Chapter 18: On the move
Upon returning back to the Colossus Room, Garo Link, Garo Zelda and Garo Saria separated themselves from the others to proceed with their part of the mission, heading towards the other side of the Temple. Surprisingly, the enemies fell for the trap as the resident Floormaster in the Colossus Room ignored them and went back on its patrol, allowing the group to proceed further.
"Where are we going?" Garo Saria asked.
"We'll check the room where I used to fight another Iron Knuckle to get a different shield as a reward after. If we don't find anything of importance there, we need to reach the room where I had to lower a platform on the top floor that will allow us to reach the corridor to the room where I had fought Twinrova before." Garo Link said.
"Twinrova?" Garo Zelda parroted.
"The fused entity of Koume and Kotake." Garo Link explained.
"Those two witches we saw back in Termina?" Garo Saria asked.
"Yep. Back then, they had brainwashed Nabooru and tried to kill me." Garo Link said.
"Yikes! That must have been quite a fight!" Garo Zelda said.
"It was. The only good thing was that I had my Mirror Shield with me that allowed me to reflect their magic back at them, which was the only way to actually beat them." Garo Link said as the three continued on their way.
"Wow, that must have been quite dangerous."
"It was. Their attacks could drain life rather quickly, so I had to be certain I was either out of the firing line or had the shield ready in time. Which is why I decided to use only my shield first."
Garo Zelda could see the logic in that.
"Such stories could be great to be passed on to our descendants…" Garo Saria said.
"True. But first we need to ensure the distraction needed for our resurrection has been placed. We'll first eavesdrop a bit around do see what they're talking about. Perhaps we could use that information to progress properly; acting too soon or too much aggression may reveal our intentions or expose us." Garo Link said.
"Right. Besides, we're dead already, so this could be even more dangerous than ever." Garo Zelda said.
"Report." The Stalfos Commander said once he saw the Poe coming to him while standing in front of the broken gate towards Lake Hylia.
"I have good news and I have bad news." The Poe said.
"Start with the good."
"I have located the bodies of the five whom were mauled by our masters. They are most definitely dead; their bodies have been sealed inside a wall of ice that could most definitely be done to preserve the bodies."
"That is terrific, what's the bad news?"
"The Stalfos Search Party that joined in on this was wiped out by Darunia, the Sage of Fire. I managed to get out before he could get to me."
The Stalfos Commander bowed his head.
"Those were some fine soldiers. However, we did reach our objective in finding the bodies of the fallen ones; Lord Ganondorf still wishes for that forest boy and the princess of the Hylian people to be brought to him because of the Triforce Pieces they wield. You may go and keep an eye on the area. I'll need to bring report to Lord Ganondorf soon."
"Understood, sir." The Poe said before it vanished out of sight.
The Stalfos Commander watched it vanish, doing some thinking.
"So, those five are indeed goners… but if the others are so relentless, this could be a problem in case we try to retrieve them… looks like I need to assemble a new group of Stalfos…" He said as he went on his way.
While underway to Hyrule Field, Darunia, Rauru and Navi were soon enough joined by Epona and later on by Tatl and Tael, explaining that Impa for some reason was within the Spirit Temple. They first decided to bring Epona back to Lon Lon Ranch for the time being, considering that the ranch was so far still untouched, as if it was of no interest to Ganondorf and Majora both for the time being. Even though there were still Guays moving around at night and it was dangerous to go out during the day regarding deliveries of the delicious Lon Lon Milk, the ranch owner Talon, his daughter Malon and the worker Ingo were largely ignored by Ganondorf and Majora's troops; the only ones that did form a bother were the Poes, but those harassed any traveler along the way, regardless of where or who they are. Luckily Darunia and Rauru weren't intimidated in the slightest as they brought Epona back to the ranch, much to the delight of Malon whom was worried about her. Afterwards, the two Sages and the three Fairies made their way into Gerudo Valley, towards the Haunted Wasteland.
