02-27-2014, 08:23 PM
Shale, dirt and gravel showered down the gorge below him as Ganondorf descended into the Rathalos’ cave. His left fingers dug furrows into the earthen surface, the same sided leg and foot helping to keep him steady as he went down. Emerald eyes never left the beast in question as it did battle with the armored woman Samus, the blonde newcomer with the hammer, and some swordsman. From his vantage, he could see little else at the bottom of the ravine, though on occasion he would hear shouts, and bestial bellows, which belied another battle going on under him.
His entry to the second part of this fight had been delayed due to Ganondorf’s lack of flight. When the beast had left view over the mountains, the Gerudo had nearly called off pursuit to leave the others to handle the Rathalos. However, Eighteen had provided a convenient solution. Her ability to leap and bound up the mountainside allowed them both to rejoin the fray, and while she yet remained at the precipice of the cave entry, the Gerudo was making his way into battle. Of course, had he known before descending that there would be two of the creatures; he might have delayed his arrival a bit longer. As it were, the Dark Lord could do little now but slow his descent to a manageable rate and hope for the best.
The side the dark-skinned man had chosen to descend ended abruptly before the bottom of the gorge, and Ganondorf was forced to fall the remainder of the distance, rolling to minimize the damage as he hit to stony soil. As soon as he recovered, he immediately found the new Rath nearly directly before him. With a curse, the man leapt back. Strangely the beast didn’t strike out at him. Instead, it appeared to be struggling with some blue light encompassing its jaw. From what Ganondorf had observed of the prior battle, the man who he’d met in the village was the origin of this magic.
“You’ve got sixty seconds,” the man called out to his comrade, the small red-clad boy from the Scramble. “Make it count!”
Dusting himself off, Ganondorf moved beside the wizard and chuckled softly. “I never got your name, Sir.” His eyes, however, never left the green Rath before them.
The magic-wielder barely spared his dark-skinned companion a glance, brows pursed in concentration and confusion, “Really? Stars and Stones, man! Is this really the time for that?”
Raising his mighty shoulders and sighing, the King explained, “Well, I assumed the sixty seconds you mentioned refered to how long it would take for the beast to finish chewing you. I just wanted to know what to put on your tombstone.”
“Heh… that’s so cliché…”
“Pardon?” the Gerudo queried.
“That saying, it’s overused. And besides, I can hold it with my magic at least that long…”
Ganondorf snorted in derision, looking over the battlefield. Chaos, the same as before, was everywhere.
“I doubt it, my good man. Right now, these beasts are determining how this fight will go. We’ll all die down here unless we can change that.”
Hand rising quickly, one sun-darkened finger pointed towards Samus and her companions. “Listen! You’re going to die if you keep this up. Work together, fools! Surround the beast. Only attack when it is not focused on you. Stop your assault once the beast directs its ire towards you until your comrades can distract it. And, for the Goddess’ Sake, try to focus your attacks on a single area! The beast’s hide is too tough to penetrate without a concerted effort.”
Without waiting to see if the others obeyed, Ganondorf returned his attention to the green Rathian and Harry, “As for you, it was good thinking trying to distract this one beast while the others focused on the larger foe. However, you can’t do this alone, Lord. I’ll assist you.”
Throwing back his cloak in a grand gesture, the Gerudo King rushed forward whilst the beast was restrained. Dark flame enveloped his fist, Ganondorf focusing his strength into a single attack against the Rathian’s foremost left knee, if it could be called that. Though he was not greeted with the sound of cracking bone, a fact which sorely disappointed the flame-haired warrior, the lack of visibility caused by Harry’s magic combined by the force of the blow was enough to put the green creature off-balance. It crumpled with a muffled roar, fire spurting from between its clenched teeth and it struck the ground. Its rear legs remained firm, however, and the Rathian was already beginning to right itself as it struggled against its bonds.
Ganondorf hadn’t waited for the fall before he continued his forward assault. Once more, purplish flame enveloped his hand as he moved towards the creature’s rear leg. Before he could strike, however, movement from his peripherals caught the Gerudo’s eye. He barely had time to register the strike before the beast’s tail hit him full force and sent the dark-skinned man careening into the cave wall. A sickening thud accompanied Ganondorf’s meeting with the stone and the man slumped to the ground in a heap.
Ganondorf struggled to retain consciousness as he lay against the cold stone wall. Something had pierced his side when the creature had struck and the burn of venom flowed through him. The collision with stone wall hadn’t helped matters. Darkness crept in on the edges of his sight and the Gerudo knew that his end was coming. With any luck, this Omni character had spoken truth and he would be reborn. With any luck, his own immortality would return before his life drained completely from him.
Time slowed to a crawl as the Dark King’s vision dimmed even further. From his vantage point, he could see little of the fight itself, yet what he could see of the Rathian and Harry seemed to be moving at a snail’s pace. Ganondorf set his teeth and fought against the darkness. He would NOT be beaten so easily, and not before he claimed his rightful place. But jellied muscles refused to respond, and the darkness yet crept closer to the center of his sight. Before the last light could be extinguished, all movement appeared to stop completely. A voice from the darkness called out to him, strange and familiar all at once.
