The War of Fire: Ch 8. The Battle of Zora’s Domain
Impa wasted no time in speeding across the plains of Hyrule. On her horse, she quickly trotted up and down hillsides in search of Leere. What she didn’t expect, was to see the Princess come to her.
Leere saw Impa crossing a bridge over on of the streams from the corner of her eye. It was hard to miss that white horse streaking by. “Impa! Impa over here!”
The Sheikah turned her horse westward, trotting over to Leere. Stopping next to her, Impa scooped Leere up and threw her on the back, turning right back around. “Hey! What are you doing?”
“Getting you to safety. There’s a war going on and I can’t have you getting hurt.”
“Impa! You’re going the wrong way!”
“No. I’m pretty sure I know darn well where the castle is.”
Leere finally positioned herself up right to hug Impa from behind while riding the horse. “That’s not it. Father needs our help.”
Impa stopped the horse, getting a loud yelp out of it for the sudden stop. “You know where Ganondorf is?”
“I do. I dragged him out of the river, but he was terribly hurt. Currently got him resting at the house I was staying at. Can we get him medical attention?”
Impa looked into a hand bag on her side. She had a number of fresh potions on her. “I do. This will bring Zelda great relief to see her daughter and husband alive and well. How about we switch positions so you can better point the way?”
“You got it.”
~
Zelda and her chosen army had finished its preparations around the domain. Hyrule Castle would be well defended by a garrison led by Vaati in her absence. Knowing her young litter was safe far from any battle, she had the peace of mind to concentrate on the war ahead. “King Carcharodon. My soldiers have taken all up their arms and await the invaders approach.”
The giant shark tapped a claw hand against his chin in contemplation. “My own soldiers are ready to fight Queen Zelda. But I have to know for certain. Are these Hasai as horrible as the rumours say they are?”
“Every village they’ve come across they’ve burned to the ground. They are a relentless fire that rages across Hyrule. They even kidnapped my own daughter.”
“Then in the name of the goddesses and the great spirits, we shall face them with an iron will and an unbreakable determination.”
“Good. Let’s go over the plan one last time…”
~
Rinku awaited the coming bloodshed on the front line with other soldiers. Dressed in her green tunic and hat, chainmail, her Hylia Shield and wielding the Master Sword, she hoped to inspire hope. All the soldiers besides her could feel the dread swell up around them, but everyone stood strong.
Down below, a few Octaroks were swimming back up the river. Seemed the Hasai had broken the ambush fighters quick enough. The heavy sound of marching was soon easily heard well enough. Coming up from the valley, a war horn of the Kikai Empire boomed.
Back at the centre of the Domain, Zora Mages set to work on shifting the weather to their advantage. Rain started to pour down as they beat their drums and sang incantations. The Song of Storms would single the dawn of battle.
Rinku grimaced as the rain tapped against her hat. The rain was enough to drench the landscape, but not enough to make the visibility poor to their artillery.
Finally, the Hasai appeared. A legion of over a thousand warriors marched upwards, using their natural abilities to light a vision through the storm. The rain would not be enough to quench their flames. Leading them, in a set of new golden and white armour, Seras drew a glaive, raising it to the sky. Thunder crackled in the sky, and with a boom a bolt of lightning shimmered downwards. Shoving his weapon towards the heart of his enemies, Seras roared out his command. “ATTACK!!!”
The Hasai roared, charging forward. Rinku had her target now. The son of a bitch who potentially killed her father and hurt her sister. With a whistle, she threw an arm down for the Sheikah legion to make its first strike. Up above on the cliffsides, they launched bombs strapped to arrows at the Hasai. The Hylian platoon of archers farther back fired enough arrows to pierce every drop the fell, for just a second. Rows and rows of Hasai fell in the first attack. Then it was there turn.
Casters of fire launched bolts forward as they ran ahead. These streaks of fire forced the ninja to flee the cliff sides they hide in. In the back lines, war machines were pushed up the valley. Once in position, engineers launched destructive balls of metal, splinters, and fire down upon the forces of Hyrule. As men were scattered, Rinku pushed down her past memories of bloody conflict. She had more pressing matters to think about rather then bloody corpses. Ironing her will, the ancient spirit of the hero within took charge of the growing fear in her comrades in arms. “Fall back to the mountain side! We’ll have cover from their bombs! Go! Go!”
Seras hissed, charging forward. “Split up my warriors! We shall start taking the cliff pathway toward the capital! I will split the hero princess in two and paint these bridges with her blood.”
Far above, Zannah was freshly dressed, rested, and awaiting her opening. Flying on her Manticore, her expression was neutral as the fighting started. Despite a strong start to the conflict, it was best she didn’t let her ego get the better of her. Hyrule positions were easy to spot enough, but they didn’t let themselves be open to attack. For now, she’d wait. “Bellum should be making his move by now.”
