LoZ: Dark Times

"Yeah, then one day you'll be able to do this..." Konbei's body started to get colder and colder. "Hold on tight," he grinned at Niamh and then suddenly, as if out of nowhere, a blizzard whipped around only them and whited out their surroundings. It eventually settled and the world around them seemed to reform again, only instead of being in Hylrule field, Konbei and Niamh were now in Kakariko.

Niamh clung tightly to her father, unfazed by the cold as it formed around them, but she did feel a little dizzy when they reformed.

"When can I learn how to do that?" Niamh asked excited

"Why don't you give it a try now? I did it by accident when I was about your age," Konbei said and brushed a few snowflakes out of Niamh's hair.

"You have to concentrate real hard on your energy until you feel yourself getting very cold."

Deserax saw them warp and to save time, he stood still for a moment, and he stuck out his hands. He shot some flames out, and he wrapped them around his body, and then reappeared right by Konbei. Of course, his warping happened in an instant.

Zelda turned towards the door. "Enter!" Then, in a lower tone to Thorne, "...Right again. You heard her coming down the hall, didn't you?"

Thorne merely sipped his tea again. "Of course, milady."

-S-

In Kakariko Village...

A diminutive young girl in her mid teens was tending to a black stallion in the stables of Kakariko. She had telltale red hair and tanned skin... the obvious Gerudo traits. Yet she her face and stature suggested otherwise... Hylian, perhaps?

"Hm?"

She turned her head slightly at the noise Konebi and Deserax's arrivals made. Her eyes went wide for a moment at the display of magic.

"Well... that sure isn't something you see everyday..."

Gwene entered and walked over to Zelda, she took a seat nearest her "Hey, how are you today?"

Zelda smiled at Gwene, cheered a bit by her presence. "I'm faring well; and you?" she asked, setting her tea and saucer aside.

Thorne remained silent, but bowed his head slightly to Gwene out of habit.

(Are you gonna reply as Niamh?)

"I'm fine." Gwene replied "I just came to see how you are doing."

=====

Niamh tried to do as Konbei said, but it didn't work. She kicked the ground in frustration.

The sun was slowly sinking over the horizon...

Only a few miles away, hidden beneath the cover of the nearby woods, Arthur's army was ready and waiting. Horses nickered and pawed the ground, and the sounds of metal clinking could be heard as soldiers shifted in their steps, waiting for the command to move.

But Arthur was patient.

He had waited a long time for many things in his life... And there were other things he knew he could not wait for. But this... This night was to be his victory. And he had to wait until the sun finally went down... The last bit of light leaving the top of the horizon.

Arthur narrowed his eyes, and watched the last of the day's rays slowly slip beneath the hills...

"Take it easy," Konbei chuckled. "It's getting late," he said when he looked up at the setting sun; it cast an dark orange glow over the village, highlighting the dust that whipped around in the wind. "We can try again in the morning."

Niamh nodded, she took Konbei's hand and let him lead.

Deserax looked over past Konbei and the kid, and saw the sun starting to set. It was casting a beautiful shade of orange across the whole town, and looked truly magnificent.

"Sunsets here are always so cool."

From their position, Arthur knew that they would start their charge a little before the sun went down from their view- and by the time they reached the town, it would have just reached darkness.

Turning around in his saddle, Arthur looked at his small troops with narrowed eyes. Some of them looked nervous, but all of them wore hardened faces that showed their dedication and loyalty to the traitorous commander before them.

Arthur sneered as he raised his staff.

"Listen well, brave soldiers!" he bellowed, his voice almost like a bear's as it rattled the very plates of armor each of his men wore. "Tonight will be a great victory- a victory for the FUTURE of Hyrule!" He sneered. "For too long the kingdom has suffered under the unfair and tyrannical rule of the current bloodline... I will take my rightful place on the throne, and I will bring a new, golden age of prosperity to this land! All will be rewarded and revel in our glory!"

He threw his fist in the air.

"FOR HYRULE!" he roared.

In turn, his soldiers all raised their spears, swords, and axes, returning the battlecry.

"FOR HYRULE!!!"

Arthur sneered.

Now was the time to attack.

"And what of Konebi and Nimyah?" Zelda asked attentively.

-S-

Fortuna sighed, grabbing her bags and exiting the stables. "Time to get a room..." she hummed as the sun disappeared under the horizon.

Konbei watch as the last hint of sunlight vanished over the horizon. "Niamh, come on let's go, your mum will probably have a fit if you're not back by the time she finishes..."

The sound came slowly, quietly at first... almost like the sound of thunder. A dull, distant rumbling sound. However, unlike thunder, it didn't come once and then stop... it rumbled and rumbled, growing louder and larger... And as it grew larger, the ground itself began to shake. Pools of water shuddered, and as it grew, objects fell down and people's heads begin to turn as their eyes grew in fear at the approaching, malicious sound.

And the sight that came charging up the nearest hill was enough to send shafts of fear down every citizen's spine, and send them running and screaming for their lives.

For charging up the hill, barreling through the land and aiming straight towards the center of town came a horseback army, charging over the ground and making everything rumble like an earthquake. Soldiers yelled and screamed as they waved their weapons, and horseback warriors raced in front of the crowd, swinging their swords and initiating the attack.

