Hello everybody! Here's a new chapter after having you all wait for almost two weeks. Sorry about that. This time around, it's more of my summer job holding me back than it was summer school. You see, I work as a lifeguard and swim instructor, and I have to do report cards for the students I taught to swim. Needless to say, that process takes a while as I have to see what each kid can and can't do. And being that I'm dealing with young kids, I have to decorate their cards so they look all nice and pretty. So yeah, I'm spending a lot of time on those as it's part of my work description. Yay...
But yeah, that's pretty much my excuse why this took a while to come out. Oh, another real reason is because that this chapter has the first actual fight scene of this story. It took a bit to really get it to all flow, and I almost killed myself detail-wise when I made the fight almost too one-sided. Just read on to see what I mean by that. So with that, let me just do my usual shout-outs to my reviewers before leaving you all alone to read the new chapter.
OrangeStreakedStar: Yeah, I was hoping that there would be an emotional roller coaster ride with the reader. There was a lot going on there, and yet all the details fit in with that particular chapter. As such, I had decided to make the whole thing as dramatic as possible without over-saturating it like some daytime soap operas tend to do. And yes, Xagrun is now officially been elevated from tyrannical prince to usurper king. This is definitely going to be interesting.
Skittycreamstar: Yes, the fun is now beginning. Hopefully, this chapter will be within your definition and expectations of what kind of "fun" we're going to be having. I definitely had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and I hope the sentiment in it reflects onto you.
YaOfMa: Just for the record to those of you reading this, I've already responded to his/her review via private messaging on this site. Needless to say, we had an engaging conversation which showed that we have different styles of writing. Long story short, his/her complaints mentioned in the review were all correct. The thing is that it's all about concerns related to subjective writing. I am an objective writer, and you can google those terms if you're not sure what they are as I honestly can't be bothered to explain them on here. Needless to say, his/her concerns were valid but not as of great concern to me being that I'm an objective writer. So please don't think they were trying to flame me; it was no flame and merely concerns that would've been valid were I a subjective writer.
Chapter 9: The Usurper's First Move
After leaving Hyrule Castle, Link ran as fast as he could back to Faron Village! Many of Xagrun's soldiers whom he rushed past yelled obscenities at him, but he paid it no mind. All he cared about was getting home before Connor was caught in the middle of whatever the prince was planning. Not once on the path he took did he run into said man. However, he knew it did not mean he was not ahead of him if not already causing more grief at the village. Regardless, stopping now meant a lesser chance of coming home to a little brother unaffected by whatever was about to happen.
By the time the teen arrived at the village entrance, an hour had passed. He had been running the entire time and needed to catch his breath. It was during this moment or rest that he noticed the prince's soldiers standing guard along the borders keeping watch over the people. There was a good crowd of both those either trying to enter or leave, and the soldiers were preventing both from happening. They were even along the tall wooden fence which circled around the village's perimeter keeping watch for any people who wanted to sneak through by climbing over. Clearly, the prince did not want anybody who was already inside to leave and tell outsiders what was happening while also trying to keep all visitors in the dark.
"How is this supposed to be martial law?!" he heard one of the people shout as he leaned against a tree near the village gates. It was hard to tell from which side of the line the outburst came from, but it was clear both sides were feeling the anger over the situation. "This is nothing more than treating this village as a humongous prison!"
"A prison that you all brought upon yourselves," a soldier responded over the loud protests. "You shouldn't have bad-mouthed the prince while he was here. Did you really think he would've forgotten about it now that he's become your king?"
"Who says he's now 'our king'?" another citizen, this one a kid who looked to be as old as Connor, shouted. "Prince Xagrun stole both the throne and power from our true king. We'll never bow before him; the ones who truly rule over us will always be the King of Hyrule and his daughter Princess Zelda!"
"You know that speaking so highly and openly of a past king is considered treason," the same soldier deadpanned as he moved to apprehend the one who made the comment. "Child or not, it's an offense that could be punishable by death under martial law. Now come with us so we can decide on what we should do with you later."
"Get your hands off of him, you brute!" an adult shouted as he threw a punch at the soldier about to take away the boy. This caused a full-on brawl to ensue moments later that involved both sides of this issue. People from both sides of the village border came together to both protect the boy and attempt to drive the soldiers out. Unfortunately, the soldiers were armed and easily incapacitated them. The fact that reinforcements were coming to help quell the situation made it even less of a triumphant effort on the citizen's part.
