#006 THE SCOURGE [PLOT]
Jan 23, 2018 3:59:25 GMT -5
edited on Jan 23, 2018 4:04:58 GMT -5 by Navi
Post by Navi on Jan 23, 2018 3:59:25 GMT -5
#006 THE SCOURGE
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT EVENT
A LOOK BACK AT THE LAST FEW WEEKS
While the council gathered in preparation for the dark times following, light that shone upon Hyrule diminished to a single flame, lowly lit within the chambers of the sleeping princess. Her efforts were all but for nothing - the hero had returned, but many questioned his validation. He had failed once before, would he fail again?
Two Weeks. It had been merely two weeks since the Heroes had successfully freed Link from his imprisonment. In the eyes of some, it was over in an instance, --however to some, it felt like an eternity. Zelda still slept in her chambers, causing worry to spread from person to person as the thought of her waking up grew smaller and smaller. They could not wait any longer, and with the absence of his sister, Prince Artemis took control of their forces. Letters, many letters. Each entrusted into the hands of their fastest riders, or whatever men they could spare; It was a summon, to the offered palace in Labrynna.
Every sovereign faithful to the succession of Zelda, now gathered under the expansive and decorated foyer. At the head of the large table would be King Perseus, and around him are those he holds with high regards. At this time, it is simply the wait for everyone to be accounted for, though some have already taken a seat available.
King Perseus could barely breathe. While the members of each faction slowly gathered within the room, he took note that his beloved was not among the heroes.
This meeting was finally happening... but without Zelda. While the young King had full trust in Artemis's ability to speak for the faction in his sister’s place, her absence brought upon a somber ambiance to those who arrived. Many were not even aware fully of what exactly happened - only that she had managed to save the Legendary Hero, but now she had fallen into comatose.
No doctors or priests could figure out just what was wrong with her though; her sleep was simply holding her in a standstill - as though powerful magic was binding her to her rest; as though her mind and body relied on this interrupted sleep for survival. . .
As many council members waited for others to arrive, chatter rung in the atrium of mossy marble walls. Hands cusped just beneath his chin to allow his weight to rest, he kept to himself and withdrew from the conversations around him until the others were to arrive. Artemis to be seated to his left, Asthar to his right. Along the table would then be littered with leaders of each of the races, or city representatives--even the sheikah council! Those who all still held faith to the True Crown of Hyrule.
"I believe we all know why we have gathered here…” Artemis began, and the movement of their conversation - all with disagreements and negotiation became evident. There was anger and fear present within the room, among all guests within Percy’s walls. Many found it hard to stay calm as they exposed their frustrations with one another; they were all at fault for some degree of how awful things have become.
There was talk of the Zoran Rebellion, of Eleazar’s plans for Symmetry City. Perseus wasn’t sure how to move forward, or where to send his troops. Artemis had assured he had everything under control.
But in the midst of their bickering, a door swung open as a rider dripping in sweat collapsed into the foyer, a letter splattered in red stains falling from his feeble hands and onto the stone floor.
“What is the meaning of this?” Perseus turned quickly, but his face had went pale at the sight of the emblem waxed upon the letter. Three triangles crossed together like a knot - the symbol of Rogue Order.
He went to reach for the letter, but Artemis took it upon himself in urgency to grab it in a frantic motion. His face was stern, analyzing the tousled parchment before breaking the wax seal.
Upon opening it, auburn, silver, and golden locks wisped onto the table before the letter had shaken from the envelope. Sweat beaded on his temple, and his grip tightened around the letter. A heavy weight fell on his shoulders and he felt as if he was being suffocated in the amount of pressure that built up. The whispers in confusion echoed in his ears, and in the passing moments it rang like they were a bell struck with a large hammer.
“Well? What does it say?” The Queen Regent of the Zora demanded.
Artemis’s mouth went dry as he spoke, with every word becoming more tense.
To the King
And the banished prince,
The Duke of Symmetry City is dead, and so are the many troops you sent who did not desert your cause.
As you may have guessed by the gift I left with this letter, I have captured every figurehead you sent on behalf of your cause.
I killed all but four. You have 24 hours to arrive unarmed or they will die. Only the king, the banished prince, and the baseborn may come.
