The Legend of Zelda: Union of Evil Powers

[Z-Fighter]

Spoiler

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Chapter 41: A clucking problem[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The group arrived in front of the Great Fairy’s Fountain, where the Great Fairy of Magic appeared before them. Seeing the three children and learning of what happened, the Great Fairy wasted little time and used her healing powers to restore Link, Saria and Zelda back to normal, although it took a few minutes as the final traces of the poison had to be eliminated first. But it was a success. The entire group breathed a sigh of relief when Link, Saria and Zelda got up again and flexed up a bit to show that they were indeed back to normal.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Whew…” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You can say that again.” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What happened?” Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, I confronted Sakon the thief and managed to get the antidote from him which we applied to you before we went to here. Later on I learned from a shadow clone that Sakon didn’t live long after that though; he was killed.” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What? How?” Link asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“My shadow clone observed the appearance of the dark selves of you and Zelda, this time accompanied by a dark version of Saria and Nabooru, the latter two being responsible for the murder.” Impa replied.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Say what?! Are you saying that there is a dark version of me?!” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes. Apparently Ganondorf used the same procedure that was used in the creation of Dark Link and Dark Zelda, by applying magic on blood that was collected.” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“But from where would they get the blood?!” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I can only think of one place…” Link said, his expression stern and serious.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“And where would that be?” Ruto asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It would be on the abandoned tower of the ruined Hyrule Castle, were the five of us met our untimely demise first.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Zelda, Saria, Ruto and Nabooru blinked at this, remembering what had happened there all too well as shock set in.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“But… why?!” Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Perhaps they anticipated our resurrection later on and did this as either a new act to hinder our progress or perhaps even try to set up things that could give us a bad name, I don’t know for sure.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Hmmm, those can be good reasoning… but this does leave the question if they will do the same with Impa, Darunia and Rauru too…” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Just be careful when you’re on your way out…” The Great Fairy said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What for?” Impa asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“There’s Corrupted Soldiers patrolling around in Clock Town, keeping a tight rein on the citizens while letting them continue about their daily business…” She said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’ll take care of them first, we owe them at least that much.” Link said, nodding.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right, I wish you good luck. Don’t let any of the civilians get caught in the crossfire.” The Great Fairy said, before the group made their departure.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We will be cautious, thanks.” Link said with a smile towards her before they left.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Upon re-entering North Clock Town, the group could already see a group of soldiers entering East Clock Town, deciding to follow them. Link was cautious, as if waiting to see where they would go or if they would even notice them in the first place. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"Let's remain cautious, you never know what can happen in town..." Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"Right. It's only for the best that we watch each other's backs." Zelda said as the group went towards East Clock Town, following Link as he knew where to go in town. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"The whole town looks bigger than Hyrule Castle Town, I've never seen any other district other than East and perhaps south before, or I just didn't have the time to properly look around." Impa commented as they arrived there.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"Indeed, although it's easy to find your way around eventually due to the broad paths and all..." Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"I've spotted the soldiers... they seem to watch Cremia and Romani..." Ruto said, just as the soldiers saw the group.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"They've clocked us!" Rauru said as the Sword Soldiers immediately went to charge at them, the Bow Soldiers standing by and one Assault Spear Soldier went in a different direction...[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Cremia and Romani managed to find a safe haven close at the bar, while the other townspeople also came to see as the group from Hyrule engaged the Sword Soldiers. Some of the guards as well as the four Gerudo Pirates who traveled with them offered assistance as a massive swordfight broke out, although two of the Gerudo Pirates preferred the use of their glaives, while the Guards had their lances to charge at the Sword soldiers at the same time. The Bombers also stood by to assist, having taken refuge to the Veranda of the Stock Pot Inn to pelt the soldiers with rocks. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"These freaks must have been keeping this town occupied for a while now, considering how numerous they are..." Link said, parrying one Sword Soldier's strike before using a Great Spin to knock him away.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"I agree, I wouldn't be surprised if they would call for reinforcements from other parts of town..." Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"You're right, Zelda; I'm seeing more enemy Soldiers coming in." Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"Watch our backs in case more come in!" Ruto said, with Darunia looking behind them after using one Sword Soldier as a bowling ball to knock several others aside. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link and Zelda used their Light Arrows to take out the Bow Soldiers, the Light Arrows killing them instantly.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"We have Soldiers coming from behind!" Darunia said, with Impa and Rauru and two of the Pirates ready to assist him as the fight came from two sides now. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]One of the new soldiers that came in the area was a Bomb Soldier, whom tossed a lit Bomb towards the group. Link, Saria and Zelda rolled out of the way as the Bomb bounced off the wall and rolled down the stairway as the group continued their attack. However, just as the Bomb exploded, there was a loud crowing sound that came from the center area of East Clock Town. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"What the-?! Where did that come from?!" Link asked as the fighting stopped all of a sudden.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"I don't know, but it doesn't sound good." Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"It's coming from the far side of town... wait... is that a Cucco out there?" Saria said, just as the Cucco crowed loudly again and the group saw it... at the explosion site.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Merely seconds after the Cucco had crowed, an entire flock of other Cuccos flew into town towards their comrade, while Link and the others looked at the flock as they came in rather rapidly...[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"What's going on?!" Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Just then the clucking and crowing of the Cuccos increased and began to flock around first, tending to their injured comrade while more came in, flying around a bit… before they turned around.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What the-?! Are they coming towards us?!” Rauru asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“They sound quite aggressive…” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Just then, they heard some of the Soldiers yelp as they were knocked down by one of the Cuccos as they came closer, three of them knocking Link, Saria and Zelda over.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What are they doing?” Impa asked, helping Zelda up just as Ruto was knocked over.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“They must be looking for the one who harmed their comrade…” Link said, getting up. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“But what for?” Zelda asked as Link helped Saria up, right before he was knocked over again by another Cucco, taking Saria with him as she landed on top of him. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“OUCH! WATCH IT!” One of the Gerudo Pirates said as one of the Cuccos hit her, just as the Bomb Soldier was knocked over… dropping a lit Bomb in the process which rolled down to the stairs and blew up, catching a few of the Cuccos in the blast radius in the process.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Instantly the Cuccos turned to the Bomb Soldier and began to swarm towards him, now in full rampage mode as their crowing and clucking increased. The flock of Cuccos swarmed at the Bomb Soldier, who did his best in fighting them off, going so far as to knock several Cuccos around, one of them into Link and Zelda, who frantically tried to fend the aggressive animal off as it took off back towards the Bomb Soldier. Another one was sent into Saria, who had to shield her face to prevent her eyes from being picked out, yelping as the Cucco was now going postal as it charged back at the Bomb Soldier in turn.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“RUN! THE CUCCOS HAVE GONE MAD!” A villager screamed as the Cuccos were now on a full rampage, pecking at anyone trying to stop them or otherwise knocking them over.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Without hesitation, the remaining villagers did their best to high-tail it out of the area and find shelter within the buildings or otherwise go into other parts or even out of town, Link and the Sages among them. The remaining enemy Soldiers were also knocked down while trying to help their comrade as he tried to fend the Cuccos off, grunting as the Cuccos apparently had trouble in getting through his armor, but beginning to make dents in it. One of the rampaging Cuccos flew against Nabooru, causing her to stumble and fall down the stairs that led to the main square of East Clock Town, accidently knocking Impa, Link, Saria, Zelda, Ruto and Rauru over along with her, while Darunia shielded his eyes and face to prevent the birds from flying into it. Romani rushed towards Link, trying to help him up, which in turn caused Cremia to go after Romani, trying to shield her from the onslaught of Cuccos, although the Cuccos seemed to be primarily concentrating on the Bomb Soldier, who was now beginning to lose parts of his armor, causing him to yelp and scream as the birds now began to peck at his legs and other exposed body parts, while trying to fend the Cuccos off with more bombs, although this only succeeded in making the birds even angrier, swarming the offending soldier more and continuing to knock him over, pecking at him and resuming their charge, eventually making the Bomb Soldier try to get away himself, but the constant onslaught of Cuccos made him stumble or trip over them continuously, making him fall which gave the Cuccos time to peck at him relentlessly. Darunia, Cremia and Romani helped the others up, just as they saw the Bomb Soldier stumbling towards the stairs they just fell from. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh no!” Link said as the group tried to get out of the way, just as the Bomb Soldier, with several mad Cuccos attached to it, fell down the stairs, shattering his armor, also badly injuring a few Cuccos with his landing as well as causing other birds as well as bits of his armor to be thrown off, some of them even hitting other civilians who peeked out of the doors or hid elsewhere in the open as well as the group of heroes, knocking most of them down due to the frantic state of the birds, causing some of them to have a few cuts here and there as well, just as the flock now completely swarmed the fallen Bomb Soldier, who was now screaming in pain as the flock pecked him all over, not giving him a chance to get up. This was made even more morbid as patches of blood became visible here and there on the ground as well as on the birds themselves.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh, dear Goddesses!” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We have to get out of here now, before they turn on us next!” Link said, getting up while the other villagers also fled into the buildings for real this time.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The screams of the Bomb Soldier now turned into howls of agony as the flock of Cuccos just kept pecking on him, while the other Sword Soldiers were either fending off the birds themselves or fled elsewhere. While the Guard of East Clock Town helped in leading the Sages out of town, coupled with Romani and Cremia, the lightly injured Link and Zelda managed to see the movements of the Bomb Soldier being reduced to spasms before laying still, a pool of blood surrounding him, after which they simply turned tail and got out of town as fast as their legs could carry them out. Thankfully the Cuccos didn’t come after them as they were too busy in pecking apart their primary target, but the horror remained, as it was clear the Cuccos did not take kindly to see one of their comrades injured… [/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Upon exiting the town, Link and Zelda found the Guard, the four Gerudo Pirates, Romani, Cremia, Impa, Nabooru, Rauru, Darunia, Ruto and Saria either standing or slumped against Cremia’s wagon, panting. They were happy to see Link and Zelda having exited the town safely, with Navi, Tatl and Tael flying towards them as if acknowledging their safety. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Whew… take it from what we’ve witnessed… don’t mess with the Cuccos.” Link said, moving to Saria and plopping down next to her, with Zelda joining his other side right away.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll say…” Zelda said, panting.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What just happened? Why have they gotten so aggressive?” The East Clock Town Guard asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“The Bomb Soldier tossed a Bomb towards us in an attempt to damage us with it. We evaded the Bomb, but a Cucco was caught within the blast radius of the bomb’s detonation.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Note to self: Do NOT harm ANY Cucco wherever you find them, their comrades will come to its aid.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I agree on that.” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That is duly noted by us as well…” Cremia said, nodding as she comforted the shivering Romani.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So, where are you planning to go?” The Guard asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We have to get back to Hyrule in order to reach the new Ganon’s Tower; our arch nemeses await us there.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The East Clock Town Guard nodded. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It definitely is going to be a long trip,” One of the Pirates said, nodding, “but I’ve heard rumors that a shortcut exists between the coast that leads to the mountain area where the tower is located and the forest connecting Hyrule with Termina. Back when we were under control of Ganondorf, I’ve heard some enemy forces making use of that particular shortcut to springboard their invasion of Termina before it was apparently abandoned as the task was completed. Perhaps you can now use it to reach the coast quicker than traveling straight on through the forest…” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Hmmm, that deserves some thought. How can we reach it?” Link asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“To reach the entrance, you must first travel through the sewer area of the Clock Tower and move into the forest area there. If you are in possession of the eye that can see the truth, a hidden path towards that temple will be revealed.”  The Pirate said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link nodded, getting up.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We should go around to the South Entrance of Clock Town, so we will avoid the rampaging Cuccos as much as we can. The entrance to that sewer area will be straight ahead for us, so we should be able to reach it safely.” He said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wise idea.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Just one last thing; there will be some puzzles in that temple or even in that shortcut itself that have to be solved in order to progress. Also, be on the lookout for secrets. Who knows what useful items are in store for you there…” The Pirate said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thank you, where are you going? Weren’t you planning to join Reimu and Leia in the forest?” Nabooru asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We will meet her soon, but first we will join miss Cremia to the ranch. Even though it was beyond our control due to us being possessed, we still have done things that we aren’t proud of doing and wish to atone for it nonetheless.” The first Pirate said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I understand. At least you have the chance to fully repent. If you feel you have repaid your debts, come and see me in the Gerudo Fortress once the whole crisis is over and the evil beings defeated. I may assign you to a new job under command of Aveil, my personal sub-ordinate and second-in-command of the Fortress itself.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thank you, Lady Nabooru.” The Pirates said, bowing politely before the group went their ways, the East Clock Town Guard moving with Link and the Sages to get back into Clock Town himself.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Making their way to the South Entrance, the group re-entered Clock Town from there where the East Clock Town Guard moved to stay with his colleague.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What’s going on?” The South Guard said, confused as why people fled East Clock Town in such a panic.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“A Bomb Soldier invoked the wrath of the resident Cuccos.” The East Guard said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh my!” The South Guard said, shocked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]At the same moment, Link and the Sages made their way to the sewer area of Clock Town while avoiding the townspeople running around at the same time, moving all the way to the twisted corridor that led to the forest part. Once they were inside the forest, they slowed their pace to a walking speed, moving carefully along the way. As they entered the area with the abyss, they came across the Deku Butler who was kneeling in front of what appeared to be a twisted tree stump with a face. The Deku Butler looked up at seeing them, bowing to them.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh, I am sorry, I didn’t know other people would travel along these Catacombs…” He said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Catacombs?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes. This area serves as a land bridge between Hyrule and Termina Proper, which can be accessed from the forest on the other side.” The Butler said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Ah, I see. How come you are here?” Impa asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This tree… this used to be my son, but he went missing after leaving home long ago… it wasn’t until we received a visitor from Hyrule who resembled my son that I eventually learned of his fate…” The Butler solemnly said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link nodded, seeing that the others were confused.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This was Majora’s doing; he killed the young Deku Scrub here and sealed his spirit into a mask, which he then used to curse me with to turn me into a Deku Scrub.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Immediately the Sages understood as Link told them the story about his adventures in Termina before, but now they learned the origin of the Deku Mask with this form of proof. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“The worst thing about it was that Her Royal Highness, the Deku Princess, actually was in love with my son…” The Butler said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]This brought tears in the eyes of Saria, Zelda and even Ruto, while the others mourned as well. Link was saddened too, even more as it brought memories back to him of Majora cursing him with it. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Ever since he returned to these lands, the state of Hyrule and Termina have gotten worse than before. But I swear, as the Hero of Time, that all the souls slaughtered and/or cursed by the hands of Ganondorf and Majora both will be avenged.” Link said, with determination in his eyes.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This oath is also sworn by the Seven Sages to bring peace to those who seek it.” Zelda said on behalf of herself and the Six Sages, who nodded.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The Deku Butler was confused, but decided to nod in respect, making it evident that they obviously had a bone to pick with the murderer of his son.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]After paying respect to the Butler and his deceased son, Link and the Seven Sages went on their way again, intending to make good on their oath and finding the temple that harbored the shortcut as the Gerudo Pirate had said. Even though there would be puzzles to solve, it would likely be something that could test their skills as true heroes in order to continue on their path towards justice and peace. Using the Lens of Truth, Impa located a hidden platform that was at the far side of the platform that contained a chest with Deku Nuts, with Saria using her own Sage Powers to guide the group to the platforms safely using tough vines in lieu of a bridge to walk over. Once arrived at the hidden platform, Impa led the way across the hidden path that she saw with the Lens of truth, using her Medallion to light the way under her feet to show the group where to go. Through this, the group walked in a line to prevent others from falling off, keeping some distance to allow them to watch each other’s footsteps. Eventually the group came across a pathway that was visible, which consisted of grass, much like in the Kokiri Forest, but the area around them still being dark and the huge trees around them didn’t help either, as if they were the cause of the darkness around.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh man, talk about going deep in the forest…” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s best that we stay together now, otherwise we WILL become either Skull Children or Stalfos. The Great Deku Tree said that something like this will happen to those who get lost in the forest.” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Understood.” Link said as the group looked on, looking around suspiciously while moving on, as if keeping an eye on their surroundings.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]After what appeared to be a half an hour, the group finally came across what appeared to be a building up onto a hill. So far, no enemy forces were around at all, basically allowing the group to climb the hill and enter the building without having to worry about being attacked. Upon entering the building, they noticed that the tiles first had a cyan-colored tint to it, making it appear a bit brighter than the Water Temple, but this time there was no water around, nor was there any sand at the bottom. There was however a lower part of the floor that separated the entrance corridor from a larger room, where four Iron Knuckles were standing on the other side. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh dear, again these Iron Knuckles!” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Good thing we have new weapons to deal with them.” Link said, grabbing his bow.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Targeting one by one again?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s for the best; that way we can take them out quicker instead of tackling them all at once.” Link said, firing a Bomb Arrow at the first Iron Knuckle, damaging and waking it to make it walk towards the group. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link, Zelda and Saria just pelted it with Bomb Arrows until its outer Armor broke off, before two well-aimed Light Arrows ended it, making the Iron Knuckle disintegrate in sheets of blue flames. This procedure was repeated with the three other Iron Knuckles, until each of them was defeated, raising a platform that acted as a bridge to cross the lower floor to the other side, although four chests appeared at the lower area. The pathway where the group stood on also had a set of ladders that would allow them to climb back on the main path. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, that’s that.” Link said, hopping down to the lower floor with the others, letting them reach the chests that contained bundles of bombs and arrows to refill their supplies with.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed. It’s as if we’ve become stronger or more versatile lately.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s possible, I figure that we might haaAAAAAAAAAHH-!”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link couldn’t finish his sentence as, while leaning against the pillar to readjust his shoe, he fell through a hole in the pillar, falling down a shaft in the ceiling and falling down into a pool of water, which was small enough for a Goron to walk through unfazed, with a loud *SPLASH*.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Immediately Zelda and Saria ran to the pillar, seeing that there was in fact an open passage that led to the hole inside the pillar. Seeing the other Sages coming, Saria and Zelda hopped down the platform and also landed in the pool, soon joined by the other Sages. As they eventually got the water out of their eyes to properly look around, they could see that the room they were in had several rupees around, mainly red and purple rupees, but also a single, Giant/Orange Rupee. Furthermore, there were fairies flying around all across the pool, which indicated that the group in fact discovered a Fairy’s Fountain by mere coincidence. Immediately Navi, Tatl and Tael went flying to chat a bit with the fairies, which all had a red glow around them that indicated that they could simply heal any wounded person with their magic.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wow, is this like a treasure room or something? Look at all the Rupees!” Zelda said, blinking.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Possibly, and we found it…” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You know what they say: Finders keepers. We should take the rupees under the shared responsibility; who knows what we may encounter on shops or even Business Scrubs to get supplies from.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Good idea. They can come in use anyhow.” Impa said, nodding.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Getting out of the water and letting whatever injuries they still had from the assault courtesy of the Cucco Revenge Squad by the resident Fairies, Link and the Sages went to collect the rupees before using a portal that was present to end up back in the main room, this time crossing the platform to the far side of the room where they saw the passageway that opened up, leading to another shaft going down, similar to the entrance of the Royal Family’s Tomb, but this time big enough for everyone to move in. With Navi, Tatl and Tael at their side, the group prepared themselves and hopped down that hole…

[/font]

 

[Z-Fighter]

Spoiler

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Chapter 42: The Longest Shortcut[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The group landed in what appeared to be an empty room that looked similar to the temples they may have been in before, especially regarding Link, but it was just a plain room. One side had a door ahead that was sealed shut, the other part led to a corridor that had a portal at the end. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, this must be it…” Link said, looking around.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yeah. I wonder what needs to be done to progress.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Maybe we need to go through that portal over there to see what we can find there?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Good point. Perhaps it can give us any clues or something.” Ruto said, nodding.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The group headed for the portal, finding themselves inside a large room with windows and tiles so shiny it left a mirrored image of the room around, as if the tiles had a property like a mirror. However, one wall had a mirrored window on the floor, but there was no window on that part…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That is weird, normally there should be a window…” Link said, moving over to investigate.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“The acoustics sounds nice here; I can hear my voice echoing a bit.” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“There are gratings on the wall at high spots…” Impa noted, while Zelda went with Link.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Using the Lens of Truth, Impa looked in the same direction as Link and Zelda were going in.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s a fake wall; there’s a Big Chest and a couple of Rupees behind it.” She said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Alright, thanks.” Zelda said, smiling at her attendant while Link hopped in the room beyond the fake wall, indeed finding the chest and several rupees around.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Moving to open the chest, Link blinked at what he saw.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“More Clawshots?” He asked, taking one.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What? You found even more Clawshots?” Zelda asked, arriving in the room.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes. Perhaps we can use these in combination with the ones we already have.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Let’s take them, who knows what use they can be for us.” Zelda said, helping Link in gathering the Clawshots to hand them to the others, before collecting the present red and purple Rupees. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What an adventure we’ve been in so far.” Link said softly so only Zelda heard him.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll say… and to think that this isn’t over yet…” The Princess said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I feel certain that we will make it. If not, I’ll make sure I won’t go down without a fight. He won’t get us off-guard like last time.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right. Now that we have the Purified Fierce Deity Mask as our secret weapon…” Zelda said, smiling which made Link smile in kind.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“True. Hopefully the tables are turned in our favor this time.” He said as they went to the others who were waiting for them.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Handing over the additional Clawshots to the group, giving each of the group Double Clawshots in turn, they looked around.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So, how do these work? I mean, we can use only one of these at a time, right?” Ruto asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes and no,” Link said, “I believe that we can use the second one to reach another target while were hanging off the first one.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Can you show us?” Saria asked, confused.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Sure thing.” Link said, using the first Clawshot to reach the first target after stepping on a switch that opened several doors in the higher floors in the room. Once attached to the first target, Link took his second Clawshot and fired it at a target close by, letting the first target go as he was pulled to the second one. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]With this, Link worked his way over to a room in the first floor area, after which he let go and entered the room. Looking around, he noticed a chest standing in the room that looked akin to the chests that contained the key leading to the Boss door.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s strange; normally I’d expected something like a map or a compass or something.” Link said, before opening the chest to collect the key, before making his way down again, using the leaf that Saria gave him in the Stone Tower Temple to gently float down and through that land safely back on the ground without any form of damage. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What did you find?” Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I found this key right here.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Huh? That’s it?” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I guess so…” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wait, I thought to have seen some keyholes in the giant door ahead. Perhaps we need those keys to open the door.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Hmmm, this is weird.” Link said, getting ready to climb his way up again, using the Clawshots to climb to the second floor, discovering two more chests that contained the Big Key, but these were in a different color. Where the first one he found had a black color, he now had keys with a Sapphire and an Emerald color. [/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Seeing the others following him, he waited for them as he climbed his way to the top area, using the Clawshots to reach the far side of the area using the gratings at the ceiling. While underway, he spotted that there was a portal right up ahead in the room in front of him.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, looks like we have to go through here.” He said, switching to his Hookshot to get a ceiling target and pulling himself towards it when it hit. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Once in the room, he waited for the others, who were also working their way up with the Clawshots. After the group had gathered again, they went through the portal and arrived back in the room with the giant door. Now Link noticed the three different Locks on the door, handing a key out to Zelda and Saria.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Let’s see if this works.” He said as the three went to put the keys in the corresponding locks, twisting them around until they heard the familiar *CLICK* of the locks unlocking. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Instantly the markings on the door began to glow, before the door opened up by separating itself in columns, one part going up, the other going down, leading to a single room outside, with a very small stairway with what looked like a large switch at the end, the switch being so heavy that it required a serious pounding to activate. Realizing that this was his job to do, Darunia approached the switch. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This is weird, there are no enemies around as far as I have seen…” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yeah, you think something like this must have been occupied somehow…” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Perhaps this temple was eventually abandoned to be left in obscurity after it has served its purpose for Ganondorf?” Impa theorized.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That could be possible, but as long as we can go through…” Rauru said.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Darunia went towards the switch, climbing on top of it before forming himself into a ball as usual, before jumping up and delivering the trademark Goron Pound on the Switch. This caused a siren to go off, sounding twice, making the group instantly draw their weapons, ready to face what was about to come… only for a thick circle of tiles on the ground in the room move and parts of it lowering, each tile going lower than the other… making it in fact a stairway that led to a doorway down on a lower level. Blinking at this, the group put their weapons away.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That was odd…” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yeah, I wonder what will be next…” Zelda said as the group then went down the stairs.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Another hallway. This temple looks solid, but a place without traps and the like is a bit unsettling to me. It’s like you’re expecting things to happen, but when it doesn’t, it makes you even more paranoid that you already are.” Rauru said as they went through the open doorway and into a long hallway, hopping over platforms where necessary.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yeah, as if things are trying to throw us off…” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, as long as we can progress…” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link giggled at this as the group went on.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]As they traveled further down the hall, the tiles that were a bit reddish in color were now a mixture of blue/cyan, as if they entered another section of the temple. No sooner did they see another room in sight and approached it, when a door closed behind them, separating the first section they were in before from the one they were in now, effectively locking them in and through that preventing them from backtracking.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Just as I thought…” Rauru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“But where are the enemies?” Darunia asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Look, there’s another giant door in that room up ahead.” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“But this one has FOUR locks. So that means we need four of those Big Keys this time around.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Looks like the search game is afoot once more.” Zelda said as the group went the other way, only to see a spider’s web blocking their path, which Saria took out with a Fire Arrow.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“At least it’s something.” She said as the group entered the room, which had several floating platforms ahead that went upward, which in effect would make the group go and find their way upstairs to the next room.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This is going to be quite a climb.” Link said, looking up.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“There’s a floor switch directly ahead.” Zelda said, pointing to an area before Link’s feet. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Stepping on it, Link could hear a nearby door responding to it by opening up, only to close directly after Link stepped off of it.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Great…” Link said as he stepped back on the switch, grabbed his Ocarina and played the ‘Elegy of Emptiness’ song, creating the statue of himself on top of the switch he stood on, after which Link himself walked away while his statue kept the switch pressed down. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We can advance now.” Nabooru said as she hopped on one of the floating platforms, with the others following step by step, right before Saria entered a room where she found a few small chests containing some arrow bundles, which she took. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]She also saw another floor switch in that same room and, following Link’s example, she stepped onto the switch and played the Elegy of Emptiness on her Ocarina to use her own statue to keep the switch pressed down for good measure. The door that opened because of the switch was leading into a small room which Zelda located, which also sported a suspicious looking crack in the left wall. Since she wasn’t in the room itself, she prepared a Bomb Arrow and fired at the cracked wall, destroying it as the bomb detonated, which on its turn revealed a crevice in the wall containing a big chest with the same colors as the one she had seen with Link before in the secret room of the first area of this temple. She entered the room with the crevice and opened the chest, obtaining the Big Black Key in the process. Seeing another floor switch, she grabbed her Ocarina of Time and, while standing on the switch, also played the Elegy of Emptiness to keep that switch too pressed down with her own statue. Once that was done, she left the room to join the other Sages and Link, with the door now opened leading to a portal that would help them progress.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Entering the Portal, the group arrived now in a room that had a shadow moving left and right, But there was no visible clue as to what the shadow was. This prompted Impa to use the Lens of Truth to look around, locating a platform that was invisible to the naked eye. She also saw a few Rupees around and one Skulltula guarding the entrance to the ledge in front of a Spider’s web. Zelda took both the Skulltula and the web out with a single Fire Arrow, before the group climbed on the only visible platform to get on top of the invisible ones, hopping over the platforms with care until they reached the ledge with the Big Chest, containing a Big Sapphire Key. Advancing ahead on the nearby platform, the group now arrived in a room that had a mirror in front of them. In the mirror and on the ground, the group could see a set of shadows in a straight line on a path to a high ledge that contained yet another Big Chest, once more guarded by a web with this time a Big Skulltula in front of it, which were also taken out with a single Fire Arrow, this time courtesy of Link. Making their way carefully over the platforms, using the Lens of Truth and the polished, mirrored wall as their guides, the group reached the crevice and opened the Big Chest to receive the Big Emerald Key. Advancing once more through the teleporter, the group now landed in a large, square room with yet again invisible platforms a polished floor, a crevice at the far side with a Big Skulltula and a web guarding it, but this time even the entrance to the crevice was made invisible to the naked eye. Saria fired another Fire Arrow to take out the hostile arachnid and the web in a single strike, before the group proceeded on the platforms to the crevice, although there were now going half a circle forward in the path in a counter-clockwise direction before they could enter the crevice. Once in the crevice, the Big Chest was now opened to reveal a Big Ruby Key. Stepping on the teleporter afterward, it took them back into the room where the Giant Door was, with Link, Saria, Zelda and Ruto moving to the big locks in order to use the keys on them in the right places, which made the door open for them.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Whew, that’s the endeavor through this part of the temple.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Check this out, this setting could be fitting for a town’s square.” Zelda said, seeing the clear, blue sky, the presence of two trees, a stairway underneath one of the trees at the far side of the room and seeing the sun shine overall. There were also some metallic rattling sounds, three inside the trees and one on the ground. These remained in place however, not making a move except turning around in position constantly.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What the-?! Gold Skulltulas? What are THEY doing here of all places?” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Is someone cursed here?” Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I don’t know, but whatever the reason, we should deal with them, just in case.” Link said, firing an arrow at the Gold Skulltula on the ground, instantly killing it before Link collected its token. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The other three Gold Skulltulas were also taken out in a single strike, or two as Saria used her Slingshot for one occasion, while Ruto used her Magical Boomerang to collect the tokens. After that, the group moved on to the staircase, the area around them being completely silent. The staircase was long, but also a bit low with the small steps that it contained. Upon reaching the top, the group moved into another hallway, descending down the stairs that were present there and making a turn to the right to climb another set of stairs to move into the next area. Link yawned and stretched as he went on, but making sure not to hit any of the others. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Getting a bit sleepy, huh?” Zelda asked, giggling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Sorry…” Link said, sheepishly grinning.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“No need to be sorry; I think we can use a bit of a rest. We’ve been traveling on for quite a long time now I believe and, with the previous events considered, things have been rather hectic for all of us.” Impa said, patting Link’s shoulder as they entered a section of the temple that was technically a giant room with beige colored tiles.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Looking around the new room, they saw an open door with yet another giant door up ahead, this time the door had FIVE locks that needed the keys to open with. Moving to the left, the group could see several floating platforms up ahead, while at the ground floor area, there was a lower section that was filled with water that was flowing softly and gently from a present fountain. Smiling at this, Link simply hopped down to the ground floor and into the water puddle, seeing that it reached up to only his feet and felt rather comfortably, as if it was something like Spring Water. Yawning again, Link set down his equipment against the wall on the dry area and sat down into the water-filled area, finding the water soothing his legs a bit despite it only being a shallow pond. Chuckling at this, Saria and Zelda joined him by sitting at his sides, soon followed by Ruto, while Nabooru also joined in, providing a bit of a cushion for the group as she sat down as well. Rauru and Darunia decided to remain on the dry area, taking turns in watching over the group, while Impa also went inside the pond to help Nabooru, seeing that Link, Saria and Zelda had already fallen asleep, leaning against each other and Nabooru as they rested. Princess Ruto herself yawned as well before settling down in the water, deciding to lay down in the water instead due to her being a Zora. Soon enough, the entire group was vast asleep, resting peacefully inside the temple.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Several hours later, Link and the Seven Sages woke up again, yawning as they had a good rest indeed. Link walked to the fountain, using the stream of water coming from it to wash up his face to get it refreshed. It was of no surprise that Saria and Zelda both followed this example immediately. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Whew, that felt nice.” Link said, using part of his outfit to get the water out of his eyes.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Impa smiled.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Feeling better now?” She asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yeah, I really needed that rest, apparently.” Link replied.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We all did. At least we should have the energy to continue on.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So, where do we have to go?” Darunia asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Those floating platforms obviously are present to make us reach the other side, but that path is blocked by means of a fence that has to be lowered first.” Link said, walking to the fence first to see how high it is, moving through the water to the other side.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Just as he went to move on the path going up to the fence however, Link yelped as he slipped and fell back on the ground on his rear, immediately causing Saria, Zelda and Ruto to rush at his side.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“A slope?!” He asked after getting up and testing the upward path with his foot, now noticing it was slippery overall.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“The fence itself is also somewhat high nonetheless.” Zelda noticed.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Are you alright?” Saria then asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’m fine, just made a slip, that’s all.” Link said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"Just be careful, we wouldn't want you to break anything." Zelda said as the children made their way back to the far side of the area, climbing the vines to get to the higher area, where the other Sages were waiting for them. [/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Darunia stood on top of yet another Goron Switch, which he then gave a Goron Pound onto once the group had gathered near him. As the switch was activated by the pound, the gate at the far side lowered itself into the ground, leaving the road open for the group to travel across the area using the floating platforms. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"This could be... an excellent... training course... if you... ask me." Link said between jumping.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"You got that right." Impa said, following after Zelda and Link himself, while Saria was behind her.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The group managed to cross the platforms in time, as right after Rauru and Darunia landed in the corridor at the far side, the gate raised behind them.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"Timed switches. Haven't seen those in a while." Link commented. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"Hey, isn't that a Red Emblem on that glass/crystal disk or whatever it is on there?" Saria then said as she looked ahead, spotting the emblem she had seen in the Stone Tower Temple before.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"Oh dear, I hope it doesn't turn this place upside down..." Zelda said, as Link fired a Light Arrow at it. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]However, all that happened was the symbol spinning around once, before it went back to normal.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"Huh?!" Zelda and Saria asked, blinking.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"That's weird..." Link said, firing a second Light Arrow at it, but was met with the same result as before.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"It appears that it doesn't have any results..." Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"Maybe it requires something stronger." Link said, setting up a third Light Arrow, readying himself to fire it, but held the arrow at its place, feeling strength increasing in it.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]After about 10 seconds or so, Link fired the Powered Light Arrow, which caused the disk to suddenly spin around like crazy in position once it was it, with sparks coming from its sides. In the distance however, the group could hear a scraping sound as if another gate was opening. This caused the group to blink.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"What could be hiding here?" Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"Only one way to find out." Link said as he hoped down, yelping as he landed on a platform that had a trampoline for its surface, launching Link up a bit before he landed safely on the ground. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Making his way to the right, Link looked around in the room, seeing different portraits or paintings at the wall to the left, but one of them had moved up and revealed a path behind it...[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"I have to give it to this place, it knows to hide its secrets." He said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"Yeah. I wonder what we will find here this time..." Zelda said as the group went up to a platform that raised using a Crystal Switch, although a ticking sound indicated that this one too was temporal as the group moved to the second platform, raising it to reach the new crevice they made, which led into another room with a pool of water.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]As the group approached the pool however, a presence made itself known. It was yet another Great Fairy, with the same appearance to the one they saw in the room back in the land between Ikana Canyon and the Woods of Mystery, being dressed in a green dress, with majestic, green wings flapping softly behind her, sporting the sweetest smile on her face that showed she was friendly too.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"Welcome, great Warriors. I can see you have been through quite the hardships." The Great Fairy said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"That we have, ever since the Evil King Ganondorf and the wicked being known as Majora returned..." Princess Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"I understand. I will help you by upgrading some of your weapons. Receive it now!" The Great Fairy said, before spreading her arms.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]A glow appeared around the group, making them blink, but not moving. It was then that their respective swords and their bow and arrows began to glow, as if they were being changed...[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]This glow lasted for several seconds, before it dissipated, leaving the group now with a different color on their swords and bow and arrows. The hilts of their swords have now colored green while the blades themselves were now completely of pure gold. The bows had a little darker shade on them, so it wasn't that much of a different, but the primary change was seen in the arrows, which instead of the regular brown arrows with metal tips, they were now completely colored in Silver.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"What happened?" Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"You now are in possession of the strongest weapons at your disposal, being the Golden Sword and the Silver Arrows. By extension this also powers up the combination items you can make, being Silver Bomb, Silver Fire, Silver Ice and Silver Light Arrows. This will let you kill most enemies in a single strike, deal with obstacles quicker and regular Silver Arrows can now also directly harm armored enemies like Iron Knuckles." The Great Fairy said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"Really? Thank you very much." Link said, bowing politely to her. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"As an added Bonus, I also attuned your 'Burst' Skill to some of your weapons. If you wait a bit before firing a weapon, not only will it have increased power, but will from now also have an extra effect: The Bow will fire THREE Arrows simultaneously in one shot, the Boomerang can be fired three times in rapid succession to stun multiple incoming enemies, Bombs and Bombchus will do twice the amount of damage and have a wider blast radius (making the Bomb Arrows extremely powerful), the Hookshot will have a three-pointed hook to deal damage, extends farther and is faster and the Nice Ice Rod will drop four Ice Blocks in a diamond formation." The Great Fairy said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"Wow, thank you!" Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"However, do not get careless; these upgrades come at the cost of a greater consumption of ammunition as well as magic power, so use these Charged abilities wisely." The Great Fairy said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"We will be careful, thank you." Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"No problem, may the Goddesses be with you." The Great Fairy said, before departing.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]After watching her leave, the group then saw a Big Chest standing at the far side of the pool. Link went to open it, retrieving the Big Gold Key. After that, the group turned back to the room they came from, spotting the gate to the left on the first floor, realizing the platforms they used to reached the crevice is like a switch-based staircase, intending to test the skills of the group. Locating another Goron Switch in front of the first platform, Darunia gave another Goron Pound on it, which lowered the gate, thus opening the road ahead. The group then got on the first platform, using the Crystal Switch to make it rise, before hopping onto the next, repeating the procedure to reach the third platform and then finally the upper floor, where they saw yet another Big Chest, this time Zelda opened it to retrieve the Big Black Key. Moving on and walking down a few steps, the group now moved over a path that was part of the first floor, that also acted like a bridge to reach into a room directly ahead. To their left, they saw floating platforms that moved left and right, with a crevice containing another big chest, while to their right there were a few trampolines that led to plaforms left and right against the wall, going up while at the top there was another crevice where they also assumed that sported a Big Chest. A grating with vines was lowered on the far side of the bridge on the opposite wall, allowing them to reach the bridge again in case of an unfortunate mistakes that makes them land back on the ground again.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"How about we split into three groups, with each group going after a chest?" Link asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"A splendid idea. That saves a lot on time." Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"I'll handle the path to the left with Darunia." Rauru said, pointing to the chest to the left side.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"That room ahead looks like a challenge for me to take." Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"Alright, Impa and I will accompany you for this." Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"Okay, that leaves us three for the last chest to the right. We'll meet back down here at the fountain once we're done." Link said, nodding.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]With this, the group went on their way to complete their mission. Rauru and Darunia had little trouble in crossing the floating platforms to reach the Big Chest, which contained the Big Sapphire Key, before they moved back to the ground floor, standing inside the water. Link, Saria and Zelda hopped on the two trampoline platforms which brought them to the platform ladder, jumping from one to the other after activating a smaller timed switch that lowered a gate to the room near the ceiling. Using the Giant Leaves that Saria generated for them as parachutes, the three glided in the air from the highest platform into the room, where they found the big chest which contained the Big Emerald Key. Afterwards they used the leaves to glide back to the ground floor to meet up with Darunia and Rauru. Ruto, Impa and Nabooru entered the room directly ahead, with Ruto using her Magical Boomerang to activate a distant crystal switch behind a pillar, which let the platform they stood on float to the far side of the room, where a smaller room with one more chest awaited them on a slightly higher level which they reached by climbing vines, this one contained the Big Ruby Key. With the key in hand, the three returned back into the main room and also hopped down the bridge and into the water area of the fountain where the others were waiting for them. Meanwhile, Link went back to the fountain and filled an empty bottle he had with some of the fresh, clean Spring Water, before drinking from the bottle to lessen his thirst a bit. He then handed the bottle out to the others one by one to refresh them, whom accepted it with a smile. Afterwards, the group went back to where they entered the section of the temple, moving now into the room that contained the giant door. Link, Saria and Zelda gave the others now the honor to open the door, which they did; Ruto had the Big Sapphire Key, Darunia the Big Ruby Key, Nabooru the Big Emerald Key, Impa the Big Black Key and Rauru the Big Gold Key, setting them simultaneously in their respective locks, which opened the door ahead... which actually glided back to what appeared to be a tunnel area, the door locking itself against the wall at the far side of the tunnel while revealing the exit. [/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Climbing into the tunnel, Link took a moment to observe the flowing lights around the walls, with what appeard to be stones floating around beyond it. He slowly made his way onward, as if watching the area carefully, the Sages soon following. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"This must be one of the very few temples where there is actually no boss around." Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"Yeah, I'm actually beginning to like this place, as strange as it may seem." Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"Perhaps we can use it as a training center?" Impa asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"Good idea. It can test the skills and endurance of the soldiers easily." Zelda said, nodding as the group turned to the left into the large corridor.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]After turning to the right, they found themselves now fully outside in what appeared to be a high area, from where they could see the coast. A bit to the left, they could see the fragments of the ruined Hyrule Castle, while ahead, they saw what appeared to be dark clouds moving in a focused position over the area, while the water had an ominous dark appearance to it. There was also a boat that apparently had docked nearby. Link sighed.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"Well, this is it, no more turning back." Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]"Indeed. I guess we should take the boat to go to where their lair is." Zelda said, as the group went on towards the boat, moving over the dock to reach a net to climb in the boat...

[/font]

 

[Z-Fighter]