However, all this managed to prove useful towards Link's goals of getting into Faron Village. Now that many of the soldiers were busy trying to take care of the uprising, parts of the village fence had been left unguarded. Taking advantage of this, Link quickly climbed over the fence and managed to enter undetected. He noted momentarily that getting out might prove to be more difficult, but all he cared right now was to make sure Connor was safe.
Despite the high security along the village fence and the main gate, the streets were left without any patrolling soldiers. It was understandable considering that all the citizens were busy arguing over at the gate. It just made his trip home that much easier, although it did not lessen his concerns over where exactly Xagrun was. It was clear he was somewhere in the village, but he had yet to run into him.
When he arrived at his farm, he got his answer along with a smell he remembered from a couple days ago when he witnessed a man's crops burned. Standing next to a black carriage before a field of crops and a house set ablaze by violet flames was Xagrun himself. He had a few of his men along with him, two of which were busy pouring something over the flames which made them roar with such ferocity. The chicken coop was also on fire, the chickens themselves still locked inside and clucking away frantically while being burned alive. A wood beam from the house fell as the connectors were burned away, sending a plume of ash and embers into the air.
"Wh-what the hell…?!" Link exclaimed as the gravity of what was happening hit him hard like a sword strike from his dad's practice sections.
"It's about time you arrived, farm boy," Xagrun said as he turned around to face the teen. On his face was the most sadistic smile the other ever saw. "I was wondering where you ran off to when I failed to find you here. However, I can comfortably assume that you made a trek to the castle. After all, you are wearing the rags common to the royal guard. I would also suppose that you were nearby when I showed Princess Zelda what I did to her fool of a father."
"Where's Connor?!" the blond shouted, ignoring most everything that the king said. His mind was right now running on one thought after seeing this wanton destruction of his home. "What did you do to him?!"
"My, such raw emotions burning through you!" the usurper condescendingly replied, his smile never once faltering. "It's amazing how you're still clear of mind. Your anger is truly remarkable but hardly intimidating."
"Answer me, you monster!" The teen began making his way towards the now King of Hyrule but was stopped by a hooded man suddenly appearing before him.
"Might I suspect that this Connor you spoke of is someone dear to you? If that's so, then you need not worry. We took precautions to extract the young boy from your dilapidated shack before burning it down." He then snapped his fingers which signaled a soldier to come out from behind the carriage. Being grabbed from behind with a knife to his throat and a hand over his mouth was Connor.
"Connor!"
"He's quite the rambunctious kid," Xagrun said at the same time Link called his brother's name. "He managed to take down one of my soldiers when they were dragging him out. He's a rather stalwart yet foolhardy boy, perhaps even more so than you."
"He's got nothing to do with whatever you're planning!" Link growled as he tried to fight past the hooded figure to no avail. "You let him go right now!"
"Hmm, I suppose I could do that. After all, I had hoped to use him as bait to lure you out. But now that you're here before me, what little use he had is now gone. Because of that, I want you to answer me this before I let him go. How would you like for him to be freed, with a punctured lung or a slit throat?"
"How is that freeing him?!" the teen exclaimed. At the same time, Connor started to squirm around frantically in an attempt to get away without much success. "All you want is for me to suggest how you should kill him!"
"That's only if you think of it that way. Once you see how I plan to make an example out of your ragtag village, you'll see that death is more desirable. For what you and your fellow farmers said about me when I was prince, I'm transforming this place into a prison labor camp. All who reside here will be imprisoned regardless of their age. They'll be put to work from dawn to dusk, never to stop for anything even when faced with death."
"…What kind of sick beast are you? Calling you a monster doesn't even begin to reflect who you really are! Only a demon would turn an entire village into a prison camp and make its people work themselves to death!"
"Considering the more vulgar insults I've already heard, I'll take yours as a compliment. However, I'm beginning to tire with this pointless exchange. Give me your decision now or I'll choose for you. Do you want the boy to die quickly of a slit throat or painfully slow from a pierced lung?" As he said this, the guard restraining Connor purposefully flaunted the knife in a threatening manner. "If you truly are the bearer of the Triforce of Courage as Zelda believes you to be, then making this small sacrifice shouldn't be too hard. After all, what's a loss of life here and there if it means the fulfillment of what fate has written for you?"
