Holding Ground

Holding Ground is the 7th Chapter of IW Season 2.
== Change is Hard ==
Kae/Flashback/Age 8
"Rashida was right about you. As was the Chieftain. I didn't believe it at first, but your mother convinced me that you have what it takes. Very well, I will train you. But know your life will change. You will miss out on a normal childhood and adolescence. Are you alright with this?"
Kae took a moment to think about this. She already knew she was different. She was taking classes with girls who were becoming young women. Boys who gave her the creeps. And she was misunderstood by all but a few of them. To get out of most of the awkwardness would be a lifesaver. 
She didn't have a childhood to miss out on. In her overactive mind, age was only a number. 
"I am. This is my calling in life, and I wouldn't want anything else. Come what may, the history and mystic arts of our people need to stay fresh somehow, right? And mom couldn't do it. I want to do this for mom and for our people. And so that they won't find me odd anymore."
Nora put her hand on the little girl's shoulder.
"You talk like an adult in some ways. But you also need to consider the reasons behind this. Without humility, you will never learn. And without a teachable spirit, you'll fail the first test."
"Is this a pop quiz or something to study for?"
Her gnarled wooden staff floated in mid-air and found its way home. Into the master's hand. At the end of it, a flicker of light coalesced into a chipped ethereal gemstone.
"What is this?"
Kae had a feeling it was more than just what was before her. But guessing would be bad.
"A small glowing stone?"
Nora shook her head, expecting an answer like this. Her mind lifted the miniature star shard over her head, and it then fired a small beam at an empty bottle of milk across the room. It shattered, sending glass fragments everywhere.
"Pick all of those up, and then tell me what this is."
Kae looked puzzled, but diligently picked up every piece of glass she could find. Her hands were cut to ribbons by the time she was done hours later, and she was crying almost every step of the way. Laying them all out on the table, they were stained red.
"Did you think about it at all, or only focus on your task at hand, Kae?"
She sobbed, licking at her hands. Nora handed her some treated bandages, which the girl quickly fashioned for comfort and efficiency.
"The power to destroy that can come in even the smallest form. One that requires careful thought in use. One that has painful consequences in its misuse. And one that only the truly responsible and intelligent should wield."
Nora clapped lightly.
"And to think you'd turn out just like Rashida. You cut yourself almost as much as she did. But you worked through that pain to come to a fairly accurate conclusion! And you did not question my directions, either. You may make a good apprentice yet, little girl. I've searched for decades to find one that could get that question right! Do you know what your mother said?"
Kae was focusing on dressing her wounds, but she did make a guess.
"Something abbreviated. Something so close, yet so far. And most likely lost in the initial detail."
"Your mother loves you, but also does not truly understand you. You are like that star shard. If the people don't know what potential you have, they won't know how to make the best use of your talents. Talents you will hone with dedication and commitment to my teachings. Talents that one day could save Hyrule. You will be underestimated and misunderstood because you are gifted. They misunderstand me, and I have watched over our people for a very long time. We are not so different, Kae."
She finished wrapping her hands and looked at her new teacher, trying very hard to comprehend what awaited her.
"I'm going to be able to do things like that? That's kinda scary, master."
"The Three give us all unique gifts. They just happened to give you a mind with high potential for sorcery. And a memory I'd kill for. Stick with me. We will help each other and our people if we work together."
The girl noticed her hands hurting a lot less than a few minutes ago. Something was done to those bandages. Something she couldn't explain. And Nora saw the look in her eyes.
"Sorcery and mysticism isn't all about harnessing power and proper recitation. There's alchemy. And reading fate. And you'll work hard to learn it all, right?"
Kae nodded. She was excited, and enthralled. She finally met someone who understood her and didn't call her a nerd or a wimp.
[b]Kae/Cathedral/Noon 5[/b] 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upDySvovAYA&playnext_from=TL&videos=dONZWJwDjrs
She stood there, staring up at her master. The only one who really knew what went on inside her head. The only one she ever felt comfortable talking to about anything. And the woman who had unlocked her true potential. If it weren't for Nora, she wouldn't be standing here right now. 
And now she was dying. Doing what Kae so often did for her friends. Nora took on Kae's burden one final time.
As she saw a single tear descend from her master's face, reality struck her deeply in the heart.
[color=indigo]"You didn't have to do this...why...what purpose does this serve?!"[/color]
There was no way to undo this. Even with full mastery of her artes, her Scion's repertoire of rotes and rituals, and psionic talents, she couldn't wind this one back. Nora was going to die from this. 
Tears freely streamed from her face as she fell to her knees in disbelief, burying her face in her hands and weeping loudly. She didn't care who saw her. First, her best friend had been taken from her by a primordial ice lich. Next, her brother was in harm's way and facing death. And thirdly, Elly felt uneasy, giving away the fact that she'd been injured in this process somehow.
People were sacrificing themselves for her. This had never happened before on such a level. Did they really believe in her this much to do such a thing? Sacrifice was her job. She'd done it for the past two days of anointing. Multiple trips to the hospital that were worth every moment of pain.
The faithful simply thought the Scion was overwhelmed by potent spiritual energies. They didn't know anything about the bond Nora and Kae shared.
[color=indigo]"Your life...I will not allow it to be spent in vain...they are all beyond redemption and this is all their fault!"[/color]
She was lost in a maelstrom of bawling and convulsing, curled up in a fetal position on the floor. Elly rushed over to cradle her, and Kae latched on tight, burying her head in her shoulder. 
Elly looked up at what Nora had become. It all happened so quickly, and it didn't quite sink in for her. But she held her friend tightly. Congregants gathered around, looking concerned.
[color=teal]"She's just tuckered out a bit. Give her some room to breathe!"[/color]
Kae's face was covered in black and purple pigments, smudged from her tears and runny nose. She had not cried like this since her battle with Instructor Haraf five years ago. 
Elly whispered to Kae, trying to console her somehow. She fought back every urge to shed a tear in this situation. Someone had to be strong.
[color=teal]"She was good to me too, Kae. To all of us. She loved you so much..."[/color]
[color=indigo]"They're all %&(#ing dead, Elly. All of them. They did this to her!"[/color]
She didn't like where this was going.
[color=teal]"No! None of us are thinking straight right now. You'd do Nora no justice by charging out there and raising hell-"[/color]
[color=indigo]"Jaden's in trouble. Dying from poison. She...was in my head right before this happened...I need to save him...and make those fools realize who they just pissed off. It's what Nora would want me to do!"[/color]
Kae looked up, angry and sad at the same time. She was a destructive emotional vortex, brimming with rage.
Elly held her as she pounded the ground in frustration and sorrow. She didn't like Kae's idea at all.
Kae and Elly/Cathedral/Noon 5
The Scion remained inconsolable and filled with rage. Appearances needed to be kept but she did not care at all about them. Elly held her close to keep an illusion of exhaustion from her hours of kneeling, and for the most part, people continued to buy it. Priests provided warm towels to Kae to help clean her up, but again, they didn't know what just transpired. 
And she didn't want to talk about it. 
Elly urged her not to disclose her true intentions. Such a holy place was not one to declare a desire to take countless lives. 
Furthermore, was she right in this desire? It was unwise to be ruled by passion, but in this situation, everything collided. Things were personal. They got real. 
"I can't stay here, Elly. Every time I look up at her, I lose myself in sorrow. Plus, Jaden needs me...but what do I do?"
"Kae, I really think it's a bad idea, even though I want to save him too. But I can't follow you, as my job is to keep the castle safe. Either you go out as part of the final push or become an unexpected factor of sorts. Clear it with Lord Phoenix first."
The Scion nodded and tried to get to her feet, but Elly helped her up. They were hugging at the altar even at that point, as Kae was still a puddle of emotion.
"The only person in the world she'd do something like that for is you. She wouldn't do this for our Chieftain. Or the King, even. Her pride in you was her number one topic of conversation when you weren't around. The daughter she wished she had birthed. She loved you, Kae. And you can bet I loved her. So many times, she gave me answers to questions I didn't think had them! Our people cherished her even though many feared her. She will be missed."
Kae nodded in agreement. And it was strange, because Elly was never this good with words. She was blunt, concise, and direct. Almost gruff, even. 
The people were looking at two Sheikah teens standing up near the altar, as well as what had materialized where Kae was kneeling before. Not just what had become of Nora, but an astrological glyph seared into the floor at the altar. It was of the Vigilant constellation. Nayru watched over her people this day, and it would be remembered throughout history. 
Yet, this day was far from over. 
One of the high priests walked up to them, inquiring as to Kae's condition. They both agreed that she was stricken by prolonged exposure to divine energies, and he backed off. But Elly did let him know that one of the reasons that Kae had been relieved of her vigil was a call to war. This changed some of the mood.
"We must take a moment and thank Kae for her devotion. She will be leaving us shortly, as the Three will it for her to aid our brethren outside! Let us take a moment and say a prayer for her. Reach out your hands, for our hopes also rest on her shoulders."
The congregation's tone shifted from praise to urgent concern and whispered wishes. Many prayed that this latest development would save their loved ones out there fighting for their safety. 
"...and may a steady hand of Wisdom guide her steps. She is standing in the gap for those who cannot fight. A voice for the voiceless. The Three reside in their realm, but they bestow blessings upon us even in our darkest times."
An amen echoed throughout the basilica, and then regular prayers resumed.
"I do not enjoy fighting, but there is a time for everything. Many have sacrificed everything for us today. My call to action is a result of that desire crying out from the battlefield. Too many have met their ends too soon. And many wish for deliverance. I will do for the fallen what they could not do for themselves, and we will beat them back!"
They were moved by this. Nora would have been proud, as would her parents had they been there to see this. Elly advised her that if she was to have an audience with Lord Phoenix that they should be on the move shortly. Kae thanked the clergy for keeping an eye on her and holding a firm vigil. It was with that that Elly escorted Kae out.
"Who knows what could be lurking within these halls. Even with the ritual going, there are threats here. Stay close to me, Kae. That crazy man may still be here yet."
Kae and Elly/Castle Corridors/Noon 5
The Starborn Edge had been called to her hand once more, and Kae sought vengeance. Elly never really got a good look at the Scion's weapon of choice, and she thought it odd that someone so steeped in mysticism would choose a blade over a mage's staff. Lunar practitioners were always different, though. Some believed in focusing through things that weren't even used in battle, such as musical instruments, foods, or medicines. 
Kae viewed the sword as a signature item of offense. It was because of this that she chose it as her focus. Or, safer to assume, it chose her. Many Lunar mages who conjure shards will allow said shards to look into their minds. And then the mind reveals what one would prefer to use to defend itself. 
"I need to slip into another side hall quickly to change. It will only take a moment..."
Elly had never seen Kae's face so full of anger before. She was always so balanced, so understanding. Well, she was understanding this time. Two charges she had to attend to: not letting Nora's sacrifice go to waste, and causing great pain to those who forced her hand in such a manner. She wasn't thinking about her affliction or anything else. The only things that mattered were rescuing her brother and slaughtering as many Twili as possible before her daily allotment of energies expired. 
After her friend investigated a room, Kae slipped in, shut the door, and let a swirl of stardust alter her clothing to that of the black leather halter and low-ride leggings that Nayru's emissaries had designed for their servant. She took some time to redo her makeup, which some would classify as warpaint based on how dark and edgy it looked. Silverish-purple lipstick with black lip liner, flared eyeshadow, and this time, a purple glyph painted on her forehead. Nora's patron Celestial High Arcana: The Mesmer. 
She practiced a few moves in front of the mirror, and noticed that her anima had begun to manifest. Wispy violet-white vapors rose from her ink. Her hair was loose, flowing freely to the middle of her back. Giving herself one long look, she grinned in confidence. This was a new day, and she would not allow yesterday's mistakes to affect her in battle this time.