From the seaside, three small war blimps were floating above to the mountain side looking far down at the Zora’s home. A company of elite troops marched and hopped out of the blimp as it just finished its landing cycle. T0-D helped the Grand Admiral out of the blimp gently. “Everyone get to work. We have a war to win. T0-D, set out for the dam once we begin our fire from above.”
“Confirmation: It will be done Grand Admiral.”
However, unknown to Bellum, Zelda was ready. Disguised and prepared for the rainy environment as her alter-ego Sheik, she, Klinge, and squads of her own and the commander’s forces were ready to strike. With a pump of her arm, she gave the silent command to give the ambush. Like hell she was going to leave this position open to flanking. Grassy Octaroks popped out of the earth, launching sharp rocks at the closest Hasai. Zora rose up, throwing javelins through the torsos of the invaders, and Klinge himself charged forward. “For Ganondorf!!!”
T0-D was instant in his protection of Bellum, grabbing a javelin thrown at his field commander. The Hasai immediately drew their weapons and lunged into the fight. Zora were taller than your average Hylian or Hasai, so this was the first fight that wouldn’t be a steamroll for the fiery warriors. Some Zora were able to conduct rain falling down around them into weapons themselves. As Hasai shot bolts of fire, some Zora conducted the water around them into spheres so large and heavy, that when casted at the warriors of Empire, it would throw them off the mountain side or crash them into boulders like fish against the rocks of a shoreline.
Bellum drew a crossbow, firing towards the Zora warriors. While he held not an ounce of magic in his being, he was still a capable fighter. “T0-D! Open the cages! Then you have your mission to uphold!”
The android nodded, walking towards one of the blimps. Inside, there were cages with only a few tiny holes for air to breath in instead of bars. Opening the door, roars erupted as cats with fiery manes ran out in a pack. With fierce fury, they clawed and sank their jaws into the Hylian forces.
Zelda jumped onto a rock as on of the hellcats ran towards her. As it hissed, its mane of fire flared. Jumping towards her, the cat tried to slash the spandex of her legs. Moving her leg, the Hyrule Warrior stabbed a short sword into its paw. The cat hissed running away. To her left, another hellcat jumped towards the Queen.
Instead of sinking its fangs into flesh, it broke them on steel. Klinge had his shield in its jaws, and bringing a mace down on its head, caved its skull in. “Queen Zelda. Be mindful of your surroundings.”
She just needed a single breath to compose herself. “Thank you Commander Klinge.”
“We still have a battle to win. And I’d like to make sure Hyrule doesn’t lose its entire monarchy in it.” The undead Gerudo watched as the remaining hellcats and Hasai grouped together, taking a second wind to charge into battle once more. With a tap of his mace on his shield, Klinge charged forward into the fight again. He would not fall here.
~
“Quickly! In here!”
Leere was frantic in leading Impa inside. Luckily for them, no Hasai had spotted them on the way to the cabin. And none had inspected it during her absence. Opening the door, Ganondorf was still on a couch, resting, yet ready to defend himself. “Leere? And Impa? Didn’t think I’d ever say it was good to see you, but it is.”
Impa shrugged, closing the door behind them. “Likewise. Zelda and the kingdom gravely feared your loss.”
“And you?”
“It distresses me to see Zelda and your children distressed.”
As Ganondorf chuckled, he grimaced under the pain in his broken ribs. “Don’t make me laugh.”
Leere tugged at Impa’s hand, looking concerned. “Impa, can you help him? You said that there was a battle going to happen at Zora’s Domain. We need to get out there and help. And we need to be able to have him get up without breaking a hip.”
“Daughter…”
Impa walked towards Ganondorf, motioning for him to lie down. Grabbing a pinkish potion, she handed it to the king. “I’m going to try and heal your lips from the outside while you drink this potion.”
“What’s this pink one again?”
“If you’re hung up on the colour, don’t be. It’s great fairy tears. Very powerful healing magic in it, and also incredibly hard to acquire. Be grateful I’m sparing it to you.”
“I weep for joy-AH THE HELL!!!” Ganondorf roared as Impa applied pure light to start her healing magic against Ganondorf’s ribcage. It stung with more force than a hive of hornets.
“I’d start drinking that potion now if you’d like relief.”
Leere waited as she watched her father heal, grabbing a bag of gear to resupply on. She had a feeling she wasn’t coming back to this cabin.
Soon enough, the process was done, and Ganondorf took a few deep breaths before standing. With a squeeze of his hand, he felt the power of the triforce glow within. It was like a small flame keeping his spirit warm. But right now, he wanted more than a kindle. He wanted a forest fire to burn in his heart. “Impa, you said Zora’s Domain was under attack?”
“Indeed. A large force of the invaders is trying to seize it as we speak, no doubt about it.”
“Go tell your horse to go home. Once you’re done, both of you hang tight. Can get us there, but I wouldn’t want to let go of me.”
