed Ron.

"You don't understand."

"There is nothing to understand!"

"No, you don't understand." Sarie and Ron stopped walking as Link continued a few feet ahead. He stopped a few steps in front of them and looked at the ground. "Someone I care about is going to die."

Sarie and Ron just stared at his back.

"What?" asked Sarie. Link turned to them. His face bore dark features.

"I need to know if my friends are okay. If I don't find them, they could die." Zelda's image blew through Link's head. "So, I'm sorry about your planet and all. I wish I could help, but right now I need to worry about my problems." Link continued walking through the bright grassland. The two Clancers behind him just stared. Once Link was in the distance, Ron took a breath.

"How could we be so selfish? We didn't even think about his problems," he said.

"I know," replied Sarie. "We should have known better than to pester him." They both turned around and headed for the direction of the castle.

"What are we going to do now?" asked Ron. Sarie was silent for a few seconds before replying.

"First, we tell Teran to seal up the rift. Then we head to the king. He must know about Link. He may be able to get him to help our cause."

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Link made his way through the grasslands by himself. He felt pretty bad to leave these poor people behind, but he had no choice. Was an entire civilization compared to that of his friends? Nothing of significance. Link inhaled deeply and exhaled. The warm Clancer air refreshed his spirit. The sound of the singing Clancers returned. He hummed along with them as he went and contemplated.

"What is with these people? They say they lost over two hundred men when the first monster attacked? How is that possible? That worm beast I fought was no where near as powerful as they described it to be. It looked kind of ridiculous too. Not even intimidating at all. But if that's true then why are the Clancers afraid? I saw those guards shaking as if they saw a ghost. Even though they were armed, not one of them wanted to take on the initiative. The worm made quick work of them. But against me, the monster was a joke. Could these people really be that stupid? Or is it not stupidity that plagues their minds? Maybe it's fear? Maybe ignorance? I'm not sure. If their ever going to win his war, they're going to have to learn how to fight. But I'm not the one to teach them that. I have my own issues to worry about."

Link looked up at the clouds and they stared back down at him. Something was different about their faces. Instead of the ghostly, blank look all Clancers had, they seemed to bear sad expressions on their faces. He could see it in their eyes. Link turned his attention away from the sky and continued onward.

He actually had no idea where he was going, or what he was going to do when he got there. He doesn't know for sure if his friends are even on this planet. They could have been transported to the outer reaches of the galaxy. It made Link hate himself for not listening to Samus when she was explaining space travel to him a few years back. Link hated outer space. Not because he feared it, but because he didn't know much about it. Space was all just one giant mystery just waiting to be discovered. Who knows where Planet Clance was on the map. Who knew if it was even relatively close to earth. Link didn't care.

All he wanted was to go home. He wanted to see Zelda alive and happy again, not the bleeding, sick creature lying in a hospital bed. He wanted to see Samus' beautiful face. He wanted to hold her in his arms. To feel her again, but not anymore. Now he was alone. He had no one. Would the Clancers still befriend him even though he turned away from their request? Would the empire spare his life if they ever caught him wandering the surface of Esperance? Link shook the ideas out of his head.

"That's not going to happen. I'm going home and that's that. Whatever happens to these people is no concern of mine."

Link regretted thinking this thought. Has he really grown that selfish? So selfish that he would leave an entire alien race to die beneath his finger?

"I'm not selfish! I'm just worrying about myself!"

He realized that that was still being selfish. Link walked on through the endless grasslands which seemed to take hours. The clouds still continued to stare down at him with sad looks.

"I am all alone."

The sun started to set and paint the sky a bright red.

"Why is there a sun here anyway? Is the time system here the same as on earth?"

Link couldn't concentrate. His vision was starting to blur. He hadn't eaten since lunch time and who knew how long ago that was.

"Should have asked Sarie for something to eat? Do Clancers even eat food?"

Link's steps started to get smaller as he began to slouch. His tunic felt so heavy all of a sudden. The weight of his sword and shield weren't helping either.

"Why didn't I see this coming?"