Garo Master Nabooru and Garo Ruto, while being tailed by Impa and her escort whom were hidden amongst the shadows, went in a different direction, exploring the area which Link had explored before while being in the Temple a year before, which was shown by the already solved puzzles, unlocked doors and the opened chests. They could hear some chatting in one of the rooms up ahead, which turned out to be a room where Link had to use a Bombchu in order to get light to shine on a sun face on the floor. As they watched, they could see two Lizalfos conversing together, while Baby Dodongos were roaming around in search of something to eat and a Beamos was keeping an eye out against any intruder it could detect.
"So, have you heard about the planned attack?" The First Lizalfos asked.
"What? Did Lord Ganondorf and Majora have something in mind?" The Second Lizalfos responded.
"Yeah, now that those Sages and their Hero are out of the way, both plan to spread their influence out over Hyrule and Termina."
"And how are they going to do that?"
"They've set up outposts in the least suspected areas, in particular within areas between the known regions so they can gather up and attack from two or even more than two fronts simultaneously."
"Really? That requires some major preparation then."
"True. The only setback is that an outpost in the land beyond the Woods of Mystery was discovered by mere coincidence and the forces there slaughtered by those five whom Ganondorf and Majora killed, but that outpost was set up only recently, so the losses weren't that exactly big."
"Hmmm… do you know where the others have settled?"
"Of course. One outpost was recently set up in a different part of the forest between Hyrule and Termina, while another, more advanced outpost was placed in a nigh inhospitable land within a vast sanctuary consisting mostly of rock and lava. The paths there are passable, but it's definitely quite sophisticated." The first Lizalfos said.
"And from where can they launch attacks then in that area?"
"The sanctuary's hidden somewhere between Ikana Canyon and Snowhead, considering the presence of a mountain area as well as an actual volcano, which explains the lava. It was supposed to be inaccessible, but recently a path towards it has been excavated… in fact, you need to go to the Southern Swamp to get there properly, since the entrance to it was hidden very well."
"I see." The second Lizalfos said, nodding.
"Another thing is that the area is like a maze, which is perfect to stash our best equipment and soldiers for the invasion there."
"True and since those five are goners, we can take over the lands without much opposition."
"Exactly. Couple that with the amount of troops we're building up now, it'll only be a matter of time before this whole world is under our control." The first Lizalfos said.
"Hmmm. I have one question though; Ganondorf may be out looking for that forest boy and the princess. What will happen if he gets to their bodies?"
"That's for Ganondorf to know. He'll likely take their Triforce pieces and will have either their corpses stuffed and mounted somewhere or perhaps reanimated to have them work for him for all I know."
Unknown to them, they were being watched by Garo Master Nabooru and Garo Ruto as well as Impa and her Gerudo escort. Needless to say the four were currently seething with fury for being mocked like that, with Impa's fury directed mostly at what Ganondorf's plans could be. They were lucky that Link wasn't with them now, since he would have likely gone ahead to decapitate the Lizalfos for suggesting such a thing. Thankfully the four retained their composure and moved on, with only Impa and her escort invisible, Garo Master Nabooru and Garo Ruto passing by as if nothing happened and the Lizalfos, aware of the presence of the Garo Ninjas already, ignored them…
Ganondorf once again sat on his throne, Majora floating beside him, when one of the Poes came to him, presenting two bottles with each containing a crimson-red liquid which obviously had a darker and perhaps even a thicker substance to it than the medicine known as the Red Potion..
"We managed to get some of the blood of the young forest boy and the princess that remained on the tower, my Lord." The Poe said.
"Good, very good." He said, smirking.
"What exactly are you up to?" Majora then asked.
"Just watch." Ganondorf said, as the Poe opened the bottles.
Igniting his Triforce of Power for a moment, Ganondorf directed some of his dark magic into both bottles. Within seconds, the contents of those bottles began to boil and turned pitch black, before rising from the bottles like it became thick, black smoke, both of which settled in front of Ganondorf, after which both plumes began to grow and contort into humanoid shapes… one male and one female… For now retaining their rather foggy shape, their eyes opened, which revealed the eerie crimson red eyes as if they were made out of pure evil, before their shapes got more solid.
"Your orders?" Both asked in a tone that sounded clear yet with a low pitch that added to their demonic side.
