05-26-2015, 06:43 AM
With only a sliver of moon, and the stars, to light the way, a strange man moved through the concealing brush alongside the road. Clad in greys and whites, it seemed unlikely that he could be stealthy on a dark night such as this, yet somehow his clothing seemed to absorb the ambient light passing through the sparse trees that line the road, becoming one with the random splotches of night-time luminescence. Silently, he moved, only the faint crackling of dried leaves and twigs giving any sound, and even that barely audible over the nocturnal wind which blew over the island paradise. Blond hair peeked from under the cowl wrapped around his head, intruding into the only area of visible body on the boy: his eyes, blue as sapphires and keenly darting along his path in search of adversity. Beneath the mask covering his mouth, a smile grew over the pale-skinned man’s lips. It truly WAS a perfect disguise.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Both the young girl and the newcomer darted off after a brief exchange of words, irritating the Gerudo King with their impetuousness. Not that he wasn’t glad to be rid of them, hardly, but the erratic nature of their youth-filled antics annoyed him. It was as though they had no idea as to the seriousness of this contest; like it truly WAS a game to them. It seemed that the more people he met in this Omniverse, the more it seemed that it was HE and not they who was the strange one.
As the two disappeared into the crowd, an unusual screeching noise drew the Dark Lord’s attention, soon followed by the amused sound of a man’s voice, seemingly coming for everywhere at once. With a curious look around, Ganondorf found that it was actually emanating from some strange cone-like objects tucked into the upper corners of the room.
“Karl Jak here, guys. Hate to say it, not really, but it’s time to get this show on the road. If all contestants would please make their way to the staging area to be fitted with your collars and given your survival kits, that’d be super.”
A grimace crossed over Ganondorf’s features as the voice died away. The collars. He had, of course, heard of what they would do while gathering information about this event in the Dunes. Apparently, they would grant him with additional energy for his most powerful abilities, while simultaneously stripping away most of his others. If that were all, the Gerudo would have called it a fair bargain, but apparently these devices were also equipped with a way to punish contestants for breaking the rules, or trying to remove them, and with an electrical charge no less! After his encounter… no his defeat at Enel’s hands, Ganondorf had no desire to re-experience the hellish pain that had occurred when Enel had sent his thunder through the Dark King’s skull. Still, seeing as how it was a requirement for his entry into the Abyss, Ganondorf had no choice but to accept the terms and hope that he didn’t displease Jak during the performance. Not just for his own sake, but for the man’s as well. The Dark Lord wasn’t one to forgive even the slightest of grievances.
Or perhaps he was. As Ganondorf made his way to the staging area, guided along by those attendants with the fake smiles, he watched Link move along with him. The boy had killed him. Worse than that, he had humiliated him. Yet, the Lord of Darkness was not only working alongside the green-clad Hylian for a second time since arriving here, HE had actually suggested the alliance. Maybe the Gerudo was changing in ways he didn’t quite understand. True, he had bound himself to Link for this event in the hopes that the boy’s combat prowess would see them through to his goal of garnering power and fame, but even that was far more than he would have done prior to his rebirth in this world. And while his previous reservations about attacking Link were to play at being a reformed man, it was strange how easily the façade was beginning to become. Perhaps it was all Her fault.
Ganondorf’s teeth ground as he thought back to that moment. The hope in Firani’s eyes fading to terror as his hands closed around her neck. A deep sadness and pain welled up in him again, a depression he had held at bay through his interactions with the other participants making itself known once again. The Gerudo struggled internally with these feelings, and with keep his outward demeanor placid. It wouldn’t do to show his weakness to anyone here. However, even one such as he couldn’t focus his attention so thoroughly on his outer and inner selves without losing touch with the world around him, and so he was surprised as, on the side opposite from Link, a familiar voice calmly said his name. Or perhaps calmly was too nice a term, for when the Gerudo broke from his internal fight to see who had addressed him, his first sight was that of a pair of icy blue eyes staring at him.
