OMG, two chapters in one day? Well, it's not happening again XD And now, you get Dagg's part of the story. Read and review, comment and criticize without flaming, and enjoy!
-Jack Knights
After parting with Sheik and Link, Dagg headed the opposite way around the mountains, traveling up a path very few people knew of. He felt oddly at ease, despite his reason for leaving his companions behind. While it may be true I am no longer permitted entry into Oocconia, I have a much more difficult task, one that not even they should know of. They have their missions, I have my own.
He felt his pocket vibrate before the sound came. He instantly pulled out a smooth flat disk, the size of his palm and held it to his ear. "Yes?" he said, not even bothering to introduce himself; only two people in world knew he had one of the few remaining communicators, and neither would mistake his presence.
"You are alone, I trust?" came a deep voice from within the stone. It vibrated as it transmitted sound.
"As always," he muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Good," the voice murmured, sounding pleased. "I knew you were resourceful enough to find a way to leave your companions."
"Your task?" Dagg asked, annoyed that the person hadn't gotten to the point.
"You never were one for idle chit-chat," the person sighed; the disk vibrated strongly. "Very well, you are on your way to Ruto, I trust?"
"Yes, I am en route," he stated, unable to disguise the hatred in his voice completely.
"Now, now, there's no need to be so... exasperated," the person chuckled. "Your mission is the same as previous ones; scout out the area and should you discover any form of resistance, call me immediately."
"Of course," Dagg said, feigning insult.
"Don't use that tone with me. Your last reconnaissance was an utter failure."
"One which I paid dearly for, I remember."
"Good, it's best if that memory stay fresh in your mind," he voice continued evilly. "Fail me again, and I will know. I have sent two other agents ahead of you; they will alert me if anything goes astray."
"Very well, sir. I shall do my best."
"I expect nothing less," the voice hushed, the vibrations in the stone dissipating. Dagg stared at the disk, feeling his hatred rising in his throat. He longed to crush the communicator, to be rid of his oppressor, but stayed his hand, replacing the device in his pocket again.
"Damn you..." he seethed. "Damn you back to the Dark Realm."
Ruto, The Water Bearer's Homestead, as some called it, was a growing village a ways away hidden in a valley farther into the mountain ranges than even Oocconia. The town was named aptly; a giant water-wheel circulated the first spring-water than rushed down through the mountains, unpolluted and sparkling clean. The houses were quaint and surrounded by flowers and thick, lush grass. The closer Dagg grew to it's limits, the greater the calming aura of the village enraptured him. As he walked down the village's sole street, children dashed by him, laughing and shouting in ignorant bliss, unaware of the dangers of the outside world. Stalls selling fruit and meat were open to the air, lending a homey aroma to the center, were a fountain gushed endlessly.
Ruto... Where I first escaped my father, and was reprimanded harshly because of it, Dagg remembered, melancholy filling him. Fifteen years have passed since I'd last entered her welcoming gates, yet the town remains the same as ever. Time seems to pass over this place, as does a many great, more horrible things.
He went to the fountain and sat at the one of the benches before the bubbling fount. He rubbed his neck and removed his glasses, feeling the tension in his shoulders leave his body. Although he was a stranger in the village, people paid him little heed, only a few, more skeptical men watched him wearily. Those that see me know of the world's ways outside this village... I sympathize with them. He suddenly felt jealous of the children and their games, wishing he too could have remained as blissfully ignorant as them.
While watching the inhabitants of the town go on their way, Dagg spotted two cloaked figures walking briskly between the houses. They saw him watching them and indicated he should join them. He sighed and got to his feet reluctantly. I knew it wasn't going last, he thought sourly. Might as well see what they want. He approached them and saw that they were two old gnarled hags.
"No doubt you two are his agents, right?"
"Oh, this one is smart, eh sister?" said the one on his left.
"Aye, sister, he is devilishly intelligent," snickered the other. The two old women cackled deviously and Dagg narrowed his eyes at them, clenching his hands into tight fists. "Ooh... the boy is angry with us."
"I am not a child, do not treat me as such," he glowered.
"Yes, such a shame you can't be persuaded to direct that anger at others."
"Instead you have to be forced," snapped the first. "Remember that we report directly to him; fail and we have authority to do as we please when punishing you."
Dagg felt sweat trickle down the side of his face; the only indication of being shaken by the two hags. They laughed when they saw his face tense. "Look, he's frightened!" they shouted gleefully.
