Chapter 16: A troubled tribe
Impa moved closer to the Gerudo Fortress, when one of the Gerudo Guards spotted her.
"HALT! What is the nature of your business here?" She asked.
"Relax guard, I come in peace. I request an audience with your commander regarding the events that have transpired here. It is of the greatest urgency." Impa said.
"How are we so certain that you're not trying to pull anything funny?!"
"Because this matter also involves your leader Nabooru."
That made the guard go silent, as if thinking.
"Wait here, I'll let my commander know of your presence." The guard then said after several seconds, moving into the fortress to bring her report.
Impa waited patiently, while some of the other guards were eyeing her suspiciously. She frowned at this, but decided to address this when she was having her audience with the commander. After what seemed to be a few minutes, the Gerudo Guard returned.
"The commander is ready to see you. Follow me." She said, leading the way for Impa into the fortress.
At the same moment, Rauru entered the Great Fairy's Fountain which had been relocated to a different part of the road to what was once Hyrule Castle. Rauru then summoned the Great Fairy, whom appeared in the same fashion as the Great Fairy of Power. The Great Fairy of Magic blinked once she saw who summoned her.
"Rauru, the Sage of Light! What is the occasion of your visit?" The Great Fairy asked.
"Ma'am, can you tell me where your Queen Venus is located? I wish to see her regarding a matter of the highest importance." Rauru said.
"And what is this matter you speak of?" The Great Fairy asked.
Rauru then explained to the Great Fairy the events that have been going on so far, from the return of Majora to the resurrection of Ganondorf, from the devastating attack on Hyrule, the destruction of the Temple of Time and so forth up until the untimely demise of Link and four of the Sages. To say that the Great Fairy was shocked was an understatement.
"…this is why we seek your Queen, to bring the deceased ones back to life so we stand once again united against these vile creatures whom had taken them from us." Rauru said, finishing his explanation.
"I… understand. I never could have thought or imagined that this would happen, I offer my sincerest sympathies for your loss." The Great Fairy of Magic said.
"Thank you." Rauru said.
"As for my Queen, I have not seen her in some time, but I can tell you that she usually resides within a sanctuary hidden within the Great Bay area. This sanctuary consists mostly out of water and ice however, so watch your step."
"We will, ma'am. Thank you for giving me exactly the information that I need."
"It's no problem. However, I do also advice you to ensure that you're armed or otherwise bring an escort force with you; there may be beings around that will hinder you in your quest."
"Thank you. We will ensure that we will succeed." Rauru said, before the Great Fairy vanished and Rauru began to proceed on his way back to where Darunia and Navi were.
Impa was led in a room deep within the fortress, where several Gerudo Guards stood present, two at the door, two at the sides of the throne at the other side of the room, where another Gerudo sat on wearing green garments, next to the traditional Gerudo jewelry. Impa walked on towards the throne, before the Guard told her to stop, after which she left. Impa showed no sign of fear or hesitation as she stood in front of the throne, not even when the Gerudo leader rose up.
"I am Aveil, I'm in charge of the Gerudo Fortress and the Pirate Area within the Great Bay, Termina. State your name and purpose for being here." She said.
"I am Impa of the Sheikah and the Sage of Shadows. I requested this audience to give you disclosure of the events that have occurred up to this point as well as the fate of the well respected leader and Sage of Spirits, Nabooru." Impa replied.
That spiked an interest within Aveil, causing her to frown.
"You know where Nabooru is?" She asked.
"Yes. It is with my greatest regret that I have to inform you that Nabooru is not among us anymore."
"WHAT?! Nabooru's dead?!" Aveil asked in horror, also stirring up reactions from the other Gerudo present in the room.
"Yes. In fact, she was murdered." Impa said, noticing she had received her attention.
"Are you pulling a joke on us, Sheikah?! Because if you don't explain yourself within the next few seconds, I'll show you what happens to those who make a mockery of the Gerudo Tribe!" Aveil said, glaring at Impa, while the Guards held their weapons closely.