“Eighteen?” Ganondorf said incredulously, nearly stumbling in shock at seeing her. When last they had spoken, the Gerudo had sentenced her to servitude for her behavior, and action he immediately regretted upon making, but one which he couldn’t undo without losing face with Enel, Firani, and possibly with Eighteen as well. Upon his return to the fortress after his death, he hadn’t thought to look for her, what with the events that transpired, yet here she was. The Dark Lord’s face broke into a genuine smile of relief at the sight of her, despite her cold demeanor towards him. As much as he’d hate to admit it, Eighteen was one with whom he was close. She had saved his life, after all. Yet, when he reached out to her, speaking about how glad he was to see her, the android brusquely brushed away his hand, her features hardening.
“Don’t touch me, Ganondorf,” Eighteen said, her eyes as cold as a blizzard’s heart. “You had me put to being your servant. I was thrown into your dungeon and left to rot. Whatever we were before, it’s in the past. Now, we’re nothing.”
The Gerudo made to profess his apologies… to say that he didn’t know that she’d been imprisoned, but Eighteen cut him off with a wave of her hand. “It was for the best, Ganondorf. We couldn’t have worked together for long. I’m surprised we were able to for as long as we did.”
For a moment, neither said anything as they continued to make their way along with the others. Ganondorf found himself in an even more sour mood. His last true ally from his time here had left him, and once again he had only himself to blame. His ego had cost him much, both here and in Hyrule, but this loss he felt nearly as deeply as he did Firani’s. Eighteen was as close a thing as he’d ever had to a friend, barring Nabooru when they were children. For her part, his blond companion seemed perfectly fine with this change in circumstances, for which Ganondorf could hardly blame her.
After a short while, Eighteen broke the silence.
“I almost didn’t recognize you at first, you know. You almost look like…” the woman trailed off, her eyes losing focus as they looked at things long past. Her reverie lasted until they made it to the staging area, at which point she broke away from him and disappeared into the crowd. In turn, each of the contestants were herded away from the group, stripped of their weaponry, and collared before being led out of the room. Ganondorf watched as Link had to hand over his weaponry, and his heart went out to the boy. A fact which irritated and confused the Gerudo. It was unpleasant feeling all this emotion, and particularly towards his nemesis. He should be amused at the boy’s suffering, yet he was not. Such pity was unbefitting for a King such as himself; unsuitable for a man who desired power and lordship. But he didn’t have long to dwell on it before he, himself, was taken to be collared. For his part, he took it with the dignity expected of a noble lord. Head held high, he gracefully moved his thick hair aside for the attendants to do what they had to. Soon after, he found himself aboard what they called a helicopter and on his way to the island. At this point, he didn’t bother asking them about all these strange contraptions that seemed to be commonplace here. For once, Ganondorf felt like it was better not to know.
Outside the helicopter, it was as dark as it had been within. The flying machine left for the skies shortly after depositing its rider, and over its raucous noise, he could hear others in the sky as well. Looking around, Ganondorf discovered that he had been deposited at a crossroads of some sort. In the dim lighting he could hardly see much else, other than that the island seemed forested for the most part. With a sigh, Ganondorf took a knee on the road and began digging through the bag the attendants had given him. Within were all manner of useful items, from food and water, to some strange item which the Gerudo had deemed as interesting before stowing it in the bag to be given a closer look once there was better light. Besides, there were two objects that had interested him more amongst the collection. The first was a compass, and the other a map. Ganondorf smiled as he thought back to the number of these he had hidden in his strongholds for Link to find. The boy had seen them as a boon, never realizing that by showing him a path, Ganondorf was only leading him by the nose to the Great King’s own goals. That smile turned sour as his reminiscing moved towards his defeat. Perhaps he had been wrong to make Link’s path so challenging. The Gerudo King had thought that if it were easy that the Hylian might have puzzled out that he was being used, yet the challenge of his journey molded him into a warrior capable of challenging the Dark Lord.