Elly looked worried as she waited, but her jaw dropped when the door had opened. She only heard stories of what had happened to her friend. What she saw was still Kae, but instead of that gentle girl with a dulcet, melodic voice, before her stood righteous vengeance incarnate.
Other soldiers saluted, while various onlookers dropped to their knees. 
"Thank you so much for keeping our castle safe! May you return safe and healthy, and may the Three be with you!"
She still wasn't used to getting this kind of reaction from people yet. But she took it in stride.
"You are welcome. Praise Nayru, indeed, as she has delivered those within these walls from blasphemous heretics. Thank you for your blessings, and I will not forget your kindnesses as I bring judgment to our enemies. Wisdom be with you!"
Her voice reverberated with an echo of the divine, giving Elly chills. This is what Nora trained her for? She was very thankful that in their time of greatest need, Kae was ready to use those talents she'd spent so much time working on. 
"Kae, I don't know where Lord Phoenix is. We can't afford to wait at High Command too long, especially if your brother's out there dying. If we can't find him, I'm slipping you out through one of the Sheikah passages. You can join up with the men out there and inspire them...or the archers and mages on our parapets, infusing your energy into their magic and steel."
They both walked on, speaking more of what they could do. When they reached where High Command was, the Scion knocked loudly.
Soldiers opened the large, wooden double doors, motioning the two Sheikah girls inside.
"I seek an audience with Lord Phoenix, urgently! I have received a divine mandate to go to war, and I seek guidance on how my talents should best be used. But I cannot wait too long. I have received a vision that my brother is in trouble, and we cannot lose him today!"
Generals all looked up from their table and were shocked. They didn't know what had just happened in the Cathedral, and were looking worried that somehow the Wall of Faith had gone down. But when they looked out the window, it was there, stronger than ever. A messenger ran out of the war room quickly, sprinting by Kae and Elly as fast as he could possibly run.
Phoeonix/Early Afternoon 5/Throne Room
Phoenix had the men show in the Scion and her guard. She repeated what he had heard shouted through the doors. "Lord Phoenix! I have received a divine mandate to go to war and a vision that my brother is in trouble! Guide my sword to the enemy!"
Phoenix slowly nodded. Yes, this was what he had expected would come of Nora's act. Well, it wouldn't do to look a gift horse in the mouth.
"Wave Three is about to go out. We have a brief window of time, Nora spoke to me before her brave actions. If the theories are correct, and she is a true being of divinity now, she can control the Wall to a greater degree, and open a hole for our forces. But since we cannot communicate with her any longer, we only have a ten minute span agreed upon beforehand to send out the troops.
"Kae, if it's not too much, I want you to lead them. I know you have no real experience with leadership, but being under your command should inspire the troops to greater fervor, and turn this hell of a battle into a complete rout for the enemy. You have about another ten minutes to get to the gate before the Wall opens. If you're not there at that time, the man will have to march without you."
He rested his hand on her shoulder, showing support for this symbol of Hyrule. "Thank you, Kae. And... I'm sorry."
== This is the Fight That Never Ends ==
Eddard's Rito/High above Castle Town/Noon 5
He had had a name once. And despite his forgotten memories of what it was, he knew that it had at one point existed. He often dreamed of what it might of been, of how people would have reacted when they heard it. But more than naught, those dreams were brought to reality by the heavy handed blows his master would often inflict upon him. Whether he liked it or not, his life was no longer his own. It belonged to Eddard, and Eddard alone.
And it was for this reason that the Rito flew in between the narrow streets of Castle Town, amidst all the fighting and carnage, looking desperately for the man he hated more than anything in this world. "I could fly away," he said to himself. "It would be easy. I could live a new life, away from that ass and all his crazy dreams."
But he knew this particular dream was impossible. He would be found, and he would be tortured for his impudence, and he would be killed. It would be impossible to escape, Eddard had made sure of that. 
And yet, there seemed to be some hope. His master was no where to be found, any trace of his body seemed to be lost among the piles of dead soldiers. Perhaps he too had been killed. It would have been an accident, in no way connected to him. The goddesses couldn't punish him for something that wasn't his fault. He would be free, free to live his dream of independence.
But if he was wrong, it would mean his master's anger would be brought down all the harder. He decided he would wait it out, at least until tomorrow. If his master was alive, then he would be found, and his anger wouldn't be too great if he was close. And if his master was truly dead...he thought it best not to get his hopes up too high.
An arrow came whizzing past his face, by far too close for comfort. Damn, I need to get out of sight. He landed in the cover of an alley and reached down to his belt, an odd apparel for a member of his species. He flipped a switch on the belt and where his body was once visible was now merely the buildings and rubble. He had rendered himself completely invisible.
[/color]Zasalamel/Castle Gates/Noon 5
("Friend...")
He would have never imagined this turn of events, considering what he had done. He had been forgiven by the mighty Daurubia for his attempts at murder, when mercy wasn't an option in the heat of battle. He had already killed dozens of the people he was trying to help whilst under the control of the mysterious witch. Even though the death of many was not his fault, the guilt for what he had done weighed down upon his shoulders. He began to regret everything he had done to get this far, for he had only done more harm than good. Because of him, everyone he loved...everyone and everything he tried to protect....was taken from him by the very same thing. Due to either lack of action, or wrong action, he was directly responsible for everything he had lost, all of which in relation with the very witch he had been possessed by just mere minutes ago. He knew it was her, and he recognized her smell, and yet, through a moment of weakness, he only accomplished doing more harm. 
Again...
As the Goron before him made the decision to give him what he did not deserve; mercy, Zasalamel collapsed, and fell down to his knees. He stayed down there, and did not move. He did the only thing his current emotions would allow.
He wept.
Sha'Tive: Cat form/Castle Town/Noon 5
Upon inspecting her current situation, she decided it would be best to get up high, to better assess the situation. She began to climb the highest building that was nearby, and in no time, reached the top. The only battle she could see was the very same one she had visited as the Dark Nut just moments ago. Before she could do any further inspection, the Goron within the battle rolled up into a ball, and jumped high into the air. Sha'Tive braced herself, to no avail. As the goron came down upon the hard ground, everything shook. In her current form, she somehow could not maintain footing as she fell from the building she had climbed. She ungracefully landed on the ground below, grumbling about her rotten luck on the entire time. As she rose up, she realized she had landed in a mud puddle.
"Of course..." She growled as she began to clean herself. But before she could finish, a curious sight caught her eye; a Rito had landed in an alley nearby, and began to become invisible.
"Hmmm, fresh meat?"
She chuckled to herself as she slowly walked towards where the Rito had disappeared. Knowing he was still there, she attempted her best cat-like act to remain unsuspicious.
Horus/Above Castle Town/Noon 5
"A clone made of snow? How crafty."
He marveled as the snow figure exploded in a shower of crystallized water as he and another unidentifiable person attacked it.
"How did he escape so quickly?"
He looked around hastily, scanning the area. He noticed the turn of events that had taken place below him. What appeared to be a necromancer had affected many of the soldiers, including Gigagoron and Jaden, with poison. Things seemed to be getting even more chaotic as seconds went by. He stopped, watching out for any arrows that would be flying his way, and tried to plan his next move. He had been acting with his emotions, in an enviroment where a clear mind is key. Even though anger was still strong within him, he tried to calm himself so he could better plan his next move.
Seishi/Dreamland/Noon 5
"Now then you're going to help me with something." the ice mage taunted as he latched on to Seishi arm and started digging into his mind.
"Well that's just not..."
With in Seishi mind a shadow entity of pure primal malice lashed out at Quell's invading consciousness but was just barely stopped by a mental barrier.
"What is it with novice psychics today. All of you keep taking these risks far beyond your skill level and creating so much work from me." Laynnei's voice called out to Quell with in Seishi mind as an image of her began to manifest.
"Look, Quell right, I am far to busy dealing with my foolish child right now to kick you out of my husbands mind so instead I will offer a warning and a deal. I'm sure you noticed that projection that just tried to eat your mind. It happens to be a demon that in his current state my husband needs to maintain a disciplined mental state to control. Naturally if an amateur like you starts poking around in here you're likely to free the thing and I really don't want to deal with that and I can assure you that you wouldn't either. Now if you agree to leave I will, in exchange, not interfere should you try this again when its safe which I have no problem telling you will be when his hair turns back to brown."
She began to fade away having more pressing matters to deal with then waiting for Quell's response but briefly stopped to lay in one more piece of advice. "Oh and if you fight on the ground he's much more likely to give you that opportunity. Any way I would apologize for distracting you, but really it's your own fault."
"...very smart." Seishi laughed as he swung back at Quell's face with his shield.
Summery: 
The Ma tries to attack Quell when he enters Seishi mind but Seishi restraints on it hold. Laynnei apparently being able to multitasks warns Quell not to start poking around while Seishi's using the Ma's power and if he waits until he powers down she won't interfere with his next attempt on reading his mind.
Seishi then Shield Bashes Quells face.
It should be obvious but just in case, that whole mind scape thing happened in the time it took Seishi to utter that sentence.
Senshi/Castle Seige/Afternoon 5
Senshi arrived at the West gate to find a force as equally small as the west gate once had being held back by a hand full of archers raining down there assault from the castle wall. "That woman's strategy leaves quite a lot to be desired. I wonder if they intended to win to begin with."
Senshi removed his necklace and blanketed the archers in a wall of darkness, briefly halting there assault from the confusion of there sudden blindness. "Now then!" he shouted to the Twili troops who were emerging from there cover. "Let's go attack a castle."
Senshi/Temple of Time/A Long Long Time Ago
"You know I can't figure out you." the young looking Oracle of Farore said as she and her capture appeared in the Temple of Time. "Not only did you get Kokage to tell you were I am, and let you capture me, you even have the Ocarina of Time and can use it. How can someone working for the bad guys be able to do all of that? And why are we at the Temple of Time?"
"Do you ever stop talking?" Shinigami complained having putting up with the girls none stop yammering since he found her.
"Oh come now there's absolutely no reason to be rude to the young girl," Laynnei said as she appeared before the two. "Young girl who looks far to old to be a Kokiri."
"I've been in Termina the past few years. That place is weird so this what happens."
"Fair enough. Now to answer your quests, despite his demeanor my son would never work for someone who would kill three single young ladies. Once he's brought you to this Haullam person he'll wait for the right moment to tell me were I can teleport all the Light Warrior in to but a stop to all this nonsense. Am I right?"
Senshi just glared back in annoyance.
"What? You may have block off your mind but I'm still your mother. It's imposable for you to hide something from me. Case in point if you have that Ocarina again I can only assume your uncle is still alive. In all honesty though I can't figure out why you're going to up the Door of Time. After all there's only one person left that can lift that sword and you'd never let your sister become a target."
"It was Uncle Link's idea. I don't like it but that fact the Haullam is keeping him alive means I can't afford to be over protective."
"Wait, Link's your Uncle? Hero of Time Link? Well that kind of explains things."
"Oh, be a dear and please keep that to yourself," Laynnei asked in a kind tone. "We can't have the Dark Warriors realizing that or this plan will fall apart."
"Ok. Oh wait, why is the Hero of Time being alive a bad thing."
"Because Haullam had every chance and reason to kill him, and he hasn't told anyone he's alive." Shinigami responded finally willing to explain his actions. "So far he's only told us he wants you three so he can open up a new portal to the Sacred Realm but not why. At first I though he might be one of Ganon's underlings but it's clear that's not the case and he wouldn't need Link for that. So that only leaves to possibilities as far as I'm concerned, he needs the Hero of Time's powers, either to manipulate time or to channel to power of the six sages. Either one could cause a lot of problems."
