Shadow Of The End

Name: Shadow Of The End

Plot: Hyrule has been plunged into it's darkest hour.

Several months ago, a strange disease began to spread across Hyrule, and quickly became an epidemic. The disease, known as the Corruption, was lethal to all races. Walls and fences were built all over Castle Town, siphoning off the diseased from the clean, the diseased zones becoming ghettos. There has only been one survivor of the Corruption, the King of Hyrule, who was miraculously cured over night.

As the weeks went by, the people of Hyrule began to grow frustrated, wondering why the Hylian Army had not been able to contain the disease, why the rationing of water, food and medicine was growing thin, and ultimately, how the King had been cured. Eventually, protests began, the people of Hyrule believing that a cure had been developed, but was being given to nobles and the upper class, living in the clean zones. Quickly, they turned violent, as a extremist rebel group known as the Vox arose from the Ghettos. Soon, Hyrule had descended into a bloody civil war as the Vox's number's swelled.

However, the Vox and the Hylian Army were not the only contenders in this war; an army of monsters had arisen as the Hylian Amry had been siphoned off to fight the Vox. The monster Army, tagged the Horde by the Hylian Army, began to assault anything living, including the Vox and the Army.

But in recent days, words of another threat has arisen, amidst the fighting between the Army, the Vox and the Horde; strange, colossal monsters that wander every province of Hyrule, attacking any that came close. Nobody knows where they came from, or what they're doing. They seem to keep to themselves, but show no mercy to those that approach.

The story begins seven months after the first case of the Corruption. A scientist is visiting Hyrule Castle. Nobody is sure of what the discovery is, but it is supposedly undeniably important. Today, the scientist will go to the Castle as the war reaches full tilt. Only time will tell if the discovery will help the war come to a close, cure the Corruption, or solve the mystery behind the mysterious giants that stalk the land...

Races: All

Games it ties into: N/A

Sequel/Prequel: N/A

Timeline: DERP

RP is owned by RobotOwl

It was the middle of the day. The sun was out, which would of been nice on many other days, but today one might think that it was oddly missfitting.

Although this quater of Castle Town was clean and prestine, the crackle of fire and gentle wails could be heard from other wall into the Ghetto that stood only a metres away, just beyond the wall.

The drawbridge to Castle Town opened, and a small, horse drawn carriage passed through, trotting into town. There was a Hylian Army soldier on every roof top, watching it, making sure its occupant would fall under no harm.

The occupant, none other than the revered scientist Charles Priestly, sat in the regally outfitted carriage, looking very nervous but was very quiet. He kept looking out the window as if looking for people who could be approaching the carriage and then hiding himself; however, there was only a few passers by, the regular drabble as they went about their buisness...

Eiria heard the clapping of the horse's hooves and the clunking of wheels as they were dragged over the uneven stone floor of Castle Town before she saw the carriage itself. Half-concealed by the cover of the alleyway shadows, she leant out just a little to try and catch a glimpse of whoever was inside, but quickly pressed her back against the opposite wall when movement on the roof above her caught her eye.

She risked a glance upwards, hoping the darker shadows would keep her hidden from all angles. Her cautious expression turned to one of seething hate when she saw the soldier standing above her. She used to be one and so was her fiance. Perhaps if the disease hadn't of killed him she would be up on the rooves as well... Or maybe she would be if his health had not been neglected. Unlike the King's who, by some miracle, was cured in the short hours of the night...

If 'miracle' translated to 'secret cure', then that was exactly what saved Hyrule's king. Eiria was sure of it and that's why she had to leave the Guard. She couldn't stand the way her superiors and collegues lied to her with well-rehearsed stories of how fate chooses who lives and dies from the disease.

"Fate knew the people needed our king," they would say with unnatural confidence.

Even now she shook her head. What the people needed was the cure and she definitely wasn't going to stand on rooftops and condemn the people she was supposed to be protecting to death. So here she was, an ex-soldier turned rebel, ready to fight against those who she once fought with.

A plethora of men and women with bandanas showing the Hylian flag hid in the streets, many with Eiria. They watched the carriage.

"...for the people!" came a shout as one of the guards went tumbling off one of the buildings.

"FOR THE PEOPLE!" the rest of the Vox bellowed as they charged out of there hiding spots, and attacked. Quickly, and street descended into anarchy as the Vox began to fight. Suddenly, more Hylian guards rushed out of nearby buildings and joined the fray; they had a trap of their own, it seemed.

Eiria looked around when the other rebels charged into battle. She stepped back and let them pass as she notched at arrow and let it fly. It hit the soldier on the roof above her straight in the neck. He choked and fell into the alleyway and landed at her feet, his body twitched and blood pulsed from his neck in short bursts.

Eiria yanked her arrow from the soldier and quickly stepped around him. She prepared the same arrow as she broke out into the street and shot down another soldier, blocking out the thought that they were probably those she once called friends. She drew her blade and charged deeper into the battle.

The carriage began moving forward at a much faster rate, trying to get away as it cleaved through the chaos.

Eiria looked up when she noticed the carriage trying to make an escape. She didn't know who was in it or why it was here but the regal appearance of the vehicle told her that it was associated with the king, and therefore her enemy. It must have been carrying something important... The cure, perhaps? Maybe their supplies were low at the castle and heaven forbid should the nobles fall ill.

Taking a chance, she shoved her way through the violent crowds, cutting down any enemy who tried take a swing at her. She lept onto the edge of the fountain in the centre of town and fired an arrow at the horse pulling the carriage.

