To be honest, I had trouble figuring out a title for this chapter. I had one idea, but I feel like it might be a better name for the next chapter. This title came from a song, like many chapter titles I do. For this one, it's the same name, by a singer named 'Aurea'. This isn't an ad, I just legit like this song, it's good. Anyways, I will admit this a bit of a messy chapter, but it's waited long enough. Enjoy!
-Joost
Shattering the Stars
Chapter 26: How Far Would You Go?
The dreadnaught floated aimlessly through the vast, empty void of space, as by the orders of its supreme commander. None of the soldiers, lieutenants, even the captain, had a clue as to why he had decided to keep himself and the ship in the shadows. A random realm, drifting with not a single planet nearby, absolutely nothing. A miasma of mystery breathed through the halls.
A pair of boots clanked against the dense steel of the floor, trotting down the corridor leading towards the reserved quarters at the very top of the ship. The captain, without any fear striking his heart, had become greatly displeased with his superior. There hadn't been any news, any new plans, in hours. Such silence was thought to be impossible for the tactician that was Shatterhand. While never normally uptight, the captain had gained new confidence in his own abilities, and deeply wished to show those pests what true strength was.
"Sir!" The captain pounded on the door to Shatterhand's private residence, an authority similar to an angered father in his voice.
Without any answer, the door slid open with a hiss, the light from the hall flooding in and bleeding along the neatly cared-for carpet of the room. A light mist poured out of the doorway and slinked along the cold floor.
"Enter…" Shatterhand's voice appeared, yet the man himself was nowhere to be seen from where the captain stood. Without any resistance, the captain picked up his foot and took his first step inside. The voice came once again, "Interesting, wiser men would've turned and closed their eyes…"
"I'm not the wisest man here, sir," said the captain, his pace assured. He stopped right in the middle of the room, the door whirring shut and bathing the area in darkness once more. Crossing his arms, "Although, I am starting to question your authority."
"Bold words. Do you have a death wish, my friend?"
"I only intend to die on your command, sir," the captain spoke meaningly, "My faith in you is unwavering, although I along with others wonder what exactly our plan is. We have been without your direction for nearly a day."
Without warning, a thud from behind the captain accompanied by the deep huff of damp breath meant that Shatterhand had descended from somewhere above to speak face to face. A tinge of fear shot down the captain's spine, but when the commander spoke, he was soothed like vanilla.
"You know how I live my life, is that correct?" Shatterhand asked, placing his good hand on his companion's shoulder, speaking breathily.
"Of course, you cut through life like a knife, living on the edge. I'd say it's your defining trait, sir."
"But it wasn't always like that, have I told you that?" Shatterhand, running his fingers around the captain's back, walked slowly around him, smiling. "After I was freed from that desolate prison, when I worked at the lab I used to speak of, I gambled with others."
"I never thought you the type," the captain raised an eyebrow. Money was superfluous to Shatterhand. For as long as the two had known each other, savings, expenses, all that matter was of no worry to them.
"Neither did I until I won my first game," Shatterhand explained smugly, "When a friend told me to, 'Spend the money quickly.' I recognized it as a threat, yet my mind was unfazed. That rush from winning empowered me, and I went on to begin funding for this very ship. That was where I evolved to live down to the wire." Shatterhand, without eyeing the captain, caressed his cheek playfully. They both suppressed their urge to smirk, but the tension between them had all melted away.
The captain raised his left hand up and snapped his fingers, summoning the lights. While Shatterhand preferred to be in the dark, he didn't mind the light. The illumination allowed the scattered papers pinned up on the walls to be seen. On a desk, beside a private bookshelf, was an opened sketchbook which caught the captain by surprise.
"Haven't seen that in a while. You must be worried, sir," he said, walking over and picking up the book, flipping through the pages. Some eraser shavings and flint from a pencil fell onto the floor as the captain admired the various drawings of the enemies.
"Well, the reason I told you about the way I live at is because now I realize it must change. These fools, brought here by that damned goddess Empyrea, they have proven to be formidable," Shatterhand took the sketchbook and flipped to his drawing of the Godbird. There were arrows pointing towards suspected weak spots that would make the kill easier. "That little blue turkey," he unknowingly echoed a former crusader, "She must have been waiting for this moment for eons. I don't know how, but she managed to gather that green swordsman, the plumbers, and all the rest together."
"They managed to kill a good number of our elite, so I understand the newfound concern," mused the captain. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a journal on the desk, placed sneakily in a slightly opened compartment next to the lamp. It was easy to guess that the details of death that dwelled in Shatterhand's mind were logged on the pages.