“You’re weak,” the voice spoke with malice, its sound like that of a million fires burning.
“You’re pathetic. You hold the Triforce of Power, and yet a single blow is enough to fell you?”
A dark speck entered into the light at the center of Ganondorf’s vision, slowly moving closer to the beaten Gerudo. The dark-skinned thief snarled, barking back at the insolent voice.
“I was a King, fool! I conquered death itself! My enemies were as pawns in my game!”
“And yet, here you are, a simple beast your killer. Hmph… I’m beginning to regret my decision.”
“That bastard Omni stole my power from me!” Ganondorf shouted back, rage boiling up from within, “My power is but a shadow of what it should be. What it will be again! Those beasts may be beyond me now, but-”
“Fool…” The being speaking to Ganondorf ceased its approach at this word. It stood at the mouth to the cave, dark eyes boring holes into the Gerudo’s skull. While Ganondorf might have flame-red hair, this creature actually HAD hair of flame, and its body was armored in scales much like those of the Rath outside. A cruel smirk twisted the demon’s lips, revealing a row of serrated teeth. It was terrifying and familiar all at once.
“You have the power to slay these creatures already. You just don’t know how to use it. Here. Let me show you.”
As the final words left the demonic creature, consciousness finally left Ganondorf and he spiraled into darkness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A roar shook the ravine, rattling stones and sending loose pebbles falling from the sides. Rage, pain, and savagery mixed within the bestial sound, as the dragon-slayers readied themselves for yet another creature to battle. As if two of the Raths weren’t enough, it seemed a third had been lying in wait. Yet, while the sound was vaguely similar to that of the green and red creatures, it seemed both more feral… and more human. At that moment, the Rathian finally broke free of Harry’s spell and set its sights on the wizard. As it moved forward, tail flicking from side to side behind it, the wizard from Chicago prepared himself to face the beast alone.
Just as it seemed the green Rath was about to strike, it suddenly toppled over with a cry of surprise. A massive creature, all fur, muscles, claws, and teeth, had joined into the fray. Tusks, longer than a man’s leg, sprouted from the mouth of this new beast, slamming again and again against the dense hide of the Rathian. The screech of claws on scale rang through the air as the creature raged against its foe. The cry of the Rathian intertwined with the roar of this creature as the titans struggled against each other. The green reptile set its legs against its assailant and sent the beast tumbling through the air away from it. Both itself and the now decidedly porcine monstrosity righted themselves at about the same time and squared off. A battle of giants was about to begin, and woe to the one who would get into the middle of it.
His entry to the second part of this fight had been delayed due to Ganondorf’s lack of flight. When the beast had left view over the mountains, the Gerudo had nearly called off pursuit to leave the others to handle the Rathalos. However, Eighteen had provided a convenient solution. Her ability to leap and bound up the mountainside allowed them both to rejoin the fray, and while she yet remained at the precipice of the cave entry, the Gerudo was making his way into battle. Of course, had he known before descending that there would be two of the creatures; he might have delayed his arrival a bit longer. As it were, the Dark Lord could do little now but slow his descent to a manageable rate and hope for the best.
The side the dark-skinned man had chosen to descend ended abruptly before the bottom of the gorge, and Ganondorf was forced to fall the remainder of the distance, rolling to minimize the damage as he hit to stony soil. As soon as he recovered, he immediately found the new Rath nearly directly before him. With a curse, the man leapt back. Strangely the beast didn’t strike out at him. Instead, it appeared to be struggling with some blue light encompassing its jaw. From what Ganondorf had observed of the prior battle, the man who he’d met in the village was the origin of this magic.
“You’ve got sixty seconds,” the man called out to his comrade, the small red-clad boy from the Scramble. “Make it count!”
Dusting himself off, Ganondorf moved beside the wizard and chuckled softly. “I never got your name, Sir.” His eyes, however, never left the green Rath before them.
The magic-wielder barely spared his dark-skinned companion a glance, brows pursed in concentration and confusion, “Really? Stars and Stones, man! Is this really the time for that?”
Raising his mighty shoulders and sighing, the King explained, “Well, I assumed the sixty seconds you mentioned refered to how long it would take for the beast to finish chewing you. I just wanted to know what to put on your tombstone.”
“Heh… that’s so cliché…”
“Pardon?” the Gerudo queried.
“That saying, it’s overused. And besides, I can hold it with my magic at least that long…”
Ganondorf snorted in derision, looking over the battlefield. Chaos, the same as before, was everywhere.
“I doubt it, my good man. Right now, these beasts are determining how this fight will go. We’ll all die down here unless we can change that.”