It was then that Impa brought out her trump card.
"What the Sheikah said is true, Aveil." A Gerudo female's voice then said within the room, causing Aveil and the guards themselves to look around in utter confusion, ignoring the shadow of Impa extending forward and a spirit rose from it… turning into Nabooru's spirit.
Upon seeing the spirit of the exalted Nabooru, leader of the Gerudo Tribe, in person, the guards screamed of fright as this happened and Aveil immediately jumped back out of shock.
"L – L – Lady Nabooru!" Aveil stuttered, right before she bowed towards the spirit, not wanting to show disrespect for her superior.
The Gerudo guards, after mustering their courage, also bowed, partially out of respect for Nabooru herself as well as preventing to earn the ire of their own superior Aveil in turn.
"I – I am surprised at seeing you here again, but why are you in the form of a spirit?!" Aveil then asked after getting up.
"Impa was telling the truth, Aveil. Because of the actions of our former King Ganondorf, I and four of my best friends have joined the ranks of the dead." Nabooru said.
"No! It can't be!" Aveil said, collapsing in front of her throne, trying her best to regain her composure, while the guards in turn all blinked at this.
"This is no joke, no sign of forged sorcery or no magic spell. Only truth, Aveil." Nabooru said, ignoring the guards that collapsed either out of fright or sadness.
"My Lady, forgive me for almost jumping to conclusions." Aveil said, bowing her head in shame.
"What is with that posture anyway? Last time I checked, the Gerudo were genuine allies of Hyrule's Royal Family. What exactly has happened in my absence?" Nabooru then asked, frowning at Aveil's actions.
"Allow me to explain, My Lady. Ever since the news of Ganondorf and Majora's return after you had informed us of his evil deeds, our tribe has been in disarray. Several brave Gerudo Warriors have fought alongside the Hyrulean Army against the Army of Darkness as you know, but at the end, most of them were either killed or captured during their retreat or escape. We believe that they are held in the underground dungeons or even worse have been brainwashed to work for Ganondorf. They managed to attack this fortress, but they were repelled in the nick of time. However we learned later that this attack was a diversion, initially intended to take several of our warriors and even our children, but then we heard the news of the survivors of our Fortress in Great Bay, which was also attacked and successfully taken by the forces of the Evil Two." Aveil said.
"And from where did they launch their attack?"
"We don't know how; all we know was that they suddenly came from the air in our Great Bay outpost and began to attack us there. We hardly had the time to fight back properly due to us being caught by surprise."
Spirit Nabooru began to think.
"I and my four friends have encountered some strange vessels that somehow traveled in the air during our trip in what was supposed to be an outpost-under construction in an unknown area that somehow lies between the Woods of Mystery and Ikana Canyon, due to the area being intended to be colonized by the Deku or where the Deku Kingdom has a complicated shrine there to whatever they may worship. It also felt like a peaceful place for the dead to roam there, it seemed like an idyllic landscape. So I presume the attack must have been launched in secret from that land, although my friends and I defeated the forces of Ganondorf and Majora there…" She said, trying to put two and two together.
"So you believe that Ganondorf is building forces on unknown locations so that they might launch surprise attacks against us?" Aveil asked.
"You bet. I reckon that Ganondorf and Majora are taking advantage of the technology that Termina has at its disposal which Hyrule does not have. Which is why Impa is here to inform you of the situation at hand as well as seeking your help." Nabooru said.
"What can I do for you?" Aveil then asked Impa.
"We are looking for a way to bring the fallen ones back to life and completely restored to full health. However we also require information as to the whereabouts of their troops so that we can launch a counteroffensive that will soon lead to Ganondorf's permanent downfall, at least we hope that it will be. But to do so, we need to gather information from the enemy itself." Impa replied.
"I understand, but how are you going to pull this off?"
"I intend to use the spirits of the fallen ones to temporarily take control of enemy units, so they may communicate with their 'comrades' and as such hopefully reveal information that can be vital for us to use in our own mission to bring Ganondorf and Majora down." Impa said.
