05-19-2015, 06:20 AM
Although a few people were still casting curious glances in his direction, Ganondorf was very much relieved to no longer have a room full of eyes upon him. Perhaps it had to do with the strange nature of this Omniverse; with so many oddballs and misfits popping into existence, it seemed that a random outburst or two was nothing too out of the ordinary. Still, he felt a heat rise in his cheeks at the memory of his moment as a social pariah, thought even the intense embarrassment he felt couldn’t overcome the shame and depression of what he had done in the Dunes. The Gerudo had failed his charge, and he only had himself to blame. Sure, Enel was the one who had broken Firani, but Ganondorf’s ego had allowed him the opportunity. Had he merely continued to play to Enel’s delusions, the fight and her death could have been avoided.
A sudden commotion broke Ganondorf from his thoughts. The hallway filled with screams and a strange cracking noise. As the crowd moved to escape from the source, the Demon King got his first look at the troublemaker. It was a turtle. Honestly, he hadn’t been expecting that. Blue and toting a pair of strange devices, the thing appeared to be firing at random into the crowd. At random, at least, until a familiar sight popped into existence. It was that strange kid Ganondorf had seen when he’d first arrived in the Omniverse, and again during the Rathalos Hunt. As the two began to engage in combat, yet another familiar sight graced the Gerudo’s vision. The boy. Link. Sword drawn, the Hylian youth was pushing through the chaotic mob to assist in the attack. Typical, Ganondorf thought. The boy might be a fool, but you can’t say he doesn’t have courage.
For a brief second, Ganondorf considered letting Link engage the turtle. At worst, it would weaken the kid for their eventual conflict. At best, the turtle would kill him. But then a thought occurred to him. Link’s skills were undeniable, and in an event such as this one, they’d be an invaluable asset. And, for some reason, it didn’t quite feel right allowing the boy to die. Perhaps it was because of Ganondorf’s pride, that HE should be the one to end Link. Or maybe it was because Ganondorf had already dealt with the death of one he knew this day, and was unwilling to experience it again, even in regards to his enemy. In either case, the Gerudo moved swiftly forward, his massive frame pushing through the crowd like they were paper, and he placed a hand on Link’s shoulder to stop him.
Immediately, Link swung about, training his weapon upon the Demon King, a reaction that elicited an amused smirk from Ganondorf. Looking past Link, he took measure of the combat occurring close by, before taking a knee and meeting Link’s gaze.
“If you wish to kill me, boy, then by all means do so. I can assure you; however, that Omni was correct when he stated that death here wasn’t permanent.”
Link’s eyes darted around at the crowd in the room before focusing back on Ganondorf. His hands tightened on the Master Sword and he once again moved to enter into the fray with the turtle. Ganon’s hand on his shoulder stopped him again, a gentle pressure, yet firm.
“Wait, Boy. Don’t do anything foolish. Let’s see how this plays out.”
“He’s killing people, Ganondorf! I have to protect them!” Link replied, forcing himself from Ganondorf’s grasp with a twist of the shoulders. The Gerudo ground his teeth and rose to his feet once again, staring down at Link, who had turned on Ganondorf again.
“You don’t HAVE to do anything. Let the proprietor of this establishment handle the situation. Or any one of the people currently engaging the creature. There’s no need to risk yourself to handle this threat. Not when doing so worsens your chances at this game.”
Ganondorf paused a moment, a thought occurring to him.
“Why ARE you here, boy? From what I understand, this Dante’s Abyss business is going to be violent… You don’t seem the type who’s in it for the fame or power…”
“It’s none of your business why I’m here, monster!” Link replied, though a subtle shift in his stance told Ganondorf that he was indeed hiding something. “I’m more concerned about why YOU’RE here. What schemes have you hatched now?!”
The larger man chuckled softly, shaking his head in amusement, “Isn’t it obvious? I’m here for the Omnilium, the fame, and the chance to win a potent item of power.”
It wasn’t quite the entire truth, but it would do for this whelp. Ganondorf wasn’t about to lay his soul bare to his nemesis, and even if he did he doubted Link would believe him anyway. The boy snorted in disgust and muttered, “Typical.” He turned back to the combat going on in their midst only to find it had concluded while he and Ganondorf had conversed. An irritated glower came over Link’s features as he looked back at his Gerudo enemy.