The one thing neither Shatterhand nor the captain were expecting was to see Empyrea bring along backup. Those four men, magic users, all from distant and some shared realms. Alone, against all of the crusaders, Shatterhand didn't stand a chance. However, now that they had arrived, they knew what they were truly contending with. A dark glimmer of bastardized joy came from Shatterhand's eye as he inwardly chose to handle a few of those heroes himself.
"Though now… What exactly is our plan?"
"It's simple," Shatterhand flipped to another page in his book, showing a sketch of the old citadel he had in a Hyrulean realm. "We have them come to us. I have a feeling that Link, ever noble, might want to finish this in a place his variant knew very, very well!"
Swiftly, a strong memory rushed back to the captain. He remembered speaking with his master, beckoning him away from his 'meeting' with that variant of the Hero of Time. The cold, unfeeling words he had spoken, ordering him to have the man killed. The captain himself had sent out a squad of his best men, all proficient in swordsmanship and briefed on Link's fighting style to face him. While the old man had gotten away, it was later proven by Shatterhand's encounter with the other Link that his men had succeeded in their mission.
"That old, decrepit land? I wouldn't have guessed, but perhaps it's fitting," the captain looked up at the ceiling, thinking about the status of that world. "Do you think the Hylians have evacuated the town? If vacant, it'd provide a fine battlefield to split up the crusaders and deal with them quickly."
"If they haven't, we'll kill them all. But I am confident that they will be thoughtless enough to do anything in ensure I and the rest of my influence are wiped out," Shatterhand grinned spectacularly, putting on his Dark Matter gauntlet and clenching it, letting the murky, wicked energy spark. It burst into a flicker of light, embers of shadow fluttering to the floor.
The captain recalled his request to finish those plumbers, Mario and Luigi, "I see. I assume I will get my chance to face the brothers somewhere in town?" He still deeply wished to pay back the debt for being frozen by the green one during the battle in the Mushroom Kingdom.
"Precisely, and I myself will stay at the castle, with a group of our finest at the Temple of Time," Shatterhand gestured over to some papers scattered about the wall. They outlined the layout of Castle Town, certain markers pinpointing where he, the captain, and others would go to either ambush or fend off the group opposing them. "If I make it known that I am at the castle, then you attack before they reach the outskirts, they'll surely divide in an attempt to conquer."
"Wonderful," the immorality of darkness gleamed from the captain's mouth, his smile foul enough to wither a flower.
Without any questions left, the captain turned and exited the room to tell the rest of the dreadnaught crew the plan. He'd need to search for the exact realm, but the banks of data they had stored from previous missions. It'd be an effortless task to track down where they needed to go.
Dawn crept along the mountains slowly, seeping down the rocks and across the barren flats until reaching the campsite. Mario was the first to awaken, a beam of sunlight reflecting off of Eight's shield straight onto his face. It was rather annoying. Rising from his curled-up position by the remains of the campfire, the red plumber stretched, yawning.
"Meh…" Mario grumbled to himself, his back sore from the way he was sleeping. He already missed pillows and blankets. Smacking his lips, he yawned again before looking up towards the sky. Knowing the erratic weather in this realm, clouds were sure to follow the sunrise.
It was easy to notice that the campsite and its inhabitants were sleeping peacefully. While Mario wanted to have his allies rest a bit more, deep down, he knew they didn't have any time to waste. As he cleaned up what was left of the campfire, he inspected each of his fellow crusaders. Choosing Link first, he put his hand on the green swordsman's shoulder and gently shook him awake.
"Hm… Huh? Wha-?" Link woke up without much effort from Mario, proving that he wasn't getting quality rest, "Oh, hey Mario."
"Hey man, you doing alright? C'mon," Mario put his hand out for Link to take.
"Yeah, I'm alright," Link said as Mario helped him stand up. There were defined bags under his eyes, and he had somewhat of a slouch. His posture and appearance screamed 'exhausted', but the mustachioed man was no different in his weariness.
"Should we wake the others?" Mario asked, a warm smile drawing across his face, admiring the group he could call his friends.
"If they slept anything like I did, no," Link said, walking back to check the surroundings in case of any lingering enemies. The field where the battle against Shatterhand had ensued had a few corpses of fallen soldiers. It was sickening, but it had to be this way. Taking another step, he went down and stood above the body of an armored swordsman.