Instead of answering, Link let out a frustrated growl. The blaze still consuming his home still crackled away as he quickly evaluated the situation. No matter how he looked at it, things were not going to end his way. With the mysterious hooded man in between him and Connor, there was no way he could make a run to him. No matter what he did now, the end result was going to be the same. Still, he was not going to just give up without trying!
"…Are you really asking me to choose how Connor's going to die?" he asked, his tone dangerously low. "You're not going to give me more to work with?"
"I think I was being more than generous by even giving you a choice, farm boy," Xagrun replied while tapping a finger against his arm impatiently. "Don't push your luck by trying to get more than you already have."
"And what if I made my own third choice? What if I found some way now to keep you from killing him?"
"Do you take me for a fool?" the tyrant asked in an insulted tone. "Nothing in your favor is going to happen. I had my men spread word that this village is now a prison labor camp, and that caused the people to try and flee like the cowards they are. I know that they've all gathered at the front gates, and I have my guards making sure that none leave that area. The fact that you were able to sneak past them to get in is a feat itself! You'd best face the reality that nobody is coming to your aid and consider how to best answer my question. Do you or do you not want to choose how this boy dies?"
Almost immediately, a grunt of pained surprise reached everybody's ears. Looking towards where Connor and his restrainer were standing, they all saw the guard doubled over in pain. He was on the ground gripping his stomach, his grip now lost on the boy.
"Don't I even have a say in this?" he cockily asked before delivering a swift kick to the fallen soldier. "I'm not planning on being murdered anytime soon!"
"How dare you?!" Xagrun exclaimed as he quickly prepared in his hand a ball of violet flames. "I'll teach you to resist my soldiers!"
"Look out, Connor!" Link shouted as he pushed his way past the still distracted hooded man.
He had just barely pushed the man off his guard when the usurper king threw his ball of flames towards the young boy. It was all he could do in that brief moment to catch the brilliant violet flames rushing towards his brother!
But by some good grace of the Goddesses, the soldier that he had taken down was not yet out of commission. Just as the ball of flame left Xagrun's hands, the guard grabbed ahold of the Connor's leg and tugged him off his feet. In so doing, Connor fell back-first towards the ground and missed his head getting torched by mere centimeters. Instead, it struck the already burning house and caused a small explosion that sent embers and ashes into the air.
"You okay?!" the blond teen asked as he made it to his little brother's side and delivered a heavy kick to the soldier's head. Said man was immediately knocked out with a sickening crack and loosened his grip on the boy's leg.
"About time you showed up, Link!" the other exclaimed as he quickly took his brother's hand and got to his feet. He then said while pointing towards Xagrun, "That idiot over there just came and started torching the farm. I almost got my butt roasted!"
"I'm starting to think it better if you had!" the corrupt royal growled as he readjusted his gloves. "You're not even my object of interest, yet you've proven to be a thorn in my side. How you manage to even survive just now is beyond me, boy!"
"Stop calling me a boy! You're not some decrepit old man like the Village Elder. I'll bet you're not even that much older than Link!"
"Do you think I care? Let's see how well your smart mouth works after this!" With a quick flick of his wrist, he began to summon yet another ball of flames. However, it barely managed to materialize before fizzing out of existence. Seeing this, he tried once more and was met with the same results.
"You run out of fire?" Link cockily bit back, although his shoulders relaxed considerably the moment he saw the other's magic fizzing out.
"My lord, you've exhausted yourself," the hooded man said as he quickly made his way to Xagrun's side. The entire time, he held a defensive stance and was clearly prepared for any kind of attack. "I suggest you take a rest. You're not yet skilled enough to be casting magic in quick succession. Why don't you go and see how your men by the village gates are faring? I'm sure they might need some help quelling the people's unrest."
"… … …Very well," he begrudgingly conceded. He then made his way back to his carriage where his remaining conscious soldiers were waiting. "In turn, I'll leave you to take care of these two. I trust that it won't be an issue?"
"I wouldn't have suggested it had I thought otherwise," the man confidently replied. Xagrun merely nodded in approval before signaling his men to start making their way to the main gates of Faron Village.
"So now he has his lapdog cleaning up his messes?" the teen vehemently spat out. He was still next to Connor who seemed to be taking the whole ordeal somewhat well. "Just one thing goes wrong and he runs off? Some King of Hyrule he'll turn out to be."
