Hyrule under Fire

Rise to Fall, Fall to Rise

Heaps of ruinous roofing rampaged with soulless abandon. Once the echoes of collapse faded...

Slowly, Arn emerged from flaming rubble, coughing smoke and embers, his armor quite dented. The melee had finally ended, though the castle walls shook and swayed, every stone creaking as the flames grew.

Arms flailing circularly inward, Kohga haphazardly waddled off. "Gahhh! Which way do I go, again!?"

Bruised and bloodied, Impa jumped out her rubbly entombment. She landed upon Master Kohga.

"Yee-ow!"

Her boots pinned him to the floor, her eyes narrowing amid smoke. "Game over, traitor."

The Top Banana dryly chuckled. "Ohhh, I don't think so... Not even a tincey-wincey bit..."

She gasped once she realized the condition of the castle. "If the castle crashes, Princess Zelda..." After giving Kohga a good kick, she stepped off and struck her fists together, summoning immense glyphs that latched into architecture. "Holding!" She struggled to maintain her magic, falling to a knee as her forehead sweat and bled profusely. "Arn...find The King!"

"Yes, Impa!" The guard captain ran across the great hall, swerving amid flames and fallen roofing. He leapt over piles of burning rubble and dodged falling chunks, his damaged armor smeared with hot sweat and blood.

He rummaged through debris, avoiding falling debris now and then. Eventually he pulled His Majesty free, helping him stand. The ashy King coughed, brushing himself off before putting his dented crown back on. The King wiped soot from his eyes, looking around.

"I'm using my magic to hold the castle as best I can!" Impa yelled across the burning great hall.

"Ar-Arn!" The King coughed, straightening himself up. "I will not forsake my daughter. But if I don't make it..." The rebel forces who had remained outside cheered the destruction of the castle, awaiting any survivors. "...Then ensure at least your child survives."

The Guard Captain nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty!"

The King ran beyond debris and flames...

Arn pushed aside fallen chunks of ceiling and pillars, finding some fallen comrades. He knelt, helping a guard sit up. The injured soldier slightly raised his arm, wanted to say something... His eyes rolled back, he went limp. Arn's head dropped. He lay down the fallen comrade, noticing he died pointing opposite of Arn. The guard captain turned, searching the rubble.

He uncovered a few more moving bodies.

"Thanks for saving me, sir!" "Hail, friend!" "Is the fighting over?" "I hope not."

Arn waved down some flames, pushing over some burning debris. "Sir Combsly? That you?"

Coughing, the burly knight picked himself, cindered ashes falling off his armor. He shook his head, visor bent. "Nice to see you're still alive, too, Arn. I did well to choose you as guard captain."

After helping up a score of knights, Royal Guards and soldiers, Arn and Sir Combsly led the injured, beaten, bloodied entourage through the smoke and flames.

The castle shook with crashing echoes, yet magic remained sustaining the few portions it could, if only for a few more seconds.

Arn turned, charging through piles of flaming debris, embers bursting everywhere. "IMMPAAA!"

Flames swarmed throughout the great hall, pillars and timbers crashing.

"To the courtyard, quick! It's our only chance!" Sir Combsly shouted.

The knights and guards rushed across the great hall, coughing smoke as cindered masonry avalanched around them, clinking against their armor. Sir Combsly tackled through a section of wall containing an arrowslit, breaking through the opening. They trudged into the courtyard, the great hall collapsing behind them. Yet, the walls surrounding the Castle Courtyard remained standing!

Armors steaming, the men threw off their helmets, leaping into the surrounding waterway, their bodies and equipment quenched cool. They drank to the relief of scorched throats, though if only the waters could be a Fairy's Fountain...

The knights and guards regained themselves, looking up as flames towered all around them, the moon enshrouded by smoke.

Sir Combsly wiped his mouth. "The night is not yet over..."

The guards looked at the entrance to the Castle Courtyard, flames growing there.

The Top Banana appeared, hoping around on one foot and holding the other, hair smoky. "Ow-ow-ow, ow! Too hot!" He backed away from the flames blocking the path. "Hm, can't go that way anymore." He turned, noticing all the knights and jumping from fright.

He then looked back at the flames blocking the path—Impa angrily stepped through the flames, tanto in hand. Kohga flinched, backing up against the wall.

Arn approached the awkward ninja, sooty sword ready, Impa's tanto glinting in her hand.

Master Kohga hesitated. "Gahahh! How could these losers win against me?"

Poof!

Everyone looked up. An immense, muscular Yiga ran down the smoke, flames and wall, unsheathing two hefty ōkatanas. He jumped from the wall, his blades colliding into Arn's sword, impact blasting sparks. Arn's shield remained true, the block throwing the huge Yiga back.

Impa frowned. "He must be the Right Hand of the Inverted Eye."

Master Kohga regained his composure. "Sooga!? You're late! I almost got peeled like a banana!"

The knights roared, charging, Kohga falling to his rear from panic.

The Blademaster regained himself, running forth in a curve, quite supple despite his musculature.

"Here we come!" Combsly stated, sword high.

Sooga swung both swords simultaneously as he moved in, Impa striking them with her tanto; he continued his running slash to the next target which Arn deflected. The immense Yiga jumped back, sheathing his swords.

Sir Combsly and the other knights and guards charged. "He can't take us all down!"

The Blademaster calmed. "Be prepared..." He unsheathed a single sword while cutting forth, time pausing. "If I must." He sheathed his Swords of Valiance, red cut marks flickering wildly.