Both Leere and Impa nodded with determination. With Ganondorf back on his feet, they felt their spirits sour.
~
The battle raged on, many dead on both sides. Monsters clashed against the Hasai on the mountain trail to the capital. They found themselves hiding behind cover, stone Beamos firing laser fire whenever they drew too close. Other Hasai started beating Bokoblins with fists of fire if they lost their weapons in the scuffle of combat.
Raam sank his teeth into a Zora, swallowing the warrior alive as Zannah shot fire from atop her mount in defense of a few Romtan engineers who were ambushed. “Get those catapults in range!”
“Princess! The rain makes it impossible to push the wheels up the hill!”
“Then carry it! We can’t lose the battle due to poor terrain and spirit!” With the whip of a collar, her manticore took off into the air once more on leathery wings.
Meanwhile, Bellum was getting back into a blimp. He was not going to lose his life if he couldn’t help it. “Soldiers! Cover me! We must reach our prime objective.”
Klinge and ‘Sheik’ worked surprisingly well together. As the bigger warrior, Klinge was an armoured tank that protected Zelda, but as the smaller, nimbler warrior, the Queen was able to cover his flanks effectively. Together, they fought their way through the soldiers of the Kikai Empire. There only major obstacles were the hellcats that were still alive.
With aggressive roars, they circled the pair, looking for an open moment to strike. The Queen saw that the enemy commander was making his escape, and she would not miss this opportunity to take him down. “Klinge! Give me a platform to jump from!”
Nodding, Klinge quickly brought his shield low for Zelda to stand upon. As he threw her into the air, the hellcats sprang forward. With the momentum of throwing his arm upwards, he spun it back around, crashing the shield into the head of one of the fiery beasts, while another tackled him to the ground.
Rolling in the wet grass, Klinge wrestled with the feline, having claws slash against his plate armour. With a small growl of his own, he raised his arm, concentrating on a magic energy spear to materialize. Grasping it, he thrust it downwards, penetrating the hellcat’s neck. Rising up, he was shot by a squad of Hasai who avoided the other soldiers in his own ranks. The undead hissed as his armour was being lit up in fire, flames squeezing their way through his joints.
With a roar, Hylian soldiers came to his aid, hacking away at the Hasai that assaulted him. Chief among them Kelly, who wanted payback from the assault on the castle. “Get away from the commander you savages!”
Klinge picked himself up as the squad ran to him. “My thanks.”
“Commander. Are you well?”
“I will be. Stay focused.”
Karkus, another soldier Klinge knew well, pointed at the shiny metal android stepping closer. “Sir! Freak incoming!”
When Kelly saw the android again, she froze. “No. Not again.”
Klinge knew that this was the thing that killed Samson and the rest of Kelly’s squad. Stepping in front of all the Hylians, Malik summoned a katana in his right hand, and a short round shield attached to his left.
T0-D stopped in his tracks, drawing two blue blades that shimmered along the edge. “Observation: Large Darknut. Human variety. Sensing a lack of life from you. My complete analysis? You are beneath me.”
“I’m not going to listen to the drivel of a talking, soulless garbage can.”
Klinge and T0-D clashed in a flurry of blows, the undead only able to keep up and counter due to his vast centuries of experience in combat. The android was relentless, a whirlwind of blue as he arms struck in every direction he could. With a strong kick, he pushed Klinge back a few feet, but the commander stood tall.
“Declaration: Someone please kill this tin soldier. I have a pressing engagement to attend to.”
To Klinge’s shock and anger, the android ran away, speeding down the mountain. Chasing after him, other Hasai were ready to sacrifice their lives if it meant slowing him down. They didn’t realize they were doomed. With silent fury, the commander concentrated on his magic, raising a wall of dark fire between himself and the Hasai soldiers. Continuing after the android, it quickly dawned on Klinge where it was heading. “The dam. Those bastards.”
As Bellum’s blimp was taking off into the air, Zelda landed on the deck. The Grand Admiral was surprised to have an intruder break through his glass window. A few engineers were moving all the switches needed for take off and to move out of range before the armies of Hyrule could have artillery put into position that could punch a hole through their sails.
Drawing a matchlock pistol without a stutter in his pace, Bellum fired at this Sheikah that dared to step too far out of her comfort zone. The steel bolt fired outwards, barely missing its target, though only in its intended mark. The bullet scrapped Zelda shoulder, enough to bleed her.
Rolling forward she drew her short sword, stabbing at a soldier that went to defend Bellum. When she rose up to deliver a killing blow at the Grand Admiral, Bellum struck her with the end of his pistol. He had a hard steel end for the purpose of pistol whipping his enemies. Her head was throbbing as she backed away. Not wanting to waste time reloading, and now with no other guards, Bellum drew a rapier to duel the Queen.