"He hates to admit it, but King Xagrun is still in training. As such, it falls onto me to make sure that no harm befalls him while he masters his magic skills. If that means that I have to take down one of his marks, then so be it.
"However, I'm not without my own merits," he added as he began taking off his black cloak. Underneath it was a simple black shirt which clung to his chiseled body and brown pants that fluttered lightly against the breeze. His black hair flicked around a bit as parts of it snagged on the hood, effortlessly bouncing back to their original unruly position once freed. He still kept on his white mask despite it now looking somewhat out-of-place. "Unlike him, I don't do battle without first making sure my opponent is armed. Might I assume that you know how to wield a blade? After all, it'd only be natural for the wielder of the Triforce of Courage to be versed with such basic forms."
"Of course he can use a sword!" Connor blurted out. Link tried to poke at his ribs to get him to shut up, but the young boy was too fired up to either notice or care. "Our dad was once a member of the royal guard, you know? He taught us everything he knows about sword fighting, and I'll bet that it's more than enough for Link to beat you!"
"Well, it sounds like someone's full of confidence." The man then walked over towards the fallen soldier with both boys carefully watching his every move. When he arrived, he bent down and took the sword which was still holstered on the belt. He tore it away with little effort and threw it towards the blond who barely caught it. "I hope then that you'll provide me with at least a bit of entertainment before the battle is over. And to ensure that it'll be interesting, what say that you and I have a little bet?"
"Sorry, but all my money's burned to a crisp now," Link sarcastically replied as he took the sword out from its sheath and got into a ready position.
"Ah, but I believe what I have in mind would be much more valuable to you than a few paltry rupees." The man reached behind him and pulled out a pair of black glove which he then placed over his hands. "The outcome of our fight will dictate both of your fates. Should you be able to claim victory, then I'll allow you both to live. If I'm to win, then I'll do what I promised King Xagrun and end your lives. All you have to do is wound me at least one for victory to be yours. As for me, I'll have to completely incapacitate you to be considered the victor. Wouldn't you say that it's a fair wager?"
"And we're supposed to take you at your word? Isn't it naïve for one to believe what the enemy tells them?"
"Truer words have never been spoken. However, I assure you that I'm a man of my word when it comes to honorable duels. But if you're still intent on thinking otherwise, then perhaps this will provide you with incentive to believe me." With a wave of his hand, a streak of black air was left in its path. At the same time, Connor was suddenly swept off his feet and brought over the burning remnants of the house! He was left suspended up there screaming his lungs out with only the man's magic keeping him from certain doom.
"Connor! You bring him down right now!" the teen demanded as he rushed the man. The other merely sidestepped the attack.
"If that's what you want me to do, then believe in my words. If you truly care for the boy's life and don't want him to fall into the flames, then you can only save him by accepting and winning my wager."
"And how am I supposed to win when you can use magic like that?! You've already set me up to fail!"
Not if I agree to put myself at a handicap of sorts. In exchange for you using whatever techniques you know of, I'll rely on nothing but my bare hands. You'll have more than a good chance at winning under those conditions. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Just do it, Link!" Connor shouted, his voice wavering a bit from panic. "I don't wanna burned to a crisp. Just fight him and get me down from here!"
Instead of answering, Link merely glared daggers at the man. He did not want to admit it, but it seemed like fighting was the only way to get out of this mess. Even though he was still distrustful of the man, he was willing to take whatever chance he could get to find a way out of this already hopeless situation.
"I'll take your silence as agreement. In that case, let's not waste any more time. You best prepare yourself, because I promise that I'm just as deadly even at a handicap."
Without waiting for another response, the once cloaked man rushed towards Link with a fist ready for a punch. It was all the teen could do to stumble backwards to dodge the blow! Not wanting to be caught off-guard again, he immediately regained his battle stance while dodging another hit. This time, he managed to pull off a counterattack but completely missed when the man effortlessly sidestepped it.
Instead of taking the chance to strike at Link, the man merely backed off and created a rift between them. The blond could not help but be confused about it for a second. The chance for him to have been taken down was there, so why did he not take it? Was it because this man was merely toying with him? Either that or he was cocky enough to think that willingly passing on an opportunity to end the battle meant nothing to his overall ability to win.