Eleazar
Turning the letter over, Artemis could see four names scribbled carelessly, identifying the four hostages. Silence hung in the room for a moment and Artemis felt his stomach slowly turn. He thought he may vomit.
“Who does he have?” Perseus asked quickly? Should it be higher members of their troops, they should act immediately.
Artemis simply stared forward in reticence. Face growing pale, he pursed down tightly on his lip before clenching his fists.
“Let me go alone. I can fix this.”
“Artemis, who does he have?” Perseus demanded once more before grabbing the letter. Turning it to read the names, he thought he may be in a dream.
Garrett Li, Hakuyu Feng, Aryllia Queensguard, and Kura Hyrule.
“You… you let Princess Kura on the battlefield?” Perseus huffed out.
“She had Garrett and Malikeith with her, I never imagined our troops would fail this badly!” Artemis shouted in defense. “Everyone involved offered their support wholeheartedly and with confidence. We had a plan! Someone must have--there must have been--someone betrayed us!”
Perhaps pride clouded the prince’s judgment, and he refused to believe a plan as complex as the one he created could have failed so horribly. Or perhaps someone among their troops truly had an ulterior motive.
“As stated before, I will go alone--”
“No,” Gael interjected. “This falls on all of us. Your lack of judgment and inability to communicate exposes four incredibly important members of our force to the threat of extinction. We will go together. If you show up alone, Eleazar will simply kill them and then kill you.”
The etching sound that lightly danced across the bedroom window was enough to send Zelda’s back up straight as she gasped for air; up like a bold in pitch darkness as a cold sweat washed over her face and chest – heart trying to escape through her throat the first chance it could get.
One of the blows had caught her rather low, so that she was almost winded and could not breathe. She sat rigid, paralysed as a winded woman is. But she wouldn't let it be seen. With all her will she prevented herself from gasping more than once. Only through her parted lips she drew tiny gasps, controlled.
She looked around for a moment, noticing the emptiness of her room, and her mind had immediately set on what she had last remembered; saving Link from the Sacred Realm.
She felt a sting in the muscles of her legs; though she was unsure how long she had been unconscious, the deprivation of walking caused her bones to stiffen and she found it hard to crawl out of her bunk.
She pushed the door open with all her force, stumbling for a moment as her hands reached for the beams on each side, keeping balance as her eyes adjusted to the light. Blurred vision overtook her as she focused on the members of the guild taking part in their normal duties before she searched the doorways of her siblings’ quarters.
Her brother’s was open, and she wavered to approach. Upon peering through the opening, Artemis was stretched upon his desk, his hands pulling back at his loose hair as his eyes stared down at the papers on the wooden surface.
“Brother,” she murmured quietly. To her surprise, he snapped up to attention, his eyes following hers with a sudden gaze in surprise.
In the half-light Artemis looked like the shadow he's become. Hunched over the baggage he could be anybody. He took one hand and leant it against the wooden desk, his fingertips gripping into the crevices that ran through the bark. His eyes came to rest on the pattern, chaotic like the cracks in parched summer earth. Nothing was making sense anymore. His life had had direction and meaning, all his work had been for their cause and their life together, their future.
“You’re awake,” he murmured quietly.
“Yes,” Zelda said quietly, her voice hoarse and with constriction. She cleared her throat, looking down at her hands. Something wasn’t right. “Where is Elinkar?”
Artemis pursed his lips, “He’s around…”
A silence fell over them for a moment. It seeped into the heiress’s blood and paralyzed her brain; her pupils became dilated and there was a tremor in her hands. Artemis’s face was one of awkwardness, not even hurrying to save her feelings, to fill the void with a non-committal statement of appreciation. The void was a cruelty he inflicted unintentionally. He picked his eyes off the desk with the weariness of one who is fatigued and raised his eyebrows.
“We need to talk,” the prince stammered quietly. “We… had some casualties in your time away.”
Unease blossomed from within her. She tried to come up with answers in her head, but whatever she was thinking wouldn’t compare to what she was about to hear. She nodded carefully, slowly taking a seat on his bunk before he turned to face her.
