People Of Death Mountain ((Dark Dreams & ArcturusV))

[Dark_Dreams]

The lands of Death Mountain where almost as dangers as the things that called it home, thus not many people called this land home. Maybe that was why the “Shadow Folk” the Sheikah use to calm this land as their own. This ancient clan of ninja-like warriors sworn to protect the Royal Family of Hyrule, even after death. Skilled both in magical and combative art. It is assumed that many died during the Hyrulean Civil War. The race grew ever more rare after the Imprisoning War, and were presumed extinct after the Great Flood. The Sheikah, well known for their tradition of passing down heirlooms and stories to their descendants One such story told is that none other then The Legend of the Sword of Time…..and where the keys to it are hidden.

One of the keys to the Master Sword is on Death Mountain, as it the old man who knows where it is. Ahriman, the dark wizard knows one of the keys is there, thus he sends several of his enslaved Hylian knights to death mountain to find this old man, his secrets, and bar the way to whatever powers await the legendary hero. After all he can not allow the hero of time to wield this weapon.

However, it seems something has been hunting these knights from the shadows. Picking them off one after another, quickly and quietly. But Death Mountain is known for its grave dangers…..but why then can’t the remaining knights find the fiend that has been hunting them. The fiends that move threw the shadows….watching, waiting.

__________​

At less ten shadows seemed to watch the remaining knights from the safety of the cliffs. Unseen by the ones they had been hunting. Hylians, well most would think anyways. Hidden by layers of cloth, light armor and bandages. That is until you saw one of these so called Hylians eyes….blood red. Just like the fire that burned inside this Goddess forsaken place. The red eye symbol adorning there clothes and flesh. A myth seeming to come alive out of the pages of the temple scrolls.

Thgil was one of these warriors. A Sheikah just like her brothers and sisters, but her gender hidden away by her clan’s clothing. The symbol of her clan tattooed over her eye, those bright red eyes. Watching the knights below them move with out knowledge of them being there.

 

[ArcturusV]

Int he back of his mind, he could feel the fear. It screamed at him, threw itself at the great shadow within his mind and soul that was the Dark Wizard's curse upon the knights and soldiers. It exhausted itself against the magic, losing out, unable to wrest control from Ahriman's desires. It left Janus feeling drained, aware of the terror that should be rampaging his heart, but his body and mind feeling nothing but the drive to accomplish the mission.

He gripped his blade tightly in his left hand, the hylian shield strapped to his right forearm. His company marched in a triangular formation. Janus Strongarm, given the task of being "point" with the rest of the Knight having gone missing over the time on Death Mountain, only six lesser trained Guardsmen remaining of the company that had set out.

Days ago they had found the cave lair of the Old Man. No one was there. That night three men disappeared without a trace. Two more fell to monster attack, one crushed by a boulder which seemingly fell on its own. The bad luck had continued, more men disappeared, some fell to monster attacks day and night. There was no signs left of the Old Man, his trail had just seemingly disappeared. All they could find was death and fiends.

Janus could feel the dark wizard's desires in his mind. Him, and his fellows, would never retreat, no matter how many were lost, going to the last man if that was what it took. Fear, doubt, it existed, it haunted his twisted nightmares, but never was it strong enough to overcome the magic.

His hand tightened on his sword. A dull instinct told him someone was watching. He had that feeling almost constantly, someone other than Ahriman. He glanced around, seeing nothing out there once again. Almost always the case, excepting the few times that he had caught monsters stalking him.

 

[Dark_Dreams]

Thgil and her group moved swiftly threw the rocks that over looked the few knights that were left. Now watching their steps more closely, having seen one of the men starting to take notice that something more was going. She was almost sure that he had seen her, and yet he did nothing time and time again. Yet again the fiends that roamed this land help keep eyes off Thgil and her small group.

However, the formation the men where in seemed almost to good of a chance to pass up. Even if one of them seemed to take notice that most of the bad luck that had fell upon them was because of this goddess forsaken place. The "Shadow Folk" watching the troops below, almost as if they new what was going on inside their head...knowing about the dark magic that was controlling them. But they could not risk there clan being found or the old man that they where watching over.

Thgil, kept watching. Waiting.....Perfect, with a slight movement of her hand it seemed like part of the cliff started to come down on top of them.

Small rock, large rock…a land slide, coming down on the group. Trying to trap them under the rubble, the dust rolling clear leaving a brief moment of anyone left alive to see Thgil watching them before she moved to hide. Only a brief moment, or so she thought. The land slide leaving the wall of the cliff weak and causing her to slip slightly as she made her way back to the rest of her little group.