Aveil nodded.
"I see. It isn't easy to pull something like this off, especially if the enemy is being more cunning or otherwise acting suspicious to maintain their secrecy. However, the best chance of pulling this off might be done in the Spirit Temple. I've overheard that some of the enemy forces have managed to reach the Temple and retake it as a new stronghold from where they can launch attacks from the desert area into other parts. This stronghold isn't complete yet, but I can assure you that it's quite occupied with enemy forces now." Aveil said.
"Thank you, Aveil. This information will be very useful." Impa said.
"There is one thing I'd like to know; who have been at your side during those adventures of yours, Lady Nabooru?" Aveil asked.
"Four brave, courageous children, two of which are of Royal Status and two others having been raised within the forest." Nabooru said.
"I… I see. I do wonder why you've been taken into Impa's Shadow…"
"It's because of the dangers that come with this form. Under normal circumstances we would have passed on to the heavenly realms and await our resurrection there, but due to personal regrets and wishes, we couldn't bring ourselves to completely pass on and watch the others down in Hyrule and Termina nearly getting themselves killed. Which is why we have chosen this route so that we, while in spirit form, can still contribute to saving both lands and perhaps the entire world in succession."
Aveil nodded.
"Then I can trust you with something that I overheard as I made my escape from our Great Bay fortress. I am not certain if this is true, but I overheard enemy forces talking about having set up an outpost within a mountain region that lies between Ikana Canyon and Snowhead, but to get there, one must find a hidden path that lies within the Woods of Mystery, which leads to a high cliff overlooking the vast lands of Termina and perhaps even Hyrule altogether. It has been said that travelers have to be very careful, rumors are going out that the place feels like a maze and yet they hold something that can be of great use there…" She said.
"Hmmm, that is something worth looking into. Thank you for your time." Impa said.
"Don't mention it. I'll have someone assigned as an escort for you whom can guide you safely to the Spirit Temple, just in case." She said.
"Alright. I swear to you, as the Sage of Shadows, Nabooru will rejoin the ranks of the living." Impa said.
"I trust you can keep that promise. In return for your intervention on our behalf, we'll offer our fortress and its training ground as a place for you and your friends to hide and train in if you deem it necessary." Aveil said.
Impa nodded, bowing in gratitude as Nabooru's spirit sank back into Impa's shadow to hide as part of the plan, before Impa was led out of the fortress and Aveil summoned one of her underlings to join the Shadow Sage as an escort force.
'Oh boy, this is getting harder than I thought… I never thought to see my people falling into a civil war because of this…' Nabooru then telepathically said to Impa.
'Gerudo versus Gerudo… leave it to Ganondorf and his hunger for power to involve the rest of Hyrule and Termina into this. I feel sorry for what your people must be going through.' Impa said.
'It's alright, you couldn't have known. Nevertheless, we should be able to find something in the Spirit Temple if they're using that as a stronghold again. It does bring back bad memories…'
'That explains your distrust of Koume and Kotake when we encountered them in Termina…' Link butted in.
'Damn straight; it's because of them I've been forced to fight you as an Iron Knuckle, brainwashed by them to do Ganondorf's bidding…' Nabooru replied as she sighed, '…now I feel like I'm experiencing a déjà vu, but now I'm doing this on my own accord.'
'Look at it this way, Nabooru; once we have our temporal bodies, we should be able to wreck some havoc instead once we have the information we need.' Zelda said.
'True, although you should be careful regarding your first step.' Nabooru said.
'I wonder what could be suitable for us…' Saria said.
'We'll see once we get there.' Impa said.
'This is going to be a trip to remember.' Ruto said, just as Impa was being greeted by her escort and the gate to the Haunted Wasteland was opened…
Ganondorf was still sitting on his throne, as if waiting for someone, while Majora was having some fun with torturing the prisoners they decided to keep within their dungeon. It was then that a Stalfos with an improved sword and shield came in, as if he was the commander of a contingent of Stalfos troops along the way.