Spoiler

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Chapter 43: Onto the high mountains[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]A large boat was sailing its way over the ocean ahead, moving in a straight line towards its destination. On the boat were a total of eight people: four adults and four children. The trip itself went uneventful as Link and the Seven Sages just waited, with Rauru and Darunia steering the boat, while the others sat near them. As they did, they studied their newly upgraded weapons, as a gift of one of the Great Fairies they had encountered not too long ago, which in turn left the group with stronger weapons than ever. Link sat against the wall on the deck area behind Rauru and Darunia, obviously contemplating things. For a brief moment, he drew his sword to observe the now pure-golden blade area, feeling it brim with power to smite evil of any sort, before putting it back in its scabbard, sighing. He knew that the upcoming days would be hard, perhaps even suicidal. But to save their lands, he would gladly do it. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“A Rupee for your thoughts?” Ruto asked as she sat next to him.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link looked towards her.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh, nothing much. Just thinking about the days to come.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s going to be quite tough for us, huh?” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You bet. Which is why I hope that this time we will be victorious…”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We all hope so. I am certain we’ll make it through, as long as we stick together and watch over each other closely.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed.” Link said, nodding.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“And there’s no way back for us at all, I assume…” Ruto then said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“No. We’ve gotten too far now to turn our backs and hide or go with another training course. By the time we think we are prepared, Ganondorf and Majora will likely have made their fort impenetrable so no one can be of a decent threat to them anymore and they could take us out in a blink of an eye. We must end this now before both Hyrule and Termina will be left in a state worse than it has been before with all the monsters and cursed people around.” Link said, nodding.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Ruto nodded, sighing herself.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It sounds a bit poetic, that only a handful of people are even remotely capable of mounting a proper defense against evil…” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link chuckled.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I bet that songs will be sung about the events in the days to come.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I hope it will be happy ones that tell about us overcoming evil…” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link laughed at this.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Trust me, Ruto. If we manage to win from Ganondorf and Majora both, I’d accept nothing less than a full opera.” He said, making Princess Ruto chuckle at this.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s definitely something that will be enjoyed by everyone.” She said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Besides, we already died once and I don’t intend to die again, unless it’s of old age.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We all feel the same on that.” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link nodded with a smile, acknowledging that even Ruto has mellowed out somewhat due to the seriousness of the situation as a whole. Where she was once boasting a little to be Link’s self-proclaimed fiancé due to the importance of Zora’s Sapphire to her, it appeared as if she was given a reality check due to events of the Future That Almost Was, coupled with what has transpired with her too over the past several weeks…[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Upon reaching the mountain area, already the group could feel a cold wind blowing over the area.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Geez, reminds me of Snowhead with its winter climate, but without the blizzard.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yeah, it’s only typical for them to stick around the mountainous area.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I wonder why Ganondorf and Majora have made their fort all the way over here instead of just replacing Hyrule Castle…” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“They either wanted something bigger around to house their soldiers and prisoners, make things overall tougher for us, or they could have chosen the place to make us fade in obscurity in case we fall by their hands. I intend to prove them otherwise, no doubt about that, but it’s a possibility.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Given their overall powers and their animosity for us, I see no reason to doubt your reasoning for thinking like that.” Rauru said as he slowed down the ship and prepared it for docking alongside the pier.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The others nodded as the cold wind blew over the deck as Rauru docked the ship at the pier, making sure the net was out for the group to climb off.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Still plenty of snow around…” Saria said as the group got off their ship and onto the pier, before walking into a cavern that led to the mountain trail towards the new Tower of Ganondorf and Majora.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Let’s hope we don’t catch a cold underway.” Darunia said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It would be quite messy if we did.” Link said with a chuckle.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]After climbing over a stack of crates that were set up almost like a makeshift staircase, Link and the Seven Sages arrived at the first part of the new mountain area, landing on a small path which had the road blocked to their left by means of a large pine tree. The path continued to their right, only for them to come face to face with yet ANOTHER Iron Knuckle. This one was clad in black armor and stood silent as a statue while holding its fearsome battle axe in his hands.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Time to test these babies out.” Link said, preparing a Silver Light Arrow to strike the Iron Knuckle with. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]It immediately took damage and awoke, approaching the group as Saria took a shot herself, damaging it further. Zelda shot a Silver Light Arrow at it, making the Iron Knuckle lose its outer armor, which in turn made it faster as it now ran to the group. Thankfully Ruto assisted with first her Nice Boomerang to stun the Iron Knuckle as well as damaging it, before Link, Saria and Zelda took it out for good using their Silver Light Arrows. This in turn gave the group now room to progress, but in the distance they could see what appeared to be giant snowballs rolling against the wall at the far side of the path the heroes stood on. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Hmmm, looks like we’ll need fire based attacks to help with this.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll go ahead using my Fire Punches to cover you. Just cover me using your Fire Arrows.” Darunia said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right.” Zelda said, giving the group a plan to progress.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]With Darunia taking the lead, the group went onward, taking a turn to the left to enter the larger path up ahead, directly confronting the giant Snowballs heading to them. Darunia simply Fire-Punched those in his path, while Link, Saria and Zelda backed him up with Silver Fire Arrows, instantly obliterating any Snowball that was hit by them. Moving on, they climbed their way carefully to a higher ledge using nearby rocks and crates, with Darunia, Link, Saria and Zelda still keeping the Giant Snowballs at bay as much as they could to give the others time to join them. Once on the higher ledge, the group saw another Iron Knuckle standing there in position.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’ll handle the Iron Knuckle, just cover us with the Snowballs.” Impa said to Zelda.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Understood.” Zelda said, nodding as the entire group went on the offensive, with Link aiding the group engaging the Iron Knuckle with the best of his abilities, while also helping to strike any incoming Snowballs that would form a hazard to the others.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The Iron Knuckle was this time a bit more challenging to deal with due to the snowballs continuously rolling by. The Fire Punches and Silver Fire Arrows proved of great assistance to them, which made the fight somewhat easier as the Snowballs didn’t pose much of a threat, allowing the major focus on the Iron Knuckle instead. Once it was defeated, although Impa narrowly avoided a swing of its axe, the group climbed their way to a higher area, going further up another ledge to see a cage on a larger area of flat ground. Breaking it open, the group blinked to see a villager of Hyrule Castle Town being released from it. The villager was an old man wearing a blue suit. As the group went to him, the flow of the rolling snowballs stopped.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Huh? You… came to free me?” He asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That we did.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The man then saw Princess Zelda.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Your Highness, it is an honor to meet you in person.” He then said, bowing politely.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Zelda nodded.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Rise, civilian. Do you know what’s going on around here?” She asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This area is the outer section of the greatest stronghold of the Evil King so far. I overheard some of the Stalfos around here say that their actual headquarters lies around here somewhere. The stronghold itself, being a massive tower, cannot be accessed unless a barrier that protects its entrance has been disabled. This barrier is powered by generators that look like a sophisticated machine using Terminan technology, one of them is located in the Stone Tower Temple.” He replied.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So THAT was what the machine we saw was for! That explains their significance to the soldiers out here!” Link said, reaching an epiphany. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“How many generators are there?” Darunia asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So far, I overheard that three of such generators exist, one of them being located in the Stone Tower Temple. The other two are located both somewhere in this area as well as in the actual headquarters itself, the one located out here being a small back-up generator to the main one in case it has to be taken off-line for maintenance.” The man said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Looks like we have a job to do on top of this.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Be warned; these generators are likely to be heavily defended, so make sure you are well-prepared when you find them.” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thanks for the heads up. You should better get out of here as things will go hectic out here very soon.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“There’s a boat we’ve taken here that will allow you to get out of here. I suggest hiding around and wait until other prisoners have been freed so you can make your escape.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Alright, thank you very much.” The man said, before taking his leave.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]After the man was gone, the group used their Clawshots to reach a higher ledge, from which they moved onto a bridge that led to a greater platform, with wooden structures being in place as if something was under construction, perhaps something more akin to a Lookout post. No sooner had they arrived on the area when several Stalfos and Dinolfos arrived in the area to attack the group. Using their upgraded blades, the Dinolfos were dealt with rather easily, while the Stalfos were still tougher to beat, even though the heroes’ superior weapons allowed them to deal significantly more damage than before. But the group was not allowed to rest after this short battle; two more lizard-like beings arrived in the area… by flight! They looked similar to the Dinolfos and Lizalfos, which indicated that they were related, but these lizard creatures sported wings as well as a sword and shield. These were Aeralfos, whom took position around the group. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What in the world?!” Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Hey, those shields look like they have some kind of grating on them…” Impa said, just as the Aeralfos got in a defensive position and charged at the group from two sides. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link, Zelda, Saria and Nabooru were hit, Ruto, Darunia and Rauru avoided it and Impa side-stepped the Aeralfos, striking one of them in the back with a Silver Arrow, making it yelp in pain. However, the two Aeralfos took back in the air, ready to dive down again. Link however spotted what appeared to be a grating-like pattern on the shield, so he decided to wait until the shield was moved forward again, which was something the Aeralfos seemed to do before charging in with a dive attack. Immediately, Link grabbed his Clawshot, aimed and fired at the shield, the claw latching onto it, much to the shock of the Aeralfos itself.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“COME HERE!” Link snapped, retracting the claw which dragged the Aeralfos towards him, before clobbering it with his own shield, dazing it, after which Link knocked the creature down and performed the Ending Blow on it, killing it instantly. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Seeing this, Saria performed the same action Link did just before the second Aeralfos could dive down on them, also using the Shield Attack followed by the Ending Blow to defeat it, bringing victory for the group.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That was unexpected; they’re bringing in air support now?!” Ruto asked once the battle is over.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“They obviously must have been here for a reason, I can’t think of anything else other than them wanting to kill us.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Perhaps they’re here to protect something?” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That old man did say something about a back-up generator for a barrier that supposedly prevents us from entering Ganondorf and Majora’s lair, so we may be quite close to where it has been placed.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Let’s take a good look around here then…” Link said as he moved toward the wooden platform that he could reach easily, intending to use it to climb his way up. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The others followed as Link approached an apparent dead end, but then Navi moved on and was floating in place at a small distance ahead.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What’s the matter, Navi?” Link asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“There must be something here, Link,” Navi said, “perhaps your Ocarina can help with this?” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“The Lens of Truth only shows a few platforms that are out of our reach…” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“And how is the ocarina going to help?” Ruto asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Perhaps if I do this…” Link said, before playing the Song of Time on his Ocarina.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Instantly a blue glow appeared in the air, as blocks with the symbol of the Door of Time on every side were generated right before the group’s eyes.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, you have your answer.” Nabooru said with a smile. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Ruto smiled as well, while Link got on the first block, moving onward and making his way up towards the invisible platforms which Impa saw.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Just before Link wanted to turn to the right, he saw what appeared to be tracks in a crevice to his left. Feeling that this was a bit out of place, he hopped over to it, seeing that the tracks led into a path he hadn’t seen right away from the ground up, the trees at the edge having hidden it well as well. His curiosity peeked, he went to investigate, following the tracks along the way, with the others behind him. They eventually arrived in a large room with what appeared to be a cart on the tracks and a total of five doorways around, almost in a six-way pattern. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What is this?! Is this like an abandoned mine or something?!” Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s possible, but I wonder what is out here…” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]It was then that Link heard the eerie sound of something coming from above.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh for Nayru’s sake, not THESE guys again?!” He said, jumping forward to avoid a Wallmaster, which landed on the spot where he just stood, with Ruto taking it out in a single strike of her Golden Zora Sword.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]However, before Link could thank her, he was suddenly hit in the back with something, right before Saria was met with a similar treatment, causing Link and Saria to crash into each other, knocking them out for the moment. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What the-?!” Zelda asked, before she was hit at the side of her head, also rendered unconscious. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Impa instantly put on the Lens of Truth and discovered to her shock that there were not one, not two, but FOUR Invisible Floormasters in the area, which turned their attention to the remaining Sages. Gathering his own power, Darunia raised his hand in the air, gathering his powers, before smashing it on the ground, creating a geyser of fire-based energy that promptly incinerated the Floormasters, making them split in three, although most of the smaller Floormasters were caught in the remains of the Fire Geyser, instantly incinerated as well, while Impa struck swiftly to take out the others before they could siphon the energy of the others to grow back to their normal size. Taking the unconscious three with them, the group moved on into the central shaft, where they heard a humming sound as if something was being produced there. As they arrived in a single room, they could see a smaller adaptation of the device they had seen in the Stone Tower Temple before, the humming sound waking the three up.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What the-?! What happened? Where are we?” Link asked, shaking his head to remove the stars out of his vision.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I think we may have found the back-up Generator.” Impa said, whom had crouched down near him and Zelda, while Nabooru intercepted another Wallmaster and let it land on her swords, impaling it in the process which meant its death as well.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wow, so the back-up generator is here, huh?” Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yep, but it looks protected against bombs.” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Perhaps this Powder Keg can be of help.” Darunia said, lighting up a Powder Keg and laid it in front of the Generator’s main power supply, before the group made their way out to take cover. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]With a loud explosion, the Powder Keg detonated, the force of it severely damaging the power generator, which caused it to overload and began to explode itself, destroying the generator in the process. Feeling the explosions, the group decided to make a run for it to outside and into the invisible platforms outside, with Impa leading on to make them visible for the group. No sooner were they outside and about halfway over the platforms, when a fireball blasted outside the mineshaft, causing the entrance to it to collapse and the snow that was on top of it to move down, creating an avalanche that made a more safer path to travel down on at the bottom, while also making one of the invisible platforms directly visible because of it. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Whew, that was a close call.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll say. At least that back-up generator’s destroyed, so we won’t be bothered by it anymore.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Let’s continue on, our job’s done here.” Rauru said.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Moving into a different mineshaft, the group went first with a curve to the right, then to the left, where another barrier was blocking their path. With the barrier having the same appearance as the one seen in the Stalfos Outpost within the forest, Darunia knew that a Powder Keg could break them, but he used the one to destroy the generator before and this time there were no chests around. Link wasn’t giving up and instead tried to charge up a Silver Bomb Arrow.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Take cover!” Darunia said, before the group moved behind Link.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link then fired the Charged Silver Bomb Arrows, which made him shoot three at once, which blasted the barrier to bits![/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wow, it takes a bit of time, but it gets the job done.” Link said, blinking.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll say, but we may need to conserve ammo sooner or later.” Zelda said as the group then ventured through the open door, coming across what appeared to be a small look-out post or a wooden framework that allowed soldiers to climb up the higher path at the far side of the area. Overlooking the path, as if guarding it, was a single Bomb Soldier, whom instantly began to toss bombs in the direction of the group once it spotted them, only to be taken out by a single Silver Bomb Arrow courtesy of Zelda, giving the group the opportunity to climb up to the far side of the area over the wooden platforms. Once having reached the higher path, the group made their way along towards another mineshaft, taking out a single Lizalfos along the way and climbing a ladder at the end of the short tunnel, which led to a higher-laid path, leading to a cliff where at the bottom was another snow-covered path leading to a frozen pond with a frozen waterfall. Directly ahead was another Lizalfos, accompanied by another Bomb Soldier, both of whom were easily taken out, although Link caught the bomb that the Bomb Soldier threw and tossed it away before its explosion could do any harm, exploding harmlessly in the air instead. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wow, this area’s big.” Nabooru commented. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Sounds fitting for a stronghold to me.” Darunia said as the group moved to a nearby ladder and climbed down onto the path leading to the frozen waterfall, where a doorway was between two slabs of ice, sealed with the same wooden barrier the group had seen before and a single Moblin was guarding it. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Seeing this, the group waited while Link took out the Barrier with another Charged Silver Bomb Arrow, while Zelda used a regular Silver Arrow to take out the Moblin. Afterwards, the group went into an open doorway, which led into a tunnel where a chest was in the center. Opening the chest, the group found a large bundle of arrows to use with their bow, increasing their supply of Silver Arrows along the way. Exiting the tunnel led the group into a single room in the outside field, with towering wooden structures present that did serve as a Lookout post for real, occupied by three Lizalfos, two Moblins and three Bomb Soldiers. Immediately two of the Lizalfos jumped down to ground level to confront the group, ready to attack. Rauru and Impa took out the two Lizalfos with ease, but then the Bomb Soldier came to ground level, tossing a bomb at the group. Saria, imitating Link on this, caught the Bomb and tossed it back to the Bomb Soldier this time, damaging it when it detonated. The Bomb Soldier on its turn got angry and tossed a sudden cluster of FIVE bombs at once to the group, making them scatter in order to stay out of their blast radius. At the same time, Saria managed to fire a Silver Arrow at the Bomb Soldier, defeating it, which in turn allowed the group to climb up the first wooden platform. No sooner had they arrived there, when a second Bomb Soldier landed on the bridge, while the first of the two Moblins arrived and got ready to charged at the group, while the third Lizalfos stood behind him, moving as if taunting the group. Launching a Silver Arrow himself, Link took out the charging Moblin, whom knocked the Bomb Soldier off the bridge in its fall, where Saria tossed a bomb after him to defeat it. Zelda used a ray of her own magic power to blast the taunting Lizalfos to bits, before the group moved on over the bridge to the second wooden platform.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Just as Saria worked on making vines for the group to climb onto the higher part of the second platform, the third Bomb Soldier arrived, along with the second Moblin and two Dinolfos, the latter two jumped off a high part of the mountain and onto the far side of the area, onto a ledge near the third wooden tower. Darunia defeated the Bomb Soldier with ease, while Nabooru used a Golden Sword Spark to kill the Moblin instantly, leaving only the Dinolfos to deal with. Link and Zelda both successfully pulled off the Mortal Draw against them, finally defeating all the enemies in the area . Darunia in the meantime broke open a cage, freeing a Goron in the process.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thanks for rescuing me.” The Goron said, whom gave Darunia a free Powder Keg in gratitude.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“No problem.” Darunia said, smiling as he felt a bit of pride coming to him for being able to aid a comrade in their time of need.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Be careful around here though, the road to the Headquarters is near here, but the base is SWARMING with enemies.” The Goron said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Don’t worry, we can take them on.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Are you sure? I’ve overheard that some of the weaker enemies have now received armor to increase their defenses against you; their testing ground is within these headquarters and the tower itself.” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We are sure. Rest assured, comrade; the enemy won’t last long.” Darunia said, turning to the others, whom nodded with confidence to him.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Very well. I must urge you to remain cautious; the headquarters is located underground, so be wary of areas that will have either lava or molten steel around.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Alright, thanks for the heads up.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Don’t mention it.” The Goron said, before leaving the area himself. Following after him, the group went back through the tunnel and into the area that now had platforms to the right the group had to climb up on, with yet another Moblin arriving in the area, only for Nabooru to take it out with yet another Golden Sword Spark.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]With the enemies dealt with, the group began to climb on top of the platforms to the right to make their way up to a higher path on the far side of the area.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Evening is about to fall…” Ruto said, looking up in the sky.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed. We may have found the headquarters either during the night or otherwise during the next day.” Rauru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“But we can’t stop now to rest though; we may freeze to death if we do.” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I have a feeling we won’t be able to have any rest in the upcoming time, we’d better prepare for the worst.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Agreed. Our lives and those of the people in Hyrule and Termina depend on this.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“But what if Ganondorf and Majora are still too strong?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thinking of the worst case, huh?” Nabooru asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It is a possibility,” Darunia said, “but even if that is the case, we will show them that they are not invulnerable.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed. And I intend to spend every bit of my energy in fighting them until I can’t fight no more. And as far as I’m concerned, I’ll fight them until my very last breath.” Link said, determination shining in his eyes.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Hahahaha! That’s the spirit, brother! Songs will be sung of your outrageous courage and determination.” Darunia said, patting Link’s shoulder.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Majora said that we were thorns in the sides of Ganondorf and Majora. How long can they survive our stings?” Nabooru said with a smirk.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Impa, while remaining serious, nodded with a smile.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Either way, we will make them pay.” She said, just as the group went through another tunnel, headed for the next area.

[/font]

 

[Z-Fighter]

Spoiler

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Chapter 44: A Race to the bottom[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]It was night when the group finally arrived in the next area, outside of the tunnel. At the far side of the platform they were on was a shed that was blocked by a single Mad Scrub, with a path going all the way down and up the mountain. Saria prepared a Silver Arrow to shoot the Mad Scrub with… only for the arrow to be blocked by a barrier, courtesy of a Barrier-Generating Wizrobe![/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“These guys again?! I haven’t seen them since Saria, Zelda, Ruto, Nabooru and I ventured through the land between the Woods of Mystery and Ikana!” Link said, just as the Wizrobe vanished.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“How do we beat these guys?!” Impa asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Whenever we fire at who or whatever the Wizrobe is guarding, it will appear to cast the energy barrier around the creature for several seconds before turning invisible again. That is the ONLY time that the Wizrobe on its turn can be harmed.” Nabooru said, demonstrating it with Zelda as Zelda fired a Silver Arrow of her own at the Mad Scrub, making the Wizrobe with the barrier appear, only for Nabooru to slash the Wizrobe with her Golden Scimitar Swords, damaging it. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Saria then fired at the Mad Scrub again, making the Wizrobe appear on a different spot, where Princess Ruto slashed at him with her sword, defeating it. Zelda then fired an arrow at the Mad Scrub, instantly defeating it. Link then saw a cage hanging in the air and fired an arrow at it to break it open, only for the Silver Arrow to strike another barrier, generated by a SECOND Barrier Wizrobe. Seeing as how they had been defeated, Darunia rushed at the Wizrobe and hit it in the face. Link fired at the cage again, forcing the Barrier Wizrobe to remain in place to generate the barrier again, allowing Darunia to finish it off with a second Goron Fire Punch. Firing a Silver Arrow for the third time at the cage, Link smiled as this time, the cage broke open and another Goron came out, this time it was a much younger Goron, although slightly older than the Elder Goron’s son in Snowhead.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Huh? Wha-?! You… you freed me?!” He asked, looking around.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That we did, my friend.” Darunia said as the others came towards him.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thank you.” The Goron said with a smile, just as chests appeared on the ground around the spot where the cage was hanging before. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Opening the chests, the group smiled at finding another set of bombs and bundles of Arrows to replenish their ammunition with, while the Goron waited for them at the shed.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Once the group had restocked, they went to see the Goron again.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What are you doing?” Ruto asked, scratching her head, while Saria was shivering in the cold, causing Link to put an arm around her in order to try and keep her warm, making Saria blush.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I want to make a little race with you. You can use these planks here to stand on and follow me down the mountain.” The Goron said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Okay, but where are we going?” Link asked, deciding to humor him.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s a secret, but it’s definitely something that is of great importance to you. In fact, it will allow you to continue your journey towards where you’re planning to go.” The Goron said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You have our interest now. Are there any conditions to this?” Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Just one: all of you have to reach the bottom before me. That’s it.” The Goron replied with a smile.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Sounds like an interesting challenge.” Link said, sheathing his weapons and adjusting his outfits as he grabbed one of the planks.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So, how do these work?” Nabooru asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Just stand on it. With how this mountain runs, speed won’t be an issue. Just make sure you maintain balance.” The Goron said as he moved to the far side of the shed, rolling up to charge up a roll himself, while Darunia did the same.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The others did as they were told, making sure their feet would hold on the plank.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Are you ready, then let’s go!” The Goron said, starting up his roll, before he went on his way.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link used his left foot to take a few steps to gain speed before moving it on the plank, gaining speed as he went now down the mountain, shifting his body to steer in the direction that the Goron was moving on. Link decided to take it easy on this route, as if wanting to see where the Goron would be going. The remaining Sages followed with a bit of distance, ensuring they wouldn’t bump into each other by accident this way.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh man, talk about a sudden change in travel methods.” Link said to himself as he slid further down, first going to the right, then left as the tail moved in a bit of a snake trail, before hopping on a smaller path further down and hopping from there on lower ground, the speed he was traveling with being enough to knock an Iron Knuckle who stood in the way to the side, causing Link to blink at this.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Now that’s a heavy crash.” He said as he kept going, moving further down through a narrow passage, knocking a second Iron Knuckle aside at the end of the path, letting Link pass through. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, this is putting a new spin on things.” He said as he continued on his way.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Going over a higher path and taking a curve to the left, Link continued onward while taking a turn to the right, knocking a third Iron Knuckle aside as to give the others free rein to pass.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What’s the deal? It’s as if I’m going so fast I’m knocking these guys over like bowling pins!” Link said, taking a small turn to the right, moving onward and knocking a Dinolfos aside as well, moving on and knocking even a Stalfos over along the way.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Meanwhile, Zelda gulped as she narrowly missed bumping against the edge of the path, not being used to this. Then she remembered a bit of what had happened within the Tower of Light that she had been in with Link, Saria, Ruto and Nabooru, where they also had to pull off such an act just to get back downstairs from the tower itself after presumably being locked in and dealing with a Bomb Soldier whom was protected by a Barrier Wizrobe, the major difference being that now she was still in her normal sized self, as were the others. This brought some sense of comfort for her as she made her way along, following Link’s trail as much as she could. Similarly, Saria, Ruto and Nabooru adapted well, while being on the lookout for Darunia as he had his Spiked Goron Roll on, not wanting to get impaled by him.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Another boat was making its way over the ocean to the island that the group was on, although this one looked different from what the group had used. Still, it had several passengers present who were also battle-hardened, ready to take on what was coming to them. On the front side of the deck, there stood two Gerudo, one with dual-scimitar swords strapped on her back, while the second one carried a glaive, while a bow and a quiver with arrows was strapped on her back.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“When do you think we’ll arrive here, sis?” The younger Gerudo asked the one next to her.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Probably over the course of the next day. Let’s hope that we’re not too late as I feel that they need our help more than ever. They have helped us out before, now it’s time for us to return the favor.” The older Gerudo said. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Lady Reimu, we have land in sight straight ahead.” Another Gerudo then shouted to her from the crow’s nest.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Understood. Maintain course towards that land!” Reimu replied.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“As you wish, my Lady.” The Gerudo controlling the ship said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Leia, have the troops ready for a final check. I want everyone to be ready for this for when we go in.” Reimu said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes, sister.” Leia said, nodding before she moved off. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Reimu watched her go, before sighing.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]‘Rest assured, Lady Nabooru, we will come to help you and your friends out. You are going to need our help soon enough, I know it.’[/font][font=Verdana, sans-serif] She thought to herself as she continued looking forward, seeing the mountain range coming into view. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]On the deck of the ship, several other Gerudo, the four Pirates whom were with the group at the Stone Tower Temple before among them, presented themselves before Leia. Several soldiers from what remained of the Hyrulean and Terminan armies were also present, battle-hardened and ready to avenge their fallen comrades, having taken up some additional training from the Gerudo, who for once have put their differences aside in regards to their normally reclusive nature and took up arms to help in fighting the greater evil that was rampaging across their lands. [/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Romani and Cremia still tended to their ranch, assisted by a few Gerudo whom decided to stay behind in order to provide at least some form of a last defense in case things would go awry, while at the same time also ready to treat any wounded that came their way. Having seen the rampaging Cuccos in action, the civilians of Clock Town have taken up arms and drove whoever survived of the Corrupted Soldiers out of town after stripping them of their weapons, effectively creating the Terminan Resistance Group, with one division led by Kafei, the husband of the Stock Pot Inn-keeper Anju. The main commander of the troops was Captain Viscen, whom now had the opportunity to prove his worth. Working together with Mutoh, the boss of the Carpenters, construction was underway to repair and reinforce the town’s walls as well as forming a more formidable defense against any oncoming enemies. Ironically, the enemies that remained swarming around the direct vicinity of Clock Town, the ChuChus, Real Bombchus, Blue Bubbles and Dodongos proved to be of excellent target practice as these creatures kept coming back to replace any of their fallen comrades. A few soldiers also took pleasure in injuring the Takkuri, mainly to keep it away from any travelers that moved around in order to get the supplies needed to feed the townspeople and soldiers alike. As for Clock Town itself, the mess that was left behind during the rampage of the Cucco Revenge Squad was eventually cleaned up, the remains of the soldiers whom were slain by the Cuccos were tossed out, buried in an unmarked grave and forgotten about once it was done, letting nature run its course on the corpses underground. [/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The Gorman Brothers in the meantime were eventually caught in another, rather careless, attempt of sabotage and were subsequently captured, tried and put into prison, which in turn disappointed the Gorman Brother leading the Gorman Troupe act as he couldn’t believe his hard-working brothers did such acts simply to hinder the competition, in particular Romani Ranch. Whatever animals were stolen from the ranch were eventually returned, much to Cremia’s delight, so she could treat them properly to have their strength recover. Nobody would ever hear from Sakon ever again, much less find his rotting corpse as it was still behind his own self-made hideout with the closed rock wall as main security barrier. Even if they would learn of his fate, their common reaction would be: ‘Good riddance’, considering how much of a bad person Sakon has been. Especially Kafei would be satisfied to learn of his demise, although he would be slightly disappointed in not being able to deliver a punch or two of his own against him for stealing his precious Sun’s Mask, which was now the Couple Mask which Link still had with him.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The Deku Royal Family in their palace in the Southern Swamp also made some additional preparations, with the King being much more rational and letting the monkeys help in forming a defense alongside the Deku Guards. The Gorons in Goron Village also prepared themselves, mostly to defend their Elder and his son, hoping that this time there will be no harsh winter like last time. Each of the Gorons in Snowhead remembered Darmani the Third, one of the bravest Gorons that ever lived, inspiring the Gorons there through his spirit to be determined to defend their lands of any evil that would try to come close at it with the best of their abilities. At the beach areas, the friendly Zora were on patrol a lot more, while others formed an escort force for those who were needed to go on errands or in case other Zora wanted to be visited, one of those Zora groups escorting Lulu to the lab so Lulu had the time to finally see her children again, whom were excited at seeing her. Mainly thanks to the efforts of Link, the Zora babies were growing in a steady, healthy pace, soon old enough to grow from their tadpole forms to the Humanoid forms like Princess Ruto. It brought great relief to Lulu to see that her seven children were healthy so far, hoping they would soon be strong enough to come with her to Zora Hall. This brought a sense of confidence and safety as well to her, knowing what she must do to protect her children… [/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]A whole different story however was, as usual, Ikana Canyon, since that land was already haunted by the dead. It was logical that the cursed land by itself would remain untouched as many travelers would avoid the area like the plague, unless they had the right courage and determination to overcome the dangers of the area, considering the Garo Robe Ninjas still dwelled there to this very day, ready to report to their master about their findings concerning the Ancient Castle of Ikana. It was as if Ikana itself, regardless of whom had tried to ease the lingering souls there, would be cursed for eternity, considering the history full of bloodshed and suffering of the Kingdom as a whole. It would be the kind of curse that was not of Ganondorf or Majora’s doing and could therefore not be lifted so easily; the only achievements that could be made would be to ease and heal the souls lingering with suffering and regrets instead, which in turn would allow such souls to rest in the peace they were seeking.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Having knocked another Iron Knuckle aside along the way, Link sped on his makeshift snowboard on a large slab of ice in a cavern, gritting his teeth at the scraping sound, but not slowing down one bit. Seeing the path split up ahead, he took a slight offset to the left, leading him to a higher area over the snow, maintaining his position to maintain balance. Apparently the experience back in the Tower of Light has done him well as he remembered to shift his position well enough to change course where necessary, ensuring he would stay on the path. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Talk about getting some excitement in during the night,” he said as he properly hopped over several gaps, making a turn to the right to stay on the higher path, “I hope the others are alright…”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“If anyone told me that I would be snowboarding across this area, I would have laughed them out of the castle for this…” Zelda said as she exited the cavern herself, seeing Saria further ahead.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh wow, if the other Kokiri would hear about this…” Saria said, shuddering a little while trying to maintain focus.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“If I ever said that I wanted some more excitement in my life in the past, I would go back in time to where I said it and make me eat those words.” Ruto said, gulping a little.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ve heard of some rather harsh training courses, the Training Grounds in the Gerudo Fortress being an infamous example, but THIS goes beyond it!” Nabooru said as she attempted to stay on the right path.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Good thing this isn’t used as a race track in the Goron Races…” Darunia mused as he rolled on, knocking several Lizalfos over like bowling pins along the way.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I wonder how this will eventually benefit us…” Impa said as she now exited the same cavern, with the silent Rauru not too far behind her.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link could feel his body bouncing a little as he then moved over a bridge made of logs while knocking another Stalfos to the side, passing underneath a building and going in a circle in a counter-clockwise direction to a higher part of this building, before entering a narrow path that would be more ideal for a sled to ride, considering the steep hills that pretty much acted like guard rails. He had the young Goron in sight, but he would be unable to catch up on him. He did spot a small ice platform that laid in the center of the path he slid on once he was past the steep hills, while he moved on to what appeared to be a cart that would take him back to where he started the race, the young Goron ahead. As the cart took off, he saw that Saria was coming in as well...[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I feel a déjà vu coming on…” Link said as he prepared to get to the course a second time, the others not too far behind.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]On their second round, Link decided to get more speed in to catch up on the Goron rapidly and hopefully get past him during the course.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I wonder where we will eventually end up in once this race is over…” Link said to himself as he went on ahead, memorizing the course this time around as he made his way over the course, taking the same route he had taken before, but now there were no enemies that acted as obstructions.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Saria was now getting closer, intending to catch up with Link to follow his route for a change and see where he was going once the paths would split over different courses overall.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I have to admit, this is kind of fun. It’s something else for once other than being chased around or fighting for your life.” Link said as he entered the cave a few minutes later.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I wonder if this place can be explored without the snow… or the snowboard…” Saria wondered herself as they sped onward, the others following not too far behind…[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Ganondorf and Majora in the meantime were making their final preparations for in their tower, unaware of the group being on the same island as they were...[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Hopefully the confrontation comes soon; the sooner those fools are dead, the better.” Majora said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Getting a bit anxious, are we?” Ganondorf asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That group of eight are an insult to our existence, Ganondorf and you know it. How they manage to revert back to normal from being turned to stone still baffles me.” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“The answer is very simple, Majora; they possess the powers that destiny has blessed them with that offers them a degree of protection against such spells and curses.” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What? So those very powers you seek are protecting them in a way?” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Correct. It also grants them powers in their own right, which in turn makes them already formidable opponents.” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“And I suppose you want those powers as well…” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That is correct, but that is not the main reason. You obviously are not familiar with the holy relic that is native to Hyrule known as the Triforce, which has been said to be able to grant any wish to those who touch the complete Triforce.” Ganondorf said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Pah, myths and legends of ancient times. Who cares about that?! It’s likely a bunch of rubbish anyway; just deal with those pricks so we can finally rule the world the way we see fit!” Majora snarled.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]This made Ganondorf stop in his act for a moment, turning to Majora, who merely frowned at him.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I shall remember those words of blasphemy, Majora. You will be eating those words once the proof is shown in your face.” Ganondorf said, narrowing his eyes.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Whatever.” Majora simply said, moving on to make a few more of their henchmen stronger and curse a few prisoners along the way, leaving Ganondorf by himself.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Ganondorf on his turn kept his eyes narrowed.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Insolent fool,” he drawled in a low voice, “you have no idea what you’re up against. It’s no wonder why Termina was technically doomed in the first place… I wonder if your existence was also meant to be an insult to the people who blasphemed the Goddesses…” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Ganondorf then stood up, moving on towards the top of the tower himself.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Passing over the logs and going through the building again, Link found himself shifting positions to maintain speed and balance, as if it became a natural skill of his to pick up on new skills rapidly than any seasoned warrior. Then again, the Triforce of Courage allowed him this ability to master most of these new skills and weapons in a shorter time, which was needed to pass specific trials as well as to fight evil. Granted, he too needed the occasional training in order to keep his skills spic and span in the first place, but with the way he has been holding out so far makes him quite the exceptional warrior, with skills in practically almost every weapon; melee, ranged, explosives… something that the soldiers of Hyrule could take lessons off in order to become much more competent as a whole. While the Hyrulean Army did have competent soldiers by itself, there were of course those who has shown acts of cowardice or recklessness, something that didn’t sit well with Impa and Zelda in particular. Which is why they were looking for additional training courses to truly test the soldier’s vigor and determination. Perhaps Link could show them a thing or two himself…[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]As Link exited the trail with the steep snow hills, he slowed down and came to a stop onto the slab of ice.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, I guess this must be it, the last bit of this track.” He said, just as Saria came to join him.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Have we gone ahead this far?” She asked as she stopped.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I guess. Hopefully the others will arrive shortly…” Link said, just as Zelda arrived with Impa in tow, shortly followed by Nabooru and Ruto. Shortly after, Rauru arrived while Darunia stopped in front of the group in a distance, before walking up to them.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Looks like we made it before the Goron did.” Darunia said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Phew, what a ride.” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You said it. Although I have to admit, I was quite enjoying it.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Are you serious?” Nabooru asked, blinking.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yeah, I didn’t feel the pressure of being chased or anything for once, which is quite nice to experience if you ask me.” Link replied.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Zelda chuckled at this.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“To be honest, I liked it too,” she said, “I felt like I was free to simply move where I wanted to go.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I found knocking some of the enemies aside like bowling pins quite hilarious.” Saria said, giggling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You weren’t the only one who found that funny.” Link said, laughing himself.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So, where do we have to go now? We have done what the Goron wanted us to do… so now he must keep his end of the bargain…” Impa then asked, just as the Goron himself arrived.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Easy now, guys and girls, the ice platform isn’t quite stable here…” Link said, feeling the ice underneath him beginning to sport a crack.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wow, you managed to reach the platform before I did. Great job.” The Goron said with a smile.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Okay, we raced with you, so why did you want to take us here for?” Nabooru asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yeah, we’re looking for the lair of our nemeses, so…” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Actually I brought you a bit closer to that location. Located underneath this slab of ice you’re standing on is an underground area that will lead you straight to the enemy’s lair.” The Goron said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s terrific, that saves us a lot on having to find out where to go.” Ruto said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“But how do we get there?” Darunia asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The Goron responded by rolling up and using a Goron Pound to break the ice slab the group stood on, which in fact was the cover for a hole in the ground that caused them to fall down into it…

[/font]

 

[Z-Fighter]

Spoiler

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Chapter 45: Going underground[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The group slid down a chute, eventually landing on a wooden platform, between several stacks of crates alongside the walls and the path ahead.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“OUCH!” Link said as he landed on his rear.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That was quite sneaky.” Nabooru said, grunting as she got up.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, he showed us the way, but he didn’t need to be so rough!” Darunia said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right. I only wonder where on Hyrule we are now…” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This looks like one giant storage facility… check out all those crates!” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It could be more than just a storage facility…” Rauru noted once the group had recovered altogether and got ready to explore the area.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Why is it so hot in here?!” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’ll find out as we’ll explore the area. Let’s go.” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Moving past the stacks of crates, the group entered an area that apparently had a kind of machinery working around a small pool of what looked like lava.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Might as well switch to the Goron Tunics again.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Good idea.” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What’s the matter, Link? You seem rather… annoyed by the device there…” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s nothing, it’s just that such contraptions remind me of the Great Bay Temple… I just hope we don’t have to tamper with it to change the flow or something…” Link said, before moving back behind the crates to get changed into his Goron Tunic.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It is hot, but is it really lava? Seeing as several crates are standing IN it…” Ruto said, blinking before putting her tunic on.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s probably reinforced by some kind of lava-resistant magic or materials that can withstand such hot temperatures.” Impa mused.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Hmmm…” Darunia said, nodding as he waited for the others.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Once the group had switched back to their Goron Tunics, by extension benefitting from its heat-resisting properties, the group made their way down the platform they were on, landing in a wider area that was separated by a small lava river. The gap was too big to be merely jumped over and on the far side were already a few enemies present. This time, there was one enemy that stood silent like an Iron Knuckle, but instead of an axe it carried a massive broadsword that could inflict just as much pain as the axe itself. The enemy itself was completely covered in armor. Nearby this enemy was a Dinolfos, also clad in armor, carrying crates to and fro around a small crevice in what appeared to be a small storage stack.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This must be something big; if the enemies here are armored…” Ruto said, blinking.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yeah, perhaps this could be more than your run-off-the-mill outpost.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“But how do we cross this lava river to fight them?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“There’s a metal plate held in the air by ropes. If we can find a way to get it down…” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Won’t it be easy to just cut the ropes?” Ruto asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That is the easy way out indeed, but there is the risk of the metal plate coming down wrong or otherwise fall in the lava, rendering it useless for us.” Link said, moving to the other side of the area to a more numerous stack of crates. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So we must find another way to lower the plate then…” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Exactly. Considering the amount of ropes and how they are connected to the plate, makes me believe that a machine of some sort is keeping that plate up, so we need to find a switch to lower it.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“There’s a switch right here behind this wooden barrier.” Zelda said. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Let’s see if we can find an explosive around here that can be of help while at the same time allowing us to conserve precious ammo; I have a feeling we will be needing our bombs more than ever.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wise idea.” Saria said.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Hopping over several crates, Link eventually saw a bigger crate that led to a crevice to his left. It was too small for him to crawl through, but instead he settled for the use of a Bombchu to see what was behind the crevice. The Bombchu traveled past the debris and pillars and struck a crystal switch hidden behind one pillar, activating it to let a big chest appear on the area where the others stood. Opening it, Darunia discovered a Powder Keg, which he immediately used on the wooden barrier, destroying it in the process while Link returned to the group. Nabooru then hit the switch, which activated the device that lowered the metal plate and make it cover the gap precisely, the ropes still keeping it in place, creating a makeshift bridge that allowed the group to cross the lava ditch below. Immediately as they got close, the Armored Dinolfos dropped the crate and went to engage the heroes, while the Darknut, the armored foe wielding the big sword, remained in place for the time being. Believing that the Armored Dinolfos would be a test regarding things to come, Link first rolled around the Dinolfos and performed a Back Slice against its weak behind, causing it to yelp in pain as it was hit, before turning around to attempt to set Link ablaze with his Fire Breath. Saria intercepted and struck the lizard from behind, defeating it. This only left the Darknut as Zelda woke it with a Silver Arrow, making him move to the group to charge at them. Link intercepted this time and clobbered the Darknut with his shield, dazing it enough for him to perform the Helm Splitter, followed by subsequent strikes that also fragmented its armor as it sustained more and more damage, akin to the Iron Knuckles. After several more strikes, the Darknut lost all of its armor and, in rage, tossed its broadsword to the group, whom narrowly avoided it, before it drew a shorter sword to combat the group in a quicker speed. Zelda intercepted with a shield attack of her own before slashing the Darknut several times while it was dazed, with Impa coming to her aid. Impa and Zelda both managed to defeat the Darknut, despite the being putting up a fight itself.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]With the fight over, the group was presented with a new puzzle, as the gate at one side was sealed shut, while in several crevices, there were floor switches available, four on each side.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, looks like we all partake in solving this puzzle.” Link said as he moved to one floor switch, only to see something on it.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Hey, isn’t this the symbol of one of the Medallions of yours?” He then asked, turning to the Sages. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Blinking at this, they went to investigate.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes, I can see the symbol of the Water Medallion on this one.” Ruto said, standing on it, to which the switch was pressed down… but nothing happened.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Let’s check the others.” Zelda said as the group went to check the other switches here.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I found the Spirit Symbol here.” Link said on one of the switches on the other side.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I found one bearing the Forest Symbol.” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This one has a Triforce mark with the down-left triangle highlighted.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I found one with the same mark, but now with the down-right triangle highlighted.” Darunia said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I found the Fire Symbol here.” Rauru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Here’s the Light one.” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“And here’s the Shadow one.” Zelda herself said, blinking.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, time to check for the respective symbols and stand on the switches.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Moving around so each of the group found the switches corresponding with their symbols and marks and stood on them to activate them, opening the gate.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wow, that was quick.” Ruto said as the group went off the switches, moving on to move through the opened gate, entering a corridor filled with stacks of crates around them.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Are they preparing an invasion?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This is likely more like a giant storage facility… or perhaps this could be their main base!” Zelda said.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]As the group made a u-turn through the corridor, they came across a regular Dinolfos, whom Ruto struck down with a single sword strike. Turning around the corner and entering a larger room, the group saw, to their shock, a second Darknut, coupled with an Eyegore and an Iron Knuckle standing in front of a path that led further down into the area. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“How mean, to place the strongest henchmen here!” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Let’s try the tactic we’ve used before back in the land between the Woods of Mystery and Ikana, taking them out one by one.” Link said, before firing a Silver Arrow at the Darknut… only to find it blocked by a barrier, courtesy of another Barrier Wizrobe, whom had hidden itself behind a stack of crates on a higher level![/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Hey, no fair!” Ruto said, pouting. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Looks like we need to circumvent around the area to lower the platform with the stack of crates to reach that Wizrobe.” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“There’s a crevice with a ladder that can perhaps be of help…” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Then let’s not waste any time, let’s go!” Link said, heading for the crevice, but just as he and the sages stood in the crevice and Link wanted to climb the ladder, the platform itself suddenly broke and fell down into a hole, taking Link and the Sages with it…[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The group landed in a larger storage room, with numerous crates stacked against the wall, several placed on the ground and others suspended in the air by means of ropes being attached on it on every corner of the crate itself. This time the group landed on their feet as they slid down a tube at the end and rolled forward to prevent damage.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“From one section into the other…” Nabooru said, nursing her feet for a second or two before getting up.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’ve got company!” Impa then announced. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Looking to their left, the group instantly spotted three more Armored Dinolfos, two Stalfos and two Assault Sword Soldiers on ground level. Three Assault Spear Soldiers stood on the crates suspended by the ropes, while at the top on the far side of the room stood a single Bomb Soldier. A crevice bearing another screw-stilted platform was guarded by a Skulltula. Ruto instantly took out the Skulltula using her own Bow and Arrows, moving on to explore the crevice that had the screw-stilted platform to see if there was anything of value, with Rauru backing her up.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link, Zelda and Saria engaged the Armored Dinolfos, using first the Helm Splitter each, while Impa, Nabooru and Darunia attacked the Assault Sword Soldiers, with Darunia providing a decent shield for the spears of the Assault Spear Soldier by using his rock-hard back to make the spears bounce off harmlessly, with Nabooru and Impa occasionally grabbing hold of such spears and tossing them back at the offending soldiers to damage them or intercepting other spears. Link then clobbered one of the Armored Dinolfos in the face using his Ball and Chain to knock it down, before rapidly moving in to perform the Ending Blow before the lizard creature had time to get up, instantly killing it. Saria and Zelda both used the Helm Splitter a second time, slashing away at the stunned Armored Dinolfos afterwards. Ruto used her Boomerang to lower the screw-stilted platform in place so she and Rauru could reach the higher placed platform, locating a set of rupees and a Business Scrub whom offered to sell Red Potion upon its defeat, which Ruto bought. Impa and Nabooru received a few sword slashes of their own while fighting the Assault Sword Soldiers, before Darunia grabbed the two and clobbered their heads against each other, crushing their helmets and defeating them in the process, while Link boldly climbed his way up the crates to engage the Assault Spear Soldiers, using his shield to intercept them before firing a Charged Silver Arrow to fire three at once, striking two of the Spear Soldiers which defeated them right away, while the third arrow intercepted a spear thrown by the last Assault Spear Soldier, to which Link responded by firing another single Silver Arrow at it, this time striking its mark, just as Ruto and Rauru aided Saria and Zelda with the remaining Armored Dinolfos. This eventually left the single Bomb Soldier at the top of the area, close to the ceiling, who was throwing bombs down a path similar to what a Bomb Soldier did back in the Tower of Light, much to the annoyance of Link, Saria, Zelda, Ruto and Nabooru.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This one better not have any Barrier Wizrobes with it or so help me!!” Link said, moving over the crates towards the stack where he could enter the path leading to the Bomb Soldier.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That bad?” Impa asked, blinking.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You have no idea. Back during us scaling the Tower of Light between Ikana and the Woods of Mystery, one of these pricks pulled the same act, throwing bombs down the path. It was protected by a Barrier Wizrobe, much to our annoyance…” Nabooru said, following Link with Zelda, Saria and Ruto in tow.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Much to Link’s greater annoyance, there were gates that blocked his path, but fortunately there were blocks nearby to help him press the switch down, while at the same time using it as a platform to climb up to the higher path. But this left the danger of the Bombs as well as the steep paths. He grabbed the first block and proceeded to push it upward, hoping it would shield him from approaching bombs to a degree. However, it wasn’t easy due to the steep path working against him, feeling as the block was trying to slide back to its position downstairs. Fortunately for Link, Nabooru, Zelda, Saria, Ruto and even Impa and Rauru came to his aid, with Darunia using a Fire Barrier to let the bombs detonate prematurely before helping the group as well. Eventually they managed to push the block onto the switch, opening the gate on the higher level and allowing them to climb further up to reach their target, only for a second block to be placed, forcing the group to repeat their previous action. Thankfully the Fire Barrier helped in blocking the Bombs for the most part, while Zelda casted Nayru’s Love over the group to shield them from actual damage for the time being. Still, the massive teamwork of the entire group ensured that the second gate was opened like the first, allowing the group to finally engage and defeat the Bomb Soldier, before Link used a Nice Bomb to destroy the wooden barrier. This in turn allowed the group to proceed into the corridor, with Rauru activating a switch that opened the gate ahead and lowered the wooden platform with the crates on it to the ground. This allowed them to return to the area where the Eyegore, Darknut and Iron Knuckle were still standing, proceeding to engage them to lure the Barrier Wizrobe out. The Barrier Wizrobe was indeed lured out using a Silver Arrow courtesy of Zelda, before Link took the Wizrobe out in a single Jump Strike, leaving the Iron Knuckle, Eyegore and Darknut without their protector. [/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Now the battle began as the Iron Knuckle and Darknut went to engage the group, the Eyegore first trying to zap them with its laser before tossing rocks, only to be taken out instantly with a Silver Arrow fired by Saria, leaving only the two heavily armored foes to deal with. Link decided to engage the Darknut this time around, mostly to learn more about its battle pattern properly and finding ways to counter it, while at the same time luring it away from the Iron Knuckle to ensure he wouldn’t be unexpectedly caught in a swing of its giant battle axe. Saria and Zelda went at his side right away to assist him, shortly followed by Ruto, while Nabooru aided Rauru, Darunia and Impa with the Iron Knuckle. The group’s tactic of luring the two armored fiends away from each other to have proper room for battle was successful, although it was somewhat tedious due to their slow speed. Still, Link and his girlfriends engaged the Darknut, first stunning it with their shields before slashing away to break off its armor, while Nabooru used a form of deceptive hit and run tactics on the Iron Knuckle, taunting the behemoth into using its axe and using its momentum from it to rapidly sneak in a hit or two before backing off to prevent being struck with the axe. At the same time, Darunia prepared a few Nice Bombs to bring in additional damage, eventually leading to the Iron Knuckle losing part of its outer armor. The Darknut then tossed his giant broadsword away after losing its armor, with Link and Zelda narrowly avoiding decapitation as they dived out of the way in time. Both the Iron Knuckle and the Darknut had increased speed, but the group was for the most part much more agile and were still able to inflict damage, the Iron Knuckle was eventually slain by a Silver Light Arrow, while the Dark Nut got impaled on the Golden Swords from Link and Zelda both, defeating it as both fiends disintegrated in sheets of flame, finally letting the group through the path the armored fiends were blocking before.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Whew, that was tough.” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed, and I have a feeling that this is only the tip of the iceberg,” Link said, “if this is supposedly their main base, we should expect more heavy resistance further on.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh dear…” Impa said, looking worried.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]It was then that Link grabbed something from his hammerspace bag, taking out a bottle of milk… but not just your ordinary milk…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Link? What are you doing?” Impa asked, seeing it as he handed out bottles to the others.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’m going to ensure we have the means to fight them. I’ve been saving this up until now, but I feel that this will come into use more than ever.” He said, handing a bottle to Impa.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I see, so what is this?” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This is a special kind of milk known as Chateau Romani. Whoever drinks it will be energized and have unlimited magic for the next three days after consuming it.” Link said, opening his bottle after handing out the other bottles to the others.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“For three days?!” Impa asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You bet. I’ve used it myself when I had to deal with the Stone Tower Temple and Majora himself a year ago. It works wonders I tell you.” Link said, as the others opened up their bottles as well.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I see.” Impa said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, bottom’s up.” Link said, before gulping down the contents of his bottle completely in one serving, feeling the energy flowing through him right away, its mystical effects beginning to manifest within him. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Saria and Zelda followed his example, both of them blinking for a moment as they felt the energy beginning to soar within their bodies through a gentle flow that eased their insides. Ruto and Nabooru also felt the milk refreshing their very beings, giving them the energy boost they needed, Rauru, Impa and Darunia were thinking along the same lines.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Say, this definitely is delicious.” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It is, isn’t it?” Link asked, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wow, I feel as if I have so much energy that I HAVE to burn it up!” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Trust me, you’ll get your chance soon,” Zelda said, “just make sure we are NOT on the receiving end, but the enemy is.” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Don’t worry, the enemies will be my target.” Ruto said with a giggle.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Good.” Zelda said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Darunia smirked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This is probably the only time I’ve enjoyed something else other than those Sirloin Rocks found in Dodongo’s Cavern.” He said, giving the bottle back to Link who stored it back into his hammerspace bag, just like with the other bottles, before the group proceeded onward, over the bridge and entering yet another large storage room, filled with numerous crates around the area.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wow, they really are prepared for an invasion or massive occupation!” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll say…” Link said, blinking.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Do you think we can put a stop to them?” Saria asked, just as several Assault Sword Soldiers came charging at the group. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Without hesitation, the group engaged the Assault Sword Soldiers and it seemed they would have an easy victory, were it not for being pelted by Bombs courtesy of a Bomb Soldier standing on a higher area in the room. The group were in possession of stronger blades, allowing them to get rid of the Sword Soldiers with relative ease, despite continuously moving to avoid the incoming bombs.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“These guys are really getting desperate now.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll say, now we need to get up there…” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll go in first, that way I’ll have that Soldier’s attention regarding the bombs.” Link said, moving to a crate to climb on top of it, hopping on a net to climb his way further upward, keeping the pace to remain out of the bombs’ blast radius whenever they were dropped.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]This proved effective as the Bomb Soldier did turn its attention to Link, tossing the bombs at him while Link just kept moving, the bombs missing him fortunately, despite some close calls. Link kept working his way further upward, dropping down once he reached the other side and climbed now on top of the net, moving onto it, only to be launched a bit further up as if he stood on a trampoline, making use of the momentum he gained to reach the second platform, before Ruto went after him, seeing as the Bomb Soldier was still distracted by Link. Making his way to the far side of the second area, Link then turned to face the Bomb Soldier…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What?! He’s standing on a wobbling platform?!” Link asked, while using his shield to deflect the Bombs.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Then he obviously tried to get a greater view on us to strike at us.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Link, catch!” Ruto then said, tossing Link her Nice Boomerang.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thanks, Ruto.” Link said, catching the Nice Boomerang before hopping on the second net, being launched in the same fashion as with the first, before tossing the Nice Boomerang directly at the platform the Bomb Soldier stood on, causing it to break in pieces and making the Bomb Soldier fall on the ground, after which Link jumped on the platform and booted the Bomb Soldier to the ground floor, with Darunia catching the soldier and punched him high and far away using an uppercut, defeating it instantly.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link then handed the Nice Boomerang back to Ruto after she joined him on the higher platform where they waited for the others to join them.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s the first time I’ve actually seen you kicking someone.” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“To be honest, it felt quite good.” Link said, causing Ruto to giggle.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Once the rest of the group had joined the two on the higher floor, Link used another Nice Bomb to blow the wooden barrier away, giving the group access to the hallway further ahead.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, that’s that for now…” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yeah, might as well rest up for a bit so we can nurse some injuries. While the Chateau Romani does give us infinite magic power for 3 days, we can still get injured or killed.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Point taken.” Impa said as the group settled down for a moment.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Dark Link, Dark Saria, Dark Zelda and Dark Nabooru were still waiting for further orders in the tower, after killing off Sakon. They were soon joined by Dark Ruto, who looked just like Princess Ruto, but also with the dark gray to black skin color and the blood red eyes. She returned from having made the water in the tower poisonous, simply to add another hazard in case the group moved into the lair.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Do you think they will come here anytime soon?” Dark Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Positively. Knowing them, they’ll do whatever it takes to move into the lair of the Dark Lords and defeat them once and for all. They’ll come across a big surprise once they get there.” Dark Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed. By all accounts, we should have the advantage of being more deadly, considering how they seem to fight.” Dark Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“But we must not underestimate them at any level. They already managed to defeat Link and myself, so they are apparently aware of how we fight, just like how we are aware of how THEY fight.” Dark Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Hm. At least there can be different possibilities on the battle’s outcome…” Dark Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed. It all depends on how the conditions are.” Dark Saria said, nodding.