With a shake of his head, Ganondorf rid himself of the past and returned to the present. Now wasn’t the time for those thoughts. The only thoughts he had time for now were those of survival. A quick perusal of the Map showed him his location and, in spite of himself, he murmured a thanks to Karl for that much information. It was surely more than he had expected. Unfortunately, the map didn’t show Ganondorf where his companion was deposited, and it didn’t seem likely that the island’s proprietor would send a second helicopter to this location just to deposit the boy. No, Ganondorf would have to find him without assistance. He put the rest of his given gear into the bag and stood, once again surveying his surroundings. The Gerudo had a choice. He could follow the road, in one of three directions, or he could wander aimlessly in the woods and hope to stumble across the boy that way. The latter option seemed slightly more foolhardy that the former, and so Ganondorf resolved to follow the road. But which way? Looking at each of the paths, he found himself uncertain as to his path. His right hand subconsciously rose, a dim outline of the Triforce on the back. In Hyrule, it would vibrate when the Triforce pieces were close, but here… it had weakened. The Gerudo no longer felt its Power coursing through him as he did before. And it seemed that it would give no clue as to his direction either.
Another sigh escaped the hulking figure, and with a shake of his head, he simply picked a random direction in which to walk. With no clue as to where the boy was, any direction was as good as the last. He could only hope the boy would also stick to the roads. After a few steps, Ganondorf suddenly stopped. A thought had occurred to him while his mind was wandering. His face was known among many of the combatants, and he had no doubt that at least Gilgamesh would want him dead as soon as he laid eyes on him. Of course, it was likely that they’d kill anyone as soon as they set eyes on them, if what Karl Jak said upon his arrival here was the be believed. Still, perhaps a change was necessary to help him escape more personal threats. The Gerudo considered a few options as he stood in the middle of the road. Some he discarded immediately, such as that of Firani, or of another competitor. The former was too painful for him to adopt, while the latter might cause problems were he to meet Link, if the boy wouldn’t be able to know it was him. Then, an idea struck and in the moonlight the Ganondorf’s smile was truly sinister. He would choose a form the boy would recognize from home. One that Link trusted.
Slowly, the Gerudo’s features shifted. His armor faded into his body, replaced with dull, grey clothing. His hair receded, turning blonde before being covered with a cowl. Even his mighty frame shrunk, becoming lithe and sleek. In short time, his adopted form was complete and the Demon King couldn’t hold back a chuckle at the thought of how Link would react to his appearance. After all, Sheik had been Zelda’s adopted form during her hiding from Ganondorf himself. With his change complete, the faux-Sheik moved into the woods alongside the road and continued on his way.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Both the young girl and the newcomer darted off after a brief exchange of words, irritating the Gerudo King with their impetuousness. Not that he wasn’t glad to be rid of them, hardly, but the erratic nature of their youth-filled antics annoyed him. It was as though they had no idea as to the seriousness of this contest; like it truly WAS a game to them. It seemed that the more people he met in this Omniverse, the more it seemed that it was HE and not they who was the strange one.
As the two disappeared into the crowd, an unusual screeching noise drew the Dark Lord’s attention, soon followed by the amused sound of a man’s voice, seemingly coming for everywhere at once. With a curious look around, Ganondorf found that it was actually emanating from some strange cone-like objects tucked into the upper corners of the room.
“Karl Jak here, guys. Hate to say it, not really, but it’s time to get this show on the road. If all contestants would please make their way to the staging area to be fitted with your collars and given your survival kits, that’d be super.”
A grimace crossed over Ganondorf’s features as the voice died away. The collars. He had, of course, heard of what they would do while gathering information about this event in the Dunes. Apparently, they would grant him with additional energy for his most powerful abilities, while simultaneously stripping away most of his others. If that were all, the Gerudo would have called it a fair bargain, but apparently these devices were also equipped with a way to punish contestants for breaking the rules, or trying to remove them, and with an electrical charge no less! After his encounter… no his defeat at Enel’s hands, Ganondorf had no desire to re-experience the hellish pain that had occurred when Enel had sent his thunder through the Dark King’s skull. Still, seeing as how it was a requirement for his entry into the Abyss, Ganondorf had no choice but to accept the terms and hope that he didn’t displease Jak during the performance. Not just for his own sake, but for the man’s as well. The Dark Lord wasn’t one to forgive even the slightest of grievances.