No words were exchanged as Zelda parried Bellum’s strikes. Her headache from the strike to the temple was throbbing, and she knew she couldn’t fight at her best until she could clear her head. Grasping a deku nut in her back pocket, she threw it down, blinding her opponent.
As Bellum walked backwards and rubbed his eyes to clear his vision, he noticed a glow come from his opponent’s hand. With his vision clear, it appeared that the ninja was no longer dazed. It was if she magically made her senses clear. With a smirk, he quickly studied her build, confidence, the glow that faded from her hand. “I never would have expected Queen Zelda to appear on the battlefield.”
That certainly shook Zelda by surprise. She grimaced behind her mask towards the man. “And who are you to lead an army against her land?”
“Her land? There is no need for a disguise. The way you carry yourself, your resourcefulness, and not to mention, the command of healing magic you possess. This gives away your true identity. As for me, I am Grand Admiral Bellum. And I will be the architect of Hyrule’s destruction.”
“Oh, I don’t think so.”
~
Rinku and the Hylian forces on the bridges were being pushed back farther and farther towards the capital. On the other mountain passes the Hasai were slowly dwindling down the blockades that kept them from murdering every Zora that couldn’t fight. As the princess retreated the final mountain pass, she held took a few hard breaths before exhaling with a plan. “Soldiers! Go to the bridge! There are no more chances of retreat. You will hold your ground and fight to the last man standing.”
“What about you princess.”
“I will stay here, and hold them off. Now go!”
The soldiers of Hyrule would not argue with their hero. The marching of boots ran down to the final garrison awaiting the Hasai. Rinku ran up the mountain top, clutching her bow, and waited.
As Seras and his remaining army marched forward, Rinku closed one eye to concentrate. “Smile you son of a-”
An arrow flew by, and with a little bit of magic, froze a Hasai about to fire a catapult. With another arrow, she fired at Seras, freezing the prince’s leg to the ground. The pain of the cold was nothing like Seras had ever felt before in his life. It stung like a thousand bees all at once. “Wh-wh-who dares?!”
Seras unfroze himself with a burst of fire, looking up at Rinku, her green image shining like a leprechaun atop the mountain, full view for anyone on the battlefield to look up to. “Men! Capture the capital. I will slay the brat princess! Killing their hero will be the final nail to seal Hyrule’s moral away for good!”
Rinku watched as the Hasai cheered, and as Prince Seras flew up the mountain, fire jetting from below his feet to propel him upwards faster. Tossing the bow to the side, the princess drew her sword and shield just as the Ocho Prince landed in front of her. “Hello again princess.”
“Seras.”
“Oh, you know my name on que, do you? I suppose my name should be recognized by now.” Seras grew a cruel smile, his eyes expanded with delighted glee. “I killed your father. A burn his face and sent his body crashing into a river below. I’ll have the distinct pleasure of killing not one, but two avatars of your puny goddesses. Then maybe I’ll kill Zelda to finish the set.”
Rinku’s face was as cold as ice. “For that, your conquest ends here.”
The royal heroes of each faction clashed, with Seras using his golden glaive against Rinku’s blade of evil’s bane. The prince of the empire backed away, spinning his weapon above his head for intimidation before swinging it back down. As he did, a streak of fire launched towards her, evaporating the rain that well down. Rinku leap to her left, feeling sweat mix with rain that dripped down her face. Thunder boomed and Seras roared with it.
Rinku rolled around the prince as he tried a horizontal strike to cut her in half. Kicking up she hit the prince in the shoulder plate, her blade whishing in front of his face. To return the favour, Seras brought his foot up, kicking his enemy right in the nose. “Ha! Look at you grovel at my feet.”
Without skipping a beat, Rinku grabbed some mud and threw it at his face. “Grovel this.”
Seras grunted, and in his blindness, he stabbed towards Rinku. The strike was aimed well enough to deflect her sword to the side, but it didn’t stop her from standing on her feet and smashing his face in with the brunt of her shield. With a growl, the warrior princess kept bashing her shield into Seras, every blunt strike breaking his nose further and further. As she was ready to clean his head off, something thick and round hit her from behind.
Flying over head, Raam the Manticore flew off, his ball like tail dangling behind. Zannah jumped down to assist her brother, running quickly to deliver a jump kick to the dazed Rinku. “Hey there princess.”
Rinku and Seras wiped the blood from their faces, each at an equal level of rage fueling them. Seras’ fists glew with fire as he stood by his sister’s side. “You’re going to pay for that you brat.”
“I’ve faced worse odds.”
“But can you beat two versus one at our levels?” Zannah took out a new double-side blade, swinging it into a battle stance.
Rinku replied by swing her sword to the side, putting her shield up, and tightening up her stance.