[/font]

 

[Z-Fighter]

Spoiler

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Chapter 46: A trapped shot[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]After a few minutes rest, Link and the Sages got back up, moving onward down the hallway. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wow, I wonder how much time it took for them to set this place up…” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Probably in the days when Agahnim was around,” Impa said, “He must have taken his time with planning and everything, keeping his forces in check to make us believe that peace had finally come to our land.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s a plausible possibility. Given his limited powers he had with Ganondorf being sealed, despite the possession of the Triforce of Power, he must have used this base as a stronghold for him to build up enough power to resurrect Majora in the first place.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I agree,” Link said, “given the time he had and needed, he must have been thinking things through. Ganondorf may be evil, but he certainly isn’t stupid; he knows when to take his chance, like how he tricked us to enter the Sacred Realm, creating the Future That Almost Was.” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You got that right. You believe that he’s done this again, but by lying in the shadows?” Rauru asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Ganondorf’s smart enough for it; how else would he have used Majora to regain his true form? Apparently their mutual animosity for us is what drove them to make this alliance. Even though Majora only has a grudge against me since I defeated him, he obviously hates you too.”  Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Either that, or Ganondorf could be looking for Majora’s Mask as an additional power source to boost his own powers and prevent us from defeating him once more.” Zelda said, just as the group entered the next room.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Entering the next room, the group would already see an Armored Dinolfos and a Stalfos ahead, which were soon joined by an Assault Spear Soldier and yet another Bomb Soldier, while in the distance a Floormaster could be seen in standing position. The Soldiers spotted the group immediately and went on the offensive, just as two Lizalfos, Sword Soldiers and a second Stalfos moved in the area, ready to attack. Without hesitation Link and the Sages went on the defensive, mostly to block the incoming spears and the charging Floormaster, before moving in to retaliate. Link killed the Floormaster in a single strike with his Golden Master Sword, with Zelda and Saria helping him in getting rid of the three smaller Floormasters, while Darunia kept the Stalfos occupied. Ruto used the Nice Boomerang to stun the Assault Spear Soldier, with Rauru and Impa providing cover to keep the Bomb Soldier and the Lizalfos occupied, while Nabooru engaged the Armored Dinolfos. Darunia’s rock hard body was able to withstand several blows inflicted by the Stalfos before using several Fire Punches to break their skulls after their guard was lowered. Nabooru displayed great agility as she leapt over the Dinolfos to strike at it with the Helm Splitter, before using a Golden Sword Spark to knock the Bomb Soldier off the crate it stood on, giving Rauru, Ruto and Impa the opportunity to deal with the Assault Spear Soldier properly. Link, Saria and Zelda came to their aid after destroying the tiny Floormasters and defeated the Lizalfos in turn, before engaging the Bomb Soldier as it recovered. Nabooru joined in after breaking through the Dinolfos’ armor and decapitating it in the process, although she got a slash in her arm during a failed attempt to perform another Helm Splitter. Once the Bomb Soldier was slain however, two hatches at the wall ahead opened up and two Aeralfos flew out of it, ready to engage the group. This forced the group to switch to their Clawshots in order to pull the creatures towards them and strike at them using their swords, although one of them managed to hit Ruto on the shoulder. Although they were tougher, the Aeralfos were hardly able to fight back once the group put pressure on them with their own blades, causing the two lizards to eventually be defeated more quickly than the group’s first encounter with them back in the snowy mountain. There was no time to rest however, since as soon as the Aeralfos were defeated, the gate to the left side of the room opened and TWO Darknuts came out of it, moving in to engage the group. The group retaliated using their Helm Splitter techniques, while at the same time remaining wary of the giant broadswords that the two Darknuts carried with them, being sure that they wouldn’t be hit by them as their armor was removed from them piece by piece. Their upgraded blades were of excellent help to the group, being sure to inflict as much damage as possible before the stunning effect courtesy of the group’s shields wore off for the time being. Once the two Darknuts’ armor was annihilated and their broadswords tossed away, the group had an easier time in dealing with them, with Link and Saria using a Great Spin in order to get in as much damage as possible, before the Darknuts were eventually defeated.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Once the two Darknuts were defeated, the gate lifted up again as it had closed up once the Darknuts were in the same room as the group, allowing the group to pass.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Are you alright?” Link asked Ruto and Nabooru.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’re fine, it’s not as bad as it looks.” Nabooru said, nodding as the group moved on in the dark corridor, only for another eerie sound of something approaching coming on.  [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]However, since the area was dark, the group couldn’t exactly see where it was, only for Link and Saria both to suddenly scream as they were suddenly lifted up from the ground, vanishing from sight, only to be unceremoniously dropped back into the room they had just fought the group of enemies in! Thankfully the remaining Sages came to them right away to see if they were alright, only to see Link comforting Saria, whom looked as if she had seen a ghost. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That does it; those Wallmasters are going to get it this time!” Zelda said, just as Saria calmed down enough to proceed once more to the dark corridor.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Let’s go.” Link said, moving on. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]This time the group kept moving, making the Wallmaster miss its target and allowing Saria to exact revenge on it on her and Link’s behalf by slaying the Wallmaster in a single strike, before the group arrived in a room where there was  a higher platform that they couldn’t climb on unless they lowered a plank with crates on it to ground level that acted as a stairway, this plank being moved in the air through a crystal switch by a Sword Soldier, locking himself in through a gate. There was a small hole in the side of the wall at the far side of the room where the Sword Soldier was, which had a curve moving to the left. While the hole was too small for the children in the group to crawl through, it was more than enough for a certain weapon to travel into the room…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Time for a Nice Bombchu…” Link said, picking one up.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Is there a difference with the Normal Bombchus, other than the damage of course?” Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I think it could have a longer range or that we can control its directions, I’m not sure…” Link said as he picked one up, putting it into the hole, after which it began to track down its target, first being the Crystal Switch. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The Crystal Switch was hit, activating and through this lowering the platform with the crates, only for the Sword Soldier to come to the switch and hit it again, deactivating it and raising the platform because of it. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Okay, you’re in for it now.” Link said, launching another Nice Bombchu, moving in the same direction… only for it to switch targets and chase directly after the Sword Soldier before detonating, defeating the Sword Soldier instantly. Now Link used a THIRD Nice Bombchu, which this time hit the Crystal Switch as well. Now it was staying activated, allowing the group to climb up the crates and onto a higher floor. This awakened another Armored Dinolfos and an Assault Spear Soldier,  whom were protected by yet ANOTHER Barrier Wizrobe.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“These freaks are really pissing me off!” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I hear you on that. Good thing we can take them out quicker than before!” Zelda said, firing a Silver Light Arrow at the Barrier Wizrobe, killing it instantly.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]This left only the Assault Spear Soldier and the Armored Dinolfos, both of them being slain quickly with the Ending Blow performed on the Spear Soldier, while the Helm Splitter was used on the Armored Dinolfos, allowing the group to strike it in the back to eventually defeat it.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Relieved, the group moved to explore the area, spotting another Wooden Barrier a bit high on the wall nearby. Using a Nice Bombchu, Link destroyed it, revealing a large tube leading downward. At the same moment, Darunia discovered some rupees that he took along, before the group went inside the tube one after the other, each of them sliding down into another room further down, where another Armored Dinolfos confronted them, although he was swiftly defeated thanks to a well-aimed Helm Splitter courtesy of Nabooru. However, the group was faced with another problem; the path they had to cross over had spears flying over it at random intervals, with the path itself being a large plank that was placed over a small ditch of lava. This lava was something that Darunia could walk through, but would be less pleasant for the others, especially Ruto.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Now what?” Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“There’s a large block out here, but what is it for?” Link asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We should check it out first before we act…” Rauru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“But why are these soldiers tossing their spears for? We’re nowhere near them!” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link moved closer to see what was happening with those soldiers. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wait, what? Are we in a shooting gallery or something?” Link then asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Huh?” Ruto asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Check it out; these soldiers are tossing spears at these wooden targets with badly drawn images of what’s supposed to be us, but I’m also seeing such images of Ganondorf and Majora…” Link said, observing the targets rail.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“How do you know this is a shooting gallery?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ve seen similar rails in the Shooting Gallery in Hyrule Castle Town and Kakariko Village, which transported Rupees over them to be shot by the player.” Link casually explained.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“But why are they doing this for?” Ruto asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Obviously this must be some kind of training center, as if these soldiers are being trained to improve their aiming and targeting skills and see if they can hit the right targets at the right time.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’m inclined to agree,” Nabooru said, “We have similar concepts in our Training Ground and the Horseback Range in our Fortress in the Desert area.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Now we need to see where we can go first though…” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll handle this.” Darunia said, moving through the lava as he was resistant to it, keeping his head down to avoid the spears.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The others waited, although Link did proceed to move the block he saw in the proper position, before Ruto used her Nice Boomerang to strike at another screw-stilted platform, lowering the platform and making a crevice with a chest available to the group. Nabooru went to check out the chest, opening it to find some additional ammunition for the weapons the group carried.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Finally some supplies.” She said, smiling as she took some of the weapons to hand over to the others.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Darunia returned in less than a minute to the group, still avoiding the incoming spears and arrows as he noticed some Corrupted Bow Soldiers have joined them.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“There’s a switch at the far side of the area that’s too big to be pressed down by any of the statues from the Elegy of Emptiness; it needs the block.” He said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Alright then,” Link said, getting ready, “at least we know where to take it.” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll go on ahead to direct you ahead; those arrows and spears will be quite a bother if you ‘re not careful.” Darunia said, moving back to the far side of the path through the lava, while Link got ready to push the block onward, with Zelda, Saria, Ruto and Nabooru coming to his aid. Impa and Rauru worked together to protect the group’s sides by intercepting any arrows and spears that came their way. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I really appreciate your help, girls.” Link said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“No problem at all. We’re all in this together after all.” Saria said as Darunia gave the signal for them to push the block onward.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]As the group moved onward, pushing the block onward carefully, while stopping at certain spots to rest up and let some spears and arrows pass by before continuing on when it was safe to continue, being out of the firing lines wherever possible.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Talk about… a challenging puzzle…” Link said as he pushed on.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll say… as if they… are really trying… to stop us… in desperation.” Zelda said, grunting.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yeah,” Saria said, pushing with her might. “we must have gotten something… really… big if they go… this far.” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]After about a minute or two, which felt like an hour or so, the group were relieved of their pushing duty when Darunia aided them by taking it over for them, pushing it onto the switch and opening the gate, just as Impa and Rauru arrived at where the others were. Now they could enter the room which was not only a shooting gallery, but also an armory as numerous weapons were stored in that room! Immediately the group was attacked by the resident Assault Sword, Assault Spear and Bow Soldiers, giving the group another fierce battle as the Soldiers were fighting with great vigor, despite the group having more superior weaponry. The Bow Soldiers were easily taken out by the Silver Arrows in a single shot, while the Assault Spear Soldiers were a bit more difficult to hit head on due to the arrows occasionally intercepting the incoming spears, although the Assault Spear Soldiers went eventually down in one strike as well. The Assault Sword Soldiers were more of a hassle due to them practically charging at the group, although Zelda did successfully pull off a Mortal Draw against one of them, right before Link knocked another one down before performing the Ending Blow, defeating it. Once the Sword Soldiers were also taken out however, the block that once held the switch was taken away through the ground, lowering the gate and trapping the group in the firing range, with the only holes available to them being the ones that looked at the rail that carried the targets over continuously. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What the-?! We’re trapped!” Saria said, trying to open up the main gate by force.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Great, now what are we going to do?!” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Attention, soldiers,” a voice then sounded, obviously having the authority of a commanding officer, “Ganondorf and Majora, our masters, are not pleased; Link, Saria, Zelda, Ruto, Nabooru, Darunia, Impa and Rauru are still alive!”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So they know who we are…” Nabooru said, narrowing her eyes.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“As long as you don’t know how to shoot, you will remain trapped in the firing range until you do. Now, practice!” The voice said, before it ceased.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, looks like we have a job to do then.” Link said, grabbing his bow and standing in the center shooting range, while Saria and Zelda took up positions to his left and right. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I wonder how long this will take…” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Probably until each of us has met a specific criteria…” Nabooru said, sighing as she waited her turn.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The boat which was led by Reimu and Leia finally arrived at the mountain area, where they saw the boat that Link and the Sages used to reach the island docked at the pier, with the male civilian and two Gorons with it. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What? Gerudo?” The male asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Don’t be afraid, we’re here to help you fight against the forces of Evil and assist the true heroes of this land.” Reimu said. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I see.” The male said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Alright, ladies, move out and follow the trail that our allies have gone through first. I want status reports on the situations around here and report back to me the minute you have discovered their locations!” She said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes, ma’am!” The Gerudo said as they moved out right away, some of them moving to stand by the escaped prisoners to protect them, others went in groups to patrol the area, following the trail that the group had set out before.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The male civilian blinked at this.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wow, I must say that I honestly didn’t expect this to see, no offense.” He said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You mean us Gerudo helping you out? Well, I honestly don’t blame you for that; we haven’t exactly got the best of reputations out here. However, the atrocious actions performed by our supposed ‘king’ Ganondorf and his accomplice Majora has led us to turn against him. Heck, he even caused a civil war among us.” Reimu said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What? How is that even possible?!” The man asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, one side of the Gerudo wish to remain with Hyrule’s Royal Family’s good graces, especially since the exalted Nabooru, our current leader, is friends with the Hyrulean Princess Zelda as well as beings from other races. The other side however consists mostly out of those Gerudo who were openly joining Ganondorf and Majora or otherwise brainwashed in doing so. I regrettably was in that brainwashed camp once, until my younger sister, with the aid of some of Nabooru’s personal friends, liberated me and my comrades who were with me at the time. Ever since I’ve been performing acts to help out refugees and other victims as a partial wish to repent myself for the crimes I committed during my brainwashed state.” Reimu replied.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Hey, you couldn’t do anything against that; he made you do it, right?” One of the Gorons said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It is true that, because I was brainwashed, I was forced to do Ganondorf’s bidding. Yet I can’t help to feel responsible for what I have caused, so I chose this route in order to repent myself and show everyone that I am no longer with Ganondorf’s camp. The only good thing is that every Gerudo whom have been liberated from Ganondorf’s side so far have defected to the side of the good guys, fighting against their former superiors in this fashion.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I understand.” The male civilian said, nodding.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link, Saria and Zelda managed to get their quota of shots after the holes they had to shoot through to strike their targets closed up, making them leave the area, before Ruto, Nabooru and Impa went to the firing range, taking the bows and arrows from the weapon racks where needed. The three children sat down on a nearby bench where they waited for the others to complete their jobs. Link put his head on his hands, sighing.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What’s the matter?” Zelda asked, worried.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I don’t know… for some reason I feel that we all will be facing death itself once more. I’m not stopping now, but to think that this could very well be the last time we’re facing our nemeses…” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I see where you’re coming from. Apparently our first actual deaths must have impacted you a lot more than originally anticipated.” Saria said, looking sad herself.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It has, as if the whole thing gave me some kind of reality check… and yet I feel that those two will be stopped somehow…” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So, what do we do now?” Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I say we simply stick together and fight our enemies together. By all accounts, we’re going to need each other a lot more soon. Once the battle has finally been won, we can finally go and take some time off to relax properly.” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I agree, but where do you want to relax then?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Perhaps moving to Lake Hylia or the Great Bay seem good enough for me, but I’m always open for suggestions from you lot. As long as it’s a place where we can do things we WANT to do, I’m okay with it.” Link said with a smile as he rested.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Saria and Zelda both smiled.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We both agree with you on that.” Zelda said, while Darunia and Rauru waited their turns. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I wonder what we can find here for the rest…” Saria then said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Since this is obviously their main base, it must be something of great importance. Perhaps the final generator to the tower’s barrier is here even, so we need to find that one and disable it before we can make our way to the Tower. We should probably expect heavy resistance, so we need to be geared up properly.” Link said, just as Rauru and Darunia took their turns once Ruto, Impa and Nabooru were done.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That was quite tedious I tell you; those effigies of us give us points, while the effigies of Ganondorf and Majora do the opposite!” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, this IS meant to be the bad guy’s training center after all, so it’s logical that this was meant for them.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You got me there. For a moment I thought I only had to shoot those effigies of our enemies.” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I made that same mistake too,” Link said, “it would make sense though, since it’s also meant to trick us in a way…” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“True, although they weren’t subtle; we would have found out what to do quickly enough.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link nodded at this.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I do am puzzled by the fact that the enemies here aren’t bothered by the heat…” Ruto then said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“They must have either adapted to it or have some heat-resistant armor, like what the Goron Tunics are for us.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Both are indeed credible possibilities, given our nemeses’ resourcefulness and their powers on top of that.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed, they definitely aren’t stupid at all. While their actions are not exactly the smartest, I have to admit that they definitely can plan things ahead and catch us off-guard. Although there is a potential weakness in their alliance…” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“And what would that be?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Given their respective behaviors, Majora is the exact opposite of what Ganondorf does. Sure, both are evil and everything, but where Ganondorf wishes for power to rule the world, thus wanting the True Triforce, Majora simply doesn’t give a rat’s behind and only craves for destruction, although the Skull Kid’s influences could make him a bit more of someone who can indulge in psychological warfare as well.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Psychological? What do you mean?” Impa asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“The whole ‘messing with one’s mind’ thing. I’m not talking about being brainwashed, it’s more about rhetorical questions that can really make one think about things. Majora’s illusion on the Moon tried this on me in relation to the masks that I had with me at the time.” Link replied.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I remember you mentioning something about that when you told us about it all those months ago.” Nabooru said, blinking.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes. But it didn’t deter me to finally show Majora his place…” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“And that’s a good thing…” Zelda said, smiling. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Just then, Darunia and Rauru were finally done with their targets, the satisfaction being that the gates finally opened for them, allowing the group to finally progress throughout the area. Getting up, the group gathered together once more and moved into a wooden corridor. Following a curve to the right, the group hopped down to a lower level, moving further on.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, there’s no turning back here now either.” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed. But once we find our way around, we’ll find a way out.” Link said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Is it me or is it getting warmer all of a sudden?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It is getting warmer Saria,” Nabooru said, “we must be approaching an area where there’s plenty of lava directly around.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Feels like that lava outpost all over again.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You can say that again. It’s a good thing that these Goron Tunics are pretty much life-savers in such areas.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s what we all can agree on.” Darunia said as the group moved on, following along the path towards an exit with a red glow at the far side of it…

[/font]

 

[Z-Fighter]

Spoiler

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Chapter 47: The Last Generator[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link and the Seven Sages entered a very large room, filled with lava around them, with the only suitable paths to walk on being crates that somehow floated in the lava, although some sank and rose from the lava in an alternating pattern, of where one would rise and the other would sink and where the one would sink, the other would rise and so on. Looking around, the group could see that the room was one big machinery contraption, with platforms moving on and on over a set of rails, conveyor belts on a higher floor, retracted ladders and even two poles that extended from a shaft in the ceiling all the way down into the lava. Oddly enough, the lava here seemed partially transparent, while the red-patterned surface made it obvious it was hazardous. This time however, it was hazardous even for Darunia, since it would make him sink into it in case he would fall in it, it was THAT deep. Link wiped some sweat from his forehead, indicating it was indeed incredibly hot. While the group had the advantage of the Goron Tunic making them somewhat heat-resistant, they were still not out of danger or being otherwise unaffected by the heat. There were visible safe platforms further up the building, almost as if the room itself consisted of multiple floors of a building, yet the seemingly haphazard construction, the lack of guard rails, stairways and the numerous hazards alongside would make it either ideal for extensive training for enemy forces or have a construction site that one would want to fire, apprehend and sue the architect of the contraption for even designing such a lethal area that could harm any unsuspecting traveler. It wouldn’t make use as a living area at all, just like a facility for troops to watch over the machinery around.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What is this place?!” Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s obviously meant for transportation of materials and everything, or otherwise aid in the production of the weaponry that the enemy forces are going to use in the full scale invasion and occupation of our lands.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed. Or they could be utilizing the lava around here for something…” Darunia said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So, how do we make our way up here?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“There’s a ladder close by, but that’s beyond our reach.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Looks like we need to cross the path of crates to the other side of the room to see if we can make it through there.” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“But watch your step on those sinking and rising ones.” Rauru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We should take turns following the pattern of those platforms.” Impa suggested.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Great idea. That way we won’t knock each other off of the platforms or slip up.” Zelda said, as she saw Link already moving on his way, carefully studying the pattern and timing his jumps between platforms with caution, following him as the second one to go.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Impa couldn’t help but maintain an expression of concern on her face as she watched Link and Zelda go, soon followed by Saria, Ruto and then Nabooru, before she went on next. It was as if there was a continuous sense of tension around, she couldn’t explain why, but the whole area seems so out of place, with all those devices working while having pipes and whatnot going in the lava… perhaps there were some lava-resistant materials after all… [/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]It took Link about a minute or so to cross the rising and sinking platforms to the other side of the room with care, now standing on one that remained safely surfaced above the lava, while a ladder was attached to it, leading to a higher floor.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, here goes nothing.” He said as he began to climb the ladder, moving towards a higher platform where he was immediately being confronted by a single Bomb Soldier, whom Link took out with a Silver Bomb Arrow before he could do any actual harm, hopping over to the platform on the other side where he waited for the others. Zelda arrived shortly after he made it up there.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This is going to be quite a climb, won’t it?” She asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes, it will,” Link replied while trying to get the pattern of the moving platforms on the rails down while Saria climbed up, “and given how complex this room is, it won’t be easy.” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Zelda nodded.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So, how do you think we should cross this?” She then asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“If I’m not mistaken, these rails are carrying platform in a constant alternating fashion between large and small. Given that we must travel in the opposite direction of where these platforms are going, this won’t be easy, especially when you have these things in your path…” Link said, pointing to cylindrical tubes that stuck out from one machine directly above the platforms. Each of the tubes had holes on every side, while the inside part of it was glowing red-hot, being made more obvious by the constant jets of steam which came from the end part of the tube itself. Zelda, Saria, Ruto and Nabooru each took a peek at where Link was pointing at, seeing what he meant. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh, man. As if things weren’t difficult for us enough already.” Ruto said. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Studying the pattern carefully, Link eventually hopped on one of the larger platforms, before hopping on a smaller that appeared from below the first tube, before he hopped over the tube itself to another large platform. He didn’t stop however, as the platforms were still moving and any collision with the tubes could send him back onto the floating path or even in the lava itself! He repeated this procedure as he went on, although he yelped a little as he came a bit too close to the second tube, nearly burning his hands on the red-hot pipe, while also nearly burning his rear as he narrowly hopped over an edge of the big platform and landing on a short one, before immediately hopping over to a larger one to get some space between him and that red-hot metal tube. [/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Zelda on her turn was happy that she wasn’t wearing her Royal Dress in favor of her Goron Tunic at the time, mostly because she was afraid that her dress would either get stuck on one of the pipes and make her get stuck or fall down into the lava below, or otherwise catch fire due to the immense hot temperature that the tubes emanated. Ruto in particular was the most nervous of the group, although some reassurance from Saria and Nabooru gave her the courage to proceed herself as well, imitating Link’s behavior of studying the pattern and above all thinking before leaping, primarily to time the jumps carefully to prevent being burnt alive. Of course Darunia had lesser problems in dealing with the heat, but remained cautious nonetheless. Even a warned Goron counts for two.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link finally managed to reach the ladder on the far side of the area again, but as he climbed it, a section of the ladder extended itself all the way to the ground floor.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Great, NOW you decide to make a shortcut for us? It will at least save us some trouble in the future…” Link said in dismay, before climbing his way up to the next level of the room, once more waiting until the others had arrived. It was as if Link was upholding a policy of ‘no one gets left behind’.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’m more surprised by how stable everything here is.” Zelda said as she climbed up the ladder herself, while Link made room for her to stand on, spotting several metal rooms ahead, of which one had its entrance opened and available as a platform for the group to move onto.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll say. I have to give it to them, they sure know how to design something.” Link said, nodding in agreement as Saria climbed the ladder to join them.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]As Link made room by hopping on the opened door of the first metal room, a second door lowered itself, revealing a Bow Soldier! Link was quick and fired a Silver Arrow which intercepted the arrow fired by the Bow Soldier, before firing a second Arrow that defeated the Bow Soldier instantly, its body falling in the lava below, sinking rapidly until it was gone. Link gulped at this, feeling uncomfortable, while the others arrived shortly with Zelda joining Link.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What’s up?” Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It sickens me to witness someone falling in the lava like that.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Better avert your eyes next time.” Zelda said, patting Link on the back.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thanks, I will.” Link said, smiling as the two advanced, this time confronted by an Assault Spear Soldier who came out of a similar cage like the Bow Soldier. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Zelda and Link both worked together to defeat it with their Silver Arrows, looking away as the Spear Soldier met the same fate as the Bow Soldier. Moving on, the two hopped on the second opened door, when the third one opened and revealed a Mad Scrub, whom began to spit its Deku Nuts at the two. Deflecting them with the shields, Link and Zelda then retaliated with a single Silver Arrow, instantly defeating the Mad Scrub, whom did not fall in the lava this time. But as the two moved on top of the larger platform this time, they were given a nasty surprise by the appearance of a Cannon Soldier, whom immediately fired a Spiked Cannonball towards them, striking the two in the stomach area, causing them to land against what appeared to be a console-like affair or more akin to a control center to control the machinery. The Cannon Soldier however wasn’t given the chance to strike again as it was immediately killed by a Silver Arrow courtesy of Saria. At this moment, Link and Zelda managed to get the Cannonball off of them, both of them having pain in their chest and back areas, as well as having bleeding wounds from their arms from where the spikes of the cannonball punctured through their skin. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That was…” Link began.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“…incredibly cheap!” Zelda said, both of them grunting as Saria, Ruto and Nabooru helped them up, with Impa administering some Red Potion to them to help them in recover some of the wounds more rapidly. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That was also new; I’ve never seen one of those Soldiers before…” Impa said, blinking, while Nabooru went to a large switch that had a handle on it, indicating it had to be pushed or pulled in order to activate something. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Grabbing hold of the handle, Nabooru pulled with her might, but was so far unable to move the switch.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Man, either this thing is rusty… or incredibly tough!” She said through clenched teeth. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Both Link and Zelda went to aid her, soon followed by Saria and Ruto, but they were unable to pull the switch.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll give it a shot.” Darunia said, taking advantage of his strength to pull the switch this time successfully, activating a contraption that began to lower platforms in a left-right alternating fashion from the two metal bars that stuck out of a shaft in the ceiling all the way down into the lava. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, looks like this is similar to that platform stairway we had back in that abandoned Temple.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes, but now these platforms are moving…” Saria noted.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“They are the least of our worries, Saria; what is likely going to be a bother are those conveyor belts.” Link said, nodding to the conveyor belts which not only moved in the opposite direction of where they had to go, but also had gratings in pipes on one side that sprayed jets of steam at regular intervals, likely capable of inflicting serious pain if not careful.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What in the name of my father is this? A room filled with complex machinery or an elaborate obstacle course?!” Zelda asked, blinking at where Link was nodding to.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Looks like both of them to me.” Ruto said, while Link got ready to cross the conveyor belt, trying to find a pattern between the steam jets being sprayed for accessing the area proper.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Once again going one after the other, Link and the Sages managed to cross the first conveyor belt without much hinder, reaching the platforms that were constantly lowering themselves into the lava from the ceiling, forcing the group to hop from platform to platform to make their way up towards the second conveyor belt, which led them towards a more safer path that was apparently part of the top floor of the room as a whole, considering they were now close to the ceiling. Once at the safe area, the group went to rest, although they were wary as there was a lack of guard rails in the room itself. Despite this, they had a clear overview of the room itself.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I feel funny under my feet.” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Must be because of our current altitude and the view we have of the rest of the room, as well as the imminent danger of falling down.” Darunia said. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Look, there’s a platform at the far side of the room near the ceiling!” Saria then said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Hopefully that must contain the door for us to proceed to the next area.” Link said, looking to where Saria saw it. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That platform has grating alongside of it. Perhaps that’s the only safe area?” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Very likely. I just hope we can reach it in one piece.” Link said, spotting another set of moving platforms which were headed, fortunately, in the right direction, allowing the group to use them to advance towards that safe platform.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Saria gulped a little, but regained her composure as she saw Link boldly using the platforms to his advantage, timing his jumps with care once more. With the prospect of being able to reach safety and leave the room as a whole was something she could look forward to. [/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Reimu and Leia’s troops in the meantime discovered the trail that the group used to snowboard down and through the whole mountain area, intending to follow it to ensure they would reach them in time for assistance. However Reimu advised the use of a new craft that could make the search easier. Created from the remains of the boats and airships that they could salvage from the Great Bay area, the Gerudo had taken these craft with them aboard their ship as cargo in order to ease the search for when the time was right. Now it was time to put these craft to use as in the overall areas they searched, no trace of the group was found other than what remained of the slain enemies which did not disintegrate, as well as the burnt remains of the supposedly hidden back-up power generator. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Holy Toledo,” One of the Gerudo said, after observing the burning remains of the generator, “somebody had fun!”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll say,” a second Gerudo said, joining her, “they really had a blast.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Geez…” a third one said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“There’s no time to waste though; we have to bring our report to our leader, now that we have a clue of where the group has been so far.” The first Gerudo said. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right. Let’s hope we can find them in time before all hell breaks loose.” The second one said, before the three left to look for Reimu in order to report their findings and give her intel on where the group has gone to after observing their tracks, this being notable by traces of snow floating in the air, which was apparently the location of the at first invisible platforms in the air.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Once Link and the Seven Sages landed on a grating that stuck out from the main platform itself, they took one last look around the room, before entering the safe path. But no sooner had they entered the path itself completely, when the grating behind them rose, locking them in the area. A gate at the far side opened, revealing a single Darknut, who went to engage the heroes. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Alright, time to get some action again.” Saria said, firing a Silver Arrow at the Darknut… only for it to be blocked by yet another Barrier Wizrobe! [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]At this point, Link lost his temper for a moment and with a precisely timed jump attack, he cleaved the Barrier Wizrobe in two, allowing the others to focus on the Darknut while the Wizrobe’s remains disintegrated, allowing Link to assist his friends in the fight against this tough enemy. However, the fight was made difficult due to the limited space the group could move in, as well as there were two crates standing at the far top right and the far down left corner of the platform itself. While those platforms could be used to hide behind or gain some leverage against the Darknut, it still remained quite hazardous to confront the behemoth as its broadsword swinged once to the left, almost cutting of Zelda’s scalp had she not ducked in time, before she used her Shield attack to stun it. This allowed Saria to perform the Helm Splitter on the behemoth, before Link aided Zelda by repeatedly slashing at the stunned Darknut before it recovered, despite losing bits of its armor along the way. Darunia clobbered the Darknut with a barrage of Goron Fire Punches, which proved to be very effective as more parts of the armor were punched off with great force, before the Darknut was now armor-less and tossed his broadsword away in favor of its more rapier-styled blade, which by itself increased its speed as it also had no shield available to defend itself against the incoming attacks of the group itself. Still, the Darknut managed to knock the sword out of Link and Saria’s hands for a brief moment, before slashing at them, which effectively delivered a cut in their faces, while Zelda had a stab wound in her arm and Ruto had a slash would across her right arm. Nabooru pushed Link and Saria out of harm’s way, bringing them in reach of their swords, but she could not prevent the Darknut from striking her in the side, causing Nabooru to scream in pain. In retaliation, Nabooru’s eyes then glowed orange for a brief moment, before stabbing the Darknut in the stomach area with her right hand, extracting a sphere from him which had an eerie glow to it, as if it was made of magic or energy, before heaving it high in the air, and squashed it with a loud *SPLAT*, causing the Darknut to recoil in pain, although it recovered. However, this brief moment allowed Saria to constrict the behemoth with her vines, leaving the Darknut struggling to cut through its defenses, before she and Link picked up their Golden Swords to perform a Dual Helm Splitter, critically damaging it in the process. It was then that Nabooru held her hands in front of her, gathering a bit of energy from herself as well as Link and the remaining Sages, almost like a miniature Spirit Bomb, before launching it at the Darknut, finally obliterating it into nothingness. This allowed the group to properly recuperate, just as the gate where the Darknut itself came from before opened up again, this time showing an empty corridor which obviously meant that the group had to go through. Taking some sips for the Red Potion they had left, the group relaxed for a moment to let it take effect to let the worst wounds stop bleeding, before moving on through the corridor. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I swear, these sudden surprises are really not the things I like.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll say. Especially in such a confined room…” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, let’s see what we can find here…” Saria said as the group traveled onward through the corridor.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Traveling onward, the group came eventually across a set of pipes that ran through the corridor, crossing over or otherwise following along the path. Hopping from the path to a lower section, the group eventually came across a room that was like a large tube by itself, with platforms being moved over rails to the right, with the platforms being held on the rails through ropes. To the right, the path was blocked by constant jets of steam that was potent enough to lambast anyone who would come close to it or even touch it.  To the left, the path was completely free and available to be explored, but this meant having to jump from platform to platform. On ground level however were several pots and chests that the group could use. Hopping down to the ground level, the group went to open the chests, discovering some additional supplies for their weapons and medications, like arrows, bombs, Red Potion and even a Green Potion. The Pots however contained Red Fairies, which instantly went to heal the group upon close approach, restoring the group in effect back to full health.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wow, that sure felt good after those battles.” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I have a feeling they were here for a reason, other than to heal us…” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You think we have gotten close to the area where the one in charge is?” Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Possibly, or otherwise something that could be of similar great significance.” Link said, waiting until the others had gathered their supplies.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wow, I wonder what it will be this time…” Saria said, looking around.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“There is only one way to find out.” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed. Let’s hope it will be something that will allow us to progress.” Nabooru said, as Link climbed up the ladder back to the main platform the group had stood on upon entering the area, looking to carefully jump on the moving platforms to cross the area carefully and prevent being burnt to cinders by the steam jets behind him. [/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The trip itself went tediously slow, mostly due to the platforms constantly moving to the opposite direction, but the group was making progress, although Ruto and Impa missed one platform, causing them to slide back down to the beginning where the pots and chests were. Still, it was of no consequence as they could simply try it again, with Link using his Bow and Arrows to take out two Assault Spear Soldiers that were trying to block the group’s path or at least hinder them in some fashion, before he proceeded to continue on his way towards another path to the left, as another set of pipes emitting constant jets of steam was blocking his path directly ahead, giving him not much of a choice. He waited for the others once he had landed on the path itself, which led into a dark corridor. The others arrived in total after a few minutes, as a couple of others made a few mishaps along the way. Even though Link himself has made it in one go, even he had moments where he nearly lost his balance during almost miscalculated landings on the platforms. He was happy that Saria and Zelda could join him quickly, followed by Nabooru and Darunia, later on followed by Ruto, Impa and finally Rauru.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Whew, it wasn’t easy, but we made it.” Ruto said, earning a playful pat on the back from Saria.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wait, do you guys and girls hear that?” Link then asked, hearing something as he put a listening ear deeper into the corridor.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It sounds like heavy machinery being operated.” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“But what is it for a contraption?” Zelda asked her attendant.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Only one way to know for sure…” She said, as the group made their way down the corridor.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Exiting the corridor, the group could hear the sounds of the machinery coming closer as they entered a room that was again filled with lava around them with platforms in the middle… coupled with a gentle bridge leading to the center platform. But what made the group stop was the machine ahead… It looked like a complicated contraption, with twin doors on either side of the machine’s upper path, a wheel that was similar to the wheel of fortune things the group had seen on funfairs as well as in Termina, being modeled after the Clock Tower’s design, even though it had images of enemies on it. There was also a bar in the center that had an unlit light at the top and an obvious target with a blood-red gemstone in its center. In the center itself stood something that resembled a large cannon, while four Cannon Soldiers were standing on the higher path, aiming at the group itself. A humming/droning sound was heard, which indicated the machine was powering something for sure.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Is this what I think it is?” Nabooru asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yep, this must be the last generator.” Link said as he entered the main platform, while the enemies surprisingly remained docile for the time being.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]As he took his position, the Sages moved to stand in a row, narrowing their eyes at the machine. It was then that a *THUD* was heard, followed by a bubbling sound from behind the group. Looking behind them, Link and the Sages saw that a gate had closed at the entrance area, blocking anyone else from getting in, while the bridge they used to move onto the platform they now stood on sank into the lava.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Cripes, that’s another déjà vu…” Link said, blinking.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Huh?” Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Back when I had to go through the Fire Temple and was about to face Volvagia the dragon, I also witnessed a platform I needed to cross to the main battle area sinking to the lava, as if trapping me in that area while fighting the boss.” Link replied.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I see.” Darunia said, just as he saw the Cannon Soldiers taking position.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Everybody get ready,” Rauru said, “this is going to be quite tough…”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Goddesses bless the Chateau Romani…” Zelda said, as the effects were still in place.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Let’s show them.” Link said, preparing his Bow and Silver Arrows…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Hey, what do you think you’re doing here?!”[/font][font=Verdana, sans-serif] A menacing, high-pitched voice then said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Majora!” Link and the Sages said in unison.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You may have made it this far, but you’ll never be able to stop us now! This machine will end you now!”[/font][font=Verdana, sans-serif] Majora said, before vanishing again, the Cannon Soldiers taking position…

[/font]

 

[Z-Fighter]

Spoiler

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Chapter 48: The Lava Run[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The battle began as the four Cannon Soldiers began to unleash their spiked cannonballs to the group, while the cannon directly in front of the group was firing regular cannonballs at a relatively slow fire rate. But this didn’t make it any easier as the group was moving about, just to avoid those cannonballs and spiked cannonballs while at the same time making sure none of them would have a one-time lava bath.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That cannon ahead doesn’t have something to disable it!” Zelda said, imitating Link’s behavior of strafing around to prevent being hit while keeping an eye on the targets.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Then ignore it for the time being while still avoiding those Cannonballs. Concentrate your firepower on those Cannon Soldiers to relieve some pressure instead! I’ll try to strike at the target with that blood-red gemstone.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right.” Zelda said, firing one Silver Arrow at one of the Cannon Soldiers, defeating it instantly, leaving three more to deal with.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Saria fired a Silver Arrow at a second one, only to intercept its spiked cannonball, before Darunia came to her aid by lambasting one with one of his own fireballs. Link managed to fire a Silver Light Arrow at the target he was aiming for, raising a red object within the central bar for a moment. Firing a second Silver Light Arrow raised it even further, but the third one was intercepted by one of the cannonballs fired from the main cannon. While Ruto and Nabooru kept the third Cannon Soldier at bay, Zelda aided Link by firing a Silver Light Arrow of her own at the target, raising the red object even further upward, approaching the top of the bar, just as Rauru disabled the third Cannon Soldier and Impa and Nabooru helped in taking out the fourth one. This now left only the  central cannon and the primary target to deal with. Darunia caught one of the cannonballs with his bare hands and tossed it back, effectively intercepting another cannonball which was aiming for Saria, while Link scored another hit on the target with a Silver Light Arrow, bringing the red object to the top. This caused an alarm to go off, the pointer on the wheel to spin and the cannon itself ceased firing.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What’s going on?” Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Impa turned her attention to the machine in the far background, noticing that its motions had slightly increased, before the pointer stopped, landing on an image of lizard-like creatures… just then, the twin doors on the platforms of the machine opened up and a total of six Lizalfos came out, taking positions as two of them were poised to land on the platform Link and the Sages stood on to engage them in close quarter combat. Nabooru engaged them both, while Link, Saria, Zelda and Ruto took out the four ones who remained at the back with Silver Fire Arrows, effectively slaying the lizard-like fighters within less than half a minute. [/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Now, two more Cannon Soldiers appeared to engage the group, while the main cannon fired again, this time with a slightly increased fire rate, making things a bit harder for the group. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh man, I have a feeling that this may take a while…” Ruto said, avoiding a spiked cannonball which had her name on it.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I agree, but we should be able to best it somehow; we now know its primary weakness.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right.” Ruto said, just as Zelda fired a Silver Light Arrow at the target, shortly followed by Saria, while Nabooru used a Golden Sword Spark to take out the first of the two Cannon Soldiers and Darunia lambasted the second one, removing those threats for the time being, letting the others focus on avoiding the regular cannonballs and striking the primary target. After two more Silver Light Arrows, courtesy of Link and Ruto, struck the target, the sirens blared again, repeating the procedure it did the first time, but now instead of Lizalfos, Dinolfos appeared. They had no armor, but it was the variety that utilized the Fire Breath as a secondary weapon. Initially attempting to immolate the whole group with their Fire Breaths, the Dinolfos were dismayed that Ruto cast a Water and Ice Barrier to cancel the stream of fire out, before Link and Zelda used Silver Ice Arrows to freeze two of the Dinolfos solid, after which Ruto and Saria lambasted two others with Silver Fire Arrows. The two last Dinolfos hopped on the platform to strike at the group with their blades, only to be knocked into the lava by Rauru and Darunia, both Dinolfos howling in agony as the lava burned and melted them alive. Ruto used her Nice Boomerang to strike at the two frozen Dinolfos, breaking the ice and stunning the two creatures which also made them fall in the surrounding lava, ending them. This time, four Cannon Soldiers once more appeared as the main cannon fired as well, again with a slightly faster rate of fire than before, while the Cannon Soldiers began to fire in alternating order instead of all simultaneously. This made it in effect harder for the group to properly engage the machine and the soldiers altogether. Link aimed at the main target, only to receive a spiked cannonball in his side by one of the Cannon Soldiers, with Saria receiving a similar treatment, although she managed to take out the Soldier whom shot at Link before she was hit. Ruto and Zelda managed to take out two of the other Cannon Soldiers along the way, before Zelda was hit by another Spiked Cannonball from the final Cannon soldier, who was promptly taken out by Impa, allowing the group to concentrate on the central target. While the Cannonballs were now easier to avoid due to it being the only things shot at them, the group still had it a bit more difficult due to the increased fire rate. Despite this and their injuries, Link and Zelda both managed to hit the target with their Silver Light Arrows, before Saria hit her mark, before Ruto made it reach the top again, causing the sirens to go off once more…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“How many times have we done this procedure now?” Ruto asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This is the third time, if I’m not mistaken.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It is the third time indeed.” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Just then, the pointer stopped again, before the twin doors opened up, unleashing four Bomb Soldiers, whom instantly took position and began to toss their Bombs at the group! Link, Saria, Zelda and Ruto used their shields to protect them from the most part of the bombs’ detonations, while Darunia tossed a Nice Bomb back at them, instantly killing two of the Bomb Soldiers as the greater explosion of the Nice Bomb gave it an area-of-effect blast radius, coupled with greater splash damage when compared to regular Bombs. Nabooru repeated this procedure with the two remaining Bomb Soldiers, before two Cannon Soldiers appeared again, while the main cannon began to fire as well, this time at an even faster rate than before.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What’s the deal?!” Ruto asked, avoiding a cannonball while Link and Saria managed to take out the Cannon Soldiers before they could deal any damage. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I believe we’re inflicting some serious damage to this machine, perhaps it reacts to the damage it has received so far.” Nabooru said, hopping to the left to avoid another incoming cannonball. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What’s the matter, Impa? You seem concerned… we will defeat this machine.” Zelda said as she successfully hit the target with a Silver Light Arrow.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This isn’t my main concern, dear,” Impa said, managing to get a strike in herself using a bow she took from the armory in the firing range, “it appears that the machine in the background is also working faster, in correspondence to this machine…”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That is weird…” Link said, managing to strike the target again with another Silver Light Arrow, before Nabooru hit it again, letting the sirens go off for the fourth time, the two hatches opening to reveal a total of four Aeralfos, two from each side! [/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The Aeralfos roared first at the group as they took positions to surround them, while Link, Saria, Zelda and Ruto took out their Clawshots, getting ready themselves. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Get behind us; this is getting tricky!” Link said to the others, getting ready to aim his Clawshot to fire and pull the Aeralfos he targeted in.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right.” Nabooru said, nodding as she stood behind Link. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Impa took position behind Zelda, Rauru stood behind Ruto and Darunia went behind Saria, right before the four Aeralfos raised their shields, giving the group the signal to attack, as the four children pulled the flying lizards in using their Clawshots, before the adults clobbered them several times, straight into the lava as the four children stunned them with their shields first. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Again, four Cannon Soldiers arrived to attack the group, while the main cannon itself began to fire at the group with half a second between shots, making it increasingly difficult for the group to properly retaliate. This time, Nabooru and Impa were hit by shots from the Spiked Cannonballs, while Darunia grunted as a regular cannonball hit him. Both Link and Saria were able to take down two of the Cannon Soldiers, only for them to be hit by the two remaining ones about a second later, which prompted them to retaliate, although they couldn’t prevent Ruto and Rauru from being hit as well by them, effectively wounding the group as a whole now that all of them sported injuries. Ruto got her revenge by taking down the third Cannon Soldier, while Zelda killed the final one using her own Silver Arrows, allowing the group to concentrate on the main cannon and its target again. Rauru, Impa and Darunia managed to get hits in together, with Nabooru managing to strike it back to the top, making the sirens appear for the fifth time. This time, Assault Spear Soldiers came out to strike at the group, tossing the spears at them, only to be defeated instantly with the Silver Arrows by the group. Once more, four Cannon Soldiers appeared to strike at the group while the main cannon attacked with once more a higher rate of fire, making things harder for the group. However, Darunia grabbed the Cannonballs and tossed them at the Cannon Soldiers, helping in defeating them this time with Link and Saria aiding him, before the group could focus on the main target once more. Zelda and Ruto managed to get in a hit with their Silver Light Arrows, before Nabooru got the third hit in and Rauru finished it off with a Silver Light Arrow of his own, finally causing the machine to cease its operations, falling silent while a hatch to the far right opened up, revealing a path.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“NOOOOOO!!”[/font][font=Verdana, sans-serif] Majora wailed, as if it had observed the fight of the group with the machine.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Too bad for you.” Link inwardly snarled.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Link! You and your pesky friends aren’t getting off that easily. If the factory goes, you go with it!”[/font][font=Verdana, sans-serif] Majora said, clearly agitated, before the group went off into the now-revealed path, which was a corridor with wooden planks and metal walls around.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh man, he sounds like he’s lost it!” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“And that’s what scares me about him; if Majora goes nuts, he’s more dangerous than ever.” Link said, looking around with extreme caution.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The group entered the next area, which was leading to a path upstairs, but as they went on, a crate fell down into the lava and the bridge they went on before collapsed, effectively preventing them from going back! To make matters worse, the area was shaking at random intervals…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What the-?! The whole place is coming apart!” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Not only that, but the lava appears to be rising at an alarming rate…” Darunia said, seeing it almost reached the platform they stood on.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh no! EVERYBODY RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!” Link then shouted, making sure his weapons were tucked away as he made a run for it, Zelda and Saria close behind him as the Sages followed right away, the lava now reaching the platform they just stood on as they made their way in a circle to a higher area. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Careful, don’t drink more than you can handle! HAHAHAHAHAAAA!”[/font][font=Verdana, sans-serif] Majora’s voice cackled across the area, revealing that he was the one who was deliberately causing the place to begin to fall apart, as more debris and crates fell in the lava at the sides…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“CURSE YOU, MAJORA!” Link snarled as he and the Sages managed to reach the higher path in time.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]A Sword and Shield Soldier tried to block their paths, only to be clobbered aside by Darunia, while the others went around it, hopping across a gap to a broken path at the other side, moving then to the left, hopping over two platforms before reaching a crevice in the wall where they climbed up rapidly to a higher part with grating close by, while the paths the group just had been on vanished below the surface of the lava. Being in full-panic mode let the group run as fast as their legs could carry them, climbing up the grating quickly before moving to another set of platforms, with Saria summoning a bit of wind to give the group a speed boost to prevent them from falling in the lava. Hopping from the platforms swiftly to reach a straight path to the left, Link smacked a Sword Soldier away to continue his way, while the path below him began to creak, shake and crumble already, before he hopped on wooden platforms onwards, smacking another Sword Soldier to the side along the way, while the Sages weren’t far behind, while Darunia was already making plans of his own.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“THIS IS INSANE!” Zelda exclaimed as she climbed higher in another crevice after Link, with the former already hopping on platforms that acted like a stairway upward towards another grating.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN!” Saria said, seeing as the lava was rising rather rapidly.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“DON’T LOOK BACK OR DOWN, JUST GO!” Darunia exclaimed.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link was already making his way on other platforms, moving as fast as he could to stay clear ahead of the lava, while smacking another Sword Soldier away as he waited for a little bit. The others arrived within a matter of seconds, the heat of the rising lava already becoming prominent as it kept rising, as if it was chasing the group. As they went onward, Zelda smacked yet another Sword Soldier to the side herself, not wanting them to hinder her and her friends as they reached another grating…[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link climbed his way up the grating as fast as he possibly could, already beginning to sweat as he moved rapidly. However, it kept him occupied for a moment as suddenly what appeared to be a stone hit him on the head, causing the young hero to yelp in pain as it hit him, but he quickly recovered and climbed on to a higher path. He was alerted to another yelp, this time coming from Saria and Zelda both as they too were hit with similar debris, before reaching Link’s position with the others just as he hit another Sword Soldier, defeating it.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“STOP THEM! THEY MUST NOT REACH OUR TOWER!!!”[/font][font=Verdana, sans-serif] Majora screamed throughout the tower as Link and the Sages scaled the last staircase, of which the platforms were already beginning to shake and crumble, the lava now rising rapidly as the entire place was falling apart![/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Smacking a final Sword Soldier away, Saria helped Link further up as he was hit by one strike of said Soldier, reaching the top in time before the platforms they just scaled collapsed and fell in the rising lava, with the group heading for the final bridge where they stopped, seeing that there was a large abyss underneath them…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Good grief, he has gotten completely mad.” Impa said, while Saria and Zelda tended to Link.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Are you okay?!” Saria asked in worry.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’m fine, it’s not as bad as it looks.” He said, seeing that his shield blocked most of the strike at his right side. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Just then, the place shook a bit, a rumbling sound coming from below.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Huh?! What was that?!” Nabooru asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Just then, the faint sound of a massive explosion was heard from below, as the machine they had just fought against suffered from too much pressure and exploded. This resulted in a fireball spreading around in every direction, killing the troops that were looking after the machine itself or tried to run away from it. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s coming from below!” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Right as the group looked down, all they could see was a fireball heading into their direction as it was looking for a way to disperse as more and more machines were annihilated throughout the whole underground headquarters. In utter horror and fright, the entire group tried to shield their eyes and quickly prayed for a quick, swift end… only for a gust of wind emanating from the shockwave of the explosion itself blast them right into the air, just ahead of the fireball that was chasing after them. Whether it was desperation or determination, Saria and Ruto both combined their powers and created a water spout that was enough to let them keep their speed and distance ahead from the fireball, just as the group was literally blasted out of the air chute they were in, sending them in the direction of the final tower of where Ganondorf and Majora resided. The last thing they saw before losing consciousness, was that they approached the ground at the tower’s base at high speed, unaware of Ruto, Saria and even Nabooru trying their best to cushion their landing as best as they could…[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Leia and Reimu were with their troops inspecting the area the group had just traveled through, when they felt the ground underneath them shake.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What the-?! Is it an earthquake?” Leia asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“LOOK! OVER THERE!” A Gerudo shouted, spotting an explosion in the far distance, although it looked like a fireball being blasted from the ground…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Good grief!” Leia said, appalled at seeing the explosion.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“EVERYBODY MOVE BACK TO THE SHIP AND UNLOAD THE AIR FIGHTERS! WE’RE GOING IN NOW!” Reimu then barked, intent on investigating this, causing the resident group to abandon their current tasks and fall back to the ship at the dock to do as their commander has ordered them to. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Reimu herself saw her sister looking on, who was terribly shocked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Sis, we need to go back to get the air fighters.” Reimu said softly to her sister.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Are you sure they will work? These motorized air ships haven’t been tested thoroughly… “ Leia said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Now is a better time than never. We managed to take some stuff from the enemy’s camp after all and the prototypes were a success, so now’s our chance to repay our debt to Nabooru and her friends and help them out as they had helped us out.” Reimu said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I understand, sister. Let’s go.” Leia said, nodding.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Nabooru briefly woke up from her unconsciousness, looking around. She immediately held her head as she felt pain shooting up at the side of it, making her hold it, wincing a little as she felt a fresh wound there, which was obviously bleeding. Trying her best to regain focus, she tried to get a good look in of her surroundings. She saw Impa, Darunia and Rauru lying at a short distance to her left, still out cold, before looking to her right. There, closer to her, she found Link, Saria and Zelda close together, with Ruto behind Zelda, also out cold. Each of them were lying in a very shallow puddle of water, to which she mused that this water was probably Ruto’s doing in her attempt to cushion their fall as best as she could, since any normal collision with the ground from such a fall would have killed them all instantly. She gently stroked Ruto’s face, before looking up. She could see that they must have landed in a stone cavern, while the humongous tower that had dark clouds bellowing around the top was directly ahead. The Tower’s height almost resembled Ganon’s Tower in the Future That Almost Was, but now much taller and more menacing looking, with numerous high towers and what appeared to be dark fog around certain levels. Bolts of lightning were visible in the dark sky at regular intervals, coupled with an occasional rumbling in the air. But there was no rain…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This… this is it… this tower…” Nabooru said to herself, “this is where Ganondorf and Majora are… we reached their fort.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Just then, she saw three small balls of light coming her way. It were Navi, Tatl and Tael![/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You three… you made it… as well…” she said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Where have you been? We lost track of you during that snowboard thing!” Tatl said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Tatl!” Navi then said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wow, you look awful! What happened?” Tael asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We… we managed to… reach Ganondorf and Majora’s headquarters… and… and messed up their plans there…” She said with a pained chuckle.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We heard an explosion not too long ago…” Navi then said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That… that was from the headquarters… we… we destroyed its main power generator… and Majora tried… to take us with it… we… barely escaped in time…” Nabooru said, trying to stay awake, finally also spotting the thing that was generating the barrier in the first place in a deactivated state.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Good grief!” Tael said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Nabooru then chuckled, before her eyes rolled to the back of her head, passing out once more as she fell over, her face close to Link and Saria’s.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“N… Na…. Nabooru?!” Navi asked, alarmed.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Tael immediately went over to her, flying over to examine her.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“She’s still alive, just unconscious. We need to find something to heal their wounds, otherwise they will perish at the sight of the finish!” He said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right.” Navi said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“But where can we find some fairies here?!” Tatl then asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’ll try to look around, or otherwise donate a bit of our energy to AT LEAST ensure they’ll stay alive.” Tael said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Navi immediately caught on to this and began to fly around Link, Saria and Zelda, being in close range. Tatl moved over to Ruto and Nabooru, while Tael sought out Darunia, Rauru and Impa…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Link… please… stay with us… we can’t lose you again like we did before…” Navi said as she flew over to Link, right before she heard him grunt a little. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Moving closer to his mouth, Navi tried to check his condition there. She could hear him breathing. It was slow, a little labored, yet stable. This gave her the confirmation that Link was very much alive, just out of commission for the time being. But how long he would stay out cold like that was something that not even she knew… she also failed to notice a faint orange glow around each of the unconscious group…[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link shot up as he found himself in a white void, blinking as he looked around.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What the-?! Where is this? Where am I?!” He asked. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Link? Is that you out there?” Saria’s voice then said. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link then looked to his right, seeing Saria appear beside him, followed by Zelda, Ruto, Nabooru and finally Impa, Darunia and Rauru.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What happened?” Ruto asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I guess you could blame me for this,” Nabooru said, “in my efforts to aid you in at least softening the fall, I must have pulled us into the Spirit Realm by mistake.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It wasn’t a mistake, Nabooru.” A feminine voice then said, which Rauru immediately recognized.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What the-?! Venus, Your Highness!” Rauru then said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Just then, the faint image of Venus appeared in front of the group, floating gently. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“If anyone would be responsible for taking you here, it would be me. I have sensed your distress and when I felt Nabooru invoking her Spirit powers, I reacted accordingly, as the landing on the ground would have likely separated her body from her spirit by violent means, which would not only kill her, but also left her unable to be revived, despite her good intentions.” Venus said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The group blinked at this.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What?! I… I didn’t know! I…” Nabooru said, trying to explain.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I know you tried to soften the blow for yourself and your friends during that fall. It was very brave of you to do so. I merely aided you in this.” Venus said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I… I understand. Thank you.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“There is something you must know, however. Ganondorf and Majora both have been working together on this tower and are planning to use the top of it as a site of what will likely be the final battle against you. While you have gained a vast number of new skills and weapons, you must remain cautious. If Ganondorf and Majora would, by any chance, combine their powers properly, they would be a force that can breach the fabric of dimensions with their sheer power alone. It is this that should be considered your greatest danger, as this could give him the opportunity to give you a fate worse than death; a banishment to the void between dimensions.” Venus then said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“The Void between dimensions?!” Link and the Sages asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes. If that happens, you would still be alive, but you would have vanished from the face of Hyrule and Termina, leaving both lands and beyond unchecked and unprotected against their might, dooming them to a Kingdom of Eternal Darkness and Evil, where the friends you have left there will also likely suffer an unjust or cruel demise.” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The group gasped at this, apparently appalled by this revelation.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“There is a chance however that this fate can be avoided. If both Ganondorf and Majora would be lured in this inter-dimensional void along with you for a showdown without restrictions, it would take them away from the face of the world as well. The only way to return to these lands safely is through the acquisition of the complete Triforce.” Venus then said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So, it would require us taking Ganondorf’s Triforce of Power, or Ganondorf taking my Triforce of Courage and Zelda’s Triforce of Wisdom then.” Link said, nodding.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed. Just remember that, if the Triforce is used to take you back, the ones whose powers have been taken cannot return. This is the risk that one has from traveling between dimensions.” Venus said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“At least we have a chance to FINALLY get rid of Ganondorf and Majora once and for all.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“True, but Majora’s insanity and power alone might still do considerable damage and perhaps render all our efforts in vain. So I suggest we strip Majora of his mask and destroy it so he won’t have that power again.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“A very wise suggestion.” Venus said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“But we… we aren’t dead, right?” Ruto then asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“No, each of you is very much alive. You were knocked out by the fall, but what Saria, Ruto and Nabooru did ensure your survival. Give it a while and you should be back on your feet.” Venus said, smiling as she casted a warm glow around the group, before she and they vanished from sight, as everything turned back to normal for the group…