"Go forth and seek out the remaining sages, but do not reveal yourselves yet. I want you to stay hidden from their sight and spy on them, I want to know exactly what Darunia, Rauru and Impa are up to, so report back to me once you have located them and know of their intentions." Ganondorf said, watching as both figures now gained the full appearance of both Link and Zelda, but both having a distinct dark appearance, consisting mostly out of dark gray to pitch black, save only for those blood-red eyes.
"Yes, my Lord." Both Dark Link and Dark Zelda said, bowing before they left to execute their orders.
"Huh?! What is that good for?" Majora asked, confused.
"If the Sages are concerned, they will definitely seek out a high power that is capable of resurrecting the ones we killed back then. Anticipating this, I had the order given to collect what can be salvaged of the blood of the two I manhandled personally, so they can later on begin with causing some confusion and orient on ensuring that they can reach those places where we couldn't go before or otherwise had no access to and yet these two can. Perhaps if they can even get their hands on some of the treasure that the others still may have in their possession, coupled with their memories and everything…" Ganondorf said.
"So, by making these dark clones, you could try to coax some of their remaining friends to join us then?" Majora asked.
"In a way, yes. In case those two are resurrected, let's see if they can clear their names if it comes to that…"
Just then, the Stalfos Commander came in.
"I take it you have a report to make?" Ganondorf asked.
"Yes, sir. I can confirm that Link, Zelda, Saria, Ruto and Nabooru are indeed dead; one of my underlings has seen their corpses sealed inside a hidden ice cave somewhere in the vast forest between Hyrule and Termina. However the Search Party that accompanied it was completely wiped out by Darunia, the Fire Sage." The Stalfos Commander said.
"I see." Ganondorf said, nodding.
"I request to have a new battalion of Stalfos assigned to compensate for the loss."
"Very well. You have given me some vital information, as I already have sent soldiers out to spy on the surviving Sages. I need you to reinforce our outpost at a different part of the forest in preparation to invade Termina, so you came exactly on the right time." Ganondorf said.
"Yes, My Lord. Your will shall be done." The Stalfos Commander said, before he left to perform his assigned orders.
Ganondorf nodded at him.
"Majora, I want you to aid our forces at the Fire Sanctuary and ensure they reach every spot possible to look for things that could be useful to us. It's time for us to enter the field, so to speak." He then said.
"Alright, consider it done. What about you?" Majora asked.
"I'll go and see how the situation at the Spirit Temple is, if everything is ready to plan our next move within Hyrule itself." Ganondorf replied as he got up.
"Alright. How long do you think you'll be gone?"
"I'll be there for a while, just to be certain that everything goes as planned."
"Very well. I'll see you later then." Majora said before he left.
Garo Link, Garo Saria and Garo Zelda managed to make their way to the room where Link, in the future that almost was, discovered the Boss Key in the temple which was needed to gain access to the room where Koume and Kotake held the brainwashed Nabooru captive. There they saw an Iron Knuckle sitting on its throne, whom looked in conversation with other beings. Thankfully they weren't noticed at all, the conversation was apparently running deep. On their way however, when passing through the Sun Puzzle room, they could hear the unmistakable trotting of a Floormaster, while two Stalfos were standing guard. They also spotted an apparently docile Wallmaster, but they figured that it was waiting for any unsuspecting traveler to pounce onto. Thankfully their disguise as Garo Ninja helped wonders, which pretty much allowed them to explore the Temple on their own accord. The Stalfos and the Floormaster ignored them completely, obviously heeding to the alliance that they had and just let the Garo Ninja go where they wanted. This caused Link to do some thinking while watching things through his robe as they continued on. Once inside an empty corridor, the three stopped to take a breather, before entering the room they were in now… As they looked around, they saw the Iron Knuckle having a conversation with a Stalfos, while Torch Slugs crawled around calmly. The three decided to sit down within the shadows, listening in to the conversation, although it was mostly about the affairs going on within the Spirit Temple and how the forces of Ganondorf and Majora have been gathering. This in turn gave the three a bit of time for some reflection.