Daurubia/Afternoon 5/Outside Castle Gates
He had no idea how to react. At his feet lay an injured, crying Twili who was obviously in a great deal of pain both emotionally and physically, and behind him rolling up was Giga, swerving as he went. He decided to focus attention on the giant boulder coming at him first.
"Giga! Stop! Stop Now!"
His fellow goron screeched to a halt and catapulted himself up to his feet, but something was wrong. His eyes were bloodshot and his balance seemed off as he tried to stand straight.
"Daurubia I..." He began violently coughing up blood on to the cobblestone street. "I...was poisoned...need...antido..." He was cut off as another stream of blood spurted out of his mouth. 
Paying neither him nor the Twili any heed, Giga stumbled best he could towards the wall. Daurubia bowed his head, thinking of what might happen if it would not permit him to pass. Then suddenly, as if a gift from the goddesses themselves, the wall began to die away. 
The clear blue faded away, allowing Giga to stumble through. The guards at the gate quickly opened up, allowing the giant passage through. Giga fell hard as the gates opened up, landing in the courtyard where much shouting and commotion was being made to help him.
He turned back to the Twili. "Now's our only chance. If you need medical help, we must go now. Do you want to or not?
Zasalamel/Castle gates/Noon 5
"No."
He rose to his feet, knowing time would not stop for his moment of sorrow. His face covered in blood and his eyes full of tears, he looked up at Daurubia.
"I do not deserve your kindness...I will find another way."
Completely ignoring what Daurubia would do next, he called his brother, knowing he was there. 
"Cid!"
A sound rang out from afar that sound like a knife falling. An irritated groan followed. Zasalamel walked away, into a nearby alleyway, following the noise.
Cid/Castle Town/Noon 5
He looked up, slightly suprised at the sight that met his eyes. His brother stumbled towards him, covered in blood, both arms broken.
"Hmmm, seems like the Twilight Witch didn't eat you. She must be losing her touch...Or maybe she wasn't hungry." He chuckled.
Zasalamel grunted, "Shaddup Cid, I have no time for your crap."
Cid scratched his red goatee. He then spat out his cigar and rose to his feet. He sighed.
"I'm assuming you want me to patch you up with magic?"
Zasalamel nodded.
"Gah, what is with you and not accepting others' hospitality. It's always me, me, me...Why can't you ask someone else?"
Zasalamel began to speak, but Cid interrupted.
"Don't answer that. Just sit down and shut up," He growled, "And no crying, you big baby."
Zasalamel chuckled. "Why would I cry?"
Cid gave him a straight, emotionless face. Zasalamel quickly realized just how stupid that question was, and silenced himself. Cid, without changing expression, began to glow as he put his hands together.
"This will only be a moment, but it will sting like a dodongo bite."
Castle Corridors/Noon 5
People were astonished that the Scion was out and about once more. She was the conduit for this ritual, but another had taken her place. The story was that Nayru had sent another to hold fast in her stead, because she was needed elsewhere.
Elly was cautious every step of the way. She wasn't exactly sure where Lord Phoenix was, but she did intend to head to High Command. After all, where else would Kae be able to get briefed and be assigned properly? She couldn't just storm out of the gates on her own. Every Twili soldier and Dark Warrior was screaming for her blood as it was. There was a better way to utilize her talents. Her death would crush morale beyond repair, or at least Elly thought.
Kae was still clad in her robes, though if she were to take the field, she would need to dress in her leathers. And Elly was adamant about not taking the field with her friend, as her job came first. It was conflicting because Jaden was out there in trouble too. If Phoenix cleared her to go out with Kae, she'd do it. But otherwise she'd stay put, even if she hated it.
Gigagoron/Time Unknown/Dreamland
"Awake, large one. Your time has not yet come, and there is more you must do."
Giga woke slowly as his eyes became victim to a cascade of white. All around him, a blanket of pure, untainted white engulfed his vision, save for one object. In front of him, a sphere or bright red floated, seeming to give off what felt like pure power.
"Where...where am I?"
"You are in the Divine Realm, where goddesses reside. But this is not the question you should be asking. Nay, the better question, my friend, is what you are.
"Very well. What am I"
"Why don't you look for yourself, little one."
Giga looked down at his body, expecting to see the giant, rough-skinned goron he had always been. Instead, he saw flesh, soft and vulnerable, the majority of which was a dark shade of black. His arms and legs, once large and powerful, were now small and insignificant in comparison. Where he had once stood thirty feet tall, he now couldn't have been much more than six feet. Where he had once been a goron, he was now a Twili.
"What...what has happened to me! What have you done to me!"
"You accuse me of such treachery little one. Nay, I did nothing. What you see now is a direct consequence of your own actions."
"What are you. Are you a spirit, or a demon? Why have you cursed me so."
"I say again, I have done nothing in this transformation. You call me spirit, and demon, as if I am your enemy. This cannot be. Some call me the Power Vessel, the Red One, the Power of the Three. But you would best know me as Din."
Giga's jaw dropped, and he quickly knelt down. "My goddess, please forgive me for my impudence, but I beg of you to turn me back. I do not wish to live like this."
"I do not hold the power to return you to your original form. This can only be done by yourself. You have been passionate on the battlefield today. Angry, quick to kill, and inconsiderate of those whose lives you are ending."
"But, they are mere Twili. They deserve no respect, for the show none to me."
"O Gigagoron, how power has corrupted you. I chose you for the position of Giant Goron because I saw that you were level-headed. I saw a goron that would not abuse such powers, that respected life first and ended it second. I see now that I was wrong. I imbued you with power, and you have betrayed my trust."
"The form you take now is a direct result of this abuse. The Twili magic within you has mixed with my own powers. You abused your gifts and so your body has embraced them fully. Only through complete acceptance and understanding of your inferiority may you return to your original form."
"Please my goddess! I understand! Truly, I do! I will never let this happen to me again!"
"I am sorry, but for now I cannot help you. The body you take is an ordinary foot soldier. You have no family, and no friends. No connection to the Twili other than your skin. It is into this environment that you must go. Goodbye, little one."
Red began to surround Giga, completely obliterating his senses. Suddenly, he was standing amidst hundreds of Twili, outside of Castle Town, trying to force their ways to the wall. At the castle, the blue wall was flickering.
Polaris/ Castle Town/ Noon 5
Polaris kept a safe distance as the enormous Goron rolled away unsteadily, with the path to Jaden and his Twili assailant clear it was evident that Jaden was having a rough go of it. This summoner, witch, or whatever the hell she was had proved to be much more powerful than he'd anticipated. However, her poisons would prove useless against Polaris, if blood didn't flow regularly throughout the body, it couldn't circulate the poison. There was no point in attempting to poison him, she didn't know this of course.
It was hard to differentiate his own thoughts from those of Lynns at times, and at others her presence seemed to be completely removed from him, yet he still felt...something it was peculiar. Unable to put a finger on it, he questioned her for once, "What is it that you hope to gain by tormenting me? You waste your time and you know it!"
"My time is not spent in vain, but in waiting. You conclude that my conclusions are incorrect, or inherently wrong, you say that I waste my time...but you've yet to blockade against my consciousness, my touch, entirely..why is that?" Polaris knew what she was getting at, where she was hinting and to which direction she was leaning, "You'll be easier to kill if we stay linked, because I'll know when you're near."
"Hahahahaha..will you now? How ripe." She actually had him at a loss for words and he pushed her consciousness to the back of his mind, ignoring their link for the time being, "Ffffing psycho.." Mentally shrugging, Polaris stepped forward and called out, "Jaden! End this whench. Her tricks and poisons are no match for your superior wit, strength and tactics. Her parlor tricks are all that sustain her in this fight. She IS weak." Polaris taunted, hoping to throw Shato off of her game, cause her to slip up and give a much needed opening to Jaden. If not, the young Sheikah was going need his help and some serious medical attention, that poison was doing a number on him. 
Senshi/Castle Siege/Afternoon 5
"What the hell is this?" the commander of the Twili contingent Shinigami had picked up yelled out as they arrived at the castle gate only to be blocked by an unseen force.
"That would be a barrier, a divine one at that," Senshi responded in a matter of fact manner. "It also means this entire assault may have failed."
"Like hell, I say we plow through the thing."
"It's not a wall you can tear down. The only way to get through is to wait for it to-" Senshi stopped mid-sentence as the barrier briefly vanished. "Do just that. Right, send a runner to Maydni to let her know the West Gate force has broken into the castle. Everyone else lets move."
Just as the few dozen solders made there way past were the barrier once stood it suddenly reappear trapping them in and cutting them off from reinforcements. Senshi alone noticed that angelic being in that appear high above in the sky, an imagine that did not sit well with him. "Another one huh? Those three are intent on making her suffer just like the rest of us always have aren't they."
"What was that?" the commander question barely over hearing Shinigami's mumblings.
"Nothing of concern. Alright everyone listen up, we have a bit of an issue here. You can all see that barrier has come back up, what you probably can't tell though is that it's now stronger and not likely to fail again. In other words we're trapped in here outnumbered with no chance for reinforcements. What's worse is everyone still outside isn't likely to survive unless Maydni actually makes the call to retreat, something I doubt will happen. What this means is there are only three options left to use. First we charge through the halls trying to kill everyone we can before they kill us. Problem is, being out number and with none of you knowing your way around its likely you'll only kill one Hylian for every 5 of you. Second we sabotage this place, destroy food and supplies, break down walls. The lack of food and water will force the to pull the barrier down sooner and if we trash a few walls the next attack the Twili wages will have a better chance of succeeding. Lastly, and I ask this task of all who have even the slightest chance of pulling this off, you disguise yourselves as Hylian's and integrate into their army. Steal cloths in armor you find in the castle, hide your appearance with magic and make-up where necessary. So this and wait, wait until the time comes to revile yourselves and strike the Hylian's from within. I will not order you on which path to take, that is something you much choose for yourself based on what you know you'll be best at. Still group up with those that decide the same as you and work together on your goals."
"This is kinda nuts you know that," commander responded quietly enough to not let his troops here him questioning Senshi's plan.
"Perhaps, but it's far better then wasting all there lives on an attack that will gain nothing. By the way commander, I want you among those that will infiltrate the Hylian's. It's by far the most difficult and dangerous mission and they'll need leadership. You can identify each other with the challenge 'It is for Din's glory,' and the response 'That we suffer from Mudora's plight.' The challenge will come off as a praise to the Goddesses and the response as nonsense so you can use it without raising suspicion."
"And what will you be doing?"
"I'll see if I can't take down this barrier."
Daurubia/Outside Castle Gates/Afternoon 5
He never saw Giga pass through the gates, but he assumed the lack of a body meant he had passed through safely and was hopefully receiving medical help. The wall was still flickering when the Twili approached him again.
"I do not deserve your kindness...I will find another way," he said. A sudden sound could be heard from a nearby alleyway and the Twili walked begrudgingly into the dark, completely out of sight.
Daurubia felt a sudden feeling of question. Was it right to leave that one alive? He was unnaturally strong, and Daurubia could only imagine the harm he could cause if he had been lying the whole time. 
But his feelings could not last for long, for he heard the distant rumbling of soldier's feet. "S***, he said once he realized that this was not a force of Hylians. The Twili force turned the corner just as Daurubia was able to leap into a nearby alleyway, completely hidden in the shadows. 
There was some banter between two of the soldiers. One was a Twili, probably a commander. But the other, to Daurubia's surprise, was Hylian. A traitor,he thought angrily. This was no ordinary soldier either. There was something about this one, his armor, his sword, something that told Daurubia that he was important.