[/font]

 

[Z-Fighter]

Spoiler

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Chapter 49: From one battle into the other[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link finally regained consciousness after what seemed like hours, Saria, Zelda and Ruto sitting near him as they had recovered a couple of minutes before, while Darunia and Rauru were already awake, Impa also just woke up and Nabooru was stirring. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Ow, my aching head!” Link said as he carefully sat up.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thank the Goddesses, you’re alright!” Zelda said, before gently hugging Link along with Saria and Ruto.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link smiled, returning the hug gladly.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’m happy to see you too alright.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That was… quite a harsh landing…” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yeah. At least the headquarters of their troops is now destroyed…” Nabooru said, before Link felt a slight kiss on the cheek.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Looking around, he suddenly spotted Navi flying close to him.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Navi, glad to see you back with us.” He said, smiling before nodding at seeing Tatl and Tael nearby.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Glad that we managed to reach you again.” Navi said with relief in her voice.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed.” Tael said, while Tatl blushed a little, her tsundere side acting up again.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So, where are we?” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’m pretty sure we’re now at the base of the tower of Ganondorf and Majora.” Nabooru said, looking up.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link and the other Sages looked up as well, blinking at the mere size of the tower.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Good grief! I knew that the Stone Tower already is tall as it is, but this could pretty much rival or even go beyond it!” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll say, it’s as if they too have tried to reach the Goddesses.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“And we have to scale the whole thing too!” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link sighed as he went to check his inventory.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, I still have my weapons, but I’m running a bit short on ammo, in particular arrows. I spent a good amount of them against that machine we fought.”  He said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Same here, although I have still my Slingshot to full capacity.” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“At least it’s better than having nothing at all. I just hope we can get some new supplies underway.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right.” Link said, just as Navi floated beside him. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Tatl went towards Zelda, while Tael floated beside Saria, deciding to hide with them while they went underway.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The area flashed for a moment as another lightning bolt crossed the dark clouds above, followed with some distant rumbling as the group walked on towards a chest, which contained some additional medical supplies in the form of bandages and a couple of Red Potions. Taking them with them, the group then carefully climbed to a higher part of the outside base of the tower through a net that was hanging in the area safely, taking it slowly to not overexert their bodies yet, considering they have just recovered from unconsciousness. Once on the higher ground, the group stopped to take another look at the tower itself. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Do you think they know of our presence here?” Zelda then asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Positive, but I bet they’re simply waiting for us to come to them, provided we get past whoever’s left of their troops here.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“True. Given that this is their stronghold, we should expect heavy resistance.” Rauru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link nodded, adjusting his outfit and popping his neck a little to loosen up the muscles there.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, here goes nothing.” He said as he entered the tower’s main entrance, which was now nothing more than a stone hallway that almost appeared to be simply carved out of the stones and rocks that were present in the area. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Zelda and Saria followed him silently, until they saw Link stopping at a torch, looking at it in wonder or confusion.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What’s the matter?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Check out this torch; it’s green flame reminds me of one I saw in the Forest Temple.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s odd. Perhaps it’s some kind of magic?” Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Possibly. I wouldn’t be surprised if we would find the Poe Sisters in here somewhere.” Link replied as he made his way around the corner towards a ladder, which he climbed, now standing in the entrance room and the first actual room of the grotesque tower.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]No sooner had he entered the tower’s first room, or Link could already hear the squeals of Lizalfos in the room, hearing their steps coming closer as they were preparing for combat. Immediately Link drew his blade and readied his shield, just as Zelda climbed in the room, soon followed by Saria and Ruto, each of them also drawing their weapons. Even though they waited for the others, Link and Zelda already took on a defensive position, with Link peeking around the corner from behind a pillar, seeing not only a good number of Lizalfos, but also a few Assault Spear Soldiers, Bow Soldiers and even a Ball and Chain Soldier.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We have company… and quite numerous too.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Zelda took a peek around the corner of the pillar herself.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yep. Good thing most of them are easily dealt with…” She said, as Darunia came in the room as the last one of the group.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, shall we have a good time and give those creatures what’s coming to them?” Link asked with a very uncharacteristic smirk.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Zelda returned the expression with a nod.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Let’s do this.” She said as she was ready.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]With that, the battle went underway as Link and the Sages moved from behind the pillar, immediately seeing the group of enemies charging at them. The group had very little trouble in cutting through the Lizalfos, four of them charging at the group only to be taken down in a single strike each. Four more of them were at the back, while Link took down one of the Bow Soldiers, but when Zelda engaged the Ball and Chain Soldier, she bumped into a barrier casted by yet ANOTHER Barrier Wizrobe, whom had casted the barrier around the Ball and Chain Soldier. Nabooru relieved her by striking at the Wizrobe, while Impa and Ruto took down two of the Assault Spear Soldiers, followed by Saria aiding Link with taking down two more Bow Soldiers. Rauru helped Zelda by using his Light-based attack to blind the Ball and Chain Soldier, allowing Zelda to take it out herself. This left the remaining five Lizalfos and six Assault Spear Soldiers as Impa took down the last two Bow Soldiers with great vigor. [/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Using his shield to deflect incoming spears, Link boldly charged at one fo the Assault Spear Soldiers, whom at first backed off, only to be hit by a slingshot projectile from Saria, allowing Link to take the soldier out using the Ending Blow technique. Nabooru and Zelda both took out two Lizalfos each, while Saria and Ruto defeated one Assault Spear Soldier each. Darunia took out two more of them while Rauru fought the last one and Impa slashed the final Lizalfos to bits, the group’s gold-colored blades proving very effective at dealing heavy damage against the enemy forces. However, the group was given no time to rest; as soon as the last Lizalfos was killed and its body vanished into nothingness, a large horde of Dinolfos, both with and without armor, as well as Assault Sword Soldiers and Stalfos entered the room as if ambushing the group. Of course, the group didn’t take kindly to this and retaliated with the same vigor, this time changing tactics. Both Link and Zelda kept attacking the enemy targets with their swords and shields, making good use of the abilities they learned at the Swordsman’s School, the Helm Splitter, Back Slash and Ending Blow being used quite often. Saria summoned vines to constrict or hold enemies in place or pulling allies out of harm’s way, allowing Darunia to strike the constricted enemies apart with his Fire Punch Barrage or use his own fireballs or summoning fire from the ground to lambast the enemies in range. Ruto doused some of the enemies in gusts or spouts of water, occasionally using a water-based shockwave-type attack to knock the enemies back in case they put on too much pressure. Impa produced two Shadow Clones to aid the group, bolstering the group’s numbers a little as it gave them a greater fighting chance, especially as Impa was manipulating shadows to make some of the enemy Soldiers hit each other or their reptilian allies. Nabooru was now adding her own abilities to aid the group, one in particular being a self-enhanced version of the Mortal Blow that, when striking a desired target, separated their spirits from their bodies, effectively killing the victims instantly due to the spirits having no body to return to, leaving the bodies as nothing more than empty, lifeless husks that soon disintegrated into nothingness, never to be seen again. Rauru’s light-based spells allowed him to effectively blind his targets, allowing the elder Sage to come in quickly for close combat, or otherwise stun them long enough to smite them to their doom with his own Light Blasts. This varying amount of attacks and defense patterns allowed the group to plow through the enemy forces, easily slaughtering the attacking Dinolfos without the armor, although their armored comrades were tougher to beat. Still, it did happen that one Dinolfos managed to strike both Link and Zelda with its Fire Breath, although the damage was minimal due to the heat-resistant Goron Tunics the two were still wearing, leaving them with only a few marks which were easily extinguished thanks to Ruto being nearby and using a gentle spray of water to cool their burns down. [/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Saria in the meantime was cut in the right shoulder by one of the Assault Sword Soldiers, but Nabooru quickly came to her aid and drained a portion of the Assault Sword Soldier’s life-force, donating its converted energy to Saria to quickly revitalize her and lessen the cut wound she received to a minimum. At the same moment, Darunia was having a great time smashing several Stalfos to bits, using fire-powered punches to break through the Stalfos’ shields and shattering their skulls with following punches, despite the Stalfos’ attempts to cut him all over. Link and Zelda came to his aid after the Dinolfos were finally taken care of, effectively dwindling their numbers rapidly while Impa showed several Assault Sword Soldiers who’s boss using her Shadow Clones to intercept those who tried to strike Link and Zelda in the back, although one of the Sword Soldiers managed to stab her in the side, at which Nabooru responded by cutting the Soldier’s head off, before donating its energy in a similar way to heal Impa’s wound. Once the army of Dinolfos, Stalfos and Assault Sword Soldiers were finally taken care of, a single Big Poe appeared in the area, ready to swoop down towards the group and strike them with its lantern, although a few Silver Arrows easily defeated the ethereal being with only a few hits. [/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Finally, the room was cleared, as a few chests appeared in the area, which allowed the group to restock on arrows, before Link used a Nice Bomb on a Wooden Barrier that was blocking the group’s path. Moving through the now opened area, the group entered a corridor that was lit by more of the green flame torches, as well as a very undeep patch of lava in the middle of the path. Although there were two nets at the side to help the group over, the adrenaline within Link and Zelda was apparently high enough for them to move through that patch of lava, bearing the same effects as if one would run through the lava patches within Dodongo’s Cavern or the Fire Temple, with the added protection of the Goron Tunic that allowed them to move through this part of the lava unharmed for the most part, despite their feet being a bit too hot now. Ruto chose the safer option using the nets, just as the group reached a lava room that had platforms floating in it. Fortunately, these platforms didn’t sink as the group hopped over them one after the other, seeing as the group could see the floor of the room itself through the lava surface. Still, they decided to play it safe this way as they made their way along to the far side of the room where a pathway went down to a lower section of the area, into a small room with a bridge over another lava ditch. It was there that the group stopped for a moment to get a breather.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Whew, if I didn’t know that this was their final stronghold, we could be far worse off.” Link said, panting as he stood next to a wall where a few crates were being stacked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll say. To think that this is only the first floor…” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Coupled with it being just the outer section… “ Nabooru added.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yeah. It makes Ganon’s Tower in the Future That Almost Was look like an apartment store compared to this.” Link said, to which the others nodded, right before Saria managed to defeat a Business Scrub nearby, who offered the group some Red Potion, which they accepted and drank from it after paying the Business Scrub the 40 Rupees.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Revitalized after drinking from the Red Potion, the group made their way into the next room, first entering a lower section of it, but after climbing into the room using a rope net, the group stopped as they blinked at what they saw. For starters, the room itself was really big, possibly big enough to rival the Kokiri Village in size, from the log that was the entrance/exit of the village itself, all the way down up to the entrance to the path leading to the deceased Great Deku Tree. A total of nine stone Pillars were present in the room, obviously meant to provide support to the ceiling area, with at eye level holes in the pillars that contained the same green flames the group had seen with the torches along aside the wall. At the back side to their right was a stack of crates set up as a form of a last-resort supply chain, but that wasn’t what the group was worrying about. Like with the Entrance Room, the Central Room was filled with enemies at the back, this time being four Aeralfos, a Darknut, two Iron Knuckles, four Eyegores, three Floormasters, four Red Taros, four Ball and Chain Troopers, a group of four ReDeads huddled together in the far side corner, two Spear-wielding Moblins and a single Club Moblin guarding a gate.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, crud.” Saria said, annoyed.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Chin up, Saria. We survived the onslaught back at the entrance. I’m sure we’ll be able to live through this too.” Link said, patting her on the shoulder, making Saria smile.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“They’ve spotted us!” Darunia said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Everybody move to the back! Let’s show them who will have the endurance to fight on!” Link said, moving as the Aeralfos were flying up in position, the Ball and Chain Troopers were moving towards the group, as were the Taros. The only enemies that remained docile for now were the Darknut, Iron Knuckles, ReDeads, the Club Moblin and Eyegores, giving the group the initiative to ignore them for now, letting them focus on the approaching group. [/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link and Zelda managed to snag two of the Aeralfos out of the air using their Clawshots, before slashing at them with their swords to deal damage, while Saria managed to take out one of the Spear-wielding Moblins and the Club Moblin with Silver Arrows from a distance, making them much less of a nuisance. However, before she could target the last Moblin, it was already charging at her at high speed. Although she managed to avoid being skewered by the spear, she along with Link and Zelda were unceremoniously knocked aside, before Ruto took the offending Moblin out instead, while Darunia intercepted the last two Aeralfos by grabbing them as they swept down to strike at the children, breaking their wings afterwards so Nabooru and Impa could finish them off. Helping Link, Saria and Zelda up, Impa and Nabooru then clocked two of the Taros and Ball and Chain Troopers coming quite close to the group. Nabooru had little difficulties in dealing with the Taros, slashing their throats with a few quick swipes of her blades, only to get clobbered in the chest by one of the Ball and Chain Troopers, which in turn received a Ball and Chain in the face, courtesy of Link. Zelda saved Impa from the Ball and Chain of the second Ball and Chain Trooper, allowing Saria to take it out with a Silver Light Arrow, before Ruto helped Link in taking out the first one as Rauru helped Nabooru back on her feet. Darunia managed to incinerate the first of the Floormasters as it got into range, using a Goron Pound to tackle the Mini Floormasters along the way as Link and Ruto took out the two remaining Taros as they came in at the group, while Saria and Zelda worked together in defeating the two remaining Ball and Chain Troopers, leaving only the two Floormasters to deal with as the moving enemies, which Link and Saria first took care of by striking them with Silver Fire Arrows, after which Zelda casted Din’s Fire to destroy the mini Floormasters that came from the fallen normal ones. This left only the silent monstrosities to deal with, but not before Link, Saria, Zelda and Ruto used Silver Fire Arrows to take out the ReDeads from a safe distance. But just as the four children moved onward to engage the Darknut first, a Like-Like dropped from the ceiling and promptly swallows the four children whole, before spitting them out… but now without their Shields and Goron Tunics! Immediately Nabooru fired a Silver Fire Arrow at the gelatinous creature, defeating it instantly and allowing the four children to regain their Goron Tunics and Red Shields, just as two of the Eyegores woke up and moved in to engage them.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]While the four children equipped their shields and got hold of their Tunics to put them back on in the safe corner, Nabooru and Impa helped by taking out the two approaching Eyegores with the Silver Arrows, defeating them instantly, before luring the other two Eyegores over to take them out as well, leaving now just the two Iron Knuckles and the Darknut. After having put their tunics back on, the four children resumed their plan of attacking the Darknut en masse, while the four adults went to engage the two Iron Knuckles, two against one Iron Knuckle each. Using Silver Arrows to wake them up, the behemoths went on their way in a spreading motion towards their attackers, just what the group had intended all along. This allowed them to properly focus on the slow moving enemies, yet also prevented them from getting in each other’s way and/or getting caught in the attacks from the other swinging parties. Link, Saria, Zelda and Ruto managed to stun the Darknut before slashing at it from all sides, effectively destroying its shield and armor in less than a minute, before diving out of the way as it tossed its broadsword away in favor of a smaller, rapier-like sword while also having increased speed. Darunia, Rauru, Impa and Nabooru stayed clear of the Iron Knuckles and their massive axes, Nabooru in particular, instead opting to pelt the behemoths with Nice Bombs, Nice Bombchus and Silver Arrows to inflict the damage, also rapidly destroying the outer armor of the behemoths, while keeping their distance as the two ran towards their attackers, making sure they had free path behind them as more Arrows and Bombs eventually did the Iron Knuckles in, just as the four children finished the Darknut off. This cleared the room of the enemies so far, but as the group got back together to regroup, a gate closed at the entrance area of the room, locking them in the room itself! The gate that the Club Moblin was guarding first then opened up and another large group of enemies moved in the room, being Assault Sword Soldiers, Stalfos, Eyegores, Garo Robes, a single Garo Master, Armored Dinolfos, Moblins, Red Taros and Flare Dancers![/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Brace yourselves!” Link said, getting ready as his Golden Master Sword and Red Shield were ready.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Remind me to give my blessings to that Swordsman whom taught us those skills…” Zelda said, standing next to Link, her own Golden Sword and Red Shield ready as well…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You can concentrate on the Garo and the Sword-wielding enemies,” Darunia said, “I’ll handle the Flare Dancers!” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right.” Link said as the battle began…[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Rolling up, Darunia prepared his Magic Goron Roll, using his spikes to knock two of the Moblins, a Garo Robe, several of the Assault Sword Soldiers and Armored Dinolfos and four Red Taros aside, reaching the Flare Dancers within seconds and using the Goron Pound to disable the suits of those he could reach, ready to squash them flat. Four Assault Sword Soldiers charged at Link and Zelda, with the hero and the princess coordinating their attacks and making sure not to hit each other as they fought for their lives against the aggressive, corrupted soldiers. Saria and Ruto provided cover by tackling the Moblins from a safe distance using their Silver Arrows, repeating this procedure with the Eyegores, while Impa and Nabooru engaged the Armored Dinolfos, while Rauru himself took on the deadly Garo Master. Despite being one of the elder Sages, as well as being the eldest of the entire group, Rauru was still very much capable of combat if the lives of himself, his friends and his home were at stake, doing whatever is necessary to smite evil. With this, he was easily capable of observing the Garo Master’s moves and, using the knowledge that Link provided him about them, he knew when to strike, avoiding his attacks several times before dealing the death blow with a powerful Light Blast, causing the Garo Master to commit its form of ritual suicide upon being defeated. [/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Once the Eyegores had been taken care of, Saria and Ruto went to assist Link and Zelda against the ruthless Assault Sword Soldiers. Although the two had slain a decent portion of them, there were still several more to deal with, all of which attacking with quite the vigor inspired by the need to take them down in the name of their dark masters Ganondorf and Majora. Darunia had no problems in slaying the Flare Dancers, his Goron Pounds, Goron Roll and Goron Power Punches proving very effective in dealing quite the damage, taking out several Garo Robes and Red Taros along with his actions, even if they were just in the way to his intended targets. Nabooru and Impa attacked the Stalfos after taking out the Armored Dinolfos using the Helm Splitter and Ending Blow, while on occasion Nabooru used her Enhanced Mortal Blow to take care of the nemeses. Impa deployed her Shadow Clones this time to assist the four children against the raging Assault Sword Soldiers, seeing that they were in quite the deep trouble due to the aggressors’ relentless attacks on them. Still, the four stood their ground, despite having several cuts, bruises and slash wounds, diminishing the enemy numbers rapidly. [/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Having killed about four Flare Dancers, Darunia looked around to ensure there were no more of them, before he went to assist Rauru against the remaining Garo Robes, who were furious after seeing their Master being killed by the hands of an elder Sage. While Rauru was capable of handling them, personally taking out two of the Garo Robes in a single strike, he did find himself surrounded and using evasive maneuvers to dodge the attempts they made to strike him from the sides or from behind. Link and Saria both took out a few more of the Red Taros that tried to attack them from the sides before focusing on the last of the Assault Sword Soldiers, who were now rapidly dwindling in numbers as now only less than ten of them were in the room, while Impa and Nabooru both plowed through the Stalfos forces as if they were nothing, sending bone fragments all over from those who literally shattered after taking too much damage. Once the last of the Assault Sword Soldiers were finally slain, Link, Saria, Zelda and Ruto aided Rauru and Darunia by attacking the remaining Garo Robes from the flanks, with Link striking several of them down in a single blow with a well-timed Quick Spin attack. Once the Garo Robes were dealt with, the group joined up with Impa and Nabooru and together the eight fighters attacked the remaining Stalfos en masse, making sure not a single one of them remained behind, along with the remaining Red Taros. Once the room was empty again, save for the group itself, each of them either leaned on their weapons after stabbing them in the ground, or otherwise collapsed to hands and knees as they were quite exhausted. Impa managed to get herself and he others some more of the Red Potion she had saved, something which the group could definitely use to revitalize a bit and have their worst wounds treated.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Dang, that was one battle I wouldn’t want to experience again.” Zelda said, wincing a bit as Impa nursed her sides, while Nabooru tended to Link.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It definitely won’t be of this kind, but this is only the beginning of what has yet to come.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You’re absolutely right in that. I must admit that you are quite the smart kid for someone of your age… I wonder why you and the three other children aren’t playing with other toys instead of those you have now…” a dark voice said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Immediately the group was on alert as the gate ahead opened once more… and Dark Link stepped out from it![/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Surprised to see me? Yes, you did manage to defeat me back at the forest outpost, but Ganondorf apparently had some more use for me and gave me another chance.” Dark Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I take it you’re not alone?” Link scoffed.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Cheeky and yet catching on so quickly… you’re right. I’m not alone…” Dark Link said with a chuckle… just as dark versions of Saria, Zelda, Ruto and Nabooru appeared around the group… along with Dark versions of Rauru, Darunia and Impa, surrounding them!

[/font]

 

[Z-Fighter]

Spoiler

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Chapter 50: Going back[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link and the Seven Sages were disturbed at the fact that they were facing dark versions of themselves, each bearing the ominous dark gray to black colors all over the hair, skin, body and clothes, with the only thing being colored were those piercing, crimson red eyes. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This is far enough, kid. You’ve done well in penetrating the outer section of the fort, but this is what they say, end of the line.” Dark Link said, approaching Link, who in turn approached him.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“For you, yes.” Link said, once more battle-hardened.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Please, your condition is wavering to say the least. I’m surprised you can even STAND with all those wounds. Just hold still right there, I’ll be nice enough to make it quick and painless.” Dark Link said, still approaching.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Surprisingly, Link stood indeed still, leaving the good and evil Sages in wonder what he was doing. Dark Link also found it odd that Link was actually listening and just stood there, silent and not afraid.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]‘Why is he not cowering in fear? Doesn’t he fear death?’[/font][font=Verdana, sans-serif] Dark Link wondered as he raised his blade, but remaining weary of Link’s movements. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link on the other hand was indeed sweating, but ignored the pain as he continued to watch Dark Link.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]‘That’s it… come closer, you twit; I’ll show you!’[/font][font=Verdana, sans-serif] Link thought with focus.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Link? What in Hyrule do you think you’re doing?” Saria said, only to receive no answer.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Soon enough, Dark Link stood in front of Link himself, the two staring in each other’s eyes, studying each other. A sudden wave of deadly silence fell in the room, enough to make a heart beat itself out of control in anticipation or aggravation…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“A brave kid you are, showing no fear in the face of death… I shall remember this…” Dark Link said, raising his blade…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]…only for the group to hear the sound of steel meeting flash… and seeing Dark Link in sudden pain![/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The entire group watched as Link pulled his Golden Master Sword from Dark Link’s body, before kicking him backwards, sending him backwards on the ground. Link didn’t stop however as he charged onward, jumping in  the air before thrusting his sword down to perform the ending blow… only for Dark Link to roll out of the way, making Link miss his target, but allowing Link to regain focus as Dark Link had difficulties with getting up… only to hear him chuckling darkly.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“H… heh, heh, heh… you certainly got me good, kid. I didn’t expect you to pull something like this off… possibly the best shot you had against me.” Dark Link said, a smirk plastered on his face.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Hmph. I should have known; Ganondorf and Majora must have had something to do with this.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“They had indeed, they created me and the counterparts of your friends…” Dark Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That I know, the Stalfos Commander told us this.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I see,” Dark Link said, drawing his own sword and shield, “this is going to be an interesting fight after all.” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I take it you want this fight to be just between you and me, huh?”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Exactly; my friends would like to go one on one with their counterparts… your friends.” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I have to give you this; you do know how to play fair in this.” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Of course, why else would I go after the others if my only target is you?”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I don’t know, perhaps using them as a leverage to lure me out?” Link replied sarcastically.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh please, don’t give me that crap; with how you have been able to stay together, it’s hard to find you without any of your buddies around.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Hm. You got me there.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Now, are we done talking?” [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“As for me, yes. Let’s do this then.” Link said, getting in his battle stance, while the Sages got ready to fight as well.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The fight begun less than a second later, with each of the heroes moving to attack their dark counterparts. With almost each of the group, the fight as an actual sword fight individually, the only exception being Darunia, whom was engaging his Dark self in an all-out fist fight. At first, the fight seemed to go equally, with metal going against metal, scraping noises all over, but this was partially a ruse on part of the heroes… this was proven as Link was at first going his usual routine to see if this Dark Link still fought the same, which he so far did, which brought a smirk to Link’s face.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What are you smirking at, boy? You caught me by surprise with that one sneaky move, but truly you can’t beat me now…” Dark Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link merely responded by first thrusting his shield forward, clocking Dark Link full in the face to daze him.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ve learned some new stuff.” Link retorted as he rolled around Dark Link to get behind him and delivering a Back Slash against him, causing Dark Link to grunt in pain as it struck him. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]In retaliation, Dark Link moved in to strike back, but Link used his shield to block and his own sword to parry the strikes with the grace of a well-trained knight, making use of his full body to avoid as many strikes as possible and using his shield as a weapon, at a few occasions even striking his dark self with the hilt of his Sword.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Zelda was fighting with a similar grace, although adding a bit of the Sheikah fighting style fitting for children as her attendant Impa had been teaching her some form of self-defense in secret, as well as the knowledge she had obtained during her time when she was disguised as Sheik in the Future That Almost Was. This, in combination with the moves she learned in the Swordsman’s School, allowed the princess to maintain a bit of leverage against her dark self, making use of her agility to avoid incoming swings, while using the momentum in her attempts to land in blows of her own. Saria was in the meantime studying her own dark self, deciding not to resort to her Sage powers just yet. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I do have something to tell you…” Dark Saria then said as she and Saria were parrying each other’s strikes.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“And what would that be?” Saria asked, narrowing her eyes.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You remember Sakon the thief?”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes, that prancing fool… what about him?”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, I made sure you won’t be bothered by him anymore…”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What? You mean that…?!”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes, I killed him. Consider it a ‘favor’ of some sort.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“A favor?”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes, since the one who will end your miserable life will be ME! Not such a prancing idiot!” Dark Saria said, intending to strike down the stunned Saria, only for the Forest Sage to recover and block the incoming strike with her shield.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]In retaliation, Saria moved in to stab at her dark self, only to have that blocked by her dark self’s shield, creating a stalemate.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Nabooru was having it quite tough against her dark self, whose smirk that was plastered on her face would make one believe she could devour the Gerudo leader’s soul at any given time. Nabooru wasn’t stupid however and remained focused, yet she wasn’t exactly half-hardened in her moves… almost timid even. But with the way Nabooru had narrowed her eyes made it apparent that she was trying to feel her dark self out, as if trying to find a pattern between her attacks. She decided to hold off on the use of her Sword Spark skill, deciding to use it as a last resort and in case she was sure her counterpart didn’t have that particular skill. Ruto on her turn was keeping a close watch on her dark self, who was circling around her in an attempt to find an opening, while Ruto kept a close watch on her. She could understand why Link and Zelda both have gone more on the offensive; they had faced their dark selves before and knew what they were capable of. But since she had never fought someone like that, she was much more cautious and test if what Link had remembered in previous encounters of his dark self also applied to her in terms of moves, repetition and specific openings or weaknesses she could exploit in this battle.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Impa was also being very careful, seeing as her dark self seemed to exploit the shadows a lot more than Impa did, the darker areas making her practically invisible. Hence Impa was moving closer into the illuminated center of the room, while using her Shadow clones as a plan of her own, intending to lure her dark self out in the open, illuminated area and strike her from behind using the clones. Rauru on the other hand seemed to be in quite a struggle himself, finding his own magic attacks cancelled out by Dark Rauru, even though neither of them was having the advantage at this time. Darunia however was getting tired of his dark self and promptly charged at him, with Dark Darunia returning the same gesture, resulting in the two Gorons getting embroiled in a rapid-fire fisticuffs contest, where the furiously attempted to pound the other’s skull in, yet finding themselves meeting the opponent’s fist halfway, leading to nothing. Whenever Dark Darunia managed to clock Darunia in the face with a strike that broke through his defenses, Darunia recovered quickly and delivered a punch in the face back at his dark self, resulting in a similar stalemate.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Both Link and Dark Link showed signs of frustration as neither of them had the advantage, but Link seemed more focused despite sporting some fresh new wounds here and there, while Dark Link was having difficulties with standing straight due to the injury Link gave him while delivering the Mortal Blow. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Why won’t you die?!” Dark Link snarled.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Because destiny has chosen me as one of those who will bring salvation to Hyrule and Termina. I intend to fulfill that destiny by defeating Ganondorf and Majora!” Link retorted.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Like hell you will! Ganondorf and Majora will gladly kill you again! There’s no way you will have a chance against them now!” Dark Link said, kicking Link away, getting ready to rush at him to end the fight.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link however recovered, and got ready as he promptly discarded his shield for the time being, gripping his sword with two hands![/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh yeah?! We’ll see about that!” Link said, as he rushed straight towards Dark Link, who was already charging at him, sword held back as he was now faster due to not carrying the shield with him. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]At the same time, Dark Saria caught Saria in a vine-trap, almost similar to the one she used on Sakon, but she soon found her own movements restrained due to Saria deploying a vine trap of her own, pulling her arms to the side which released the Forest Sage herself. Darunia managed to clock Dark Darunia to the far side of the room in his own fiery rage and Zelda managed to gain the upper hand on her own Dark self once again, using her own magic blasts to counter and prevent Dark Zelda from re-igniting the Dead Man’s Volley routine once more. The group then saw Dark Link and Link charging at each other, with the Sages blinking at seeing Link having dropped his shield, charging at his dark self head on. Both Dark Link and Link raised their weapons as they came closer and swung towards the other, with the distinct sound of flesh being penetrated by steel being heard in the area, seeing Dark Link and Link right opposite each other in a locked position. All they could see was a smirk on Dark Link’s face… and a weary look on Link’s face… seeing blood trickling down his face due to a fresh cut in the cheek.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Suddenly a gasp of agony resonated in the area… but Link was keeping his focused expression… this was soon followed by the clatter of a sword landing on the ground… it was Dark Link’s! Now the group could see, after moving positions, that Link managed to plunge his sword straight into Dark Link’s chest, causing the latter one to gasp out in pain, blood trickling down the edges of his mouth, blinking in utter shock.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“B… but how?!” Dark Link asked, as Link pulled his sword out of his enemy.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link didn’t answer as he promptly kicked Dark Link to the ground, before jumping at him again, sword pointed below… this time using the Ending Blow successfully to defeat him. Dark Link gave a last agonizing howl as he was being stabbed, before laying still. Link himself waited for a few seconds more, before pulling his Golden Master Sword out of him, twirling it around before sheathing it. Seeing this, Dark Saria rushed at him in an attempt to strike at him, only for one of Saria’s vines to wrap around her neck in an attempt to intercept her, but then… [/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]*SNAP*[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Instantly Dark Saria was sent to the ground, not moving an inch as she eventually came to a stop, her neck broken, making Link and Saria herself blink at this. Dark Zelda was then unceremoniously zapped to death by one of Zelda’s more powerful spells, similar to the one she used to bind Ganon in the Future That Almost Was, but now in a more offensive fashion. Ruto managed to avoid her dark self’s last attack, before knocking her back against a pillar… right into a torch! Dark Ruto screamed in agony as she was being burned by the torch, before falling to the ground, her movements ceasing. Nabooru on her turn managed to slice the throat of her Dark self before using a Spirit Ball she made to knock her to the far side of the wall, while Darunia delivered a massive power punch against Dark Darunia to send him head-first against the ceiling, crushing his skull in the process. Like with Zelda, Rauru zapped his dark counterpart to death, while Impa used her own shadow to trap her dark self before slicing her across the chest, neck and legs, severing the tendons inside before stabbing her blade in the neck to cut Dark Impa’s jugular vein, ending her as well, finally ending this fight. [/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link looked down upon the corpse of his dark self with a look that spoke a totally different language than the expected victory one. It was as if Link felt he had overcome his own dark demons of the past in a way, considering the way Dark Link had fought was similar to how he had fought before his own initial demise and resurrection… and yet Link wondered what the point was of this kind of battle. Sure he knew that he had to face his fears, but why did it have to manifest itself in an exact copy of himself, like it did in the Water Temple? What was Ganondorf and/or Majora even planning with these dark copies? Why did it feel the need to pull such an atrocious action like that? Why was it created in the first place? With these questions in hand, Link solemnly returned to the others, feeling a bit empty inside. Fortunately, the Sages understood the raging conflict within the young hero, with Zelda ironically thinking along the same lines as Link on this part. But their peace was short-lived as the cackle of a single Stalfos resonated through the area. Looking around, the group spotted the skeletal warrior coming from above in the center of the room. Link fired a Bomb Arrow at it, only to find the Stalfos being guarded by a Barrier Wizrobe. Zelda moved to shoot the Wizrobe, only to find out that it was being protected by ANOTHER Barrier Wizrobe in turn![/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Okay, now I am really pissed at these guys!” Link said, jumping at one of the Wizrobes to attack it, only for it to vanish at the last moment, making Link miss its target. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Fortunately, Saria managed to make him appear again along with the other one, allowing Link to take down the Barrier Wizrobe that was unprotected, before Zelda took down the second one whom now lost its protective shield. This now left only the Stalfos, which was taken out by Darunia himself. Finally, the group were confronted by a group of Mad Scrubs which appeared at locations between the pillars in the room, but they were taken out with a single strike each or by reflecting the Deku Nuts back at them, after which the room was finally void of enemy troops, the entrance gate into the area re-opening to the lava room, but the gate that released the onslaught of enemies was closed and appeared to be sealed shut. Relieved, the group finally sat down on the floor, with Ruto handing Link’s shield back to him, which he accepted with a smile, now having the time and the chance to nurse each other’s wounds. Navi, Tatl and Tael appeared with the group to provide assistance in this. [/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh man, if this keeps up, we’ll still be too vulnerable against our hated enemies.” Ruto said after a minute.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yeah, but I feel confident that we will make it, somehow.” Impa said, nodding.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link winced a little as Zelda helped with the cut in his cheek, bandaging it.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We should look for a Fairy’s Fountain or otherwise Red Potion or both… we’ll need them more than ever.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link nodded.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed. I’m already quite worn out as it is, it was literally one battle after the other.” He said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“But we will continue on, right?” Nabooru asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Of course; we’ve come too far to retreat now. This would only work in Ganondorf and Majora’s advantage if we did, so we have to press on with our assault and finally defeat them once and for all. That way we all have had our revenge in a way and we can finally lead Hyrule to an era of peace and prosperity.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You took the words right out of my mouth.” Zelda said, hugging Link gently.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link smiled and returned it, before giving a similar hug to both Saria and Ruto, making the two girls smile and blush at the same time. Oddly enough, Zelda was genuinely smiling along the way, knowing how much Link cares about all of his friends after all…[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So, where do we have to go? The gate where the enemies came from is closed and it doesn’t look like there is a switch around that will open it to let us through…” Saria then said after a few minutes, her arm in a makeshift sling to let it rest for a bit.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“There are gratings at a part of the wall and on parts of the ceiling. Obviously this requires the use of our Clawshots to progress. It may take us back to the entrance room even…” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Zelda and the others looked up, seeing what Link was talking about. There were indeed patches on the ceiling with gratings on them, as if forming a small path or something to a room at a higher floor on the side of where the entrance was.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, at least it gives us a new room to explore once we’ve rested up.” Zelda said, with Impa sitting close to her.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed.” Impa said, sighing as her Shadow Clones stood guard at the entrance area, just in case.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Are you alright, Ruto? You’re shivering all over…” Link said in genuine concern.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I… I’m fine… it’s… it’s just the thought of not making it in the end…” She said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Of course we will make it, just remain calm and focused. And even if we would fall, we’ll make sure that the enemies will have their victory taste as bitter as defeat.” Nabooru said, determined to make it.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link then grabbed his Ocarina, looking at it for a moment, before sighing. Then he began to play the Song of Healing on it, only to blink for a moment when he heard Zelda playing the same song in perfect synchronization and harmony with him, in effect doubling the Song’s power to soothe the regrets of troubled souls. This had the desired effect of calming Ruto down, but not just her… it was calming in fact everyone of the group and also seemed to have a positive effect on their spirits, as if re-strengthening their vigor and backing up the reasons for going on.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]After about two minutes, both Link and Zelda quit playing, smiling as they too felt relieved at the whole state of affairs, now feeling somewhat revitalized, despite their injuries. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That was… beautiful…” Saria said, smiling as she hugged both Link and Zelda.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link and Zelda both smiled at this, returning the hug  and allowing Ruto to join in. Impa smiled at the scene, getting up slowly.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, I think it’s time for us to go. Let’s take it easy and not strain ourselves too much, or otherwise we’d worsen our injuries.” She said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The others nodded, moving slowly towards the area of where the closed gate was, before moving to the left. Stopping at the corner there, Link looked up as he saw the grating on the wall, before using his Clawshot to grab the wall and drag himself to it, climbing a bit higher on it before using the Double Clawshots to make his way over the grating pads on the ceiling to reach the open room on the far side of the room, the room having an eerie red glow to it as it led into the lava room. Defeating a single Mad Scrub along the way, Link used the gratings on the ceiling in the lava room to cross this one as well, entering another room on a high level where he defeated another Mad Scrub before waiting for the others, who were fortunately not too far behind him.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Proceeding again on their way, the group eventually re-entered the Entrance Room from a higher point, this time ambushed by a single Aeralfos who tried to stop them, only to be reeled in like a fish by Nabooru using her Clawshot and decapitated by Impa, the corpse of the Aeralfos disintegrating within a matter of seconds. This also exposed a Hookshot target into a room the group had not seen before or otherwise missed it due to the intense combat they had been involved in when first entering the room. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What’s in there?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link responded by using his Hookshot to latch onto the target, pulling himself in the room, after which he looked around.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What luck, guys and girls! I found a Fairy’s Fountain here!” He said, waiting for the others.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]He didn’t have to wait long as the others came into the room one by one, just to prevent being in each other’s way while using the Hookshot to pull themselves up into the room. To their delight, they saw that Link was very much right, allowing the group to seize the opportunity and get properly healed by them, which they did without hesitation, as well as it allowed Navi, Tatl and Tael some additional conversations with their fellows. With that over with, the group removed whatever bandages were left, being completely revitalized as a whole. With this now accomplished, the group took a sip of the water for some additional nourishment, before moving back into the main Entrance Room.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So, where do we go now?” Impa asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I can see a grating at the opposite side of this part of the room to our left, spanning across a lower ceiling area. Perhaps we need to use that to cross towards a platform at the far side of the room itself?” Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Sounds feasible to me. With the Clawshots we should be able to latch onto it, but watch out for the steam jets that are up against the wall.” Link said, hopping down before he moved to the grating, using the Clawshot to latch onto it and from there moving his way as if he was climbing upside down on a vine towards the far side of the room. Once there, he waited again for the others, before the group entered another corridor, which went in a ‘Z’-pattern of first going to the right and then to the left, leading into a room where platforms were raising and lowering constantly like unstoppable elevators. Thankfully, there were no enemies or other hazards around this time, but the group did have to make their way up using those platforms and the wooden gratings on the wall and the ceiling. Once more, the Clawshot proved its worthiness by allowing the group to reach those very gratings, which eventually brought the group into another corridor that was right on the upper level of the room where they had fought the large amount of soldiers and their Dark selves before. Entering the corridor to the right, they could see the final remains of their dark counterparts disintegrating on the floor.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Why is this still going on? They should have been disintegrated into nothingness by now…” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Remember that these clones were made from the blood we spilled in our battles. Obviously Ganondorf and Majora have made this into a punishment for them akin to how Phantom Ganon was sent into the void between dimensions in the Future That Almost Was…” Link replied.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]No sooner had he said this, when a dark portal suddenly appeared on the ground, which dragged the bodies of Dark Link and the other Dark Counterparts into it, before sealing itself once more. The group all watched this occurring, blinking at the whole thing. [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I believe you just called it.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’d agree.” Link said, before the group proceeded onward, seeing a single jail room which had a Goron in it.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Opening the cell, Darunia smiled as the Goron bowed to him in respect and granted him with another Powder Keg.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Where are you from by the way?” Darunia asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’m from the Goron Village in Snowhead, I was one of the people who were captured during the Invasion of Termina.” The Goron said, before he left off, moving to find his home once more.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“They sure have the right, twisted minds to capture all these people…” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll say.” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“If this is their stronghold and they have taken prisoners to here, it is likely we may also come up against brainwashed people around whom want to kill us, so let’s proceed with caution.” Nabooru said as the group returned from the corridor to the larger room, which had crates stacked against the opposite wall and a wooden barrier blocking the path to a staircase to the right on the far side of the area.  After Darunia blew the barrier itself to bits, the group proceeded to the staircase, using the Clawshot to reach another Wooden Grating which took them over a stone wall into a larger part of the room itself on the higher floor, finally allowing them to proceed further in the tower, now entering the inner section of it…

[/font]

 

[Z-Fighter]