The arrow struck the thin the armour that the horse was wearing; it paniced a bit, but kept on course.

Eiria pulled back another arrow and shot it at the driver.

The arrow flew fast, and pierced the drivers neck, sending him tumbling off the carriage. The horses began to slow down...

Eiria was still a good distance away from the carriage and she looked around to see if anyone else from the Vox had noticed it. She jumped down from the fountain and made after the carriage.

Suddenly, as the carriage slowed, the door burst open and the proffesor, Priestly, made a break for it, running into one of the alleys.

Eiria saw the man escape the carriage. He didn't look like someone from the castle. She quickly changed direction and darted down another alleyway, hoping to cut him off where the two paths met.

----

"Sir, we received word from the search party," a middle-aged, Novafaitan man said as he knelt before Tage. "Last night's group was found dead; they wouldn't have made it through the night."

Tage looked down at the man. "Good," he said in a voice as rough and cruel as his nature. "Tell them to burn the bodies and prepare the next group."

"Yes, Sir," the man said with a dip of his head. He stood and left in a hasty manner, pulling a piece of paper and a pencil from his coat pocket as he disappeared through the tall, dark doors of the hall.

Sutekh, Tage's Hand, stepped up beside him and clasped his hands behind his back. "That's twelve groups, my Lord," he said.

"It must be done," Tage said. "Do not tell me you feel for pity them."

"No, my Lord," Sutekh said. "But our numbers are dropping fast and if this disease leads to an uprising, then we run risk of being outnumbered."

Tage slowly turned his head to look at his Hand. "Does a lion shy away from the kill because he's outnumbered by the herd?" He said in an authoritative tone.

Sutekh looked at Tage for a moment and then gave an uncomfortable nod. "No, my Lord," he said again and not another word was said by either of them.

Ever since Tage had learnt that a disease had broken out around Hyrule, he had his personal guard scower the village daily for anyone who seemed even remotely ill. They were immediately locked in an especially built keep and then spilt into groups. Each group was sent out to the most desolate parts Snowpeak mountain where they were left to die, then the next day, search parties were deployed to make sure no one had survived and to burn the bodies to rid the disease.

Of course this did not work for those affiliated with ice, so Tage had them burned alive instead. He wouldn't let an illness weaken his army.

Gwene lay in her bed in their home in the Oasis, a cold sweat upon her brow, she felt incredibly weak and was fight half the time to stay awake.

Konbei pulled his chair closer to Gwene's bedside and gently held a cloth full of ice against her forehead in an effort to ease her fever.

"Don't go to sleep," he told her.

"No father, I don't want to train today, I'm not feeling well." Gwene said, the high fever was aking her delerious.

"Gwene, it's me..." Konbei said gently.

----

Nuala pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders and exhaled sharply from the cold. A slight frown creased her brow as she scanned Snowpeak's freezing landscape for Konbei.

Gwene shut her eyes "Yes, I'll make up for it tomorrow. I just want rest..."

=====

Sergius appeared by her side "Even through this blizzard, I can't see him. That village isn't too far from here, if we make our way there, we can make camp there for the storm."

Konbei just sighed and took her hand.

---

"I told him not to go looking for a cure," Nuala said. "He's foolish to think he can make Gwene better, but of course he didn't listen. The more he exposes himself to the rest of Hyrule, the greater the risk of him contracting the disease."

She paused for a moment. "Of course that's if he hasn't already caught it off Gwene," she said in a quieter tone.

Sergius didn't really have anything to say, he just continued to stare into the blizzard. "The boy has hope, you can't blame him for trying to save his loved one, and not wanting to leave her alone."

"I know," Nuala said. "But I wan't him to be safe as well."

She kept walking when suddenly her foot sunk in a fresh patch of snow and stood on something hard beneath. Nuala used her foot to shift some of the snow to the side and stopped when she uncovered a sickly white arm protruding out. Near the wrist, staring right at her, was a brand in the shape of the Novafaitan symbol.

"Sergius..." Nuala said as she bent down and brushed more snow away to reveal a face, as well as a foot that must have belonged to a seperate body. "Look."

Sergius knelt down to look closer "Good riddance." he muttered under his breath "So what do you think this means? Something up here killed them?"

"I doubt it," Nuala said. "The only other living-"

The distant muttering of voices silenced her and then; "Hey!" Someone barked. Nuala's head snapped up and she squinted through the blizzard. She could just make out the glow of a torch advancing towards them through the white wind.

"...Survivors..." a second voice growled. "Kill them."

Hoping they hadn't seen Nuala, Sergius quickly shoved her into the snow and quickly covered her up. "Stay down." he whispered to her.

He then stood up, and looked at the newcomers "What's going on here? Who are you?"

Nuala gasped from the burning cold of the snow. "Sergius!" She whispered angrily when he covered her. She went to get up but froze when she heard the voices.

Two Novafaitan men stopped in front of Sergius but kept their distance, thinking he was an infected survivor from the night's group. The first looked over the uncovered bodies near Sergius.

"How could you have survived?" He glared at Sergius and spoke in a thick, foreign accent. Before he had the chance to answer, the warrior thrust his hand out in front of him, sending a score of fire at Sergius before forming a burning blade.

"Burn the bodies," he said to the second man who trudged over and was about to drop the torch on the body right next to Nuala. She heard him coming and took a chance; drawing her knife and bursting out of the snow, she stabbed it into his leg. He dropped the torch into the snow and it fizzled out. She got into a stance, gathering her energy as he growled at her and did the same.