Patreon LogoYour support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)

The Demon Lord Rises (Broomhandle and Princess)

Ike watched them all dart back into the town properly and furrowed his brow. It seemed they had a lot of problems in Hyrule, perhaps it wasn't his place...but he had somewhat made it his place to become involved, didn't he?

"Titania, set up a perimeter just in case," Ike murmured. "Soren, let's go see what's going on." Maybe he could get a better idea of just what their problems were, and how they could sell themselves properly.
 
Soren followed Ike, as he usually did, though his red eyes seemed troubled. To be honest, this was a different kind of threat, one that seemed dangerous. And while he was sure they could charge a decent amount for their services here, this was not simply a one time mission. This was a conflict that seemed to be a regular occurrence considering the organization of Zelda's army around the castle walls, which was slowly thinning to aid with the chaos inside.

"If you are planning to get involved Ike, I would assume you are planning to stay here for some time as well. It would be good pay." That was all he was concerned about, really. He just wanted to make sure Ike was prepared for a long campaign.
 
"Seems they need the help," Ike said, giving his friend an easy smile. "Since when have we ever turned down a good contract, Soren? We'll consider this a test run of what we can do for them, the Queen seemed impressed, at any rate." There was never a dull job since they left Tellius, was there? It seemed like they got into one mess and then another without much stopping.
 
Soren only nodded to Ike in response, though he did not return his friends smile. They were in an entirely different country, one that was inhabited by a humans with pointy ears and black magic seemed abundant here. The monsters they had defeated were not flesh and bone, each time they were slain they disappeared in inky darkness. From what he could see, their leader was more than a simple spell or blot of dark magic. He did not bleed when Ike had cut him, but he was hurt from Ragnell. He would have guessed him to be the castor, however, the problem did not disappear along with him.

Indeed, Soren's suspicions were confirmed when they entered Castle Town, as it was called on the map. The creatures were the same, although they were much less organized. As if there was nothing around commanding them, but here they were, summoned. The guards were doing their best to keep the citizens safe, but it was apparent that some were simply not trained in handling threats like this. Soren wasted no time in using his magic to knock back a few who were trying to break into a house.

"Suppose there's no harm in showing what we're made of." He sniffed as he sent another blast of wind towards the prone demons, banishing them from their miserable existence. The blades of wind were not merciful in slicing them limb from limb before they faded away.

****

Zelda was not too far ahead of her new found companions, but while she was helping her guards and soldiers keep the citizens safe, she couldn't help but notice a group of them headed for the graveyard. There were about twenty of them, and they were purposely avoiding the fray. She was about to follow, but more creatures suddenly appeared from the shadows and ambushed her, stabbing their daggers at her horse.

"Be gone!" She hissed as she raised her blade in the air. It shone brilliantly with magic and had no issues destroying her initial threat, her horse had gotten hurt in the process. She wasn't battle fit anymore, and Zelda dismounted. "You did good today, girl. Find a safe place and rest." She whispered to her before she took off on foot to follow the hoard. She needed to make sure there were no citizens hiding in the old church. Maybe that's why they were headed over there?
 
Ike was impressed at what he saw when he and Soren moved their way to Zelda, flicking blood off Ragnell with a faint frown as he glanced around. Now, why in the world would anyone be going here...?

"Getting a bad feeling?" Ike asked his partner almost rhetorically as they moved to follow after the Queen. Whatever these...things were, they did not like Ragnell in the slightest. Sometimes, even swinging the blade made them hiss away in fear before they attacked again. It was an odd game of chopping wayward heads that managed to peek back out. That confirmed the obvious suspicions, he supposed. These creatures were likely demons of some kind. But it wouldn't do very well for them to lose their potential employer, would it?
 
"Well, this is not a battle between two enemy nations. These are monsters and we're obviously dealing with some kind of magic." Soren answered as they trailed after the Queen. That was strange, she was going off on all her own without escorts. She was either very capable or very stupid.

The air was starting to thicken, and when Zelda stopped in her tracks, he knew something was wrong. When they finally caught up to her, he realized why she had stopped. Their bodies were hard to see with only the moonlight, but their were hundreds of them, he could see their yellow eyes moving about as they swarmed around the old, abandoned looking church in the graveyard. Soren could see a faint amount of energy that surrounded the church, it looked like a barrier. What in the world was in there?

