Calamity

Destiny was even more of a force to be reckoned with.

She still shone with a divine light as she quickly took care of the Fire and Waterblight Ganons.

She was fierce and determined, filled with a new energy now that she's finally awakened her sacred powers, after so many years of senseless praying to a goddess who'll never listen.

"Ahahaaa!" A new voice cried. "That was tip-top, princess. You gave it 110% didn't you?"

"Purah!" Zelda said in relief as the researcher poked her head out from behind a wall. "You're alright!"

"The surge is not over!" A soldier said, running up. "More Guardians are headed this way!"

Purah giggled mischievously, smirking. "As it happens, I'm prepared to get us out of exactly this pickle. Folks, LISTEN UP!"

We all jumped to attention, a little startled by her cry. Purah smirked. "See those keeps swarming with monsters? I need ya to take them back for me."

"Understood." Destiny nodded. "We'll recapture the outposts. Everyone? Divide and conquer!"

We split back up into our groups.

One group (our group) will take the two outposts in the north, Impa's group will take the two in the south, and Sky's group will pick off the Guardians, lower the risk of being cornered by a whole lot of them, which'll lower our chances at survival.

And I refuse to fail when my family is just down that road, with no reliable defense against the Guardians.

An electric Guardian guarded the first keep.

"Worst element ever." Legend gritted out after the fight. His pink-tinged hair stood on end, and the Hero of Legend was twitching ever so often.

Warriors hid his laugh behind his hand as Destiny walked over to the strange machine, ignoring them as she called Purah on her slate.

"I found the mechanism." She said, Legend glaring and twitching at the revered war hero, currently laughing his ass off. "How do I activate it?"

Purah instructed Destiny on what to do as Warriors collapsed as Legend sulked.

"Yup, that's it!" Purah said as Warriors pulled himself steadily to his feet, still giggling like a schoolgirl. "Also, we don't have any spares, so be veeery gentle."

Destiny flipped the mechanism on. It lit up blue, like most of the Sheikah machines, when they're on our side, at least.

With the first mechanism on and Legend (and Warriors) having recovered from the electric Guardian's after effects.

"Let's proceed to the next keep." Destiny said, nodding to us.

Warriors shook off his amusement and we continued on to the second keep.

Here, there were two Guardian Turrets lying in wait for us. They were probably the most annoying Guardians ever.

They shot multiple beams with little resting time in between. They were literally land Skywatchers.

Not to mention, there wasn't very much room to operate.

Warriors and Legend took one, and Destiny and I took the other.

Desi was definitely much more powerful and sure of herself then she had ever been. She was able to quickly cleanse the Guardian of its evil, severing its connection to the Calamity.

Warriors and Legend were not far behind.

Destiny quickly activated the mechanism.

"We're done here." She said to her slate. "We'll join Sky's group in dealing with the Guardians in the field."

"Okay." Impa said. "We're almost done here: just been caught off by a Fire Guardian."

"We could use some help with this silver Lynel…" Sky's voice cut through, accompanied with the sound of a Lynel's battle cry. "Never mind. Wild's got it." The sound of a lynel's dying screech and a Wild's maniacal laughter.

We left the keep and teamed up against an Ice Guardian. Most elemental monsters were quickly defeated at the end of one of Legend's elemental rods.

"We're done over here." Impa's voice said from the slate hanging from Desi's hip.

"Purah, we've completed our task." Desi said. "Now, the Guardians should…"

"They're not shutting down!" Purah cried out. "Why aren't they shutting down? Maybe there's some interference…"

"'Interference'?" Legend asked. "What kind of interference?"

"Something might be jamming the devices' power supply!" Purah mused. "I'll head for the lab and try rebooting them!"

"Moving alone is a death sentence!" Warriors said. "We should escort her acoss!"

Purah meekly tried to wave us away but didn't do anything more to get us to leave. Even the stubborn Sheikah researcher knew the dangers of wandering off on her own. Without a weapon, no less.

Thankfully, Sky and his group had cleared out most, if not all, of the Guardians.

We were just stopped by the occasional moblin or stalblin. Purah retreating slightly to protect her blue fire.

"Oh, gears and screws, something's coming!" Purah said. I sensed it too. A shift in the air. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I smelt ozone in the air, like a roiling lightning storm.

And Thunderblight sparked into being.

Legend let out a loud curse, dodging a ball of lightning. Unfortunately, the battlefield was currently a pond. Which was not desired considering we were fighting an electric enemy.

I mean, the water could well… water down the Malice, making the corrosive element slower and less potent. But that's the sole benefit.