"Report." Ganondorf said.
"Our outpost in the hidden sanctuary of rock and lava has been set up, but the one beyond the Woods of Mystery was however lost as you had foretold. We also have occupied the Spirit Temple and we're in the works of reinforcing the Stone Tower Temple." The Stalfos Commander said.
"At least there are some results. Anything else?"
"A search party has been working on finding the landing location of the five people you sought. We managed to locate it, but all we found was a pond of water which was mixed with blood throughout. There were no bodies to be found, but from the traces we could discover, we concluded that the bodies have been picked up by someone else and relocated elsewhere. The search party has been following that trail and will report once they have found the location." The Commander responded.
"Hmmm, that confirms my suspicion that the remaining Sages must have found them before we did and managed to take the bodies with them. Keep a close watch on the search party and report back to me the minute you have discovered their hideout. Despite being lesser in numbers, they are still a credible threat, especially the Sage of Fire Darunia." Ganondorf said.
"Yes, sir. I have another thing to report though; one of my soldiers saw the Sheikah woman traveling in the direction of the Gerudo Fortress and has been tailing her in secret for some time. I am not certain why, but I believe that she may be seeking out the Gerudo there for assistance." He said.
"What? Impa seeking out the Gerudo? This is unexpected... she could be after our renewed stronghold in the Spirit Temple. Send a scout out to warn our forces there of the incoming enemy. Remain cautious though; the Shadow Sage can manipulate the Shadows and the darkness into her advantage; it was because of this that she was able to get herself, Darunia and the Light Sage Rauru back out to Hyrule Field before we could end them like how Majora and I ended Link and the Sages. While I am pretty certain that those five may have not survived their harsh landing, I want the search party to confirm that they're dead. I am not taking any chances, especially when it comes to those Sages." Ganondorf then replied.
"Forgive me for the inquiry, but why do you bare such an animosity for those people?"
"Because they're the only ones capable of actually stopping me. They did it once before by exposing my plans when I tried to swear 'allegiance' to the King of Hyrule and in a different time they managed to defeat me there. So as a combined force, The Hero of Time and the Seven Sages are more than enough to stop me if given the time to properly grow stronger. We were lucky this time that they severely miscalculated the power I just received, partially due to my alliance with Majora, but still; that group of eight people have the capability to learn from their mistakes. See to your orders, commander." Ganondorf said.
"I understand, sir. Your will shall be done." The Stalfos commander said before moving off to have the orders executed.
Ganondorf nodded before the Commander left, sighing.
'Maybe I should have finished the group off at once and taken their powers for myself... but I feel certain that I can rectify that mistake...' He thought to himself, rubbing his left side and left thigh, wincing at the injuries that Link and Zelda both left behind on him as a final act of defiance or resistance before Ganondorf hurt the both of them so badly that he knew that they would have succumbed to their injuries at any given time after that. But now that their bodies weren't discovered, he began to wonder what has happened to them...
He decided to simply await the report first before he would move to action. Perhaps Majora could be useful again in seeing what can be done about their bodies, if they are found that is...
Majora on his turn was beginning to feel a bit bored, recently placing a curse on a small group of Gerudo women that were captured by turning them into Gibdos and ReDeads, although one Elite Gerudo caught his interest in remaining defiant and battle-hardened. He decided to do what Kotake and Koume had done before to Nabooru herself; he brainwashed the Gerudo Elite and encased her in an armor that turned her into an Iron Knuckle, sending her off to guard the prison area in his absence. Majora cackled as the remaining Gerudo watched in horror from their cells as this happened, some of them even crying as it showed perfectly what kind of a sicko Majora really was...