“What do you want, Ganondorf?” Link growled, staring up at the wolf-eyed Gerudo. “You obviously weren’t looking out for my best interests when you stopped me.”
“Perceptive,” Ganondorf mused, still smirking as before, “Promising. Before, you’d not have seen even that obvious ploy.”
Link resheathed his sword and waved off the Gerudo’s compliment. “That wasn’t an answer, monster. What do you want from me?”
“To propose a truce… or rather, an alliance between us.” Ganondorf gestured around them at the mass of people, who were only just now starting to calm down.
“It seems that Dante’s Abyss is going to be a small scale war. Already I can see many of the others talking, and it doesn’t take a genius to know that they’re making plans. Individually, we are both formidable opponents, but a dedicated group could eliminate us from this game before we reach our goal. Together, however, we’d be a threat to all but the mightiest of warriors.”
“I’d never join you,” Link retorted, taking a step back as though Ganondorf had punched him. “You’re evil, Ganondorf. Your word means nothing, and you only know how to speak lies. The first chance you get, you’ll betray me.”
The Gerudo sighed, his lips tightening a bit as he responded, “I know our history together doesn’t elicit much faith in me. And I understand your misgivings. But I’m no liar, boy. A man’s word is all he really has in the world. So, you can believe me when I say that, if you were to compete by my side, I would not betray you. Our battle would be held off until the end of this. I give my word on that.”
“But you swore fealty to the King of Hyrule, and betrayed him at the first opportunity.”
“I did not, Link. I swore allegiance to the throne of Hyrule.” Ganondorf chuckled a bit at the memory of his time in the castle, amongst those fools who thought themselves nobility. “Not to the man on the throne. And by the throne, I sought to place a man truly deserving of the title of King upon it. It’s not my fault that your King thought I said something I didn’t.”
“You truly are a devious monster…” Link sneered, glaring at Ganondorf. “Is that what I can expect from you here as well? Are you going to twist your words to mean something else?”
“Boy, I stated in no-nonsense terms that I would not betray you; that our fight would be postponed until the end of this event. I see no wiggle room in that vow. But… I can see that this discussion is going nowhere. Your fixation on my past transgressions is understandable, but regrettable. Perhaps even the chance to keep me under your watchful gaze, to see if my claims of being a changed man are true, isn’t enticement enough.”
The large man shrugged absently and turned away. As he did, he heard the Hero of Time speak from behind him.
“I can’t trust you, Ganondorf.”
“You’d be a fool if you did,” the Gerudo replied.
A sudden commotion broke Ganondorf from his thoughts. The hallway filled with screams and a strange cracking noise. As the crowd moved to escape from the source, the Demon King got his first look at the troublemaker. It was a turtle. Honestly, he hadn’t been expecting that. Blue and toting a pair of strange devices, the thing appeared to be firing at random into the crowd. At random, at least, until a familiar sight popped into existence. It was that strange kid Ganondorf had seen when he’d first arrived in the Omniverse, and again during the Rathalos Hunt. As the two began to engage in combat, yet another familiar sight graced the Gerudo’s vision. The boy. Link. Sword drawn, the Hylian youth was pushing through the chaotic mob to assist in the attack. Typical, Ganondorf thought. The boy might be a fool, but you can’t say he doesn’t have courage.
For a brief second, Ganondorf considered letting Link engage the turtle. At worst, it would weaken the kid for their eventual conflict. At best, the turtle would kill him. But then a thought occurred to him. Link’s skills were undeniable, and in an event such as this one, they’d be an invaluable asset. And, for some reason, it didn’t quite feel right allowing the boy to die. Perhaps it was because of Ganondorf’s pride, that HE should be the one to end Link. Or maybe it was because Ganondorf had already dealt with the death of one he knew this day, and was unwilling to experience it again, even in regards to his enemy. In either case, the Gerudo moved swiftly forward, his massive frame pushing through the crowd like they were paper, and he placed a hand on Link’s shoulder to stop him.
Immediately, Link swung about, training his weapon upon the Demon King, a reaction that elicited an amused smirk from Ganondorf. Looking past Link, he took measure of the combat occurring close by, before taking a knee and meeting Link’s gaze.
“If you wish to kill me, boy, then by all means do so. I can assure you; however, that Omni was correct when he stated that death here wasn’t permanent.”
