Chapter XIX – The Black Might
Although the graves combined with their silence left an uncomfortable feeling inside Ganondorf, he kept on and followed the path straight forward without looking back. On his way, he encountered two more Stalfos, but besides their abnormal appearances, they had nothing to be feared about and soon fell victim to his sword to find their true eternal rests. Esbern though, he looked as if he would soon join them. He was still horrified by the undead warriors.
Once Ganondorf walked along one of the countless corridors of the sepulcher, someone jumped on him and flung the arms around his neck. A deep moaning entered his ear, but without thinking twice, he rammed the wall backwards and squashed the attacker.
"I've warned you!" he grumbled threateningly when he stepped away from the wall while the body slid down from his shoulders.
When he turned his head to the side, he saw Esbern at a distance. He had thought the coward had another panic attack and jumped on his back. Confused, he turned around to see for the attacker and looked down at one of the strangest creatures he had ever seen.
Even though it shared the proportions of a human being, it looked highly emaciated as if it consisted of no flesh and the skin only covered its bones. Yet its face was the most disturbing; no impressions on it, just a flat plate with three holes. Two probably meant to be its eyes, but entirely empty, while the third hole beneath them had some sharp looking pieces in it. Teeth.
"This is getting worse with every other second!" Esbern clamped his hands on the back of his head in horror when his view fell down on the creature.
Ganondorf looked unperturbed at the man, who had now lost the last of his skin-color and grinned dismissively at him. "I begin to question myself how it was even possible that they let a weakling like you in the army. You lose it just because of some dried..." Ganondorf raised an eyebrow when he looked at the creature again. "Whatever that is. Just kill it like the rest and be done."
"Say, do you actually know anything, savage?" The horror in Esbern's voice changed into anger when he yelled, "This is a Redead! A freaking Redead!"
"And your point is what?" Ganondorf could not be less impressed by mere words alone.
Esbern must have lost it entirely when he shouted, "By the Goddesses, have you traded all you brain cells for muscles?! These are undead humans! Humans! Just like you and me! Humans whom a madman has turned into his puppets without a will and forces them now to fulfill his unlawful bidding!"
Ganondorf looked in incomprehension at him as he could still not see what enraged him to such a degree, though he made Esbern madder. "Do you even have the slightest morals? Or ethics? Whoever has done this, has done the most damnable deed I can think of. He has blemished the dead and who can say that he himself was not the one who murdered them in the first place? And now he uses the remains for forbidden experiments with the most disastrous magic we know. It's just disgusting! Utterly disgusting! Can't you see it?! How blind are you?!"
Before either Ganondorf could react or Esbern teach him any further, a moaning echoed through the corridor. He turned around and saw a handful of other Redeads slowly shuffling towards them. "Guess our enemies don't care much for morals or ethics as long as they can build up an army of their own." Ganondorf sneered. "So, either keep your sermons to yourself and help me or even better, stand out of my way and let me show you how a real man handles this, weakling."
In moment he intended to rush towards his enemies, a searing scream pierced marrow and bone. He never heard anything similar before and it just ate through his ear. Effortlessly. And it was powerful. Never had he thought that a mere scream alone could freeze his muscles. For seconds, he could not make a single movement.
The screamer, the Redead Ganondorf believed to be dead for good, used his paralyzed condition and jumped on his back again. This time, it closed its grasp around his stomach and chest before Ganondorf felt a sharp pain around the unprotected area of his neck.
The pain grew in intensity, but he could not do a thing until he regained his full control over his body again. With the fury arising from the inside as someone dared to bite him, he rammed the wall again, let the Redead slide off with a groan before he pierced his sword through its chest, turned it around in the wound and recovered his steel.
When he looked on his blade, he did not see the slightest drop of blood. These things were truly tightrope walkers of the living and dead. At least they tended to be very slow walkers as the other foes had only made half of the way towards them in the meantime. Without losing another second, Ganondorf rushed towards them, using his speed and power to his advantage.
It took him a lot of time to make the last one finally fall victim to his sword. Even though they were everything except good fighters, their screams and following attempts of strangling him to death were exhausting and especially the constant biting in the same wound over and over again hurt. A lot.
Ganondorf still pressed his hand on the wound to lessen the pain when Esbern, who had struggled as well to get the attackers off of him, complained desperately, "What have you brought on us? We will never get out of here alive!"
"Spare me your wailing," responded Ganondorf without looking at him when he moved forward with his sword still at hand. "It's obnoxious. Just like you are!"
Esbern laughed forlornly. "I never thought I would ever think this way, but I really wish I could be as dumb as you are. So I could then pretend as if nothing bad is going on here and just naively force my way through."