Darunia was still sitting patiently in the Ice Cave while Epona had moved off to get something to drink and warm up a bit after he had showed the horse the way, while Navi decided to stick with the horse, also needing some time away from the place, promising the Goron Leader that she would be back soon. Darunia simply nodded, sighing as he remained in position... until he heard footsteps coming in the Ice Cave after about 15 minutes. Multiple footsteps in fact! This unsettled him as he rose up, his bulky frame itching at delivering some pain to the intruders. Sure enough, a group of Stalfos suddenly barged in the room, each of them ready.
"You fiends... even now you choose to disgrace this land with your presence... allow me to put you in the place where you belong!" He said, cracking his knuckles as he got ready to attack!
The Stalfos on their turn raised their shields and readied their swords, ready to show the foolish Goron for getting in their way. It was then that one of the Stalfos took note of the bodies it could barely see behind the icy wall and attempted to warn its comrades of it, only for Darunia to knock its head clean off, the skull smashing in pieces against the icy wall at the back, its body disintegrating in blue flames.
"You vile beings of darkness do not belong here! DIE!" Darunia said as he then attacked the Stalfos, whom retaliated in kind.
The Stalfos did put up quite the resistance, but Darunia was way stronger and delivered a serious pounding to the invading Stalfos, showing them how pissed off he was by this desecration of the Ice Cave. As the fight lasted, it was clear that Darunia had the upper hand, but as he was being occupied by the Stalfos, he failed to notice the presence of a Poe that sneaked into the same room and reached the ice gravestone which contained the five bodies which were now frozen over and through this also conserved. Using this information, the Poe retreated while letting Darunia finish off the Stalfos, intending to take the information to the Stalfos Commander, but not before it witnessed, while turning invisible, Darunia slaughtering the Stalfos forces present, effectively wiping out the initial search party in response. Darunia simply let himself go in his own action of rage and vengeance, showing the Stalfos his wrath as he unleashed parts of his own frustration onto them, breaking their bones and crushing their skulls as he delivered strike after strike from his massive fists. As two of the Stalfos tried to attack him from the side, Darunia retaliated by delivering a dual-punch to the side that knocked the ribcages of the skeletal fighters clean off from the rest of the body, killing the Stalfos in question instantly as their remaining bones clattered on the ground, disintegrating. The Stalfos Search Party was soon completely decimated as it didn't stand a chance against the raging Sage of Fire. Once the battle was over, Darunia himself panted as he stood among the disintegrating remains of the Stalfos, having received several cuts here and there, but despite that still battle-hardened and ready to engage any other enemy that tried to get in. He then turned towards the area where the encased bodies of Nabooru, Saria, Link, Zelda and Ruto laid, whom still were present there as if nothing had came to them or tried to take their bodies away. They were left completely undisturbed. Sighing of relief, Darunia relaxed, so he could tend to his injuries properly.
'How did those evil goons get here?! I don't understand... wait... of course! They must have followed the trail we may have left behind while we were carrying the bodies of Brother Link and his dearest friends all the way here! They did lie in that pond, so they must have been following the trail that came from any remaining wounds that bled out as well as the trails of bloodied water from the pond! Curses, it appears we may need to relocate to a different place if this keeps up!' Darunia thought to himself as he thought about what has happened, being agitated at the fact that more minions of Ganondorf and Majora could come if they would follow the trail. He would discuss this with Rauru once he came back... and where in the name of Hyrule had Impa gone to?! She never let him know where he went... but perhaps she was still in a too much of a turmoil in order to even return... he couldn't blame her for that; after all she lost the one person she was supposed to watch over herself... but still, where had she gone to? Darunia hoped that Impa didn't get herself into any trouble, or there'd be hell to pay! Any form of carelessness now was not needed, could not be used and was not desired at any level, considering what has happened so far... He sighed as he nursed his wounds a bit, cauterizing the worst-looking ones regarding the cuts he received a bit so they wouldn't bleed anymore and just waited for the healing process to kick in.
'Impa... Rauru... Navi... please return safely...' He thought to himself as he sat back down to calm down a bit, glad that the invading troops was repelled for now, but if more of them would dare to show their faces, he would be ready to cave their skulls in!