Mario sighed, following Link down and keeping to the side. The green hero crouched down and inspected the body, somberness glistening from his eyes. Taking off his hat and placing it across from him, he removed his shield and held it by the sides, using it to dig into the dirt.
"Don't tell me…" Mario's jaw went slack.
"Look, we might be fighting Shatterhand, but…" Link gazed upon the rest of the dead soldiers with remorse, "But we are not like him. They at least deserve this honor."
"Come on, they tried to kill us!"
"And yet we killed them," Link was determined to bury the dead, no matter what their allegiance was. Fairness was a virtue that the enemy lacked, but the hearts of the righteous carried it in bulk. "I highly doubt Shatterhand buried his victims, if there was anything left of them when he was done… You know that saying, 'there's no rest for the wicked? We need to let them rest."
Mario was trapped. On one hand, he didn't want to let these depraved men rest in peace, but on the other hand, there might be an endless amount of torment waiting for them in whatever was beyond life. Reluctantly, the plumber joined Link in the job. Together, they dug a grave for each and every one of the fallen fiends, giving them a suitable place to sleep. It took a good amount of the morning to finish, mounds of dirt marking where each nameless goon rested. By then, a good number of the other crusaders had woken up.
Amy and Crystal had probably slept the worst out of everyone. The entire night, they were restless, tossing and turning on the uncomfortable ground, the fire warming them up and the breeze being too chilly. The couple had laid a good distance away from the others, unable to find a suitable spot that wasn't too hot or cold. Frustration was easy to see in the irritable way they spoke once awake.
"Where were you two?" Amy asked, just now noticing that Link and Mario had left as they were coming back. The handles of her Dualies occupied both palms, occasionally twirling them around by spinning the trigger guard around her pointer fingers.
"Busy helping the dead," Link replied, walking right by.
"Woah…" Amy grew shocked at Link's attitude; the night having been just as unkind to him as it was to her and her girlfriend.
"Sorry about that," Mario told the Inkling, "I kinda peeved him earlier, but I'm sure he'll snap out of it."
"I hope so, he seems worried. Nah wait- he's anxious," Amy guessed.
"I wouldn't blame him, I am too!" Crystal remarked, lying in the sun. She had her arms up, the Passion summoned and its vines mingling around, casting shadows along her face. "I mean, we've got everybody here! I'm sure he's thinking about our plan and stuff!"
"Fair…" Mario rubbed his chin, figuring that Crystal was probably right. He couldn't deny that the subject was also on his mind. The weirdest part was, the night before, Link seemed so happy. A smile had been across his face, a real one, excited to train with The Passion, and to see Kirby flying around with his Warp Star.
"Just leave him be for a bit, it helps, shockingly. I know it did for me…" Amy's eye stung for a split second, a natural reaction to thinking about some of her darkest moments.
"Alright, I guess I'll just go find Weege…" Mario walked off in search of his brother, unable to see him from where he was standing.
Amy and Crystal were alone again, only the sound of the wind keeping them company. There was a slight wall between them, forming out of Amy's comment about leaving Link be. Gloominess was glazed over her eyes, causing Crystal to worry for her a bit. After just a minute, the silence became incorrigible. Taking each other by the hand, the Inkling and Octoling joined back up with the others.
Chatter filled the morning air as the four heroes, the Mario brothers, Kirby, Link, Tael, and the mystic duo of Empyrea and Landia talked in their respective groups. Things seemed to be going well for them all, thankfully. Empyrea's gift made sure of it; the mystic vines being closely linked to the strings of fate. No one, not even Empyrea, knew the limits of The Passion's purpose, abilities, or properties. All the Godbird knew was that they amplified the capabilities of the user, guided emotions, and were very delicately connected to the realms. However, that was the extent of her knowledge about them.
However, one being knew just a little more. The collection of sorrow that tied Amy and Crystal together found hidden familiarity with The Passion, and it gave it much comfort. With that, and the undying love formed between the two teens, the being gained the determination to fight as hard as it could for such a mortal pleasure. The desire was so intense that the pair of souls bearing the being felt something off.
"Ack- My eye won't stop stinging!" Amy complained, rubbing her face in hopes that her dirty hands would help against the searing feeling in her head.
"Mine too… But these usually go away, hopefully…" Crystal also rubbed her eye, a few green-ish sparks flashing fast enough to be unnoticeable.
Crystal sat down next to Amy on a rock, head down, trying to sooth her pain. For a second she considered using the vines to try and somehow accomplish it, but that was silly. Although, doing an internal double take, Crystal thought about the fact that she even played with the idea of using the Passion in such a way. An instinct like that wasn't natural, especially for her, so why? Why would she do that?
"Yo, you alright?" Amy was unused to Crystal's prolonged silence.
"Y-Yeah, just thinking about this 'Passion' thingy. Hehe, it's funny, I'm usually the one to ask you if you're alright!" Crystal giggled, her smile returning. Her chuckle caused Amy to do the same, with both their sets of vines humming in a symphony.
"I know! I just… like mixing things up! Besides, you ask it so often, yet aren't asked it nearly as much," Amy leaned back and smirked, sighing and enjoying the surprisingly fresh air. It reminded the two of their time enjoying the air back in Inkopolis, making their already far-flung journey feel quite roundabout. If there was a view that rivaled the one they got back home, maybe this wouldn't be all that unnatural. "Huh, my eye feels a bit better now…" Amy thought, before turning to Crystal, asking, "Hey, wanna train a little more? The others seem busy, so we might as well make the best of our time!"
"Hehe, yeah!" Crystal replied excitedly. She and Amy stood up, not even noticing their vines parting from their own exotic, thorny embrace.
Grabbing their weapons, Amy and Crystal left for a flat plain near the campsite, right where they had sparred the day before. Both teens grinned, clutching their precious items tightly, summoning The Passion from their arms to bind themselves and their tools together. After a collective deep breath, they started, Amy dotting the ground with ink from her Dualies. Amy, oppositely, took a more careful approach, inking the turf behind her and in two directions, hiding.
"Crap, where did she…?" Amy grunted, not knowing where Crystal had gone. She was cunning like that. But when her Passion sparked and moved on its own volition, it entered the ink, diving in like other Inklings and Octolings could.
"There…" A voice inside Amy's head said, though it was so faint, she mistook it for some of the distant words coming from the other crusaders back at the heart of the camp. Regardless, Amy aimed for the area the voice alluded to, the right, and fired.
"Wah!" Crystal jumped out of her ink and into the open, exclaiming, "How'd you know I was there?"
"I… I dunno! A feeling!" Amy snapped her fingers, The Passion emerging from the ink and scurrying towards Crystal. They sprang at her, coiling around her arms and keeping her from using her Octobrush. "Get over here!" Amy cried, yanking on her vines, pulling Crystal into the ink and towards her. She resurfaced and wound up in Amy's arms, the Inkling instantly getting lost in her eyes.
"W-Woah…" Crystal muttered, blushing at the sudden contact between her and her girlfriend.
Amy didn't say anything, already drowning in her admiration for Crystal. Unbeknownst to them, The Passion started to wrap around them. The thorns had retracted, allowing for all the comfort to multiply tenfold. All their loneliness was forgotten about whenever they held each other, their bonds, just like Erdrick, Solo, Eight, and Eleven's, strong enough to rival any manmade weapon. When they finally parted from each other, they were taken aback by the intense light emanating from their vines.
"Man, these things feel… strong? It's hard to get a grip on them fully, right, Crys?" Amy wiggled her arm, making her Passion writhe around on the ground, the excess Wave Energy seeping into the ground and bringing life back to the soil.
"Do you… Do you think it might have something to do with our sanitization?" Crystal wondered aloud, watching as their fusions' trademark green sparks shot from The Passion's thorns when they protruded again. It was the only explanation she had, proving what little she or the others truly knew about the vines.
"Maybe… But let's get back to training!" Amy quickly grabbed one of her Dualies and chuckled.
The two resumed their rigorous method, ink proceeding to fly around and stain the ground, sunlight reflecting off the wide, shiny surface. As in synch as Amy and Crystal usually were, one thing was never synchronized. Their heartbeats. Instead, they pumped in a rhythm, always complimenting one another as if in tune to a song that only they could hear. Like Kirby before, they too went into overdrive, their hearts swelling with combined pride.
Across the field, Empyrea and Landia were standing backs against one another, watching both directions carefully. The four-headed dragon was amused with how the Mario Brothers and the four swordsmen trained together, the Firebrand and Thunderhand somehow being a match for a good number of spells the heroes wielded. Empyrea was keeping an eye on Link, Tael, Kirby, and the two ink users.
"Hm… So they are the most potent of the group… Very good," Empyrea thought to herself, having been observing Amy and Crystal's routine extremely closely. So much so that she couldn't even recall what Link, Tael, and Kirby were doing.
"Infinite… passion…" The voice appeared to Empyrea this time, only a whisper, but still breaking through the Godbird's consciousness.
"Indeed it is," Empyrea replied.
Link's frown had grown since the early morning, almost matching with the mortified expression that donned the Mirror Shield. The friendly match between him and Kirby had gone stale, Link moving like an automaton and showing little emotion. Something was different, the unseen danger sign getting so distracting that it was driving him insane. He lowered his sword, making Kirby stop in his tracks before he could use his strengthened Ice Ability.
"Hey Kirby, could I have my arrow back?" Link asked.
"Poyo!" Kirby complied, rejecting his power and spitting out the Ice Arrow that Link had allowed him to use. It flew through the air and landed right in Link's hand, where he put it back into his item bag.
"Something wrong, Link?" Tael asked.
"I think… it's about time for us to move out," Link explained, Kirby joining him and his fairy companion. "Call it superstition, but I know Shatterhand is planning something. It's only been a day and we haven't gotten any sign of him," he made his way to Amy and Crystal, "We shouldn't wait around anymore, not after knowing what he's capable of!"
"Poy poyo!" Kirby wasn't the surest about Link's plan.
"I don't mean to be difficult, but we need to go after him!"
"Hey, you guys alright?" Amy was the first to spot Link out of the corner of her eye. She and Crystal ceased their sparring and looked at the hero in green with confusion.
"Gathering up everybody, I think now's a good time to get going and find Shatterhand," Link told the two, turning right around to fetch Mario and Luigi next. He expected Amy and Crystal to follow, which they did, only after they glanced at each other briefly.
"Find Shatterhand? H-How're we going to do that?!" Crystal sputtered, nervous about the sudden news.
Link didn't respond, his gear clanking against themselves as he walked. Agitation oozed from his demeanor, glimpses of The Passion flickering in and out of existence around his hands. Either he was struggling to summon it now or it was materializing too eagerly. No matter, Link's emotions were awry, the dark determination in his eyes as he thought about the possible end of this long, arduous journey. As soon as he and the others approached, Mario and Luigi knew their intentions were serious. They stopped channeling their elemental arts from their palms and rose to attention.
"You feelin' better, Link?" Mario asked.
"I- I'm not sure," Link said plainly, reaching into his bag and retrieving the Ultra Sword, "But we've got work to do."
"You got it!" Luigi was admittedly excited, electricity crackling from his glove with impressive vigor.
"Ah, Link, it seems you're ready," Empyrea greeted the hero in green as they passed by to find Erdrick, Solo, Eight, and Eleven. She smiled at the sight of the Ultra Sword, and with Landia, she took flight. "Boys!" she called over to the four swordsmen, "It's time!"
A suave grin appeared on Erdrick's face, and he leaned on the hilt of his sword like a cane. "Alright team, time to put this training to use, let's go," he waved to his friends. Together, they marched across to meet up with Link, the same feeling running through their veins.
"Is it bad that I'm kind of amped for this?" Eleven asked, nudging Solo.
"Not really, I'd be a liar if I didn't agree," Solo said, smiling again. It was nice to see him at ease for once considering what had gone down between him and his comrades yesterday.
With all the crusaders assembled and their divine guides, Empyrea and Landia, ready, Link held up the Ultra Sword. With his other hand, he fished around in his pocket to find the picture of Romani. Just for a second, he smiled at it, hoping he'd be able to get home soon before the baby would be born. Putting the photo back, with the sword held by both hands, he swung, cleaving through the air and summoning a new, star-shaped portal.
"Is everybody fully prepared?" Link asked, putting the Ultra Sword away. Tael flew over to be by his side, the fairy giving his old friend a warm smile.
They all nodded, giving him solid confirmation.
"Let's do this, then," Link said, summoning The Passion in his hand.
Empyrea swooped down and soared through the portal first, Landia right behind her. Link was next, he and Tael walking in without any hesitation. Amy and Crystal went through holding hands, the hum of the sacred vines coming from their touch. Then, the four swordsmen joined, Eight's bandana and Erdrick's cape flowing in the wind. For the Mario Brothers, an air of resolution combed their moustaches, smirks on both of their faces.
"Kinda crazy how much we've seen, right, Weege?" Mario remarked, jolting forward and jogging through the portal before his twin.
"Yeah, but it's not over yet!" Luigi crossed his arms and smiled.
"Poyo!" Kirby chirped, his little comment making the green plumber chuckle as he walked into and beyond the opening in reality.