ColonelCaboose Member
Vengeful Paladin
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But Sep, sarcastic killing machines are never outdated.
I think the best way to survive is to just have someone else do it for you. Surviving is a hard gig, it's much easier to give the work load to someone else, That's what the Disney Princesses figured out.
Name: Beskad Maximus
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Species: Concordian (Human)
Appearance:
Skills: Outstanding survivalist, excellent in close-combat, skilled Swordsman, Marksman, Strategist, Pilot, Slicer, Demolitionist
Weapons: Two WESTAR-34 blaster pistols, BlasTech Dur-24 wrist laser, Czerka ZX miniature flame projector, Velocity-7 dart shooter, Kelvarex Consolidated Arms MM9 mini concussion rocket, Type-12A anti-personnel rockets, Type-12B gas capsules, 1126 rockets
Other Equipment: Durasteel temperature controlled Mandalorian armor, Mandalorian Iron crush gauntlets & helmet, Field security overloader, wristband blades, wrist mounted grappling hook, boot spikes, electromagnetic devices in his crush gauntlets, Merr-Sonn JT-12 jetpack. Two mini respirator ( 30 minutes of air each)
History: Beskad was born in 55 BBY, five years after the Mandalorian Civil War began. His clan sided with the True Mandalorians under Jaster Mereel and fought the splinter sect, Death Watch that wished to bring Mandalore back to its barbaric ways. He spent most of his young life travelling with his father, older siblings, and other clan members as they took jobs as professional mercs for hire and continued to fight the Death Watch. During this time he learned much about his culture and clans specialty as the best survivalists of all the clans of Mandalore.
However in 34 BBY a majority of his clan and all of the True Mandalorians died in a trap set up by the Death Watch. The Mandalorians made their last stand against the Jedi and died with honor. He was not present at the battle, aboard their ship doing maintenance shift after losing a bet with a fellow comrade. He was too late to help and all he found were the remains all of the True Mandalorians. He spent the next three days and nights digging each of his fallen brothers and sisters a grave. He did not stop until all of them were done and almost died from dehydration and exhaustion. He collected their armor and sent them to the clans of his fallen comrades, but he personally took home the most. From that day he harbored a strong hate for the Jedi and robbing him of his friends and family. He returned to Mandalore and built a memorial to his kin. He placed each of the their armor in cases with their weapons. His father’s was at the end of the long hall, his father had been chieftain, but now the duty fell to him, only there wasn’t much of a clan left. He took the Sith lightsaber that had been handed down in their clan since the Great Hunt of the Great Galactic War nearly 4,000 years ago.
His hate for the Jedi and the fact he was too late to do anything while his brethren were slain gave him an ungodly amount of determination to become the best he could be. He went into exile and travelled to some of the harshest planets, such as Hoth, Mustufar, Kashyyyk, and perfected his survival skills. His father had been the master survivalist, but with him gone he had to learn all he could from firsthand experience. He nearly died over a dozen times over the years, but Death was too afraid to ever touch him.
Four years later in 30 BBY, Jango Fett found tracked him to the deserts of the Wastelands on Tatootine, he had been hunting Krayt Dragons there for the last several months. Jango Fett had survived the battle and was once again rounding up Mandalorians for something, honor called him to follow Jango Fett’s orders because of Jaster Mereel’s last wishes and the fact he held the title of Manda’lor. He way only 25 at the time, but his skill set was too valuable to pass up when training the future Clone Commandos of the Grand Army of the Republic. He travelled to Kamino and received 100 clone cadets to train. There he met old friends of his father like Kal Skirata and Walon Vau, both great warriors who he shared many views with despite the fact that both their views were polar opposites of each other on almost every issue.
As the years rolled by and he trained his commandos, he grew a close attachment to all of them. He shared Mandalorian culture and values with them and named the all accordingly. By the time their training was complete and they had grown up, he had come to call them sons and considered them all a part of his clan. He had pushed them hard, harder the nearly all of the other 99 training sergeants, he had beaten them, sent to the emergency room, had pushed them to their limits and then beyond. They were the roughest, toughest, bunch of commandos out of the other 10,000 commandos.
However even with this knowledge he was worried sick when they were deployed to Geonosis as part of a mass scale invasion with the rest of the Grand Army of the Republic. His hate for the Jedi grew when the stupidly used the commandos for front line assault when they were designed for operative missions. He was relieved when he saw that all 100 of his commandos had survived, only a handful of other training sergeants had that score, he however still felt for the other sergeants and gave them his sincere apologizes for their losses. None of them had gotten to say goodbye to their commandos, the deployment had happened all so suddenly.
The pain of being away from his commandos was too much to bear on him and as a result he enlisted in the Grand Army of the Republic. He was to be a part of a cross training program that took regular clones who demonstrated higher than average skills and trained them as commandos to cover the need for commandos after losing so many in the first battle of the Clone Wars. He was attached to the 04 Commando Battalion on Coruscant and spent two years there working his way up the chain of command. For the last year of the war he was deployed to the front lines to help lead assaults that needed a heavy supply of commando units for coordinated attacks to take critical targets. It was during these battles that he made his name known throughout the Republic Army, with his guidance, attacks would go flawlessly with only minor casualties. He was a hero among clones, because he always had their best interest at heart and did his best to save as many of their lives as he could.
Eventually this behavior led him into a conflict with a Cathar Jedi General known for his bravery and his victory streak, as well as the fact that he always had the highest casualty report. During the battle of Chule he fought the Jedi in the Command Center after refusing to follow through with an order that would sacrifice half their troops because the Jedi was too stubborn to resist a trap. The fight was long and none of the commandos present dared interfere, Beskad was victorious. He had hated the Jedi for a long time, but he was finally starting to get over it, or at least warm up to them slightly, but the Cathar General reassured his previous feelings for them. He assumed command and led the Republic to victory over yet another pointless planet. He kept the secret to himself that he deeply regretted killing the Jedi, because the Cathar was the father to someone dear to him.
The Jedi tried investigating what had happened, but for some reason Palpatine interfered and made halted it through his trickery. None of his commandos said anything, it merely became a rumor as he returned to Coruscant and assumed command of the entire 05 Commando Battalion. Before Order 66 was given, a longtime friend Kal Skirata tipped him off something big was about to happen. Through rigorous planning with him and several other Mandalorians who stayed around, they set up a desertion plan for any clones that wanted to. When the Order was given, his squads with him fled to Mandalore undetected. Know the ex-general works to help clones desert and to keep them safe in his clan’s Estate in the northern forests of Mandalore.
He however has been tasked by his daughter-in-law to travel to Nar Shadda, because she got some feeling in the force. He was opposed to the idea, but she had proven herself one of them and he trusted her.
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Species: Concordian (Human)
Appearance:
Skills: Outstanding survivalist, excellent in close-combat, skilled Swordsman, Marksman, Strategist, Pilot, Slicer, Demolitionist
Weapons: Two WESTAR-34 blaster pistols, BlasTech Dur-24 wrist laser, Czerka ZX miniature flame projector, Velocity-7 dart shooter, Kelvarex Consolidated Arms MM9 mini concussion rocket, Type-12A anti-personnel rockets, Type-12B gas capsules, 1126 rockets
Other Equipment: Durasteel temperature controlled Mandalorian armor, Mandalorian Iron crush gauntlets & helmet, Field security overloader, wristband blades, wrist mounted grappling hook, boot spikes, electromagnetic devices in his crush gauntlets, Merr-Sonn JT-12 jetpack. Two mini respirator ( 30 minutes of air each)
History: Beskad was born in 55 BBY, five years after the Mandalorian Civil War began. His clan sided with the True Mandalorians under Jaster Mereel and fought the splinter sect, Death Watch that wished to bring Mandalore back to its barbaric ways. He spent most of his young life travelling with his father, older siblings, and other clan members as they took jobs as professional mercs for hire and continued to fight the Death Watch. During this time he learned much about his culture and clans specialty as the best survivalists of all the clans of Mandalore.