"That monster!" Desi cried. "There must've been more… Weren't there four?"

"I bet that's the reason why the devices are on the fritz." Purah huffed. "Well, go on and get rid of that bozo!"

Wild slipped on a helmet that looked suspiciously like the Gerudo's Thunder Helm, but I didn't have time to fully analyze it, when he ran into battle. Thunderblight threw lightning at the hero, but he wasn't fazed.

"Wild, if you get hurt, Hylia help me!" Twilight shouted as Wild (practically literally and visibly) threw caution into the wind, and then grabbed a small thread when he heard Twilight's unsaid threat.

Wild knew all of Thunderblight's moves to heart, which worked out well as a warning.

With Wild, a man who's fought Thunderblight before (but it seemed like multiple times), defeating Thunderblight was easy. Probably easier than with Flora, Urbosa, and Riju, even though I hadn't been there during the fight.

Thunderblight screeched as it died. Malice splashed into the pond, gurgling as it absorbed the water and became more liquidy and less of a solid.

"Hypotonic." I heard Desi say to herself. I've learned that science facts are her way of not dissolving into a panic attack. Unfortunately, it doesn't work as well for me.

"All right, I can continue forward!" Purah stated once she was sure that Thunderblight was dead.

We barely made it to the lab before yet another undead blight decided to join the already trashed party.

Windblight.

He wasn't very hard, as I could remember. He just kept flying away and using his sentires to attack and being very annoying.

He went down harder and faster than Thunderblight.

"We done yet?" Four panted. He had just barely dodged a bought of Malice.

"Aw, yeah!" Purah said happily. "That's what they get for messing around with my lab! Thanks for bustin' 'em!"

"Oh, Purah." Impa sighed, shaking her head. "You're always speaking nonsense." But I could see the relieved smile on her bowed face.

"Yeah, yeah." Purah waved her sister off. "Put the lecture on ice, will ya? It's time to see what my toys can do!"

Purah hurried into the lab as quickly as she could without extinguishing the blue flame. She lowered the torch to the ancient furnace, lighting it almost immediately.

A shockwave blasted across the field. Buffering us all back, knocking some down.

The Guardians left on the field shuttered, and then powered down. Malice still pouring from every seam.

"A smashing success!" Purah praised. "And luckily, our little buddy here is still up and running! Howeeeever! The effect is temporary. If you get too close to the Guardians, they'll attack, so don't!"

"There's no use lingering." Impa said. "Let's use this time to withdr–?"

A Hylian captain ran up to us in a hurry. "Report?" Warriors asked.

"There's an unusual Guardian on the battlefield, but we can't seem to stop it!" He cried.

"What does it look like?" Warriors questioned.

"It looks like a Stalker, but is absolutely covered in Malice. From head to toe!"

"I think I know what it is." Warriors sighed. "Tell your men to back away, and make certain that they know not to touch it."

The captain nodded before running back into the fray.

"I wanna go home." Warriors sulked childishly. Time patted him on the back sympathetically. "Now, let's go fight another Malice Guardian."

"Yaaay…" Wild and Wind said in perfect sync.

I felt sorry for the heroes, they deserved peace more than all of us.

"I shoulda known it wouldn't be so simple." Purah said, not following. "Welp, good luck hacking and slashing, all! Purah, out!"

And then she ran back into the safety of the lab.

"Didn't need her help, anyway." Legend said bitterly.

We ran out from the space in between the gorge, and out in plain sight. The Malice Guardian was stalking across the swamp, its sights clearly set on the fort.

"It also showed up at Akkala Citadel…" Desi murmured to herself, readying her bow.

"Calamity Ganon's power at work." Impa said sourly, wiping some monster blood off her kodachi and onto her pant leg. "Even ancient technology is no use for that malign influence…"

"Either way," Desi pulled the bowstring back. "we must stop it before it reaches the fort!"

She loosed the arrow, letting it fly through the air, alight with the power of the White Goddess. Who I now recognize as Desi (which is why Sky called her 'my Grace', but how'd he know?).

The arrow pierced the neck of the Guardian, knocking it over.

For such powerful and strong creatures, they really fall over easily.

I parried a blast almost right after it got up. Time, with the longest sword, cut into its exoskeleton, right down to the ancient core acting as its heart.

Knowing how these things end, we all ducked for cover as Malice and ancient parts flew across the battlefield, splattering on trees and piercing fences. Until it was all quiet.

"It's over, isn't it?" Impa panted. Sweat and rain painted her white hair gray.

"No." Desi said, standing up from behind me and my shield. "Until we can seal Calamity Ganon, there will be no rest for us."