((sorry this one is a little short.))

 

[ArcturusV]

A pebble, a rumble, dust in the skies. The men knew that rocky doom was coming. Landslides were not unheard of on Death Mountain, and the troupe had already suffered through several. At the first signs, Janus's arm whipped out, pointing his longsword to the cliff in one motion. He screamed out "COVER!" as the men scrambled for the cliff side. Janus lead the way, pressing his back against the cliff at a point where it cut back in upon itself just slightly, giving the smallest overhead slope outwards, away from his spot. Kneeling down there, his shield raised overhead, he waved over his men. Three of them were too slow, large boulders raining down, knocking into them, one flattened with a crunch he knew could not have left the man alive. The other knocked in the chest as one of them rebounded off the ground, carrying him off the narrow trail they had been hiking up and down the next drop, far out of sight, his screams trailing off. Two more were clipped on their way towards Janus, an arm broken from the way it hung limp at his side, and another who seemed in a daze as he slumped against the cliff, having taken a fairly smaller rock to the helmet. Only one came out unscratched as Janus did, huddling next to him, holding his shield up, overlapping Janus's right side, the two Hylian Eagle insignias pointed towards the sky.

Not that Janus thought a shield would stop a boulder. Not in the least. But he knew, in the back of his Knight's Training that such symbols and actions bolstered men where courage would fail. Bravado, false or otherwise, often carrying the day. Those reflexes still kicked in, despite the wizard's curse making such things as fear and morale meaningless. He huddled there until the rocks stopped rumbling. His shield moved aside slightly as he stood up, watching the sky for a last, unexpected surprise...

... A figure, humanoid, hylian? Janus could see the barest sign of a leg as the assailant scrambled away, slipping on the rocks. He could feel the Wizard in his mind, studying the image and the memory, tearing apart his mind. His hand loosened on his blade, gripping at his helmet. It hurt so much. He staggered a step away as more of the Wizard's power entered his mind. He barely kept on his feet, his breathing ragged as the Wizard finally slipped away from him.

He stepped back, picking up his blade, looking over the soldiers left in his command. He stood over the injured two, his face seeming to be impossibly dark, little more than shadows and bright red eyes beneath the helm. "We have no use for the fallen," his voice seemed to be two speaking in unison. His blade rose up, plunging with two deft strikes into the injured men, sliding between helmet and breastplate, watching their blood ooze out and their life fade away.

He turned towards the surviving soldier, "Find them," he commanded again, in that dual voice. The man snapped off a quick salute, standing up as quickly as he could. The soldier walked towards the west, along the path, his eyes searching the cliffs above, looking for a place to ascend.

And Janus just as quickly turned east, continuing upon the trail they had been on. The darkness faded from around his face. He felt weary but compelled to go on. He saw blood on his naked blade, but could not recall who's it was.

 

[Dark_Dreams]

Red orbs watched as the rocks took out all but two of the knights. No smile could be seen on their faces, not that some where not smiling...just that cloth, bandages and light armor seemed to hide all features of both face and body. The leader of the group of Sheikah that had been following the knights spiting his group. Keeping Thgil with him, along with another young warrior. Sending the others after the knight that was ordered to find them. In the end all that would be heard of that poor young man would be a scream. The answer of if he was dead or alive was another story.

The group of three Sheikah followed from the safety of the cliffs, their attacks coming to a stop as the followed the last Knight. The one that killed two of his own wounded. They knew he had seen Thgil. Yet, no one blamed her for it. No the younger member even laughing about her slip up some. “Seems your loosing your edge Thgil.” the whispered earning him a swift slap to the back of his head as they followed the last knight.

Yet, they knew that night was falling, and the knight was making better time then the “Shadow Folk” had hoped for. No at this rate the knight would reach the rest of their clan by morning. They could not have this happened, and yet the spots to place attacks where growing lesser by the mile. The cliffs slowly starting to level out in some areas. Being replaced by low deep holes in the ground. Mostly cased by lava flow from when Death Mountain last blew.

It was leaving the Sheikah with little options left for attack. Soon they would have to face there foe face to face. It would be then the Knight would not be allowed to leave. Not waiting the world to know that the race of shadows still lived on in this place. No, if the dark wizard would find out about them, no doubt he would send his forces to Death Mountain and the race that was though lost would be. After all the Clan was no bigger then about 50 or 60 members. Not large enough to defined against the dark wizard's forces. This knight seemed to stubborn to turn back and cut his losses. It would be the leader of the Sheikah force that would show himself first to him. His voice muffled by the cloth around his mouth, but still loud, “You know I really though you would have turned back by now Knight. Just as stubborn as your lord I see…..”