Spoiler

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Chapter 51: The longest scaling…[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]After climbing over some stones and rubble, the group proceeded down the large corridor, before jumping down a large hole that led into the inner section of the tower as a whole. Immediately the group could see that the environment was somewhat different. Instead of the green-tinted stones, partially due to the green torches in the outer section of the tower, this part had a more bluish hue to it overall. There were several large holes in the ground that had a small patch of lava in it, as if a lava ditch was moving through the room, with several solid stone bridges spanning over it to reach every part of the room without having to specifically go around every bit. There was also a rotating platform in the center with a statue that apparently was holding a grotesque stone pillar that ran all the way up to close to the ceiling, being several tens of meters high overall! Another pillar was standing nearby and sported a staircase going all around it, but several parts of it were broken or missing, forcing the group to take the scenic route all around the room just to get to the top of the room if they had to progress. As if that wasn’t enough, the room itself had the presence of some very large Dodongos with maws big enough to swallow two of the children simultaneously whole, making Link shudder as it reminded him of the Big Dodongos he had encountered back in North Termina Field. It almost appeared as if these Dodongos were related to the grotesque King Dodongo, considering their overall size and the spikes on their backs. Looking around the room even more, the group also located several Fire Keese flying around aimlessly, two sets of two Death Armos whom were guarding a bridge each, two Iron Knuckles whom each were at the far side of the room, standing in front of a wooden barrier, a single Floormaster patrolling the first staircase directly ahead, Red Bubbles which were now more actively appearing out from the Lava and leaping over the bridge, as if daring an unsuspecting traveler to cross it without getting knocked off of them and falling into the lava itself, a few Blue Bubbles on a platform at the far side of where the first staircase ended, two White Bubbles patrolling around the rotating pillar and a Green Bubble being present at another higher-laid platform that required the group to reach using the floating platforms and Clawshot Targets which were practically all over on strategic points. For the rest, there was a combined patrol of Assault Sword Soldiers and Stalfos at the far side of the room itself, right behind the pillar with the staircase containing the patrolling Floormaster. Finally, there was a platform on ground level which contained several chests and a suspicious looking shadow among them. The only odd thing was that there were a few Bomb Flowers spread over that very platform on the corners and the center.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, it appears our troubles have only begun.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I agree; there’s likely more enemies around, probably lying in wait to ambush us.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“At least we have some more room to fight in, just stay clear of the lava ditches.” Darunia said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right. We should try to lure the Fire Keeses over first.” Link said, preparing his bow and Silver Arrows, also locating several more chests around the area.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’ll keep watch in case any of the other enemies make their approach. The Death Armos and the Bubbles seem to contain themselves for now, but that only leaves the others.” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“The Stalfos and those Assault Sword Soldiers are likely the main threats whenever they see us,” Darunia said, “with the Dodongos merely walking around aimlessly and the Iron Knuckles staying put until they’re hit…”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Then it’s settled; we’ll take out first the Fire Keeses and the more aggressive threats, especially considering how relentless those sword soldiers are…” Link said, being serious.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right.” The Sages said in unison, nodding as they found this a logical battleplan…[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]With their plan established, the group carefully proceeded in the room, intercepting any Fire Keese that came too close for comfort, the Silver Arrows proving their worth again, especially when the group moved to lure the Stalfos and Assault Sword Soldiers over. This didn’t take long as the Assault Sword Soldiers immediately went to charge at them once they saw them, together with the Stalfos, although a few of the soldiers didn’t look where they were going and subsequently fell in the lava, due to the edges of the path around the ditch having nothing like guard rails or the like to prevent one from falling from those platforms. While this gave the group a few less enemies to deal with, it didn’t make much of a difference due to the relentless attacks of the enemies as a whole, with the Stalfos using a Jump Attack of their own to cross the gaps to attack the group. Thankfully, due to the room being large and having little to no rubble in the way, the group saw them coming and responded accordingly to their attacks by moving to the side or backwards in order to avoid them, with Link, Zelda and Saria pulling off a picture-perfect back flip before using the momentum of the Stalfos’ attack to strike at them, damaging the skeleton warriors, while at the same time Darunia clobbered several Assault Sword Soldiers to the side, while Impa and Nabooru intercepted two other Assault Sword Soldiers whom tried to strike at the children from the side. Ruto attempted to assist the group by launching a Silver Arrow at a Stalfos. While she missed the Stalfos she was aiming for, the Silver Arrow buzzed on and by pure luck managed to strike and destroy one of the White Bubbles that was currently floating in place. Link and Zelda made use of the momentum from the Stalfos’ attacks to roll behind them and perform the Backslash, while being cautious as to not fall in the lava ditch or being crushed underneath the nearby floating Death Armos. To prevent one of them from crushing Saria as she was dangerously close, Link intercepted one by striking it with a Silver Light Arrow, turning the Death Armos upside down, before deliberately moving underneath it to make it strike the ground head-fist, fatally damaging it before the group pulled back as it exploded, taking one Assault Sword Soldier out with it. Still, this left one more Death Armos to deal with, floating in place akin to the Anubis in the Spirit Temple, although it was far more resilient. Saria managed to intercept a few more Fire Keese using her Slingshot, saving some precious ammunition from her Bow and Arrows like this, while Link and Zelda both took on the Stalfos together, being backed up by Nabooru and Impa, whereas Ruto took out some Assault Sword Soldiers with her Silver Arrows, relieving both Darunia and Rauru, who were fighting them, from some pressure.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Once the last four Stalfos were dealt with, Link and Zelda went to engage the Death Armos on the left bridge that was left, leaving the two other Death Armos on the other bridge for what they were at the time, not wanting to put the group under too much pressure as Zelda used a Silver Light Arrow to turn the Death Armos upside down before Link again deliberately made it hit the ground before it detonated, just like its comrade before. Once the Assault Sword Soldiers and Stalfos were dealt with, the group focused on the two remaining Death Armos’, which both Link and Zelda took out by repeating the procedure they did before.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]After defeating the two last Death Armos, the group now had one of the Iron Knuckles close by in front of a Wooden Barrier, while Link was also keeping tabs on the Floormaster on the nearby staircase, which was patrolling up and down the stairs. Deciding to focus on the Iron Knuckle for now, the group moved backwards as Link, Saria and Zelda began to toss Nice Bombs at it to both wake it up and damage it, taking advantage of its slow speed to keep their distance while also looking around to ensure they didn’t make a misstep and fall off the bridge they stood on. Once the Iron Knuckle lost its outer armor and gained speed, while still wielding its deadly axe, the group pelted it with arrows instead before eventually defeating it, making it disintegrate into nothingness.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“One Iron Knuckle becomes quite easy to deal with when we’re in a group like this.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I agree.” Zelda said, nodding as they made their way towards the lonely platform with the chests, the Bomb Flowers and the suspicious shadow on the ground.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What’s with the shadow here? It can’t be another Invisible Floormaster, can it?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“No, it’s not. It could be from something high up in the air…” Link said, just as a lit Bomb landed near the group, courtesy of a Bomb Soldier that had appeared on one of the higher platforms where the two Blue Bubbles were. Although Ruto took out the Bomb Soldier, the group couldn’t prevent the Bomb from detonating, causing the nearby Bomb Flower, which was the closest to the shadow, to explode as well, causing the shadow to tremble for a split second…[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Without warning, a Dead Hand suddenly burst from the shadow on the ground, the sudden shock and scare causing Link, Saria and Zelda to stumble over the Bomb Flower behind them, falling flat on their rears on the ground.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What in the name of Hyrule is that?!” Ruto exclaimed, horrified by the grotesque appearance of the monstrosity as it was scuttling on the ground toward the three downed children.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Impa however was serious and immediately came to the aid of the three children by jumping to the platform, slashing the Dead Hand in the face. The Dead Hand remained undeterred as it kept moving on, opening its grotesque maw to attack Impa, although Impa was having none of it and kept striking at it until it moved away and buried itself back underground.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Where did it go?” Nabooru asked, joining the group, as the others were close behind.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I don’t know, must be somewhere underground!” Link said, preparing another Bomb to lure it out.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Tossing it into a corner, the bomb exploded which brought the Dead Hand out again this time, this time Link moved to take a Jump attack, delivering a successful strike in the creature’s face. However, the creature recovered before Link could regain himself due to the momentum, just as Zelda attempted to strike at the beast. However, she tripped on a re-growing Bomb Flower she didn’t see, causing her to bump into Link who caught her, merely moments before the Dead Hand struck. With a *CHOMP*, the monstrosity bit both Link and Zelda into one of their legs, causing the two children to scream in pain. Although the bite was only short and not enough to break the bones, it did leave a set of bleeding bite marks there. Immediately Saria went postal on the creature, catching and ensnaring it in her vines, before Nabooru slashed its head off, killing it instantly, before Saria went to treat the wounds of the two, using her Forest Sage abilities to disinfect the wounds, with Impa taking some Red Potion for the two to drink. Link was able to bite through the pain himself, but Zelda was outright whimpering as she didn’t expect this to happen.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What was that for a beast?!” Ruto asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“A ‘Dead Hand’ as they describe it. Usually dwells within the depths of the Kakariko Well and the Shadow Temple, but I never thought to encounter one here…” Link said, hissing a little as his injuries were being rapidly healed thanks to the effects of the Red Potion he drank, seeing that Zelda too was also calming down.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Just rest up for a little and you’ll be good enough to go in a couple of minutes.” Impa said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thanks, Impa.” Both Link and Zelda said in unison, before giggling at this.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Rest for now, we’ll take out the remaining enemies on the ground floor here for you.” Impa said, while Saria fired a Silver Fire Arrow at the Floormaster, killing it… and making it split into three.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Darunia moved over to pound those three mini-Floormasters into dust before they could do any harm, allowing the group to focus on the remaining Iron Knuckle. While Link and Zelda rested to let their wound heal over with the aid of the Red Potion, the others managed to awaken and defeat the Iron Knuckle using the usual strategy of using ranged weapons to break its outer armor and defeat it while ensuring that they kept their distance from it. No sooner had they defeated the Iron Knuckle, when a few more enemies entered the area, this time being only a few Lizalfos and Dinolfos, whom the group had little to no troubles with in taking them out.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]With the enemies so far eliminated, the group returned to Link and Zelda, helping them recover from their wounds, which fortunately weren’t too serious, allowing the group to continue on their mission, first moving to gather all the loot they could find from the present treasure chests, being primarily ammunition of arrows and bombs, although one contained a Bombchu and another turned to be a trap as an icy breath came from it, momentarily trapping the three in  a block of ice before it broke, thanks to our body warmth… Once fully restocked, the group proceeded towards the first stairway and ascending it to its top, which led to several  floating platforms and Clawshot/Hookshot targets. Using this to reach a more solid platform with a floor switch, Link took out the Green Bubble that was floating on that platform in place. After that, he stood on the floor switch which the Green Bubble had been guarding before, which opened a cell back in the pillar with the first staircase, which contained a cage. Taking aim with his bow, Link launched a Silver Arrow at the cage, breaking it. From the cage came another Goron, who smiled at being released, putting down two Goron Powder Kegs on a platform after arriving downstairs, before making his way out.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You guys and girls wait here.” Darunia said, hopping downstairs to take one of the Powder Kegs and used it on the wooden barrier in front of him, destroying it in order to enter a small, single room with several chests which contained some additional ammunition for Bombs and Arrows… as well as some new shields! These shields looked larger and even more polished than the current Red Shield the group had with them… Taking the Shields with him, he then took the second Powder Keg and used it on the second Wooden Barrier, also obliterating it, before finding a switch which he activated. The result was that one of the statues against the wall was replaced with a different statue as if it stood on a rotating platform, the new statue providing the group with better access to the platform that contained the two Blue Bubbles, which Saria and Zelda took out with Silver Arrows, allowing the group to reach the chests there and reunite with Darunia, who then came upstairs to show the shields he found.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Whoa! The Mirror Shield! Where did you find these?” Link said, blinking.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“In the small room to the right of the staircase.” Darunia said, handing the shields over to those who wanted them as he had plenty of them.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Sweet! I feel a lot more protected now!” Zelda said, giggling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What’s even better; these shields can’t be consumed by Like-Likes.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s an advantage indeed.” Saria said, while Navi, Tatl and Tael appeared to help the group out.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’ll help you with showing you where to proceed using the Hook- and Clawshots, just take a good look at where we are and above all, don’t look or fall down.” Navi said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Understood.” Link said as he got ready.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Following the trail that Navi, Tatl and Tael left, Link and the Sages used the floating platforms, Hook- and Clawshots where needed in order to move from platform to platform, making their way up in a clockwise direction until they arrived at a solid platform with a broken path at the far side of the large room as a whole, which pointed straight towards the rotating pillar which had sections of a broken path on it as well.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We need to time our jumps here, otherwise we’ll fall down.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right. We should be able to reach the second staircase on our left with ease.” Ruto said, nodding as Link hopped on the path first, waiting as he let the pillar continue on to take him to the staircase, before hopping off the platform and onto the staircase, where he once more waited for the others as he slowly walked up the staircase to its top, before he stopped.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Once the others were with him, the routine was started again of Navi, Tatl and Tael showing the group where to go by floating near the best targets to reach and the platforms to move on, letting the group move on further to the top, this time in a counter-clockwise direction, past one of the other statues, going all the way around until they reached the highest level of the staircase, before hopping on the rotating pillar once more. Looking up, they would see a Hookshot Target above which they could reach one by one, which took them to the flat surface of the pillar’s top. However, as soon as he reached the top first, Link was immediately confronted by two Aeralfos whom had been waiting for him! Knowing the routine of how to defeat him, he waited until he could snag one of them towards him by using his Clawshot on the reptilian’s shield to take it down, before slashing it apart with his Golden Master Sword. The second one was ready to retaliate, but it was intercepted by Zelda, whom repeated the same movements that Link had made, defeating the Aeralfos. Two more approached however, ready to attack, only for Saria and Ruto to take care of them, now knowing how they could be defeated.  Once those two Aeralfos had been dealt with, two more approached! This time, Nabooru and Impa took the initiative and also brought those two down, before one more Aeralfos approached, which in turn was taken down by both Rauru and Darunia, finally allowing the group to enter the room at the top, which had a suspicious red glow emanating from it.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Entering the room, the group noticed that they stood on a grating as a floor, with underneath them being a very shallow lava pool. Looking around, Link saw a ladder to his left, which Zelda was already climbing, before he went after her, using his Clawshot to reach a second ladder that reached the ceiling, before he moved using the ceiling’s pathway to move into another opening, seeing a Stalfos already ahead in the next room. The next room also had grating on the floor, where Link landed on as soon as he entered it, ready to fight the Stalfos. Zelda and Saria quickly came to his assistance, with the three taking the Stalfos out with ease, just as the others arrived.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Watch it, guys and girls, the lava appears to be slightly boiling here.” Darunia said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Good grief, this place is tall!” Ruto said, looking up.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The others looked up as well, seeing what Ruto was seeing.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We really have to climb that all the way up, huh?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We have no other choice.” Link said as he moved into a crevice in one of the walls, beginning to make his way up, with the others following.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]However, as Link reached a platform where he prepared to hookshot himself to the other side, he suddenly looked down as he saw something moving… looking down, he saw that the grating had vanished underneath the lava…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh, you have to be flipping kidding me!” He said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What is it?” Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“A major problem! The lava has begun to rise! Our only way to escape is to climb this tower all the way to the top!” Link said, before using the Hookshot to reach the target on the other side of the room, before hopping on a larger platform at another corner as he traveled in a clockwise direction, using the ladder latched on that third platform to climb higher up the tower, reaching a platform high enough to take a short breather while aiming for another crevice with his Clawshot.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh man, talk about being under pressure…” Zelda said as she joined him, with Link nodding as he shot the Clawshot at the crevice, being taken up into it and climbing further upwards.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“The lava is fortunately rising slow and steady, but it isn’t stopping at all!” Darunia shouted.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It should leave plenty of time to let us reach the top properly.” Saria said.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]In the crevice, Link used his Clawshot to reach another nearby ladder, using the second one to reach another ladder, and from there he kept using the Clawshots to make his way up using the grating spread across the wall before he  managed to finally reach the opening, leading into a corridor with a stairway at the end. Once inside the corridor, Link stopped to take a breather, while waiting for the others.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Once the others had arrived in the same corridor, they first looked down for a bit.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, looks like we’re really stuck in here now…” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll say. Makes me wonder if the lava isn’t pouring out of the windows or into the room we’ve been in before…” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Let’s not dwell on that and keep moving. The sooner we are out of danger, the better.” Rauru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right. Not even Ganon’s original tower was this bad.” Link said as the group moved to the staircase, spotting crates alongside the walls and two chain rails that carried platforms from the right to left from their position.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Arriving at the top, they saw that there were platforms moving over the chain rails towards their position as if it held a hidden contraption somewhere and several Normal, Fire and Ice Keeses were flying about in the room, altogether with two sets of two Green Bubbles in the central area and a single Blue Bubble on the platform at the far side of the room they were in. The group had no troubles in taking out the Green Bubbles with ease, but the Keeses proved more resilient in the way of the group having to either wait for them to dive down towards them or otherwise score lucky shots, which was a few times the case against the Fire and Ice Keeses. Link, Saria and Zelda also had to go to the ground level of the current area to lure the Keeses to them and take them out, with eventually the group managing to take out the Keeses after a couple of tedious minutes. Moving back to the others, Link, Saria and Zelda climbed the ladders present to move back to where the staircase was, before hopping on the moving platforms one after the other, in effect repeating the procedure they did before back in the now-destroyed underground headquarters. The group managed to safely reach the other side, using the Hookshot to latch on the nearby post and reach the path, that was essentially a corridor with three Blue Bubbles inside. While Link and Zelda were successful in taking out two of them, the third managed to bump into them as well as Saria before Ruto took it out, in effect jinxing the three as an eerie bluish-purple glow was pulsing around them.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Huh?! What happened?! Why can’t I draw my sword?!” Zelda asked, panicked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“And what is this bluish-purple glow around me?!” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’ve been jinxed by one of the Blue Bubbles.” Link casually said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You seem pretty neutral with that.” Impa said, frowning.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s because I have the means to wash this away in a jiffy.” Link said, before grabbing his Ocarina and played the Song of Storms, which caused it to rain inside the tower for a brief moment, in effect washing the jinx curse placed on the group away like it was nothing. Link demonstrated the cured effects as he was able to draw his own sword again.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Normally the jinx curse would last for about a minute or two or so, but the Song of Storms allows it to wash away instantly, making the curse little more than a troublesome nuisance rather than an actual curse.” Link said, before casually side-stepping a bit before a Wallmaster dropped on the place where he stood before, after which Nabooru took out the fiend with her sword in a single strike.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]After moving through the corridor and opening the chests present inside to obtain some of the ammunition they needed on Silver Arrows and the like, the group entered a room which had several floating platforms around, a plain floor at the bottom with a ladder to reach the corridor again and a small lava pond to the far right, with a floor on a higher side which the group needed to reach using the Hookshot and the floating platforms, which had a large hole on its other side. On the last floating platform however stood a single Bow Soldier, ready to strike at the group from a distance. However, Link wasn’t stupid; he hopped on the first floating platform and used a Silver Arrow to take out the fiend from a long distance, defeating it instantly as it fell in the lava pond. Now the group could proceed onward without worry, not letting themselves be distracted from the melting corpse as it sank below the surface of the lava, never to be seen again.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What’s with the lava out here?! This is no volcano like Death Mountain!” Ruto said as the group carefully made their way over the platforms towards the spot where the Bow Soldier stood.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That it isn’t, but perhaps this lava was taken or placed here using magic, knowing how wicked Ganondorf and Majora are.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s right; there was also lava in the Fire Room of Ganon’s Castle in the Future that Almost Was after all.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You got me there. Perhaps their dark and wicked powers can make such normally impossible things possible.” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“True. Don’t forget that the Training Grounds in the Gerudo Fortress has lava too, but that’s due to the complex being mostly underground…” Nabooru added.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Impa nodded at this, remaining silent on the matter as the group used their Hookshots to reach the area on the far side, seeing that there was a path with a corridor down the hole they had seen.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Figuring that they had to go through there in order to proceed on, the group hopped down onto the path, breaking a cage behind them which released another fairy which healed any injuries the group had before leaving through the nearby window. After watching her leave, the group made their way on through the corridor into a large, cylindrical room, where the door locked itself behind the group once everyone was inside.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yikes! We’re locked in!” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’m not so sure about that…” Link said as he looked up… right before he went wide-eyed for a moment.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Seeing this, the others looked up as well. The main thing was that this particular section was tall, and I do mean tall! Practically a hundred meters or so, if not more in height, with a rotating spike trap on the tower’s wall to skewer anyone unfortunate enough to be falling into that direction, while numerous, numerous floating platforms were scattered in random locations around the room’s center, some of them being occupied by Bow Soldiers, who were ready to intercept anyone who would cross their paths.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Now how are we going to get up there?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Judging by how the platforms are placed, it’s practically saying that we should simply find our way up. Some platforms can be skipped with ease, others look like they can be used as fail saves and others could be merely distractions…” Link said, popping his neck a little and stretching out.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, it’s going to be quite a climb, that much is certain.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed. I just wonder what we’ll find at the top.” Darunia said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, like they say: ‘Only one way to find out’.” Saria said.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Bracing themselves, the group moved towards the ladder with a wooden platform at its top, that served as nothing more than a decent spot for the group to begin their ascension of the tower using those floating platforms. Looking up, Link could clearly see some silhouettes of the Bow Soldiers that were present.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Just be careful on the way up; this looks like we will be encountering the last defenses.” Link said, pointing to the waiting Soldiers further up.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thanks for the heads up.” Zelda said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Don’t mention it.” Link said with a smile of his own, before the group proceeded to hop over to the floating platforms one after the other, while Link took out one of the Bow Soldiers easily before continuing on.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]However, just as everyone was a few meters up in the tower, when the heat inside the room increased.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What in Hyrule-?!” Link said, before looking down, seeing that lava had appeared in the room and was now covering the floor![/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh you HAVE to be joking!!” Ruto said, seeing this as well.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’m afraid it’s not a joke, we need to go!” Rauru said as the group began to continue making their way up, with the lava rising agonizingly slow, giving the group some form of reprieve as it allowed them to properly time their jumps and take out Bow Soldiers along the way.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link and the Seven Sages managed to make their way past the first spiked ring on the wall that was spinning around, taking out the Bow Soldiers that were a hindrance, while also keeping a close watch on each other as well as the lava below, not wanting to make any slip-ups that could cost them their lives. They needed each other more than ever now, so losing each other was now completely out of the question. Fortunately, the trip went without incidents, although the group stayed clear of the Bow Soldiers which were inevitably knocked off their platforms because of the arrows, falling down all the way into the still-rising lava below. Finally, after a few minutes, but what seemed like an hour, the group managed to reach the top of the room, with an open door leading into a new corridor which went onward in a curve to the right and the left.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Whew, that went better than I expected.” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link smiled, patting her on the back.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’re at least still together as a whole, that’s what counts the most. So in that regard, we still have a fighting chance.” He said as the group went on their way.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s right. I just wonder when we will eventually reach the top.” Zelda said.

[/font]

 

[Z-Fighter]

Spoiler

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Chapter 52: Close at hand…[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The group entered a room that appeared to be closed off ahead, but as they stepped in, the door closed behind them, trapping them in the room.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Now what? Not lava again?!” Ruto asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Just then, the group was surrounded by a group of Armored Dinolfos, ready to hack the heroes into pieces… only to be disabled without warning by a few cannonballs smashing on top of them, making the group blink.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What the-?!” They all said in unison.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Hey, you!” A female voice then came from above.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link and the Sages looked up and saw a woman whom was piloting some kind of aircraft coming towards them. It was a Gerudo woman, whom had a smile on her face. At first, the group blinked at this, but then the ship came to a halt next to the platform the group stood on, making the group blink at her. Link was the first to speak.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Reimu?! How did you get here?!” He asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’ve been following your travels out here with a ship of our own to assist you. At first, we went down the mountain trail you went down before, when we felt the explosions caused by the destruction of the underground base. At this point we went back to the ship to collect these babies to look for you, the search eventually leading to this tower.” Reimu said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I see. So, where did you get these air machines? We’ve only seen these kind of airships with some of the enemy troops…” Nabooru asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“The Terminans were quite helpful in giving this a redesign to make it more suitable for moving around quickly without that balloon being a hindrance in these tight areas, before the invasion of Termina caused the plans for these to be stolen by the enemy troops. What it basically is now is a boat that can move on water, but with these booster rockets at the back, it can also maneuver into the air. This is one of the only solid and perfectly functioning prototypes we managed to save and keep out of enemy hands during the invasion.” Reimu said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I see.” Nabooru said, nodding.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Come on, hop onto the ship. Leia’s waiting for us with some other Gerudo. We can take you towards the top where Ganondorf and Majora have been staying for some time now.” Reimu said, getting ready for take-off.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link, Saria, Zelda, Ruto and Nabooru hopped on right away, with Nabooru taking place next to Reimu, Link and Saria behind them, with Zelda sitting behind Link, Ruto behind Saria, Impa went behind Zelda and Rauru behind Ruto, while Darunia took place at the back seat, at the rear cannon.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Make sure you hold on tight; this is going to be quite a ride.” Reimu said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right.” The group said, before Reimu used the boosters to take off.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Reimu steered the vehicle further up into the cylindrical room the group was in as a whole.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“By all that is holy out here, how big is this tower?!” Ruto exclaimed.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Definitely higher to rival the Stone Tower, if not even higher than that!” Link said, looking around.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Geez!” Zelda exclaimed, before the airship shifted to normal position as they went through a door which opened for them, leading in a room where numerous gears and cogs were moving around and about, as if operating some kind of heavy machinery. There they met up with Leia and most of the liberated and allied Gerudo the group had encountered and freed, including Reimu’s personal guards and the four Pirates whom accompanied the group throughout the Inverted Stone Tower Temple.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Ah, sister, you found them!” Leia said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That I did. It must have been quite a climb for you…” Reimu said, turning back to the group.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That it was indeed, coupled with a bit of haste since lava began to rise in the inner areas…” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What?!” Leia asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes, we were in a bit of haste regarding that.” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Reimu nodded.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, we’ll now take and escort you to the top room where Ganondorf and Majora dwell. In a way we too have a score to settle, but we know that we wouldn’t stand that much of a chance against him if we would face him now. The least we can do is to help you to him and join you in the final battle.” Reimu said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thank you, we appreciate that.” Zelda said, smiling, before the small fleet went on their way.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]No sooner had the fleet took off, making their way through the giant gears around, when suddenly another set of ships came towards them… these were being piloted by Corrupted Soldiers however…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What the-?! Enemy soldiers here too?” Link asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“They’re coming about and preparing weapons!” Leia warned.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We have weapons too! Do what you must, but make sure that our friends make it through here safely!” Reimu shouted.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’ll help too! Just make sure everything remains stable during flight!” Link said, preparing Silver Bomb Arrows to fire.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right. I’ll keep you on the ship.” Impa said, harnessing her Shadow Sage powers to extend her shadow to grab Link, Saria, Zelda and Ruto as they got ready to engage the enemy.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]As soon as the enemy soldiers lined up their craft and began to prepare their forward cannons, Darunia blasted them with the rear cannon he was controlling, while the four children helped by launching Bomb Arrows at those which Darunia couldn’t reach or would be at a too awkward angle to be actually hit. The four children took turns in firing, so they could continuously fire at the enemy aircraft while ensuring they couldn’t take advantage of the gaps that were left between firing and reloading.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The four children aided Darunia in taking down several enemy airships, sending the soldiers down to the ground, some of them becoming stuck on the gears and or end up being crushed among the cogs that kept moving about without pause.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“EVERYONE, KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR SURROUNDINGS!” Reimu barked to the other pilots, as if to prevent them from suffering a similar gruesome fate.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Thankfully each of the other Gerudo airships had one controlling it and a second Gerudo being in charge of weapons control, with the only exception being Reimu’s own ship for obvious reasons. Reimu took a few sharp turns  while avoiding as many of the gears and enemy fire where possible, while Link, Saria, Zelda, Ruto and Darunia helped in retaliating and destroying enemy airships, with the four children going so far as to intercept those trying to attack the escorting Gerudo ships.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So far, so good, keep it up; we’ve gotten them almost down!” Leia exclaimed to them as she watched the enemy numbers dwindling rapidly.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The group continued on shooting at the enemy craft until none of them were left pursuing them in this area, allowing the group some reprieve.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wow, if this keeps up, we’ll be running out of arrows and bombs more rapidly than expected.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Don’t worry, I’ve got a stash of both of them on this vessel, just take what you need in order to fend them off.” Reimu said, opening a hatch close to Darunia’s position that revealed a good stock of bombs and arrow bundles to use as ammunition.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thanks, Reimu.” Zelda said as she and Link restocked right away, before letting Saria and Ruto restock as well, ensuring they had plenty of ammo on their hand in case it was needed.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Once the fleet had gathered once more and the children had restocked on ammo, Reimu proceeded onward with her airship into another door, which opened up, leading into a corridor where several pillars were in the center and in offsets to the left and right as if making it obstructions for the group to pass over them. Reimu was taking it slow to prevent the children from falling off or otherwise damage her airship, wanting to be sure the group reached the other side safely. After passing by the pillars, another set of doors opened, revealing a room that had pillars on the sides and a pool of water at the bottom.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wow, they really must have taken their time with this place.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll say; this is much bigger than I actually expected it to be.” Zelda said, nodding.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yeah. I wonder how they have been able to build this in over less than a year’s time…” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Probably they used magic or the tower itself must have existed for some time, it’s distant location made it simply fade into obscurity in a way that we just never heard of it.” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Those are the only probably causes.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Reimu sighed as she moved through a corridor, blocked initially by a set of doors which opened up one after the other, leading into a much larger room with pillars all around the place and murky water at the bottom.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wow, what in the world did they have in mind with this?!” Nabooru asked as she looked around.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I don’t know, but it looks like it has no actual purpose other than just being a supporting room…” Reimu said, but then Link suddenly spotted something.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Enemy vehicles approaching from behind!” He exclaimed as he prepared his Silver Bomb Arrows once more.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“All hands to the weapons! We must fend them off until we have diminished their numbers!” Reimu said, moving to steer on to pull off evasive maneuvers where needed.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]This time, the battle was more fierce as the enemy appeared more numerous this time around, thankfully the other ships offered assistance right away.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh man, talk about an air strike…” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll say… what the-?!” Zelda then said as one of her Silver Bomb Arrows hit one of the pillars by accident, immediately causing it to crumble down into the murky water below, taking several enemy ships with it.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Watch the pillars!!” Leia said as one Gerudo also made a pillar collapse while shooting down enemy ships along the way.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“YIKES! Low bridge!” Link said as a pillar crumbled down just beside him, missing Reimu’s ship, but taking out several enemy ships which he had missed.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“WATCH IT!” Nabooru said as parts of another pillar narrowly missed her as it collapsed from another Gerudo ship shooting at it, the debris colliding against another enemy ship, although it did cover an enemy shot that struck Reimu’s ship from the side, in retaliation Saria fired a Silver Bomb Arrow at the enemy’s engines, sending it careening out of control and towards the water, only to collide with the already sinking debris from an already destroyed pillar, destroying the ship.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The whole fight lasted only for a few minutes, despite the numerous enemy ships. The pillars did an excellent job in ‘helping’ in dwindling the numbers of the enemy soldiers rapidly, although most of them were shot down. Reimu’s fleet didn’t come out unscathed though; while all of the group were still alive and all, their ships were showing signs of damage.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Darn, that was a bit too close for comfort.” Reimu said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Sis, your ship…” Leia said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I know. We should still be able to make it to where we have to take our friends, but after that we may need to repair the ships…” Reimu said as the fleet regrouped and took off for the other side, past an entrance between two pillars and entering a corridor, leading into a large tunnel, where four spinning wheels were present, the first and third spinning clockwise and the second and forth one spinning in a counter-clockwise direction. Each of the spokes had spikes on them, although there were large openings between them, allowing the fleet to fly through in turns.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I have no idea where these machinery are for and frankly I don’t want to know either.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That makes two of us.” Zelda said, shivering as the group moved on to the far side of the room itself, seeing an exit in the form of a circular passageway that led into a room with numerous pillars at the side and mirrored tiles on the floor.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, this is as far as we can take you. We can’t go any further than this, for which I’m sorry.” Reimu said as the group entered a room with a gate opening above.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s alright, Reimu. At least you could take us for as far as you could.” Nabooru said as the gate closed up once the rest of the fleet had entered the room itself as well, the ships gently parking on the ground before the engines were shut down.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link and the others disembarked from Reimu’s ship, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You need any help?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thanks for the offer, but we can manage. Just be careful when you go up there, Ganondorf and Majora are waiting for you at the top.” Reimu said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’ll keep it in mind, Reimu. Thanks for the help.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“If we’ll make it through and Hyrule is safe, I’ll make sure you’ll be rewarded for your efforts.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thank you, Lady Nabooru. It is an honor with such a wonderful leader such as yourself.” Reimu said, bowing politely.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Nabooru smiled, patting Reimu on the shoulder, before she and the others moved on down the corridor which had this time a purplish hue to the tiles of the floor and the walls, while further up ahead the bluish hue from the inner section returned. The corridor was long, that was for certain, but the thing that was out of place was the deadly silence that resonated in the area; that is the only sounds being audible being the group’s footsteps and their breathing whenever they were standing still…[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Hopping down a hole ahead, the group arrived in a completely different room. The first things to note were that the tiles on the walls and the ground now had a yellowish hue to it and a circular staircase was up ahead. Seeing this, Link went to the room available below the staircase itself and just sat down, indicating he wanted to rest up a bit before he would continue on. The Sages went to join him, obviously understanding his point and reason in that. Link and the Sages could already feel the ominous presence of their nemesis being strong, which indicated they should be close to the top. Link sighed, although there was a bit of a smile on his face.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, I guess this is it, huh?” He asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It appears so. It’s been quite a long trip to get all the way here…” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Considering what we have gone through up to this point, I believe the whole thing must have been working on our bodies as well…” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What do you mean?” Ruto asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Face it, we’ve been teleported to one of the most hellish regions in Termina, got ambushed by Stalfos, had to deal with a prancing prick multiple times, entered an unknown land with an unknown, mystical history, dealt with death and resurrection, went through outposts in a forest and a vast lava sanctuary, went into a rather empty temple, entered a vast mountain area, went through an underground base that is likely destroyed now and  finally this entire frigging tower,” Saria said, “if this hasn’t done anything to our bodies physically as in making us stronger, I don’t know what has.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Saria has a point,” Link said, “all the traveling we did on foot and all must have improved our condition one way or another. Now that I think of it, my legs did feel kinda sore on several occasions, but since I was too focused on the objective at hand, I either ignored it or just bit through the pain.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The others nodded at this, while Darunia smiled.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s my Sworn Brother, never giving up no matter the odds.” Darunia said, patting Link on the back, making the boy on his turn yelp at this.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“But now that we have gotten this far, how are we going to handle this?” Ruto asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’ll see if the two first play up to their usual fighting styles, or if they want to first figure out whether they can find a way to counter our new skills. My Dark Self may have fallen for the Mortal Draw technique successfully, but I feel certain that Ganondorf knows better and would try to strike me from afar, probably trying to set up a Dead Man’s Volley game. As for Majora, he may try to use his Mask again to attack at first, perhaps summon remains of the bosses we’ve beaten before to further antagonize us, use a fire beam of its own which we can use the Mirror Shield to counter or use its tendrils to attack, I don’t know for sure.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right. You should keep us posted on Majora’s attacks, since you’re the only one of us whom have fought him in person.” Rauru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That I will. It’s only a matter of staying alive and keeping a close watch on our nemeses.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right. We should rest up for as much as we can; we probably need every bit of energy we have at our disposal to properly fight them, even though we are still having the benefits of unlimited magic, thanks to the Chateau Romani we drank at the underground headquarters yesterday.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So it’s only today and tomorrow that we can benefit from it before it wears off?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s right. I feel it will be more than useful in the time to come.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“No specific time planned?” Nabooru asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I just have no idea how long this will take.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Point taken.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll keep watch, just in case.” Darunia said as he moved up to the entrance of the crevice underneath the staircase the group sat in.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right. Even though this isn’t exactly comfortable, we’ll just have to make the best of it.” Link said, yawning as he moved into a for him comfortable position to rest in, using his quiver as a makeshift cushion.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]A few hours later, the group woke up, feeling well rested as they geared up once more. Although they had been asleep for a decent time, to say that it was pleasant would came out wrong. Link in particular suffered from a harsh nightmare in which he and his friends were overtaken/covered by the lava during their escape from the doomed headquarters or otherwise falling into the lava due to platforms collapsing or enemies kicking them off. This was in particular caused during Link’s initial travels in the Fire Temple and Death Mountain Crater in the Future that Almost Was, coupled with a few close calls in the Gerudo Training Grounds, Ganon’s Tower and the lava outpost with the hidden temple altogether. However, since he knew it were just a couple of bad dreams, Link didn’t make too much of a fuzz about it, even more when he remembered that he and the others had very much survived through it all up to this point, fueling his drive to finally put an end to the suffering and misery that Ganondorf and Majora had caused and bring back peace and prosperity to Hyrule. He sincerely hoped the Triforce by itself would help in repairing the damage done, even if it was to restore life to the ruined parts of the lands which the forces of Ganondorf and Majora had laid waste to, Hyrule Field in particular. Zelda also hoped that they could rob Ganondorf of that Triforce of Power he had in his possession and complete the Triforce for their own wish to restore peace to their homeland. Nabooru on her turn wished she could brighten up the reputation of the Gerudo tribe now that this all had taken place. Gerudos in general weren’t exactly viewed as good people because of their thieving skills and usual disdain for men, but it was definitely apparent that even the Gerudo had standards; as of now, the majority of the tribe has shunned Ganondorf and his vile, despicable ways and would rather live with an outsider as their ruler instead of following the Gerudo laws of accepting him, considering the statement that every male Gerudo born should automatically become King, seeing as males are born once every 100 years among the tribe itself. Ruto had her wish of purifying the Zora’s domain and by extension the Zora River and Lake Hylia, mostly due to her concern that the deity her people worshipped, Lord Jabu-Jabu, would feel ‘green around the gills’ shortly again if the area remained unchecked. Saria wished to purify the forest on her turn and perhaps help in kick-starting the growth of a new Deku Tree, seeing as Ganondorf had killed the Great Deku Tree itself and felt that the forest needed a guardian in case of her and Link’s absence. On top of that, it would also guarantee the safety to her fellow Kokiri so they could once again play outside, like before. Speaking of which, the Kokiri themselves were still in their homes, trying to pick up their lives as much as they can, hoping that Link and Saria somehow have gone to a nicer place together, where they are free of the worries and other bad things that have been bothering them ever since Link initially returned to them so long ago. Impa and Rauru on their turn didn’t have any specific wishes, although Impa suspected something was going on in the Kakariko Well, so she would have to find a way to strengthen the seal again, while Darunia on his turn wanted to ensure the Gorons would still be able to mine the rocks from Dodongo’s Cavern without anyone trying to seal the entrance again. As long as it would ensure that the Gorons would not be deprived of their primary source of food ever again…[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Straightening his outfit, Link moved to the base of the staircase, sighing as he braced himself for the inevitable, the Sages joining him as they walked up the circular staircase.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This reminds me more of Ganon’s Tower itself, although this staircase is a bit shorter when going in a circle…” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Really?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes, coupled with the fact that those stairs had red carpet on it in the center area…” Link said, as the group reached the top of the first staircase, seeing a corridor with a door in the center of the wall to the right and another staircase at the far side of the corridor.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, looks like they can keep people in suspense…” Saria said as the group moved onward to the second staircase… only to receive a slight scare as the door suddenly opened up as they passed by, revealing a hidden room…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What the-?!” The group said in unison, deciding to check it out.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Entering the open doorway, the group entered a room with two pillars that each had green torches within them to illuminate the area, which was for the rest empty.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Is this some kind of a joke?” Ruto asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wait, there’s a net down here hanging against the wall…” Zelda said, having made a turn to the right and spotting the net.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I can also see platforms on a higher level… perhaps it’s leading to something…” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Let’s check it out, perhaps it will lead to something…” Link said, moving to Zelda as she went already up the net, followed by Saria.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We have to take a good jump from here…” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I can arrange something…” Saria said, before using her powers to create vines in the lines in lieu of a bridge for the group to safely cross the gap to a set of wooden planks which went to the right.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Turning to the right, they came across a large path with a small corridor leading into a room with several Business Scrubs. Initially trying to attack, the Business Scrubs were immediately foiled in their defenses by a safe Goron Pound courtesy of Darunia. Immediately after that, one of the Business Scrub, whom apparently looked in charge of the whole set, approached them.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Please, quit it! We’ll never do it again. If we’ll offer you some of our merchandise, will you let us go?!” He asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What do you have?” Darunia asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Everything you need: Arrows, Bombs, Deku Nuts, Deku Seeds, Deku Sticks, Bombchus, Potions, you name it.” He said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, this is very convenient; we need to restock anyway.” Link said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Alright. Speak to one of my charges to get the items you need.” The Lead Business Scrub said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s kinda funny to do a bit of shopping before facing our nemeses…” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, as long as have plenty of ammo…” Saria said, giggling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“True.”[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]After purchasing what they needed on ammunition and medical supplies (being just the Red Potion), the group thanked the Business Scrubs and made their way back down into the corridor, moving to the right to the second staircase. Going up the stairs, they blinked at seeing another corridor with yet another staircase at the far side and several chests at the walls. Opening the chests, the group blinked at seeing they all contained Silver to Giant Rupees, each with the 100 to 200 Rupee value.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wow…” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I guess these could be collected in case we were running short on Rupees…” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Let’s leave them for now, I doubt we have much use for them on this part.” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You’re right. Let’s go.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Leaving the rupees for what they were for now, the group moved towards the last staircase. At its base, Link stopped for a brief moment, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself. Zelda and Saria understood this all too well.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, this is it. No more turning back, the fate of the world lies on our shoulders.” Link said, looking up before he and the Sages went to ascend up the third staircase, possibly one of the longest as it went up and up and up… Being one of the last to move up, Impa took a brief look behind her, before joining the rest. After about a minute or two, the group finally arrived at the top of the tower, which by itself looked like a large, circular arena with a rocky wall surrounding it, preventing them from falling off. Looking around, the group noticed they were really high into the air; looking to their left, they could see the Stone Tower in the far distance, while on the lower areas, they could see the landscapes of both Termina and Hyrule beneath it, including the ruined Hyrule Castle… but they all seemed so distant from their current height…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So, you have finally arrived…” a dark voice said.  [/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Looking forward, Link and the Sages immediately saw someone with his back turned to them, showing off the cape he was wearing. They all recognized him right away, due to the flaming red hair and the sickly greenish skin, wearing the black knight’s armor that was a trademark of his, as well as those unnatural red eyes. It was Ganondorf in person and he seemed unnaturally calm…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I didn’t think you would even be bold enough to scale this tower completely, much less having lasted against our forces…” He said, before turning to the group…

[/font]

 

[Z-Fighter]

Spoiler

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Chapter 53: An unexpected turn of events[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link and the Seven Sages were immediately on full alert, seeing Ganondorf standing there, his arms crossed, a scowl on his face instead of a more devilish grin. Behind them, the doorway to the staircase leading to the rooms below closed and sealed up, effectively trapping the entire group on top of the tower by itself. The group didn’t pay attention to this, their focus being mostly set to the nemesis in front of them, who stared them down in a form of almost unnatural calmness that hid the anger, despite the expression showing that he was, suffice it to say, none too pleased with seeing the group.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Insolent pests,” Ganondorf said, sighing in annoyance, “it angers me that you have been able to get here so swiftly. Nonetheless, I must commend you for being able to get this far; no mere mortal has ever scaled this tower and lived to tell… if they didn’t end up being caught and brainwashed or imprisoned that is…”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Hmph. That’s so like you to show no remorse…” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“The only thing I’m sorry for is that I didn’t kill you sooner; you’ve been working against me ever since you found me out. But no matter; this saves me the trouble of going after you instead, so now I’ll take your powers by force.” He said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Think again, Ganondorf; you won’t get us again like last time.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Getting bold, are we?” Ganondorf asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You bet; unlike you, we’ve been working hard to get here.” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That I can see. Too bad it’s all for naught…” Another voice said, just as a floating mask appeared from behind Ganondorf.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Majora… I almost thought you weren’t here.” Link said smugly.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You certainly have become quite cheeky with such an attitude…” Majora said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“If I had a rupee each time I heard that…”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh, that’s it. When you die here, your corpse will be displayed on a spot for everyone to see as a sign of what will happen when you defy us!” Majora said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Like that will ever happen.” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Do you have any idea whom you’re dealing with?” Ganondorf asked, narrowing his eyes.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Of course we do, two arrogant pricks who enjoy seeing innocent people suffer.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That does it, have at you!” Majora said, charging up his fiery eye laser attack and fired it towards Zelda… only for the princess to bring out her Mirror Shield and deflect the attack towards Ganondorf, striking him head on.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Ganondorf grunted as he was hit, preparing his electric sphere and fired it towards the princess, only for Link to intercept the attack, striking it with his sword, sending it towards Majora who received a hit on his turn as well, being zapped by the electricity from the attack.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“YEEEEEAAAAAARRRRRGGGHHHH! CURSE YOU ALL!!!” Majora howled as it recovered from the attack as tendrils appeared from its back, only for Link to suddenly leap at it and struck it with a jump strike.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“SHUT UP!” Link snarled at the deadly mask.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Enough of this, time to meet your doom!” Ganondorf said as he began to float in place.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]With that, the Final Battle for Hyrule and Termina began. The Sages first split up in two groups, with Rauru, Darunia, Impa and Nabooru moving to engage Ganondorf in combat, while Zelda, Saria and Ruto came to Link’s aid while he fought against Majora. Given the enormous strength of both foes, the heroes decided to attack in numbers on their turn, knowing that using co-operation would continuously put pressure on the enemies, giving them little to no chance to charge up a potentially dangerous attack. Link decided to keep the Purified Fierce Deity Mask aside for the time being, intending to use it as a last resort due to the massive power it contained by itself and by extension give Ganondorf and Majora an even harder time as soon as the right time to use it was at hand. But for now, it seemed as if the battle was even. In the air, the sky was getting darker as the dark clouds kept bellowing around the top, almost making it pitch black, although briefly illuminated by the lightning strikes that appeared at regular intervals within the clouds. This all perfectly added to the atmosphere of the arena itself, with in the far distance the sky being an eerie beige/yellow, while the black clouds themselves were almost like a static disk circling around the whole parameter of the tower by itself, increasing in layers the closer one would be to the top of the tower.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Zelda struck Majora’s Mask with a Silver Light Arrow, sending the deadly creature to the ground, after which Link and Saria engaged it with their Golden Swords, striking relentlessly at it as if both received a good measure of payback for what has been done to them not so long ago, before the Mask used its tendrils to grab the children and zap them with electricity, before tossing them against the rocky edge of the arena. Zelda and Ruto followed up with another Silver Light Arrow, once again stunning the Mask, before Ruto went in and struck the Mask several times, before using her Water Sage abilities to teleport behind Majora, avoiding its tendrils the first time and striking it in the back with her Nice Boomerang, right as Link and Saria recovered and went back in the fray. Using Link’s knowledge of Majora itself as a whole, the four children had some form of advantage, even though Majora seemingly had no difficulties taking them all on. This was not just because the four have been active on the battle field for some time, but they were also still children in a way; their small bodies allowed a certain level of agility with them that made them a bit harder to catch, even more when their form of teamwork was that one or two proved a distraction for the others to strike at the Mask, deflecting its own attacks were necessary.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Ganondorf on his turn generated multiple of his electric blasts in rapid succession, but Nabooru and Impa intercepted them, striking the spheres with their blades to swat them aside or towards Ganondorf, where Ganondorf either blocked them or where the spheres he fired collided with the ones headed for him, effectively cancelling them out. This was more done as a diversion as Rauru prepared a larger Light Sphere attack, in lieu of a Light Arrow of his own to stun Ganondorf with as he fired it, scoring a direct hit on the Dark Lord, sending him to the ground. This allowed Darunia to charge at him and deliver a serious pounding to the male Gerudo.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That one was for Link and this one is for Zelda!” Darunia said, slugging Ganondorf twice in the stomach, like how he hurt Link and Zelda badly back at the ruined Hyrule Castle all those days ago.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Darunia never forgot what happened on that fateful day, seeing Ganondorf ruthlessly slugging first Link in the stomach before draining him of whatever strength he had left and tossing the Master Sword aside as if it was nothing, after which the Evil King unceremoniously kicked Link away from the ruined Hyrule Castle Tower, dooming him to die a slow, painful death back then. Ganondorf then turned his attention to Zelda, whom attacked and hit him the second after Link was sent flying, with Zelda being treated to a similar punch in the stomach before she was blasted away with a magic blast in a similar style to how Link was kicked away. Darunia had silently sworn to himself to avenge his Sworn Brother, even after the resurrection and now he was making good on that oath, although he also knew Impa wanted to take a shot at him as well. Ganondorf grunted as he was slugged in the stomach multiple times by Darunia’s Fire Punch Combo, before using a dark explosion wave to throw him off, only for Impa to appear from the shadows and slashed at his face, cutting him on the cheek and the chest area before he knocked the Sheikah woman away, intercepting Nabooru in the process. This moment of reprieve allowed Ganondorf to float up again, now ready to charge a bigger attack. Rauru intervened by blasting him with a powerful Light spell, stunning Ganondorf to make the attack he was charging strike him instead, sending Ganondorf down to the ground, allowing Impa and Nabooru to strike, with Nabooru using her Golden Sword Spark and Impa just slashed away at him, at several points striking the scars of what remained of the wounds that Link and Zelda both inflicted on him before.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Majora however was having a rather hard time against the four children; whenever it was focusing on attacking any one of them, the others were pelting its vulnerable backside with arrows, bringing it down in order for the group to strike at it with force. As they say: Payback is a bitch and she’s back in heat! Majora then twirled around like a saw blade, trying to cut the four in half, but its attempts were cut short due to either clashing against their shields, before Link used the Great Spin to stun the mask again, allowing Saria to strike it again as a form of payback on her side once more. After several slashes, Majora grabbed the four children in its tendrils and tossed them towards the far side of the arena, before transforming into Majora’s Incarnation, with the thin arms and legs and the single eye on its head, attempting to pelt the group with a rapid-fire onslaught of energy spheres. Link was prepared for this however and went on the defensive, blocking the attacks with his shield, before rolling to the side and striking Majora with an arrow, stunning it. Majora howled as it once more was stunned, allowing the four children to rush in and keep striking it.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Ganondorf on his turn was getting frustrated at the relentless attacks from his four opponents. Having had enough after being pelted with a Light Arrow for the 5th time now, followed by a few strikes of the others nearby, he decided to play their game and remained on the ground level this time around, drawing two blades of his own in order to engage the four adults. In retrospect, he saw the irony in this current stand-off; Majora had been acting like a child despite its crazy behavior and tremendous power through curses and he was now up against four children, while he, the Great Ganondorf, was more mature and held his own against four adults. However he wasn’t stupid; he knew that these people were likely able to succeed in thwarting his plans again, although he would be able to put up a decent fight. He narrowed his eyes as he saw Nabooru approaching, preparing to engage him. Deciding to actually fight her, Ganondorf charged, forcing the Gerudo on the defensive as she moved to block and parry every strike he made.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Such a shame to see such a strong woman fight against one of her own.” Ganondorf quipped as he attempted a double cutting swipe with his blades, which Nabooru avoided.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Shut your face!” Nabooru snarled, jumping up to perform a double spin attack.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Ganondorf grunted as he blocked the strike, trying to strike her in her side, only for Nabooru to flip over him and perform a successful Back Slash technique, hurting him.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You could have been anything you desired if you only would follow me.” Ganondorf said, smacking Nabooru aside with the hilt of the sword in his right hand, before moving to engage her again.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“SHUT UP! I’ll NEVER bow down to someone so despicable as you!” Nabooru roared back, being forced on the defensive once more.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So be it then.” Ganondorf said, swinging his blades down to where he almost cut Nabooru’s head off, but Nabooru blocked the attack with her own swords, before slashing at the Evil King’s body herself with another Dual Spin attack, this time forcing him on the defensive.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Ganondorf eventually managed to kick Nabooru away and attempted to charge at her, only for Darunia to intercept him and clobbered him in the face, stunning him enough for Impa to deal in several strikes with a Shadow Clone. Ganondorf on his turn eventually kicked Impa herself away and cut her Shadow Clone in two, effectively dispelling it before turning his attention to Rauru as he finished preparing another Light Sphere to stun him, avoiding the strike by teleporting beside the old Sage and knocking him to the side, only to be hit in the back by another Back Slash from Nabooru. Grunting, he smacked Nabooru to the side, before dashing at her and thrusting his swords down to the ground, although Nabooru rolled out of the way in time to prevent herself from being impaled onto the arena floor, using the momentum of her roll to get back on her feet and regain her swords she had dropped when Ganondorf struck her. Growling, Ganondorf attempted to attack her again, only to be intercepted by a set of fireballs courtesy of Darunia, the Goron Leader showing he still had a bone to pick with the Evil King for not only first depriving his people from their primary food source, but also imprisoning them in the Fire Temple in the Future That Almost Was, to be fed to the dragon Volvagia as a form of ritual sacrifice, mostly to show to the other races what would happen if they were to oppose Ganondorf’s reign. He was grateful Link came to save them, before coming to aid him in slaying the evil dragon.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]At the same moment, Majora was now angrier than ever after he was hit several times more by the four children whom clearly weren’t impressed by his crazy routine of dancing and prancing. It even went so far as Saria using her vines to intercept Majora to hold him in place so Ruto, Link and Zelda had the time to catch up with him and attack him. Howling to the sky after smacking the four away for the moment, Majora then began to pump up its muscles, transforming into Majora’s Wrath as it now towered over the four children and the adults altogether. Link, Saria, Zelda and Ruto grueled at the sight of Majora’s muscles rapidly swelling, coupled with tendrils growing on its hands which it now used to attack in a whip-like fashion after completing his transformation, managing to strike Link, Saria and Zelda with it before Ruto fired a Silver Light Arrow at it to stun it, the Zora Princess moving in with several strikes of her own before Majora teleported to the far side of the arena and struck Ruto in the same fashion as it did with her friends before. Link however wasn’t stupid and pressed on, firing a Silver Light Arrow on his turn that struck Majora in the face, causing the monstrous behemoth to shriek in sheer agony, which in turn began to break parts of the rocky edge apart, sending them floating into the air.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Curse you all… I hate you… I HATE YOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUU!” Majora howled as it promptly grabbed Link and Zelda in one tendril and Saria and Ruto in the other, before rearing them up into the air and smashing them on the ground, causing the four to yelp in pain as they landed face-first onto the ground, after which Majora just repeated this brutal move before callously tossing the four to the side, making them land on the ground before striking them to the wall like bowling pins, causing Saria and Ruto to get dazed for a moment.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Now getting pissed himself, Link got up, before pouring energy into his Golden Master Sword.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“The feeling’s completely mutual, Majora!” He said, before he felt a hand on his own which held his sword.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Turning to his left, he saw Zelda looking at him. Like Link, she was battered and had several injuries all over, but still battle-hardened and ready to strike. Nodding at him, Zelda then helped Link by raising his sword with him while holding her own sword in her other hand, before both children thrusted the sword forward, launching a golden Sword Beam at the monstrosity, striking it head on. One more Majora howled in agony  as it collapsed of the sheer pain the attack inflicted on it, its body shimmering with the sacred Golden Light of justice. This alone wasn’t enough to take Majora down so easily though, as he got up, using a Spin Attack of his own to knock Saria and Ruto to the side, before promptly kicking Link and Zelda both to the other side of the arena again, after which he proceeded to use his tendrils as whips to strike them, performing a Rapid Whip Barrage on both the hero and the princess, leaving red gashes on their backs as well as a few holes and tears in their respective outfits. Both Link and Zelda yelped as they were hit several times, before Majora grabbed them and tossed them unceremoniously to the far side of the arena again, the two bouncing off the rocky wall before landing on the ground, grunting as they landed. This also proved to be an opportunity for Saria and Ruto, as they recovered from the Spin Attack, they moved in together to strike Majora with Silver Light Arrows of their own, stunning him long enough to strike him several times before Majora performed a back flip in order to escape from the two children, which in turn allowed Saria to focus her own Sage powers to heal Link and Zelda to a degree, able to lessen the injuries on their backs while Ruto used a Water Spout to douse Majora in water, sending him momentarily into the air before he landed flat on his face on the ground with a *THUD*. Link and Zelda both managed to get up after a minute thanks to Saria’s healing powers, bringing them back into action.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thanks, Saria.” Zelda said, smiling while Link nodded in kind.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Don’t mention it. Now let’s get back at that freakazoid.” She said, her two friends nodding, before the three went to assist Ruto in tackling the insane monstrosity.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Ganondorf on his turn was also brought to his knees as the distraction provided by Nabooru was enough for Rauru to strike him in the chest with another Golden Light Sphere, causing the Evil King to grunt in sheer pain at this. He looked up towards them in great anger, not believing he was being bested, again! Getting up, he managed to fire a dark blast at Rauru to knock him to the ground, before grabbing Impa and Nabooru and bashed their heads against each other, causing the two women to grunt and hold their heads in pain, only for Ganondorf himself being fiercely knocked to the ground by another Fire Punch courtesy of Darunia. Sitting up and looking to his right, Ganondorf saw Majora writhing in agony from being hit with the Silver Light Arrow by the four children. Seeing Impa, Darunia and Nabooru approach, Ganondorf used his own dark powers to teleport next to Majora, standing next to the fallen behemoth.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“As much as I hate it to say, I have to admit that you have improved a lot in comparison to the last time we met. Then it’s safe for me to say that this is going to take longer than I expected.” He said, looking around at the group.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What are you talking about?! You’re through, finished! Hand over the Triforce of Power and begone from this place forever!” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Ganondorf however smirked  at the Hyrulean Princess, chuckling even.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You seem to have gathered the same wit and attitude as that forest kid whom became the fabled Hero of Time… amazing what spending time with him has done to your spirit…” He said as he picked Majora up, whom was hanging a bit limply as he held him by the neck, with only Majora’s calves, feet and tendrils remaining on the ground, “however, I wouldn’t give yourself or your beloved friends for that matter any form of decoration just yet, Zelda… because this battle isn’t finished by a long shot… in fact, it has only JUST BEGUN!”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]With that, Ganondorf suddenly thrusted his free hand into Majora’s back, causing the monstrous creature to howl in agony as dark energy flooded his entire being, causing Link and the Sages to look at this in utter shock and horror, while Ganondorf himself only had this sick grin on his face. It was then that flames appeared all around Majora, being blue and black flames that began to eat away at his entire body, as if it was disintegrating right in front of them.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“YOU MONSTER!” Link and Zelda both shouted in utter disgust as they witnessed Majora writhing away within the flames, his body deflating as if its energy was being drained from it, initially reducing Majora’s body to nothing more than an empty, lifeless husk of which the head, arms and legs soon vanished, leaving only the Mask of Majora behind. Ganondorf then willed the Mask to attach itself to his own chest, merging it with its own armor as tendrils shot out to engulf the armor as a whole, turning the once black armor into a sickly flesh-colored wall of pure muscle, with the mask itself now serving as the armor plating by itself, retaining the spikes that now were set on his shoulders and on his sides. During this scene, Rauru, Nabooru, Impa and Darunia all regrouped with Link, Saria, Zelda and Ruto, who stood together by each other, watching the scene unfold, although Link had prepared another Light Arrow, intending to fire at it at any moment’s notice. Ganondorf chuckled at this.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Fools… while I commend you on having made it this far and having held out up until now, you are overlooking a minor detail; that we have been improving on our own skills too. It may haven’t looked like it, but trust me when I say you haven’t seen anything yet.” He said, right before his eyes changed to the dark eyes that belonged to Majora.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link immediately was on guard, his bow at the ready, while the Sages stood by to assist him. Ganondorf saw this and chuckled again.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So… hero… you and your royal girl called me a monster?” He then asked, addressing Link and Zelda directly as he had a sick grin on his face, “allow me to show you the TRUE face of the ‘monster’ that you see before you.”[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]With that, Ganondorf first showed off the mark of the Triforce of Power on his hand, before hunched over at first and grunted as he tightened every muscle in his arms and legs. Before Link and the Sages could react or even respond to it, they could hear the unmistakable sound of bones snapping and resetting as Ganondorf’s body began to convulse and jerk all over in place, right before his body began to grow. But as his body grew, his muscles were bulging and growing along with him, his form beginning to change as his legs snapped backwards in form and his feet becoming boar-like, as spikes also emerged from his head, standing upward while his hair grew partially over his back. Tusks appeared from either side of his jaws, becoming as sharp as predatorily fangs but the most disturbing thing was that he just kept growing… outgrowing the inner ring of the arena as the muscles in his chest, arms and legs grew to hulking proportions, each pulse of energy that flowed through his veins pumping them up until they were big enough to engulf the entire group of heroes. His teeth elongated into menacing fangs that made him even more demonic, while the spikes on his shoulders and sides also grew to where they could easily be used to skewer the group onto each of them.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link, Saria, Zelda, Ruto, Nabooru, Impa, Darunia and Rauru all watched in utter horror and disgust as the transformation took place, but as it entered its final phase, with the growing of Ganondorf’s body length and muscle mass being the most prominent, coupled with the disgusting sounds of bones snapping and readjusting while his vocal cords changed to give the Evil King’s voice a far more demonic sound, another emotion came through the entire group… fear! For the first time, Link found himself subconsciously taking a few steps back as Ganondorf… or better yet the entity FORMERLY known as Ganondorf began to tower over them with hulking proportions, becoming higher than the houses in Hyrule Castle Town, while two massive blades appeared within the monstrosity’s hands. At specific spots on the bare arms and legs, it appeared as if the skin burst open as veins could be clearly seen through it, these veins beginning to glow green much like the eyes. The hair also received a more radical change, becoming also akin to tendrils on the tips as the normal hair grew down to over the neck. It went so bad that Saria and Zelda both grabbed Link close as the transformation finalized, with Ruto holding Link from behind, while he was stepping closer to the adults. As the transformation was completed, what now stood in front of the group was an entity with the appearance of the beast known as Ganon, but where it had once had a knight’s plating as armor was now a fleshy wall of pure muscle, with the armored part being the shape of Majora’s Mask with spikes protruding from its sides and shoulders, the tusks circling upward and its jaws bearing razor sharp teeth that could cut through flesh like a knife through butter. The outer part of his hair ended up in tendrils, which he too could use as whips, while in its hands were two massive blades that were bigger than each of the group by itself.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“No longer am I the beast known to you as Ganon… I am… Ganjora, the one who will end your pitiful lives!” It proclaimed, roaring in the sky as lightning crashed around the area fiercely.