Choosing not to dwell on it, Link quickly recovered and went for another strike. Just like it was the last time, it proved futile and struck nothing but air. Determined to at least land one blow, he continued to swing at the man much like Connor swung at him during sword practice yesterday. The only difference was that Link kept control over his energy and conserved when he needed to. Unfortunately, it did not do a lot a good even when one of his hits made a direct hit. What made it no good was that it landed on the man's hand which he had used to both catch and stop the blade with little effort!
"Is this really the best you can do?" he asked a shocked Link who was trying hard in vain to pull the blade away. "I was expecting a better fight when you said you knew of swordplay. Oh well, I suppose one can't always have everything." He then quickly pulled the teen towards him while sending a hard punch to the stomach. Letting go just as the hit connected, it sent the blond flying a few feet backwards where he landed on his back with a pained grunt.
"H-how did…you do…th-that?!" Link managed to cough out while struggling to get back up. Connor was screaming in support from his place of imprisonment but was quickly silenced when he was suddenly violently jolted about.
"I suppose I failed to mention that I'm a melee combatant," the man casually replied in a cocky tone. "I'm sure you've already noticed, but I've trained long enough in order to anticipate your movements and know when to strike. And as for being able to catch your sword without any fear of injury, I have these gloves to thank." He then waved both arms in front of him as though showing off some new toy. "They're made from dragon hide and dipped in a solution of powdered dragon scales. The combination is enough to make these invulnerable to pretty much everything. They're wonderful creations, aren't they?"
"B-but you said…you weren't going to…be using magic!" the other countered as he shakily got to his feet. "The force I used…should've been enough…to at least break your hand! How else could you've withstood it?"
"That's merely a byproduct of my extensive training. The ability I have for my hands to withstand a sword blow has nothing to do with magic. As such, you should be able to beat me while I'm on my handicap. Come now; show me what you can really do."
Gritting his teeth, Link mustered all his strength and charged towards the man. Once again, he was in an attacking frenzy. As accurate as some of his strikes were, all were either sidestepped or caught and later discarded by his hand. And on the off-chance there was no evasive maneuvers, the man used his hands as a shield to deflect the blows!
This pointless exchange of blows went on for a couple of minutes. For every strike that Link delivered, it was either dodged or caught. The man rarely ever attacked, but the times he did were always when he caught the sword and left the teen vulnerable. It was clear by this alone that he was toying around with the teen. There have been many times when the battle could have been over, yet the man chose to let it continue. If anything, it showed that he had a sadistic side and enjoyed watching the struggle to win a one-sided fight.
By this time, the teen was now exhausted. While the hits he took were small in number, they were all very powerful. His body felt sore, his chest feeling the worst due to a broken rib. It took all he had to stay standing let alone keep his sword at the ready for another strike.
On the other hand, the man still looked as he did when the battle first began. His mask was still on properly, having shown no signs of being knocked askew the entire time. His whole demeanor was reflective of not having even been in a battle. The only sign that he was fighting was the fact that he was not wearing his cloak. Right now, he was busy flexing his hands into fists repeatedly, the occasional crack of his knuckles breaking past the sounds of the burning house.
During the entirety of the battle, Connor had been shouting words of encouragement to Link. But every time he did that, the man would violently jostle him and turn him around in a dizzying circle to shut him up. By this time, the boy was now silent either in fear of being jolted about or nauseous from the repetitiveness of it. Even so, the wild flailing of his arms were enough to show his support, although it did little to really help the teen out.
"I'd be lying if I said this wasn't amusing," the man sadistically said while nonchalantly watching the teen. "You've been trying so hard just to land a hit on me, yet all you've done was exhaust yourself. It's disappointing that a piece of the Golden Power chose to bestow itself onto you. Then again, your tenaciousness to save the boy is reflective of a courageous heart. Still, such a trait pales in comparison to being able to effectively wield a sword. Clearly, you aren't yet ready to take on the task bestowed upon all wielders of the Triforce of Courage!"
Link chose not to answer and instead let his eyes wander about the area. He knew he had to come up with a new plan quickly, but there was hardly anything around that was left intact which he could use. He was already using the still unconscious soldier's sword, and he doubt he had time to don the man's metal armor for better protection. The only other thing that he could possibly use was the knife that almost took Connor's life. Unfortunately, the last thing he needed was to use a weapon that required even closer contact than he was right now having. Yet at the same time, perhaps being so close would be beneficial as he would be up in the man's punching space. Such close proximity would surely cause him to hesitate somewhat, and that might be just the opening he needed to land a hit.