Hand rising quickly, one sun-darkened finger pointed towards Samus and her companions. “Listen! You’re going to die if you keep this up. Work together, fools! Surround the beast. Only attack when it is not focused on you. Stop your assault once the beast directs its ire towards you until your comrades can distract it. And, for the Goddess’ Sake, try to focus your attacks on a single area! The beast’s hide is too tough to penetrate without a concerted effort.”
Without waiting to see if the others obeyed, Ganondorf returned his attention to the green Rathian and Harry, “As for you, it was good thinking trying to distract this one beast while the others focused on the larger foe. However, you can’t do this alone, Lord. I’ll assist you.”
Throwing back his cloak in a grand gesture, the Gerudo King rushed forward whilst the beast was restrained. Dark flame enveloped his fist, Ganondorf focusing his strength into a single attack against the Rathian’s foremost left knee, if it could be called that. Though he was not greeted with the sound of cracking bone, a fact which sorely disappointed the flame-haired warrior, the lack of visibility caused by Harry’s magic combined by the force of the blow was enough to put the green creature off-balance. It crumpled with a muffled roar, fire spurting from between its clenched teeth and it struck the ground. Its rear legs remained firm, however, and the Rathian was already beginning to right itself as it struggled against its bonds.
Ganondorf hadn’t waited for the fall before he continued his forward assault. Once more, purplish flame enveloped his hand as he moved towards the creature’s rear leg. Before he could strike, however, movement from his peripherals caught the Gerudo’s eye. He barely had time to register the strike before the beast’s tail hit him full force and sent the dark-skinned man careening into the cave wall. A sickening thud accompanied Ganondorf’s meeting with the stone and the man slumped to the ground in a heap.
Ganondorf struggled to retain consciousness as he lay against the cold stone wall. Something had pierced his side when the creature had struck and the burn of venom flowed through him. The collision with stone wall hadn’t helped matters. Darkness crept in on the edges of his sight and the Gerudo knew that his end was coming. With any luck, this Omni character had spoken truth and he would be reborn. With any luck, his own immortality would return before his life drained completely from him.
Time slowed to a crawl as the Dark King’s vision dimmed even further. From his vantage point, he could see little of the fight itself, yet what he could see of the Rathian and Harry seemed to be moving at a snail’s pace. Ganondorf set his teeth and fought against the darkness. He would NOT be beaten so easily, and not before he claimed his rightful place. But jellied muscles refused to respond, and the darkness yet crept closer to the center of his sight. Before the last light could be extinguished, all movement appeared to stop completely. A voice from the darkness called out to him, strange and familiar all at once.
“You’re weak,” the voice spoke with malice, its sound like that of a million fires burning.
“You’re pathetic. You hold the Triforce of Power, and yet a single blow is enough to fell you?”
A dark speck entered into the light at the center of Ganondorf’s vision, slowly moving closer to the beaten Gerudo. The dark-skinned thief snarled, barking back at the insolent voice.
“I was a King, fool! I conquered death itself! My enemies were as pawns in my game!”
“And yet, here you are, a simple beast your killer. Hmph… I’m beginning to regret my decision.”
“That bastard Omni stole my power from me!” Ganondorf shouted back, rage boiling up from within, “My power is but a shadow of what it should be. What it will be again! Those beasts may be beyond me now, but-”
“Fool…” The being speaking to Ganondorf ceased its approach at this word. It stood at the mouth to the cave, dark eyes boring holes into the Gerudo’s skull. While Ganondorf might have flame-red hair, this creature actually HAD hair of flame, and its body was armored in scales much like those of the Rath outside. A cruel smirk twisted the demon’s lips, revealing a row of serrated teeth. It was terrifying and familiar all at once.
“You have the power to slay these creatures already. You just don’t know how to use it. Here. Let me show you.”
As the final words left the demonic creature, consciousness finally left Ganondorf and he spiraled into darkness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A roar shook the ravine, rattling stones and sending loose pebbles falling from the sides. Rage, pain, and savagery mixed within the bestial sound, as the dragon-slayers readied themselves for yet another creature to battle. As if two of the Raths weren’t enough, it seemed a third had been lying in wait. Yet, while the sound was vaguely similar to that of the green and red creatures, it seemed both more feral… and more human. At that moment, the Rathian finally broke free of Harry’s spell and set its sights on the wizard. As it moved forward, tail flicking from side to side behind it, the wizard from Chicago prepared himself to face the beast alone.
Just as it seemed the green Rath was about to strike, it suddenly toppled over with a cry of surprise. A massive creature, all fur, muscles, claws, and teeth, had joined into the fray. Tusks, longer than a man’s leg, sprouted from the mouth of this new beast, slamming again and again against the dense hide of the Rathian. The screech of claws on scale rang through the air as the creature raged against its foe. The cry of the Rathian intertwined with the roar of this creature as the titans struggled against each other. The green reptile set its legs against its assailant and sent the beast tumbling through the air away from it. Both itself and the now decidedly porcine monstrosity righted themselves at about the same time and squared off. A battle of giants was about to begin, and woe to the one who would get into the middle of it.