When the lightning streaked across the sky, both of the twins ran towards Rinku. Suddenly, they split off, one going for the right flank, and the other for the left flank. The Link within her thought back to past battles she could draw from. When both the twins came out her, Rinku parried every strike, stab, and kick they tried to throw. Her sword and shield were extensions of her limbs, and she pushed every muscle in her body to stay alive. Finally, when Zannah stabbed forward, Rinku deflected the strike to her left, having her nearly stab her brother in the arm.
It dawned on Rinku that the two weren’t being overly coordinate. “What? You did so much better the first time we met.”
“You can’t divide us.” Zannah sneered. Pointing her free hand, she shot a bolt of lightning out at Rinku with two fingers. The Princess held her shield up to deflect the strike. As she held her ground, she saw Seras approach from the right. Having her Master Sword, she made a silent pray for the gods to guide her strike true. Putting the blade in the path of the lightning, she pointed her weapon next at Seras, and on a silent command, the lightning was shot outwards, electrocuting the prince on the spot.
Zannah stopped when Seras screamed aloud, his perfect white hair being singed. “Brother!”
Rinku held her shield true as Zannah shifted her magic from lightning to fire, trying to melt her into kindle. Running to her with her shield up, Rinku smashed away Zannah’s hands, and with a quick strike, brought her blade down against her. No limbs were severed, but Zannah’s arm was sliced open down to the hand. Falling backwards, the princess screamed in agony at her wound.
“Yield.”
Zannah still had her grip on her sword, but Rinku was on top of her. This was the second time she had beaten. “I can’t.”
“I don’t want to kill a defeated opponent, but I will if I must.”
Seras meanwhile, rose from behind. “Insignificant, repulsive, green little rat! How dare you! You will not make a mockery out of my family!” Charging a massive fireball, he charged it with just enough electric spark to make it frightfully explosive. When it collided against Rinku’s shield, it sent the green hero flying backwards into a rock. Zannah herself held up her remaining arm to try and magically divert the explosion from scorching her. When Seras walked by her, he looked disgusted by her. “I can’t believe she beat you. Again.”
“I’m not dead yet.”
“Get up. You can make sure she doesn’t leave.” Rinku tried to stand up, but Seras was quicker. With a kick, he smashed his boot into her eye. “Little ant. I like to burn ants.” With a hand out, he shot a bolt of fire into her leg. “What’s wrong hero?”
Rinku felt herself be picked up by Zannah from behind. When she was thrown forward, Seras delivered a strong punch he had reeled back, knocking her back down onto her back. “You’re nothing.”
“Yeah?” Rinku didn’t know if she was going to survive this. In fact, every passing moment she felt like the answer was no. But like hell she wasn’t going to let him gloat. Finding a nice rock, she had enough strength to throw it at the prince as he was gloating. It flew through the air and hit him right above the eye. Perfect enough to make him scream and bleed like a punk. “What does that make you?”
“YOU MAGGOT!!!” Seras stomped over to Rinku, his one open eye bloodshot with fury. Why was she still smiling? “You dare mock me?!” Driving his foot down, he kept kicking Rinku over and over in the stomach and chest. Finally, with both hands, he squeezed his fists, engulfing them in fire. “I’m going to beat you within an inch of your life now.”
Above him though, on a rock looking down at the three, a loud crack against the stone turned their gaze. Down on the battlefield, those who weren’t engaged in combat pointed out a new contender that couldn’t be missed. Seras and Zannah looked up. Lightning illuminated the Gerudo King, and he was not a happy man. Seras, for just a moment, reverted into the small, scared child he was. “No… no I killed you. How…?”
“What do you think you’re doing to my daughter?”
Before Zannah could react, some other girl came out of nowhere, socking her in the head with a quick punch. The Hasai Princess went falling down a hillside, a few levels down from the others.
Seras didn’t answer the question, all these failures now finally starting to push him over the edge. “No. No. No. No. No. No! I told my father I killed you! I won’t be deemed a liar in his eyes. This time I will just have to bring him a body. DIE!!!”
With all the power he could muster, Seras was wild with his magic, throwing bolt after bolt of fire at Ganondorf. The prince persisted in his attacks, finally cultivating in a wide stream of flame. His paranoia led him to not be precise, and the King of the Gerudo walked through the fire as if he was demon coming out of hell.
The rain continued to pour down, and Ganondorf’s posture didn’t change. “My turn.” With a mighty yell, Ganondorf charged up a yellow ball of energy. When he released it against the Seras, the prince screamed. It was as if his body was frozen, on fire, and electrocuted all at once. His nerves had no idea what to make of it. And before the prince had a chance to recover, Ganondorf ran forward, delivering punch after punch in a vicious beating against the teenager. Pinning him to a rock, Ganondorf kept beating him over and over. When he threw Seras to the ground, the prince crawled in the wet grass, reaching for his glaive. The Ocho was fueled by instinct in his movements to survive now. However, when he tried to swing it around, Ganondorf brought his foot down on it so hard, the hilt snapped in half.