"Why so quiet now?" the man asked, clearly not noticing the gears being put to work in Link's head. "You're not thinking about giving up, are you? Please don't; this fight has only started to get interested."
"I don't know about your definition of interesting, but I'm not giving up," the teen replied as he readied himself for another attack. "I was just thinking about how I can break through your defense and beat you!"
"Well, you're definitely a tenacious one. That's what I'd hoped you would say. If you still have the strength to fight, then come at me with what little you have left. I have all the time in the world to play with a hopelessly desperate boy such as you. But I promise you this," he added while reassuming his casual fighting stance. "However many times you try to strike at me, however admirable your intentions may be, will prove to be futile!"
This time with a concrete plan in mind, Link went in for another attack. However, he was now keeping an eye open for where the knife fell to. He lost track of it during the chaos that ensued before this battle, and he was now trying to look for it under the guise of trying to strike down the man. For the most part, he knew he was going to be safe as the other was merely trying to prolong this.
In the meantime, the man continued on with his casual dodging and blocking the sword with his hands. He could tell Link was tired and was willing to further prolong the torture. He caught the blade a few times but merely threw it to the side along with the teen. Unbeknownst to him, however, that was exactly what the blond wanted.
After about a minute of being helplessly tossed around, Link finally found what he was looking for. From where he had just landed, the knife was a few feet towards his left hiding out in a patch of semi-tall grass. Now that he knew where it was, all he had to do was set himself up for the right moment for when he could use it. For this to work, he needed the man to be closer than he was. Right now, he was a bit too far away and would notice the moment he picked up the knife.
"You seem to be slowing down," the man stated obviously. "Has fatigue finally started to take its toll?"
"I still…got some fight left!" Link exclaimed, trying his best to sound convincing despite the heavy puffs of air. "How about you? Are you…getting bored yet?"
"On the contrary, this is the most amusement I've had in days. You might just be a farm boy, but you have the tenacity of a warrior. Your fighting style is crude, yet it holds hints of the professionalism that was used to teach you. Your movements truly are remarkable. Had we met under different circumstances, I think I would've grown to like you."
"Well, I'd still…hate you regardless!" The teen started to slowly move towards the knife which effectively widened the gap between the two combatants. He had moved a few of steps past it before stopping. "Anyone who works for Xagrun…is an enemy to me."
"Does that include the soldiers who're no more than pawns in this game of politics?" the man questioned as he took a few steps forward. He stopped short of the knife still lying hidden close to his feet. "Most don't know what King Xagrun is truly planning, so can you really fault them for aiding him in his conquest?"
"It doesn't take a genius to know he's ruining innocent lives." Link had finally caught his breath but was still really tired. "Even if his soldiers don't know his real plans, they have enough sense to know his tactics are underhanded and tyrannical. To still work for him while knowing that means they share responsibility in all this!"
"Under that assumption, you'd be right. However, I care little for your philosophy in such views. If your intent right now is to stall, then you best stop altogether. All this talk is beginning to bore me."
"That makes two of us."
Without warning, the teen went in for another strike. Despite the suddenness, the man was not caught off-guard. Just as it was before, he continued to block every strike with his hands and dodged whenever appropriate. Everything was the same just as Link predicted it would. All he needed to do now was wait for that one moment when he could make his move, and he knew it was not too far off from coming.
After a few blocks and dodges, the man caught Link's sword once more. However, what happened next was different from before. Just as he was about to throw both the sword and teen to the side, the blond let go of it and ducked down. He then picked up the knife just as the sword was being tossed away. Taken aback by the sudden change in tactics, the man tried to recover by attempting to punch the other with his free hand. Unfortunately for him, he was a bit too late and ended up with a large gash along his forearm.
"Damn it!!!" he shouted as he instinctively brought his other hand over the deep wound. Using this moment, Link quickly stood up and took another swing. He had intended to swipe at the man's chest, but his fatigue caused him to miss considerably. Instead, he struck at the mask just as the man was retreating backwards and caused it to fall. In a split second, the man literally glided towards his discarded cape and quickly wrapped it around him, taking care to cover up his face with the fabric with the exception of his piercing blue eyes.
"Humph, you caught me off-guard there," he growled while fastening his cloak so it would stay put when he let go. He then picked up his mask which had fallen next to him and saw that it was damaged from the knife swing it took before tucking it into his cloak and putting pressure on his wound. "To think that I missed a knife that was right next to my feet! And you used both my and your repetitive battle tactics as a way to fool me into misreading you. All I can say is that you got lucky this time!"