“You were gone for weeks, Zelda. We had to act carefully and with the growing threat of Eleazar’s forces upon Labrynna, we had to plan accordingly--”
“Tell me who he took from us,” Zelda demanded quickly.
Artemis’s eyes locked onto hers for a moment before suddenly averting and breaking into a glossy panic. The grief surged with every expelled breath, always reaching higher peaks, never sufficiently soothed by his long intakes of the damp air. Tears began to spill from his helpless eyes. “He killed Gael--and Kura--”
“No,” Zelda interrupted quickly. “No, you’re lying!”
“I wish I was!”
It was more than crying, it was the kind of desolate sobbing that comes from a person drained of all hope. She sank to her knees from the bunk and onto the floor, before her breaths became desperate for air around her. Would things have been different if she had woken up sooner?
The weeks since his rescue were surreal, almost with a feeling that they were just a wishful dream, one of the few he got in his prison. Subject to the perversion of whatever god wanted to mess with him that day, his mind had been scarred. Memories were mixed with hallucinations, ones of temptation only to shatter when his hope was met.
In short, reality was hard to deal with for him.
He had spent most his time in his room, the candles dim, pacing. He only came out to eat, and rarely interacted with others. Those he did interact with noticed how vacant he seemed. It got better as time went on, but better didn’t mean all better.
It was about two weeks in when he started having the dreams. He was used to his nightmares, the ones of the Sacred Realm, and often he woke screaming. But this dream felt different, it was almost warm. It was inviting.
And then he saw her. A mysterious figure, who seemed like she was made of light. She hovered before him, watching him with an unblinking stare. Neither said nothing for a few seconds, then the figure let out an anguished cry, her form distorting.
“Master! Help me! It hurts!”
He reached out for the figure, but instead woke up, chest heaving, in a cold sweat. Light filtered through his window, and he looked around, shocked.
The dream felt like minutes, but he had slept for hours.
The same dream played back for the next few days, confusing him, but every time he wasn’t able to reach the creature to help them. What shocked him, however, was when he heard the same voice while awake. He was sitting in his room, looking at his old armor as if to try and work up the motivation to put it on.
“Master…”
As much as he tried to dismiss it as a mere memory, something made him turn his head, but he saw nothing behind her.
“Master… Help…”
He stood, eyes wide. There was no way that he hadn’t actually heard the voice, and he looked around. Still nothing, but something was drawing him to his bed.
Something was drawing him to the Master Sword shards.
He pulled the box out from under the bed, flipping the latch up, and lifted the lid. The shards were lying there, arranged in the order they were meant to go, but some of them were flickering with a dim aura. As he looked upon them, the flickering intensified.
“Master… You can hear me..”
“Who are you?”
He got no answer to his question, as the flickering died out. As it did, there was an urgent knocking on his door, then a servant looked in.
“Master Elinkar, your presence is needed. Her Majesty is awake, and something has happened. She demands your presence.”
He shut the lid, standing, and his eyes went to his weapon, the sword that felt unfamiliar in his hand.
“What does Zelda need of me? What’s going on?”
“It’s Eleazar. We have suffered casualties, including Princess Kura. She-”
The servant had no time to respond, as Link had crossed the room and pushed him aside, running to Zelda’s chamber.
Two Weeks. It had been merely two weeks since the Heroes had successfully freed Link from his imprisonment. In the eyes of some, it was over in an instance, --however to some, it felt like an eternity. Zelda still slept in her chambers, causing worry to spread from person to person as the thought of her waking up grew smaller and smaller. They could not wait any longer, and with the absence of his sister, Prince Artemis took control of their forces. Letters, many letters. Each entrusted into the hands of their fastest riders, or whatever men they could spare; It was a summon, to the offered palace in Labrynna.
Every sovereign faithful to the succession of Zelda, now gathered under the expansive and decorated foyer. At the head of the large table would be King Perseus, and around him are those he holds with high regards. At this time, it is simply the wait for everyone to be accounted for, though some have already taken a seat available.
King Perseus could barely breathe. While the members of each faction slowly gathered within the room, he took note that his beloved was not among the heroes.