It seemed that his voice was with out emotion. The other two members of his clan joining behind the leader. Thgil taking her place at his right, the other at his left. Out of the three you could not tell who was man and who was woman. Every member covered with cloth, light armor and bandages. The marking of there clan worn proudly on there chest.

 

[ArcturusV]

The knight stopped dead in his tracks as the three Shadow Folk appeared before him. His shield still strapped to his right arm, his blade hung loose in his left hand, pointed towards the earth. He had been wearing out for the past several hours, his steps faltering from time to time, his shoulders slumped, feet dragging across the stones and dirt as he climbed ever so slowly up Death Mountain.

His eyes looked out from under his helmet at the shadow folk, they barely seemed to register what was going on before him. They were horrendously bloodshot, sunken back into his skull. What you could see of his face seemed gaunt and drawn, dark circles under his eyes thick and large. He exhaled slowly, his body shuddering under his armor as he did so.

His helmet grew dark. His face faded away in the shadows. The exhaustion seemed to be gone. He stood up straighter, his right foot slid forward towards the shiekahs, his shield raised up towards the three. His blade rose up behind him, held behind and above his shoulder, blade tip pointed to the sky over the shadow folks' heads. His eyes seemed to be replaced only by a yellow light that looked out upon them.

"Where is the old man?" he asked, his voice again seeming to be two overlapping, the higher pitched voice of the Dark Wizard coming through with his own baritone.

 

[Dark_Dreams]

The Shiekahs looked at each other, some as the knight spoke. They could hear the different tones in his voice as clear as day. Something there leader had not heard in a long time and something the two younger had never heard. Thgil and the other young Shiekah pulling their weapons free but their leader lifted his head, making them wait in their attack. “Now why do you want the old man Knight. He is of no use to you or your lord?”

Yet, it seemed that they would be no talking to his man, or the being that was controlling him. Such pity it seemed, maybe the souls they had killed threw out their journey to find the old man were just like the knight that stood before them. A soul trapped inside their own body. Yet, they knew of the danger these men could bring if the Dark Wizard learned of the Clan’s whereabouts. They knew they could not just capture this knight and bring him back with them. No, they could not take the chance, not knowing if who ever controlled this man could look threw his eyes.

“Turn back now,” Finally Thgil spoke out, her voice almost genderless as she called out to him, “If not your fate will not be kind.” Again her leader lifted his hand to quite her. He knew that there was to talking to the knight, no they where talking to someone else it seemed.

 

[ArcturusV]

Janus's voice called out, overlapped with the dark wizard's still. "Descendant of the Sages... holder of the mirror... guardian of the Pendant of Courage..." His words came out slow, dripped with poison. Janus's yellowed eyes shifted from Elder, to the stranger, to Thgil as she spoke up. The man hadn't moved a muscle yet, but his stance did not waver. "Shadow blood..."

As the last words drifted out from his mouth, the knight charged forward. He went to the right of the Elder, his shield leading the way. His eyes were locked upon Thgil, an inhuman war cry torn from his throat. He moved quickly, more than human right now, but just barely. As he passed by the elder his shield shifted to his right side, keeping the hylian steel between him and the other two as his blade struck out in an overhead slash at Thgil's skull. his heart was pounding, straining with the effort of keeping up with the dark magic and its demands on his body.

 

[Dark_Dreams]

The man's words seemed to catch them all off guard. Watching in shock at the knight by passed her leader and other in her group as he came after her, Thgil could not help but defend herself. Twin short swords already drawn crossing in front of her face to deflect the knight's sword. Catching it in the cross her blades made. Her leader and the other young warrior drawing their weapons now only to find the knight's shield between them and the man. Thgil moving fast to try and get of the way of the knight's attack.

If anything she thought her leader would have been attacked first, and what was this guy talking about just before he attacked. His eyes seemed to lock with hers if only for a moment. Trying to bring one of her swords around to try and strike at the knight.

 

[ArcturusV]

There was a quiet noise coming from the man as Thgil blocked and darted away. It might have been a snort, or even a derisive chuckle. The knight's feet planted on the ground, not chasing after the run away Shiekah. His legs snapped out form under him, propelling him towards his right, away from Thgil and her counter attack. He kept his shield up, aimed to bash and batter at the leader of this little group. They seemed small, lithe, quick. He kept his feet churning as they hit the ground, attempting to use his size, power, and weight to overrun the two before Thgil could catch up.