"Just like when he was a baby, scared to death of us."
"If you want to avoid our punishments," the second hissed. "Do as your told without delay or complaint."
"Very well," he muttered, turning heel on them. As he walked away one of them grabbed his arm tightly, and he turned to face them again.
"We will be watching your progress," she whispered, giving him goose-flesh. He wrenched his arm free and walked briskly away as they laughed menacingly at him. Damn those witches, damn him for forcing this on me and damn the bloody Resistance's need for secrecy. You will pay for this, all three of you.
Later that evening, Dagg sat in Ruto's only bar, drinking despite hating the taste. All day and nor breath nor hair of the Resistance's whereabouts. He tipped the glass mug forward, swallowing as much of the bitter alcohol as he could manage. They will punish me brutally for this. And no doubt he will watch, he thought angrily. He drained the glass and set it down heavily, angry with himself. If only I'd stayed better hidden, they would have never found me and I wouldn't have to do things like this just to have a semblance of freedom.
And then there's that Hylian, Link. He's not from this time, that much I know for certain. And that thief, Xerxs was right, he does give off an aura of old. It doesn't really matter when he's from, or who he really is thought. What concerns me is who brought him here to our time, and for what purpose.
Suddenly, the door to the tavern burst open, a wide-eyed man breathing heavily, sweat soaked in shirt and brow. Obviously scared, he ran for the counter, gripped the man behind it and shook him desperately.
"They're coming! They've come to slaughter us all!" he shouted, sounding quite mad. Dagg stared at the man out of the corner of his eye, a growing sense of dread spreading through his body. The tavern fell deathly quite, it's occupants listening on in curiosity.
"Calm yourself, Geeth," the bartender said, ripping the man's hands off his shirt. "Who's coming? And what for?"
"Him, the Cursed King! And his army of devils! They've come to pillage and burn Ruto to the ground!" Geeth shouted, and Dagg could've sworn everyone had died, so quite was the tavern.
"Where was he? Where doth he come from?" the bartender said, his turn to grab at the frightened man. "Answer me Geeth, dammit!"
"From the South-East, through the old passage to the Fallen City!"
"Well, ye heard the man; take arms and prepare yerselves for the arrival!" the bartender said, swinging his arms wildly. "Hop to and make ready what ye can! Take the women and children South, as far as ye can and don't stop until ye reach the passage to Saria! Go!"
Everyone was up and moving then, drinks and conversations left behind. Dagg left as well, deciding it would be best if he not be found with the rebels. The night was filled with shouts as men gathered anything they could use as weapons. Women hitched up their skirts, running as fast they could, children trying desperately to keep up with their mothers. As Dagg tried to get his bearings, he spotted the two hags making their way over a hill and undoubtedly away from the fray. Dagg took off after them, dodging villagers as he went.
He eventually crested the hill and looked back in time to see the Bulbins reach the borders of Ruto, weapons gleaming in the torchlight. He spotted a gang of women and children fleeing in the opposite direction, trying to go around the army. Oh no... they won't make it, he realized when the monsters flooded into the town, quickly overpowering most of the villagers. He gritted his teeth, unable to decide what to do. He looked over his shoulder at the disappearing forms of the two witches, then back at the town swarming with monsters. Cursing himself, he ran towards the village.
He ducked behind a house, hiding from view of the greater of the Bulbin's force. He surveyed the area, trying to form a strategy. He reached no suitable one. Damn... if Sheik and Link were here, they—but they're not. It's just you, Dagg. Use that head of yours and think of something. An arrow whizzed past his face, nearly piercing his ear. He scanned the rooftops and saw the culprit: a Bulbin sniper, using fire arrows to set the building alight. Without thinking twice, he climbed his way on top of the house and took his bow from his pack, took aim and fired.
Dagg fired for all he was worth, never missing. But every time he shot one down, another monster took it's place. I'll run out of arrows before I can kill them all. Down below, the men struggled to keep the Bulbins at bay, but were slowly losing ground. He pounded his fist into the roof, angered by the futility of the situation. I can't do this alone, we'll lose! But there, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the group of women and children, safely escaping into the night, the monster none the wiser. He sighed and dropped off the low roof.
"At least someone escaped from this massacre," he whispered aloud, diving in between the shadows of the houses as he made his escape. As he passed the last house in the area, he saw that there were people inside, two men and a woman, talking in hurried whispers. What are they doing, they should leave before the place catches fire! Through the open window he heard them snippets of their conversation.