The defenders were hurled back with great force, many slamming into the walls, their armors and shields grotesquely dented.

Groaning, Arn knelt up, Impa and Sir Combsly struggling to their feet.

The Blademaster rushed forth, unsheathing his blades and thrusting, one at Arn other at Impa, both blocking but staggering. They exchanged swings with their new foe, blades slashing into blades...

Sir Combsly and his men surrounded the Yiga and swung; the Blademaster leapt, wildly twirling mid-air, whirling blades knocking back all attackers.

"This will be difficult." Impa jumped, interrupting the whirling moves with her tanto. The Blademaster poofed into smoke, reappearing while front flipping, still mid-air, cleaving his blades upon Impa's defense. Overwhelmed, she hit the floor. The Blademaster held his swords downwards, blades slamming as he landed, Impa rolling backwards over her shoulders as debris dashed up where she once was.

As the ground ruptured, a small tornado appeared, hurling Impa up. The Yiga pulled one sword out the ground and swung down vertically, "Hwah!" The whirlwind split apart, Impa's back crashing into the wall hard. She grimaced, grunting as she fell.

Combsly growled. "You'll pay!"

The immense Yiga sheathed his blades as Sir Combsly and a few knights rushed forth. The Right Hand of the Inverted Eye unsheathed while cutting, time slowing down as immense red cut marks crisscrossed in the air. His attackers staggered, paused in time while the Blademaster swung with utmost rapidity. Time returned to normal, the attackers twirling backwards, sparks and dents everywhere.

Arn returned, sword up. The Blademaster sheathed; unsheathing, he parried Arn's sword with one katana, other katana slashing across his armor. Regaining footing, Arn approached once again. "I'm not quitting so easily."

"Very well." The Yiga put one hand on his sword; Arn slashed. The Blademaster tilted away, switching to the other sword, attacking from another direction, striking Arn across the helm then push-kicking him back. The Blademaster rushed forth, blades whirling—Sir Combsly returned, holding his sword two-handed by the blade, inverted swing sending the hilt with heavy force. The hilt disarrayed Sooga's duo blades.

Arn took his chance. "HYYAAHHH!" His Jump Attack came, the attack staggering the bulky ninja.

Combsly leaned over the recovering Yiga, grabbing the Blademaster's right forearm and headbutting him, helmet thudding against mask. Rearing, the Yiga fell while dragging Combsly over himself, the Yiga thrusting both legs upwards and kicking Combsly upon Arn.

"Ooff!" They fell over each other.

Sooga returned to his feet, rolling his shoulders, swinging upwards from below as some guards lumbered forth, cutting into their leg harnesses until they collapsed.

Sir Combsly and Arn got up, attacking from either side. The Yiga faded away, Arn's sword swinging through air. Smokeless, the Blademaster reappeared, swinging rapidly, bright cut marks flickering to and fro, attackers slashed down. The Blademaster sheathed his swords, facing the limping guards—Impa jumped on Sooga's back, pulling his forehead, tanto across his throat.

Poof!

Impa's bottom hit the ground. She jumped to her feet—the Blademaster slammed his boots upon her shoulders, pinning her to the ground.

"Impa!" Arn ran over, attacks parried by the bulky ninja. He bashed his shoulder into the Yiga's, staggering him then swinging low, the Blademaster jumping over the sword.

The Blademaster backflipped, creating distance. Arn's eyes narrowed, he bent his knees, sword back. The Yiga faded away, rushing forth like a gust of wind. He reappeared, blades glinting—Arn threw his helmet, stifling the Sooga's right ōkatana while Arn parried the left, then swung down...

The immense ninja ran past Arn, slowing to a halt. He turned, a downward diagonal cut on his mask. The two men stared each other down.

The Right Hand of the Inverted Eye sheathed his blades. "Hm."

Arn and Impa approached, hurt and bloodied, yet unyielding. He looked side to side as Sir Combsly, guards and knights gradually flanked him. The Blademaster unsheathed one ōkatana, a single yet immense red cut mark flashing across the area, half his attackers knocked back. The other defenders hesitated.

Combsly leapt, attacking Sooga furiously, blade clashing against the Swords of Valiance, unable to overcome the Right Hand of the Inverted Eye. Sooga parried the attacks, thrusting his swords downards into the ground while drop kicking Combsly off his feet.

The Blademaster backflipped while pulling his swords out the ground, evading his exhausted attackers. He landed, crossing his blades downwards, blades gleaming. He swung them down, a bright purple X unleashed with great force. Arn and Impa blocked, impact staggering them, nearby knights and guards falling.

Swords of Valiance sheathed, Sooga turned around. "Master Kohga..."

The Top Banana was sitting like a baby. "I don't think I can...last much longer...without a Mighty Banana... Wwuhhohh—"

Sooga put Master Kohga over his shoulder. The Blademaster looked back at his foes, diagonal cut in his mask a reminder his life was on the line. "We have done what we came to do. These cowards are beneath notice. Now we must retreat."

"Not so fast!" Impa charged.

Smoke puffed everywhere as she ran. She raised her arm, coughing, smoke dissipating as Master Kohga's laugh echoed amid fluttering cards.

Impa looked around and grunted. The Yiga were gone.

Sir Combsly lumbered over. "He could have finished us if he wanted."

"But he didn't," Arn remarked, picking up his helm.

"He held back. He was the coward," Impa spat.

The flames subsided, mostly just smoke rising from the crumbled walls.

The hateful cheers of the remaining rebels outside echoed.

Combsly gripped his sword. "Come on. The night is not yet over."