Again, sorry for being slow to update. I was busy catching up on One Piece.
68 Days Left
"Are you sure about this?" Raphael asked. "I mean, I like a good scrap as much as the next guy, but still..."
"We can't afford to leave these monsters able to attack our forces from behind," Yuri said. "Outside of Hyrule Castle, monsters other than Guardians aren't under Ganon's control, but they still tend to be hostile to most people, and we can't risk them hitting our supply storage while we're busy with Ganon's forces."
"But there is being a Silver Lynel here?" Petra asked. "We were nearly being massacred by a Red-Maned Lynel. The Silver Lynel is meant to be being three times stronger. And only ten of us here."
"Well...we've gotten stronger since then, haven't we?" Annette asked.
"Yes, but that much stronger?" Ignatz countered.
"You worry too much," Felix said.
"Yeah, we'll kick these monsters' teeth in," Caspar said confidently. "It'll be easy."
"Did you really just say that?" Leonie asked. "Don't you know you never say 'It'll be easy' before doing anything? When you say that, that guarantees it won't be easy."
"Remind me why I volunteered for this?" Hapi said with a groan.
"Wait, listen," Marianne shushed the others, as they listened to the roars of a Lynel.
"It's a Lynel," Felix said. "We know there's one there."
"Those aren't screams of challenge," Marianne told him. "Those are screams of fear and pain."
"Then we should get there fast," Yuri said. "While whatever this Lynel is scared of is busy with it."
The ten of them rushed as quickly as they could to the entrance to the Coliseum. Across the walls and seating, they saw Silver Bokoblins, Moblins, and Lizalfos fighting others of their kind, with ones covered in Malice fighting ones that weren't. Some of this fighting had bled over to the ground floor, but most of the monsters were avoiding the three figures in the center of the arena.
One was a female Lynel, completely covered in Malice. She was trying to hold a male Silver Lynel still, as a familiar cloaked figure approached him, about to infect him with Malice as well.
"Astor," Felix said with a sneer, catching the old warlock's attention.
"So some of the Hero's pitiful company just happened to show up today," Astor said. "What luck. You've saved me the trouble of killing you later." He then tried to apply the Malice to the male Lynel, but Marianne used her light magic to dissolve it in his hand. "Hm. Pity," Astor said. He then turned to the female Lynel. "Kill him, then help me kill these whelps."
Marianne tried to exorcise the female Lynel. She really did. But she couldn't do more than hold the Malice away from the female Lynel's mind for more than a few seconds. The female Lynel said something to the male in their language. Marianne could barely understand the language, but she could recognize the meaning. "Kill me."
With a roar of anguish, the male Lynel attacked the corrupted female. While they fought, Petra, Ignatz, and Felix started attacking the corrupted Lynel.
Marianne turned her attention to Astor. "Do you truly wish to scour this world clean of life, to kill everything that lives, including yourself?"
"And why would I not?" Astor asked. "Because I would die myself? Even if I was not already not far from death, it would be worth it to hold such power in my hands, to know that life and death on such a scale was my choice. That power would set me above the gods! And through Calamity Ganon, I shall have that power!"
"It might leave you a legacy no one could match, but who would be able to appreciate that legacy?" Marianne tried. "You would be forgotten immediately."
"But I would not be forgotten," Astor said. "The dead would remember me. They would know I was responsible for rendering everything they achieved in their lives pointless. The gods would remember me. They would know I was responsible for ruining their plans for this world and its people. I will be remembered. You will be the ones forgotten."
Marianne glared at Astor and began throwing spells at him, while Annette did the same. However, Astor was able to keep pace with both of them. Then Ashe tried attacking Astor, and Marianne shifted her attention to the others. None appeared to be in need of healing, at least not at the moment.
So instead, she used her light magic on the Malice Lynel again, giving the Silver Lynel a chance to cut off the Malice Lynel's arm. She hoped Astor would be distracted, but he noticed. "It seems that's my cue to leave. You've grown stronger than I expected, but it will not matter." He then used his magic to warp away.
It didn't take long before the Malice Lynel was dead. The Silver Lynel looked at her dissolving corpse, and let out a roar of pure anguish.
The other members of the Company looked nervously at the Silver Lynel, but Marianne cast a healing spell on him, healing an injury and catching his attention. "You want revenge for what he did to your mate?"
The Silver Lynel growled, but his anger was not directed at her.
"No, you shouldn't attack the monsters in Hyrule Castle now," Marianne said. "I understand that you don't care if you die, but you dying now fighting those monsters won't hurt him much."
More growling, this time partially directed at her.
"No, I'm not saying you shouldn't attack him at all," Marianne said. "I'm saying you should wait for the right moment, the moment where it will do the most damage to him."
An inquisitive noise.
"Yes, I do know when that will be. It will be around sixty days from now, when seven armies converge on Hyrule Castle. Build up your forces, and be ready to attack the Prophet of Doom's forces then."
A chuff of acceptance, and with that, the Silver Lynel rallied his remaining soldiers, and they left the Coliseum in search of more recruits.
Leonie was the first to break the silence. "I...didn't think you could negotiate with those things."
"The lesser monsters are just feral beasts," Marianne explained. "They can grasp basic commands from their master, but little more. Lynels, though, are as intelligent as humans. They are fierce, territorial, and brutal, probably as a result of being obligate carnivores, and they cannot speak our language. But they are as intelligent as you or I. And that one now has reason to hate Astor and Ganon."
"Well then," Yuri said. "It seems we may have found an unexpected asset. Let's report back and see if we can't make a few plans that could make use of it."