"Watch your mouth!" The point of his sword scratched Esbern's throat. "Otherwise I cut through it!" Even though Ganondorf was used to his provocations, this was too much. No one called him dumb and naive in the same instant and got away with it unharmed.
He could see the fear in the man's eyes and his voice trembled when he responded, "You wouldn't do this."
"Do not tell me what I would and what I wouldn't do. There are enough of those whatever they're called skeletons, so no one will ever know who your true doom was." Ganondorf stood on the edge of making his threat a reality, but when he looked at this pathetic excuse of a warrior, the pale skin and the scared expression, he could not endure that his blade would be stained with the blood of such a weakling.
Ganondorf looked disdainfully at Esbern, shaking his head. He lowered his sword before he turned around without saying another word and took his leave. He would not deign himself anymore to speak with such an unworthy and especially unwanted follower.
While Ganondorf continued to search for the way out, something constantly bothered him. His body felt heavier with every step he took. Even breathing became strenuous and a sweat broke out. Although it was not surprising that his stamina decreased, the amount compared to the battles was unusual. Like something drained the energy out of him. He attributed it to the sticky air and lacking light.
More minutes passed by before he heard a mumbling. "I know you are an arrogant pighead, Ganondorf, but don't you feel it?" Ganondorf ignored Esbern as he had nothing to discuss with the man, though that man did not give up. "I can't believe it's only me, but ever since we fought the horde of Redeads, I feel there's something robbing my strength."
"You can't be robbed of something you didn't possess in the first place," responded Ganondorf with his back towards Esbern as he just could not blow the chance to humiliate this man.
"Quit joking. It's far too serious." Albeit weak, Esbern's intonation sounded as if he wanted to continue, but Ganondorf only heard a dumb sound. Alarmed he turned around to see who had attacked him from behind, yet there was no one. Only Esbern who lay on the ground.
Ganondorf hesitated if he should move on or see for him. He neared Esbern and roughly poked his body, even kicked him in his ribs. He was obnoxious, no denying, yet he showed at least a bit of usefulness by acting as a distraction for the enemies. Esbern did not react. Ganondorf moved him with his foot on the back but only looked into a pale face with empty eyes. The movement of his chest indicated he barely breathed anymore.
Esbern's last words still echoed through Ganondorf's head because he felt indeed the same as him; the drained energy, the robbed strength. He could not pin down the source, at least until his view fell on Esbern's shoulder region. Just like him, the Redeads jumped on his back, trying to strangle him and forcing their teeth through his flesh. Even though the wound bled, the liquid running down was not red. It was black. Pitch-black.
Startled, Ganondorf grabbed for his own wound as he could not tell if it only looked like that due to the spare light or if it was real. The fluid sticking on his fingers had the same dark color. He began to tremble when it dawned to him what had happened. These enemies must have infected them with something and since Esbern constantly mentioned black magic, it must be that.
Though for some reason, it affected him less than Esbern because albeit he was weakened himself, he could still stand. No one could say for how long though. Without losing another thought, he started running. He could do nothing against magic and no power, no matter how mighty, would help him overcome this curse. He had to get out of there as soon and fast as possible.
Ganondorf forced himself through the upcoming enemies, using his massive build to push them aside. He had no time to fight them. He had to get out, but his steps felt heavy. And the screams of the undead hindered him, stunned him. Once he recovered from the shock, he had to flee further. But breathing became such an obstacle. And everywhere he ran, it looked the same. The end, he could not find it.
He did not want to admit it, but he had lost his orientation in this sepulcher. It did not even need traps, a labyrinth was enough to keep the intruders forever inside. And it did not differ between the intentions for which they were coming. They all would only ever find one thing down here: Their eternal sleep between all the other fallen. And he would be no exception for his flesh felt weak and no matter how strong his willpower might be, he did not stand a chance. Once his body failed him, giving in to the curse, he clashed on the floor, heavily breathing. He could not do anything against everything turning dark.
His head felt heavily as if someone had constantly smashed a hammer on it, accompanied by the burning pain torturing his whole body from the inside. Gruesome. Truly gruesome. Ganondorf moaned and groaned in his dazed state, trying to move into a more relaxed position, but he only managed to hit his head on a solid pole and earned a headache. Though it at least this meant he was still alive.
His eyes began to familiarize themselves to the surroundings, though only a flickering light broke through the darkness and left most of the place in it. Thick stripes interrupted the shining and once Ganondorf's senses had cleared up more, he figured out he was locked in a cage, the stripes caused by the bars attached to the ground and reinforced with iron cross-beams.