He decided it best to hang back in the shadows for now as the soldiers began to work their way through the dissipating wall. Knowing it would be folly to attempt to fight them so overpowered, Daurubia hoped that there would be enough soldiers, along with Giga hopefully, to combat them.
He waited quietly, taking this moment of rest to get his thoughts in order and to help formulate his plan.
Kae and Elly/Throne Room/Noon 5
So there had somehow been an agreement set. Nora would not have done this without serious consideration. She couldn't go to the great beyond in vain.
...Leadership? Kae never thought about it. Being given such an opportunity was a surprise, something that shocked both her and Elly. And there was not much time to think about it.
Her friend's gaze was focused on each word, anticipating what was to come.
"Twili souls will find no redemption. The same goes for sympathizers or traitors...I will spare none. I swear to you that I will do my very best to lead the men you have entrusted me with to a glorious victory. If we fall, I swear to you they will wish they had lost."
Elly knew too well what Kae was going to do. With her anointing came a call to action she did not hesitate to answer. In a way, she was happy that Kae was no longer hiding behind Nora's veil. She always knew Kae was capable of more than being a fortune teller's apprentice. Or even a fortune teller proper. Her faith drove her to a heroic state that she had only seen in a few people. 
"Please, Kae, try to save Jaden while you're out there! And tell him I love him when you find him, because you go where I cannot follow. My role is here in the castle. The wall flickered, remember? Something could have slipped through. And if it did, it will have a broken neck."
Kae kissed Elly on the cheek and hugged her close.
"We both do our best, ok? I'll tell my brother, and we'll all be together again when this is over."
She turned to leave while Elly stayed behind in chambers. This made her feel uncomfortable because of what Elly had deduced...potential for spies had gone up. After waving goodbye, she took off at full speed down castle corridors. While she didn't know the castle as well as others, there was a brimming anxiety, and she followed it.
Staging Area/Late Noon 5
Jaden had been here this morning. His spirit permeated this open-air room, draped in backdrop by a giant Hylian crested flag. 
"Where's our commander? Didn't Phoenix say we'd get one after our briefing? It's been over twenty minutes! We need to get out there?"
Her anima wisping actively, Kae marched through informally and took the stage. The troops immediately recognized her, and many were in disbelief.
"Lord Phoenix sends us the Scion!"
All 300 of them knelt out of respect, uttering praise to Nayru. Some of them, however, were skeptical. 
"She has no military experience."
"Her brother is a demi-god on the battlefield. Maybe some of it rubbed off on her."
"It's the freaking Scion, people! I'd sooner fight alongside her than anyone!"
Kae took the pedestal and asked her men and women to rise. 
"Lord Phoenix has indeed entrusted your lives to me. I promised him the same thing I will to you. Twili souls will find no redemption at my hand. The same goes for any who sympathize for them or have betrayed us. There will be no prisoners! After what they have done to us and what they have caused, it is safe to assume that all of you feel the same way. These bastards forced my mentor's hand, and soon she will die. It's as personal for me as it is for every one of you!
She dabbed at a few tears before continuing. Her force murmured a bit as she spoke. While they had heard of Kae, they had never actually heard her speak.
"I am not my brother. But I am the anointed of Nayru, and I will earn my title in the eyes of those who doubt me. You are well-trained and know how to do battle. Do not forget what you have learned. I will do my best to bolster your resolve and prowess through faith. Never lose hope! Today, we smite the enemy with a fury never before seen!"
Her words weren't eloquent. But they moved the crowd to very loud cheering and excitement, as it came from the heart. These soldiers would follow her to whatever end that fate had planned for them.
"For our nation, our King, and our Goddesses! To battle!"
These soldiers weren't stupid. They assembled pretty quickly, and considering how Jaden had formulated the defense plan, he undoubtedly saved the best for the anchor leg. Three hundred brave, loyal fighters. She stood in the middle of formation, divine sword in hand, singing a sacred hymn of battle in call-and-response. Her soft voice carried far, with a tinge of divine undertones. They marched out of this staging area and into the castle's front walk, one in mind, spirit, and purpose.
Kinslayer - On The Battlefield - Fifth Day
The other combatants moved aside, drawing apart like an opening curtain, pulling back the veil that separated him from his prey. Maydni had displayed her great power, leveling prodigious blows against the light warriors and their warrior allies. Now though she did not face one so encumbered by scruples and morality, she faced one like herself, unburdened. She was the Commander of a force of Interlopers, this battle she had pressed had cost hundreds, perhaps even thousands of lives.
Even so, her body count still fell well short of his own.
"I'm going to enjoy turning you inside out." he announced, his face a mask of insatiable hunger. He could feel the Scion, could read the currents of power on the battlefield as she drew nearer.
He would deal with her later. For now, Maydni held his gaze.
His malign grin turned to a grimace of displeasure, however, as a pair of soldiers rushed forward to leap into the fray. Without looking back he hurled up a barrier of telekinetic force at his back to hold them at bay. He didn't want to be interrupted.
Moving like a predator born, he stalked forward, Glaive gripped in his fists, held horizontally before him. His eyes never left Maydni's own. After moments of circling, stalking, and sizing up his foe, he launched himself into her. As he spun, his hands slid down the haft of his weapon, grasping it toward the base, and bringing his infernal blade against her from its greatest possible distance. He'd seen her fight, now he needed to experience her fight.
Once he had the feel for her style, he would kill her.
Senshi/Hyrule Castle(That still counts as a SSB stage)/Afternoon 5
"Check check, 1 2, Ha we can talk again!"
"I was so hoping you wouldn't notice."
"What's the matter kid, got lonely with out us?"
"I need my abilities to find Bryseis, sadly I can't do that while maintaining the extra precautions that had the added bonus of shutting you up."
"Eh, Bryseis was the cute chick right, hell I don't need to be a psychic to figure out where she is. Try looking towards that flying thing over the castle."
"Strangely enough that isn't her, in fact I have no idea who that is. Ah, never mind I found her."
Senshi made his way through the castle halls unimpeded thanks to so few knowing of his change in allegiance. He arrived just outside the staging area where Kae was rallying a number troops with a speech that almost made him laugh from the subtle irony. "<The Scion of Wisdom bolstering soldiers for battle with talk of prowess and fury. Bryseis I do believe you've pulled favor with the wrong goddess.>" He spoke to her mind from a nearby hall just close enough that she could spot him if she looked.
"<Now if you have a moment I need to speak with you about your wayward companion before you do something that could get her killed before I can save her. Of course if you can't think of an excuse to pry yourself away from that bunch for five minutes I could always talk to you like this. The problem is you lack this wonder skill known as telepathy so I'd have to read your mind to get the response. Not a difficult task but I'm sure you don't want me gaining access to your inner most thoughts, and quite frankly I'm not the type to violate to privacy of a young women.>"
Twilit Giga/Battlefield/Afternoon 5
It was chaos. The inside of the Twili army was clustered, hot, and claustrophobic. Around him, hundreds of Twili were forcing their ways to the hole in the wall; he was the only one going the opposite direction. Unlike the others, he had seen what it was like in there. And he alone knew that being a Twili inside those walls was not a good thing at the moment.
He suddenly realized that he was weaponless, although weapons were not exactly a hard thing to find. All around him, the weapons of choice of the fallen Twili scattered the battlefield. He saw mostly swords, a few bows as well, but neither of these would fit Giga. He had never even used a bow, and a sword would feel clumsy and awkward in his unskilled hands. No he was looking for a particular weapon.
His eyes met the killing instrument with pleasure. Lying beside a fallen Twili was a small, one-handed hammer. Likely used for bending swords into place, it must have been a last resort weapon for the soldier. But to Giga it was the only option. The handle felt right in his palm, and the weight of the head gave it the perfect amount of momentum he would need.
But then he remembered something he had heard in his vision. Understand your insignificance, he had heard. Yes, he thought to himself. I am no hammerer of men, merely of weapons. These hands were not made to kill. All the same, he thought it best to hold onto the hammer, just in case something went awry.
The move to the back lines was slow and painful. He was often pushed down by Twili bigger than him. Most thought he might be deserting, and spat on him for it. But Giga ignored the insults and taunts, he had to get out of this cascade of bodies. 
His efforts seemed to have been rewarded as he came into a great clearing. Dozens, possibly hundreds, of bodies that were once here seemed to have been completely obliterated. The evidence for the massacre was in the ground. All around him, grass slowly burned away. Someone, or something, had set fire to this entire section.
No one seemed to want to go near the area, probably through fear of themselves being burnt alive. But Giga took it as an invitation for relief. He stepped out into the circle and began his way across the hot grass to the other side.
"Hey! Just where do you think you're goin'?"
Giga looked up in surprise and saw that a rather large and well armed Twili, probably a commander of some sorts, was staring at him. He gaped his mouth, unsure of how to respond.
"You tryin' to desert, ain't ya? Well, I don't take to kindly to deserters, and neither does our king, who mind ya, you're fighting for."
Giga reached to his belt and felt the pommel of the hammer, making sure it was still there.
"Aw, so it's a fight you be wantin', eh? Well that's just fine by me. Everybody stand back! I'm dealin' with this traitor miself!"
The Twili took out his sword, long yet misshapen from use. Giga slowly drew his armorer's hammer out, holding it at his side. The odds were overwhelming, yet somehow he felt confident. This was his element: a hammer in his hands and a piece of armor to hit. Only this time, the armor just happened to have a man underneath it.
Polaris/ Castle Town/ Noon 5
Polaris postured, readying himself for anything the Twili may try to throw at him. He didn't know if she'd snap up his bait or not, but if she did, he was sure her response would be more than just witty banter, an attack would probably come as well. He held firm the hilt of his beloved dagger, this majestic blade that'd been with him since the beginning, his real beginning at least.
Polaris/ Flashback--Lake Hylia/ Centuries Ago
He torpedoed through the tunnel, swimming with a speed unrivaled by any save a few of his own race. So many things had transpired over a few days time, he was unsure as to what events had lead to him being tattooed and laid to rest atop the funeral pyre. What was even more confounding to him was, even in the midst of the inferno, he had still been cold. So, cold. The flames that had danced their dance around his body, licking and lapping at his flesh, froze in place when he sat up. 
Confused.
Those around him said nothing to ease his mind, some gasped, others had collapsed in shock, and still some cursed him, yet they all backed away. Moments ago they were in mourning for him, now they all damned him, called him an abomination.
The only thing fresh in his memory was leading his battalion to the banks of Lake Hylia to set up a defense for the water temple. Everything that transpired after their arrival had been wiped from his memory banks. Which was why he'd leapt from the pyre and went straight to the tunnel that lead to the lake. The very tunnel he'd utilized to send messages back to the king, and ultimately the same tunnel he'd sent the troops that were able to retreat to. As he came out near the bottom of the lake, he noticed that a patrol of several Gerudo whenches were pacing the grounds, that's when it hit him. 
They'd been outnumbered and out gunned almost 10 to 1, for 3 days the battle raged until all hope had been lost. With that sudden realization he'd gave the order to retreat, sending his men away. He himself however never followed.
Polaris had stepped out onto the open banks and called them to him, one after another, he incapacitated countless foes, the bodies had begun to pile up, but they never seemed to quit coming, until finally the commander stopped them. A line of archers stood up, all with ice arrows drawn back, let loose a hail that momentarily blocked out the sun. One after another of the frozen missiles connected and stuck in his body, by the time it was all said and done, he was encapsulated in giant block of ice and left for dead...