[/font]

 

[Z-Fighter]

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[size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]Chapter 54: A hopeless battle?[/font]

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[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link and the Seven Sages watched in utter horror as the now monstrous Ganjora  towered over them all like a sick, mutated pig that was covered in nothing else but flesh, bearing the sickly multiple colors of primarily magenta, dark blue, pink and violet/purple, interlaced with bright green-glowing veins pulsating from under the bare skin, while also sporting those soul-piercing eyes from Majora’s Mask on the chest, while his normal eyes had green sclera and lacked the presence of irises and pupils. The jewel on its forehead was now acting as a third eye akin to Majora’s Wrath, and the sides of his face were protected by two horns that curled outward, ready to skewer anyone close and unfortunate enough to get caught if he would charge at them. He retained some level of clothing through the Gerudo garment around his waist, under arms and around the shoulders, the initial knight plating being completely destroyed during his growth, the only remnants being the torn cape at the back and some garment on the shoulders.  His feet had been replaced by boar-like hooves and for the rest he was completely packed with bulging muscles, being actually far more buffer than the Ganon Link had fought in the Future That Almost Was. The fiery red hair also had grown longer, the tips molding together to create tendrils akin to Majora’s, and on his shoulders and on his sides were now deadly spikes that were raised to protect them from there. It also grew a tail that was big enough to almost rest on the other side of the arena itself! But the thing that scared the group the most was the sheer size of him; whereas Ganon was already big enough to easily tower over both Link and Zelda and several remains of his old castle, this new Ganjora stood at least at TWICE that height, showcasing the tremendous power combination that both Majora’s Mask and the Triforce of Power had pumped into Ganondorf. With a bestial howl and a roar, Ganjora then plunged his oversized blades into the ground of the arena, creating a shockwave that practically launched Link and the Seven Sages off their feet, while at the same time raising the outer ring of the arena itself, where as more of the rocky wall around it began to crumble and tear, some pieces floating up in the air, while others fell all the way down from the tower. Lightning crashed around the area with loud thunderclaps that resonated throughout the area, as if Ganjora’s power was big enough to disorient the atmosphere around them.[/font][/size][/font][/size]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]Reimu and her troops narrowly managed to fly out of the tower itself as parts of it were already beginning to crumble down under the sheer pressure and force of the power increase Ganjora was boasting, coupled with the lava now melting anything that could be melted by it around, varying from the crates that were stacked around to the remaining corpses of Ganondorf and Majora’s forces that Link and the Seven Sages had slain before. Whatever lava had risen throughout the inner area of the tower and streamed out of the open windows were now covering most of the tower itself and its surrounding areas, almost appearing as if the world had cracked open on that part and revealed an artificially created volcano which seemed to be contained within the vast mountain area it was located in.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh, dear Goddesses, look at the size of that monstrosity!” Leia shouted, seeing the silhouette of Ganjora’s form sticking out from the position she was in while she looked up at the tower.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s frigging huge!” One of the Gerudo Pirates exclaimed.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“And our leader Nabooru and her friends are up there! We have to help them!!” Another one said.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“How?! That monster’s likely able to keep outsiders out!” A third one asked.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We won’t stay here and do nothing. Besides, I also have a score to settle with that freak for brainwashing me and almost making me kill my beloved sister. I’ll show him that we Gerudo don’t need such a vile, despicable ruler that Ganondorf is!” Reimu said, moving to keep a close watch on the battle, waiting for her chance.[/font][/size][/font][/size]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]Getting up after the harsh landing on the outer ring, Link and the Seven Sages were all faced with the monstrosity known as Ganjora, whose menacingly looked down upon them like they were insignificant insects to it. Ganjora stared at them with those menacing, green-glowing, empty eyes, before heaving another howl which roared like thunder, causing Link and the Sages to cover their ears to prevent their ear-drums bursting from the deafening sound. This was done right before Ganjora thrusted its blades onto the ground again, sending the group flying into the air, before Ganjora smacked them all with the flat portion of the blade in its right hand. The force of the impact alone caused the group to be sent flying over the outer ring to the right, spreading them out a bit so it would take time for them to get together again. At this point, Link and Zelda both landed next to each other, skidding a bit over the outer ring at their landing point before laying still, enough for them to at least try to get up, but their injuries weren’t making this easy. Looking behind them, they saw that the other Sages had been spread behind them, but too far to properly catch up due to Ganjora preparing himself for another assault.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Darn it! Now he’s even more crazy than before!” Link said, observing it for a moment while wiping blood from his mouth.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Now what are we going to do?! There’s no way we can fight him alone like this…” Zelda said.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’re on our own at this for now, but I’m not going to stand here and let him kill us.” Link said, looking to his right, seeing that the area there was clear.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What are you planning?” Zelda asked, seeing as Link was attempting to move first to ensure he wasn’t hindered in his legs from injuries as well as watching at where Ganjora was currently looking at.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“If Ganjora has the appearance of a mutated Ganon, I’m inclined to think that the tail is his weak point and I’m gonna try to exploit it. You can come with me if you wish, but we need the others to keep him occupied or otherwise keep moving to avoid his attacks!” Link said, tossing his shield aside in order to maintain speed and not wanting the weight of his other equipment, save for the bow and arrows, become cumbersome to him during his movements.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right.” Zelda said, just as Link went on his way, Zelda following right away while telepathically contacting the remaining Sages, who understood it, although some of them were badly wounded.[/font][/size][/font][/size]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]It was as if in this moment, the respective Triforce Pieces that dwelled within both Link and Zelda began to glow on the back of their hands, which in turn empowered the two to run around the outer ring forward while hoping that the Six Sages could keep Ganjora occupied long enough for them to reach its tail, to which they believed to be its weak spot to be attacked. They just didn’t care about any gaps or obstacles; they just kept going as if adrenaline was empowering them to run as fast as their legs allowed them to, intent on finishing the fight once and for all. Interestingly, the Six Sages shared this mentality as they did their best to keep Ganjora occupied with the best of their abilities, however Ganjora already noticed something was off; why were only six of those pests attacking it, while he was clearly facing eight?! He then looked around where the other two were, before spotting movement from the left corner of his eyes. Turning into that direction, it saw Link and Zelda running towards its tail. Realizing what it was planning, Ganjora roared angrily and attempted to strike them down with one of its massive blades, only to be hit by a Silver Light Arrow courtesy of Saria. This made it howl in pain for a moment, enough time for the Sages to regroup.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“LOOK OUT! IT HAS SEEN YOU!” Nabooru shouted towards Link and Zelda, who were almost at the monstrosity’s tail.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]Hearing this, Link then grabbed Zelda’s hand while continuing onward, hoping the beast would stay stunned long enough to at least get one strike on the tail in. When the tail was in reach, both Link and Zelda drew their blades, ready to strike, but then Ganjora recovered and attempted to strike them down with its massive blades. As it thrusted the blade down however, Link jumped into the air, taking Zelda with him, causing the blade itself to miss them, but get lodged in the side of the outer ring, becoming stuck inside it. Seeing this, Link immediately seized the opportunity to run up Ganjora’s massive arm, holding his arms out to the side as if to maintain balance while running towards the tail, which was now curled upward against the far side of the arena, before smacking it with his Golden Master Sword. Hearing Ganjora’s howls of pain, Link continued his assault, soon joined by Zelda whom attacked the tail itself as well, while making sure she was out of the way of Link’s attacks. The fact that Link himself was left-handed when it came to wielding his Golden Master Sword was very helpful in this. Both managed to deliver several strikes to the beast’s tail, before the tendrils of Ganjora’s hair picked the both of them up and tossed them off of it, right into the other Sages, knocking Saria, Ruto, Impa and Nabooru over in the process, while Ganjora succeeded in freeing its blade from its position, now free to use it against the group once more.  [/font][/size][/font][/size]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link grunted in pain as his head collided with Saria’s during their involuntary toss off of Ganjora, while Saria tried to shake the stars out of her head to focus her powers in healing the worst injuries, while Impa held her stomach area after receiving Zelda’s feet against it during her landing. Getting up, Impa saw that Ganjora was preparing an electric current between the tips of its horns, as if it was preparing to electrocute the entire group.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“EVERYBODY RUN! IT’S GOING TO ATTACK!” She said, grabbing Zelda and Ruto along the way.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]Darunia helped Link, Saria and Zelda up while Rauru picked up Nabooru, the Gerudo leader rubbing over her jaw as if checking there weren’t any loose teeth from the impact of Zelda’s head against it, or otherwise the area swelling from the impact. With the group now on the run, the electric current missed them safely due to them constantly moving, but Ganjora wasn’t giving up so easily. It then used the tendrils on its hair to strike at the arena a few times, intending to either smack or trip the group while they were on the run, intending to reach the tail one way or the other. Thrusting its blades into the ground again, Ganjora launched the group straight into the air, before smacking them in the faces with the flat portion of its left blade. Although grunting in pain, this didn’t stop Link in the slightest as he got back on his feet and continued on his way, feeling the energy pulsing in his veins, letting him continue. The Sages on their turn shared this mentality and, despite their own injuries, also kept going as best as they could. It was then that Ganjora reared up and thrusted its chest forward, powering the eyes of Majora’s Mask and getting ready to prepare its fire beam from them. Seeing this, Link stopped for a moment and fired a Silver Light Arrow in an attempt to strike the behemoth in the chest to stun it, only for it to block the arrow using one of its humongous blades, before firing the fire laser directly at him. Link now ran for dear life as the fire laser followed his trail closely, almost touching him even, only for Zelda to fire a Silver Ice Arrow at one of the mask’s eyes, disabling it and weakening the laser, before Saria used a second Silver Ice Arrow to freeze its other eye. Ganjora howled at this as it hunched over in pain, standing still as it attempted to thaw its chest out. This gave the group some form of reprieve as they now ran on towards the tail. Just then, the ice on the chest shattered as Ganjora itself removed it with force, before turning to face the group once more, rage and hatred clearly visible in its eyes. With a menacing roar, it used one of it blades to sweep down over the arena, although the group clocked him and dove forward on the ground, keeping themselves flat as the blade passed over them, feeling a slight gust of wind blowing from behind due to the momentum of the blade’s movement, before getting back up and resuming their way towards their target, although Ganjora wasn’t making this easy at all.[/font][/size][/font][/size]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]After a couple of more of such swipes, alternated with some electric bolts trying to strike them, Ganjora thrusted its blades again into the floor of the arena, the force of the impact sending the group into the air, leaving them vulnerable to another swipe in the face using the flat edge of its blade. Getting back up again, the group resumed their run towards their target, although Ganjora kept turning in their direction, ready to unleash another attack against them, this time in the form of a barrage of electric spheres. While he was hit a few times by them himself, Link recovered and eventually proceeded to smack them back towards Ganjora with his sword and Mirror Shield, intercepting other blasts or otherwise striking Ganjora itself, hurting the beast as it grunted. While the Sages on their turn did receive hits from these blasts as well, they soon joined Link in the retaliation action, sending multiple blasts back at it, until it roared and apparently collapsed enough to lodge the blade into the inner side of the outer ring, allowing the group to run up the beast towards their target. While Link ran ahead with Zelda following close behind him, Saria and Ruto caught up with them, with Saria releasing vines to catch and constrict the tail, allowing the group to strike at the tail with vigor using sword strikes, arrows, punches, Sage abilities and even magic/energy blasts, anything the group could do to strike at their target. Ganjora howled in pain as the tail received hit after hit, whether it was with the Golden Master Sword, Silver Light Arrows, Fire Punches or with other conventional weapons or abilities, which went on for about a good half a minute before the behemoth snagged them all in its tendrils, separating the group for a brief moment, before the tendrils moved them in front of its face, letting the group hang face to face with its own, staring at them with its soul-piercing, green-glowing eyes.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You… ignorant buffoons,” Ganjora snarled, his voice being bestial in appearance, “don’t you realize you’re up against the mighty King of Darkness and Destruction?!”[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Ah… s… screw you!” Link snapped back, trying to wiggle himself free of its grasp.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You think you have had the upper hand on me, yet you don’t realize that all your efforts are in vain!” Ganjora roared as he then moved the tendrils which it held Link and Zelda captive with, before colliding them with each other, while at the same time letting Impa collide with Nabooru and let Saria and Ruto bash against each other in turn as well. Ruto howled in extreme pain, while Saria mustered her powers to use her vines as a wrench to free her arms, grabbing her bow to prepare a Nice Silver Light Arrow in frustration. Seeing this, Ganjora moved Link and Zelda right into the path of the arrows she fired, with one Silver Light Arrow striking both Link and Zelda in the back, causing the two children to scream in pain, but before Ganjora could laugh at their misfortune, the THIRD Silver Light Arrow of the cluster Saria fired struck it in its snout, causing Ganjora to howl in pain as well as the light of justice stunned it for a brief moment. This was all the time Darunia needed to free his own arms using his own brute strength and pull himself towards Ganjora on the tendril holding him captive and clobbered the beast straight in the left eye, causing it to howl even more as it reared back, using its hands to grip his eye, dropping its massive blades in the process. At the same time, Link pulled the arrow that had hit him out of his back, biting through the pain before pulling his own hands out, retrieving his bow and firing it as another Silver Light Arrow right into Ganjora’s other eye, causing it to howl again. However, this only succeeded in making Ganjora even more angry than it already was, first regaining or tightening the grip on the group, before using those tendrils to smash Link and the Sages on the floor of the arena itself.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You fools… this is your end!” Ganjora said, putting pressure on the tendrils in an attempt to break the ribcages of the group.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Not so fast, monster!” A female voice shouted, before several blasts were fired that struck and severed the tendrils, freeing Link and the Sages in the process.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]Ganjora shrieked in pain as it lost the tendrils used to keep the group captive, looking around for the offender, only for an airship passing by. It was Reimu, whom came to the group’s aid using one of the Gerudo Pirates to help her with the cannon, before Reimu moved at first away, before turning around to prepare for another assault. At first, Ganjora fired an electric blast which Reimu avoided, letting her comrade fire the cannon at it, nailing the beast in its face. Now pissed off, Ganjora roared and prepared a blast from its mouth, firing it at Reimu’s ship as it moved away.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“REIMU, LOOK OUT!” Nabooru shouted.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]Reimu saw the blast coming and tried to fly in a position to ensure the blast wouldn’t hit too many critical parts… only for another ship to fly up behind her to intercept the blast for her, only for that ship to be destroyed, causing its occupant to be launched from the debris with a scream.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“LEIA!!!” Reimu screamed as she saw the woman falling, trying to move after her to catch her, only for another Gerudo ship to arrive and catch her.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We got her. She’s unconscious, but alive!” its pilot said, making Reimu sigh of relief.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]Seeing this however made Ganjora go mad, unleashing another ear-piercing howl before thumping its massive fists on the ground, destabilizing the tower underneath it, while at the same time breaking the outer ring off of its position, making it float up as a portal opened up high in the sky, before Ganjora itself began to fly upwards, towards the portal.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“He’s trying to get away!” Impa exclaimed.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Not on my watch!” Link said, standing up despite being badly wounded and blood seeping from the wound on his back, using his Hookshot to reach one of the now-rising platforms, seeking out the nearest target to reach.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]He was soon joined by Zelda and Saria who, despite their own wounds, shared Link’s determination to finally defeat the evil monstrosity.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“How are we ever going to beat him?! He seems to be growing stronger every minute!” Zelda asked.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’ve managed to hurt him, but it didn’t accomplish much other than making him angry… looks like their union was pulled off far better than I expected.” Link said as he kept on making his way to the top, seeing the other Sages approaching as well.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“But there has to be SOMETHING we can do to defeat him, right?!” Saria asked.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You bet there is, but I just don’t know what. However I won’t rest until he has been defeated!” Link exclaimed, moving higher and higher as he went along on the broken, floating platforms.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]The Sages followed his every move, even though they could see that Ganjora was staring them down, floating in place as if watching them closely. It also seemed quite agitated at them due to seeing them still alive and able to fight. The group could hear it growl, before inhaling and unleashing a roar that had an effect of a vice shout on them, causing the group to cover their ears as they stood on the platforms. Recovering afterwards, Link resumed his way to the top, eventually reaching the highest platform, preparing a Nice Silver Light Arrow, just as some of the other Gerudo ships came to their aid and began pelting Ganjora with their own cannon blasts in their attempt to distract it. This worked as Ganjora was swatting at them now with both its massive hands and its tendrils, allowing Link to charge up his Nice Silver Light Arrow Shot, just as Zelda came next to him, also preparing her attack, soon to be joined by Saria and Ruto. Just as Ganjora turned to them, the four children fired their arrows, striking Ganjora in the face, with several of them striking it in the eyes! Ganjora let out a inhuman howl of agony as the Light of the Silver Light Arrows blasted through its body like a knife through butter, making it at first collapse down to the lower part of the arena, much to the delight of the entire group.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Direct hit!” Nabooru shouted.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Whew, hopefully that will be the end of it…” Zelda said, wiping the sweat of her forehead.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I hope so… we need to get our wounds patched…” Saria said.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link however remained on guard and carefully moved to the edge of the platform he was on to look down towards the arena… or what remained of it…[/font][/size][/font][/size]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]Suddenly, without warning, a bright light shot up from the arena, directly in the center of the platforms that were floating in the air. Immediately, Link jumped back in shock, blinking at the scene, while the Sages were startled and instantly went at Link’s side, only for a figure to suddenly float in front of them. This figure didn’t look like the monstrous beast form of Ganjora, but had a more Humanoid appearance. In fact, this figure looked like a tall, slightly beefed up version of Ganondorf, while having the green-glowing veins, spikes on the shoulder and the mask-turned chest armor from Majora. It was as if the spikes now became part of the shoulder armor that Ganondorf wore, while it retained those sickly green eyes. This was the Humanoid form of Ganjora, whose hair was now also flaming a bit upward and its teeth retained its carnivorous appearance with the sharp fangs in place of normal teeth. His skin was still a menacing dark color, although it was no longer blue like in its beast form. Tendrils had appeared on the hands, while a few minor ones were still at the hair. It looked quite pissed, while Link instinctively grabbed his sword and shield, the latter he had picked up along with the rest of his gear during the ascension of the platforms a few minutes ago.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You are far more resilient than I thought, but it takes more than that to defeat me. You may have slain the monster, but the beast still lives,” Ganjora said, “and as long as I have the Triforce of Power in my possession, I doubt you will ever be able to TRULY stop me!”[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Hey, I defeated both you and Majora once before, what makes you think I can’t do it again?!” Link snarled, getting in a defensive position.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“HAH! You were lucky that time,” Ganjora said in Ganondorf’s voice, “and for the record, you didn’t exactly kill me. Yes, you defeated me, but all you did was making me vulnerable enough for your friends to seal me away in the Sacred Realm. As I was drawn in, I swore to you that I would kill your descendants whenever I would break free from it, but it appears my good friend Majora made things easier for me.”[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]Ganjora then looked with an amused expression at seeing Zelda drawing her blade as well, also ready to fight, making it chuckle. This made Link and the Sages blink, wondering what the monstrosity was chuckling about.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“While I should be very pissed off at you for ruining my plans time and time again, coupled with my current powers being able to kill you easily as I did before, I find your defiance of what appears to be your fated doom amusing. That’s why I’m issuing a challenge to all of you.” Ganjora then said.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“A Challenge? What challenge?” Impa asked.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“A very simple one. No new temples, no new puzzles, no new enemies to fight. Just follow me through the portal so we have a more, shall we say, ‘comfortable’ place to fight in. So if you feel you can still defeat me, all you have to do is follow me through this portal. Your friends can come along too. I’ll be waiting for you on the other side.” Ganjora said, before it floated up, straight into the portal, laughing menacingly.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link and the Seven Sages watched it leave through the portal, dismayed at the sight of their nemesis still alive and well… and apparently stronger than it ever was before.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This is just great! NOW what do we do?!” Ruto asked.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I wish I knew… we could either stay here and let death come to us, or go in the portal and make our stand there. Either way, it seems Hyrule and Termina will be lost after all…” Impa said, sighing.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Not exactly…” Link said, whom was currently holding something in his hands.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Huh? What are you on about?” Zelda asked.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Remember that day where Majora transported us into the depths of Ikana Canyon and we encountered that Deku Scrub there on the second level of the Skulltula cavern?” Link then asked.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]Zelda blinked at this, getting pulled into a flashback…[/font][/size][/font][/size]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]The group swiftly takes out the Deku Babas, each gaining a Deku Stick in the process, while Link also sends the attack of the Deku Scrub back at him by using his Shield. Immediately the Scrub tries to escape after being hit, but Zelda confronts it.
“Please, miss! I'll never do it again! If I give you some advice, will you let me go?” The Deku Scrub pleaded.
“Alright, spill it.” Zelda said.
“I overheard this: While most enemies can be beaten easily in a group, some of the more tougher ones require more power and may need to be faced with a fighter of the same caliber. That's all I can tell you.” It said, before it left.[/font][/size][/font][/size]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I remember now, it said that some of the tougher enemies required an enemy of the same caliber… I still wonder what he meant by that…” Zelda said.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I believe now that he means that such an enemy has to be faced with someone of the same power, instead of fighting in numbers.” Link said, his expression as serious as it can be.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So, what do you propose then?” Saria asked, overhearing the conversation.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yeah, surely we can’t go all the way back to that lava outpost and ask assistance from the Ancient Fire Sage, right?” Impa asked.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We won’t have to. What I propose is that we as a group combine our powers into a single entity, using this.” Link said, before showing the Purified Fierce Deity Mask to the group.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Huh? You mean that we use some kind of fusion to even the odds?” Nabooru asked.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes.” Link said.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I can see why Link is proposing this,” Zelda said, “after all, I DID fuse with him momentarily when we fought against Majora alone in a stone cavern after breaking free from a petrification spell he inflicted on us to turn us into stone…”[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“And we did split back up once he had retreated…” Link said, to which Zelda nodded.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I see, so you believe that a fusion between the eight of us will give us the edge against our enemy now?” Darunia asked.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I do, but I’m willing to listen to any of your ideas if you have alternatives. Either way, we need to destroy the tools that powers those two or otherwise take it away from them.” Link said.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]The Sages nodded.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I support Link’s idea,” Saria then said, making the group turn to her, “if Ganondorf and Majora have combined their bodies and powers in their fashion to best us, what makes them believe we can’t do the same to counter it?”[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Saria has a point,” Link said, “after all, there should be always a counter for something…”[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]The other Sages went to think about it for a moment.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, what do we have to lose anyway?” Nabooru then asked, “I’ll join in.”[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Very well then. I believe we unanimously agree to Link’s proposal. Besides, if the fusion can be undone similar to Link and Zelda’s, it’s only a matter of just getting in, beat Ganjora and take its power tools before we can go back home.” Darunia said.[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right,” Rauru said, “let’s proceed then.”[/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][size=small][font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link nodded with a smile, while Zelda moved to instruct the others on what they have to do for this…

[/font][/size][/font][/size]

 

[Z-Fighter]

Spoiler

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Chapter 55: Clash of the Titans[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]On the highest platform of the ruined arena of the tower’s top floor, the Six Sages known as Saria, Ruto, Nabooru, Impa, Darunia and Rauru stood in a circle around Link and Zelda, preparing themselves of what could be a risky yet endearing move to finally put an end to the threat that Ganjora poses to the lands of Hyrule, Termina and beyond. Link held his Fierce Deity Mask close, sighing as he tried to stay calm despite the situation. Zelda put a hand on his shoulder.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Relax, Link. Once this is over and Ganjora’s defeated, we can hopefully move back to our normal lives…” She said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thank you, Zelda. I only hope we can eventually come out of this alive.” Link said, nodding as he was ready.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We all hope that, but we mustn’t let that hinder us during our fight, which I know will be very difficult.” Rauru said, nodding as he understood Link’s concern, as did the other Sages.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“May the Goddesses be with us.” Ruto said, holding her hands to her chest for a moment, before looking up to her left as she felt a hand on her left shoulder, only to see Impa smiling at her with a reassuring nod.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Alright, let’s do this. For Hyrule, Termina and the rest of the world.” Zelda said, to which the Sages nodded.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]When Link got in position, the Sages each prepared themselves in a similar fashion as they did before they opened the gate in the Sacred Realm to seal the defeated Ganondorf inside, turning themselves into wisps that remained in position for a moment, waiting for the Princess of Destiny to do her part. Seeing this, Zelda turned to Link, who smiled as he looked at her.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, I guess I’ll see you all later then.” Link said with a smile.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Zelda giggled, planting a soft kiss on Link’s forehead, causing the young hero to blush for a moment.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That you will. Just take comfort in the fact that we will be fighting together as one for real this time around.” She said, before nodding to him and turning herself into a similar wisp, waiting for Link to do his part.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, here goes nothing. I hope you’re prepared, Ganjora, since we’ll be coming for you!” Link said, after which he put the Purified Fierce Deity’s Mask on, which instantly clamped around his face, igniting the beginning of the transformation as he felt a rush flowing throughout his insides, bracing himself.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The instant Link hunched over as the transformation took place, all seven wisps then moved around a little before promptly entering Link’s body as he was staying like that by flying directly at him, touching him all at the same time, causing Link to grunt for a moment as the energy flowed into him, coupled with the ongoing transformation…[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Having regained herself after the shockwave of Ganjora’s new transformation sent her reeling over for a bit before frantically trying to re-stabilize her ship before she would fall off, Reimu first checked on her comrades to see if they were alright, in particularly her sister Leia, whom was still unconscious yet stable. They were still around, although Leia’s ship was destroyed due to Ganjora’s attack, but one of her comrades managed to intercept and catch Leia before she could fall to her doom from the tower.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Will she be alright?” Reimu asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Give or take a few minutes, she will be back on her feet before you know it.” The Gerudo Pirate said, nodding as her comrade was nursing Leia, having bandaged her wounds.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Before Reimu could reply, there was a white flash, followed by another explosion. This explosion shook the area, while a few platforms around the direct vicinity either partially or completely crumbled into pieces, the debris falling all the way down the tower, onto the ground or within the lava far below. For a split second, there appeared to be a distorted scream that came from the upper area, which was abruptly cut off by the explosion.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What was that?!” Reimu asked as she regained balance and brought her airship back under control.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“LOOK! UP THERE!” Another Gerudo shouted as she saw the source of the explosion by looking up.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]As Reimu and the rest of the Gerudo looked upward, they could see that a rainbow-colored shockwave ring exploded outward, vanishing after a few seconds, while a white aura was present on top of it. This aura was shrinking down slowly, but it was still big enough for the group to see, while the dark clouds directly above the source split open for a brief moment, showing a clear blue sky above before the clouds closed up again, although their color was at first a bit lighter, as if the shockwave from the explosion briefly dispelled the darkness that was in that area altogether.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh dear… what has happened?!” Another pirate asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s likely that our leader and her friends are planning something.” The first pirate said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Seeing this, Reimu sighed, making up her mind before turning to the Pirate tending to her sister, first gazing sadly down upon her unconscious form. Then, she looked at the pirate herself, determination within her eyes[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I want you to take good care of my sister. In my absence, she is in command of the fleet once she regains consciousness.” She said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What are you going to do?” The Pirate asked, confused and curious.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’m going to help our friends to reach their destination. You can stick around here if you like, but as far as I know, there’s nothing else for us to do here.” Reimu replied.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I understand.” The pirate said, nodding.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“One more thing: when she recovers, tell her… that I’m sorry.” Reimu said, before she flew off on her machine.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Sorry for what?! Reimu?!” The pirate asked, but Reimu didn’t respond as she was now beyond hearing range…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The Gerudo didn’t understand why Reimu was acting like this, but felt that she should heed to her orders.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]‘Ma’am, I hope you know what you’re doing…’[/font][font=Verdana, sans-serif] She thought to herself as she watched her leader approach the higher platforms…[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]As Reimu appeared at the top platform where she found the epicenter of the new explosion and light she saw, she gasped at what she saw. In the center of the platform, was a man, obviously in kneeled position, before getting up. What Reimu saw, was that the man had white hair, facial markings in the appearance of a V-shape mark on his forehead in a glowing blue, while red glowing stripes were present around his eyes and on his cheeks. He wore a light blue tunic underneath a metal cuirass, which bore a lunar crest and triangle on the breast plate while on the belly area was the crest of the Hyrulean Royal Family. On the areas between the lunar crest, triangle mark and the insigna of the Hyrule Royal Family were symbols that were only found on the Sages’ Medallions, representing Light, Forest, Fire, Water, Shadow and Spirit. On his hands were metallic gauntlets with gold plating on the top, his legs were covered by black leggings and his boots remained brown in color, although they were now reaching to just below the kneecap. His eyes were completely white, lacking the presence of irises and pupils which left only the sclera, but what bothered Reimu the most so far was his height, as if the man stood two heads taller than a normal adult Hylian. In his hand he held a large, double helix-edged sword, which was now pure gold in color instead of the turquoise and green, which by itself could inflict even more damage than the original by the mere size alone, coupled with the power that was flowing through it! The man relaxed, before spotting Reimu, remaining silent. Deciding not to press on it, Reimu sighed.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I want to help you to take you to the portal to the one you seek.” Reimu bluntly said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The man nodded, moving to her airship to get on board, making sure his massive sword didn’t damage the ship or Reimu herself for that matter.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So, how should I call you, sir?” She then asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Just call me… Fierce Deity.” He said in a gruff voice, obviously similar to Adult Link’s voice, but with a deeper, more firmer undertone to it, almost like it had a bit of Darunia’s voice mixed in it.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]It was also there that Reimu could notice the appearance of the Fierce Deity itself, looking quite buff while retaining a slim appearance as a whole, making him appear more agile and athletic as if the muscles have been fitted to match his length and size properly. Nodding, Reimu then powered her airship up, steering it towards the portal and flying towards it. The other Gerudo present watched them go, each of them praying in good fortune towards them…[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Entering the portal, both Reimu and the Fierce Deity looked around the area, blinking as they observed their surroundings. The air itself looked like it was an infinite stretch of blue sky with a sun shining in the air and clouds in the far distance around, making it almost reminiscent of the paradise-like appearance of the moon due to Majora’s magic or curse placed on it. But instead of a grass field around and a single large tree in the epicenter where the children wearing the masks of the slain bosses were playing around and the child wearing Majora’s Mask was sitting at the base of the tree, there was now plain, flat ground with what appeared to be water standing on sole-height, as if walking on top of an infinite mirror. Both the Fierce Deity and Reimu looked around, traveling along using Reimu’s vessel for quick transportation, but where the Fierce Deity looked focused and determined, Reimu was more apprehensive and nervous, something which the Fierce Deity himself could sense with the way she was looking around, as if she was expecting something to attack them while they were en route. Thankfully there were no such attacks in the first place, but Reimu remained alert, just in case. When the two saw a lone figure standing in the far distance, the Fierce Deity knew it was the one he was looking for.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Stop here.” The Fierce Deity said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Reimu did as she was told to and stopped the vessel, letting it lower enough for the Fierce Deity to disembark from it.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It is likely that Ganjora will use some kind of barrier that will prevent you from interfering. I suggest you stay here or otherwise back up a bit to get some proper distance in; this fight will get brutal.” The Fierce Deity said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I understand. Just be careful out there and good luck. You’re going to need it.” Reimu said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thank you.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll be waiting at some distance from here, close to our entry point. Just make sure you win.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I don’t plan on losing, Reimu, but thanks for your support.”  The Fierce Deity said, smiling at her despite his rather fearsome, intimidating appearance.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Anytime.” Reimu said with a nod, smiling at the Fierce Deity, before retreating with her vessel to where she said she would be waiting.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The Fierce Deity watched her leave, before turning again to the lone being in the distance ahead. Taking a look at his right hand, he saw that both the Triforce of Courage and the Triforce of Wisdom were glowing strongly, this confirmed to him that the battle was drawing near, coupled with the presence of the third piece, the Triforce of Power. With his Golden Double Helix Sword lifted over his left shoulder, the Fierce Deity marched onward, towards his target.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]After a few minutes of walking in a straight line forward, the Fierce Deity was finally addressed.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You have exceeded my expectations…” Ganjora’s voice said, as the being suddenly appeared at a closer distance in front of the Fierce Deity.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“… You took up my challenge after all, but I didn’t expect you to appear in your stronger form.” Ganjora said, before his eye fell on the Medallion insignias and the crest of Hyrule’s Royal Family, surprising him.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The Fierce Deity’s expression remained serious, his sword still laid on the shoulder.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, this is… an unexpected change. Combining the powers in a new effort to defeat me? You are most certainly creative, I’ll give you that much.” Ganjora said, blinking.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You did the same before, albeit in a different way. I just took the liberty of evening the odds.” The Fierce Deity said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You got me there, cretin. At least one thing you’ve bested me in already.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“But now that I’m here, let’s cut the talk and let’s settle this.” The Fierce Deity said, drawing his massive blade.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Very well then, let’s see how well you’ll hold up now.” Ganjora said, preparing its invisible barrier around the two, before drawing his own weapon.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]For a moment, both the Fierce Deity and Ganjora stared each other down, before charging at each other, their blades clashing against each other as they tried to best each other in this battle. While Ganjora had the advantage of a smaller sword that enabled him to move more rapidly, the Fierce Deity’s blade was stronger and was capable of inflicting far more damage, even shooting out Sword Beams whenever he wanted to. For about several minutes, the two were trading blows with their swords, most of the time blocking or parrying each other’s strikes, but also managing to get a few stabs and cuts here and there in, with the Fierce Deity sneaking in several Back Slashes, Jump Strikes and the Great Spin, the latter of which now was a circle of pure golden energy. Ganjora on the other hand preferred the use of his own rapid strikes, coupled with dashes to charge in at the Fierce Deity, whom did his best to block or parry the incoming strikes despite him having no shield for proper defense, although he was hit on a few occasions or otherwise avoided it altogether. The Fierce Deity managed to get several strikes in the sides as well, proving that Ganjora wasn’t as invincible as it thought that it was. This all began to power the Fierce Deity’s vigor to beat Ganjora into submission and finally bring peace and prosperity back to Hyrule and Termina and beyond. Things were made even more painful for Ganjora when the Fierce Deity managed to strike those points where Ganondorf himself had those scars, even though his fusion with Majora pretty much covered those wounds/scars with new flesh as if to camouflage it. Still, both Ganjora and the Fierce Deity fought like never before, intending to finish the other off right there, but so far the battle was a stalemate, with neither side gaining an actual advantage so far…[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]After a while, Ganjora was frustrated enough to bring out a second blade, dashing towards the Fierce Deity and performed a cross-slash on his chest area, making the Fierce Deity grunt. In response, the Fierce Deity let his own blade shimmer with sparks, indicating he was charging magic power into his sword, getting ready to retaliate as he fired one Sword Beam, which Ganjora easily avoided, only to be struck by a second one which blasted him a few meters away, the golden light zapping him all over and around as if he was hit by a Light Arrow directly. This stunned Ganjora enough for the Fierce Deity to dash in himself and delivering a vicious strike across the chest, leaving a cut straight through the left ‘eye’ of Majora’s Mask on Ganjora’s chest, causing Ganjora to grunt in visible pain, before the latter recovered and used one of its tendrils to smack the Fierce Deity across the face, before moving in to strike him in the side with his swords. The Fierce Deity recovered on his turn after the first strike and blocked the second strike, before moving in to deal a powerful upwards kick to Ganjora’s chin, followed by a spin kick and a sword slice across the abdomen, causing Ganjora to drop his swords. This in turn surprised Ganjora, not expecting the Fierce Deity to throw in a bit of the Zora fighting style in the current battle, before seeing the Fierce Deity approaching with his sword poised to deal damage. Ganjora decided to play the Fierce Deity’s game and promptly unleashed another Fire Beam from its torso, which the Fierce Deity avoided by hopping or rolling to the side whenever it followed his direction, while still coming closer to his nemesis. Before the Fierce Deity could strike him, Ganjora leapt above him, before delivering a powerful strike to the ground; akin to the one Ganondorf used in the Future That Almost Was to make it harder for Link to cross the gap from the corner of the room to the center area where Ganondorf attacked him from. This punch created a shockwave that caused the Fierce Deity to stumble forward to the ground, before he rolled to the side to avoid another punch that could have damaged his back. Getting back on his feet, the Fierce Deity had little time to react before he was grabbed by one of Ganjora’s tendrils and tossed to the far side of the barrier encompassed area, after which Ganjora pelted the warrior with numerous electric sphere-like attacks; akin to Majora’s Incarnation’s primary attack. Even though some of them hit their mark, the blasts were either blocked or avoided by the Fierce Deity, whom let his sword shimmer again, retaliating with several powerful Sword Beams that flew directly at Ganjora, striking it multiple times which made Ganjora howl in agony as it was stunned. This allowed the Fierce Deity to charge directly at Ganjora, performing a powerful Jump Strike against the enemy that made it howl in pain, indicating it had received quite the damage. In return, Ganjora retaliated by delivering a powerful kick of his own to the Fierce Deity to knock him away for a bit, after which it began to charge up a powerful magic sphere cluster, firing it at the Fierce Deity. Clocking the blasts, the Fierce Deity readied his sword and used the Great Spin to send the spheres back at Ganjora, which hit him and stunned him again, long enough for the Fierce Deity to come back in close combat and deal another vicious strike across Ganjora’s chest. Grunting, Ganjora used its tendrils to grab and toss the Fierce Deity away again, allowing Ganjora to pick up his swords and charge at his opponent with his swords crossed, intending to use a scissor-like double-slash to cut the Fierce Deity’s head off, showing that Ganjora was getting angry. The Fierce Deity however saw him coming and prepared another Sword Beam, firing it at the charging menace to zap it with its energy and stop its advance with success, before charging at it himself and pounded against Ganjora’s abdomen with the hilt of his sword, sending Ganjora flying. Now getting really pissed, Ganjora promptly tossed his swords away, one to each side, before charging at the Fierce Deity with its fists and tendrils ready, intending to beat the living daylights out of him, first striking him full in the face which in turn caused him to drop his Golden Double Helix Sword in turn, although regaining his balance, before summoning vines of his own to smack Ganjora across the face much like how Ganjora used its tendrils to strike the Fierce Deity with. The Fierce Deity then extended his own shadow to catch Ganjora, teleport himself to closer range and dealing a swift combo of Zora Kicks and Goron Punches to send Ganjora flying, with the last punch being used to extract a bit of Ganjora’s life force and power in the process. The Fierce Deity then focused his power to launch a beam of magical energy to zap Ganjora with, its execution being similar to how Zelda used her powers to keep Ganon at bay so Link could deal the death blow back in That Future, before summoning a Light Sphere to strike the nemesis right in the chest, knocking it to the ground. Using that bit of reprieve, the Fierce Deity then summoned a few vines to quickly boost up the healing of his own injuries, smaller wounds vanishing rapidly while the more serious cuts either slowed down or stopped bleeding altogether, regaining  some of his own stamina back in the process.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Dispelling the vines after seeing Ganjora rise again, the Fierce Deity decided to take matters in his own hands by charging directly at his opponent, delivering an onslaught of punches and kicks that seemed like a flawless combination of the Goron and Zora fighting styles altogether, battering Ganjora around for a moment. He didn’t give Ganjora a chance to fight back properly as he rolled around it when it tried to strike back, occasionally using a Shadow Trap to aid him in scoring a few more hits in ways that would make a Gerudo proud to achieve. Coupled with using a double-axe handle punch in the style of a Jump Attack or Jump Strike, a Spinning kick as his Spin Attack and even a double heel kick as a second jump attack made the Fierce Deity quite versatile, although Ganjora eventually managed to strike the Fierce Deity several times in the back, chest, belly and the face whenever he missed a few specific moves or got caught in the momentum of other moves that left him open to counter attacks. But whenever Ganjora was kicked away at a distance, the Fierce Deity rapidly summoned a few vines to give him a bit of their life force to heal him to a degree in order to keep fighting and deter where this new Ganjora had its primary weaknesses to exploit, for what the Fierce Deity himself believed was that if Ganjora would remain unchecked or even come out victorious, the powers he would take from him would make Ganjora strong and perhaps even confident enough to challenge the three Goddesses themselves, perhaps bringing about the apocalypse to Hyrule which had once been prevented in Termina. The very idea of Hyrule, Termina, the rest of the world and its entire population suffering under rule of eternal darkness or otherwise be destroyed using an apocalyptic event by Ganjora’s hands, while the Hero of Time and the Seven Sages’ corpses would be withering away in an endless void between dimensions, never to be seen ever again was enough to strengthen the Fierce Deity vigor to let that not come to pass, whatever the cost may be. As such, his own fighting style was starting to become more aggressive in nature, despite his attempts to remain focused and be on the watch for potential counters or intercepting attacks. The Fierce Deity did have one advantage, which was that Ganjora was ironically enough mimicking this aggressive behavior of offense, mostly due to it wanting the exact things to happen which the Fierce Deity wanted to prevent. If this form of stalemate would remain as it is, the two would likely be fighting here for a long time, perhaps the combat outliving Reimu who was still waiting for the outcome of the fight in anticipation and also in nervosity, hoping that the Fierce Deity would be able to land the death blow, otherwise she’d be joining him in the void as their eternal grave. Coupled with what has been done to Reimu would make the revenge all too sweeter whenever Ganjora would be finally beaten into submission. She didn’t understand fully how it could have come to this. Had she become too careless when defending her home and her sister which eventually led to her capture due to being caught by surprise? It would seem logical due to the complex nature of the Fortress, but she didn’t understand why the Gerudo did fall into a civil war. Her mind went blank as soon as the brain-washing spell was activated on her after she was captured and after her subsequent liberation courtesy of her sister Leia, she sought out a path of redemption for the pain she had caused. She hoped that she was still able to contribute in some way, even though this wasn’t her fight. A tear slipped past her eye as she watched the two beings duke it out in the far distance.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]It was clear that, even without his powerful sword, the Fierce Deity was more than a formidable opponent for Ganjora to beat, since he was not only making use of just his fists and feet to fight with, he also employed the very magical abilities that the Sages, even combining some of them with each other for extra power or speed, depending on how he was using the abilities. However, Ganjora was able to put on the pressure on the Fierce Deity as well, pummeling him with several fierce crosses and jabs, before elbowing him in the stomach, kneeing him in the face, followed by another fierce punch in the stomach, which was a particular painful one since the punch was similar to the one Ganondorf used to torture Link and Zelda both with. Despite this, the Fierce Deity recovered and clocked Ganjora in the face, followed by a spin-kick in the stomach and a fierce cross in the face, right before punching Ganjora between the eyes. In retaliation Ganjora used its tendrils to grab the Fierce Deity and toss him around, smashing him on the ground a few times before tossing him in the air and blasting him with a powerful magic sphere, sending him down to the ground, although the Fierce Deity recovered during his fall and landed on his feet, before charging at Ganjora once more, striking him head-on in the face with a fierce right hook, followed by a vertical spin kick which planted his feet in its face heels-first, which was used as a momentum to jump more forward to he landed behind Ganjora, before spinning around and kicking the fiend into its back, sending it flying forward and skidding over the ground, but Ganjora rapidly got back up, using the momentum to launch himself back at the Fierce Deity with a ferocious headbutt. The Fierce Deity grunted visibly at this, but recovered and retaliated with an elbow strike and another spin kick, followed by a vicious Goron Fire Punch Combo, with the last punch striking Ganjora hard in the stomach to send him flying backwards for several meters.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Ganjora got back up, now being pissed enough to charge directly at the Fierce Deity, its arms and tendrils raised to again attempt to beat him to death. The Fierce Deity was ready however and manipulated his own shadow to even the odds, moving to retaliate against Ganjora as they engaged in an onslaught of rapid-fire fisticuffs, with neither side gaining the upper hand for a few seconds as their own attacks were continuously blocked or parried by the other, although Ganjora eventually got the upperhand by dispelling the Shadow Manipulation that the Fierce Deity was pulling, unaware that the Fierce Deity was within reach of his Golden Double Helix Sword. The Fierce Deity didn’t let himself be beaten any time soon and, mustering all of his strength, he dashed forward, delivering a rather vicious uppercut to Ganjora’s chin, sending him flying for a moment. In this momentum, the Fierce Deity grabbed his Golden Double Helix Sword and charged at Ganjora with unseen vigor, the Triforce on his hand glowing brightly, stunning Ganjora in the process. This was more than enough for the Fierce Deity to act as he then proceeded to repeatedly strike the menace several times in rapid succession, delivering serious injuries to it, before using a final Sword Beam in the stomach to blast Ganjora away.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“A being that seeks pleasure in harming the innocent and those who seek to protect the lands deserves to meet its end!” The Fierce Deity proclaimed before launching the beam to send Ganjora flying, sending him tumbling backwards and skidding over the ground, the ironic echo being as it was similar to how Link skidded over the ground after being launched from the Ruined Hyrule Castle, but now there were no cliffs or the like to halt its skidding, only gradually slowing down.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Grunting, Ganjora moved in a sitting position, visibly weakened, but not entirely finished yet. Looking ahead, it saw the Fierce Deity, his sword ready to deal the death blow, but being wary as he watched it getting up, not taking any risks for potential sneak attacks which it could pull. Overlooking its own body, Ganjora saw the damage done to it, with numerous slashes spread across the chest, belly, arms, legs and face, before forming its hands into fists, now being royally pissed at feeling it was being denied its wish of conquering the world... He then looked at the Fierce Deity, who was still poised to strike at him.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You…” Ganjora growled, which immediately caught the Fierce Deity’s attention, the latter going immediately in a defensive stance as Ganjora first bent down, obviously in pain as it tried to get itself together…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]It was then that Ganjora howled in the air in rage as it began to float up, gusts of wind emanating from it as he apparently was preparing something, right as an aura appeared around Ganjora, pulling itself towards it as it floated higher and higher in the air, now outraged at the Fierce Deity…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Arrogant deity! I shall erase your very existence and of those who created you! HYRULE AND TERMINA ARE MINE TO CONTROL!” Ganjora roared as a hideous sphere of dark magic enveloped it, consisting of a very volatile dark purple to black color combination, all the while the Fierce Deity had to shift his stance in order to maintain balance, just as the purple and black sphere dissipated into nothingness, leaving the area silent for only a few seconds…[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]A few seconds later, the Fierce Deity blinked as the sphere now returned, being a pure crimson red with white and black shining from it, after which a being appeared from it. This being appeared at first to be Ganjora, but was now wearing robes and a hood over its main body and arms, coupled with a mask over its face. From the eye-holes in the mask were eyes that were glowing a hideous crimson to blood-red, while the mask itself had an uncharacteristic mouth-piece that was enough for one to breathe through safely. This all to the shock of the Fierce Deity himself.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I am Garo Ganjora, the one who will end your miserable life!” The being proclaimed as it armed itself with two blades, which also looked different; instead of red flames, both were flaming an eerie dark purple, similar to the torch that Meg, one of the Poe Sisters was holding when Link confronted her.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The Fierce Deity also spotted a vicious battle-axe on Garo Ganjora’s back, which indicated it was from an Iron Knuckle, but this one had an eerie green flame around it, as if it was also empowered similar to Garo Ganjora’s blades. One thing was for certain, this was the beginning of the end, but for who? That was the question that went through the Fierce Deity’s mind right now…