This meeting was finally happening... but without Zelda. While the young King had full trust in Artemis's ability to speak for the faction in his sister’s place, her absence brought upon a somber ambiance to those who arrived. Many were not even aware fully of what exactly happened - only that she had managed to save the Legendary Hero, but now she had fallen into comatose.
No doctors or priests could figure out just what was wrong with her though; her sleep was simply holding her in a standstill - as though powerful magic was binding her to her rest; as though her mind and body relied on this interrupted sleep for survival. . .
As many council members waited for others to arrive, chatter rung in the atrium of mossy marble walls. Hands cusped just beneath his chin to allow his weight to rest, he kept to himself and withdrew from the conversations around him until the others were to arrive. Artemis to be seated to his left, Asthar to his right. Along the table would then be littered with leaders of each of the races, or city representatives--even the sheikah council! Those who all still held faith to the True Crown of Hyrule.
"I believe we all know why we have gathered here…” Artemis began, and the movement of their conversation - all with disagreements and negotiation became evident. There was anger and fear present within the room, among all guests within Percy’s walls. Many found it hard to stay calm as they exposed their frustrations with one another; they were all at fault for some degree of how awful things have become.
There was talk of the Zoran Rebellion, of Eleazar’s plans for Symmetry City. Perseus wasn’t sure how to move forward, or where to send his troops. Artemis had assured he had everything under control.
But in the midst of their bickering, a door swung open as a rider dripping in sweat collapsed into the foyer, a letter splattered in red stains falling from his feeble hands and onto the stone floor.
“What is the meaning of this?” Perseus turned quickly, but his face had went pale at the sight of the emblem waxed upon the letter. Three triangles crossed together like a knot - the symbol of Rogue Order.
He went to reach for the letter, but Artemis took it upon himself in urgency to grab it in a frantic motion. His face was stern, analyzing the tousled parchment before breaking the wax seal.
Upon opening it, auburn, silver, and golden locks wisped onto the table before the letter had shaken from the envelope. Sweat beaded on his temple, and his grip tightened around the letter. A heavy weight fell on his shoulders and he felt as if he was being suffocated in the amount of pressure that built up. The whispers in confusion echoed in his ears, and in the passing moments it rang like they were a bell struck with a large hammer.
“Well? What does it say?” The Queen Regent of the Zora demanded.
Artemis’s mouth went dry as he spoke, with every word becoming more tense.
To the King
And the banished prince,
The Duke of Symmetry City is dead, and so are the many troops you sent who did not desert your cause.
As you may have guessed by the gift I left with this letter, I have captured every figurehead you sent on behalf of your cause.
I killed all but four. You have 24 hours to arrive unarmed or they will die. Only the king, the banished prince, and the baseborn may come.
Eleazar
Turning the letter over, Artemis could see four names scribbled carelessly, identifying the four hostages. Silence hung in the room for a moment and Artemis felt his stomach slowly turn. He thought he may vomit.
“Who does he have?” Perseus asked quickly? Should it be higher members of their troops, they should act immediately.
Artemis simply stared forward in reticence. Face growing pale, he pursed down tightly on his lip before clenching his fists.
“Let me go alone. I can fix this.”
“Artemis, who does he have?” Perseus demanded once more before grabbing the letter. Turning it to read the names, he thought he may be in a dream.
Garrett Li, Hakuyu Feng, Aryllia Queensguard, and Kura Hyrule.
“You… you let Princess Kura on the battlefield?” Perseus huffed out.
“She had Garrett and Malikeith with her, I never imagined our troops would fail this badly!” Artemis shouted in defense. “Everyone involved offered their support wholeheartedly and with confidence. We had a plan! Someone must have--there must have been--someone betrayed us!”
Perhaps pride clouded the prince’s judgment, and he refused to believe a plan as complex as the one he created could have failed so horribly. Or perhaps someone among their troops truly had an ulterior motive.
“As stated before, I will go alone--”
“No,” Gael interjected. “This falls on all of us. Your lack of judgment and inability to communicate exposes four incredibly important members of our force to the threat of extinction. We will go together. If you show up alone, Eleazar will simply kill them and then kill you.”
