Moving On Chapter 10
Sand whirred past, grains scratching her skin as it did. Riju grabbed hold of her scimitars and held one before her face to cover it from the sand. It didn't take long for the commotion to end and the desert to calm its wrath. The seals were gone, and sleds all collapsed, she saw her warriors rising from the desert sand to face the Yiga, all save for Buliara, and Link too was nowhere to be seen after he tumbled into the desert. She would worry but there was no time for that, now was the time for action. Riju lifted herself up from her knee, having only sustained some minor bruises from her fall by a stroke of luck. She readied her blades and called down lightning upon the Yiga forces ahead of her. Taking down a few with the first strike but their master dodged with ease, he was going to prove dangerous indeed. Riju leapt into battle with her warriors, launching at the Yiga with a flurry of blades and lightning, many vanished into a wind of paper talismans and mockery but the slow were punished.
Riju stood before her warriors, her presence giving them something of a morale boost as they cried for battle. The Yiga horde stood before them, unflinching, it looked as though every single member of their clan was here for this battle. Both sides were prepared to face any losses it took to end this fight here. Riju was first to jump back into the fray, static charging from her blades as she leapt into a flurry of attacks that blended into each other with electric efficiency. Lightning crackled around her, the occasional bolt being called down from the heavens as the air around her charged with blood and electricity, thus began the storm.
The footsoldiers of the Yiga constantly dodged her but with every attack she was sure to take at least one or two down, and the Gerudo soldiers weren't slacking either, they were pushing the enemy back and hard. Through her thunderous tirade through the battlefield, she saw Kaago and rushed him. Upon getting close she was able to see him in better detail, he was exactly as Link had said, tall and lean. His blade was almost a replica of the one Ganondorf had wielded, but with Yiga wrappings and wooden talismans hanging from the hilt.
Kaago blocked every attack of her flurry with menacing efficiency, only missing one that he still managed to avoid by vanishing into a puff of paper talismans. Though Riju found out that miss was on purpose as just behind him was Buliara whose blade just barely missed Riju. Riju sighed in relief to see her safe again, only to duck at the last second as another strike headed toward her, then another. A disguise? No, she would have revealed herself as a Yiga by now. A hint of purple malice seeped from her eyes; she was being controlled. Riju dodged her attacks as she flew them in rapid succession, she had to deal with this, but she couldn't kill her, unless she was maybe already dead? She didn't know the details of how Kaago controlled people, but she worried that it may be that he could only control the dead. Just then, she dodged, and an attack intended for her cleaved straight through Liana. She couldn't mess about anymore, she had to deal with this now.
Riju flicked her wrist and called down a bolt of lightning that struck the end of Buliara's blade, shocking her still. Riju utilized the window to leap onto her back and wrap her arms around her neck, strangling her with as much might as she could muster. This might be enough to kill her if she wasn't already dead, but this was her only option. Kaago moved in for an attack but Babi, Ploka and Teake kept him at bay, understanding what needed to be done, and despite being simple soldiers they were certainly capable. As Riju had said the night before, her soldiers weren't to be underestimated. After some struggle Buliara fell to the floor, hopefully only unconscious. Riju was finally able to return to battle. The enemy numbers were dwindling but so were hers, many wounded and one dead so far. How much longer could they last? Just then, Kaago lifted his arm to the air and gloom sprouted from it, leaping into the heads of all his fallen clansmen, each and every one standing back up like puppets. If she wanted this to end, she had to cut the root. Riju ran through the horde of puppet Yiga straight for Kaago, but just as before he blocked or dodged every attack, even her lightning. What could she do against an enemy like this? Even with her skills she couldn't defeat that monster.
The first thing he felt was the sand in his lungs, he coughed before her even opened his eyes. Link lifted himself up and felt sand falling from him a waterfall. He wiped the sand stuck to his face and opened his eyes to find himself half buried in the desert. He recalled how he ended up here, Zelda had gripped his head with her left hand and her felt a surge of unimaginable pain. Left hand... must have been Kaago in disguise. Riju and the others were no doubt in serious danger now. Link tried to lift himself out of the sand but found himself too weak to do so. He wondered how he was even still alive, the gloom seeping straight into his head and that fall should have killed even him. At that moment he heard the blade speak to him, as it had at the temple of time in the sky.