With a dark blur, Ganondorf’s own demonic trident was summoned. With no mercy in his heart, he brought in down on Seras. With all three tips stabbed through one end and out the other, the King lifted Seras high into the air. The Hasai warriors that lived were terrified to see the King of Hyrule not only return, but kill their prince in such a barbaric display. None more were shocked and horrified than Zannah though. The princess could only watch helplessly as her brother was gutted. “NO! SERAS NO!”
Seras slid down the trident spikes, close enough to come face to face with Ganondorf. The only expression Ganondorf saw now was pain. And fear. Satisfied, and knowing that he would only suffer longer if left like this, Ganondorf placed a hand on the boy’s head. With little effort know, he pulled tight, ripping the head from the body. Lightning crackled and thunder boomed. To his enemies, Ganondorf was the King of Evil. With a flick of his arm, he threw the body off his spear and downwards off the mountain. The prince’s body bounced off rocks and sank into the waters below, to be forgotten and washed down the river. As for the head, Ganondorf tossed it downwards to the princess. Zannah was in shock as her brother’s head rolled almost perfectly at her feet. Slamming his trident down, Ganondorf almost whispered out a command out to the invaders remaining royal, but she heard it clearly. “Get out of my country.”
Leere was helping Rinku to her feet, already pushing a potion to her lips to heal up. Zannah grabbed her brothers head, taking a step back as Ganondorf took a step forward. “Or maybe I should just kill the rest of you and dispose of the trash.”
Zannah instead whistled, and her manticore came to her. Ganondorf had never seen this creature before, but when it turned its tail forward like a scorpion, instincts took over. The monster fired bolts of iron that could pierce the mountain side, trying to stake everyone. The King ran over to his daughters, grabbing them as he leapt behind cover. Zannah ran to her manticore, jumping on the saddle. “This isn’t over until I kill you all!”
As Zannah was ready to fly into position, a large blade of water slammed into her beasty, sending them twirling out of the sky and far down into the river below. Her manticore and her stayed a float in the water, but were dragged down river, far away from the battle where they would cause no more strife. All that could be heard from Zannah was her furious screams. Many Hasai started to retreat to go save their princess.
Standing on a rock, Impa was still in stance from using their ninjutsu. Looking down at the royals, she waved them over. “Come now. Zelda and the people of Zora’s Domain still need our assistance.”
~
Bellum and Sheik were still dueling on the blimp, which was now flying over the lagoon. Their swords clashed as they danced around, and Bellum kept his guard up. The Queen was a formidable opponent. Even if he had the capabilities to use fire, being inside his war blimp would only be self destructive if he did. Thankfully he had years of physical combat training to keep him alive.
With duck, Bellum brought his sword up, which knocked the Queen’s balance off. Another strike horizontally, Bellum smashed her short sword out of her hands, and out the window. “This battle is finished.” The Grand Admiral took a few breaths, needing to catch his breath from keeping pace. “Surrender Zelda. As Queen, you can still live a life of luxury under the banner of the Empire.”
“While the rest of my people live as slaves?”
“That is the price for you defying us so far.”
“Then I will defy you a little while longer.”
Although he respected her dedication, Bellum frowned none the less. “Shame that won’t be much longer at all.”
Moving in to strike her down, Zelda knew she had to act quickly against the Grand Admiral. Slipping a kunai down her sleeve and into her hand, she threw it past Bellum’s shoulder and into the face of a Hasai at the wheel of the blimp. As her target jerked in a death fall, the wheel spun left, and the blimp tilted.
Bellum didn’t expect such a sudden and bold move that wasn’t going to be made against him. When he went to strike at Zelda, he missed as she threw herself left with the momentum of the blimp. What came next, was another prediction he didn’t calculate for.
Diving out the window, Zelda turned herself around midair. She needed to give the blimp one final smashing. Channeling her holy powers, the Queen of Hryule summoned a bow and arrow of light. Pulling the bow string back, she smirked behind her mask. Letting go, the arrow shot forward, piercing the hull and sails of the blimp. With a loud wail, the blimp instantly caught fire, and started to descend.
As for the queen herself, her bow disintegrated into particles of light, and she positioned herself to breach the water below. Taking a deep breath, her body dived in, propelling herself like a torpedo with her velocity. Quickly submerging, she ran to the surface.
Bellum was taken completely aback by this attempt on his life. Looking around on the bridge, he noticed the rest of his operating crew was dead. Picking himself up he hopped over the wheel. T0-D had not succeeded in his task yet. Which meant he was either destroyed or being stalled. Either way, the Grand Admiral would not fail in his objective. Steering the ship accordingly, he calculated his route and executed his plan. Looking at the window, he aimed for the top of the dam, and then simply waited.