Link stopped walking and stood in the middle of the plain. The sound of the voices still echoed through his head.

"Their voices are so soothing. I feel like going to sleep..."

"Hey Link! I found you!" A figure was standing before him, but he couldn't see because his vision was so blurred. The person's voice sounded so familiar.

"Huh? Who are you?" asked Link.

"What do you mean who am I? Don't tell me you forgot! No one forgets me! I'm Sonic! Sonic the Hedgehog, remember?"

"Sonic?...Sonic...Oh, SONIC!" Link's eyes got wide and he saw the short blue hedgehog stand before him. Link straightened out his back and smiled at his friend. "Sonic! You're here!" he cried.

"Sure am. Boy, I thought I was the only one stranded on this rock."

"Rock?"

"This planet. I have no idea how it happened, but somehow the Chaos Control went hay-wire and sent us here by mistake."

"So, that means the others are here too?"

"Not sure. They could have ended up anywhere. They actually could have made it home just fine..."

"So we could be the only ones here..."

"Yep."

"Well, can't you just use Chaos Control again?"

"Heh. Well funny thing actually, after I used Chaos Control, the emeralds went crazy and shot off somewhere. I've ran around this planet ten times and I haven't found any anywhere."

"Why did they separate?"

"I don't know. They don't usually do that. Man, that music is annoying! I've been trying to find out where it's coming from!"

"It's the Clancers."

"The Clancers?"

"That is the name of the species of people that live here. You've seen them right?"

"You mean those guys with the ghost faces?"

"Yeah."

"Oh yeah I've seen tons of 'em. Didn't bother to talk to any though. I was too busy running around, if you catch my drift."

"I do...So what do we do now?" Sonic started tapping his foot on the ground as he thought.

"Not sure. We should continue searching for the emeralds. But, I have no idea where the others are. Is it dangerous here?"

"No, the people are all friendly, at least I think so. They told me about some 'empire' that's been doing damage to their planet or something like that. Monsters have also started falling from the sky for some reason."

"Heh, sounds like a nice place."

"You're joking right?"

"Course."

"Well, if the Chaos Emeralds are here like you said, we should start searching for them as soon as we can."

"Yeah, except you're too slow."

"Hey if there's two of us, we have a better chance."

"Makes sense. Alright! Let's go!" Sonic sped off into the horizon. Link just stood there in the field.

"Did he even hear a word I said?"

Link ran through the grass in hopes of catching the blue hedgehog.

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"Your majesty, there was another attack," said Jistr. "This time in Esperance. Our casualties: 26. All of the guards surrounding the rift were killed off. They didn't stand a chance." King Aster sighed in his throne. What was this world coming to? The Clancers used to be a peaceful race. And now they dwindle on the risk of civil war.

"Anything else Jistr?" asked the king.

"Not at the moment my lord," replied the servant. Another Clancer entered the throne room from behind. He kneeled before the king and handed Jistr a piece of card. The Clancer bowed again and left the room. Jistr looked over the paper in his hands twice before speaking. "Oh sire! Apparently, the beast was destroyed!"

"What's that?"

"Civilians reported that a lone soldier was in the area. He had engaged the beast and killed it with ease!"

"What do you mean 'with ease'?"

"I mean he could take down the beast without the need of support guards. He defeated the beast with a few mere swings of his sword!"

"What? Who is this warrior?"

"I'm not sure mi'lord. Maybe he's come from far to rid us of the empire!"

"Perhaps...Or perhaps he's just a passer by who just happened to wander upon our situation."

"Well, whatever the case sire, I think we should recruit him to the army. He would a most invaluable aspect to our cause. Wouldn't you agree, sire?" King Aster felt the white beard on his chin for a few seconds before looking up at his servant.

"He would be. Assuming we can recruit him. Any idea where he is?"

"No, sire. We could send someone for him."

"Send for Teran."

"Teran, mi'lord?"

"He should be able to watch after himself if the enemy were ever to ambush him."

"Very good, sire. I'll see to it right away." Jistr gave a solemn bow and exited the throne room. King Aster sighed.

"Marina. Where are you?"