"Gods," Zelda whispered to her new allies. "I don't know what they're doing over here like this, swarming in such large numbers. But I must destroy them before they go back to the town...will you both help me?"
 
"We will," Ike confirmed, eyes narrowing. "There is a great evil in this place, it must be cleansed," he said, shouldering Ragnell with a faint exhale. What sort of foul magic was this? This place was choking with it, and he could feel Ragnell thrum gently in his hands. He had been so attuned to the blade for so long, he understood it's oddities. This magic would burn under his blade, and the air would be clean again.

He supposed carrying around a weapon blessed by a goddess came in handy sometimes, didn't it?
 
"You both have my thanks," Zelda told the stranger before her sword disappeared in a glitter of magic. In it's place, a large bow that was bright enough to illuminate the entirety of the graveyard appeared in her hands. Soren watched as light began to collect inside of it, forming what looked to be a massive arrow, and it wasn't long before the demons were provoked into going for it's source. "Please keep the occupied for a bit, it will take me a few moments to prepare my attack."

"Ike, let me have the pleasure of destroying the first wave." Soren said simply as he moved to switch tomes. If they were to charm a queen, they needed to impress her with their most dazzling attacks now wouldn't they?

He didn't quite like using Rexcalibur, although this situation warranted it. It was his strongest tome, and it would kill plenty of them in a single use. Whatever the Queen was planning, they had to thin out the enemy forces as much as possible before she carried out her attack.

He took a deep breath and began reading the tome, casting his magic. The air around him began to cool, his robes began to flutter around him as his red eyes focused on the mob of demons that were headed right for them. Before they could come too close, he finished his spell and multiple large spires of ice shot from the dirt below them, impaling dozens almost instantaneously. The attack did not end there, however. The chilling winds acted as a vortex, sucking more mobilins into it's center, and the spires of ice only grew into a mountainous glacier that towered above them until it shattered, destroying whatever it had swallowed in its path. That was a good chunk of them, enough to buy Ike some time to advance.

Zelda had to admit she was impressed. She had never seen a spell like that cast with such ease. Just who were these people?
 
Soren could be as subtle as a stampede of wild horses when he wanted to be, it never ceased to amaze him how Soren could remain so calm and collected and thinking of work at a time like this. Ike's cape billowed violently against the magic of Rexcalibur rolled over his shoulders. It had been a long time since he had felt that biting wind against his skin, but he ignored it to take advantage of the opening.

Ragnell rolled off his shoulders easily as he cut through the first Moblin, attracting the rest to his position. The golden blade seemed to glint ominously against the dark atmosphere, hissing and crackling around the surface. This area was well, and truly evil...what exactly had they come into by coming here? Right now, it didn't matter as Ike advanced without hesitation, Ragnell connected with a downward swing as he retracted back, pivoting on his foot to swing wide and catch a group of them on his huge swing before he advanced further, weaving through the moblins with practiced ease.

Such odd creatures, so small and with large heads...but they died the same as anything. It was clear, regardless of how much they were getting paid...that they needed help. Unfortunately for Soren, Ike already had it in his mind to help them.
 
Zelda watched Ike's movements carefully. He was magnificent with that sword, and she could tell it was definitely blessed by the heavens the way it shined radiantly in the moonlight. In just the few minutes it took to charge her attack, nearly a third of the moblins had been wiped out by Soren and Ike alone. She planned to extinguish another third of them, and as soon as she got an opening she fired her divine arrow at the heart of the mob. Her light did nothing to harm Ike, but it melted and destroyed the demonic flesh of the creatures and sent them flying back until they were obliterated into nothingness.

Her attack brought the remainder of monsters to a much more manageable number. Routing by sword was now possible, and it would be a while until she could do that attack again. Her sword appeared once more in her hands, and she moved swiftly to Ike's side, being careful not to get in his way.

It seemed like the three of them had the situation under control, but Zelda could sense something was wrong. Very wrong. That suffocating feeling wasn't going away, it was only making the air thicker despite their successes.

That was when she noticed the ground shifting, the graves cracking. Oh Gods...they weren't even close to being finished, were they? Stalfos'...what on earth could be spawning them here?!
 