The Master sword, the sword that seals the darkness. Once long ago it went by a different name "The Blade of Evil's Bane" for its very presence was the antithesis to all evil, none with evil intent could even touch it. To bring evil against the master sword was like throwing a block of ice into a volcano. It's very presence removed the gloom from his being as it tried to take hold of him, though it couldn't undo all the damage he'd recieved.
That made sense he supposed, a legendary blade would have some secrets hidden under its sleeve, wouldn't it? Link had just the thing to counter intense gloom exposure at least, he struggled to lift his lower half out from under the sand and reached into his pouch. The first thing he felt was that Ruby circlet, snapped now, it could no longer serve any purpose. He sighed but reached further in and found what he was looking for, a bottle sealed with a cork. He took it out and it was indeed exactly what he needed. A mixture of sundelions and faires brewed together to make the ultimate counter to the gloom. He downed the entire mixture in one gulp and felt his strength returning to him. He tossed the bottle to the sands and unsheathed the master sword, using it to lift himself from the warm sands that'd imprisoned him in their warmth. As all his wounds mended and his strength returned, Link scoured the horizon with his eyes, and soon found the site of a fierce battle, lightning striking the ground in fierce velocity and Yiga bodies sent flying from the storm. That was where he needed to be.
Link dashed across the desert; a small cloud of sand being kicked up in his wake as he ran. As he neared the storm, he made out more and more details, Master Kaago was there, fighting Riju, the two looked to be locked in a stalemate. The Gerudo soldiers were fighting the Yiga footsoldiers, though they were badly wounded, and looked to have taken some losses by the looks of Buliara and Liana lying in the sand. To make things worse, the fallen bodies of the Yiga were rising from the sands by the power of master Kaago. This was bad. Kaago began to push Riju back, laying down his own flurry of wrathful strikes that she blocked or dodged. Finally, he surpassed her defenses by kicking sand into her face and moving in to skewer her on the end of his blade, only for said blade to be knocked from his hand by the heavy strike of the Master Sword, surprising both parties. Link attempted to finish him off, but the Yiga master vanished into his paper talismans before he could land a strike.
Link then sheathed the master sword and kneeled down to make sure Riju was okay, fooling both her and decidedly Kaago with the act.
"Link, no! Look out!" Riju cried, unaware of his plan. As Kaago drew near, blade in hand, Link waited for the perfect moment, as soon as he saw his shadow cast over his own, Link grabbed the Master sword and spun around, catching Kaago off guard and landing a powerful strike across his torso. Caught unaware, Kaago fell off his feet and hit the floor, Link leaped into the air and attempted a finishing blow, only for his prey to vanish a second before the blade pierced him. Paper talismans flew into his face, distracting him for a moment and giving Kaago a chance to charge him. Link countered his charge with a parry without even seeing where he was, but Kaago saw this coming and retaliated by reaching for Link's head with his left hand once more. Link caught this move and brought the Master sword before his hand, repelling the attack and making him dodge back in panic. Riju by now had kicked herself back up to her feet and was by Link's side, ready to fight side-by-side with him once again. He gave a smile which she returned, but they both were quick to focus back to the battle at hand.
Kaago saw the two reunited now and knew he'd have a harder time fighting the two of them together, so he raised his hand and brought back his most useful asset. Buliara rose from the sand, eyes overtaken by gloom. Riju watched in horror as she did, but Link jumped right into action, leaving Riju to hold off Kaago for a moment. He ran at Buliara and knocked her off her feet with the earthquake technique, before hitting her directly to the face with the hilt of the Master sword, contact forcing the gloom out of her being. Kaago was pushing as hard as he could to kill Riju before Link got back, only to receive a sword beam to his side, knocking him back a bit. Riju took the opportunity to call lightning down upon Kaago who dodged where it would've landed, however it never did land where she intended. Link had lifted the Master sword to the skies, the blade acting as a lightning rod and catching the lightning. Link charged up a great jump attack and leapt toward Kaago, lighting zapping through the blade.