[/font]

 

[Z-Fighter]

Spoiler

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Chapter 56: At Hell’s End[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Once Garo Ganjora had landed and showed off its purple flaming swords, the Fierce Deity knew that this was going to be it. Without hesitation, the Fierce Deity attacked, intending to eliminate the threat once and for all before it would become too strong to defeat, raising his Golden Double Helix Sword, intending to cut its head off. However, Garo Ganjora simply raised his purple flaming blades and blocked the incoming strike with ease, much to the Fierce Deity’s shock and horror.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Weak… very weak… DIE!” Garo Ganjora said, before launching a powerful dark magic attack that enveloped the Fierce Deity, causing him to scream as apparently the sphere that appeared was doing a different kind of damage to him, before it exploded, sending him flying… right before his body began to glow… and promptly exploded, after which Link and all of the Seven Sages fell out of the explosion… as if the attack had dispelled the fusion of the group in a single strike… and from the looks of it, the attack also destroyed the Fierce Deity’s Mask, since it did not fall out of the explosion, except for some rapidly disintegrating debris.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]While this pleased Garo Ganjora, it puzzled him as to why the Golden Double Helix Sword was still present and completely intact, even as he watched the group tumble backwards, each of them with their faces down, although Link regained balance and got back to his feet as he landed, forcing him to stop his skidding, taking a moment to catch his breath, growling. Seeing as the Golden Double Helix Sword was within his reach, Link grabbed it and picked it up, similar to how he wielded the large Great Fairy’s Sword he once received from the Great Fairy of Kindness in Ikana Canyon, before straightening his stance to properly face Garo Ganjora and look him straight in the eye. It was this that made Garo Ganjora blink… as Link’s face at first appeared normal, were it not for the facial markings that were normally present on the Fierce Deity’s Mask! It was as if he somehow retained those markings, but whether this was for decoration or something else was that Garo Ganjora didn’t know. But the biggest shocker came for Garo Ganjora when Zelda got up to face him, as he spotted that the princess had the SAME facial markings that Link had… and from the looks of it as each of the Sages got up, each of the Sages also had those markings. But this was something that Garo Ganjora quickly put to the side as he saw that each of them was ready to attack, ready to fight until they couldn’t fight anymore. This angered Garo Ganjora to no end, now moving to action.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You shall not stop me, whatever it takes!” It said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’ll see about that!” Link said, his sword ready as it shimmered at his command, just as Zelda came to his side.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]With this, the battle proceeded once more, this time in a 8 vs. 1 fashion once more as Link and the Sages engaged Garo Ganjora together, whose eyes were glowing menacingly as it charged at them in kind. Holding his blades in a scissors-like motion to cut through anything in its path, Garo Ganjora rushed at the group, only for the Sages to avoid him, while Link raised his shield to block the strike. However, Garo Ganjora teleported up in the sky and attempted to land on top of Link, which didn’t succeed as Link rolled out of the way, recollecting himself before delivering the first strike against the menace, who promptly responded by smacking Link to the side before belching out a stream of blue fire at him. Zelda pulled him out of harm’s way, before firing a Silver Light Arrow at Garo Ganjora, striking him in the side. While Link got back to his feet, Saria and Ruto both engaged the enemy, with Ruto firing her Nice Boomerang to stun him so Saria could strike him with a Silver Bomb Arrow, which hit its mark. Angered, Garo Ganjora powered a magic  blast and fired it towards Saria, only for Saria to knock it back, this time engaging in the Dead Man’s Volley herself for a brief moment, before she smacked the blast hard enough for it to hit Garo Ganjora, causing him to howl in pain as he was zapped by his own attack. This moment allowed the group to attack him fiercely, using Silver Light Arrows, before coming up close and dealing some heavy damage in melee attacks, with Link being at the front wielding his massive blade, ducking at the right time as Darunia came in with a Fierce Goron Fire Punch, before Ruto hopped over the Goron Leader and planted her feet in Garo Ganjora’s face, leaping off of him so Saria, Zelda, Impa and Nabooru came in with several sword strikes, after which Rauru finalized the attack with several powerful punches reinforced by the evil smiting Light power, before Garo Ganjora threw everyone off, summoning tendrils to even the odds in his favor, smacking the group around or grabbing them and tossing them around wherever it was needed. In retaliation, Saria summoned vines of her own to keep the tendrils at bay for as long as possible, before she focused her powers to create a set of powerful, stiff leaves which she used to toss at Garo Ganjora, being akin to throwing knives. Garo Ganjora on his turn was teleporting around like the Garo Master, intending to surprise the group wherever it was convenient for him. But Link knew the tactics of the Garo Master and knew to anticipate, remaining on the move so Garo Ganjora couldn’t land on him and potentially crush him underneath his feet in the process. Ruto summoned water spouts from below in her attempts to extinguish the flames that were surrounding the axe and the blades to no avail, as Garo Ganjora defended himself against them, although this did leave him open for Nabooru to perform a spinning Jump Attack with her arms outstretched to let her Blades cut into her target as she spun mid-flight, almost like a sawblade. In response, Garo Ganjora elbowed the Gerudo leader in the back, sending her flying against Impa, knocking the two women over in the process.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Darunia came in with a Spiked Goron Roll, having moved to a distance to power it up properly, running over Garo Ganjora successfully, causing the menace to shriek in pain as it was hit by the spikes multiple times before Darunia broke off his assault and delivered a Goron Pound to send Ganjora flying forward. This in turn gave Rauru the chance to pelt him with powerful Light Spheres, but while Ganjora was hit by several of them, he fired a blast of his own that knocked Rauru backwards, causing the elder Light Sage to grunt as he landed. Continuing his assault, Garo Ganjora unleashed his Blue Fire Breath for a second time, which Saria narrowly avoided by using a wall of vines as a shield, which was promptly burnt to cinders as Saria used a backflip to get out of the firing range. Nabooru then charged ahead at him, her swords ready. Garo Ganjora saw her and moved to intercept, only for Nabooru to jump upward, revealing Link and Zelda whom managed to strike the stunned Garo Ganjora in the sides simultaneously, before kicking him in his rear to send him flying forward, right on time to let his chin meet Darunia’s fist as the latter performed a vicious uppercut to send the menace up in the air, where Nabooru intercepted him with several slashes in the back, before Impa joined the assault on the front. Shortly after that though, Garo Ganjora caught both women in his tendrils and smashed them down to the ground, before powering a large sphere of purple fire which he tossed at the group. Link was having none of that and charged directly at the sphere, hacking ferociously at it with his might blade with the aid of Ruto as she fired a Water Beam which eventually dispelled the sphere, allowing Link to charge ahead. Garo Ganjora had his blades ready to intercept him, but Link was faster and dealt a vicious strike against Garo Ganjora’s Mask, leaving a cut in it and sending Garo Ganjora flying again, although he teleported before he could gain momentum from it, landing at a close distance of Link and Zelda both, before using his Blue Fire Breath to set them ablaze. Both Link and Zelda screamed as they were burned by the attack, but they extinguished the fire rapidly by rolling over the wet, mirrored floor just as Ruto aided them by dousing them gently in water to prevent them from gaining serious burning wounds, leaving only parts of their skin, but primarily the clothes, cinched or burnt because of it. In retaliation, Saria ensnared Garo Ganjora’s arms in her vines in an attempt to sap him of his strength, but Garo Ganjora’s blades easily cut through the vines like a knife through butter, before smacking the Forest Sage aside as if she was a mere nuisance. This didn’t sit well with Link as he took out a Silver Ice Arrow and shot it at Garo Ganjora, freezing him for a second or so before the ice broke around him. Garo Ganjora shot a tendril at Link to catch him, only for him to block it with his Sword, the movement of it beginning to cut into the tendril itself as it tried to get around it to still reach the young hero, only for Darunia to grab it and yanked on it, pulling Garo Ganjora towards him and clocked him in the face with a Fierce Goron Punch, sending him careening backwards for a bit, only for Darunia to run up to him and used a Shoulder Ram to make him fall backwards on the ground. Getting up, the enraged Garo Ganjora then proceeded to use his tendrils to grab the group each and proceeded to zap them with an electric surge, but Ruto countered it after a few seconds by using a flow of water to ignite a feedback that zapped Garo Ganjora in turn, making him drop the group as a whole. Gathering themselves back together, Link and the Sages prepared for another assault, watching as Garo Ganjora put his purple flaming swords away for the moment, now retrieving his green-flaming battle axe, holding it in a style akin to the Iron Knuckles.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Being alert, Link and the Sages did their best to stay clear of the axe while at the same time wanting to end this once and for all. As Garo Ganjora approached, Link began to study his movements, as if he was remembering the patterns of the Iron Knuckles in the first place, narrowing his eyes.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Keep your distance and pelt him with explosives wherever you can,” Link said softly to where only the Sages could hear him while letting his own sword shimmer, “if we can get rid of his weapons, perhaps it will give us the opportunity we need to end it.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right, this has gone for long enough.” Zelda said with a nod, observing the numerous wounds she, Link and the Sages had, although Saria did her best to cast a healing spell in conjunction with Rauru and Nabooru in times she had a reprieve from the continuous attacks.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Garo Ganjora chuckled at this.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What are you muttering about? Chanting a little prayer before your death?!” He cackled as he approached them.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You wish.” Link said, getting up, not caring that the ground around them as well as his clothes were practically soiled with blood, while his clothes, as well as those of the Sages, were tattered and torn all over.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Garo Ganjora scowled.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You know, if you would have just let me take your powers and just put you out of your misery, you wouldn’t be dealing with this pain.” He said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s not over yet, Ganjora, we’re not finished yet!” Zelda growled.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Then let me finish it for you! I’ll make it quick and painless, considering what you had to endure.” Garo Ganjora retorted.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Over our dead bodies!” Darunia said, pumping up his fists as he was ready to join in the assault.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We will see.” Garo Ganjora said, swinging his battle axe to create a wave of green fire that spread towards the group.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The group grunted as the flames hit them, but thanks to Ruto having doused the group with water beforehand and Darunia’s own rock-hard body while shielding the Zora Princess, none of the group was set on fire this time around. Link retaliated on his own terms by unleashing several Sword Beams that struck Garo Ganjora, zapping him all over as he howled in pain, stunning him long enough for Zelda and Saria to strike at him using Silver Light Arrows. This in turn allowed Darunia to get in close with a vicious Fire Punch combo, while Saria summoned vines to keep the tendrils at bay for as long as possible, while Nabooru gave her some relief by cutting the most vicious ones off, putting them out of commission. Garo Ganjora then smacked Nabooru and Saria down with one of the remaining tendrils, before shoving Ruto to the side, punching Darunia with them and smacking Rauru and Impa backwards, leaving only Link and Zelda as the two charged at him. Garo Ganjora then teleported upward like the Garo Master, but Link anticipated it and, taking Zelda with him, rolled to the side to avoid the landing spot of Garo Ganjora, before slashing at the monster’s legs, causing it to shriek in pain, before turning around, attempting to immolate the two once more using its Blue Fire Breath. This time the attempt failed again, partially due to the two children moving out of the way as well as their soaked outfits delivering a slight bit of fire-proof protection to a degree as the flames didn’t get stuck on them, instead being rather extinguished quickly. In frustration, Garo Ganjora swung his axe again, nearly decapitating Link and Zelda both in a single strike, but because the two ducked under the swing in time, they were spared, although their respective hats were caught by the axe and were taken off instead while also being cut in two. Not letting it get to them, both Link and Zelda managed to get in close and struck Garo Ganjora in the abdomen several times, before the menace grabbed them using its tendrils and smashed the two together, before pulling them close, wrapping them up in a single tendril, bringing them close to his face, growling menacingly through his mask, putting extra pressure on them as he pressed them together, as if wanting to squash them. However, Impa reacted and in a swift motion she severed the tendril that held the two children captive, only for the part that remained attached to Garo Ganjora to smack her and the children both to the side, before teleporting away, intending to crush them, only to be intercepted by Darunia using his rock-hard back as a shield, which in turn knocked Garo Ganjora backwards, giving Nabooru the opportunity to slash at the monster while he recovered, narrowly avoiding being cut across the belly by his axe in the process. The momentum of the swing however left Garo Ganjora open for a counterattack which Rauru seized to blast him with a powerful Light Sphere, stunning him long enough for Ruto and Saria to recover on their turn, with Ruto blasting Garo Ganjora with a water geyser from below, before Saria once more utilized her Stabbing Leaves technique, tossing razor-sharp leaves like throwing knives at Garo Ganjora to cut him everywhere she could, managing to sever two more tendrils before Ganjora teleported away, this time behind the Forest Sage. However Darunia clocked him and punched him before he could harm Saria, while Link and Zelda joined in with a Double Jump Attack.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Zelda did note that Link seemingly had no difficulties in wielding the oversized Golden Double Helix Sword by himself, she mused that all the travels made a positive influence on his strength. That and the use of the Goron Bracelet helped a lot with the situation at hand, as well as Link’s earlier experience with using the Great Fairy’s Sword he obtained in Ikana. Link still did have the sword, but he didn’t use it that much in favor of his Gilded Sword and his shield, which in turn granted Link a greater defense capability in order to block incoming strikes, something that was impossible with wielding two-handed swords after all. While Saria did use her own Sword and Shield where necessary, she also utilized the aid of the Forest Spirits in combat due to her being the Forest Sage. This in turn allowed her to summon the vines and leaves whenever she pleased, as well as using their powers to heal her friends and other comrades she had around. This in turn made Saria almost become the embodiment of life, as she now deployed multiple vines to help her closest friends recover more rapidly than Ganjora  did, although Ganjora did his best to sever the vines on occasion to disrupt the healing, despite the remaining Sages doing their very best to keep him occupied. Still, this didn’t leave Saria out of the fight, showing that she is quite formidable by herself. While Darunia was without a doubt the toughest of the group, Saria was far more agile and capable of landing in sneak attacks due to her small size, just like Ruto, Link and Zelda. Nabooru and Impa on their turn also showed a nice display of their agility, making them also quite a tough target for Ganjora to hit, although he did score in several blows against them nonetheless.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Persistent little pests!” Garo Ganjora snarled at the group, “I should have killed the last three of you as well or banished you all to the gap between dimensions! You do not belong in my Kingdom!”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What Kingdom?” Nabooru snapped back, slashing at his legs, “You’re the king of NOTHING!”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]In response, Ganjora grabbed her by using one of his tendrils.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I am the destined ruler of our world and don’t you forget it!” He growled at her, before tossing her into Rauru, who grunted as the both of them were sent backwards by a meter or so. This only earned Garo Ganjora another fist in the face courtesy of Darunia.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You’re the destined ruler of NOTHING, fool!” The Goron leader said, punching the menace right under his chin, comically flattening his jaws for a split second before Garo Ganjora was sent flying for a bit, before recovering and blasting Darunia with a magic sphere attack.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Although Darunia was blasted away, Impa took his place right away, using a shadow clone to batter him around, slicing at him vigorously before the menace destroyed the shadow clone and knocked Impa against Darunia, injuring her in the process. Link and Saria then both attacked simultaneously while Zelda and Ruto approached from the other side, but before they could strike, Garo Ganjora’s tendrils grabbed them and smashed them against each other, nearly cracking Link and Saria’s skulls in the process, forcing Saria to once again let vines appear to heal those injuries as quickly as possible. Zelda and Ruto got better off due to Ruto using a water sphere to cushion the impact, but it didn’t leave them unscathed either as both had a serious headache due to the impact. Regardless, Zelda retaliated with firing a Silver Fire Arrow, setting Garo Ganjora ablaze for the time being, although he rapidly extinguished the flames, only to see a raging Darunia come at him before he could move to hit Zelda, opting to strike her with a tendril instead before Darunia reached him.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Darunia clobbered Garo Ganjora several times across the face, followed by a Light Sphere by Rauru and several sword sparks courtesy of Nabooru, before the enemy teleported away to the far back, charging up another powerful magic sphere which was intended to finish the fight.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Now, feel the TRUE taste of Hell!” Garo Ganjora roared, preparing to throw it to the group in a last ditch attempt to finally kill them.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]However, Link and Zelda both clocked it, noting its instability and reacted accordingly..[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You first, Ganjora!” Both the hero and the princess shouted, firing their Silver Light Arrows, striking their mark, causing Ganjora to howl in pain as this happened, causing him to lose control of his attack which fell down on top of him, causing it to explode.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]While Ganjora survived the explosion, he did lose his grip on his swords and his battle-axe, which were torn off from him due to the detonation of the magic sphere attack. It was at this moment that Link saw his chance and, with a burst of energy that made his facial markings glow for a split second, he promptly charged straight at the menace, running at high speed while having the sword tightly in his hands, the sword itself beginning to shimmer as gold sparks were flying from it. Once he was at full speed, Link then leapt towards Garo Ganjora, who was stunned at seeing him coming, before he swung his oversized sword at the monster, catching him in the side, right where the scar was, with Garo Ganjora grunting a little as the sword met his flesh.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Despite the sword being lodged into his side to a degree, Garo Ganjora just stood there, smirking a little as he saw Link struggling to push on. However, he blinked as he saw Link actually shifting his stance, looking him straight in the eye. At this moment, Link pushed on with all his might, the energy on his sword beginning to get more intense as veins began to visibly pulse within the bare parts of Link’s body, being his neck, his calves and his underarms as well as around his forehead and on the facial markings. Before Garo Ganjora could throw Link off of him, Zelda came to the hero’s aid and grabbed the sword as well as Link himself, pouring her own energy into him and the sword to assist him, not caring if she would be put in a similar state as Link was. Saria also came over to assist, followed by Ruto, Nabooru and Impa, adding more pressure onto Garo Ganjora. This situation intensified when Rauru and Darunia joined in, creating an odd situation where eight people were appearing to hold each other as well as a single sword against a menace who had apparently no trouble in fighting each of them off. Garo Ganjora was now using his tendrils to grab onto Link and the Seven Sages, seeing them struggling greatly against the pressure put on them as the pulsing veins were now so thick and throbbing so intensely they were about to burst right open. When trying to push them away however, he blinked at seeing Link actually pushing the tendril on his face backwards, while boldly taking a step forward to shift his stance and weight, effectively stabilizing himself with his friends following suit, feeling that the sword was beginning to break through Garo Ganjora’s defenses.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s………… it……… keep…… going…” Link uttered through clenched teeth.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Nodding, the Sages banded together with Link, supporting each other as they pushed on, while Garo Ganjora did his best to throw them off. This all didn’t help him very much as a sphere was beginning to form on the sword, right on the level with Garo Ganjora’s belly as it intensified. Feeling Garo Ganjora buckling under the pressure, Link and the Sages pushed on, finally able to push the sword all the way through, leaving a deep cut within Garo Ganjora’s gut, while the sphere itself remained in place as the group was caught in the momentum of the sword’s swing as Garo Ganjora was lifted off his feet…[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]With a deafening explosion that shook the direct vicinity of the area around, the sphere suddenly detonated in a mighty wave of magic and energy combined in practically all colors of the rainbow, mixing red, orange, gold, yellow, lime green, green, blue and purple all around the outer area of the beam itself, while the center of the beam was a brilliant mixture of gold and white, engulfing Garo Ganjora in its wake. Garo Ganjora was helpless as the entire beam racked his entire being, tearing through him like a knife through butter. Garo Ganjora’s eyes widened at the sudden pain, when suddenly a loud cracking sound was heard through the diminishing sound from the explosion, as the beam slowly dissipated, leaving Link, Zelda, Saria, Ruto, Nabooru, Darunia, Impa and Rauru neatly in place, their bodies calming down from the pressure, but they could see that the damage was done; Garo Ganjora’s chest plate, which consisted of Majora’s Mask due to the fusion between Ganondorf and Majora was sporting some serious cracks all over, coupled with similar cracks being present all over his entire body, like bursts within a glass or porcelain surfaces as if they were busted. Even his facial mask had a set of cracks all over them, indicating that his power was now being disrupted.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“W… W… WHAT?!” Garo Ganjora shouted as he floated down to the ground after the massive beam had dissipated, taking several steps backwards in shock as he was now obviously damaged, “IMPOSSIBLE!!!”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]He was horrified to see himself so badly damaged, but what startled him more were Link and the Sages were approaching him, determination all across their faces.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This ends now!” Link said, his fist and his sword ready, while Garo Ganjora could have sworn that the facial markings on Link AND the Sages altogether were starting to pulse…

[/font]

 

[Z-Fighter]

Spoiler

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Chapter 57: The Final Strike[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Garo Ganjora couldn’t believe it. He SERIOUSLY couldn’t believe it! Was he truly being beaten after only such a short time in existence?! Why was his power failing him; he should be having that meddling group on their knees or otherwise dead at their feet, not being at their mercy! Enraged at what had happened to him, he promptly charged at the group, intending to strike them down. Link was the first to react and, for the first time, he actually struck Garo Ganjora in the face with his fist after jumping up to hit him there, being backed up by the Triforce of Courage. In retaliation, Garo Ganjora kicked him in the stomach, before using a tendril to intercept Saria and Rauru respectively before getting hit by Zelda. Striking the Hyrulean Princess in the stomach as well, Garo Ganjora then smacked Impa to the side, blocked an attack by Ruto before being kicked in the face by Nabooru, only to be swept off her feet by a sweeping kick, after which Garo Ganjora leapt at her, causing both the Evil King and the Gerudo Leader to roll over the ground for a moment, before Nabooru kicked him up in the air, after which Darunia grabbed the menace’s face and smashed it into the ground, before jumping up further, taking him with him and smashed his face on the ground again, making it skid over the ground for a bit before Darunia stepped on Garo Ganjora’s left arm with his right foot, after which he began to punch Garo Ganjora’s face repeatedly, damaging the mask even more as the Goron Leader delivered a brutal smackdown on the menace.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Doesn’t feel too good to be on the receiving end of a beating, huh?!” Darunia snarled as he kept going, “well, you deserve EVERY HIT of it!”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]After a few more hits however, Garo Ganjora viciously clocked Darunia in the face, rolling around and turning the tables, now beginning to pound on Darunia.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You are not worthy! NONE OF YOU ARE!!” He growled as he punched the Goron leader a few times more, before Darunia grabbed his face and held him up so he could get up from the ground, just as the other Sages and Link approached rapidly.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]First kicking Darunia in the stomach before punching him to the side, Garo Ganjora first stopped Link and Saria’s advance short by elbowing them in their faces which almost broke their noses, before striking Zelda in her back after spinning around her own strike, using the momentum to grab the princess and tossed her against Impa. After that, Garo Ganjora delivered another vicious ground smash that knocked the group off their feet, before he turned his attention to Nabooru and slugged her in the stomach, causing Nabooru to scream out, before she retaliated by cutting him across the face with her own blades, right before Garo Ganjora smacked them out of her hands and kicked her away, after which he avoided several attacks of Rauru before knocking him to the side and kicking Ruto in her back to send her flying against Darunia.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You are nothing!” Garo Ganjora declared.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Shut your face!” Zelda sneered as she got up.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You all should know your places and remain in obscurity for all eternity!”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“SHUT UP!” Link and Zelda both hollered, striking Garo Ganjora in the chin with a knee strike with aid of Darunia.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Garo Ganjora grunted as he was kicked before grabbing Link and Zelda by their heads and bashed them against each other, only for Saria to deliver a Back Slash that forced him to release her friends, before he turned to her.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’ve had ENOUGH!” Saria shouted as she showered her enemy with an array of her Cutting Leaves attack, causing Garo Ganjora to grunt in discomfort, before smacking Saria to the side.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Not until you lie dead at my feet!!” He snarled, readying his tendrils to attack once more, first swiping at the group using the tendrils as whips again, managing to strike the group, although Darunia managed to ignore the pain by letting them strike his rock-hard back, rending the tendrils useless on them, before sending a fire blast over to strike Garo Ganjora and make him cease his assault instantly.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Impudent fools! Don’t you realize you can’t win against me?!” He snarled.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Says the one whom is having trouble against us!” Link snapped back as he charged in again, only to be stopped short when Garo Ganjora planted his left foot in his face, before spin-kicking around and catching Zelda in the side, only to receive a similar kick in the face by Impa.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]He recovered swiftly and clocked the Sheikah woman in the left cheek with a tendril, before smacking Darunia and Rauru aside, delivering gut punches to Link, Saria, Zelda and Ruto in rapid succession, before using a tendril to grab Nabooru by her neck and hoist her up in the air, the Gerudo leader struggling to breathe and get the tendril off. Zelda managed to bail her out using her own sword to strike at the tendril holding Nabooru, causing Garo Ganjora to drop her before receiving a Silver Bomb Arrow in the face courtesy of Link. The chaotic situation of this battle made it apparent that both sides were in a fight as if they were making their own respective last stands; both sides had suffered numerous injuries, but neither side was backing down and intent to land the final death blow on their respective adversaries. Darunia was eventually knocked out cold after Garo Ganjora delivered a vicious kick in the back of his head, before taking Rauru out with a kick in the gut, leaving the elder Sage out of commission as well. He then proceeded to smack Impa against Nabooru, causing them to tumble over Saria and Ruto, who both yelped as the four fell to the ground. This distracted both Link and Zelda, who were then in turn grabbed tightly by their necks through two tendrils which Garo Ganjora held back for the moment, before they were hoisted in the air, being brought towards Garo Ganjora’s face, who looked amused as both Link and Zelda struggled against the grip.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You two have been a thorn in my side for FAR too long. It’s high time you understand that this time, I get what’s coming to me and you will be left in this area to be forgotten by time. It matters not to me what you do in here then. Now, hand over the Triforce Pieces you have taken for yourself and give me what I desire!” Garo Ganjora said in a nearly deranged voice as both children’s faces were becoming a bit red and also slightly blue, indicating they were now beginning to suffer from a lack of air.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Impa woke up from her dazedness and saw that the two were placed in a near inescapable chokehold, both of them threatening to choke to death as their movements were beginning to weaken.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“GIVE THEM TO ME!” Garo Ganjora demanded, just as the backs of Link and Zelda’s hands began to glow and pulse, indicating that he was about to succeed![/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Both Link and Zelda panicked as they could feel Garo Ganjora beginning to extract their respective Triforce Pieces, struggling as best as they could, holding onto their respective Triforce Pieces for as long as they possibly could, but the lack of air wasn’t doing them any good as their movements slowed down, much to Garo Ganjora’s delight. While Impa struggled to get free, not wanting to fail her duties as Zelda’s attendant, despite being unable to get Nabooru off of her for the moment, another of the Sages recovered swiftly and saw Link and Zelda in Garo Ganjora’s grasp, even watching as the two children were about to go limp in his grasp. Having none of this, he rolled up and charged up a Goron Roll, before smashing into the menace like a spiked boulder crashing into him, causing Garo Ganjora to drop both Link and Zelda, with the two children taking in fresh gulps of air that they were almost deprived of, gasping and coughing loudly as they sat together on hands and knees, trying to get themselves back together. As Impa came to them after she finally pulled herself out from underneath Nabooru’s unconscious body, she saw that both children still had their respective pieces, but this was only barely in time, causing her to breathe a sigh of relief. Shaking his head, Link saw that Darunia was locked in a fierce fist-fight with Garo Ganjora, who was now getting borderline insane from being deprived of his victory like this, just when he was so close to win the whole thing. While Zelda herself tended to Nabooru, Link boldly charged ahead to assist his Sworn Brother, dashing up to the menace and leaping up towards him. Garo Ganjora didn’t see him coming until the last moment and was shocked to find Link’s head collided with his, cracking his facial mask even further while Link fell to the ground and Garo Ganjora was forced backwards. Link himself fell on the ground as well, grunting in pain as he did, before being helped up by Darunia himself.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thanks, Brother.” Darunia said, nodding.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link acknowledged this with a nod and a smile, just as the other Sages came to join them, each of them having recovered a little so Saria could proceed with her own healing spell once more. Just then, the entire group heard Garo Ganjora scream, causing them to cover their ears as the piercing howl was similar to when the Majora-possessed Skull Kid howled to let the moon proceed with its descend to the Clock Tower during his own confrontation with Link in Termina that year ago.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO ME?! I AM THE KING OF EVIL, THE RULER OF DARKNESS! I WILL NOT LET MYSELF BE BEATEN BY A GROUP OF MEDDLING KIDS AND ADULTS!” Garo Ganjora roared in an extreme pissed off fashion, his red eyes growing intensely fierce due to the madness he was experiencing, the madness of being humiliated again.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]As Link and the Sages watched on, they saw that a battle aura had appeared around the menace, causing them to get ready again.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“All the time have the eight of you interfered in my plans. All I wanted was to rule the world and live in a place other than that hellish desert I was raised in, but you all thwarted my plans time and time again! I WON’T ALLOW THIS ANYMORE!” Garo Ganjora howled as he powered up now out of desperation, but his power increase wasn’t noticeable… was he actually getting weaker now?[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Nonetheless, Link and the Sages each took a battle stance, knowing that a cornered fox is more dangerous than a jackal, so they took no chances and waited for what Garo Ganjora’s next move would be.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You will not interfere any further with my rule, cretins! Your lives mean nothing to me! I will take what is coming to me and you can all rot together in this endless void, never to return to my world again!” Garo Ganjora snarled, clearly having lost his mind.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You have no world, Ganjora,” Ruto retorted, “all you have is this sick, twisted dream of having one, while you know your plans have failed and your world is non-existent!”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“SHUT UP, ZORA WOMAN!”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I shall not! You’ve lost and you know it, so stop whining like a crybaby and admit your defeat!”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s it, I’ll take pleasure in tearing off your flesh or otherwise fry you to death!”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Not on my watch!” Link said, growling as his facial markings flashed brightly for a split second, as if they were fueling him with power, coupled with the addition of the Triforce of Courage on the back of his right hand.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Garo Ganjora growled, getting angrier with the second.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I will rule this world whether you like it or not, have at you!” He snapped, preparing his tendrils for a new assault.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Using his tendrils and his fists, Garo Ganjora went postal on the entire group, first clocking Zelda and Saria in the face, elbowing Impa in the stomach, smacking Rauru, Nabooru and Ruto around with his tendrils, before kicking Darunia in the side. However his rampage was cut short as Link used the opportunity to hop on Darunia’s arm as he reeled back before jumping forward to Garo Ganjora, grabbing the latter’s outstretched leg with his left hand, pulling himself towards the menace before clocking him in the face with a fierce punch, having dropped his sword after Garo Ganjora had hit him in the stomach earlier. Skidding backwards a little, Garo Ganjora looked like he completely lost it, intending to punch the heads of the entire group off. But then Link did something crazy of his own, standing in position, but not making a single move to block the incoming strike. In fact, Link was reeling backwards himself, as if preparing to charge in turn. As Link then moved his head forward however, his forehead met Garo Ganjora’s fist, but Link didn’t budge at all! It was as if he had performed a headbutt on the fist, which was evident as a sudden shockwave reeled through the outstretched arm of Garo Ganjora, sending his insides in a further turmoil, in particular on the other hand.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“ARGH! N… No……” Garo Ganjora said as he stepped backwards, his body now shaking all over, having it difficult to maintain his balance… as if he was about to collapse.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]While some of the Sages on their turn blinked at this sudden action, the only exceptions being Zelda, Saria, Darunia and Nabooru, they recomposed themselves within seconds upon seeing their nemesis staggering, his legs wobbling as he collapsed to the ground, indicating that he was getting weaker. Battered, bloodied, seriously injured, but not broken in the slightest, Link and the Sages kept approaching their enemy, intending to end it for real.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You’ve been a fool for wanting to rule Hyrule, Termina and the world!” Zelda said as she approached it, her royal attire in tatters and her hat absent.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Your hunger for power has cost you in the end, look at where you are now!” Nabooru snarled, ignoring the fact that some of her jewelry were either cracked or destroyed.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You even let people of your OWN KIND suffer, what kind of ruler does that to his own people?!” Ruto snapped subconsciously nursing one of the fins on her arms as she approached him.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You dare to… talk like this?!” Garo Ganjora growled in his turn, only to be met with a fierce straight punch courtesy of Darunia, sending the menace stumbling and falling backwards a couple of meters, landing on his hands and feet.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We dare, since you’ve made our lives miserable ever since you showed your TRUE colors!” Impa said as the group continued to approach the menace as he tried to get up and failing.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You think you could get away with what you did? Well, you thought WRONG, mister!” Darunia said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Now all the innocent people whom were either cursed or killed by your hands will be avenged!” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Garo Ganjora still tried to get up, ignoring the fact that his power was beginning to fail him.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“H… How can these morons… be so strong?!” He asked as he tried to get up, only to receive a vicious uppercut by Saria, sending him backwards and down to the ground again.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That strength… is supposed to be mine… I am the King of Evil… you all... should be down, bowing… down in front of me…  I will not let you deflect my will, you hear me?! I WON’T LET YOU!!!” He said, finally getting up and mustering all of his remaining powers, as a sickly dark purple aura surrounded him, his crimson red eyes now glowing blood-red, his tendrils and fists at the ready, before promptly launching a desperation charge at the entire group, striking each and every one of them simultaneously in their faces; his fists met Darunia and Rauru’s faces, while the others were hit in the face by his tendrils, but the entire group didn’t let out as much of a single grunt, not even when they were forced back a little due to the force of the impact…[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Garo Ganjora smirked, thinking he had finally managed to deal damage to the group. But his smirk turned to utter shock as he saw Link grabbing the tendril with his bare hands… and was his appearance changing color?! Garo Ganjora now began to sweat as Link’s normal appearance began to change as the facial marks began to glow one last time, this time changing him into a child-like version of the Fierce Deity, complete with the empty eyes, the white hair, the light-cyan colored tunic, black leggings and the boots and gauntlets, but this time without the body armor itself, this coupled with Link actually pulling the tendril from his face… which for the first time contained nothing more than pure, undiluted rage and hatred for him… and had his canines grown into fangs?! A sense of dread came over Garo Ganjora as the now-awoken Fierce Deity Link held the tendril firmly in his grasp, before tearing it right off and casting it aside like it was nothing. Garo Ganjora gasped at this, but his shock intensified when he spotted Zelda undergoing a similar change, as if she had inherited part of the Fierce Deity’s power, just like Link himself! But before he could even react on that, he saw that each of the sages were having similar changes as well, right before they too severed whatever tendrils had hit them or otherwise snapping Garo Ganjora’s wrists.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’ll never forgive you for what you’ve done!” Both Fierce Deity Link and Zelda said in unison as they got ready.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“N… no… it… it can’t be!!” He said, right before the changed Darunia and Rauru slugged Garo Ganjora in the stomach, making his eyes go wide, after which the now-turned Fierce Deity Nabooru and Impa delivered a vicious uppercut that cracked the mask even more, almost shattering it even.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Finally, Fierce Deity Ruto, Saria, Zelda and Link each then struck Garo Ganjora in the face, hard enough to destroy the facial mask and send him flying away, before each of them took a moment to recollect themselves for a moment, observing their changed forms… just as a bright light came from Garo Ganjora’s right hand, right before a triangle-shaped object was flung from it and floated towards the Fierce Deity Group. This was the one thing that Garo Ganjora held on as his primary source of power, intending to use it to cause the heroes’ downfall and obtain the True Triforce, but now it was swiftly taken from him… The Triforce of Power. This relic flew towards the Fierce Deity Group, before it manifested itself on Link’s hand for the time being, even if it was just to keep it safe and out of Ganjora’s grasp.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Garo Ganjora then floated up, the tendrils severed and his hands practically useless.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This… is not my destiny…” He lamented/wailed, a portal at a distance behind him opening as if he was trying to escape.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You haven’t… seen the last… of me… I will get you… back for this!” He said as he floated towards the portal.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]However, Fierce Deity Link was having none of that and immediately picked up his Golden Double Helix Sword, feeling its power flowing through him as he got ready to strike one more time.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This is your end!” He snarled, first running towards Garo Ganjora’s position, before smashing his sword onto the ground, lifting himself up and launching himself towards the now shocked menace, taking his sword with him.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Within a matter of seconds, Fierce Deity Link was upon Garo Ganjora and brought his sword down upon him again, this time at the side of Garo Ganjora’s neck. Immediately a golden aura surrounded both warriors, but it was launched against Garo Ganjora’s position, as if another beam was fired towards him. Once again Link could feel his veins pulsing throughout his body as he put the pressure on his nemesis in front of him, but he didn’t care; as long as he could do his part in returning peace and prosperity to Hyrule, he would gladly make the sacrifices that were required of him. As if on cue and wanting to be sure that the threat was finally over, each of the Sages launched themselves towards Link’s position, once again assisting him in his effort to bring the oversized sword to where they wanted it. With them too, the pressure increased on their bodies as much as it had with Link, but because of them sharing the effort equally, they could handle it. It took only about 30 seconds or so, before the sword was finally brought down, cutting through Garo Ganjora as a knife through butter. While the strike wasn’t enough to vivisect the menace, it did succeed in cutting Majora’s Mask in two, effectively disrupting or destroying the final bits of power which Garo Ganjora had relied on. Garo Ganjora’s eyes went wide at this realization, feeling the last of his powers leaving him rapidly.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]With an agonizing howl, Garo Ganjora was for a moment sent flying backwards as his body destabilized, dark energy surrounding him like an aura, while beams of light were shining out of him as if the core of his body became visible, just as Link and the Sages were sent flying towards the ground on their turn, but positioned in a way where they could see Garo Ganjora’s body destabilizing rapidly with the second.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“CURSE YOU! CURSE YOU ALL! I HOPE YOU WILL ALL DIE A SLOW, PAINFUL DEATH! YOU HEAR ME?! CURSE YOU ALL TO HELL!” He howled as his voice also became distorted, trying his best to curse at the falling heroes, before he finally went silent.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]With a massive explosion, Garo Ganjora’s body burst asunder, sending dark magic and energy in a shockwave in all directions outward, visible through a big circle which enlarged itself horizontally until it dispersed to naught like a circle in the water. At the same moment, whatever dark magic and energy Garo Ganjora used to have was also dispelling rapidly, just as the force of the shockwave sent Link and the Sages tumbling towards and over the ground, the Golden Double Helix Sword clattering over the ground, while at the same time the entire group returned back to normal. As each of them landed on their backs and looked up towards the air where Garo Ganjora was, all they could see was the dissipating energy and magic, with no single trace of the menace remaining behind. While at first remaining apprehensive and alert, the group visibly relaxed after nothing else happened over the next few minutes. It was finally over. Once the realization kicked in, Link suddenly chuckled, before weakly laughing in triumph, despite blood streaming from his mouth as well as numerous other injuries he had suffered beginning to finally take their toll on him.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We… we finally…… did it…” He said, before he finally passed out while a smile remained set across his face.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Zelda on her turn crawled at his side, seeing him pass out, but hearing what he said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That… we did…” She said, before she too lost her consciousness, with the other Sages following shortly.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]In fact, each of the Sages also held a smile on their faces before passing out from their injuries, knowing that the threat that Ganjora posed was now no more and would likely never be a threat again for the rest of their lives. As they laid there unconscious, the area around them seemed to clear up, the clouds that had gathered within the endless void clearing, as if the weather improved along with the situation at hand. A gentle breeze swayed over the whole area and, were it not for the blood mixing with the water here and there, the sight was as if Link and the Sages were lying on top of a polished mirror…

[/font]

 

[Z-Fighter]