He felt too weak to attempt to break free, but he at least acquired a sitting position, leaning against the bars with only a stone wall behind them. His view wandered around and the only thing he could see was a cluster of cages on the other side while the dark swallowed up the rest. If he was in the company of other prisoner, he could not tell, though he felt the shiver running down his back, caused by the cold and the stink of rotten flesh polluting the air. This dungeon could definitely out stripe the oubliette of Hyrule Castle and the arena as being the most unpleasant place to be in.
The headache still tortured him when he turned his head to the side and saw a piece of armor laying in the cage next to his own. At first he only looked disinterested at it until he recognized its owner. "Hey, weakling," he mumbled, but the man remained motionless.
Ganondorf crawled slowly towards the bars so as not to increase his pain unnecessarily further. He wondered why Esbern was here and who had carried him to this place. Albeit he was obnoxious, he might have some more knowledge about the magic he constantly complained about.
"Hey, weakling!" he repeated louder but without a reaction. Ganondorf squeezed his hand between the bars as most of his arm was too big for the hole. He grabbed Esbern on his armor and dragged him towards himself, though he already felt that his body was rigid. It left an uncomfortable feeling inside him which got even worse once he felt the cold face.
He hated that man. He loathed him and his provocations as well as his arrogance and self-importance. Only moments before he thought about ending that man's life with his very own hands. Yet, to see him at this state sent a shiver down his spine. He had seen many deaths, he had even killed many himself and certainly Esbern was one of the last he would feel grief to see him gone, but a weird twisted feeling arose inside him. Probably because they both fought on the same side against the same foe. The foe that was still alive. And free, unlike himself.
Ganondorf let go of Esbern, leaning against the bars again, the twisted feeling within his stomach still remaining and making him feel sick. Even though Esbern's fate could not be changed anymore, his own was still unknown. In regard to the thick bars and the rotten smell, it could be nothing good.
He did not know how much time had passed by. No sunlight here yet he heard footsteps. A silhouette of a human engulfed in a robe appeared, but even when he stood at the Esbern's cage, Ganondorf saw only small details of a middle aged man with common proportions, pointy ears which stood out from his long hair and a beard hid most of his face.
"They brought flesh. And so fresh. So very fresh," mumbled the excited man but it soon turned into a wailing, making him sound as if he was on the edge of crying when he pressed his hands against his chest. "But he is not good enough. No, not good enough. Why? Why is he not good enough! Why?! Why?! Just why?!"
The shrill voice caused a searing pain within Ganondorf's ears and he groaned because it worsened his headache. He pressed his hands against his ears to make the beeping noise go away, yet the man must have heard his groaning as he turned his head around and their eyes met. And even through the darkness, Ganondorf saw the madness lingering inside them. Deep and cruel.
Furiously, the man dashed against the bars, let his fingers ran down the iron when he spat out wrathfully, "How did he survive the darkness? How did he? How? The darkness, it shall consume everyone. Everyone! Absolutely everyone!"
Ganondorf just got another headache only by listening to the confusing words spoken in the shrill manner. This madman must have lost his sanity entirely. As much as he would have loved it to strangle this man to death to bring him to silence, the bars combined with his weakened condition kept him back.
The man continued his rant when he fell silent. In confusion, Ganondorf looked at him while the man made a few steps backwards and gasped, awestruck. With an open mouth and big eyes, he stared fascinated at Ganondorf before he said in an overwhelmed manner, "Red atop the head with the gold shining in his eyes which is now jaded by the missing light. Is he the one? The one I was not allowed to be? The sole man amongst the ladies? Oh, maybe. Please let him be. Let him be."
Ganondorf did not understand one word he said just as he had no interest for an explanation. This man, he was just crazy. Snapped to the core. The madman brought out in the piercing laughter, sounding even worse than his shrill voice. "The centuries, they fly away! Fly, fly away. But this is good. Very good! He shall be it. He will be it. The perfect sacrifice! A king's soul for the Shadow Beast. Cut his hands off, cut his head off, just as they did to him."
From one moment to the next, Ganondorf was broadly awake. That was going way too far, he would not be a sacrifice to anyone. No way! Once he intended to rush up and get the man into his fingers, no matter how, his head soon punished his movements and forced him down on his knees again.
With pain, he looked up to the madman. This was bad. Utterly bad. The man did not care for him when he only clapped enjoyed in his hands while he left the room still laughing.
Author's Note
Sorry this chapter took so long compared to the others, but I was quite busy with my studies. Yet I'm positive the next ones will be more frequent again. :)