"Your land is rife with magic," Ike commented idly, sword on his shoulder again with a deep frown. A magic that seemed to pay no heed between right and wrong, but the display of light was an impressive show of power that made him realize that this Queen was no delicate flower. "And conflict, it seems," he grunted, rolling Ragnell off his shoulder to simply swing at a lunging Stalfos, shattering their bones with a pulse of light.

"More importantly...what in the world is causing this?" Ike mumbled, backpedaling to defend for Soren.
 
"I could be wrong, but the source seems to be coming from that church." Soren stated just before casting a much quicker, smaller wind spell that completely sliced through several Stalfos', shattering them into dust. "Perhaps we should investigate, provided they stop spawning long enough for us to do so."

Zelda turned her gaze to the church for a moment, though there were no openings in her defense as another Stalfos stabbed at her with a spear. She gracefully and swiftly dodged, and then attacked, dancing through her enemies and slicing through them like paper with the help of her light magic. "You're right, I am sure of it...perhaps that's why all those bublins congregated here, they were attracted to the darkness." Zelda mused, but before she could think much longer, more creatures began to burst from the ground while others that weren't completely destroyed started to reform themselves. Was there no end in sight?!

No matter how many they seemed to slay, it seemed rather pointless, and Zelda was frankly becoming winded.

"You seem to be struggling...perhaps I could be of assistance?" The voice sent chills up her spine, but she instantly recognized it. The witch, Medusa! These were definitely Ganondorf's creatures, but Zelda knew without a doubt the moment she turned around and saw her smug face that she was behind this all! "Don't give me that look, Zelda. We are at peace, and I mean no harm."

Soren narrowed his eyes, wondering exactly what magic this woman had used to get behind all of them like that without any of them noticing. The monsters were starting to idle, as if they were fixated on the woman and did not want to attack. Well, it was easy to see that she was their keeper.
 
Ike glanced over to the woman who spoke, brow shifting into minor confusion. In a way, she was beautiful...in others, she was clearly a demon dressed in a beautiful skin. The way she looked at them reminded him of Ashera in a way, an unpleasant revelation so far from home. Clearly, Zelda didn't like this woman and he wasn't sure what to make of her other than a wary sense of distaste...perhaps a minor flaw in choosing a side before you knew the entire conflict.

"And who are you, my lady?" Ike asked curiously.
 
Medusa's blue eyes wandered to the man who addressed her. Who was this now? No sigil that indicated he belonged to Zelda's army, but he had simply joined the fray from seemingly no where, hadn't he? This was the one that forced Ghirahim to retreat, that much she did know. The sword he carried wasn't an ordinary one, and from what she had witnessed this far it seemed to be very effective against the darkness.

He was a problem, one that would eventually had to be dealt with. The mage was also an issue, but a minor one considering his spells were not specifically harmful to her, or Ganondorf.

"I am Medusa, Goddess of Darkness. I'm a little offended Zelda did not speak of me." She grinned.

"Why are you here?!" Zelda demanded, though she did not lower her guard for a second, even if the monsters were still.

"Simple, I need to get inside that structure. And all of these pests are in my way. So, if you'll excuse me..." Medusa did not wait to be excused, she simply raised her hand and her staff appeared instantly. She would not destroy such good help, but she could make it seem like so.

Soren watched the "Goddess" warily, after all they were no stranger to them. This one happily proclaimed her status and walked around so freely...why? Who exactly was the Queen of Hyrule involved with?

His thoughts trailed off when she vanished completely, seemingly melting in with the shadows of the night. His body tensed as he calmly scanned the area. Now that he was focused, following the density of her magic wasn't hard, especially when she seemed to be charging some kind of spell. It was strong, he'd admit. But not as strong as Ashera.

One by one, the Stalfos began to evaporate into mist. It rose in the air like a disease, but the denseness of the evil was beginning to fade, and the only thing left was her. She had somehow made it to the church doors, which explained why he could not find her. It seemed impressive that she had destroyed an entire army of skeleton men, but he knew better. This snake woman was not to be trusted.

"Don't let your guard down." Zelda said lowly to the both of them.
 
"What is here that is so important to a goddess?" Ike asked her curiously, glancing at Zelda. More importantly, why did a Goddess roam around freely with mortals? It seemed that they had gotten involved in some kind of...holy war, maybe? Zelda obviously didn't trust her, and he had a better feeling with Zelda than he did Medusa, so perhaps he had chosen correctly anyway. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, as they say.