Spoiler

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Chapter 58: The Wish[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]It took about an hour for Link to finally regain consciousness, moaning as he was now literally hurting all over his body. Looking around, he saw the Sages stirring as well, each of them laying on a more comfortable position on the ground, as was Link himself. Trying to look around as the clouds within the endless void had cleared to reveal a clear blue sky with a sun shining high above in the air, he could feel someone was watching him. It was Reimu, who had approached them once she felt the battle was over and helped them in their comfortable positions, although she had great trouble with moving Darunia. This was evident as she was sweating, hunched bit over her steering wheel, panting a little, but she had recovered far quicker than they did. Groaning, Link moved to a sitting position, holding his head as he obviously was in pain or otherwise still was recovering, coupled with the injuries that were still present around his body, being bruises, cuts and other lacerations, although the most serious wounds have for the most part stopped bleeding and had been bandaged for as good and as bad as it could. As he watched, he saw Zelda and Saria both attempting to sit upright, silently chuckling to himself as he noticed the girls were right at his side, before he stretched his legs, wincing a little as he moved over a bruised part…[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]His attention was caught by a few other moans, seeing Ruto holding her head for a bit before nursing one of her arms, Saria was having pain on her belly and back, while Nabooru was nursing her right arm, in particular the spot which had been broken in the events leading to her initial demise, but was reset prior to her resurrection by the Great Fairy Venus. Impa coughed, instantly feeling pain in her lungs as she sat up, trying to calm herself, while Rauru groaned as he gently rubbed over his calves. At the same time, Link subconsciously wiped the blood from his mouth away, before rolling his head around his shoulders to pop his neck a little, being bothered by the stiff muscles there, allowing him to relax a bit as one particular pop made him feel better. Looking in the direction of Zelda, he watched as she tried to get up, but her arms were wobbling, causing her to collapse a few times before finally being able to lift herself up. Then he tried himself to shift his position to a bit more comfortable one, but his movements were slow and painful, despite biting through it.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Ugh… what happened?” Link asked Reimu as he eventually sat upright, rubbing his sore thighs as he then moved to relax his breathing pattern, being still quite tired from the events that had taken place up to this point.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I came here as soon as I witnessed the massive explosion from a far distance. I do not know what has happened so far as you requested to fight your enemy alone, but from what I can tell is that you eventually came out victorious.” Reimu said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Are you sure? I apologize, but my head is a bit woozy…” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Look around you, my friend.” Reimu said, showing Link the pleasantness of the bright blue sky, the gentle breeze swaying across the area and the gentle warmth as if a sun was shining on them being present in the area.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“The darkness in this area… has been completely vanquished…” Impa said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed, Ganjora is no more.” Rauru said, confirming what happened.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“But what had happened to us? I mean, we did fuse together, but when Ganjora terminated it by force, we all had those facial markings that used to be on the Fierce Deity’s Mask…” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I think I have an explanation for this…” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You do?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes. When Garo Ganjora hit the Fierce Deity so hard it terminated the fusion by the force of it alone, the Fierce Deity’s Mask was destroyed in the process. I believe however that its power, before its initial destruction, was perfectly split between the eight of us, which in turn explained how we got those markings, much less temporarily transforming into adaptations of my Fierce Deity self in turn.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So we all had a bit of its original power until now, right? Like its power having split between us the moment the fusion was terminated, which in turn destroyed the mask itself?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes, it’s the only way I can explain it.” Link said, nodding.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, now that we’ve finally won this battle, all that is left to do for us is to summon the Triforce for our wish…” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed.” Rauru said, as the group got up.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So, how are you going to do this?” Reimu asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We don’t exactly know how this will go. It depends mostly on those who are in possession of the Triforce pieces themselves.” Rauru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Looks like it’s up to us then.” Link said to Zelda.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That it is.” Zelda said, as the two moved forward a bit, supporting each other as their injuries had not fully healed completely.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Once they had a decent distance ahead of the group, Link and Zelda stopped and stretched their hands out, after which the respective Triforce Pieces they had on their hands began to glow. A few seconds later, the sacred triangles that represented those Triforce Pieces appeared from the marks and began to float further ahead, assembling together as they did, with the Triforce of Power on top, the Triforce of Wisdom to the left and the Triforce of Courage to the right. As the distance between the pieces decreased, the glow around them increased, which only intensified as the three pieces made contact with each other on the respective tips, creating the completed, full Triforce in all of its glory. Mesmerized by it, both Link and Zelda approached the ancient relic with equaled, slow pace, while the Sages and Reimu followed. Oddly enough, Link and Zelda were holding each other’s hands, but the Sages felt that this was due to both of them being holders of parts of the relic itself as well as being nervous of approaching it. After all, this was the relic of legends, the very thing that the Goddesses Din, Farore and Nayru had left behind after their departure from the world after they had done their part in creating it. The knowledge of this did make the group approach it in silence for the most part.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wow…” Reimu said, blinking at the sight of the Triforce glowing in front of the group.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Impressive, isn’t it?” Nabooru asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That it is. I only heard of the Triforce because of Ganondorf babbling about it before his failed coup d’état, but I never thought that I would see this with my very own eyes.” Reimu said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Let’s hope there will be no interference.” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I doubt there will be,” Rauru said, “aside from the now-deceased Ganjora, we are the only ones here.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed. I hope Link and Zelda can provide the wish that will lead to a hopefully bright future of our homelands…” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I have faith in my Sworn Brother and the Princess; their hearts are pure and balanced, unlike Ganondorf’s.” Darunia said, smiling brightly.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed. If Ganondorf would see this now, he’d probably go insane with rage.” Nabooru said, just as the Sages stopped, letting Link and Zelda continue on to speak on their behalf.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Reimu herself also stopped, lowering her aircraft to ground level, after which she waited, mostly out of respect for the ones she had helped out in their time of need.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Both Link and Zelda then stood in front of the Triforce itself, watching it glow.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Do you already know how to address our wish to the Goddesses?” Link asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Don’t worry, leave everything to me. Besides, this should possibly also make up a bit for what I have done in the Future That Almost Was.” Zelda said, smiling at Link.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link returned the smile, acknowledging it with a nod, before both he and Zelda touched the sacred Triforce with their free hands, holding onto it in order to make sure their wish would be granted. It was then that Zelda spoke.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Goddesses of Hyrule, hear that which we desire! Restore the lands of Hyrule and Termina to how they were before Ganondorf and Majora’s forces invaded and defiled them! Heal the souls of the innocent ones whom have died during the conflicts that ensued because of the evil beings! Free the ones whom have served the forces of evil against their will from the spells or bindings that held them! Restore the ones whom have been cursed into altered forms back to their normal state of beings! Heal the ones whom have been seriously to gravely wounded during the ensuing conflicts from their injuries and revive the ones whom have fallen in the battles! And give the Hero of Time the privilege of entering the Sacred Realm with the Seven Sages at will.” She said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The last one made Link blink at Zelda, who merely smiled at him in return. The glow around the Triforce itself intensified, glowing in acceptance of Zelda and Link’s desires, both of them having balanced hearts. It was then that a glow appeared around the both of them as well as the remaining Six Sages, which lasted for several seconds, before dissipating… and the group discovered that their injuries had indeed been healed, much to their delight, as some of them were slowly getting weaker due to the numerous wounds, cuts and lacerations inflicted on them during the last battle. As the healing process went underway with them, they could also feel their strength returning, much to their delight.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]From the portal in the sky, a gentle white-golden glow began to shine for a brief moment, washing itself over the lands of both Hyrule and Termina. Whatever dwelled on evil beings within the open lands of Hyrule and Termina were instantly vanquished, the people whom were brainwashed to do Ganondorf and Majora’s bidding were subsequently released from the spells that bound them into these unwilling servitudes and also restored to full health. Other people whom had received serious to critical injuries from the battles also were restored back to health, while those soldiers and civilians from any race whom had given their lives to protect others were revived, thus given a second chance at life and in turn be reunited with their loved ones among the living. What was once the desolated, destroyed Hyruined Field, filled with dead trees and bushes, coupled with the whithered corpses of previously slain enemies and soldiers alike was cleansed and restored back to its former glory, much to the delight of those whom often ventured in the field itself, like Talon and Malon, which allowed them to visit Hyrule Castle Town again. Speaking of Hyrule Castle Town, the town itself was also cleansed of all hostile presence, leaving only the abandoned buildings that were salvageable enough to be rebuilt and restart business as before. While Hyrule Castle and the Temple of Time still laid in ruins, most of the bases of those buildings remained intact, making the rebuilding and restoration processes much easier for the people. Whatever water bodies were poisoned thanks to the actions of the now-deceased Dark Ruto were also purified, allowing the Sea Zoras to freely swim around in their domain as well as Lake Hylia again, while Ruto herself had already cleansed the waters around Great Bay for the Zora population there prior to their travel towards the hidden temple and by extension Ganjora’s lair as a whole.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Reimu’s sister also made a swift recovery as she was covered in a similar glow like Link and the Sages had been covered inside the portal, much to the delight of the Gerudo whom were watching over her, while they also still waited for news of their commander Reimu, keeping a close watch on the portal. In regards to the rest of Termina, the lands were also restored to their former state as in after Link had vanquished Majora there the first time, with an added bonus of peace being brought to those innocent souls dwelling within Ikana Canyon whom were still lingering with regrets, making the haunted lands at least safer for travelers to go through. Of course there were those that could not be revived, which included Sakon as he was crushed to death by Dark Saria and had his soul destroyed by Dark Nabooru. Others whom weren’t revived were of course those whom had gone too deep into corruption to properly redeem themselves, like specific Corrupted Soldiers or Gerudo whom willingly sided with Ganondorf and Majora and were subsequently slain in the following battles, as well as those whom were killed before the whole mess had started.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link, Saria, Zelda, Ruto, Nabooru, Impa, Darunia, Rauru and Reimu watched as the Triforce fulfilled its task of granting the group the wishes that they had, which would hopefully bring peace and prosperity back to the world as a whole. Once the task was finished, the Triforce itself then vanished, leaving the group behind.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Where did it go?” Reimu asked, blinking.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Possibly back to the Sacred Realm to await its new owner. But as far as I’m concerned, this may take decades or even longer, perhaps even long after we’ve passed on to the next life.” Rauru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Let’s hope that, for our sake, this will take a long time, so we can have some time to ourselves and both Hyrule and Termina will know peace for a long time to come.” Link said as he and Zelda joined the group again, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed. Hopefully no new evil beings will come to disturb the peace this time.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Don’t jinx it, Zel. But as long as the Triforce of Power is secured back in the Sacred Realm and Majora’s Mask destroyed, we have at least two vile beings less to worry about.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“True.” Zelda said, although blushing again at the affectionate nickname Link gave her.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Come on, board the ship. If anything, the exit of this realm should still be open. It’s time to go home.” Reimu said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right.” The group said as they boarded the ship one by one.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I trust you have little occupations as of this moment?” Nabooru then asked Reimu.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I think so, I’ve still been trying to redeem myself for what I’ve done, regardless of the matter not being my fault.” Reimu replied.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, I think you’ve redeemed yourself well enough over the days you have associated with us. I’m giving you a couple of days to settle your personal affairs where needed, whether it is with your family, the area you were watching, your guards, whatever that needs to be addressed. I expect you to visit the Fortress soon after you do.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Understood ma’am. Anything else?”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes, when you’re summoned to the fortress, bring those four Pirates that accompanied us from the Stone Tower Temple and your sister Leia with you. Consider it a form of audience with yours truly and my second-in-command Aveil. What it’ll be is a surprise.” Nabooru said with a genuine smile.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Very well, ma’am. I’ll be sure to be present with the others you wanted to see once the time is there.” Reimu said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That reminds me, I’ll also expect you to arrive at Hyrule Castle soon for a similar audience.” Zelda said, first making Reimu blink, before she smiled in understanding.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Very well, Your Highness.” Reimu said, smiling and bowing politely.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“In fact, I expect Link, Saria, Ruto, Darunia and Nabooru herself to be present during that audience as well.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll be there, Zel. You can count on that.” Link said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll be present too for sure.” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Same with me. Don’t look up surprised when Link and I arrive side by side.” Saria said, while Tatl, Navi and Tael floated around them, wondering what it was going to be about.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right. Let’s go home.” Nabooru said as she sat down in Reimu’s airship.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]With a smile, Reimu activated her airship and steered to where she had emerged into the void between dimensions with the Fierce Deity himself to ignite the final battle.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Exiting the portal, Reimu smiled as she observed the now clear blue sky above instead of the dark clouds bellowing around the tower, while the Gerudo forces and Leia herself all cheered when they saw them coming out of the portal, with the portal itself closing up once the group was out, sealing the gateway to the void between dimensions up again.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Whew, that was one battle I wouldn’t want to experience again.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll say. Although I have to admit that I kinda liked being like you as a Fierce Deity…” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I agree with Zelda here, it felt to me as an unknown strength coursed through my veins like someone granted me extra power.” Saria said, nodding.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link giggled at this.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, that’s because the mask must have divided its power between us for the time we needed it.” He said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“True. I do wonder what is going to happen now with the Purified Fierce Deity’s Mask destroyed…” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I honestly have no idea. It’s likely we must have kept a fragment of its power for ourselves or it must dissipate over time or already has dissipated… it’s likely that only time will tell what has fully happened to it.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I see your point.” Rauru said, just as Reimu reunited with the fleet and in turn got a reunion with her sister Leia, hugging her.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So, now that we’ve lost our respected Triforce Pieces, what’s going to happen now?” Link asked Zelda.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I have no idea, but I believe that we may have kept part of their respective essences in turn, so it would do nothing to hinder our wisdom and courage respectively,” Zelda said, “but I see why you’ve asked that question, given that our general objective is complete.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“At least you two can rest with the comforting thought of having used the Triforce together for the cause of good and not for a selfish desire in regards to power or anything.” Impa said, putting a hand on both children’s respective shoulders.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Do you have any idea where you want to go now?” Darunia asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, it depends mostly. I think we should look up our friends at the forest to show them that we’re back and once more alive.” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Saria has a point; I doubt the other Kokiri are aware of our initial resurrection…” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Let’s tell them that the wish of the Triforce brought you back alive. It should work with the wish in the first place.” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“True. It would supply us with a decent cover-up in regards to what has happened to us overall.” Saria said, nodding.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed.” Link said, nodding.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“The Gorons should know that I’ve been around alive and well, but what about the Hyrulean Sea Zoras? I haven’t seen them around as well…” Darunia said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I should go and visit them to let them know I am fine, if only to deter my father’s worries about me.” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I say we all should take time off to settle our personal affairs first and return for a get together and whatever meetings require our immediate attention. That way we should be able to get things done quicker.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Great idea. It should help us getting back in the swing of things again.” Saria said, smiling at Link who smiled in return.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So, it’s settled then, we’ll first handle our own personal affairs and then proceed with the meetings.” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll send couriers out to let you know when the meetings will be held so you all have time to prepare yourselves accordingly. Later on I shall pass on the invitations to those whose presence is required and who is invited to join in.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right, Saria and I should be around the Forest or the Sacred Forest Meadow. I’ll be sure to make a map or something to ensure he won’t get lost.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That is most considerate of you, Link.” Zelda said with a smile.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Where will you go, Nabooru?” Impa then asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll definitely be heading to the fortress to see how things are there and will set things straight where needed. I may be more lenient to those who seek redemption, but I won’t be as forgiving when it comes to those whom have taken pride in betraying me and/or willingly joining Ganondorf’s side.” The Gerudo leader said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh? What do you plan to do with them?” Link asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Those who show genuine guilt will be spared of the worst punishments, but they’ll likely have to start from the bottom again to earn their redemption. This may also include putting them on probation for several months to a year or so, depending on how severe their acts were and how much they are willing to give to earn it. As for the ones whom don’t show remorse, they’ll likely be exiled to a distant land, as long as they don’t show their faces here and within our settlement in the Great Bay area.” She replied.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So you won’t be killing them?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“No, unless they decide to do something stupid and we are forced to strike them down in self-defense, but other than that, I consider death being too good for them. I prefer the notion of letting them stay alive and let them live with the shame they have brought upon themselves, coupled with the humiliation they would have to suffer from. The worst cases also will be stripped of their homes and possessions. Consider it a discommendation for them if you will.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I understand.” Zelda said, nodding.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, I guess it’s time for us to go home then.” Reimu said after she and her sister Leia moved on Reimu’s ship, as Leia’s vessel was destroyed by Ganjora in his beast form prior…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I also want to thank you for bringing those airships along, Reimu. Without them, I would be at a loss as to how we would have gotten down from here without falling to death.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s no problem, Link.” Reimu said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I could have made some leaves to use as parachutes for a soft landing. Then again I wouldn’t be sure where we would even land.” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s alright, Saria. Be glad we got some help from an outside, friendly source.” Darunia said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That I am indeed.” Saria said, smiling brightly.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Darunia smiled, thumping his arms on his chest in happiness as he stood there, Reimu safely taking them to the ship where they would take the survivors and freed prisoners along with them towards their respective homelands.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I hope Epona’s alright.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’m sure she’ll be fine; Romani and Cremia should be taking care of her for the time we spent in Termina altogether.” Zelda said, reassuring Link, who smiled in response.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I am so glad that the battle is finally over,” Ruto said, “for a moment I did fear that it would be our last fight and that Ganjora would kill us all.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I understand your concerns, Ruto. Be happy that we managed to come out on top after this long, excruciating fight.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You have no idea.” Ruto said, smiling at Nabooru.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You can use the rest once we’re on the ships, we’ll see to it that we’ll return to Hyrule safely.” Reimu said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thank you once more, Reimu.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Don’t mention it.” Reimu replied, smiling as the ships came into view after passing over the areas that still had trails of the snowboard ride and the destroyed underground headquarters.

[/font]

 

[Z-Fighter]

Spoiler

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Chapter 59: Aftermath[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]In the days that followed at the end of the final battle against Garo Ganjora, much changed within both Hyrule and Termina. Once the word got out that the menace was finally defeated, the populations of both lands erupted in cheers and went on massive celebrations. The survivors returned to their respective homes to be reunited with their loved ones, those soldiers who were on the run due to having sided with the enemy were eventually captured and those who managed to evade capture had bounties placed on their heads. This didn’t just count for the Hyrulean and/or Terminan Soldiers though; this rule also applied to the Gerudo. In fact, some groups looking for the fugitives consisted of both soldiers and Gerudo altogether. At times the search parties had success in finding the fugitives, although there were soldiers and Gerudo, whom regretted what they did, whom actively sought out such parties in order to turn themselves in, leading to their more peaceful arrest due to their full co-operation. Still, there were soldiers and Gerudo whom were still on the run, still believing they did nothing wrong or otherwise couldn’t or wouldn’t believe that their ‘masters’ were finally dead. There were only a few occasions where the groups would find the ones they were looking for having committed suicide, due to them wanting to prevent capture or otherwise being unable to live with the shame that their actions had brought upon them.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]When the heroes finally arrived back into Hyrule, they could see that Hyrule Castle was already in the process of being rebuilt. Much to Zelda’s delight, there were several people waiting for them, including Zelda’s father, the King of Hyrule.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Father, you’re alive!” Zelda said, hugging him.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes, my dear princess, I am.” He replied.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“How did you survive? I haven’t seen you ever since I was taken away with my friends to Termina…” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I did my best to buy enough time for most of the civilians and others to escape, before several of my advisers told me that I did everything I could and I should retreat myself, knowing that Hyrule would inevitably be lost. I decided to disguise myself to prevent capture when it became obvious the battle was lost, but I haven’t stopped there; I’ve launched several operations of my own to come to the aid of my people and took down several enemies myself. What has happened to you, my child? Your clothes are in tatters… and where is your hat?”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s a long story, but my friends and I fought together against the main enemies and eventually won. We also made the wish on the Triforce to restore the damage that those two have caused during their time here.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I see. I do expect to hear everything from you once we’re alone.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes, father. I’ve also wanted to request to hold audiences on my behalf in the upcoming days.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Consider your requests granted, we all have tough times behind us. It is only rightful to honor the sacrifices we made and the people who fought for us in order to bring this all to a good end.” The King said, nodding with a smile which in turn made Zelda smile.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The King then turned to Link and the Six Sages.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I understand you’ve been at her side. It pleases me to come to know my daughter’s closest friends.” The King said, acknowledging even Nabooru as a friend.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness.” Link said, bowing politely, as did the others.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“No need for formalities, child. Friends of my daughter are friends of mine.” The King said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thank you.” Link said, smiling.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Once the group had fully disembarked from the ship and were safely escorted to Hyrule Castle, they went their separate ways in order to inform their other friends that the war and the battles were finally over and that they could finally live their lives in peace. Link and Saria both returned to the Kokiri Forest, where upon their return, with Navi, Tatl and Tael at their side, were almost being dog-piled by the remaining Kokiri whom were elated to see them again. Only Mido and Fado were more controlled, but happy to see Link and Saria again. Ruto was being held closely by her own father, King Zora, upon her return into Zora’s Domain, with Ruto this time accepting the hug with glee, having matured over the course of the travels. All the Gorons in Goron City, Death Mountain all cheered when Darunia returned, with Goron City having returned to its former state thanks to the wish of the Triforce as the lava had either dried up over time or otherwise whisked away by the wish on the Triforce, with Death Mountain and its crater being now more at ease. Rauru returned to his duties as the Guardian of the Temple of Time, although he did his part in rebuilding the temple by using his powers in order to keep the debris from collapsing again as the workers reinforced the structure. Nabooru returned to the Gerudo Fortress with Reimu, Leia and the Pirates whom decided to move in the fortress, where they were being received with open arms by Aveil and the other Gerudo whom remained loyal to her or otherwise made a heel-face turn over the course of the whole war. As for Princess Zelda, she and Impa both held a private meeting with the King of Hyrule himself after the princess got a brand new hat to wear, where Zelda told her father everything what has happened to her, with Impa confirming the story as a whole. The King was impressed to learn that Zelda traveled through all those places, grueling at the mentioning of the places like Ikana Canyon and the Skulltula cavern as well as the numerous injuries Zelda herself had suffered along with the others over the course of her grand adventure, although he had to stop Zelda at a point when she mentioned her death at the hands of Ganondorf…[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wait right there one second, Zelda… you actually died?!” The King asked, blinking as he had to make sure he had heard it right, although Zelda’s expression pretty much confirmed it for him…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes, father,” Zelda said with a solemn expression, “there was a brief period where I didn’t make it, but I was not alone. Four of my friends, including Link himself, had died along with me back then.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“How did that happen?”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It was Ganondorf’s doing; he and Majora first weakened us so that the Master Sword would lose its power on its turn, before torturing Link. Once he was thrown off the tower, I tried to make a last stand of my own, only to be met with a similar treatment. What made it worse was that Link actually took the hit of an attack Majora sent at me for me by pushing me out of the way.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I see, so how were you brought back? Was it the Triforce?”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“No,” Impa interjected, “We first secured the bodies to ensure they wouldn’t decompose over time, while I personally hid the spirits of Zelda, Link and the three others within my own Shadow. We eventually learned of the Queen of the Fairies named Venus, whom we decided to visit. It was she whom restored Zelda, Link and the three others back to life. We regret not having told anyone about their initial resurrection at first, but this was mostly done to keep whatever friends they had in other places whom were still alive out of Ganondorf and Majora’s clutches as potential bargaining chips or having them being killed out of spite.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I see,” The King said, nodding, “so how did you manage to hold out for so long?”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“The bodies were sealed into an ice cavern in order to preserve them properly, while I secured their spirits. Together we’ve worked on infiltrating enemy ranks to see what they were up to and what their plans were, from which we learned they had set up outposts within the vast forest between Hyrule and Termina as well as a barren lava sanctuary hidden between Snowhead and Ikana to prepare for an invasion in Termina. After the resurrection, we managed to disable both of the outposts, but we couldn’t prevent the invasion taking place while we were moving through the depths of the lava sanctuary itself.” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“During the times we traveled around, we also grew stronger, gained some new weapons and learned some new skills, which we put to great use against our enemies as well as solving puzzles within an abandoned, hidden temple which was mostly void of enemy troops around, save for a Skulltula or two.  We figured that hidden temple could be made of great use as a training ground for our soldiers.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I see.” The King said, nodding again as he listened with interest.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Once we went through the temple, we came across a coastal area where a boat was waiting for us. We took the boat towards the island where Ganondorf and Majora’s lair was, coincidentally stumbling across their underground headquarters. We messed up their plans there, but Majora then tried to drown us in the lava that was present around the area, eventually causing the machinery to overload before it exploded. We barely managed to escape with our lives from the explosion, after which we finally arrived at the humongous tower that was their lair.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So they did make a tower?” The King asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“More or less; due to its complexity we actually wondered if they simply modified it next to the occupation. The darn thing was taller than the Stone Tower in Ikana!” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Zelda!” Impa said, chatisizing her for saying a bad word.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s alright, Impa,” The King said, nodding to her, “but was that tower really that tall?!”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It was, and filled with enemies, rising lava traps and tons of complicated devices we’ve never seen before.” Zelda said, nodding.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Eventually we confronted our nemeses at the very top of the tower, leading to a long and hard battle which eventually resulted in our victory. And here we are.” Impa said, concluding the story.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I understand. I believe I do owe you an apology, Zelda.” The King said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Father?” Zelda asked, blinking.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I should have taken your warnings and premonitions regarding Ganondorf more seriously. Then again, I’ve ruled the unified lands for over ten years, perhaps the comfort of the peace around must have made me careless. Perhaps if I would have seen this treason coming sooner, this all would have likely never happened.” He said, expressing a tone of genuine regret in his voice.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s alright, father. Even I have done things of which the consequences were unexpected to me. Perhaps we can make use of the time of peace we have now to fix our mistakes.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I do believe you are right. Let’s prepare the ceremony that will be at hand, I’ll see to it that you and your friends will be rewarded for your efforts in the battles we faced.” The King said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thank you, father.” Zelda said, smiling.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Several days later, after having settled their personal affairs, Link and the Six Sages were being summoned to Hyrule Castle. Having packed what they needed, Link and Saria prepared themselves and Epona for their trip to the castle. The Kokiri looked on in curiosity, while Mido approached them.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Where are you going this time?” He asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’re headed back for the Castle. A friend of ours wishes to see us.” Link said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I see. How long will you be gone this time?” Mido then asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I hope not too long, but you’ll never know with what she has planned. Either way, there won’t be any battles for now.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Not for the time being at least.” Saria said, agreeing with Link with a smile.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I understand. Just be careful underway.” Mido said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Don’t worry, we will.” Saria said as she and Link mounted the young horse, whom neighed in content, before she took off on a gentle, eased pace towards the exit of the Kokiri Forest towards Hyrule Castle.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The Kokiri waved them off with a smile, with Link and Saria smiling and waving back before they were out of sight.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So, what do you think Zelda wanted to see us for?” Saria asked as they entered Hyrule Field.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I have no idea, but she said it was of high importance. In any case we’ll be meeting the King of Hyrule formally and all of the other Sages and our friends are going to be there as well. I also heard that Zelda wanted to see Reimu and her band at the castle.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“The whole thing is making me quite excited actually, I don’t know why…” Saria said with a smile.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Heh, maybe it’s because we finally are going to participate in something that doesn’t require fighting? It’s actually about time something peaceful happened…” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That bad, huh?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yeah, the first peaceful night back at home, I was a complete wreck.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You’re not the only one. According to Fado, we slept for about two days straight. She even wondered why we both were sleeping in your house.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Good thing we told her it was mostly to chase the nightmares away. It shouldn’t be too surprising that we slept that long though; physically we may be all fine and dandy, but mentally… that’s another story altogether.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Touché. After all we both experienced quite the traumatic events, our deaths being the worst ones.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Not to mention all those monsters we had to face. At least we have a few things in common…”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“True that. Hey, the castle is in sight with its drawbridge down.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Looking forward, Link and Saria saw that the drawbridge was indeed down, allowing them to enter the now-greatly renovated Hyrule Castle Town, where the two saw several civilians continuing repair work or otherwise being in business, with several Hylians, Gorons, Zoras and Gerudos watching them pass by.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Let’s grab the invitations so the guards can let us pass.” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right.” Link said, nodding.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The Hyrule Castle Gate was one of the things that was quickly rebuilt over the days after Garo Ganjora’s defeat and the subsequent restoration of the lands because of the wish made on the Triforce. The resident guards did a double-take when they saw a young, red horse with white manes and two children approaching them, coming to a halt in front of the gate.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Uh, aren’t you two a bit too young to be coming here?” The Guard asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’re here on a special invitation by Her Royal Highness, Princess Zelda.” Link said as he and Saria brandished the invitation.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The guard looked them over, nodding as both sported the genuine autographs of the Princess herself.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Very well, you may pass. Have a safe trip.” The Guard said as he ordered his comrades to open the gate, which they did.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thank you, sir.” Link and Saria said as they watched the gate open up, before passing through the open gate and moving on the path towards Hyrule Castle.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Arriving at the front bridge of Hyrule Castle, they saw Rauru, Darunia, Ruto and Nabooru waiting for them.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Hey there.” Link said, greeting them with a smile.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Hey, kid.” Nabooru said to Link with a smile, nodding towards Saria as well.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“The Princess and Impa should be with us soon, Reimu and her followers should be arriving later.” Darunia said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Alright. So, what is this about?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It appears that His Royal Highness, the King of Hyrule, wants to see us in person.” Nabooru said, just as the drawbridge came down, with Impa and Zelda standing on the other side of it.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Hey there.” Zelda said, smiling as she and Impa approached the group.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Hey, Zel. I take it you’re coming to get us?” Link asked, with Saria giggling at seeing Zelda blush lightly once more at Link’s affectionate nickname for her.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s right. Father wishes to meet you all in person, even though he knows Darunia already.” She said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, let’s not keep my other Sworn Brother waiting.” Darunia said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]With that, the group moved into the Castle itself, with Zelda and Impa leading the way towards the throne room.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Entering the throne room itself, the group would see the row of Royal Guards standing at either side of the red carpet, with the King himself sitting on his throne, smiling warmly at his daughter and her friends.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, if it isn’t my Sworn Brother Darunia. It pleases me to see you present here.” He said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Likewise, Brother.” Darunia said, smiling as he thumped his chest in enthusiasm.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link, out of habit, got on one knee and bowed down towards the King as a show of respect.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Your Highness, it is truly a great honor to meet you.” He said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Rise, young one. It pleases me to see one of the people whom has been aiding my daughter when she needed it in person as well. In fact, the stories I heard of you two working together with your other friends have been quite intriguing. Better yet, seeing each of you from the different races that dwell here show a sign of perfect co-operation, as if the races of Hyrule truly have united together.” The King responded with a smile.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]This brought a smile to Link’s face, even more so when the King readily accepted Nabooru as the representative and spokeswoman on behalf of the Gerudo tribe, something that Ganondorf himself tried to do before, but failed as a result of his plans of treason being exposed. Nabooru’s efforts to make an alliance with the King of Hyrule was unsurprisingly far more successful, especially since Princess Zelda herself had a lot of faith in her, which was proven over the time they spent together and fighting enemies together. Nabooru also explained to the King about how her tribe as a whole got into a civil war, with the King nodding in interest, especially when Nabooru informed him that those Gerudo whom opposed Ganondorf in the first place have done their best to gather and guard the survivors alongside any surviving soldiers where needed, which by itself would increase the trust the King had in Nabooru herself, especially when the information she gave him was confirmed and backed up by the others.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]After listening to the group about what they had gone through in order to save the lands, the King finally spoke.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I cannot express enough how thankful I am that you have fought so valiantly to save the lands and their people, even through the hardest of times. Which is why I’m informing you that tomorrow a ceremony shall be held in your honor. Until then, consider yourselves as Royal Guests of the Castle and its princess.” The King said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thank you, Your Highness. We expect the other people whom have done their best to aid us in the conflicts to arrive tomorrow as well.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The King nodded in understanding and acceptance with a smile, before flagging down one of the Royal Valets whom served as a butler.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Escort these heroes to the Royal Guest Chamber near the room of my daughter. It is time for the bad ceremony to take place.” The King said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What do you mean by that?” Saria asked curiously.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“There have been several soldiers whom have served me whom have shown acts of cowardice and treason. Impa will be attending as I need someone to see whom is lying or being truthful if they wish to explain their actions. I will be good enough to show mercy to those whom have genuine regrets or otherwise have redeemed themselves over the course of the conflicts, those whom show no regrets in their treasonous actions will be met with severe punishments, varying from being stripped of their titles, ranks and/or houses, demoted or perhaps even exiled or, in the case of the high treason offenders, executed.” The King said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The group nodded in understanding.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“For now, you can go to your guest quarters to rest up there. Tomorrow will be a day of celebrations.” The King said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thank you, Your Highness.” Link said, bowing again.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You can join them if you wish, dear Zelda.” The King then said to his daughter, who smiled at him in kind.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thank you, father.” Zelda said, moving off with the others as the valet took them to the guest room.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Several minutes later, Link, Saria, Zelda, Ruto and Nabooru had gathered inside the Castle’s Courtyard, a place where Zelda loved to spend some time in the open. It was also a bit of a trip down the memory lane for both the young hero and the Hyrulean Princess, as the very courtyard was the spot where they also met for the first time.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“To think that our adventure as a whole began over a year ago…” Link said as he sat on the steps towards the platform where Zelda spied on the clandestine meeting between her father and Ganondorf a year prior.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yeah. It’s hard to believe that only a few decisions and actions can influence events so big that they could have lasting consequences…” Zelda said, nodding.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll say. I mean, how long has this whole chain of events lasted?” Nabooru asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I lost track of time to be honest, but I feel certain that it must have taken up at least a month or so, maybe more, considering we’ve been traveling primarily on foot or by horse or by boat…” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Not to mention the times we were rendered out cold or when we were among the dead…” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yeah… and the times we also had to rest also took up some time. I’m surprised we eventually made it through this all.” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yeah. Time also flies whenever you’re occupied with something, like all those long battles…” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“True, not to mention all those puzzles we had to solve underway…” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We definitely need a vacation, I assume.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s right. At least we can now do the things we WANT to do instead of the things that we HAVE to do.” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed, it should definitely do us good to have some time off and relax for a change.” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right, that way we should have cleaned our minds too in a way by thinking of the good things.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You bet.” Link said as the five relaxed in the courtyard, absentmindedly picking up the sounds from Zelda’s father doing his work as a King by passing judgment on the traitors and granting mercy to those who showed genuine remorse or have in any other form or fashion redeemed themselves from their mistakes.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Nabooru was listening in the most on this, seeing as she was going to do a similar act upon her return to the Gerudo Fortress.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You know, I would like it if you four would accompany me towards the Gerudo Fortress when it’s time.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh? Any reason why?” Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“The main reason is that each of you will receive the Gerudo Membership Card, this way you can access and enter all areas of the Fortress at will. I’m extending this also to Darunia, Impa and Rauru as well.” She said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That is really nice of you.” Zelda said with a smile.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Nabooru smiled back at her in response.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Perhaps this will be a sign of long-lasting peace between our respective races.” She said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The others nodded as they relaxed, wishing that this time of peace would really last for a long time to come. Still, they would make sure the lands were safe and were more than ready to come to the people’s aid in the time of need, but for now they wanted nothing more than relaxing and just put their thoughts and minds aside, although Link, Saria, Ruto and Nabooru were curious as to what the ceremony of tomorrow was going to be about. Zelda had a distinct feeling that it would be something to express gratitude for their efforts to keep the lands safe. She would soon realize that it would be something more than just an act of gratitude…

[/font]

 

[Z-Fighter]

Spoiler

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Chapter 60: Epilogue[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The next day, Link woke up for a new day, blinking at first at seeing he was now in a royal suite that was fitting of an honored guest room within a castle, before blinking again at seeing that Saria, Zelda, Ruto, Nabooru, Impa, Darunia and Rauru were sleeping, while on different beds, in the same room as he was. He then remembered why he was here, yawning a little and stretching his arms, before plopping down on the cushion again for another moment. As he was now dressed in some night clothes the valet had supplied him, he decided to get out of the bed in search of the bathroom to wash up properly. As he got out to where he could wash himself, he startled as he saw the King outside the room.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Ah, Your Highness!” He said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, good morning, young lad. My apologies for startling you.” The King said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s alright. What can I do for you?”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I wanted to speak to you alone for a little while… at least until the others wake up.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Sure thing.” Link said, nodding as he was curious to know what the King himself had to say.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“First of all, I wish to express my sincere admiration for your skills in battle. From what my daughter Zelda has told me, your battle skills and valor are putting those of most of my soldiers to shame, especially since you refused to give up in even the darkest of times.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s no problem, Your Highness,” Link said, getting a little bit shy to be complimented by a King no less, “I just do what I believe is right to protect the lands and those I care about.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“And the result of that has paid you off in space, especially since you simply do it without being paid or simply told you to do. Which is why I want to give you an offer.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]That piqued Link’s interest.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“An offer?”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes. I wish for you to give my soldiers some pointers for when it comes to their fighting skills, so they can help in keeping the lands safe in future calamities more properly.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You mean like a battle instructor or tutor?”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Something like that, yes. It may seem odd considering your current age and everything, but believe me when I say that this can be of great benefit. You can expect soldiers at first not taking you seriously, until you actually show them what you’re made of. With the skills you’ve gained over time, you’re practically the best and youngest swordsman Hyrule has at this moment.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link nodded, smiling at the King.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I accept your offer, Your Highness. I feel certain that the soldiers will benefit from being taught some new skills. I can even recommend a Sword Training School in Clock Town, Termina that will suit the needs for the soldiers over there, or something the soldiers here can benefit from too in case I get occupied by other matters that require my attention.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Very well, I will take it into consideration. In which part of Clock Town is that school located?”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s located in West Clock Town, close to the gate leading to West Termina Field and by extension the Great Bay area. The school can definitely give some pointers in the basics and a challenge for those who think they are ready to take the Expert Course.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I thank you for your information. I also want to express my admiration for your courage and selflessness. I find that Zelda has become also quite more assertive as of late. She has become quite interested in you, I might add.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“She is?” Link asked, subconsciously feeling his heartbeat increasing a little.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yes. She admires not only your battle skills, but also has felt touched at your blatant disregard for your own safety; she seemed the most touched when you took a shot that Majora fired at her yourself in her defense, regardless of what happened after.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link was actually at a loss for words here, all he could give in response was having a slight grin on his face while scratching the back of his head. The King smiled at this.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I also feel like you and your closest friends can also have another job to be added to this.” He then said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh?” Link asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Since you have friends of each race that live here, I think it would be fitting that you and Zelda both could form a council of sorts, which your friends acting as representatives for their respective races, so you can discuss the matters at hand in times of need and see what you can do to assist those who need it. Through this it will show that Hyrule truly is a united land where no one gets left behind, if you get what I mean.” The King said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link gave it a serious thought.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s not a bad idea actually, I’ll see what they think of it first so I have their input on the matter. Besides, it shows that everyone will be treated equally.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“A very wise decision indeed. You seem to have quite the talent for making the right decisions. You’d make quite an amazing ruler of a country that has the full support of the people once you’re old enough.” The King said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link felt quite flattered at this compliment, making him smile.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Your friends should be waking up anytime soon now. I need to make the preparations for the ceremony today, so I will see you soon.” The King said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thank you, Your Highness.” Link said, bowing once more, before the two parted ways for the time being.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Unaware to Link, Zelda had woken up after he had left and was stretching out. She got out of her bed and walked to the door, being slightly distracted at hearing Rauru grunt a little as he moved to lay in a different position, therefore not noticing the door opening as Link got back in the room, while Link himself watched the King walk away down the corridor. Just as Link turned around to get back in the room, he bumped straight into Zelda as she walked out of the room, causing Link to fall flat on his rear as he grunted, but he had no time to look up as Zelda fell on top of him.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“OW!” both children said as they landed.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh, sorry about that. I didn’t see you there.” Zelda said to Link.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s alright, I should have looked where I was going too.” Link said, as both children got up.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So, what were you doing out here this early?”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Nothing special really, except having had a private word with your father, the King.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh? What did he say?”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“He revealed parts of what is likely going to be our reward for helping the people and defeating our nemeses. In fact, he offered us a job.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What kind of job?”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“He said something about the eight of us forming some kind of council in which we can discuss the matters within Hyrule and beyond at hand and see what we can do to help each other, as in the respective races, out. I think that can be used to our advantage; we could use the Chamber of the Sages as the meeting place for this.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Hmmm, you bring up a very interesting point there. Anything else?”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“His Royal Highness also offered me to help the loyal soldiers out in sharpening their sword skills. I even went so far as to recommend the Sword Training School in Clock Town for this, so they have the basic course and the Challenge course altogether.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s not a bad idea, but you do realize that Clock Town is days away from here, even on horseback, right?”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I know that. It’s actually part of my idea to also make it a test of will and determination, to see which soldiers are willing to become the top-notch swordsmen they aspire to be and which soldiers are either complete slackers or wish to excel in other weaponry, such as archery or artillery.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“And it also gives the soldiers experience with riding a horse for a long distance or just go on foot while also having kind of a survival thing going on. That should not only improve their sword skills, but also their condition too.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Exactly. That way they can prove to us that they are doing whatever they can in order to prepare themselves for any other events that require them to defend the lands from evil, just in case.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I agree. Perhaps we can bring this up in our first council meeting so we can set up a proper training program as well. Perhaps the Gerudo can help in instructing with other matters of sword combat or when it comes to the use of spears and glaives.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“My thought exactly.” Link said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Looks like we have quite the planning to do then.” Zelda then said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed, but as long as there is peace, we should take advantage of it. Perhaps we can travel around and see what else we can possibly learn to improve our skills even further.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed. We could make it into our vacation then as well.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Say, when will the Temple of Time be accessible again?”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This afternoon at best. Why?”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I wanted to know, since I think it’s the time again to put the Master Sword to rest again until it’s needed to slay evil. I’ll still have the Golden Sword and the Great Fairy’s Sword to defend myself with though…” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Wise idea. Besides, we should keep the Master Sword as a secret weapon in case the time was there. Which reminds me, has it gone back to normal actually? Since the Fairy Queen Venus has merged the Master Sword with your Gilded Sword after our resurrection...”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I think so; when I got to bed upon our return to the Kokiri Forest and all I saw that I was carrying two swords again. Perhaps the influence of the Fierce Deity’s Mask had something to do with it, since I had been wielding that oversized Golden Double Helix Sword during our last confrontation with Garo Ganjora. I didn’t pay much attention to it at first to be honest; getting the much needed rest after all those hectic battles and all other events was my primary concern, same with Saria; she’s been sleeping over at my place ever since we got back, mostly to help in chasing any potential nightmares away…” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Zelda understood this all too well, in fact it was one of the rare occasions she actually felt comfortable with Impa’s company during the night so she could sleep easy as well. Given Impa’s duty as Zelda’s attendant, it was only the right thing to do.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We should check it once the ceremony’s over. I wouldn’t want to keep father waiting.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right.” Link said, nodding as the two got prepared for the day.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Several hours later, the ceremony was on its way. The King of Hyrule sat on his throne, the royal guards standing in a row along the red carpet and at the main doors. Several civilians from Hyrule and Termina both, including Gorons, Zoras and Gerudo along with the Hylians, were present as they had been invited. Among them were also Malon, Talon, Ingo, the Indigo-gos, the Goron Elder from Snowhead, Romani and Cremia.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I wonder what this is about.” Romani said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“This is in celebration of those whom have helped in saving the lands of Hyrule and Termina.” Cremia said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]It was then that trumpets sounded in the hall, indicating the ceremony was about to begin. Everyone went quiet as eight people stepped in the room. Malon’s eyes went wide.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s the Fairy Boy from the forest… and is that the Princess?!” She asked her father.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That they are… and look, they must be friends of theirs, considering the friendly glances they give each other…” Talon replied.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]As soon as Link, Saria, Zelda, Ruto, Nabooru, Impa, Darunia and Rauru stood in front of the throne, the King spoke.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Ladies and Gentlemen, we are gathered here today to honor those people whom have contributed in saving our homes, our families, our loved ones and our friends. These people have gone through great lengths and have faced many trials and fought many enemies to accomplish the nigh-impossible task on defeating the villains responsible for this crisis. These people here have shown the power, wisdom and the courage needed to overcome all of these trials to reach their ultimate goal, which is to bring peace and prosperity back to our lands.” The King said, before approaching the group, drawing his sword, but keeping it low.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link and the Seven Sages kneeled in front of him, each with a smile on their faces.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Citizens of Hyrule, words cannot describe how grateful we are of you having successfully achieved the peace that you have fought for, defeating our sworn enemies once and for all. By Royal Decree, with this sword, I shall dub thee Knights of Hyrule.” The King said, before performing the accolade ceremony on each of the group, giving them a new rank by giving each of them a gentle stroke with the flat part of his sword  against the sides of their necks.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The resident audience blinked at seeing the Princesses Zelda and Ruto being given the same title as Link, but they were happy for them nonetheless, as it showed that everyone of the group has done their part. Once each of the group had been dubbed knight, they rose as the King handed them the insignias of their new order, which consisted of a badge with the crest of the Royal Family, with an added touch of having a custom-made insignia on it that represented their respective element/force, the latter being the wisdom for Zelda and the courage for Link. This was done as the King had been informed by Zelda of their adventures after all. Each of the group happily accepted this new insignia as a badge of honor, coupled with the new privileges that came with their new title. The surprising thing to most people  remained was that Zelda was being given the same privileges as well, as if she was being treated equally despite being the King’s daughter. Then again, not many have witnessed a princess doing her part in fighting off enemy forces personally, which in turn has effectively debunked the stereotypical part of princesses being a damsel in distress as observed in most stories. So seeing someone of royalty being also an active combatant was definitely a welcome change, in turn increasing the people’s respect for her altogether.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Congratulations to your new, added titles. You are now part of the Order of the Knights of Hyrule! May you serve long and well. Great songs will be sung of your deeds. You will be remembered with honor.” The King said, after which the audience erupted in cheers, giving the group a standing ovation.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]This all brought a smile to Link’s face, not just because of being given this title at his age, but because people recognized him for his heroic deeds to save the lands of Hyrule and Termina.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Now, bring in the Gerudo Reimu, Leia and their entourage.” The King said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]As the group and the audience turned around, they saw the group of six Gerudo entering the throne room. Each of them were quite nervous, but since word got out of their own heroic deeds and their quest for redemption for the most of them, people actually began to respect them. Which is why they were here as Link and the Sages stepped aside. The six Gerudo also kneeled in front of the King, showing their genuine respect for him.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“The six of you have faced quite the trials of your own as well and most of you performed acts that were out of your control, due to an malevolent, outside force making you do those heinous acts. Yet, when you were freed, you took responsibility for those acts and as such you have sought to redeem yourselves by fighting alongside our soldiers against the hated enemies and secured the safety of the survivors and those who sought refuge in distant villages. For these deeds you will be recognized. Therefore I am giving you a probation time for three months. Prove to us that you would do anything to complete your redemption and prove your loyalty towards your own leaders and those of other races. Once the period is over and your loyalty has been proven, you will be given Honorary Citizenship. All that we ask from you is to cement your loyalty to us. Consider it a final test.” The King said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thank you, Your Highness. We shall prove ourselves worthy to be at your command.” Reimu said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“See that you do. You are dismissed.” The King said with a smile.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Don’t forget, I’ll see you in the Fortress later today.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’ll be there, My Lady.” Reimu said, bowing before she left with the others, except for Leia as she was held back.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Leia, you have sought out our aid ever since I came to the fortress myself and helped me in ensuring that those Gerudo who  were brainwashed were liberated, giving them the chance to redeem themselves. Which is why you are being given the Honorary Citizenship right away in recognition of your deeds to aid us against our enemies.” The King said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thank you, Your Highness.” Leia said, bowing again.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The King nodded with a smile in recognition of Leia’s deeds before Leia herself left. With most of the ceremony complete, the festivities began in celebration of the preservation of Hyrule and Termina and the destruction of the evil that had infested it.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]A few hours later, Link and the Seven Sages were now standing in the Room of Time, where the Pedestal of Time was still present and miraculously intact even after the destruction of the Temple of Time. With the Temple itself being partially rebuilt and its structure reinforced to make it more resilient against attacks against it, Link felt it was now the right time to return the Master Sword back into its pedestal, to close the gateway between Hyrule and the Sacred Realm in the process, until the time comes where the sword is once more needed to slay the forces of evil. With the iconic thrust downward, Link plunged the Master Sword into its pedestal while the Seven Sages stood around it, the platform they stood on glowing for a brief moment in acceptance. Once this was done, Link and the Seven Sages gazed once more on the evil-banishing blade, before leaving the Temple of Time, heading towards the Gerudo Fortress to complete some of their final tasks before the group would travel around once again. This time, Navi, Tatl and Tael remained at the group’s side, not leaving them as they too had grown to learn the value of having a companion by their side, so they were not alone. Before leaving, Zelda played the Song of Time on the Ocarina of Time, closing the restored Door of Time to close off this part of their lives, until the time would come where it would be needed again. This also would ensure that no outsider would barge into the temple and take the Sword for themselves, especially when they were not in possession of the very treasures that could give one access to the Master Sword in the first place. Despite Link’s current Golden Sword having lost some of its power, it was by itself still twice as strong as the Gilded Sword by itself once was, making it still a formidable weapon, being only surpassed in power by the Great Fairy’s Sword.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Later on, as the group entered Gerudo Valley, the resident Gerudo blinked as they saw Nabooru approaching with an entourage of non-Gerudo people. Some of the guards there reacted on natural instinct and attempted to move to intercept the group, but one quick glare from Nabooru herself made the guards back off immediately, not wanting to risk the ire of their leader. Upon entering the Gerudo Fortress, the resident guards and other Gerudo immediately gave Nabooru a wide berth as well as bowing in respect, evidently recognizing that their leader was now back on business. After dismounting their horses, Epona among them, Link and the Seven Sages then entered the main room of the Gerudo Fortress where Aveil was waiting. Aveil had spent most of the time brooding within the fortress, but as word got out of Nabooru’s resurrection and the subsequent liberation of their brainwashed comrades and the arrest of several traitors gave the Second-In-Command hope. Hope which was justified as she instantly rose upon seeing the revitalized Nabooru and her entourage entering the room.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Lady Nabooru! It pleases me to see you back in the flesh once again.” Aveil said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Likewise, Aveil. What’s the status on the prisoners?” Nabooru asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“At your request we have separated those who wish to repent for their wrongdoings from the ones whom still believe they have done nothing wrong. We have detailed accounts on their actions from eyewitnesses. Some of the Gerudo whom sought redemption also helped in apprehending their more treacherous ‘comrades’, although the latter ones had to be restrained on multiple occasions as they wanted to kill those whom ‘sold them out’. Even in jail some of the treacherous Gerudo are still being violent within their cells.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I see. It’s time to get to business. First, I would like to have Reimu, Leia and those four Gerudo Pirates whom have been accompanying them here.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“As you wish. And what of your entourage?”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“They are my friends whom have helped me out within the battles of the past month and vice versa. I want to give them the Gerudo Membership Cards so they can make use of our training facilities whenever they please.” Nabooru said in a tone where she would not accept any retorts or protests.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I understand, My Lady. Your will shall be done.” Aveil said, before she went to work.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]A couple of minutes later, Link, Saria, Zelda, Ruto, Impa, Darunia and Rauru were given the Gerudo Membership Cards that allowed them free access to all the facilities the Gerudo Fortress had to offer, before Nabooru took her seat as leader of the Gerudo with Aveil at her side. Then several Gerudo Guards accompanying Reimu, Leia and the four Pirates came in the room, with the Guards taking position at the sides of the carpet and at the door, awaiting further orders. Once again Reimu and Leia as well as the four Gerudo Pirates were quite nervous, but relaxed as they saw Nabooru smiling at them.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Reimu and Leia, you and your comrades have served me well, despite the initial interference from certain outside parties,” Nabooru said, “since most of you are in the last stages of what you believe to be your quest for redemption, I have decided to give you a special assignment.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Reimu and Leia looked up, remaining silent.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Reimu, your assignment is to be my personal guard along with your sister Leia. Since I will be off traveling around soon again, I need two of my comrades as bodyguards and to assist my friends in their time of need. After observing your records and actions I have concluded that you two are the best qualified for the job.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thank you, Lady Nabooru. We shall prove ourselves worthy of this honor.” Reimu said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“See that you do. As for you four,” Nabooru said, turning to the remaining Pirates, “you will be assigned a similar position, but you will be at Aveil’s command.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Both the pirates and Aveil nodded in understanding and inwardly Aveil was happy; she had been in danger when the Gerudo Civil War came out and, while she did remain safe, she didn’t come out unscathed and several of her loyal comrades were either injured, captured, brainwashed or killed in the ensuing conflicts. So she could use a group of Gerudo who would remain loyal and protect her in case of Nabooru’s absence.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We accept the assignment.” One of the pirates said as all four of them bowed.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Good. If the rest of the redemption seeking Gerudo are as wise as you demonstrated, I have no doubt that our people will over time be more respected than ever before, especially since we have allied with the King of Hyrule. You may go to your posts now.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The six indeed went to their posts.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Alright, bring me the other Gerudo who are seeking redemption.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“As you wish. You have anything special in mind?” Aveil asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Since I’m in a good mood, I’ve decided that each of the Gerudo whom are seeking redemption can stay with us and will therefore not be stripped of their ranks and homes. However, this doesn’t mean they get away with it scot-free; I want to test them to see if their redemption-seeking quest is genuine.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What do you have in mind?” Aveil asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“If they really want to show that they want to redeem themselves, they must show it. A specialized training course will be prepared for this in our training center, where they must face several of the enemies we have captured there.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Would this also count for some of the traitors?”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“No. I have decided that all of the traitors will be exiled from this fortress and sent to either the isolated Gerudo Pirate fortress in the Great Bay area or otherwise into the Forest area close to that Forest outpost I have visited. Since that area is largely abandoned, it should be a fitting place for the exiled to gather there to live with the shame they have brought upon themselves. I regret having to take this course of action, but I have to show that such heinous actions of treason are simply intolerable.”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Will this also mean they have a chance to come back?” Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Only if they have an actual change of heart and are also seek redemption. But this will go at a different level than with the redemption-seekers here; those who are exiled will have nothing to their name and thus must be willing to work VERY hard if they ever want a chance at regaining their honor.” Nabooru asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“So in a way it’s like what my father does as a discommendation act, am I correct?”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Suffice it to say, your old man inspired me to follow this kind of example.” Nabooru said with a smirk, to which Zelda responded with a smile and an acknowledging nod.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Soon enough, the judgments have passed. While the redemption-seeking Gerudo were elated that they at least had a place to stay, despite being on probation and earning what they seek, the treacherous Gerudo were upset in regards to being exiled. While some of the Gerudo appeared to show signs of remorse by accepting their fates with a bowed head, others had to be dragged out of the chambers while shouting curses at their fellow kin as well as Nabooru’s friends. Link’s fingers itched to show them a thing or two, but Nabooru stopped him.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Remember this, kid; sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” She said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Nodding, Link relented and stood down, wondering if it was still because of the Fierce Deity’s Mask’s influence that made him a bit on edge when his friends were concerned. A comforting hand around the shoulders from both Zelda and Saria put him at ease, causing him to hug his friends.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]As business picked back up in both Hyrule and Termina, it appeared that both lands seemed to enjoy a time of peaceful co-existence and co-operation. Lon Lon Ranch for instance agreed to a brand partnership with Romani Ranch, which would prove to become a positive influx on the businesses of both ranches respectively, so much that the Gorman Brothers eventually forfeited their own business and began to focus more on the horse racing department, their milk business already having sealed its fate once their acts to put Romani Ranch out of business became public knowledge. Clock Town’s Sword Training School also received a positive influx of business, primarily because of Link’s recommendation to make use of its facilities to get down the basics of Sword combat, coupled with the Expert Challenge that would earn those who passed a legitimate certificate which would later on become mandatory for those aspiring in becoming professional swordsmen. Both Clock Town and the rebuilt Kakariko Village would also observe an increase in tourists, with the market area in Hyrule Castle Town also becoming more popular among tourists from Termina.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The Indigo-go’s, the famous Zora band from the Zora Cape in the Great Bay area, had gathered around the grave of their fellow band member, comrade and hero Mikau, paying their respect to him by holding a moment of silence, while also playing the song they had been composing in his honor. The Gorons in Snowhead were occasionally seen visiting the Goron Shrine in the Mountain Village to pay their respects for their hero Darmani the Third, believing that his wandering spirit was still around to safeguard them and ensure that the Goron Village would remain safe. The Deku Butler was on his turn comforting the Deku Princess as they visited the final resting place of the Deku Butler’s son, the Princess’ love interest, whom was the first victim to be killed/cursed by the rampaging Majora before his arrival in Clock Town and by extension Termina itself. The Deku King himself was also present, saddened at seeing his only daughter crying bitter tears at the loss of her love. Several Gerudo have been working on a graveyard of their own at the backside of the Gerudo horseback archery challenge, burying the bodies of their fallen comrades whom they had been able to retrieve over the course of the past days. The King of Hyrule himself attended the funerals of those soldiers and civilians whom had fallen in the aftermath of Ganondorf and Majora’s rampage, while those who were resurrected also attended to honor those whom had made their sacrifices. The Kokiri on their turn also still mourned the loss of the Great Deku Tree, even though there was still hope for them as a new sprout was beginning to grow, in effect making sure that the Kokiri would still have a guardian tree watching over them over the years to come.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link was once more traveling through the forest area while riding his trusty steed Epona, but this time he was not alone. Sitting behind him was his childhood friend Saria, while five other horses were accompanying them. One of those horses was a Royal Gray which was rode by Impa with Princess Zelda in front of her, the four other horses being the generic horses which were rode by Nabooru and Ruto, Rauru, Reimu and Leia respectively. The one who didn’t need a horse was Darunia, as his rolling speed easily matched the speed of a galloping horse by itself. Flying close to Epona were the fairies Navi, Tatl and Tael, whom felt quite comfortable in such a big company. Of course, Tael couldn’t resist teasing both his sister Tatl and their friend Navi, which earned him being chased by the two female fairies in kind, earning a good laugh from the others. Seeing the bright sun up ahead, the group noticed they were coming close to a clearing as they continued to explore the forest, in search for a good place to spend their vacation. Seeing it as a potential spot, they let the horses gallop towards it, with Darunia leading in his role to prevent injury to the horses themselves, as if in search for a new and hopefully more peaceful adventure. And as the group moved towards the clearing, the first tunes of Saria’s Song resonated throughout the area.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]THE END.

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