It was impossible to hold back his anger now, he slipped out of the water, seething. He was so distraught with rage that he failed to notice the grass under his feet wilting and dying with each step he took, a thick covering of frost followed him blanketing the ground in his wake, expanding with each step he took. He slipped up behind the closest of the sentries and, placing a hand over her mouth to muffle any screams, he slit her throat with a razor sharp fin, gently he guided her corpse to the ground where she lay rigid, frozen stiff. He disposed of two more guards before the alarm was raised, by this time half of the field was covered with a layer of frost and the Gerudo were visibly shivering. 
There she was, the commander who'd called for the arrow assault, Polaris would've lashed out at her had he been close enough, all of his rage was focused on this lone woman. With his emotions spinning out of control he didn't even notice the storm brewing on the lake, didn't realize what was happening or that he was the source of the countless frozen spears that rose up from the water and were sent spiraling towards the other soldiers, impaling them all. He was focused on her and her alone.
As he came into range, a look of shock and disbelief was visible on her face, but she wasn't consenting to death just yet, she blocked and parried his close quarter attacks with her bracers that froze and cracked more and more with each blow she deflected, until Polaris was hitting her arms, the flesh tore from her forearms, sticking to Polaris' sub-zero appendages.
She began to slow and finally dropped to a knee, Polaris advanced on her, moving in for the kill he didn't anticipate when she lunged forward and buried a dagger in his thigh, all the way to the bone went the blade, the hilt and handle were all that was visible on the exterior, Polaris' laughter bordered on maniacal as he wrenched the blade from his flesh and buried it in her heart, twisting the blade as it pierced her thoracic cavity. He then wiped the blood on her clothing and claimed the weapon as a memento to the occasion.
Polaris/ Castle Town/ Noon 5
This lone Twili whench would be a fool to dare and stand before him and such a glorious weapon...nay, his dagger was more than a weapon, it was a symbol. A symbol of the awakening of his true self. The beginning of his life.
Kae/Castle Promenade/Late Noon 5
"The Scion of Wisdom bolstering soldiers for battle with talk of prowess and fury. Bryseis I do believe you've pulled favor with the wrong goddess."
Kae had heard this when making her speech, and the voice was familiar. She wanted to respond, but she couldn't multitask in that regard. Things were heating up and she wanted to make the window to deploy when Nora opened the Wall for her to march through.
When she got to the Promenade in her rush, she heard Senshi again.
"Not a difficult task but I'm sure you don't want me gaining access to your inner most thoughts, and quite frankly I'm not the type to violate to privacy of a young women."
Kae figured she'd surprise him during pauses in the hymn she was leading her force in.
"Regarding choice words for my forces, I believed it wise to motivate them using what would best influence them to perform best in combat. And gaining Din's favor in this case would indeed help. As far as reading my mind, that will not be necessary. I've been trained in long-distance mental communication, and my mind's defenses are quite daunting. First, I wonder where you've been all day. Second, what could possibly get Lynn killed if I go to war today? This is something I absolutely must do. Third, how do you propose to save her? If the castle gets overrun, the enemy gets all the elements we've collected for the Daybreak's Sword, and I can't let that happen!"
Her mental tone was diplomatic, but hurried and stern, as though she was incredibly focused on the task at hand. She didn't want to let anything get in her way. But why would he be trying to communicate with her this way? He had to be nearby...but she could not miss the window. That would spell doom for Jaden and the men fighting outside.
Where indeed had Senshi been all day? He wasn't the kind of fellow who would sit idly by and let the Twili have a field day with Hylian soldiers or the land. Something felt way off, but she couldn't put a finger on it.
Senshi/Hyrule Castle/Afternoon 5
"<Regarding choice words for my forces, I believed it wise to motivate them using what would best influence them to perform best in combat. And gaining Din's favor in this case would indeed help. As far as reading my mind, that will not be necessary. I've been trained in long-distance mental communication, and my mind's defenses are quite daunting. First, I wonder where you've been all day. Second, what could possibly get Lynn killed if I go to war today? This is something I absolutely must do. Third, how do you propose to save her? If the castle gets overrun, the enemy gets all the elements we've collected for the Daybreak's Sword, and I can't let that happen!>"
"<Oh well then I guess I've under estimated you abilities, this should make this easier anyway>" Senshi sent back though was some what annoyed that he'd have to keep his mind open a little longer. "As for how I'll save Annei, well that's some what complicated and truly dependent on both her and Hothnight. Really you shouldn't concern yourself with it as you have more important things to worry about. There are two conditions to that though, first stay away from Annei. Don't try to reason with her or save her, don't even try and fight her. If you see her just run. I swore I'd save her but I also swore I'd protect you from Hothnight whether you want me to or not. However my reasons for helping you out weight my desire to save Annei so if she's in a position to hurt you is will kill her. Which bring us to real reason I wanted to talk to you...>" he paused with concern of the direction this conversation would go. It was true she's already learned who his father was but he didn't want her asking certain questions.
"<It would seem my father and younger sister have joined the battle. You'll noticed them when you get out there, they'll be the ones fighting the strongest Twili they can find and screaming out attack names. This is where you will have to be very careful with your words and actions. You see if they find out Hothnight has returned they'll send every waking moment hunting him down to kill him. Annei would become a bit of an after thought. Consider this, my father has kill Hothnight before and has trained to do it again, both my and my sister have been trained to kill him as well. What's worse is weapons they wield. They both share a Sword of Light that rivals my own Scythe and Mytura's sword in power, plus my sister happens to by the light Warrior I mentioned that can wield the Master Sword which, in her corrupted state, I doubt Annie and survive against. So Bryseis, am I asking, hell I'm practically begging, do not let them find out. It won't be easy either, you'll have to keep the other Light Warriors tight lipped as well and hide the reason your all trying to make that sword. What's worse is my sister is a bit of a novice psychic and I'm sure already suspects something. Though I think I've distracted my father for the time being but he'll figure it out soon enough if you're not careful.>" He paused once more realizing the slightly arrogant and emotionally neutral tone he used to mask his intention had accidentally slipped away.
"<Anyway none of that should impact you fighting today so go have your fun. Though please try to keep a lower profile, I've told the Twili you're not a threat due to your lack of experience and you make me a liar and they won't believe me about Hothnight. Since I figure Annei wouldn't much like being forced to join the Twili, Hothnight being able to force her to do so could make this difficult for her. Oh I almost forgot I do have two questions for you. First have seen Taliesin? I have no idea what happened to him after we run into the Twili at the Desert Colossus. Also where did that Angel flying over the castle sustaining this massive version of Nayru's Love come from. Please don't say the Goddesses, I already now that much.">
Maydni/Afternoon 5/South Battlefield
The man of fire approached Maydni. She smirked, and was about to greet him and sic him on the silly people attacking her when he, surprisingly, joined them. His weapon spun around him and sliced horizontal toward her. She yelped in surprise and, for the first time since the Medallion Bomb, she began to bleed. The blade of the glaive cut a shallow but unexpected slice across her abdomen.
Sha then glared at the erstwhile ally. "How dare you! Nobody makes me bleed my own blood!"
She flexed the muscles in her hand, making her fingers into imitations of claws. An unhealthy glow shone from each as her powers focused around her flesh. Real claws, made of undulating magic, sprouted around her fingers. She closed the fingers of her right hand, like a child mocking a mouth with her hand, and the claws swirled around each other, extending outward into a lashing whip of maleficent thought energy.
She flicker her wrist and the energy whip snapped upward, slapping against Kinslayer's glaive and knocking it aside. With a twist of the same wrist she wrapped the tendril around the haft of the weapon. Then she pulled, tugging the weapon and the arm attached to it toward her. In the same motion she used the resistance Kinslayer presented to propel herself forward, the claws of her left hand slashing forward and down to rake at her new opponent.
Kinslayer - On The Battlefield - Fifth Day
Maydni's display of magical prowess caught him by surprise, not by the strength of it, but by the form it took. Ensnared in bonds of sinuous power, he was pulled forward into the Twili woman as she rushed to meet him. Keenly aware of the claws that swept forward to taste his flesh, he coiled the muscles of his core and did his best to gyrate sideways in the air to avoid them as they crashed together.
It wasn't enough. Those claws formed of magical energy and malign intent raked across his ribs and obliques, digging through taut flesh.
And they fully crashed into one another, all of this happening in the space of a few moments. They fell to the parched, blood soaked earth in a tangle and time seemed to return. Angered and entwined they struck at one another as they did their best to extricate themselves from the tangle. After a short tussle they each managed to pull away from the other. Kinslayer's jaw muscles clenched but he maintained his inappropriately jovial sneer as he struck at the mystical whip still coiled around the haft of his glaive and mentally severed it. Blood flowed freely down his front and side from the parallel cuts of her claws.
"I'd say we're even now." he said at last. He knew Maydni could fight, now it was just a matter of discerning how well. Judging by the unfavorable numbers she'd faced before, he rather suspected that it was quite well. "Again?"
He didn't give her a chance to answer this time. He feinted forward like he was moving back in to engage her in close quarters combat once more, but this time he instead drew back, crouched and hurled himself into the air. The Brand seemed to burn all the brighter now that blood had been spilled on both sides of the conflict. It yearned for more, and so did he.
Holding the glaive out and away from his body in his right hand, he brought his left forward with a flourish and it ignited with sinister, oily flame that threw off black smoke into the air above and around him. His lips curled back into what could only be regarded as a snarl and the flames leaped from his flesh. As they fell upon Maydni they coalesced into a dense knot of fire and when it struck the ground at her feet erupted into a conflagrant maelstrom with her at its epicenter.
Maydni/Afternoon 5/South Battlefield
Maydni giggled. "Yes, again! Again and again! Until there is nothing left, I will play until the end of the world!"
Kinslayer made to drive at her, and Maydni took a step back to prepare for her retaliation. But instead he leapt into the air and unleashed a maelstrom of fire that spread over the bloodied field and surrounded Maydni in a towering inferno. The flames whipped around her, licking at her feet.
For all that it looked she had been swallowed whole by the blast. The fire raged around where she had stood, sending pungent black smoke billowing into the sky as the glames themselves spun into a firestorm. The swirl continued, growing in intensity, and the burning tornado grew into the sky. It lifted from the ground, revealing a soot covered Maydni in smoldering clothing that clung to far less of her sweating body than had previously. Her arms were lifted above her head; the claws and whip had disappeared.
Maydni stood, sooty and sweating, breast heaving with each great panting breath, in the epicenter of the storm, untouched now by all but the heat of the swirl. Her hair was charred and frizzy, whipping about her head with the viscious winds generated by the unnatural weather. She pulled her arms down to her sides and then pushed them, fingers outstretched, away from her. The firestorm, like her arms, exploded outward across the sky, wiping away the rainclouds that hovered over Castle Town. To the north the fire crashed and washed over the shimmering face of the Wall of Faith. In the other directions it continued out until it dissipated.
The ground still sizzled and shimmered as the intense heat stuck in the area. Maydni wiped her brow, leaving a streak of smudged grime. She inhaled a deep breath from the thin air, and blew her hair from her eyes.
"You're hot stuff, aren't you? Really light a fire under me. Shame we can't have other kinds of fun. Yeah, you really burn me up." She laughed at herself. "You've even got me a little short of breath!"
With that she jumped up toward Kinslayer and grabbed at his feet, dragging him back down to the ground as claws sprouted once more from her hands, growing into his boots and, if she could just apply the proper force, into his ankles.
Twilit Giga/Battlefield/Afternoon 5
The commander made the first move. Holding out his long sword, he hopped towards Giga, sidestepping along the way. His sword was brought down aiming for the shoulder, but Giga easily dodged and parried it with the blunt of his hammer. Again the blow came, this time horizontally. Giga clashed the hammer perfectly with edge of the swords, resulting in a loud clang.