"I still have difficulties with grasping this…" Garo Saria said.
"Everyone of us has, Saria," Garo Link said, "I have to admit that I've stared death in the face more than I can count, but this is the actual first time that I actually did die."
"Same with me," Garo Zelda said, "in fact, Ganondorf tried to crush Link and myself under the debris of his castle in the future that almost was. I find it strange that memories have carried over…"
"Perhaps all that time traveling must have held influence on it too. I mean, I know for sure what has happened back then, but I never could have imagined that these memories also carried over to you…" Garo Link said.
"Maybe it's because of the Sages in that future having taken a part of this. After all, their powers are reflected within the Master Sword and considering the events that preceded it all…" Garo Zelda said.
"That's a good possibility." Garo Saria said.
"So what are we going to do once we're brought back to life?" Garo Zelda said.
"Personally I would first review the facts of where did it go wrong with us then and then make a different plan of action in order to still bring victory to us. We now know that Ganondorf and Majora both have become stronger, possibly having given each other a portion of their respective powers. Given the possibility that Ganondorf too may have received memories from his own future counterpart, I'd say that he actually knew that we were coming and thus acted accordingly to ensure his will would be absolute. It's only a speculation, but it would explain why he did what he did to me. I never expected you two, much less Ruto and Nabooru, to eventually share my fate, so to speak." Garo Link said.
"Point taken." Garo Zelda said.
"I just remembered something, wouldn't Red Fairies be able to help?" Garo Saria asked.
"Normally yes, but considering the way we were being manhandled, coupled with the dark magic or energy we were being struck with and add the fact of how severe our injuries were at the end, I doubt they could be of help. Besides, we didn't have any Red Fairies with us and Impa told us that we were already dead by the time we were found. Our spirits did already leave our bodies back then…" Garo Link said.
"Hmmm, looks like someone of higher power is needed then." Garo Zelda said, before the three sighed.
Their conversation was fortunately not heard by the enemies on the far side of the room, but still…
Using their wisp forms to travel quicker, Darunia and Rauru arrived after several minutes within the Desert Colossus area, with the entrance to the Spirit Temple ahead.
"Here we are." Rauru said.
"I wonder why Impa decided to go here…" Darunia said.
"There's only one way to find out for sure…" Rauru said as he moved to the entrance of the Spirit Temple, only for himself and Darunia to come under attack by Leevers, which prompted them to fight their way to the Temple itself.
"Wait… I can feel a dark presence approaching the Temple!" Rauru said.
"We should hide right away." Darunia said, before he and Rauru turned themselves back into wisps and went into the Great Fairy's Fountain entrance to hide for a moment and spy there.
It was apparent that the two Sages weren't taking any risks now, especially if they wanted to prevent themselves from sharing the fate of Link and his closest friends after all… As they watched from their hiding spot, they could easily see dark clouds beginning to form slightly over the Temple and soon enough the dark presence they sensed appeared in front of the Temple, causing their eyes to go wide, although Darunia's was mostly out of fury as the one being whom they hated the most showed up in front of the Temple… the King of Evil, Ganondorf.
"Why that no-good- how dares he show up here?!" Darunia hissed, his veins pulsing within his forehead and arms.
"Stand down, Darunia. I know you want to pound his face in for what he did to Link and our fellow Sages, but at the current moment it would only make things worse as it is. I presume that he's here to check up on how far the Spirit Temple has progressed if he is working on reclaiming it…" Rauru said.
"That sounds logical… but Impa is somewhere in here too!"
"I know, but there is not much we can do but pray that Impa too has sensed him and is hiding somewhere to remain out of sight of him."
Darunia grunted in utter frustration, yanking a piece of rock from the wall he stood on and munched on it, trying to calm his nerves through this. Rauru simply sighed, being the most calm of the two.
"Trust me when I say that this isn't any easier for me than it is for you, Darunia, but the three of us definitely won't stand a chance against him now." He then said.
"But we can't just let him get away with this, right?!" Darunia asked.