Or perhaps he was. As Ganondorf made his way to the staging area, guided along by those attendants with the fake smiles, he watched Link move along with him. The boy had killed him. Worse than that, he had humiliated him. Yet, the Lord of Darkness was not only working alongside the green-clad Hylian for a second time since arriving here, HE had actually suggested the alliance. Maybe the Gerudo was changing in ways he didn’t quite understand. True, he had bound himself to Link for this event in the hopes that the boy’s combat prowess would see them through to his goal of garnering power and fame, but even that was far more than he would have done prior to his rebirth in this world. And while his previous reservations about attacking Link were to play at being a reformed man, it was strange how easily the façade was beginning to become. Perhaps it was all Her fault.
Ganondorf’s teeth ground as he thought back to that moment. The hope in Firani’s eyes fading to terror as his hands closed around her neck. A deep sadness and pain welled up in him again, a depression he had held at bay through his interactions with the other participants making itself known once again. The Gerudo struggled internally with these feelings, and with keep his outward demeanor placid. It wouldn’t do to show his weakness to anyone here. However, even one such as he couldn’t focus his attention so thoroughly on his outer and inner selves without losing touch with the world around him, and so he was surprised as, on the side opposite from Link, a familiar voice calmly said his name. Or perhaps calmly was too nice a term, for when the Gerudo broke from his internal fight to see who had addressed him, his first sight was that of a pair of icy blue eyes staring at him.
“Eighteen?” Ganondorf said incredulously, nearly stumbling in shock at seeing her. When last they had spoken, the Gerudo had sentenced her to servitude for her behavior, and action he immediately regretted upon making, but one which he couldn’t undo without losing face with Enel, Firani, and possibly with Eighteen as well. Upon his return to the fortress after his death, he hadn’t thought to look for her, what with the events that transpired, yet here she was. The Dark Lord’s face broke into a genuine smile of relief at the sight of her, despite her cold demeanor towards him. As much as he’d hate to admit it, Eighteen was one with whom he was close. She had saved his life, after all. Yet, when he reached out to her, speaking about how glad he was to see her, the android brusquely brushed away his hand, her features hardening.
“Don’t touch me, Ganondorf,” Eighteen said, her eyes as cold as a blizzard’s heart. “You had me put to being your servant. I was thrown into your dungeon and left to rot. Whatever we were before, it’s in the past. Now, we’re nothing.”
The Gerudo made to profess his apologies… to say that he didn’t know that she’d been imprisoned, but Eighteen cut him off with a wave of her hand. “It was for the best, Ganondorf. We couldn’t have worked together for long. I’m surprised we were able to for as long as we did.”
For a moment, neither said anything as they continued to make their way along with the others. Ganondorf found himself in an even more sour mood. His last true ally from his time here had left him, and once again he had only himself to blame. His ego had cost him much, both here and in Hyrule, but this loss he felt nearly as deeply as he did Firani’s. Eighteen was as close a thing as he’d ever had to a friend, barring Nabooru when they were children. For her part, his blond companion seemed perfectly fine with this change in circumstances, for which Ganondorf could hardly blame her.
After a short while, Eighteen broke the silence.
“I almost didn’t recognize you at first, you know. You almost look like…” the woman trailed off, her eyes losing focus as they looked at things long past. Her reverie lasted until they made it to the staging area, at which point she broke away from him and disappeared into the crowd. In turn, each of the contestants were herded away from the group, stripped of their weaponry, and collared before being led out of the room. Ganondorf watched as Link had to hand over his weaponry, and his heart went out to the boy. A fact which irritated and confused the Gerudo. It was unpleasant feeling all this emotion, and particularly towards his nemesis. He should be amused at the boy’s suffering, yet he was not. Such pity was unbefitting for a King such as himself; unsuitable for a man who desired power and lordship. But he didn’t have long to dwell on it before he, himself, was taken to be collared. For his part, he took it with the dignity expected of a noble lord. Head held high, he gracefully moved his thick hair aside for the attendants to do what they had to. Soon after, he found himself aboard what they called a helicopter and on his way to the island. At this point, he didn’t bother asking them about all these strange contraptions that seemed to be commonplace here. For once, Ganondorf felt like it was better not to know.