Giga was never actively trying to attack. He sat back, anticipating each blow and using his precision with a hammer to knock it away. He hardly moved save for the occasional sidestep and duck. His opponent on the other hand was tiring it seemed. Each subsequent sword swing seemed slightly slower than the previous one.
The Twili surrounding them began shouting taunts at him. "Come on!" they screamed. "Fight back ya coward! Kill the damned traitor commander!" But for the first time all day, Giga felt calm. His eyes stayed firmly placed on his opponents sword. He was searching it's edges for a possible weakpoint, but the sword seemed aptly forged.
His opponent eventually stepped back to catch his breath. "You got some skills I see. No matter, it's my duty to end the life of any who thinks himself more important than his people. That'd be you." Giga let him go, this would be no fight to the death, he knew. He simply would have to wait until the opportune time. 
At that moment, a very large scale explosion happened just north of him, and fire burst around the soldiers. Every head on the battlefield looked up in surprise, everyone except one. Giga kept his eyes on the sword. The commander looked up with the others, holding up his weapon in the process.
Giga's eyes widened. There it is. Roughly midway down the sword, Giga saw a weakspot that could only be seen by the most skilled of blacksmiths. Overuse and negligent forging had left a small crack, easily breakable with the right amount of force and some leverage.
The distraction over, the commander looked back at Giga. "Let's get back to it, shall we?" With that, the Twili began charging again. It started out much as before, the attacks being mostly done by his opponent. But Giga's weaker arm was not used to this much force. His parries grew slower until a slice got through and cut his thigh. 
"Ya see, no deserter can defeat a man of honor." 
I need to end this before I get hurt worse.
When the Twili charged again, Giga took the offensive. He swung hard, landing his blow perfectly on the breastplate. The recoil sent his enemy back a few feet. Again Giga swung, this time coming down across his shoulder, knocking his enemy into a bending position.
Giga didn't hesitate. He stuck his foot on the sword's edge, bending the steel. In his free hand, he held the Twili at bay as he precisely came down on the weak point. The steel clattered as the sword split in two. Giga stripped the Twili of his sword and threw it aside. Nothing more than a Giant's Knife now,Giga thought, laughing at the Goron joke.
"Stop, please. I...I yield."
Giga got close to his head and whispered in his ears. "Tell me, are you a man of honor? I save you now, I expect you to do something for me. Come to the Bridge of Eldin tonight, three AM. If you...desert me, I'll find you, you know who would win."
The Twili nodded his head, "Yes, yes I understand." He spoke up now so everyone could hear, smiling and shrugging off his injuries. "Well why didn't you just tell me you had a message for the general. If you'd just done that, we could've avoided this whole fight altogether."
Giga smiled at the jest and played along, "I'm sorry sir, I just like a good fight." The Twili surrounding him seemed to buy the ploy, and went along with their own fight, upset that no one was killed.
"Let's get a medic over here! This soldier is hurt."
They're all dumb as rocks, Giga thought, smiling at the irony.
Kae/Castle Promenade/Late Noon 5
He had been talking to the Twili? Told them she was not a threat? 
Either Senshi was a traitor or a double agent. And in her rather teetering state of mind, her blood began to boil. But she was able to keep a lid on what she really wanted to say. At least for now. Without sufficient evidence, she couldn't make that accusation. 
"You have my word that I won't say anything to your family about my friend or Daybreak's true purpose. I'll just say it's necessary for dispelling the profanity that powers the enemy. I believe Lynn can still be saved at this point...but I will need you to answer a few rather important questions. Why were you talking with the Twili? And what went down in the desert?"
She sighed as she got to the second chorus of her hymn.
"It pains me to speak of that angel's origin...the Wall of Faith is my ritual, but another has stood in the gap for me."
Entering the third verse, her forces began to raise their voices louder. It was almost time for them to charge, and it was almost as though Kae had set the tempo of this holy song perfectly. They felt at peace with whatever fate would present itself, because they were right with the Three. And if they were to die, they would do so gloriously, taking out many heretics in the process.
She was insulted as far as being asked to keep a low profile, but she didn't let that come through in her responses. Her energy signature was unique, potent, and attractive to enemy forces. Kae knew that much. But as far as her cosmic energy blasts, she'd keep those to a minimum in case she had to fight a Dark Warrior or use a crowd control approach. Moonfire would be saved for the clutch. For now it'd be healthy doses of triune empowerment to her forces.
Senshi/Hyrule Castle/Afternoon 5
"<It pains me to speak of that angel's origin...the Wall of Faith is my ritual, but another has stood in the gap for me.>"
"<So, it's your teacher,>" He responded bluntly. "<Sorry but once you start thinking about it pulling the greater details from your mind is fairly easy. I know I said I wouldn't be I wanted to know what kind of sin I'd be committing if I attacked it. All and all I've done worse, but for your sake I'll leave her be.>"
"Anyway since I lied about digging around in your mind I'll answer your other concern,>" he said no longer feeling the need to beat around the bush. Though he was some what surprised she hadn't jumped to conclusion with all the hints he'd dropped, it caused him to worry whether she'd picked up on any of the other hints he'd given on other subjects. "<I am not a double agent, quiet frankly Phoenix would never allow it. Not after what I ended up doing last time I pulled this stunt. Hell I'm sure he took every measure to stop me for doing this again. I'm even willing beat he ordered so of you new 'Light Warriors' to kill me if this happened. In the end though all his attempts did was make it easier for the Twili leader to defeat me when we encountered him in the desert. Fortunately I was able to strike a deal with him. It worked better then I expected too since he made me second in command of this whole attack force, though I arrived late. The commander seemed to have held her own though despite being insane. Really the Twili might be better off if the Hylians killed her. Then again if she's as powerful as she thinks I doubt the Light Warriors can afford to let her live. Quiet the conundrum, especially for you being both a Light Warrior and in the military. Any way, I've answered your questions, you've answered mine. If there's nothing else you have a war to wage and I have a General to pick a fight with. So, see yah around."
Kinslayer - On The Battlefield - Fifth Day
He winced as the claws pierced the flesh of his ankles and fresh blood flowed and pooled inside of his boots. Losing the once mirthful demeanor he'd presented to the world, he gnashed his teeth in anger and hunger alike. He was being dragged down by the weight of the Twili commander as she dangled from his legs, and her body weight caused her claws to rip open even greater wounds.
"Don't rule any of that out just yet, sweetness." Kinslayer growled. He felt the weight tearing at his ankles lessen slightly as Maydni's feet reached the ground. Before she could wholly pull him down he struck her a parting telekinetic blow, and then, hovering feet off the ground, his snarl turned back to an amused grin.
And then the toe of his right, blood soaked boot slammed into her face around the nose and upper lip. He didn't wait for her to recover, but as she was reeling he threw forth his free hand and rained billowing jets of flame down upon her.
IC: Shato - Castle town - day 5
The shiekah had countered with a sharp twisting motion of his body, letting the weight and momentum power his slash. With no way to block Shato was left with only one option. Crashing to the ground she slid to a stop near the sheikah's feet. It might not have been the most graceful move, but it let her avoid the worst of his slash, but she was still in an awkward position for melee combat.
To make matters worse the zora warrior was now taunting her and cheering on the sheikah. Thankfully he had yet to commit himself to the fight, likely out of concern of hitting his ally.
Lunging forward Shato quickly latched onto the Sheikah's legs, and letting out a grunt began to pull back with all her strength, hoping to pull his legs out from under him.
IC: Quell - castle town - day 5
As he probed the warriors mind the image of a large monsterous creature began to form and overwhelm him. Just as it looked like the creature would grow to unstoppable size Quell could feel an outside force pushing him out and telling him not to wake the sleeping demon.
Back in the real world the paladin bashed his shield into Quell's face. Sliding back several feet, using his levitation to help pull him out of melee range Quell finally slid to a stop. 
"What is going on with this conflict... Why do so many of people on either side draw their power from spirits, demons, and deities. It is like the worlds of the mortal and immortals are colliding." Quell thought to himself as he pondered the situation.
His intrusion in the paladins mind was rather fruitless, the only thing he had managed to glean was a single random fleeting image of the paladin dining with what was likely his family. Nothing that could turn the tide in this battle was gained.
Grinding his teeth in frustration Quell slammed down both hands against the ground. Almost instantly long slender icicles began to erupt from the ground and spread outward in all directions like a tidal wave of spears.
Kae/Promenade/Afternoon 5
So it was true. Due to her state of mind, it was possible that anything after admission of treason was a lie. And she was going to speak her mind.
"The last time you pulled a stunt like this? I cannot believe you'd be so foolish! May the Three damn you for your treachery! I have something I want you to hear, heretic. The voices of those you have betrayed..."
While she could not act against him in body, she surely attempted to do it in mind. Taking one of the more resounding lines from her hymn, she allowed the faithful's rising chorus to swell in her mind's eye. Directing it at the object of her strongest ire at that given moment and cycling it in her head so as to amplify it, she directed a mental feedback loop right back at Senshi's psyche. 
Shortly thereafter, she sent a short mental missive to Phoenix, provided it could reach him considering how busy he was.
"Senshi has revealed himself to me as a traitor! He's headed your way!""
Her mental defenses were raised sharply at that point. All anyone would hear if they tried to speak with her through her mind was a repeated recitation of holy rites, hymns, and scripture. As well as disturbing Lunar verbal components. It wasn't impregnable, but it was a strong wall.
"...damnation awaits the heretic and the traitor! By Din we purge them all!"
The song concluded with resounding shouts of praise and glory. While there was an eerie uneasiness among some of the 300, Kae's music inspired bravery to an extreme degree.
"We slay in the name of the Three!"
And thus the Scion and her force waited for the Wall to open. Kae felt as though she should do something about Senshi, but her own revenge couldn't put the war plan on hold. It was a very conflicting thing. She prayed that Lord Phoenix could hold him off and that Nora could withstand this heresy long enough to keep the Wall up.
[b]Jaden/Castle Town/Afternoon 5[/b]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt4ldDExzhU&feature=related
He realized all too late what the problem was with this poison in particular, and when his brutal attack failed to achieve its desired result, he cursed in his mind. This poison had a component in it that he was deathly allergic to. If he let this go on too long his airway would close up and he'd asphyxiate. 
The Twili assassin grabbed at his legs, trying to take him down. He could feel his balance begin to shift, but her strength was not that impressive on its own. Her true advantage was that damned poison. Pain surged through his wrist and face as contamination spread...
Throwing his chest out and holding his arms out to their sides, Jaden let out a guttural roar in ancient Sheikah that carried quite a distance. Blood began to seep from his pores, a violet-white wispy aura enveloped his frame, and his eyes and nose began to leak. His frame stiffened and began to engorge with sanguine fury, and the whites of his eyes had gone completely red. 
He had become Indignant. 
Roaring again, the wire attached to his wrist snapped, but damage had been done. At this point, he didn't care. He had to purge the poison from his system and end this battle before he ended up dead or incapacitated. His legs weren't moving an inch.
The sole focus of his rage was that arrogant assassin. That was all he cared about. Everything else could go to hell. Taking his hand-and-a-half sword once more, he thrust downward quickly but pulled up twice before following through with a third stab. As he did this, his insides churned violently, and he began to vomit. This also was toward the ground, but appearances also did not matter at this point.
His role model stood at a distance, and while Jaden hoped it didn't have to come to this, he had to survive. Losing in front of Polaris would make him feel horrible had he not gone berserk.
Senshi/Hyrule Castle/Afternoon 5
"May the three day me?" Kae's last comment nearly pushed Senshi into a rage. He was about to tear into her but she unleashed some form of psychic feed back on him. The attack did little but annoy him thanks to the portion of his mental barrier he still had up but it was keeping him from yelling at her telepathically. He knew he could push threw if he dropped his defenses and fought through what even pain her attack would inflict upon him when unmitigated, however he new this would be a waist of time and energy better spent else where. Beside he'd only end up telling her things he shouldn't.