However in 34 BBY a majority of his clan and all of the True Mandalorians died in a trap set up by the Death Watch. The Mandalorians made their last stand against the Jedi and died with honor. He was not present at the battle, aboard their ship doing maintenance shift after losing a bet with a fellow comrade. He was too late to help and all he found were the remains all of the True Mandalorians. He spent the next three days and nights digging each of his fallen brothers and sisters a grave. He did not stop until all of them were done and almost died from dehydration and exhaustion. He collected their armor and sent them to the clans of his fallen comrades, but he personally took home the most. From that day he harbored a strong hate for the Jedi and robbing him of his friends and family. He returned to Mandalore and built a memorial to his kin. He placed each of the their armor in cases with their weapons. His father’s was at the end of the long hall, his father had been chieftain, but now the duty fell to him, only there wasn’t much of a clan left. He took the Sith lightsaber that had been handed down in their clan since the Great Hunt of the Great Galactic War nearly 4,000 years ago.
His hate for the Jedi and the fact he was too late to do anything while his brethren were slain gave him an ungodly amount of determination to become the best he could be. He went into exile and travelled to some of the harshest planets, such as Hoth, Mustufar, Kashyyyk, and perfected his survival skills. His father had been the master survivalist, but with him gone he had to learn all he could from firsthand experience. He nearly died over a dozen times over the years, but Death was too afraid to ever touch him.
Four years later in 30 BBY, Jango Fett found tracked him to the deserts of the Wastelands on Tatootine, he had been hunting Krayt Dragons there for the last several months. Jango Fett had survived the battle and was once again rounding up Mandalorians for something, honor called him to follow Jango Fett’s orders because of Jaster Mereel’s last wishes and the fact he held the title of Manda’lor. He way only 25 at the time, but his skill set was too valuable to pass up when training the future Clone Commandos of the Grand Army of the Republic. He travelled to Kamino and received 100 clone cadets to train. There he met old friends of his father like Kal Skirata and Walon Vau, both great warriors who he shared many views with despite the fact that both their views were polar opposites of each other on almost every issue.
As the years rolled by and he trained his commandos, he grew a close attachment to all of them. He shared Mandalorian culture and values with them and named the all accordingly. By the time their training was complete and they had grown up, he had come to call them sons and considered them all a part of his clan. He had pushed them hard, harder the nearly all of the other 99 training sergeants, he had beaten them, sent to the emergency room, had pushed them to their limits and then beyond. They were the roughest, toughest, bunch of commandos out of the other 10,000 commandos.
However even with this knowledge he was worried sick when they were deployed to Geonosis as part of a mass scale invasion with the rest of the Grand Army of the Republic. His hate for the Jedi grew when the stupidly used the commandos for front line assault when they were designed for operative missions. He was relieved when he saw that all 100 of his commandos had survived, only a handful of other training sergeants had that score, he however still felt for the other sergeants and gave them his sincere apologizes for their losses. None of them had gotten to say goodbye to their commandos, the deployment had happened all so suddenly.
The pain of being away from his commandos was too much to bear on him and as a result he enlisted in the Grand Army of the Republic. He was to be a part of a cross training program that took regular clones who demonstrated higher than average skills and trained them as commandos to cover the need for commandos after losing so many in the first battle of the Clone Wars. He was attached to the 04 Commando Battalion on Coruscant and spent two years there working his way up the chain of command. For the last year of the war he was deployed to the front lines to help lead assaults that needed a heavy supply of commando units for coordinated attacks to take critical targets. It was during these battles that he made his name known throughout the Republic Army, with his guidance, attacks would go flawlessly with only minor casualties. He was a hero among clones, because he always had their best interest at heart and did his best to save as many of their lives as he could.
Eventually this behavior led him into a conflict with a Cathar Jedi General known for his bravery and his victory streak, as well as the fact that he always had the highest casualty report. During the battle of Chule he fought the Jedi in the Command Center after refusing to follow through with an order that would sacrifice half their troops because the Jedi was too stubborn to resist a trap. The fight was long and none of the commandos present dared interfere, Beskad was victorious. He had hated the Jedi for a long time, but he was finally starting to get over it, or at least warm up to them slightly, but the Cathar General reassured his previous feelings for them. He assumed command and led the Republic to victory over yet another pointless planet. He kept the secret to himself that he deeply regretted killing the Jedi, because the Cathar was the father to someone dear to him.
The Jedi tried investigating what had happened, but for some reason Palpatine interfered and made halted it through his trickery. None of his commandos said anything, it merely became a rumor as he returned to Coruscant and assumed command of the entire 05 Commando Battalion. Before Order 66 was given, a longtime friend Kal Skirata tipped him off something big was about to happen. Through rigorous planning with him and several other Mandalorians who stayed around, they set up a desertion plan for any clones that wanted to. When the Order was given, his squads with him fled to Mandalore undetected. Know the ex-general works to help clones desert and to keep them safe in his clan’s Estate in the northern forests of Mandalore.
He however has been tasked by his daughter-in-law to travel to Nar Shadda, because she got some feeling in the force. He was opposed to the idea, but she had proven herself one of them and he trusted her.
Kraytan checked his blasters and holstered them before ushering them to walk down the ramp. "In my many travels before my place as a Guard, I made connections with several organizations across the Galaxy. One of them happens to operate off Nar Shadda and they owe me a large favor. They have a warehouse not too far from here that we can hopefully make a secure connection to Mandalore with." Kraytan said as he stood on the landing pad looking out at the city world of Nar Shadda, to some people it was amazing, to someone like him who had lived and breathed Coruscant air for half their life, it was no big deal.
"As long as you know what you're doing Kraytan lead the way, just remember not to stir up any trouble, we have two children already who can do that." Deja said with a small laugh as she followed behind Kraytan their masculine mercenary protector. Coruscant and Nar Shadda were two different worlds, while Coruscant operated by the law (or tried to) Nar Shadda was controlled by Hutts and to get in trouble on Nar Shadda was to get in trouble with the Hutts which was the last thing she wanted to do, so she crossed her fingers and prayed that nothing bad happen. So many bad things had already happened, they were bound to hit a lucky streak soon right?
"As long as you know what you're doing Kraytan lead the way, just remember not to stir up any trouble, we have two children already who can do that." Deja said with a small laugh as she followed behind Kraytan their masculine mercenary protector. Coruscant and Nar Shadda were two different worlds, while Coruscant operated by the law (or tried to) Nar Shadda was controlled by Hutts and to get in trouble on Nar Shadda was to get in trouble with the Hutts which was the last thing she wanted to do, so she crossed her fingers and prayed that nothing bad happen. So many bad things had already happened, they were bound to hit a lucky streak soon right?
"Both of you argue very good points, but I say you are both overthinking the situation." The Jedi Master said as he was called to bring forth the final judgment on their predicament. He was still in the process of healing and would not be able to make the trip to Nar Shadda with some of the others. He was forced to stay on the sidelines and dish out orders like a coach for a sports team. "I think it will be in our favor if act as if we don't know each other as best we can. Deja must establish contact with her sister, but does that require all of us to follow single file behind her? We need another ship, but should we all move as a group to acquire one? I think it best that we split into as small of groups as possible and stay within close promixity of each other in case of danger, but not close enough that others will notice." He said as he hobbled about with the use of a cane. The medical droid insisted he use one and he wasn't going to argue with that.
"We can't use the Force to the degree we use to in public, but we shouldn't shun it completely. We can communicate to each other to alert one another of danger telepathically, so there is no need to lock arms and walk down the sidewalks of Nar Shadda. There is an old saying that it is easier to fight one big enemy than many small ones. If we clump together we are making a bigger target, if we fan out we have more advantages in place like Nar Shadda. Now while I would love to talk all day and discuss plans, time is of the essences my friends, and as of lately we are running out of time it seems, so hurry you must and embark onto Nar Shadda." He said as he felt the ship land softly on a landing pad. Rarely anyone inspected ships on Nar Shadda unless one Hutt was trying to get into another Hutt's business, so they were safe from anyone trying to snoop around the ship wondering what they were up to.
