Growing Shadows
Two months. That's how long Maverick had been living in Callous’s fortress and he’d learned nothing. Callous kept putting him to menial tasks, directing the shadowlings and watching over the finishing touches of the fortress being completed. By now everything was finished and furnishings and other things were pouring in from across the dark world.
Hundreds of shadowlings already lived in the barracks there, and there were several armories full of every weapon he could imagine. Whatever preparations Callous was doing were almost complete.
Maverick was outside overseeing a new shipment, another beast was arriving from the light world, the shadowlings hadn’t attempted to take any dark world monsters, those were too strong for them to handle, but light world monsters came in occasionally.
One shadowling approached Maverick and bowed, a practice he had gotten used to over his time working for Callous, in Callous’s own words “they’re lower life forms, they recognize our superiority”.
“Master calls.” The shadowling croaked out before turning away and walking back into the fortress and Maverick immediately followed, these past two months had been tense, he’d never really known what Callous was going to do and he’d made himself vulnerable by staying this long. So when Callous called, he went.
The shadowling lead him past the throne room and armory into a training room, he’d seen other shadowlings in here practicing their fighting under Callous’s watchful eye, their ability to move as one was chilling.
When he entered Callous was standing alone in the room, looking down at his mirror. But as the shadowling left he looked up and caught Mavericks eye. The younger dark hoped Callous hadn’t seen the surprised look on his face as his mind kicked into gear trying to formulate a plan. He had the mirror so he could be spying on the lights via Hyrule.
“Hello Shadow.” The elder dark greeted him. Though Callous knew about his name change there was pretty much a 50/50 shot he acknowledged it at any given time. “You’ve been patient over these past two months, I know how you erembour are. So young and impatient, if you had come to make an attempt on my life or to steal my mirror you would have done it by now. So to reward your loyalty I’m going to begin your training. We only have a limited time until plans are put in motion so you’ll be getting the accelerated course.”
Motioning for Maverick to come closer he pulled a knife out of no where and began talking. “Do you have any idea how I did that?”
“Is it part of your powers?” Maverick guessed.
“In a way yes. As you know all darks have the ability to manipulate shadows, using them as means of transport and various other purposes, as you found when you used them to take on the appearance of someone else. Weapons can also be crafted out of shadow.”
The dagger in Callous’s hand elongated and suddenly he was holding a sword, then an axe, then a spear before it shrunk back down.
“Once you learn to create shadow weapons your arsenal is never empty, while material weapons are helpful these will never fail you. My knives are sharper than any material weapon could be.” For emphasis Callous turned to one of the shadowling guards by the door and in a single move decapitated it. Turning around he smiled his teeth almost shaklike, “and they never go dull.”
It made sense, if he could manipulate shadows to cover himself whos to say he couldn’t use them to create other things. Maverick lifted his hand and concentrated, the shadow beneath him slithered up his palm and pooled until he was holding a dagger, equal in size though not as elegantly fashioned as Callous’s had been.
Callous examined his handiwork has Maverick held out the dagger. "Very good, your control over shadows is greater than any I've seen at your age. Make a bow."
Maverick concentrated on the memory of a recurve bow he had once owned, a toy he had acquired on his journey. As the bow formed into his hand he shook off the creeping memory, that wasn't one of his, it was Vio's. The shape faltered for a moment before fixing and in his hands Maverick held a black sleek compound bow perfectly sized, he drew the string back focusing additional shadows into an arrow. He fired the arrow and watching as it zipped through the room, hitting a shadowling guard straight on disintegrating him.
"Interesting effect. It appears you've had some experience in weapon making so I'll move on." Callous said and Maverick nodded dismissing the bow.
"At present those are your only powers, the ability to control shadows and any training in combat you've had. Much like Eternals mutt you have yet to unlock your true dark powers. And unfortunately those don't come from training or torture else the mutt would have them already. They'll present themselves in a moment when you need them."
Callous stopped as Maverick opened his mouth. "I've never seen you use your dark powers, what are they?"
"Oh but haven't you? I'm using them right now. You only need to guess what their effect might be." Callous smiled cruelly and Maverick knew that's the best he was going to get. How could Callous be using his powers right now, unless it was something he hadn't previously thought about.
"For now you need to train physically, centuries of hiding haven't help you, the shadowlings will be your opponents." Callous turned and began to walk out. "If only you were a true dark, the things you could learn, things you could do."
The dark pivoted when he reached the door. "Don't stop until 500 lay dead here."