He supposed the pay would at least be good.
 
"There shouldn't be anything there." Zelda answered back as she watched Medusa dispel the barrier that surrounded the church. That church was rarely ever used, why would she bother with it? "I can't leave her alone, I don't trust her. I will tell you the details later, right now I need to investigate. Don't put away your weapons." She continued as she started walking forward.

Medusa turned to face her again, tilting her head to the side with a mocking grin. "I have taken care of the monsters here, why do you stay? Should you not be checking on your little town? There might still be threats there."

"You're a threat. I don't know what you're doing here, but it's not a coincidence that we are attacked and you are here. Who was that man who tried to storm our walls with Ganondorf's minions?!"

"No idea," Medusa responded easily. "You seem a little ungrateful considering I took care of a small army for you and your little friends. If you didn't want me here, you should have specified that in the treaty. I can come and go as I please. I did nothing wrong, I have hurt no one. I'm doing the opposite really, if you want proof you're more than welcome to come inside. You're wasting valuable time, however. Your allies are quite strong and would be useful elsewhere. If you want, you can leave the red eyed boy here, though. He's just my type, I like the way he glares at me." Medusa laughed menacingly as her eyes fixated on Soren. He reminded her of Pit, but he seemed much quieter.

Soren did not shift his gaze away, because he knew if he did, it would satisfy her in some way. He would not let her intimidate him. Although he did step closer to Ike, before he could even realize he did.
 
Ike arched a brow at her but said nothing. That was Soren for you, always attracting women left and right. He chose to ignore her for the time being, glancing at Zelda. A Goddess who seemed to interested in the affairs of mortals, that ended well. So what was she doing here other than the kindness of her heart?

"Go with her majesty, Soren," Ike said faintly. "If it pleases the Queen, I'll keep an eye on Lady Medusa."
 
"As you wish. Your majesty?" Soren gestured to the entrance, and Zelda nodded. If it was a trap, she'd at least have back up. Medusa stepped aside for them, crossing her arms as if she were impatient. Though she didn't particularly look guilty either.

Zelda moved forward with Soren following closely after, disappearing into the shadows of the church. Medusa only smirked, since she knew she would be disappointed.

"If I were you," Medusa purred as her eyes slithered back over to the blue haired man. "I would tread very carefully if you choose to stay here and aid Zelda. I can tell you're not from around here, just like me." It was hard for that to not come off as threatening, but there was a complacent, seemingly innocent smile on her face.
 
"There is a saying about mercenaries, Lady Medusa: The only smart mercenary is a poor one," Ike murmured, shifting Ragnell in front of him to stab it into the ground, it's blade glowing faintly almost in warning. "Your concern is appreciated, but I've survived so far, and I will continue to do so." And more to the point, something about her made him uncomfortable in numerous ways. It was obvious that Zelda was the right choice.

Or at least, that's what he was going with for now. A short-term contract could extend into a longer one, provided they understood what was going on.
 
Medusa turned her gaze to Ragnell, grimacing faintly at the glow. She could sense it, just faintly. There was a spirit within the blade, though it seemed dormant unlike Ghirahim. Even so, she could feel it's desire to protect it's wielder. Yes, she could tell this one would be a pain if she left him be. Maybe Zelda had ideas of her own to get around the truce?

"So you and the black haired boy are mercenaries?" She asked with minor intrigue. "Has the queen hired you?"
 
"Yes," Ike lied without hesitation. "She requested our services, so we are here to aid in the defense of Hyrule." Her questions were intentionally probing, he knew...but he had been around Goddesses, politicians, despots...sometimes, it all really meant the same thing.
 
Interesting. The queen hired mercenaries, but why would she do that? There was no other reason than to do the exact same thing they were doing. Well, that just made things more interesting, didn't it? Unless of course, he was lying to her for some reason. It was hard to tell, there were hints of dishonesty but she could have simply been sensing his obvious distrust. "Well, she must be paying you quite well. If you ever get tired of fighting for her, just know that I can pay much better." She purred with a seductive smile.

***

Soren had no choice but to light a torch, just so he and Zelda could see where they were going. There was no sensation of dark magic here, but a faint glow could be seen coming from the cracks of the door that led to the main room of the church. Zelda proceeded cautiously, yet fearlessly. When she touched the handle of the door and pushed it forward, she could hear panicked murdering coming from the other side.