Link’s eyes darted around at the crowd in the room before focusing back on Ganondorf. His hands tightened on the Master Sword and he once again moved to enter into the fray with the turtle. Ganon’s hand on his shoulder stopped him again, a gentle pressure, yet firm.
“Wait, Boy. Don’t do anything foolish. Let’s see how this plays out.”
“He’s killing people, Ganondorf! I have to protect them!” Link replied, forcing himself from Ganondorf’s grasp with a twist of the shoulders. The Gerudo ground his teeth and rose to his feet once again, staring down at Link, who had turned on Ganondorf again.
“You don’t HAVE to do anything. Let the proprietor of this establishment handle the situation. Or any one of the people currently engaging the creature. There’s no need to risk yourself to handle this threat. Not when doing so worsens your chances at this game.”
Ganondorf paused a moment, a thought occurring to him.
“Why ARE you here, boy? From what I understand, this Dante’s Abyss business is going to be violent… You don’t seem the type who’s in it for the fame or power…”
“It’s none of your business why I’m here, monster!” Link replied, though a subtle shift in his stance told Ganondorf that he was indeed hiding something. “I’m more concerned about why YOU’RE here. What schemes have you hatched now?!”
The larger man chuckled softly, shaking his head in amusement, “Isn’t it obvious? I’m here for the Omnilium, the fame, and the chance to win a potent item of power.”
It wasn’t quite the entire truth, but it would do for this whelp. Ganondorf wasn’t about to lay his soul bare to his nemesis, and even if he did he doubted Link would believe him anyway. The boy snorted in disgust and muttered, “Typical.” He turned back to the combat going on in their midst only to find it had concluded while he and Ganondorf had conversed. An irritated glower came over Link’s features as he looked back at his Gerudo enemy.
“What do you want, Ganondorf?” Link growled, staring up at the wolf-eyed Gerudo. “You obviously weren’t looking out for my best interests when you stopped me.”
“Perceptive,” Ganondorf mused, still smirking as before, “Promising. Before, you’d not have seen even that obvious ploy.”
Link resheathed his sword and waved off the Gerudo’s compliment. “That wasn’t an answer, monster. What do you want from me?”
“To propose a truce… or rather, an alliance between us.” Ganondorf gestured around them at the mass of people, who were only just now starting to calm down.
“It seems that Dante’s Abyss is going to be a small scale war. Already I can see many of the others talking, and it doesn’t take a genius to know that they’re making plans. Individually, we are both formidable opponents, but a dedicated group could eliminate us from this game before we reach our goal. Together, however, we’d be a threat to all but the mightiest of warriors.”
“I’d never join you,” Link retorted, taking a step back as though Ganondorf had punched him. “You’re evil, Ganondorf. Your word means nothing, and you only know how to speak lies. The first chance you get, you’ll betray me.”
The Gerudo sighed, his lips tightening a bit as he responded, “I know our history together doesn’t elicit much faith in me. And I understand your misgivings. But I’m no liar, boy. A man’s word is all he really has in the world. So, you can believe me when I say that, if you were to compete by my side, I would not betray you. Our battle would be held off until the end of this. I give my word on that.”
“But you swore fealty to the King of Hyrule, and betrayed him at the first opportunity.”
“I did not, Link. I swore allegiance to the throne of Hyrule.” Ganondorf chuckled a bit at the memory of his time in the castle, amongst those fools who thought themselves nobility. “Not to the man on the throne. And by the throne, I sought to place a man truly deserving of the title of King upon it. It’s not my fault that your King thought I said something I didn’t.”
“You truly are a devious monster…” Link sneered, glaring at Ganondorf. “Is that what I can expect from you here as well? Are you going to twist your words to mean something else?”
“Boy, I stated in no-nonsense terms that I would not betray you; that our fight would be postponed until the end of this event. I see no wiggle room in that vow. But… I can see that this discussion is going nowhere. Your fixation on my past transgressions is understandable, but regrettable. Perhaps even the chance to keep me under your watchful gaze, to see if my claims of being a changed man are true, isn’t enticement enough.”
The large man shrugged absently and turned away. As he did, he heard the Hero of Time speak from behind him.
“I can’t trust you, Ganondorf.”
“You’d be a fool if you did,” the Gerudo replied.