And at the front of it all- the malevolent, dark sorcerer Arthur II, who had charged ahead of them, but finally stopped his horse, allowing the others to flood past him. After all, he had more than just these few soldiers left to summon...

His horse reared up, and, with a maniacal laughter, Arthur shouted as he thrust his staff above his head.

"SERVANTS OF DARKNESS, HEAR MY CALL!" the necromancer bellowed, as violent and angry shrouds of dark magic began to swirl viciously around his staff. "OBEY MY COMMANDS! DESTROY ALL IN YOUR SIGHT, AND LEVEL THIS PLACE TO THE GROUND!!"

Finally, from the tip of his staff burst a massive explosion of pure darkness, twisting and throbbing, pulsing and jerking as it grew and grew, twisting apart the very fabric of the world and swallowing up the light in the massive black hole.

Deserax whirled around and saw the flood of people coming. Followed by the mans screams, he knew that things where about to get bad.

"Konbei! Get the kid out of here!" Deserax shouted as he assumed a defensive position. He started to make some really bright fire come out from his hands, and then hit the ground with his palms hard. The result was a massive light/fire barrier around the main part of the town. (Basically, he's covering the hotel, the shop, and the hot spring area above the house)

Without thinking, Konbei drew one of his katanas and made a grab for Niamh as the army rushed straight at them.

(Btw, Luv, it's pronounced 'Neave' )

A soldier burst into the command tent of a lowly captain and saluted his commander. "Sir, the royal forces have returned from Kakariko."

Miles looked up from the strategy map and gave the messenger a quizzical look. "What? Who pulled them back?"

"I couldn't say sir."

Miles drummed his fingers on the table as he considered the situation. "Why the hell would they abandon that position? It's a vital strong point and our main source of iron." He straightened up and said, "Assemble my lancers. We're going to Kakariko to see what's what."

"Are you sure?" asked the soldier, "It'll be dark before they're even ready to go. Besides, some of them are still trainees."

"On the job training." said Miles as he lifted his helmet from a nearby stand and put it on. "And when the soldiers are ready to go I have a message for you to deliver." He picked up a letter from his desk and gave it to the soldier. "Make sure the princess gets it."

The soldier saluted and ducked out into the night. Miles followed behind and stepped into the muster field. It was a cordoned off section of Hyrule Field just outside Castle Town. It was a space for the noble's levies, mercenary companies, volunteers, and other auxiliaries to live and train while waiting for the army to call upon them.

"Lancers! Assemble!"

Fortuna's eyes popped. "OH SHI-"

She immediately turned and ran back to the stables, jumping on her Gerudo stallion without hesitation and unsheathing one of her blades. She spurred the horse out of the stable, easily following the incoming of soldiers and slicing at some of them, hoping to take a few down despite their numbers.

((Thanks ^^))

Finally, after what seemed like ages- but in reality was only a few quick seconds- the center of the dark, black hole ripped open- and a blinding sort of dark light burst through the open hole.

And from that hole-

Like a swarm of locusts, bursting from the center of the hole came hundreds of monstrous, demonic dark creatures, spilling from the hole and lurching forward with menace and murder in their hollow eyes, and written all over their open, hungry jaws and twitching, eager claws. Lacking any definable or recognizable shape, but certainly monstrous and dangerous in appearance, the hundreds of dark creatures all lunged forward, roaring and screaming, as they set to pilaging the town, grabbing and killing civilians with single blows and tearing down everything in their sight.

And commanding all of them, still holding in front of him his staff and keeping the onslaught of monsters pouring from the portal, sat Arthur upon his horse, madly and maniacally laughing as his horde continued to devour everything in its sight.

"Niamh!" Konbei shouted as he tried to force his way through the horde of attackers. His usual confident persona was quickly coming undone as he fought to reach his daughter, slashing at anyone in his path.

"Papa?" Niamh called out, she was seperated from him and called out hopelessly.

The flow was beginning to slow from the pouring of shadow monsters from the portal- But, with one final, massive burst, an enormous amount of black magic suddenly burst forth from the portal, and hundreds more shadow monsters, which had fallen on the ground nearby, crawled back up and began to charge into the city at their master's control.

And as Arthur laughed, charging ahead as he commanded his minions to slaughter and kill, one blast of darkness was shot off to the side, the dark magic swirling angrily around it. The portal finally closed, and the shadow monsters continued to run forward into the town. But the one blast of magic which had shot to the side had slammed heavily against the ground, and the wisps of magic began to die out.

And when the wisps of darkness finally faded away, there was only one thing remaining where it had been- the crumpled form of a boy.

His face was contorted in pain- the child looked no more than thirteen years old, and he was struggling to regain consciousness after the experience of his ordeal. His entire body was shaking as the dark magic began to seep off and die away, and his arms were trembling as he tried to push himself up off the ground.

Back in the madness of the city's ambush, the shadow monsters had reached the barrier of fire, and were angrily leaping and clawing at it, hoping to break it away piece by piece. In the madness of the rush, a monster had crashed headlong into another and landed right in front of the terrified little child, Niamh. Snarling, with wide, fierce eyes and twitching claws, it began to rise over and advance upon the helpless girl...