"We've recovered it," the woman said, her back blocking the table she was bent over. "Finally, every last piece has been found."
"There may be hope for the Resistance after all," said the older of the men. "The shattered remains are ours."
"If only we had more time, to try and repair it," the younger one muttered.
"It matters not who repairs it, just so long as the sword is whole again!" hissed the older man. "Felicia, go now, and take it to them. Run fast and swift, and stop for nothing 'till the flames of the village have disappeared. Use a portal if you have to, but leave her as fast as you can."
"Right," she said, wrapping up a broken sword in a tight bundle. "I'll get them to send reinforcements," she promised as she headed for the back door.
"No! No-one must know that the sword was in our possession! Tell them not of our fate," the old man said, embracing the woman tightly. "Leave now, my love. We'll buy what little time we can with our lives."
She nodded, tears in her eyes, as she swung open the door and ran into the night. The men exited through the front door and into the battle. Dagg stood, half crouched under the window, frozen. That woman... she carries with her the last hope for the Resistance? A sword, they said... could it be? A Bulbin ran past him, not seeing him, as it gave chase after the woman. Realizing what he had to do, Dagg notched an arrow to his bow and fired. The Bulbin fell just a few feet behind the woman, it's scream reaching her ears. She whirled around, fright making her eyes grow wide.
"Go! Get going!" he said in the loudest whisper he could manage, shooing her away. He turned and fled, never looking back. I hope she makes it... he thought as he watched her go. Something struck him on the head and he went down, his sight blurry. He managed to turn his head in time to see several Bulbins crowding around him, chatting excitedly, before he fell into unconsciousness.
"My, my, my, if it isn't Dagg, my rebellious servant," a deep, mocking voice spoke somewhere in front of him, jarring his mind from sleep. He groaned inwardly at the mounting headache stemming from the lump on the back of his head.
"I am not... your servant," he said, opening his eyes to stare the man in the face. "Ganondorf."
"You say my name so... distastefully," the King of Evil sneered. "Just like those rebellious villagers," his voice dropped dangerously low and sinister, "you helped to escape!"
"Ha... didn't expect that, did you?" Dagg said weakly, chuckling like a mad man.
"Oh, no, I expected it," he said, leering again. "In fact, I knew you would."
"Then why send me here? What reasoning do you have—"
"To teach you a lesson," he interjected. "One that isn't quite over yet. Something very valuable was taken by me, and I believe it was hidden in this village."
Ganondorf snapped his fingers, and several Bulbins came into view. They picked Dagg up, dragged him several feet down the path and into the village again. He looked down, at the monsters as they tied his hands together with strong rope. Ganondorf stood next to him, imposing and terrible. He grabbed him by the hair and lifted his face. He squirmed, but the King held him fast.
"Look onward at the massacre you helped create," he whispered in his ear. Dagg's eyes snapped open and he felt his bile rise at the scene before him. "If only you'd listened."
The streets were red with the spilled blood of the villagers slain by the attack. Scattered around were the bodies of the butchered villagers, most men, some women and adolescents, dismembered in most cases, their faces blank with death's stare. Ganondorf let go of him and he dropped to his hands and knees, trying not to vomit. Ganondorf pushed him with a foot and he fell over easily, into a pool of blood.
"Their deaths are on your conscious," he said, glaring down at Dagg. "Let their punishment stain your soul."
Dagg picked himself up, trying not to slip in the blood, he sat down heavily on the grass and looked up at the sky, feeling hollow and empty inside. Ganondorf crouched down in front of him, forcing him to look at him. Dagg moved only his eyes, glaring at the King, his chin held high. Ganondorf scoffed at him, rolling his eyes.
"Now, let's see if you have accomplished your task," he said, sounding as casual as if he was amongst his advisors, not in a massacred town. "What did you find out?"
"Nothing," he said, a little too quickly.
"Liar," Ganodorf shouted, his patience wearing thin. "No matter, I have ways to make you talk."
Dagg spat in his face and glared angrily at the King. "I'll tell you nothing, because I know nothing," he said murderously. Ganondorf backhanded him with such strength that he fell over again. Dagg felt his face go numb and he taste the iron flavour of blood in his mouth.
"We shall see," he said, wiping his face clean as he stood, "just how much you are hiding from me."