~
Zelda took off her mask as she reached land. On the right side of the dam, she looked down to see the battle rage on the final bridge. Soldiers of Hyrule fought against the invading warriors, not willing to surrender an inch. Wanting to help she started to run to the central walkway from the dam to the domain, when she saw Klinge fighting some sort of mechanic menace. Both were engaged in deep sword combat. Before Zelda could say anything, Klinge shouted out to her, as if he knew. “No! Go assist the soldiers! Go now!”
Zelda only hesitated for a moment. However, the commander was right. And she had faith in his abilities to take care of himself. Running down to the domain as fast she could, she ran in to join her soldiers. “Fight on! Their leadership is defeated! We can win! Believe in hope and we will win!”
As Zelda blinded a group of Hasai with a deku nut, a deep and calming voice spoke out to her from the right. “I couldn’t agree more my dear.” With a deep roar, a blast of magic smashed away another section of Hasai on the bridge, scattering them off the bridge and into the raging water below.
Spinning her head to look, Zelda’s eyes were filled with relief and shock. “Ganondorf!”
The Gerudo king slashed another enemy soldier with his trident, allowing a group of Zora soldiers the time to charge ahead and reclaim some ground. “Yes. And I’m not leaving you again.”
When a Hasai fire caster tried to launch a large fireball at them, Rinku rolled into the defensive, scattering the flames with her shield. The caster was then grabbed by a redead, devouring him alive. Rinku smiled to her mom and dad as she ran to them. “Sorry about the close call mom. Had to get backup.”
Zelda saw Leere using dark magic, conducting the undead not too far away. “Leere too? I’m so thankful to see you’re all alright.”
Leere drew closer with her parents and sister in arms. “We aren’t out of this yet.”
Ganondorf chuckled, stabbing his trident upwards towards the sky. “Neh. We aren’t. Not until every last one of them is dead.” Pointing down from the heavens to the remaining Hasai, Ganondorf was ready to give them hell on earth.
The Hasai saw that the Hylians had all their leadership and powerful reinforcements. Finally, the word had gotten out to the front ranks that the prince had been killed and the princess was taken out of the battle. With a horn to signal them, the Hasai did something they loathed, but weren’t completely foolish to ignore. They started to retreat.
Ganondorf laughed evilly as he saw his enemies scatter. “After them! If any escape they might return with vengeance!”
Leere was all about it, pumped up by his energy. Rinku and Zelda both gave him a look, which caused Ganondorf to shrug. “Our men need the confidence. And perhaps I scared those barbarians from ever returning.”
“Then victory is-!!!” Zelda paused, her attention turning to the blimp that was ready to crash head first into the dam.
~
T0-D was growing aggravated. Never before had an opponent lasted so long against him. Every strike was countered, and every time he thought he calculated a strategy against the darknut, the warrior switched his tactics up completely using magic or switching battle techniques. Just as he was ready to engage his division for more weapon support, another warrior came into the fray.
They wielded a large cleaver like sword, and without an exchange of dialogue, they were attacking him as one unit. A sheikah and darknut. T0-D’s processes were beginning to understand the word hate more and more now. “Declaration: I will not be postponed any longer by meatbags.”
Both Klinge and Impa took battle positions, ready for the android to make the next move, when they looked up to the sky. Klinge was taken aback by the sight of the fiery ball of fire falling towards them. “What in oblivion is that?!”
T0-D scanned the blimp. No life forms except for the Grand Admiral. It didn’t take a super computer to know what he intended to do. And T0-D wasn’t going to let the captain go down with the ship. Retreating back up the mountain path, T0-D broke off from the battle, putting all his power into his legs to travel faster. Once he felt he was at an appropriate height, he sprung himself off the mountain and onto the blimp. Slicing his way down to the bridge, T0-D looked over to the Bellum collapsed over the wheel, having fallen unconscious due to smoke. Grabbing him, T0-D hosted the man over his shoulder. Looking down at the dam, he charged his eye, and fired a beam. The laser damaged the dams top just enough for the hammer to crack it open. Finally, the android left one last parting gift on the blimp. Content the mission would be a success, T0-D took the Grand Admiral and fled the crashing vessel. Running out the window, his arm launched a hookshot to grapple the mountain, and with that, the Hasai android fled the battlefield.
Klinge and Impa saw that there was nothing they could do to stop the blimp. If they didn’t want to be roadkill, they had to jump off the dam and into the water below. “No time to delay!”
Klinge took Impa’s hand, surprising the warrior, and took a long fall down into the water under the capital. Even if he couldn’t swim, he didn’t need to worry about drowning. As they neared the water, Klinge nodded to Impa, allowing them to use him as a platform to break their fall on the water by jumping off him. With a loud splash, the undead Gerudo sunk to the bottom of the domain.
He thought he’d be swept away with the underwater current eventually, but he felt something latch to him. Looking up, he saw a chain had gripped him. Grabbing it, he took it, slowly pulling himself up to the surface. Reaching air, he saw Impa had shot a claw shot at him. “Not going to let you be forgotten to all but the fish.”