Senshi once again closed off his mind, fully negating the effects of his Kae's attack and silencing the other two voices in his head. With is main reason from coming to the castle complete he now heading towards to war room to have a well needed "talk" with certain members of the high command. 
Maydni/Afternoon 5/South Battlefield
Maydni reeled backward, clutching her face as blood spurted from her nose. Then, before she could react, flames washed over her body. When the flames ceased, they revealed Maydni. Her already dark skin was burnt black. Her clothes were mere rags. She stood through force of infernal will. Kinslayer smirked and sneered.
Her eyes opened, but refused to tear in reaction to the pain. She stared at Kinslayer. "Not fun anymore."
And then she murmured something that none could hear, and her shadow shivered on the floor. It swirled beneath her, then leapt up and slid over her skin, covering her marred body. A low, unsettling susurration issued from her shadow-formed body. She took a step forward, and the sound grew. Kinslayer fired another jet of flame at Maydni, and though it simply washed around her shadowy armor she stopped moving.
The shadows compacted around Maydni, shrinking in a split second to nothing. There was a pop, and that nothing was replaced by a vortex far larger than should have come from the disappearance of such a small mass. Kinslayer, unprepared, was torn forward into the hole in reality. As the pop spread outward from its source, it formed into a word; a dark abomination of a word.
With Kinslayer's disappearance, his telekinetic barrier followed suit. Litoris rushed forward, and Koma was unable to stop the headstrong fool. He, at least, knew what danger there was in rushing into an unknown situation. Litoris, however, would never learn that lesson. The Word, spawned from whatever powers gave Maydni her might, hit Litoris' ears and overpowered him. His head exploded in a gory mess. Koma, further away from the source, suffered more and less. The Word seeped into his mind, filling him with eldritch truth and abominable lies. He dropped to the ground screaming as blood poured from his eyes, ears and nose.
Twili had also been close by, standing in support of their leader, but the Word rewarded their loyalty with treachery. A handful were hit with its power and turned to dust, a human ash that was swept away in the vortex of Maydni's disappearance. Others were dealt the same fate as Koma, and collapsed screaming and bleeding.
Those further away, both Twili and Hylian, heard the Word as but a whisper, and still it left them ill. Many retched and vomited. Near all formed spontaneous nosebleeds. A still matched that with blood from eyes and ears. It tortured indiscriminately, but also led to a lull in the battle in that area, which lasted as long as it took the soldiery to recover.
Maydni/Realm of Shadows (???)/Afternoon 5 (???)
Maydni stood embraced by the Darkness, the one eternal truth she had come to know and love in the past weeks. It seeped into her, and in this realm her cracked and burnt skin felt and looked whole. Her rest did not last long. There was a sickening flash of light, and Kinslayer appeared nearby, desecrated the realm with the fiery light of his Brand. Thirty feet out he was surrounded by a protective sheath of Light. Maydni would not have that, even knowing the awesome power it represented.
She strutted into his protection, her body unburnt and unharmed, though also unclothed. Her mere arrival shrunk the sphere by ten feet, encroaching on Kinslayer's mental bastion and bringing the Shadow closer to his being. He sneered at her, but could make no real effort to oppose her approach, concentration locked on resisting the siren's call of the madness of this place.
"Oh, Isaac," she cooed to him, "It's a shame, a damn shame. Look at you, so stubborn, so willful! You've lasted almost a minute here already, but imagine what you could have gained had you joined us. So powerful, so strong."
She had approached to stand before him. A mischievous smile crossed her lips. Her hand raised to brush his cheek. "So sexy." Where her fingertips caressed his skin, Shadow seeped into his flesh, leaving a permanent dark mark on his face.
"We could have been wonderful together." she murmured to him, tinting her voice with lust, adding her own efforts to those of the Shadows around, attempting to slither past his defenses and turn him to an acolyte. "We still can."
Maydni glanced down at her unadorned body, saw Isaac's hand pressed to the soft skin of her abdomen. She smirked, and languished in the heat of his palm against her bare flesh. Her own heat rose to match it, and her thighs rubbed together distinctly. She slipped closer to him, pressing her nakedness against him. Softly, she whispered to his ear, nipping at the lobe, "There's a good boy. What say you stop resisting, then?"
His answer was short, succinct, and a perfect reflection of his personality. "Burn, bitch."
The heat of his palm exploded, and fire tore into Maydni's gut. She flew backward, disappearing into the Shadows. Isaac's resistance came with a cost, however, and his mental bulwark collapsed, allowing the Shadows to crash in around him, swallowing him in a tide of darkness and horrible maddening truth.
[b]Castle Gates/Afternoon 5[/b]
Kae's timing was immaculate. Her speech concluded, and the Wall was holed around the Main Gate, just enough to let her troops through and no more. Nora's control was precise, a facet of her new being as a Celestial. The troops began their march with Kae at the fore, leading on to what all assumed would be a swift and sure victory. They made it as far as the ruined fountain courtyard.
A rumble sounded, and they stopped, prepping for golems. They knew what had happened to Wave Two, and wouldn't let that disaster repeat itself. Their efforts were valiant, but still not enough. A fissure cracked the courtyard, and a single golem broke through the street. Its size dwarfed those that Wave Two had fought. The Hylians were momentarily stunned. One of them uttered a nickname that would stick for the as long as the conflict was remembered. "Megagolem..."
It roared, swiping at the air, causing the fear in the troops to increase. Many turned to look at Kae, praying for deliverance from the Scion. Before she could move, another trooper shouted. "Look!" He was pointing up at the megagolem's head.
The megagolem still thrashed about, though it didn't seem to be targeting any of the three-hundred. It seemed enraged, maddened, aimless. But the one man had seen why, and others noticed too. A great cheer went up among the men.
Commander Meado clung to the beast, driving his sword again and again into its head. It thrashed and wailed, trying and failing to dislodge him. He was covered in dirt and mud and clay and blood. He attacked with ferociousness that was frightening. The men were awed. In mere moments he had hacked the giant's head clean from its shoulders, and it fell in a clump onto the road. Though in the skein of golems, the giant thing continued to resist his efforts to down it.
The men were emboldened by the Commander. A plain Hylian military man, not imbued with power from the Goddesses, not some mystic mage. He was like them, yet he fought with vigor and a determination that was inspiring. They rushed forward, for a moment abandoning the command of the Scion, and fervently assaulted the Megagolem. Three hundred arms bashed against clay flesh, hacking away at it. It was short order to diminish the thing to a pile of much among their feet. And stop the pile stood a dirty Meado, panting but victorious. A rallying cry sounded from the troops, turning into a victory chant. "Meado! Meado!"
He had survived the golem warrens, and later they would find out he had, alone and outnumbered beneath the streets of Hyrule, destroyed ten Twili golems single-handedly during the course of the day. On top of that, the troops would credit the megagolem's death to him alone, such was their joy at seeing him and their admiration for the Commander's effort. They also credited his beheading of the beast as the reason it [i]could[/i] be brought down, as the act that had inspired them to attack.
Meado slogged through the filth that was all that remained of the golem and approached Kae. "[color=seagreen]Scion of Nayru.[/color]" he greeted her with heavy breath, "[color=seagreen]Sorry I'm late, got a little held up. What say we show these Twili bastards what for?[/color]"
[b][color=yellow][hl=darkblue]Whie Malreaux[/hl][/color]/Afternoon 5/Hyrule Castle Rooftops[/b]
'''
Whie crouched on the rooftops of Hyrule Castle, still wearing the monkey mask and its form. The Wall of Faith, the shimmering blueness surrounding everything, had shimmered momentarily, but he daren't approach it. When it came back stronger, he knew he had made the correct decision. But he had seen something interesting. A contingent of soldiers entered from outside, and they did not look Hylian.
They stopped, discussing something, and Whie began to think the one in the cloak was their leader. He followed that one as the group split, and watched curiously when the man stood in hiding near the Concourse, just out of sight of the hundreds of soldiers gathered. After a while, the soldiers escaped the Wall through a small hole outside the gate, and the cloaked man continued deeper into the Castle, back the way from which Whie had just come.
Whie shrugged, and dropped down and in through a window, landed before the path of the cloaked man. He faced the insurgent and, still in monkey form, spoke to him. "[color=yellow][hl=darkblue]Where are you going, strange one? This doesn't seem to be where you belong.[/hl][/color]"
== Crazy, Bro ==
Kinslayer - In The Warp - Fifth Day
The world was chaos, madness. As the encroaching darkness at last crashed down upon him and caught him up in its tempest of insanity, he found that he was losing touch with everything he'd once known. He was aware that he was on his knees, aware that he had a body and that he drove it, but found himself increasingly detached from that physical vessel.
The whispers of the Warp crawled within his skull, caressing his thoughts with sweet, enviable madness. It promised to release him from everything he'd known, to free him of bonds and burdens. It promised to make him truly, and utterly, free.
And yet for all that he felt his consciousness expanding into the Shadow, he realized that he remained anchored. The Warp strove to pull him apart, to free him and make him more than he was, but the Brand resisted mightily, kept him tethered to its sinister purpose. He fought against the Brand, against the thing that kept him bound, kept him from being truly free. For all his struggles, he was held fast by its power.
"Release me!" He commanded of the mark upon his flesh and the essence that lurked beneath. In a world of chaos and entropy, he found at last that he could touch the dark spirit that slithered beneath his flesh. He could perceive it, now that the chains of the flesh were weakening, and reached out in his mind's eye to touch that inimical presence. What he felt stunned him. The vastness of it, the sheer and unfathomable depths of its depravity, staggered even him.
"You profane your purpose by entering here."
"My purpose? What purpose is that? I kill and maim, I sew discord and chaos. I serve as a conductor of vengeance oaths and uttered curses." Kinslayer said in answer, seeking with fervent purpose to find the heart of the entity behind the words, but seeing only a glimpse. "Don't get me wrong, I rather enjoy it. Doesn't mean I wouldn't like to know why."
"Irrelevant. You place your purpose at risk by entering this place. You must depart."
"I don't even know what or where the hell this place is!" he bellowed in the darkness, surrounded by a world of twisted darkness and contorted visuals. He felt as though he could almost make out landmarks from the world whence he'd come, but everything was wrong.
"Irrelevant. Do as I say, and you'll find your way free of this place." Kinslayer seethed with anger at the words. He was not one to be commanded, he was the essence of madness, he was the vessel of chaos. "You will not obey, it was one of many qualities that signified your candidacy. You cannot be allowed to remain. You shall be guided free of this place, and then you shall serve as intended, and kill the one who brought you hence, if you have not done so already."
As his body began to move through the Warp of its own volition, Kinslayer could only watch from his peculiar vantage point. He found he had not the strength to resist the being that had Branded him.
At least, for the first time, he'd managed to get it to speak.
Ayala/Final Destination/Afternoon 5
!
"What? What happened?"
"A great darkness has been brought to my attention, I believe that women how put you in this condition is the likely source. Unfortunately as you are now I can't be certain nor can we do anything about it, so I will have to wake you up now. Your mind should be stable now."
"So you're going to try and transform?"
"That is not my intent. Do you wish me to?"
"..."
"I though as much. Time to wake up young one."
-
"[Oww... What he heck happened]" Ayala groaned in pain is he awake for the coma Arch Angel had mercifully place her in.
"Ok, she's awake. She's speaking in tongues though." Harkins yelled out to the others as Ayala came too.
"Pretty sure that's ancient ya' dumbass." Rin corrected have heard the language spoken before but not understanding it herself.