Kaago dodged the sword strike itself, and even moved in for a flurry attack, but was zapped by the bolt of lightning that struck the ground around Link's sword strike. Link then moved into a spin attack, just barely missing kaago as he fell onto his back. He tried another finishing blow, but he was once again dodged. Though Riju seemed to pick up on Link's idea of using swords as lightning rods and as soon as Kaago reappeared, she tossed one of her scimitars at him and struck lightning upon it with a click of her fingers as soon as it neared him. The strike sent him flying backward, but he was still kicking. Kaago stood shakily to his feet.
"You... cannot stop this, I... We... shall take what is ours." Kaago breathed hoarsely, mildly surprising the two by speaking. He lifted his arm to the sky, summoning a dark red cloud that swarmed into his hand, he looked to be calling in all the malice and gloom in the world just into his arm. It pulsated through his being, his left arm growing an replica Master sword from his palm, it's blade made entirely from gloom, an inverted triforce etched upon it. This would be it. Link held his Master sword to the side, its blade glowing in the holy light of the goddess. Lightning struck its blade, and Riju gave him an affirming nod, she would add her power to his, to strike down this evil.
Kaago was first to move, leaping at Link with his new blade, Link dodged the blade and moved in for a flurry rush, only for another blade to stick out the side of his arm, aiming to skewer him as he moved forward. Link shifted his movement, dodging to the side rolling around Kaago, landing a back slice on him that struck his back with lightning, but he didn't even flinch. Kaago swiftly spun around and kicked Link into the air, following up with a slice from the gloom sword that Link was unable to dodge.
As Link kicked himself back up to his feet upon landing, Kaago, held his gloom sword out to the side, and lifted it, his arm glowing bright crimson and around him the bodies of the Yiga clan rose. He hadn't noticed but the battle between the Gerudo soldiers and Yiga footsoldiers had ended in their victory and they were healing up now as Link and Kaago fought. The Yiga puppets stood, but ignored the Gerudo, and all faced Link and Riju. He had a feeling the Gerudo wouldn't be able to help anymore with the wounds they'd sustained. Link lifted the Master sword up and Riju struck it with Lightning, which he used in a great spin attack that spun a great lightning strike around in circles with Link, the destruction practically erasing the Yiga footsoldiers before they had a chance to pose a threat. Link stood in the center of the destruction, Master sword held to the side and catching another lighting strike as he took a moment to catch his breath. He turned and looked to Kaago who had his blade at the ready.
Kaago and his remaining seven Yiga puppets moved in for the attack all at the same time, Riju leapt into battle with Link, who effortlessly struck through the footsoldiers and caught another strike as he moved in for Kaago. Sheild lifted first as he charged, he sheild bashed Kaago as he attempted to strike him, catching him off guard with a move he'd never seen before, quickly he attempted to cut off his left arm but Kaago was quick enough to block the attack with his inverted Master sword, the lightning from Link's blade transferring into his.
The two clashed swords, lightning leaping from blade to blade, building more and more static charge through the clash. Link devised a counter and put it into action when the lightning returned once again to his blade. He flipped backwards, dodging the blow. Link held the master sword in his mouth and with great speed swapped his shield out for his bow, attaching the broken ruby circlet to the end of it and firing it toward Kaago. He once again swapped for his shield as he landed, blocking the blast of immense heat. When it was gone, Link tossed the shield to his side, gripping his Master sword with both hands and charging in with a mighty thrust attack. He was too fast to counter and skewered Kaago where he stood, lightning frying him from the inside as he was burnt to a crisp from the outside. The very presence of the master sword repelled his very being from inside itself. Link withdrew the Master sword and sliced off his left arm with haste. It fell to the floor, as did Kaago, and all the gloom that was kept within it exploded into a cloud of calamity, but Link wasn't afraid, he held the Master sword before him, and it guarded him. Ganondorf's soul emerged from the arm, the "Self" that he abandoned when he became an immortal dragon. Link vanquished it with the power of the sword, the cloud of red vanishing to nothing with a single sword slice.
It was finally over.