Outside the helicopter, it was as dark as it had been within. The flying machine left for the skies shortly after depositing its rider, and over its raucous noise, he could hear others in the sky as well. Looking around, Ganondorf discovered that he had been deposited at a crossroads of some sort. In the dim lighting he could hardly see much else, other than that the island seemed forested for the most part. With a sigh, Ganondorf took a knee on the road and began digging through the bag the attendants had given him. Within were all manner of useful items, from food and water, to some strange item which the Gerudo had deemed as interesting before stowing it in the bag to be given a closer look once there was better light. Besides, there were two objects that had interested him more amongst the collection. The first was a compass, and the other a map. Ganondorf smiled as he thought back to the number of these he had hidden in his strongholds for Link to find. The boy had seen them as a boon, never realizing that by showing him a path, Ganondorf was only leading him by the nose to the Great King’s own goals. That smile turned sour as his reminiscing moved towards his defeat. Perhaps he had been wrong to make Link’s path so challenging. The Gerudo King had thought that if it were easy that the Hylian might have puzzled out that he was being used, yet the challenge of his journey molded him into a warrior capable of challenging the Dark Lord.
With a shake of his head, Ganondorf rid himself of the past and returned to the present. Now wasn’t the time for those thoughts. The only thoughts he had time for now were those of survival. A quick perusal of the Map showed him his location and, in spite of himself, he murmured a thanks to Karl for that much information. It was surely more than he had expected. Unfortunately, the map didn’t show Ganondorf where his companion was deposited, and it didn’t seem likely that the island’s proprietor would send a second helicopter to this location just to deposit the boy. No, Ganondorf would have to find him without assistance. He put the rest of his given gear into the bag and stood, once again surveying his surroundings. The Gerudo had a choice. He could follow the road, in one of three directions, or he could wander aimlessly in the woods and hope to stumble across the boy that way. The latter option seemed slightly more foolhardy that the former, and so Ganondorf resolved to follow the road. But which way? Looking at each of the paths, he found himself uncertain as to his path. His right hand subconsciously rose, a dim outline of the Triforce on the back. In Hyrule, it would vibrate when the Triforce pieces were close, but here… it had weakened. The Gerudo no longer felt its Power coursing through him as he did before. And it seemed that it would give no clue as to his direction either.
Another sigh escaped the hulking figure, and with a shake of his head, he simply picked a random direction in which to walk. With no clue as to where the boy was, any direction was as good as the last. He could only hope the boy would also stick to the roads. After a few steps, Ganondorf suddenly stopped. A thought had occurred to him while his mind was wandering. His face was known among many of the combatants, and he had no doubt that at least Gilgamesh would want him dead as soon as he laid eyes on him. Of course, it was likely that they’d kill anyone as soon as they set eyes on them, if what Karl Jak said upon his arrival here was the be believed. Still, perhaps a change was necessary to help him escape more personal threats. The Gerudo considered a few options as he stood in the middle of the road. Some he discarded immediately, such as that of Firani, or of another competitor. The former was too painful for him to adopt, while the latter might cause problems were he to meet Link, if the boy wouldn’t be able to know it was him. Then, an idea struck and in the moonlight the Ganondorf’s smile was truly sinister. He would choose a form the boy would recognize from home. One that Link trusted.
Slowly, the Gerudo’s features shifted. His armor faded into his body, replaced with dull, grey clothing. His hair receded, turning blonde before being covered with a cowl. Even his mighty frame shrunk, becoming lithe and sleek. In short time, his adopted form was complete and the Demon King couldn’t hold back a chuckle at the thought of how Link would react to his appearance. After all, Sheik had been Zelda’s adopted form during her hiding from Ganondorf himself. With his change complete, the faux-Sheik moved into the woods alongside the road and continued on his way.