The etching sound that lightly danced across the bedroom window was enough to send Zelda’s back up straight as she gasped for air; up like a bold in pitch darkness as a cold sweat washed over her face and chest – heart trying to escape through her throat the first chance it could get.
One of the blows had caught her rather low, so that she was almost winded and could not breathe. She sat rigid, paralysed as a winded woman is. But she wouldn't let it be seen. With all her will she prevented herself from gasping more than once. Only through her parted lips she drew tiny gasps, controlled.
She looked around for a moment, noticing the emptiness of her room, and her mind had immediately set on what she had last remembered; saving Link from the Sacred Realm.
She felt a sting in the muscles of her legs; though she was unsure how long she had been unconscious, the deprivation of walking caused her bones to stiffen and she found it hard to crawl out of her bunk.
She pushed the door open with all her force, stumbling for a moment as her hands reached for the beams on each side, keeping balance as her eyes adjusted to the light. Blurred vision overtook her as she focused on the members of the guild taking part in their normal duties before she searched the doorways of her siblings’ quarters.
Her brother’s was open, and she wavered to approach. Upon peering through the opening, Artemis was stretched upon his desk, his hands pulling back at his loose hair as his eyes stared down at the papers on the wooden surface.
“Brother,” she murmured quietly. To her surprise, he snapped up to attention, his eyes following hers with a sudden gaze in surprise.
In the half-light Artemis looked like the shadow he's become. Hunched over the baggage he could be anybody. He took one hand and leant it against the wooden desk, his fingertips gripping into the crevices that ran through the bark. His eyes came to rest on the pattern, chaotic like the cracks in parched summer earth. Nothing was making sense anymore. His life had had direction and meaning, all his work had been for their cause and their life together, their future.
“You’re awake,” he murmured quietly.
“Yes,” Zelda said quietly, her voice hoarse and with constriction. She cleared her throat, looking down at her hands. Something wasn’t right. “Where is Elinkar?”
Artemis pursed his lips, “He’s around…”
A silence fell over them for a moment. It seeped into the heiress’s blood and paralyzed her brain; her pupils became dilated and there was a tremor in her hands. Artemis’s face was one of awkwardness, not even hurrying to save her feelings, to fill the void with a non-committal statement of appreciation. The void was a cruelty he inflicted unintentionally. He picked his eyes off the desk with the weariness of one who is fatigued and raised his eyebrows.
“We need to talk,” the prince stammered quietly. “We… had some casualties in your time away.”
Unease blossomed from within her. She tried to come up with answers in her head, but whatever she was thinking wouldn’t compare to what she was about to hear. She nodded carefully, slowly taking a seat on his bunk before he turned to face her.
“You were gone for weeks, Zelda. We had to act carefully and with the growing threat of Eleazar’s forces upon Labrynna, we had to plan accordingly--”
“Tell me who he took from us,” Zelda demanded quickly.
Artemis’s eyes locked onto hers for a moment before suddenly averting and breaking into a glossy panic. The grief surged with every expelled breath, always reaching higher peaks, never sufficiently soothed by his long intakes of the damp air. Tears began to spill from his helpless eyes. “He killed Gael--and Kura--”
“No,” Zelda interrupted quickly. “No, you’re lying!”
“I wish I was!”
It was more than crying, it was the kind of desolate sobbing that comes from a person drained of all hope. She sank to her knees from the bunk and onto the floor, before her breaths became desperate for air around her. Would things have been different if she had woken up sooner?
The weeks since his rescue were surreal, almost with a feeling that they were just a wishful dream, one of the few he got in his prison. Subject to the perversion of whatever god wanted to mess with him that day, his mind had been scarred. Memories were mixed with hallucinations, ones of temptation only to shatter when his hope was met.
In short, reality was hard to deal with for him.
He had spent most his time in his room, the candles dim, pacing. He only came out to eat, and rarely interacted with others. Those he did interact with noticed how vacant he seemed. It got better as time went on, but better didn’t mean all better.
It was about two weeks in when he started having the dreams. He was used to his nightmares, the ones of the Sacred Realm, and often he woke screaming. But this dream felt different, it was almost warm. It was inviting.