With that callous left and shadowlings poured in, Maverick pulled out Dragons fang and readied himself for the battle.
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Three months, for three months he had been hunting for anything. Any spell or magic or item that could help him accomplish his goal. Physically not needing to eat or sleep had aided his quest. By night he snuck into the greatest libraries each hyrule had to offer but none of them had books on the subject he wants, they over flowed with tomes on light magic and peace or whatever happy crap the hylians love but he needed dark magic.
So he continued looking, he snuck into villain strongholds and looked for whatever knowledge he could, but sadly villains had a tendency not to win in this world and even worse to have any of their knowledge destroyed.
But after months of searching he found something, a group of dark wizards somewhere in the twilight realm. Their spells and works remained hidden to normal eyes but to a dark they rediated like a beacon.
He burst through the door, a simple touch enough to destroy them as the wood rotted away. Several sorcerers occupied the inner sanctum of the hideout, he’d already gone through barriers after barriers and twenty waves of acolytes protecting the outside.
They all began to chant in unison but moving with intense speed he ran forward and within seconds has decapitated all but one, whom was now in his grasp, one poisoning hand held over the sorcerer's face.
Acidic smiled sickly delighting in the blood lust. “You’re going to teach me some magic.”
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It had taken hours to get through the horde of shadowlings that Callous descended on him. By the end he was tired, littered with small cuts and soaked in black shadow blood, something he knew never came out.
Dragging himself through the halls up to his bedroom, which had been converted from a lounge, after all Callous didn’t need to sleep so what use did he have for bedrooms. The elder dark had been surprisingly generous after Maverick’s display of loyalty.
After ordering the shadowling guards in front of the door to make him a new tunic and cleaning up Maverick collapsed into bed hoping to get the few hours of sleep Callous allowed him, though he only needed a few hours anyway.
“Get up Maverick.” A gruff voice sounded from far away snapping him out of a dream he couldn’t quite remember, the remnants fading as he awoke. Callous was standing at the entrance to his room looking very impatient. “Get up now. We have company.”
A fast as physically possible Maverick dressed in the replacement tunic that had been made overnight and ran for the throne room as he belted on Dragon’s Fang. Reaching the throne room Maverick skidded to a halt just behind the throne itself were Callous was sitting. And coming down the long carpeted hallway was… Conqueror.
“Ah I see you were expecting me.” Conqueror examined the room. “Why else would you have made the place so nice.”
Conqueror continued to sache his way towards the throne stopping a few feet away from the dias is sat on.
“What do you want Barbara?” Callous asked his face calm but voice full of sneer. “If it’s a quick death you’ve come to the right place.”
“Can I not merely come to appreciate your work Callous? We never see each other anymore, not since you killed Eternal, a commendable move on your part. With him gone there’s a certain power vacuum to be filled. And I take it you aim to fill it.”
“When there’s an opportunity to be taken I don’t let it creep by. Besides who else could have done this. That other fool cares so little about anything its a surprise he’s still alive. And you don’t have the wits to rule.” Callous explained. “And none of the erembour are strong enough to have aspiration enough to fight us.”
“And yet you keep one for yourself?” Conqueror questioned his coolness pushing back anger. “Since you’re intent on acting like Eternal you had to get yourself a mutt too?”
Maverick stepped forward to respond but Callous waved his hand. “Rising to petty taunts is beneath us. But if you must know I did not collect this one, he came to me. Already the erembour recognize me as the best fit, else he wouldn’t be here.”
Conqueror looked more insulted but held in his emotions well. “Won’t even let him speak for himself, he is just a pet.”
“Even the best commander needs his generals, or don’t you know that?” In a second Conqueror was surrounded by Shadowlings. “Or would you like to be a first test for my army? They’ve been awaiting a good fight.”
Conqueror clicked his tongue. “Shadowlings are the best you’ve got?” Several dark clones of Conqueror appeared around him and simply walked forward making the shadowlings back up.
Rising from his throne Callous summoned a weapon from shadow drew back an ornately designed recurve bow almost as tall as he was. “I’m the best I’ve got.”
A black arrow tore through the air striking Conqueror head on though several clones had jumped in the way the arrow tore through all of them. Within seconds his form faded to dust leaving behind nothing but ash, not even his mirror.
Callous turned from his defeated enemy as the shadowlings began to disperse. Walking down the steps of the dias and towards the outer door he motioned for Maverick to follow.
“That buys us another several months, a dark as powerful as him will take more time to reform. But now I think it's time we go collect some new members for my army.”