“Thank you.”
Both didn’t have anything else to say as they looked up. Carnage was upon them.
To the horror of those in the domain, they couldn’t celebrate victory as the blimp crashed into the dam. Inside the deck, T0-D had left a bomb. As it finished ticking, it detonated, and a massive explosion shook the foundations of the dam, shattering it. Stone flew into the air and water poured out, ready to consume everything and everyone in its path.
Under normal circumstances, the Hasai would have won. The gods would have looked down on Hyrule and not answered its pray as the water of the lagoon would have swept away a whole section of Hyrule away. However, Zelda was not one to rely on gods. And she wasn’t going to let her fate end here.
Running forward, she put both her hands up, and she put up barrier, holding all the water back. Her Triforce of Wisdom glowed intensely, the golden triangle practically illuminating the area. Zora citizens and soldiers panicked as they saw stone from the dam fall and water leak. With more concentration, Zelda widened her barrier, stopping water from pulling out. Yet despite her efforts, this was an Olympian task. The Queen of Hyrule knew this was a losing battle.
Despite being Triforce users themselves, Ganondorf and Rinku had no idea what to do. Rinku’s magic was limited, and only weapon based. Ganondorf had more destructive magic, but he doubted he could annihilate all that water. “Zelda! What can we do to help you?!”
“Can’t. Hold it.” Zelda gritted threw her teeth. Her muscles in her arms were pushed to its limit, the spandex of her suit ripping.
In her desperation, Rinku fired multiple ice arrows at the dam. They had a minuscule effect at most. “Oh, come on! This isn’t fair!”
Her daughter’s efforts clicked something for Zelda, but she’d need a stronger energy source to do so. “Rinku. Ganondorf. Give me your pieces of the Triforce.”
“What?” Ganondorf was taken aback, wondering what plan Zelda was cooking.
“Trust. Me.”
Both of Rinku and Ganondorf looked to Zelda, and with an exchange of deep trust, they found it within themselves, through out the experiences of their past lives, to trust Zelda. Both put their hands out to Zelda, and the Triforce of Courage and Power transferred from them to the queen. Zelda felt a surge of energy within her soul. With her body glowing a rainbow mist, Zelda’s hands shone bright yellow. A blaze stopped all the rainfall, and her barrier pushed the water back. A cry for victory and safety was heard from her across the domain as all the water went back into the area of the lagoon. With a squeeze of her fist and precise use of magic, a wall of ice started to be formed. Taking the place of stone, this was ice that would never melt.
Her work complete, Zelda fell backwards into Ganondorf’s arms. As a rainbow and the sun shined on the valley, there was a moment’s pause from everyone as they waited to see if the ice would hold. Finally, a cry of celebration shook the valley as every Monster, Hylian, and Zora cheered in victory!
Relinquishing control, Zelda gave the Triforce pieces that were not her own back to Ganondorf and Rinku. Leere ran forward to them, heavily concerned for her mother. “Are you going to be ok? Are you hurt? Are you-”
“Leere. I’m fine. Just give me…” Zelda took a few breaths. Content, she smiled to her family, standing up. “There. Now, all of you, come here.”
Smiles on all of them, they came together in a loving hug. Zelda did her best to not cry as she breathed in her husband’s scent. “I love you all so much.”
“I promise you all. I will never leave your side like that again.”
Rinku looked to Leere, smiling broadly ear to ear. “You going to stick around too?”
Leere nodded, content that her family was safe. “Yes. I’m not going anywhere.”
Ganondorf released the hug, hands on both his daughter’s shoulders. “Good. Because it will take all of us to expel the Hasai. The war isn’t done until they are gone from our lands for good.”
Zelda and her family turned to the rainbow high above. Together, they had won this battle. And together, they would win the War of Fire.
~
In the claimed lands of the Kikai Empire, word had finally traveled to the Emperor. He was heavily displeased with the results.
Kneeling before him, the eldest prince bowed his head, waiting for his father’s command. “Nihilus. Your younger brother is dead. Your sister has failed me. I will have you finish what they started. You will do what they could not in their incompetence.”
“And what of Grand Admiral Bellum?”
The Emperor gave thought to his son’s words. “The Grand Admiral carried out his task admirably. It was unforeseen that the magics of Hyrule would defeat him. He will have no punishment. Besides, I still have needs of his strategic mind.” The Emperor coughed loudly, his stress mixing with his illness. “Go to Hyrule. There, you must find an artifact called the Sheikah Slate. It is the key we need to pilot our new weapon. With it not only Hyrule will fall, but every country in the world will bow to the might of the Kikai Empire. Have your sister ordered to return. Do not fail me.”
“As you command my Emperor. I will finish this war. For the glory of the Kikai Empire.”
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Dedicated to my friends and wonderful followers. Waited three years to write this chapter in my head.