"Of course not. Ganondorf may have won the battle, but all things considered, this is still a war. All we need is something that can help us turn the tide of the war in our favor, the resurrection of those whom Ganondorf killed being one of them. But we can't make any progress if we would go and confront him now." Rauru replied.
"Hmmm, I see your point." Darunia said.
"Think of it this way; Ganondorf believes Link, Zelda, Saria, Ruto and Nabooru are dead, but he hasn't seen the bodies yet. Therefore he is more likely to stay on edge and concentrate on his own political matters, while at the same time trying to find their bodies so he can still claim the very pieces of the Triforce that Link and Zelda have taken with them to their grave. And as long as we have their bodies with us, we have the advantage as we are, in a way, denying Ganondorf the things he's looking for." Rauru said.
"That is as long as he doesn't catch us." Darunia said.
"Exactly. So as long as we stay out of his sight, we have a chance to bring our friends back. All that matters now is Impa's safety so she can join us in our trip." Rauru said.
Speaking of Impa, she was still keeping a close watch on Garo Master Nabooru and Garo Ruto as they were underway to meet up with Garo Link, Garo Saria and Garo Zelda, having sensed Ganondorf approaching. So they decided to meet in the Sun and Mirror puzzle room to be out of sight as well as preventing problems, considering the animosity between the group and the Evil King himself. Once inside the room, the group conversed, while the Gerudo escort was terrified of all the creatures she saw around; the resident Gibdos she saw nearly gave her a heart attack.
"So, what's the state of affairs? All we know is that the activity of Ganondorf and Majora's troops is concentrated around this temple, this we learned from a conversation between a Stalfos and an Iron Knuckle…" Garo Link said.
"Well, first off, Ganondorf himself is on his way here, obviously to check on his troops." Impa said, instantly causing Garo Link and Garo Zelda to freeze up a bit in fear.
"Second, it is now confirmed that their forces are gathering in unknown areas of this world in order to stage their attacks on Hyrule and Termina. One of which being a hidden sanctuary in the area between Snowhead and Ikana Canyon and another being located in a different part of the forest that connects Hyrule with Termina." Garo Master Nabooru said.
"I see, but how are we going to tackle those?" Garo Saria asked.
"We'll first concentrate on bringing the five of you back to life, seeing as Rauru has gone to find a way that can help us to bring you back with us in corporeal form instead of spiritual. Then we'll mess up their outpost in the forest area, since this might endanger the areas like the Deku Palace, the Kokiri Forest as well as any supply lines that are running to keep the surviving population of Hyrule and Termina fed which in turn run through the forest." Impa said.
The Garo Ninja group nodded, understanding Impa's plan.
"Now that we know about their plans, we should get out of here and meet with the others. We got where we came for here and it would be a bit too suspicious if we decide to wreck havoc here now." Garo Ruto said.
"Ruto has a point, especially considering that Garo Ninjas usually pull a form of ritual suicide once they are defeated, thus in fact dying without leaving a corpse behind. That's the way of the Garo Ninja. Belief or disbelief rests with you." Garo Link said.
"Wow, you certainly know a lot about them…" The Gerudo escort said.
"Well, I had the Garo Mask in possession during my time in Termina, which in effect allowed me to communicate with the Garo Ninja spirits while being in Ikana Canyon. Thanks to them I got some helpful tips to solve the situation there and eventually solve the puzzles in the Ancient Castle of Ikana and through that obtain the things I needed to get into the Stone Tower." Garo Link said, to which the group nodded, confirming his story as Link told them about it before, with the Gerudo escort herself nodding in kind.
"We should get going before Ganondorf finds us." Garo Zelda said, shivering.
"Right," Impa said as she used her powers to extend her shadow to what looked like a dark mass, "hop into my shadow, I'll take you outside to the others."
Nodding, the group, with Garo disguises and all, entered Impa's shadow, before it regressed back to normal size after which the shadow began to move to make its way out of the Spirit Temple, fortunately unnoticed by the enemy forces present inside, taking the newly-obtained information along with them. As long as the enemy was none the wiser, the group decided to look for a way to turn this into their advantage. But how that will turn out is something that they need to figure out…