And then he saw her. A mysterious figure, who seemed like she was made of light. She hovered before him, watching him with an unblinking stare. Neither said nothing for a few seconds, then the figure let out an anguished cry, her form distorting.
“Master! Help me! It hurts!”
He reached out for the figure, but instead woke up, chest heaving, in a cold sweat. Light filtered through his window, and he looked around, shocked.
The dream felt like minutes, but he had slept for hours.
The same dream played back for the next few days, confusing him, but every time he wasn’t able to reach the creature to help them. What shocked him, however, was when he heard the same voice while awake. He was sitting in his room, looking at his old armor as if to try and work up the motivation to put it on.
“Master…”
As much as he tried to dismiss it as a mere memory, something made him turn his head, but he saw nothing behind her.
“Master… Help…”
He stood, eyes wide. There was no way that he hadn’t actually heard the voice, and he looked around. Still nothing, but something was drawing him to his bed.
Something was drawing him to the Master Sword shards.
He pulled the box out from under the bed, flipping the latch up, and lifted the lid. The shards were lying there, arranged in the order they were meant to go, but some of them were flickering with a dim aura. As he looked upon them, the flickering intensified.
“Master… You can hear me..”
“Who are you?”
He got no answer to his question, as the flickering died out. As it did, there was an urgent knocking on his door, then a servant looked in.
“Master Elinkar, your presence is needed. Her Majesty is awake, and something has happened. She demands your presence.”
He shut the lid, standing, and his eyes went to his weapon, the sword that felt unfamiliar in his hand.
“What does Zelda need of me? What’s going on?”
“It’s Eleazar. We have suffered casualties, including Princess Kura. She-”
The servant had no time to respond, as Link had crossed the room and pushed him aside, running to Zelda’s chamber.
THE CHAMPIONS' BALLAD
Three things are evident with the last few weeks in character:
Without further ado, I would like to introduce the next phase of Arc I: The Champions' Ballad. As previously stated, Zelda and the various leaders of the different races (currently allied with the Heroes) will select a single champion from their people to take on the next phase of Majora and Eleazar's invasion.
These races include: Zora, Goron, Gerudo, Rito, and Sheikah. It can be applied for with existing characters as well as new characters.
While this is going on, there will be various boss battles available throughout the Isle that all members can take part in for some hefty rewards - keep in mind that these are DEATH ENABLED threads and these staff controlled bosses can and will kill you if you do not use common sense. They have the ability to auto hit you - you do not have the ability to auto hit them.
So it's time to assemble some good old fashioned dungeon parties! Which means it's best to find yourself a healer or stock up on some fairies in bottles. Keep an eye out for some NPC's coming your way soon. They may just throw out a thread for people to join~
- Eleazar has successfully invaded Symmetry City, and has claimed half of Labrynna's territory for himself. He is now in the process of selecting new leaders to these territories and presenting them with masks of power. He is also working toward an alliance to remaining territories who have yet to declare war with him. Important Figureheads have been killed to make a statement to the Heroes of Hyrule.
- Zelda has woken from her coma after two weeks. She found out the fate of her sister and her attendant, as well as the Prince of the Sea Zora. She now calls upon the allied races to select champions of elite skill to join her on a special mission.
- Link, the Legendary Hero is free, but the Blade of Evil's Bane has been shattered. He will now beginning his journey of retracing the origin of the blade and reforging it to its former glory.
Without further ado, I would like to introduce the next phase of Arc I: The Champions' Ballad. As previously stated, Zelda and the various leaders of the different races (currently allied with the Heroes) will select a single champion from their people to take on the next phase of Majora and Eleazar's invasion.
These races include: Zora, Goron, Gerudo, Rito, and Sheikah. It can be applied for with existing characters as well as new characters.
While this is going on, there will be various boss battles available throughout the Isle that all members can take part in for some hefty rewards - keep in mind that these are DEATH ENABLED threads and these staff controlled bosses can and will kill you if you do not use common sense. They have the ability to auto hit you - you do not have the ability to auto hit them.
So it's time to assemble some good old fashioned dungeon parties! Which means it's best to find yourself a healer or stock up on some fairies in bottles. Keep an eye out for some NPC's coming your way soon. They may just throw out a thread for people to join~