"Hey, I needed at least a little bit of skill to have slashed your arm open," Link proudly countered while keeping his knife at the ready. "You can't that all of it was just luck. But never mind about that; I think there's a little something you have to do. After all, I did just win my end of the bet."
"And that you did, boy. Like I said, I'm a man of my word." With merely a nod of his head, he brought Connor down from his suspension over the burning house and safely to the ground next to Link. No sooner had his feet reached the ground did he become enveloped in a tight embrace by the blond.
"Whoa! What's with the rush of affection, Link?" the boy asked, although his voice clearly showed he was not objecting. He then added while returning the gesture, "It's not like you to be all touchy-feely."
Link merely stayed quiet and kept his younger brother in the tight embrace. It was only when they heard an obnoxious clearing of a throat did they let go.
"As touching as this all is, I must be going now," the man said. "Thanks to you, I now have a wound that needs to be tended to. But don't worry, I'll keep my other end of the deal and let you both live. However, it'll be interesting to see just how long you two can survive when this village is transformed into a prison camp!"
"What?! You're not going to let us out?" Connor exclaimed. "You said you were going to let us live if Link won. Leaving us in here is no better than you killing us right now!"
"That's true, but he never once specified exactly how he wanted to live should he have won. If you do survive the prison conditions, then let this be a lesson that you should make sure to cover all your bases before making a bet. Now if you'll excuse me, I've a newly crowned king I need to attend to."
"Hey, don't you run away!" Connor was about to chase after the man, but he was suddenly pushed back into Link who barely recovered from the change in weight. Said man continued to walk down the path that Xagrun had taken minutes ago, his unwounded arm retracting back to his wounded one.
"Great, now what're we gonna do?" the boy grumbled after getting back on his own feet. "Xagrun and his stupid strong lapdog aren't going to let us out anytime soon. If they think I'm going to do whatever they're going to make us do in a prison camp, then they got another thing coming to them!"
"Look, the important thing is that we're both alive," Link replied, his body feeling a bit heavy now that the adrenaline from fighting had worn off. "We can figure out how we're going to get out of here some other time. Right now, we need to relax and think about what we're going to do next."
"What else is there to do? Those guys torched our home to the ground! All of our money and food were in there. I'm sure the other villagers are kind of having the same trouble as we are, so asking them for help isn't going to work. And we can't get out of here what with the soldiers keeping watch over the main gate and border fence. Let's just face it; we're royally screwed here!"
"That's not helping, Connor. Look, just stop thinking that we're screwed and figure out something we can do. I'm sure we'll think of something if we just…give it…some… …"
Link never got to completely finish his thought. His vision suddenly started to turn dark, and he felt his body sinking towards the ground. The last thing he remembered hearing before completely losing consciousness was that of his little brother calling out to him.
Well, that's it for this chapter. I really do hope that you all enjoyed it and the fight scene. Because of that, it has officially made this chapter into the longest I've ever written for this story minus the author's notes and reviewer shout-out sections. And for those of you who remembered me mention earlier that I almost killed myself in this chapter, I'll explain.
For those of you who have Skyward Sword, you'll probably noticed that I modeled the cloaked man's fighting style after a boss named Ghirahim. I was writing out the entire section while listening to his boss theme! Unfortunately, I almost made him too good as I found it almost impossible for Link to win after writing 2/3 of the fight scene. However, I then remembered having written about Connor being held at knife point by the unconscious guard and just winged it from there. Thankfully, everything turned out okay and Link was able to eek out a miracle win.
But yeah, this just goes to show how dangerous this man is. He's not just some shadowy figure following Xagrun, he knows how to fight even when having put himself under a severe disadvantage. And in terms of his gloves, I just completely made it up. Tough leather made from dragon hide and dipped in a liquid solution of powered dragon scales. I thought it'd sound cool if I used dragons, and I figured their uncommon appearances in the Zelda franchise would make it sound like his gloves are a kind of rare commodity.
So, I'll go ahead and shut up now. Thanks for reading this new chapter. Don't forget to leave a review before moving onto the next story you want to read saying if there's anything that concerns you or you feel confused about. I'm always happy to answer whether on here or through private messaging through this site. Until the next update to this or any of my other stories on here!