"We can't use the Force to the degree we use to in public, but we shouldn't shun it completely. We can communicate to each other to alert one another of danger telepathically, so there is no need to lock arms and walk down the sidewalks of Nar Shadda. There is an old saying that it is easier to fight one big enemy than many small ones. If we clump together we are making a bigger target, if we fan out we have more advantages in place like Nar Shadda. Now while I would love to talk all day and discuss plans, time is of the essences my friends, and as of lately we are running out of time it seems, so hurry you must and embark onto Nar Shadda." He said as he felt the ship land softly on a landing pad. Rarely anyone inspected ships on Nar Shadda unless one Hutt was trying to get into another Hutt's business, so they were safe from anyone trying to snoop around the ship wondering what they were up to.
Mogtaki said
Caboose is gonna post the other half, soooo uhhh...yeah.
More like the other three fifths. My half is definitely bigger than your half lol.
Link stared at the Shade, his eyes slowly wandering away and worrying over what was being said to him when everything about it was all in his own past as well. He may not remember his past lives, but knowing all of these things happened to him at one point made him feel a little saddened. There was always going to be trouble at the beginning of his life, but the future of his current one was vastly uncertain. Frowning, he let out a sigh, "Being a skeleton isn't being a monster...I mean, isn't everyone just a walking skeleton anyway...?" he spoke, looking up to him again, "But...you gave it up? I don't understand how or-ah!" Getting a fright pretty easily when the scenery suddenly changed, he looked around hastily at where he was, seeing the lake before him and the stars above. He could remember the time he first came here; his leg was broken and the healer refused to help him so his father took him for a fishing trip. Even though they didn't catch too much, he still remembered it from when he was little.Lowering his head a little, he sat down as well and stared at the lake and the stars. He didn't think he had any courage, he was constantly bullied when he was young and even when everything was beginning to try and kill him he was still acting cowardly while he had the Triforce of Courage. Rubbing his hands together slowly, he gave him one last look before letting out a sigh, rubbing his chest, "...So long as I can live, I will unlock it...but, so long as I can live that long..." he spoke lowly, sounding a little doubtful. He didn't want himself or anything he was to disappear, his fear was coming from that very thought. He was still trying to find courage just from sitting there with this strange walking talking skeleton, but it was even harder to take in everything he was saying and allow it to flow as courage to fight the knights that attacked him. Looking up at the Shade, he watched the butterfly curiously before it decided to leave them, a frown on his face reappearing, "...I want to find courage...but, how do I do such a thing? I've never been good with riddles, I can't even write my own name! I want to stand for what is right, I want to fight with everyone! What am I going to do when I go back and I face those guys? If I don't have the strength to fight them, I'll surely fail...right? I need to find the courage to help, but if I don't have the strength, what do I do...?"
"Haha that is true, everyone indeed is just a walking skeleton." The Hero's Shade was amused by Link's comment, he had never thought of it like that before. "I did give it up. When I was called upon to be the Hero I was several years younger than yourself. The Master Sword wouldn't have a child wielding it and it sealed me away for 7 years until I was an adult. Much had changed in that time and the world was filled with chaos from the Evil King's reign. After I defeated him, going on the long, perilous, painful, and exhausting journey to save the day, the Princess felt as though I had been robbed of my childhood and sent me back into the past. I warned the younger version of the princess of Ganondorf's plan and he was sealed away before the those horrible things came to pass." He said as he looked out at the lake, his voice becoming soft and filled with sorrow. "From that point on I was no longer the Hero. The great deeds I had done as an adult never happened, the friends I made I actually had never made, and I was back to where I began except without my destiny."
The Hero's Shade chuckled a bit as Link said he was no good with riddles. "Well if you decide you want to be the Hero again you may want to learn how to solve riddles very fast, because you'll deal with them your whole life." He said before pausing for a moment to ponder over what Link had said. "Like you when I was no longer the Hero, I felt I could no longer be courageous because that part of me no longer existed. Along my next journey I found magical masks that gave me incredible strength and power, with them I was able to save Termina from impending doom. I thought that I had found my courage again because I was a hero once more, I had the same strength and power I had had when I was saving Hyrule. However eventually I could not rely just on these masks, and I saw my courage disappearing before me." He looked at the grass next to him and picked a small dandelion and brought it up before him and let the wind blow all the tiny seeds away. "I eventually came to realize that if you can find courage, then strength will find you as well. That is no riddle either my son, if you can find the courage to stand up to those Templars, then strength will come to you in some way, shape, or form."
Turning his head towards Link he let out a sigh. "It definitely is easier said than done, but I speak the truth. I know everyone always says they know how you feel and that they've been there before as well, but I can truly say I have walked a million miles in your boots. I can relate to what your going through, certainly not because I am a previous incarnation of you, if you talked to several of the other guys finding their courage was as easy as counting sheep. Its because I have faced similar if not the same situations as you have 500 years before you even existed. However I can only help you to try and understand things, I can't carry you the whole way, and not because I'm too old to be carrying anyone, but because only you can unlock your own courage and strength."
Link hadn't heard of the stories of the Hero of the Past, his knowledge of what Hyrule actually went through was definitely something he didn't know much of when Demoko had failed to tell him everything like that. Even though such a dark past never happened, it might had helped his confidence a little more if he was told that rather than being revealed that he would be destroying everything in the future because he merely existed. Lowering his head a little, he frowned and let out a sigh, "...You were still a hero, right? I'm the one who's cursed; I'm going to cause horrible things in the future", he spoke, frowning a little, "The ...'great deeds' I am supposed to accomplish under the title will only lead to an unfortunate fate for me and everyone around me. On the bright side, you made friends. As for Ganondorf...uhhh...I-I am kind of...umm..."
He wanted to sympathise with the Shade, but it was awfully difficult when he was in the same predicament and couldn't exactly give encouraging words about it, there was also the problem that he was more than just 'the Hero'. He got to be a normal person in the end, yet still went on to save others and make new friends. His own future was uncertain. Looking to the dandelion, he stared at it curiously, his eyes following the seeds before he frowned, lowering his head again. If only he could, but everything he had grew up with and all that he had been told was definitely hurting his confidence. He wanted to know how he managed to find that courage in the first place once all of the masks had gone, but he feared it would be something he could never achieve himself. Looking back up to the Shade, he stared at him sadly as he tried to find sympathy within him; however, he was very doubtful with that, "Same situations? I doubt that...because, you see...I have a great darkness within my own spirit, the very one I locked away! I may have the Hero's Destiny, but I am also the Dark One! I am one in the same, I am both you...a-and I am Ganondorf. I am a Gerudo male, I have a terrible dark power that has proven to be stronger than I...I am destined to become the Fierce Deity and destroy everything! Since when have you had to go through that same situation...? When you're both you and your greatest enemy...?"
"I was still a hero because I chose to be one and regardless if your Hero's Destiny is locked way, you can still chose to be one. And you will not cause horrible things in the future my son, I know and believe in you that when the times comes you will have the strength to change what is fated." The Hero's Shade said as he placed a his ghostly hand on Link's shoulder. Link though still feared his heritage as a Gerudo male, and following in the same footsteps as Ganondorf. The Hero's Shade was a bit offended when Link asked him when he had been his own worst enemy.
"Child you forget that with every force their is an equal and opposite force. Each of the Heroes had to face their own inner evil head on. I battled mine in the Water Temple and I was almost defeated. This dark version of myself was able to copy every move I made and execute with greater strength, agility, and power. Only through a single clever trick could I defeat him." He said before slowly turning his head towards the figure in the mist in the far distance who stood by himself instead of with the rest of the figures in the opposite direction. "There has only been one Hero who was born without an opposite. He was the most pure and greatest Hero to have ever lived, but when he faced evil within himself for the first time, he was consumed by it and became the Fierce Deity. Only in the afterlife did he learn how to face his inner darkness." He continued to stare at the figure who was looking in the opposite direction of them, he had his back turn to them and his arms cross. "You have a great darkness in you yes, but there is an equal and opposite force of good in you. I believe you are destined to be the greatest Hero to live and that is why you must face the greatest inner darkness any Hero has ever had to face." The Hero's Shade made the best smile he could with his skeleton face, he believed in Link with all his heart.
He stood up as several blue birds came chirping over to them. They landed on him and jumped about his head and shoulders. "You are not Ganondorf Link, do not make that mistake. You are a Gerudo male yes, but no you are no Ganondorf. Do not let the Happy Mask Salesman or Demoko tell you otherwise. Both are there to help you, Demoko in a more sincere way than the Mask Salesman, but even gods and sages make mistakes. However do not use those words to justify not trusting them, because Demoko is a good man even if he is machine."
To choose to be a hero was an awfully strange task, Link thought. He had been made to believe that a hero couldn't choose and if they were chosen, they had to accept their fate. It appeared in a lot of stories he was told growing up too, how it was always someone with a title going off to save the other in trouble, never someone who was nobody. A nobody like him couldn't be a hero by that logic and even though he desired to be normal for just a short time, this battle was going to have to have him playing the hero anyway. Frowning a little, he looked up at the Shade, staring at his creepy hand a moment before he slowly looked away again. With the example he was being given, it sounded like the idea was fighting your opposite and defeating it that way, not so much embracing it and learning to conquer it. Giving him a little glance, his eyes were soon directed away and off to another figure, only causing Link to frown, "...I heard of that story and I-...I don't want to have to die to face my inner darkness..." he muttered, lowering his head a little and pressing his hands to his chest.
Not really feeling too encouraged, looking back to the Shade he could only feel a little fearful for the future if such a destiny was to befall him, his having to take on the greatest battle he has ever done before in all his past lives. It was a huge weight on his shoulders, there was no way he was going to be able to carry all of that weight without it breaking his back. Slowly looking back to the Shade, he stared at him before gasping a little at the sight of the birds, watching them all the while feeling confused to where they came from. If he couldn't believe either the Happy Mask Salesman or Demoko, then just what was he supposed to believe. Pulling out the necklace for a moment, he stared at it for a second before looking to the Shade, "So...don't believe him but he's still good so trust him? Remember what I said about riddles...?"
"Trust the fact that he is truly trying to help you, he wants what is best for you. He is just a bit lost on what to do. He has never directly been in contact with us Heroes, he has always worked from the shadows. This questing stuff is actually as knew to him as it is to you. True he may have seen it a dozen of times, but seeing and doing are two very different things." The Hero's Shade said as he birds fluttered away to a nearby tree and nestled in their nests. He watched them as they warmed their young by laying over them. "Demoko once was the head of the Council of Sages, but being the guide or leader of a troupe of people trying to save the world is something he has little experience with. You and each one of your friends has their own problems they are dealing with, and he has to try to help each one of you. He may be as old as Time itself, but juggling so many things can be hard for someone Sage or not. Sometimes he makes mistakes, and other times there is physically no way he can't help the situation."
The Hero's Shade sat down cross legged in front of Link to communicate more directly to him. "I know you probably had a lot of mixed feelings going through your head when you found out your adoptive father wasn't your real one, that Demoko was your genetic father, and that your mother was Nabooru. None of us took it lightly either and we didn't find out till we were dead. While I am not saying he was right to hide that fact from you, or even hide entirely from the rest of us, you also can't blame him for keeping it from us." Taking a moment he rubbed his ghost hand through the grass and flowers began to pop up. He took a few and began to braid them together. "Would there have ever been a good time to tell you? You know yourself better than I do, so maybe there would have been a time, but I'm going to say there wouldn't have. There most likely would never had been a good time to tell you where you would receive the news well. To him it was better to allow us to live our lives believing whoever adopted us or lived with were our real parents and relatives. Even I cannot say that's true or false, because it is such a hard question to answer that there is no right or wrong answer. Instead of looking at if there is a right or wrong answer I like to look at whether it was for the better good, and it is. He was trying to protect us from being hurt, or from being afraid or worried." He said as he finished braiding the many flowers. He placed them on various parts of his armor and watched as a few hummingbirds buzzed about him.
"Trust that he is trying to help you, but realize that he may be withholding the facts sometimes to protect you or wait until the right time to tell you. He could have told you the tale of the Fierce Deity in a better way if it had been on his own terms, and could you argue that if you hadn't learn that you could come to destroy the world you would still be as worried as you are now? Do you have a right to know these things, yes no doubt, but by not knowing them would that be a bad thing either? Yes as well." He looked up as the butterfly returned. He held out his finger and it landed on it. Another one came and flew towards Link's hand and landed on it. "I know this may be a hard thing to grasp, sometimes it is hard to explain such things in a way for all to understand. I know when I was your age I had a difficulty of understanding things as well."
Link watched as the birds retreated back to their nests, staring at them with interest as to whether they actually were real or not. He had no idea about any of this place, he didn't know if it was an illusion or the real thing. Watching them curiously, his expression dropped slightly and he looked away, feeling a moment of loss overcome him. Even if they were illusions, they were a family and that family value was something he never had and yet always wanted and now that he technically had a family, they only wanted to see him fulfil his hero role. He still had his adoptive father, but he wasn't his real dad and he wasn't with him through this harsh time. He really did miss his father, but Demoko or Nabooru could had eased that by comforting him and acting generally like parents. Letting out a sigh, he lowered his head a little, "I know it's probably a lot to juggle around...but, they have experience; all I did was play blacksmith's apprentice with my...a-adoptive father and pretend I was a knight".
Watching as the Shade moved in front of him, he frowned a little as he listened to him, feeling a little conflicted to how he was supposed to be reacting to being told all of this. It was just his desire to know what a family was like, a real family, after being surrounded by them his entire life and looked down by them for having darker skin than normal. None of his past selves had that problem, they didn't have to face prejudices based upon his skin or have their mother be called a whore, "A better time to tell me...wouldn't had been in front of the image of my adoptive father being tortured, afraid and then killed in front of me", he spoke lowly, "I am hurting really badly, I am afraid of what I am and I am worried for my dad..." He really did wonder if Demoko was trying to help him, why was he ignoring him a lot of the time? Demoko barely so much as glanced at him when he got his new body and even during the battle he wasn't giving him helpful advice or telling him where to aim for or even hints to where a weakspot might be. Demoko would had sent aids to help his other incarnations or had Sages and other higher beings to guide him, but as he was right now he was being guided more by the Happy Mask Salesman and that was definitely not the most ideal match-up considering how he treated him.
Feeling a little calmer than before, he slowly looked up towards the Shade before letting out a groan, shrugging a little, "Maybe...it would had been bad", he mumbled, not feeling entirely sure when the right time might had been to tell him. He would had liked some training regarding his powerful shadow abilities if Demoko was aware that he might cause destruction in the future, but the guy just let things run their course instead. Slowly looking up again, he gasped when a butterfly landed on him, holding his hand out slowly as if trying to not disturb it. Letting out a sigh, he looked to the Shade again, only tilting his head a little, "I may be small, but I'm not...that young", he spoke, looking back to the butterfly, "I'm just a wimp. I'm the type to cry in my sleep, I hide in barrels to escape a bully, I get...tossed down wells for being different. Maybe Demoko came to me too late...besides, he picked me up just before I became a wanted criminal. I want to save my friends, but I guess my biggest worry is trying to fight for them and coming out looking like a complete idiot. They're all so strong, why do they need to protect me? Because I'm 'the Hero' and can't handle things myself? I bet you were like a one-man army even when you were young..."
"The Happy Mask Salesman believes the best way to shape you into the Hero is to hide nothing and make you hit rock bottom, because he his philosophy is that when we hit our lowest point we are open to the greatest of change. The way he goes about it, is a method I don't agree with." He said as the butterfly danced about his finger tips. They were beautiful creatures and brought him delight in the empty realm. "Tossed down wells? That's rough, I just got abandoned in the forest at the time by the other kids. People can be mean sometimes. I didn't belong either, I was a Hylian child among Kokiri, and then I acted as a Kokiri among Hylian. I was the boy without a fairy, I was very alone and use to cry myself to sleep a lot as well. I understand that everything you have experienced isn't identical to what I have, but believe me when I say I can truly sympathize with you." He said as he put the butterfly on one of his flowers.
He looked up at the moon and stars. They were very bright and pretty in this realm. "I was no one man army, I actually fled from half my battles. I wasn't some skilled swordsman until after I had completed my quest, but at that point I was turned back into a child and most of what I had learned went to waste. That is why I am like this now. I was consummed by my desire to pass on my skills, but I couldn't because I was lost my way in the forest. My unfilled desire to pass my knowledge kept my spirit alive in the realm of the living until I was transformed into this creature before you. From there I was finally put to rest when I was able to pass it on to the Hero of Light, the one before you. However I still linger to head the call of my bloodline."
Link frowned upon listening to that, definitely knowing it was not the right way to go considering he was the result of that. He had been given everything at what felt like all at once and he was a wreck because of it, "I thought he might had guessed that it was bad...because I'm the result of that", he sighed, looking to the butterfly, "All he's managed to do was scar me for life and send me into a depression". Looking back to the Shade, he frowned upon hearing what happened with him, but knowing he was in a similar predicament when he was younger he didn't quite feel alone on this one. While he didn't like the fact that in his past lives he was alone early in his life, but it was still something he could relate to, "A fairy...? If I got a fairy for this journey, maybe I might feel better too..." he spoke, smiling a little bit, "I would had been able to see down the well..."
Letting out a sigh, he slowly pushed at the butterfly to try and get it to take off, hoping it would be able to find somewhere better to be other than his hand where he might end up hurting it. Staring downwards, he soon fell into a frown again as he could only think about what he would have to face once he was out of this time slip, worrying that he might end up screwing it up and becoming too over confident and end up killing himself. Keeping his gaze away from the Shade, he let out a soft sigh and slowly rubbed his chest, frowning, "I really don't want to get lost in the forest...I'm a little afraid of them, anyway", he spoke, looking up slightly, "Maybe that's where I got that fear from, after that happened. I don't know why, but I don't have a call towards any bloodline. It's kind of ironic that before this, I was the Hero of Light...now what am I? Hero of Darkness? Even without my powers, I can't even be healed by the Light, so I'm screwed if I get hurt once I leave here".
"Darkness is not evil my son, it is only evil if you make it evil. Shadow magic has been used for over many millennia for good. Magic is not good or evil, only its wielder is. Thallus is the Sage of Fire and he uses his magic for evil, Onyx uses his Wind Magic for evil, Fiona wields Light Magic for evil even." The Hero's Shade looked out at the many figures in the mist their eyes began to glow through the mist signaling that their time was nearing its end. He got up and the butterflies flew away together. He drew his sword and shield and walked down the grassy hill away from the Lake towards a stone pillar arch that was glowing. "Fear not about being hurt, wounds heal and there is more than one way to heal a person with magic, you will discover this in due time, but for now our time is up in this realm. The next time you want to meet simply ask and I shall be there. Just remember that you are not alone in this journey. If you ever feel yourself doubting those around you, just remember I will always believe in you, not because you are a suppose to be the Hero or that you are my bloodline, but because I see much potential in you and believe that whatever happens you will find your Courage and you will conquer your own worst enemy." Before Link's eyes the hill he was on disappeared and he stood before the door with the Hero's Shade.
"Just remember what I said, if you can find the Courage, strength will soon follow. Now draw your sword and shield child and we shall both charge this portal together. We you give the signal I want to hear your loudest yell and I will give you mine and we will run at the speed of a galloping horse out of this realm. We shall charge the Templar Knights and we shall swing our swords in a downward arch as they are paralyzed with fear from our roar. We will spin and duck underneath their pathetic counter attack and hit them in the back so hard with our shields that they hit the ground with such force it renders them unconscious. Now my son how does that sound to you? Shall you give the signal for us to charge forward?" The Hero's Shade didn't have the power to manifest himself in his current form in the outside realm, but he could lend Link the strength he needed to conquer his enemies for the time being.
Staring up at the Shade, Link let out a little sigh and slowly looked back out into the distance only to feel a little confused when the sight of something else began to form out in the mist. He figured it was about time for him to face reality again, but he was probably talking with himself for way too long anyway. He felt safe in this strange realm and not quite alone, but then again he was with his own past life and he often felt comfortable by himself rather than attracting others. Slowly nodding, he lowered his head a little before slowly getting to his feet as well. He didn't know Light could be used for evil, but he found it difficult to imagine Shadow being good. It was a very destructive power, one that could tear the body apart and cause changes that could only be reversed by someone of Light; maybe the Light could do that too, change someone until a Shadow user vanquished the evil. Listening to the Shade, he couldn't help but frown, staring at him as he took in every single word being spoken to him, "...Okay, I'll remember that", he nodded, slowly reaching for his own sword, "I'm still scared though, but...I'll be brave and try to stand up for myself".
Looking around hastily as the environment changed, he frowned as he stared at a large door. There was that enclosed feeling again, the lump in his throat preventing him from breathing properly. He needed to find the Courage to do this, he couldn't let the others down by falling down into cowardice again. Drawing his sword and shield, he held onto them carefully, his own sword still feeling heavy even with his special gloves, "Yell...? I-I guess, but I'm no good at that", he spoke, biting his lip; the rest of the plan was solid, but he was just so pathetic sounding. Raising his sword up a little, he looked up at the Shade for a moment before back to the door, "The signal...okay, I'm going! I'm going now!" Hesitating at first, he quickly tried to pump himself up before letting out a fairly pathetic yell as he ran through the door, not meaning for it to sound so terrible and yet he was trying.
The Hero's Shade gave his yell as he charged the door with Link. They both past through it and Link found himself back in the real realm. Everything that seemed to stopped began to speed up to normal speed, giving Link a good advantage as he found himself charging the semi slow moving Hurricane Knight. The Hero's Shade was no where to be found, having fused with Link and giving him increased the strength and stamina needed to effectively wield his sword and shield. The Templar was shocked by Link's speed and sudden charge, the boy had seemed so frighten only moments ago.
The moment Link came in contact with the Hurricane Knight, his eyes immediately yanked up and stared at the warrior. There was a burst of energy to not give his enemy a chance, something he had no idea about its origins and could only wonder where the Shade had gone to. He really needed to step it up, there was a plan to what he had to do and he couldn't give his enemy a chance. Trying to find the courage to stand up for himself, he closed his eyes momentarily before moving onto the next stage of the attack after his downward arc, immediately turning his foot and spinning rapidly on the spot before coming to a halt, waiting for the inevitable counter attack so he could duck down and immediately force his shield around to hopefully smash the knight as hard as he could manage. He certainly felt stronger, but there was still another knight to contend with and he had no idea what he was supposed to do about them, the plan only going as far as bashing the one knight to the ground. The other had used bombs before and could fly around in the air, something he couldn't counter.
The knight was hit hard with Link's first attack but was still standing and tried to counter attack but missed as us went underneath. The Knight was sent flying with a good deal of force as he was hit with the Shield from behind. He went head first into the stone pavement and smashed his face to a whole new level rendering him unconscious. His partner who flew overhead was surprised but that turn to anger quickly and he began chucking small bombs at Link.
"Good job my son! Now it's time to take out that flying menace... Use the gauntlets Demoko gave you... The crossbows..." A voice whispered from the wind it seemed like. Link had never used a crossbow before, and magical ones for that matter, but it was as simple as aiming and shooting and hopefully some beginners luck in Link's case.
Link didn't think he would be able to take down that guy, but sure enough he managed and was able to take down the guy. Staring down at the knight, he immediately turned to look up as bombs started flying down at him. Suddenly making a dive for it, he stumbled on his feet before he quickly turned around, feeling pretty unsure to what was supposed to be doing now. Feeling panicky, he looked around for something he could use before the sound of the Shade spoke to him again. Confused, he quickly sheathed his sword and placed his shield away, looking to his hands, "Uhhh, I don't know how these work!" he spoke quickly, holding his hands out at the other knight just hoping they would do something.
As Link's wrist locked into the right position the bracers shifted into their mini crossbow forms. Two explosive bolts were already loaded and locked onto the Knight. They fired automatically and the Knight was too stun to dodge them in time. The explosive arrows hit their target and the Hurricane Knight fell from the sky and over the side of the bridge to never be seen again. "Excellent shot my son, now join the others against the titan of a man Onyx. To defeat him all of you must work together. It will be no small task, but remember if you can find the Courage then Strength will find its way to you." The Shade said as if he was still standing next to Link. He had lent Link all the strength he had, but it was going to take more than what he could offer in the realm of the living to defeat Onyx.
"Haha that is true, everyone indeed is just a walking skeleton." The Hero's Shade was amused by Link's comment, he had never thought of it like that before. "I did give it up. When I was called upon to be the Hero I was several years younger than yourself. The Master Sword wouldn't have a child wielding it and it sealed me away for 7 years until I was an adult. Much had changed in that time and the world was filled with chaos from the Evil King's reign. After I defeated him, going on the long, perilous, painful, and exhausting journey to save the day, the Princess felt as though I had been robbed of my childhood and sent me back into the past. I warned the younger version of the princess of Ganondorf's plan and he was sealed away before the those horrible things came to pass." He said as he looked out at the lake, his voice becoming soft and filled with sorrow. "From that point on I was no longer the Hero. The great deeds I had done as an adult never happened, the friends I made I actually had never made, and I was back to where I began except without my destiny."
The Hero's Shade chuckled a bit as Link said he was no good with riddles. "Well if you decide you want to be the Hero again you may want to learn how to solve riddles very fast, because you'll deal with them your whole life." He said before pausing for a moment to ponder over what Link had said. "Like you when I was no longer the Hero, I felt I could no longer be courageous because that part of me no longer existed. Along my next journey I found magical masks that gave me incredible strength and power, with them I was able to save Termina from impending doom. I thought that I had found my courage again because I was a hero once more, I had the same strength and power I had had when I was saving Hyrule. However eventually I could not rely just on these masks, and I saw my courage disappearing before me." He looked at the grass next to him and picked a small dandelion and brought it up before him and let the wind blow all the tiny seeds away. "I eventually came to realize that if you can find courage, then strength will find you as well. That is no riddle either my son, if you can find the courage to stand up to those Templars, then strength will come to you in some way, shape, or form."
Turning his head towards Link he let out a sigh. "It definitely is easier said than done, but I speak the truth. I know everyone always says they know how you feel and that they've been there before as well, but I can truly say I have walked a million miles in your boots. I can relate to what your going through, certainly not because I am a previous incarnation of you, if you talked to several of the other guys finding their courage was as easy as counting sheep. Its because I have faced similar if not the same situations as you have 500 years before you even existed. However I can only help you to try and understand things, I can't carry you the whole way, and not because I'm too old to be carrying anyone, but because only you can unlock your own courage and strength."
Link hadn't heard of the stories of the Hero of the Past, his knowledge of what Hyrule actually went through was definitely something he didn't know much of when Demoko had failed to tell him everything like that. Even though such a dark past never happened, it might had helped his confidence a little more if he was told that rather than being revealed that he would be destroying everything in the future because he merely existed. Lowering his head a little, he frowned and let out a sigh, "...You were still a hero, right? I'm the one who's cursed; I'm going to cause horrible things in the future", he spoke, frowning a little, "The ...'great deeds' I am supposed to accomplish under the title will only lead to an unfortunate fate for me and everyone around me. On the bright side, you made friends. As for Ganondorf...uhhh...I-I am kind of...umm..."
He wanted to sympathise with the Shade, but it was awfully difficult when he was in the same predicament and couldn't exactly give encouraging words about it, there was also the problem that he was more than just 'the Hero'. He got to be a normal person in the end, yet still went on to save others and make new friends. His own future was uncertain. Looking to the dandelion, he stared at it curiously, his eyes following the seeds before he frowned, lowering his head again. If only he could, but everything he had grew up with and all that he had been told was definitely hurting his confidence. He wanted to know how he managed to find that courage in the first place once all of the masks had gone, but he feared it would be something he could never achieve himself. Looking back up to the Shade, he stared at him sadly as he tried to find sympathy within him; however, he was very doubtful with that, "Same situations? I doubt that...because, you see...I have a great darkness within my own spirit, the very one I locked away! I may have the Hero's Destiny, but I am also the Dark One! I am one in the same, I am both you...a-and I am Ganondorf. I am a Gerudo male, I have a terrible dark power that has proven to be stronger than I...I am destined to become the Fierce Deity and destroy everything! Since when have you had to go through that same situation...? When you're both you and your greatest enemy...?"
"I was still a hero because I chose to be one and regardless if your Hero's Destiny is locked way, you can still chose to be one. And you will not cause horrible things in the future my son, I know and believe in you that when the times comes you will have the strength to change what is fated." The Hero's Shade said as he placed a his ghostly hand on Link's shoulder. Link though still feared his heritage as a Gerudo male, and following in the same footsteps as Ganondorf. The Hero's Shade was a bit offended when Link asked him when he had been his own worst enemy.
"Child you forget that with every force their is an equal and opposite force. Each of the Heroes had to face their own inner evil head on. I battled mine in the Water Temple and I was almost defeated. This dark version of myself was able to copy every move I made and execute with greater strength, agility, and power. Only through a single clever trick could I defeat him." He said before slowly turning his head towards the figure in the mist in the far distance who stood by himself instead of with the rest of the figures in the opposite direction. "There has only been one Hero who was born without an opposite. He was the most pure and greatest Hero to have ever lived, but when he faced evil within himself for the first time, he was consumed by it and became the Fierce Deity. Only in the afterlife did he learn how to face his inner darkness." He continued to stare at the figure who was looking in the opposite direction of them, he had his back turn to them and his arms cross. "You have a great darkness in you yes, but there is an equal and opposite force of good in you. I believe you are destined to be the greatest Hero to live and that is why you must face the greatest inner darkness any Hero has ever had to face." The Hero's Shade made the best smile he could with his skeleton face, he believed in Link with all his heart.
He stood up as several blue birds came chirping over to them. They landed on him and jumped about his head and shoulders. "You are not Ganondorf Link, do not make that mistake. You are a Gerudo male yes, but no you are no Ganondorf. Do not let the Happy Mask Salesman or Demoko tell you otherwise. Both are there to help you, Demoko in a more sincere way than the Mask Salesman, but even gods and sages make mistakes. However do not use those words to justify not trusting them, because Demoko is a good man even if he is machine."
To choose to be a hero was an awfully strange task, Link thought. He had been made to believe that a hero couldn't choose and if they were chosen, they had to accept their fate. It appeared in a lot of stories he was told growing up too, how it was always someone with a title going off to save the other in trouble, never someone who was nobody. A nobody like him couldn't be a hero by that logic and even though he desired to be normal for just a short time, this battle was going to have to have him playing the hero anyway. Frowning a little, he looked up at the Shade, staring at his creepy hand a moment before he slowly looked away again. With the example he was being given, it sounded like the idea was fighting your opposite and defeating it that way, not so much embracing it and learning to conquer it. Giving him a little glance, his eyes were soon directed away and off to another figure, only causing Link to frown, "...I heard of that story and I-...I don't want to have to die to face my inner darkness..." he muttered, lowering his head a little and pressing his hands to his chest.
Not really feeling too encouraged, looking back to the Shade he could only feel a little fearful for the future if such a destiny was to befall him, his having to take on the greatest battle he has ever done before in all his past lives. It was a huge weight on his shoulders, there was no way he was going to be able to carry all of that weight without it breaking his back. Slowly looking back to the Shade, he stared at him before gasping a little at the sight of the birds, watching them all the while feeling confused to where they came from. If he couldn't believe either the Happy Mask Salesman or Demoko, then just what was he supposed to believe. Pulling out the necklace for a moment, he stared at it for a second before looking to the Shade, "So...don't believe him but he's still good so trust him? Remember what I said about riddles...?"
"Trust the fact that he is truly trying to help you, he wants what is best for you. He is just a bit lost on what to do. He has never directly been in contact with us Heroes, he has always worked from the shadows. This questing stuff is actually as knew to him as it is to you. True he may have seen it a dozen of times, but seeing and doing are two very different things." The Hero's Shade said as he birds fluttered away to a nearby tree and nestled in their nests. He watched them as they warmed their young by laying over them. "Demoko once was the head of the Council of Sages, but being the guide or leader of a troupe of people trying to save the world is something he has little experience with. You and each one of your friends has their own problems they are dealing with, and he has to try to help each one of you. He may be as old as Time itself, but juggling so many things can be hard for someone Sage or not. Sometimes he makes mistakes, and other times there is physically no way he can't help the situation."
The Hero's Shade sat down cross legged in front of Link to communicate more directly to him. "I know you probably had a lot of mixed feelings going through your head when you found out your adoptive father wasn't your real one, that Demoko was your genetic father, and that your mother was Nabooru. None of us took it lightly either and we didn't find out till we were dead. While I am not saying he was right to hide that fact from you, or even hide entirely from the rest of us, you also can't blame him for keeping it from us." Taking a moment he rubbed his ghost hand through the grass and flowers began to pop up. He took a few and began to braid them together. "Would there have ever been a good time to tell you? You know yourself better than I do, so maybe there would have been a time, but I'm going to say there wouldn't have. There most likely would never had been a good time to tell you where you would receive the news well. To him it was better to allow us to live our lives believing whoever adopted us or lived with were our real parents and relatives. Even I cannot say that's true or false, because it is such a hard question to answer that there is no right or wrong answer. Instead of looking at if there is a right or wrong answer I like to look at whether it was for the better good, and it is. He was trying to protect us from being hurt, or from being afraid or worried." He said as he finished braiding the many flowers. He placed them on various parts of his armor and watched as a few hummingbirds buzzed about him.
"Trust that he is trying to help you, but realize that he may be withholding the facts sometimes to protect you or wait until the right time to tell you. He could have told you the tale of the Fierce Deity in a better way if it had been on his own terms, and could you argue that if you hadn't learn that you could come to destroy the world you would still be as worried as you are now? Do you have a right to know these things, yes no doubt, but by not knowing them would that be a bad thing either? Yes as well." He looked up as the butterfly returned. He held out his finger and it landed on it. Another one came and flew towards Link's hand and landed on it. "I know this may be a hard thing to grasp, sometimes it is hard to explain such things in a way for all to understand. I know when I was your age I had a difficulty of understanding things as well."
Link watched as the birds retreated back to their nests, staring at them with interest as to whether they actually were real or not. He had no idea about any of this place, he didn't know if it was an illusion or the real thing. Watching them curiously, his expression dropped slightly and he looked away, feeling a moment of loss overcome him. Even if they were illusions, they were a family and that family value was something he never had and yet always wanted and now that he technically had a family, they only wanted to see him fulfil his hero role. He still had his adoptive father, but he wasn't his real dad and he wasn't with him through this harsh time. He really did miss his father, but Demoko or Nabooru could had eased that by comforting him and acting generally like parents. Letting out a sigh, he lowered his head a little, "I know it's probably a lot to juggle around...but, they have experience; all I did was play blacksmith's apprentice with my...a-adoptive father and pretend I was a knight".
Watching as the Shade moved in front of him, he frowned a little as he listened to him, feeling a little conflicted to how he was supposed to be reacting to being told all of this. It was just his desire to know what a family was like, a real family, after being surrounded by them his entire life and looked down by them for having darker skin than normal. None of his past selves had that problem, they didn't have to face prejudices based upon his skin or have their mother be called a whore, "A better time to tell me...wouldn't had been in front of the image of my adoptive father being tortured, afraid and then killed in front of me", he spoke lowly, "I am hurting really badly, I am afraid of what I am and I am worried for my dad..." He really did wonder if Demoko was trying to help him, why was he ignoring him a lot of the time? Demoko barely so much as glanced at him when he got his new body and even during the battle he wasn't giving him helpful advice or telling him where to aim for or even hints to where a weakspot might be. Demoko would had sent aids to help his other incarnations or had Sages and other higher beings to guide him, but as he was right now he was being guided more by the Happy Mask Salesman and that was definitely not the most ideal match-up considering how he treated him.
Feeling a little calmer than before, he slowly looked up towards the Shade before letting out a groan, shrugging a little, "Maybe...it would had been bad", he mumbled, not feeling entirely sure when the right time might had been to tell him. He would had liked some training regarding his powerful shadow abilities if Demoko was aware that he might cause destruction in the future, but the guy just let things run their course instead. Slowly looking up again, he gasped when a butterfly landed on him, holding his hand out slowly as if trying to not disturb it. Letting out a sigh, he looked to the Shade again, only tilting his head a little, "I may be small, but I'm not...that young", he spoke, looking back to the butterfly, "I'm just a wimp. I'm the type to cry in my sleep, I hide in barrels to escape a bully, I get...tossed down wells for being different. Maybe Demoko came to me too late...besides, he picked me up just before I became a wanted criminal. I want to save my friends, but I guess my biggest worry is trying to fight for them and coming out looking like a complete idiot. They're all so strong, why do they need to protect me? Because I'm 'the Hero' and can't handle things myself? I bet you were like a one-man army even when you were young..."
"The Happy Mask Salesman believes the best way to shape you into the Hero is to hide nothing and make you hit rock bottom, because he his philosophy is that when we hit our lowest point we are open to the greatest of change. The way he goes about it, is a method I don't agree with." He said as the butterfly danced about his finger tips. They were beautiful creatures and brought him delight in the empty realm. "Tossed down wells? That's rough, I just got abandoned in the forest at the time by the other kids. People can be mean sometimes. I didn't belong either, I was a Hylian child among Kokiri, and then I acted as a Kokiri among Hylian. I was the boy without a fairy, I was very alone and use to cry myself to sleep a lot as well. I understand that everything you have experienced isn't identical to what I have, but believe me when I say I can truly sympathize with you." He said as he put the butterfly on one of his flowers.
He looked up at the moon and stars. They were very bright and pretty in this realm. "I was no one man army, I actually fled from half my battles. I wasn't some skilled swordsman until after I had completed my quest, but at that point I was turned back into a child and most of what I had learned went to waste. That is why I am like this now. I was consummed by my desire to pass on my skills, but I couldn't because I was lost my way in the forest. My unfilled desire to pass my knowledge kept my spirit alive in the realm of the living until I was transformed into this creature before you. From there I was finally put to rest when I was able to pass it on to the Hero of Light, the one before you. However I still linger to head the call of my bloodline."
Link frowned upon listening to that, definitely knowing it was not the right way to go considering he was the result of that. He had been given everything at what felt like all at once and he was a wreck because of it, "I thought he might had guessed that it was bad...because I'm the result of that", he sighed, looking to the butterfly, "All he's managed to do was scar me for life and send me into a depression". Looking back to the Shade, he frowned upon hearing what happened with him, but knowing he was in a similar predicament when he was younger he didn't quite feel alone on this one. While he didn't like the fact that in his past lives he was alone early in his life, but it was still something he could relate to, "A fairy...? If I got a fairy for this journey, maybe I might feel better too..." he spoke, smiling a little bit, "I would had been able to see down the well..."
Letting out a sigh, he slowly pushed at the butterfly to try and get it to take off, hoping it would be able to find somewhere better to be other than his hand where he might end up hurting it. Staring downwards, he soon fell into a frown again as he could only think about what he would have to face once he was out of this time slip, worrying that he might end up screwing it up and becoming too over confident and end up killing himself. Keeping his gaze away from the Shade, he let out a soft sigh and slowly rubbed his chest, frowning, "I really don't want to get lost in the forest...I'm a little afraid of them, anyway", he spoke, looking up slightly, "Maybe that's where I got that fear from, after that happened. I don't know why, but I don't have a call towards any bloodline. It's kind of ironic that before this, I was the Hero of Light...now what am I? Hero of Darkness? Even without my powers, I can't even be healed by the Light, so I'm screwed if I get hurt once I leave here".
"Darkness is not evil my son, it is only evil if you make it evil. Shadow magic has been used for over many millennia for good. Magic is not good or evil, only its wielder is. Thallus is the Sage of Fire and he uses his magic for evil, Onyx uses his Wind Magic for evil, Fiona wields Light Magic for evil even." The Hero's Shade looked out at the many figures in the mist their eyes began to glow through the mist signaling that their time was nearing its end. He got up and the butterflies flew away together. He drew his sword and shield and walked down the grassy hill away from the Lake towards a stone pillar arch that was glowing. "Fear not about being hurt, wounds heal and there is more than one way to heal a person with magic, you will discover this in due time, but for now our time is up in this realm. The next time you want to meet simply ask and I shall be there. Just remember that you are not alone in this journey. If you ever feel yourself doubting those around you, just remember I will always believe in you, not because you are a suppose to be the Hero or that you are my bloodline, but because I see much potential in you and believe that whatever happens you will find your Courage and you will conquer your own worst enemy." Before Link's eyes the hill he was on disappeared and he stood before the door with the Hero's Shade.
"Just remember what I said, if you can find the Courage, strength will soon follow. Now draw your sword and shield child and we shall both charge this portal together. We you give the signal I want to hear your loudest yell and I will give you mine and we will run at the speed of a galloping horse out of this realm. We shall charge the Templar Knights and we shall swing our swords in a downward arch as they are paralyzed with fear from our roar. We will spin and duck underneath their pathetic counter attack and hit them in the back so hard with our shields that they hit the ground with such force it renders them unconscious. Now my son how does that sound to you? Shall you give the signal for us to charge forward?" The Hero's Shade didn't have the power to manifest himself in his current form in the outside realm, but he could lend Link the strength he needed to conquer his enemies for the time being.
Staring up at the Shade, Link let out a little sigh and slowly looked back out into the distance only to feel a little confused when the sight of something else began to form out in the mist. He figured it was about time for him to face reality again, but he was probably talking with himself for way too long anyway. He felt safe in this strange realm and not quite alone, but then again he was with his own past life and he often felt comfortable by himself rather than attracting others. Slowly nodding, he lowered his head a little before slowly getting to his feet as well. He didn't know Light could be used for evil, but he found it difficult to imagine Shadow being good. It was a very destructive power, one that could tear the body apart and cause changes that could only be reversed by someone of Light; maybe the Light could do that too, change someone until a Shadow user vanquished the evil. Listening to the Shade, he couldn't help but frown, staring at him as he took in every single word being spoken to him, "...Okay, I'll remember that", he nodded, slowly reaching for his own sword, "I'm still scared though, but...I'll be brave and try to stand up for myself".
Looking around hastily as the environment changed, he frowned as he stared at a large door. There was that enclosed feeling again, the lump in his throat preventing him from breathing properly. He needed to find the Courage to do this, he couldn't let the others down by falling down into cowardice again. Drawing his sword and shield, he held onto them carefully, his own sword still feeling heavy even with his special gloves, "Yell...? I-I guess, but I'm no good at that", he spoke, biting his lip; the rest of the plan was solid, but he was just so pathetic sounding. Raising his sword up a little, he looked up at the Shade for a moment before back to the door, "The signal...okay, I'm going! I'm going now!" Hesitating at first, he quickly tried to pump himself up before letting out a fairly pathetic yell as he ran through the door, not meaning for it to sound so terrible and yet he was trying.
The Hero's Shade gave his yell as he charged the door with Link. They both past through it and Link found himself back in the real realm. Everything that seemed to stopped began to speed up to normal speed, giving Link a good advantage as he found himself charging the semi slow moving Hurricane Knight. The Hero's Shade was no where to be found, having fused with Link and giving him increased the strength and stamina needed to effectively wield his sword and shield. The Templar was shocked by Link's speed and sudden charge, the boy had seemed so frighten only moments ago.
The moment Link came in contact with the Hurricane Knight, his eyes immediately yanked up and stared at the warrior. There was a burst of energy to not give his enemy a chance, something he had no idea about its origins and could only wonder where the Shade had gone to. He really needed to step it up, there was a plan to what he had to do and he couldn't give his enemy a chance. Trying to find the courage to stand up for himself, he closed his eyes momentarily before moving onto the next stage of the attack after his downward arc, immediately turning his foot and spinning rapidly on the spot before coming to a halt, waiting for the inevitable counter attack so he could duck down and immediately force his shield around to hopefully smash the knight as hard as he could manage. He certainly felt stronger, but there was still another knight to contend with and he had no idea what he was supposed to do about them, the plan only going as far as bashing the one knight to the ground. The other had used bombs before and could fly around in the air, something he couldn't counter.
The knight was hit hard with Link's first attack but was still standing and tried to counter attack but missed as us went underneath. The Knight was sent flying with a good deal of force as he was hit with the Shield from behind. He went head first into the stone pavement and smashed his face to a whole new level rendering him unconscious. His partner who flew overhead was surprised but that turn to anger quickly and he began chucking small bombs at Link.
"Good job my son! Now it's time to take out that flying menace... Use the gauntlets Demoko gave you... The crossbows..." A voice whispered from the wind it seemed like. Link had never used a crossbow before, and magical ones for that matter, but it was as simple as aiming and shooting and hopefully some beginners luck in Link's case.
Link didn't think he would be able to take down that guy, but sure enough he managed and was able to take down the guy. Staring down at the knight, he immediately turned to look up as bombs started flying down at him. Suddenly making a dive for it, he stumbled on his feet before he quickly turned around, feeling pretty unsure to what was supposed to be doing now. Feeling panicky, he looked around for something he could use before the sound of the Shade spoke to him again. Confused, he quickly sheathed his sword and placed his shield away, looking to his hands, "Uhhh, I don't know how these work!" he spoke quickly, holding his hands out at the other knight just hoping they would do something.
As Link's wrist locked into the right position the bracers shifted into their mini crossbow forms. Two explosive bolts were already loaded and locked onto the Knight. They fired automatically and the Knight was too stun to dodge them in time. The explosive arrows hit their target and the Hurricane Knight fell from the sky and over the side of the bridge to never be seen again. "Excellent shot my son, now join the others against the titan of a man Onyx. To defeat him all of you must work together. It will be no small task, but remember if you can find the Courage then Strength will find its way to you." The Shade said as if he was still standing next to Link. He had lent Link all the strength he had, but it was going to take more than what he could offer in the realm of the living to defeat Onyx.
"True performers would make a good cover as well Vor'loch, but on the other hand that is until someone asks us to perform. No doubt we can all easily do a few spins and jumps, but performers usually draw attention, because that's what they are suppose to do. Slaves on the other hand no one bats an eye for on a planet ruled by Hutts. I am up for either idea, for we are all looking out for the Padawans and how to protect them best." Kraytan commented, Vor'loch was the only other Jedi Knight besides himself and Deja. It was probably best for the Jedi Master to decide, no one could dispute the words of a Master. Whatever way he voted he would follow the orders given to him as long as they didn't conflict with his main mission, to protect the future of the Jedi Order, which was the very few Padawans aboard their ship.
"I ask that whatever the verdict be, let us decide quickly, we are approaching Nar Shadda and will be landing any minute now. I think it best if we don't put ourselves in a situation that requires us to talk to anyone. The less talking we end up having to do, the less attention we will draw to ourselves and the faster we can get out off this planet and Sector." Deja said adding her thoughts to the conversation.
"I ask that whatever the verdict be, let us decide quickly, we are approaching Nar Shadda and will be landing any minute now. I think it best if we don't put ourselves in a situation that requires us to talk to anyone. The less talking we end up having to do, the less attention we will draw to ourselves and the faster we can get out off this planet and Sector." Deja said adding her thoughts to the conversation.
The longest collab post ever, but it is almost over...
Give it a day or two more (in truth like a couple more days than that lol) and it should be ready. I am bringing another NPC on board, whether for a short time or for the long haul I dunno yet. However I believe he is a character with one of the most saddest and most untold stories of all in the LoZ series.
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