To her surprise, she came face with less than two dozen people. There were even children here. What did Medusa plan to do with them? Why were they here? They seemed to be huddling together in a circle of lit candles. The men of the group where in front, protecting the women in children.

"...Queen Zelda? Where's Lady Medusa?" One of the women asked, breaking the silence. "She said she would come soon, where is she?"

"Don't worry, we're here to rescue you all. We'll take you to safety." Zelda said with a soft smile. They were terrified, did Medusa take them as hostages?

"We're already safe. We don't need to be rescued, my Queen." One of the men said. This puzzled Zelda, especially considering they had just been completely surrounded by monsters a short moment ago.

"We need our Goddess, she's the only one that can help us. She's the only one that can save Eris! Please get her, we saw her outside just now!" Another woman cried out. Zelda recognized that name immediately, but she wished she didn't. Eris...that was Ernya's little sister. Had she gotten badly injured in all this?

"Let me see her," Zelda insisted as she took a step forward. However, that only caused the air to get tense, and she could see that the men had no intention of stepping aside.

"It's useless," A feminine voice above her stated, causing both Zelda and Soren to look up immediately. Tried as they might, it was hard to see in such low light, but the voice did not stop. "Only Lady Medusa can heal that woman. Nothing you can do, Zelda. Nothing you can do but leave so Medusa can heal her."

"The angel speaks the truth, Queen Zelda." One of the men stepped aside, and she saw Eris on the floor, completely unconscious. Her wound seemed to be through the chest, though it was not a fatal wound. At least, not yet. Zelda had to walk closer, but she saw it. Poison, a festering kind of poison that was spreading to her heart. She gritted her teeth and looked back at Soren helplessly.

Soren didn't need to step forward, it was obvious that they weren't wanted here. Goddesses, and now angels? He couldn't see whoever was above them, but he knew that they needed to leave. "Nothing seems wrong here, your majesty. It's probably best that we leave these people alone. They have put their trust in that Goddess."

It wasn't what Zelda wanted to hear, but she just nodded and turned her back. Eris, she had to make sure she was okay.
 
"Your appreciation of my talents is a compliment from a Goddess, Lady Medusa," Ike grunted. "However, I am not a mercenary to break an already established contract." This woman gave him goosebumps in the worst way, and something about her made his fingers tighten around his sword in defense. Ragnell was not pleased with how close she was, which only solidified his gut feeling. This woman was terrible news, and he had chosen the right side.

Ike glanced at the pair of them when they returned, Zelda's expression was less guarded than Soren's but when was that anything new?

"Are we done here, your majesty?" Ike asked easily. Obviously, it wasn't the outcome she was hoping for.
 
Zelda glanced at Ike for a moment, nodding in confirmation. She didn't like it, but there was nothing she could do to prove Medusa was behind all the attacks within Castle Town. Even if she wasn't, she was sure that her presence was doing more harm than good. Yet she could do nothing, especially when she seemed to have cultivated a number of followers right underneath her nose.

"Just one more thing. Medusa, there's a girl in there that's dying. She was corrupted with some kind of poison, and I can't get her the help she needs in time. Will you help her?" She didn't like the fact that she had to ask the witch a favor, but for Ernya's sake...she had to make sure Eris wold be okay.

"Hmm," Medusa began. How rich, the proud queen was asking her a favor. "I was going to help her anyway. That's why she's there. Go on, Zelda. Run along now, there's no reason you need to waste your time here any longer." Medusa smirked, reveling in her small victory.

Zelda just gritted her teeth, but she had no choice but to trust Medusa for now. She'd come back for Eris later when she was sure everyone was safe. "Let's go," She muttered to Ike and Soren. "We're done here."
 
"It was a pleasure meeting you Lady Medusa," Ike said, tilting his head respectfully as he shouldered Ragnell and turned to leave, the golden blade seemingly pulsating in faint warning before it dimmed. A complicated place that they had seemingly come across, but when did Ike take any job that wasn't complicated? It was clear that they had chosen the right side in this fight, Medusa disturbed him on some level he wasn't familiar with entirely. He didn't like the way that she looked at Soren, either.

"I see you need all the help you can get," Ike murmured to Zelda. "How long has this been going on?"
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom