It was a bit over a month since the Battle of Hyrule Field, and Hyrule finally looked as if it was starting to fix itself. The monster population was nowhere near what it was; even Stalfos were far less common than they had been, thanks to the absence of Ganon's dark magic leaking out of Hyrule Castle. As such, trade was picking back up and resources were going to local industries that had previously been spent on protecting settlements. Each of the Rising Sun Company had been leading or assisting with projects throughout Hyrule, from farming to construction to trade.
While some of them had met with others at various points throughout the month, this was the first time the entire Company had been in one place. There had been a report of Wizzro and a pack of monsters being seen in the ruins of the Akkala Citadel. Wizzro being as dangerous as he was, they had decided to all show up, just to be sure.
There had been no sign of Wizzro when they reached the Citadel, just a number of Blins and Wizzrobes, likely having chosen the Citadel as their territory because it was easily defensible, even as ruined as it was. It hadn't been too difficult to clear them out.
"Still, this wasn't a complete waste of time," Ferdinand noted. "Now we can send salvage teams here. I found a few useful items here that the monsters didn't get their hands on, and I don't doubt there's more that we didn't find. Eventually, perhaps we can have the Citadel rebuilt, but until we can find an architect with expertise in fortresses, that doesn't seem feasible."
"Rebuilding the Akkala Citadel isn't an immediate concern," Zelda said. "As to the salvage teams, there's a good chance they wouldn't get here before more monsters decide to take over the ruins. It would be nice if we could have a garrison keep monsters out of these ruins, but at the moment, we just don't have the manpower for that."
"Why not have the Koroks search the ruins?" Annette asked. "They should be able to do it quickly."
"Do you think they would help?" Zelda asked. Most of the Koroks had decided to sit out the majority of the rebuilding. The Calamity had a relatively small impact on their society, and they didn't feel any obligation to pitch in. Annette, however, had managed to get their help with a few projects.
"It depends," Annette said. "Usually, if you want the Koroks' help, you need to beat them in a game first. Or turn whatever task you need done into a contest. They'll go crazy competing with each other if you do that. Though you need to be careful when you set the rules to make sure they do it right."
"Uh, guys?" Linkle said. "My compass is going crazy."
Yuri snapped to attention. "Is it just pointing in a direction that isn't north, or is it spinning wildly?"
"Spinning wildly," Linkle said.
"Is that bad?" Caspar asked.
"Maybe, maybe not," Hapi said. "Last time it did that, we ended up in Hyrule."
Suddenly, at the main gate of the Citadel, a portal appeared. On the other side, screams of pain and fear could be heard.
And in view of the portal, a woman holding a small child, who could not have been older than two or three, tripped and fell, using her own body to break her child's fall. And a man Flayn gladly believed she would never see again raised his sword as he walked toward them, intent on ending both of their lives.
At the sight of the monstrous-looking man about to kill the two civilians, Shez didn't hesitate. He entered his super-powered form as he charged through the portal toward the man, his second sword appearing in his hand. And unfortunately, it seemed like he wouldn't reach him in time. That was unacceptable. He called on Arval's power, desperate for an ability that would enable him to save the woman and child.
And he found one. Just as the man began to swing the sword down, Shez somehow switched places with the two civilians. Instead of the man's wicked-looking sword cutting through two unarmed civilians, it was halted mid-swing by two steel blades.
And Shez just barely kept his arms from breaking. The man's sword felt like a mountain falling on him.
"Get out of my way," the man snarled.
"Not gonna happen," Shez said.
"Fine. If you wish to defend these vermin, you can die with them." And Shez found himself desperately fighting for his life.
It had been a long time since Shez had fought the Ashen Demon. She had been so far above his level that he didn't have a prayer of beating him when he faced her. Since then, he had put his all into becoming stronger, to ensure he would never be that helpless again. And he had gotten stronger. As he was, he could have manhandled the Shez from that day with ease.
It didn't seem to matter now, though. This unholy monster was thrashing him just as badly as the Ashen Demon had, so long ago.
But even the Ashen Demon hadn't frightened him this much. She was more of a force of nature than a person; cold and passionless, Shez hadn't felt as if she had any particular ill will towards him. She fought him, if you could even call it a fight, because that was just what she did. The sheer hatred Shez felt from his current foe wouldn't have felt out of place coming from Calamity Ganon.
If Jeralt's daughter had been a demon, this man was the Devil himself. And in the coming months, he would take the Ashen Demon's place in Shez's nightmares.
Shez wasn't fighting completely alone. Arrows, magic spells, and Ancient Bowcaster beams struck his foe, as his comrades followed him through the portal. But his foe barely seemed to feel them. The arrows just bounced off of him, leaving nothing more than small cuts.
Soon, the titan struck a blow that knocked Shez off his feet. The wicked-looking sword went to strike him down...only for Link to catch it on the Master Sword's blade. Linkle entered the fray as well, her foot catching the man in the ribs.
Now, with one kick, Linkle could shatter a wall. But the titan barely seemed to be fazed. He kept attacking, somehow keeping pace with all three of the Rising Sun Company's strongest members (at the time). He was deceptively fast, avoiding their strongest attacks with seeming ease. And even the attacks that did land didn't do nearly as much damage as they should have. The man's body was like iron, more solid than even the strongest armor despite the fact that the man wore barely any.
Fortunately, all three together were enough to keep the titan on the defensive, as the rest of the Company evacuated the area. Whenever his attention shifted, one of them would land an attack that would bring it back to them.
Eventually he seemed as if he had enough. "You three are truly irksome. And while I'm sure I could end all of you, there's a chance that it would leave me weakened enough that I wouldn't be able to annihilate the reptiles afterward. I will take my leave for now. But I will return. I will kill every last one of them, and everyone who stands in my way."
Link met his eyes. "Go ahead and try."
The titan warped away in a flash of light, and the three of them began helping with the evacuation.
Eventually, they had found everyone still alive in the town, which was in a canyon. There were one hundred and thirteen survivors. Fifty-four of them had green hair, green eyes, and pointed ears. And Flayn looked as if she was on the verge of breaking down.
"Flayn, do you know where we are? Do you know who that man was?" Link asked.
"This place is Zanado, the Nabateans' homeland," Flayn said, confirming the conclusion they had all come to. "And that man was Nemesis, the monster who wiped out my people!"