"It is ancient," Oberon yelled jumping into the conversation. "Ayala why are you talking in ancient?"
"[Ok I can understand a single word any of you are saying.]"
"[I SAID WHY. ARE. YOU. SPEAKING. ANCIENT?]" Oberon shouted as loudly and as slowly as possible.
"[Ok, the yelling and slow talking not helping the headache, and I'm speaking in ancient Hylian because...]" See paused suddenly realizing why she can't understand what anyone else was saying. "[Oh hell I can't remember how to speak the modern language.]"
"[Ah yes I can explain that,]" Laynnei said as she appeared in a flash of light. "[You're mind is still fragmented so when I noticed you waking up early I had to seal some of parts that are still injured. You'll have gaps in some of your memories and that seems to included knowledge of secondary languages. Fortunately since ancient hylian is your first language you can't forget how to speak it. Oh and don't try to use telepathy until you minds back to normal, it would cause you quite a lot of pain and wouldn't work. Thus why I came here in person.]"
"Question?" Harkin called out as he raised his hand.
"Put your hand down you look like an idiot," Rin face palmed over the privates stupidity.
"Oh sorry. Right who are you and what the hell is going on here?"
"Who I am is of no concern to expendable cannon fodder such as yourself. As for whats going on, oh how can I dumb that down for you. My daughter was injured trying to save uncultured attack dogs in ways your someone with the cognitive functions of a lobotomized chimp such as your self couldn't possible comprehend. Now run along before I make you forget how to breathe."
"She's not lying, she can an will do that." Oberon yelled with the expression of pure horror on her face.
"Right, Running along."
"[What did they just say?]"
"[Your mom threatened the stupid one with the no breathing thing.]" 
"[Oh, yeah that one does suck.]"
"[Don't remind me.]"
"[Well now that all of that is taken care of, hon I know you want to stay here and keep fighting but until I can finish fixing what that women did to you its to dangerous. I don't know if your combat skills were effected or not, so I want you to come with me where it's safe for now.]"
"[Fighting is mostly developed instinct and muscle memory, I'll be fine.]"
"That is hardly the point young lad... Where are you going." Laynnei's rant was cut short as Ayala saw Ridden return with Koma on his back and ran off towards the others.
"What the hell happened?" Dren yelled wanting to know why the enemy commander disappearing in big ass fireworks rendered is chief enlisted catatonic. Ridden just shook his head at a lost for words. He was far enough away to be unaffected but what he saw was impossible to grip. "Ridden, where's Litoris?" Ridden just keep shaking his head in a semi state of shock. "Damn it Crim snap out of it. Where the hell is Mike!?"
"He's dead, he was in the center of, of what ever the hell that was."
"[What's happening?]"
"[That one is in a similar condition to you though worse off since he doesn't have naturally defenses like you do. Also someone's dead, which ever one was Mike.]"
Ayala's expression turned cold, there was no reason she or her father should have let anyone in the squad die and now it was time to stop messing around."[Oberon, no more secret weapons. Give me my sword.]"
"[Oh kick ass!]" Oberon yelled in delight as she spun around Ayala's hand causing the shard to light sword to materialize. 
"What the hell is that!?" Dren shouted as the shard formed into a short sword exploding with light energy.
"Umm... whats the word. Oh, Trump Card!" Oberon answered.
"A trump... that's a ****ing light sword. Why the hell weren't you- oh waitwaitwait someone grab her." He ordered as Ayala started to dart off into battle by herself, fortunately Rin was quicker. "Ok little one I'm going to take your enthusiasm as a sign your pissed about Mike and want so pay packs. Here the thing, this teaching Shiekah that came to us with all these other troops just told me the main forces battle plan. In about two minutes they'll be sending around huge attack wave at the front. When that happens we're going to stick them hard as we can from back her and sandwich them in. You just gotta wait two minutes."
Ayala just glared back angerly have no clue what Dren was saying. Oberon quickly stepped in to translate, "[Hold tight for two minutes and then they'll go kick ass with you. He's gotta plan or something, but it sounds like it's going to look really cool so you should go with it.]"
"[Two minutes...]" she said standing down. "[Mom, can you help those guys?]"
"[What you mean the older one. I don't have the time to fix his mind right now and honestly you are my only concern right now. The best I can do for him right now is put him in a comma. Anything beyond that will take hours.]"
"[That'll work, but I meant healing the injured too.]"
"[Ayala I did not come down here to join this meaningless war.]"
"Mom!"
"[Oh fine]"
Polaris/ Castle Town/ Afternoon 5
Jadens resilience was unquestionable, but the poison was taking its toll. The Sheikah warrior activated a system flush of sorts and bellowed something in an ancient language Polaris was unable to decipher. Blood ran freely from every orifice imaginable and he'd began to retch violently. It was time, Polaris couldn't standby and play the spectator any longer, Jaden required assistance and Polaris was there. Blocking all thought of Lynn or Hothnite from his mind for the time being, Polaris' dagger quickly switched between shapes and types of sword, hand-and-a-half to harpe, katana to kopis, makhaira to macana, the blade shifted of its own will until it finally settled on the usual hand-and-a-half, Polaris would've been disconcerted. Had he had the time to be. As it was, he circled out and around to the left of the combatants to where he had a clear shot at the assailant. He shot off three small, controlled bursts of arctic magicks, none of which would maim if they connected, but they'd sure as hell get her attention and hopefully, with any luck, draw her away from Jaden.
He extended an arm, after doing so, he curled his fingers in towards the palm of his supinated hand, "Come."
Twilit Giga/Afternoon 5/Battlefield
Giga said nothing as the field medic tended to his cut thigh. Slowly, a plan was formulating in his mind. He knew having a commander on his side would help his survival, but he also needed to remember which side he was on. No more senseless killing, he kept thinking to himself, that is the key.
"Excuse me sir," the medic said to him uneasily, "but have you always had this mark?"
"What mark, what do you mean?"
"Here, on your calf. Look, it feels like...well, like rock sir."
Giga looked at the indicated spot and saw that in precisely the same spot where the Twili magic had struck him earlier that morning, a patch of his old, Goron skin was now there. That definitely wasn't there earlier.
"Sir, if this is recent, I would recommend you see an expert, this looks magical in origin."
"No, that's simply a birth defect I've always had. No one could ever explain it."
The medic's face loosened up a bit. "Ahh, ok then. My apologies. Regardless, I've bandaged up your thigh. It was nothing too serious. You can continue if you wish."
Giga thanked the medic and continued north, trying to escape the battle. Once he was out of sight from the medic, he bent back down to examine his skin. 
Yes, he thought. My vision was right. Perhaps it truly is this simple. 
It was at that moment that Giga heard something. It was a faint whisper, hardly on the breath of the wind, but undeniably present all the same. Suddenly, he doubled over in pain as vomit poured from his mouth. It seemed near every other soldier was experiencing the same thing. Blood spurted from noses and eyes alike, and several collapsed in pain.
"Arhh, what is...what is happening. I arghhh." Giga lost his rtain of thought as another spurt of vomit spewed out.
[b]Daurubia/Afternoon 5/Castle Gates[/b]
'''
The small Twili army gone, Daurubia decided he should return to the fighting. He stepped out into the open and stared again at the blue wall, stronger than ever now, blocking the entrance into the castle. He wondered about Giga's safety, but was uneasy. Something told him that where ever Giga had ended up was bad, and unfortunately, Daurubia couldn't do anything to help him.
Suddenly, the blue wall began to dim and the gates began to open. Not wanting to find out if these were Twili or Hylian, Daurubia balled up and rolled towards the fountain. He hid behind a house and waited, prepared to attack if he saw any black skin. But the soldiers were Hylian, to his relief. And surprisingly enough, they seemed to be led a woman, covered in strange make-up. [i]War paint,[/i] he thought, respecting the often-used Goron tactic.
He was about to show himself when the ground split. What happened next was a blur. A giant golem emerged, even bigger than the one he had fought earlier. But as quick as it had appeared, its head was off. The men cheered and Daurubia joined in a little as well.
He approached the woman with the make-up and beat his chest in the traditional Goron sign of respect. [color=red][hl=black]"Madame, I can see that you are in charge here. My name is Daurubia, Patriarch of the Gorons of Death Mountain. I have been fighting with the Hylians and Jaden for most of the day, but have since been separated. I ask your permission to join your soldiers to help defend this city."[/color][/hl]
Taur Dagnir/ Castle Town/ Afternoon 5
His task was simple, find and engage a person of interest, any person that held rank in the Hylian military. The problem was this, he'd lumbered around the streets of this city for hours on end killing insignificant street rat after insignificant street rat, and while enjoyed killing the swine, he wanted to please his masters. Thus, he continued his search, as he neared the blue dome that surrounded the castle, he heard a loud rumble followed by cheers and the chanting of a name. "Meado." The man had obviously done something of note to elicit such a response from the fool swine Hylians.
His cape billowed behind him as he entered the courtyard where the raucous cheering had originated, what encountered was a vast multitude of Hylians garbed for battle. Tiny ants, all going to throw their lives away, for a moment, Taur longed to be at the lines of battle when they arrived, to sever their spines and rip their torsos in two. He wished to bathe in their blood and gorge himself on their entrails, yet there stood Meado, moments from now, Meado would no longer stand, his death was eminent.
Taur gave a fleeting glance to a young woman with a painted face whom was happened to be conversing with one of the rock creature Gorons, it was odd, she seemed to be in a place of power with these men, but it was apparent, she was not held in the same regard as this Meado, and rightfully so, who in their proper mind would place a female above an able bodied man? Even the insolent Hylians knew better than this.
"Meado. The time to bask in the glory of your accomplishments is passed. No longer will you soak up the foolish revelry of these weaklings. Now, you die."
Taur extended a hand towards him, and upon closing his fist, he attempted to jerk the poor soul to him. His axe was ready, as soon as the fool came into range, he would meet his end.
Tobias Pepperwhistle/ Harkens Hideout/ Afternoon 5
"'ello, 'ello, looks like we 'ave a winner 'ark! Our boy 'as found a bloke worth noting."
Dumping the contents of a vase into his bowl, sans the flowers, Tobias muttered a few words in the ancient language of power and first came the sound, Taurs steady, measured breathing inside of his helm followed by his address of the man referred to as Meado, together, Tobias and Harken beheld what was seen through the eyes of the king slayer Taur Dagnir, the poor soul Meado, wasn't quite as poor as one would expect. If all panned out as planned, the two faux heroes would rush in at the last moment to save his day.
"Well 'ark, Meado it is. 'e's a commander of sorts eh? Just in case any 'o 'is frien's wanna play the 'ero b'fore we get ta do it, I'ma 'ave 'im throw up a wall 'o psychic energy aroun' em."
Kae/Castle Fountain/Afternoon 5
This must have been a reflection of her inexperience, because when Meado rose up with the giant golem, she was not able to react fast enough. Before she could do anything, Meado had felled the construct and she'd lost the respect of her men. They were chanting for him and not for her. 
It wasn't good for her, but it also wasn't bad for her. She cheered, but did not join in the chant. There was still a lot on her mind...
Unexpectedly, a rather large and impressive Goron had introduced himself to her. And he was the Patriarch...blessings abounded this day.
"It would be an honor, Sir Daurubia. I am Jaden's younger sister, Kae, Nayru's Scion. Together with Commander Meado, we will smite the enemy this day."
Turning to Meado and nodding, she also agreed.
"They'll get a lot more than what for. They will taste divine retribution!"
She raised her blade and let out a triumphant shout. Its radiance flared up briefly, casting an incandescent violet-white tone over where she was standing. More cheering ensued. This cheering would be short-lived, however. She could feel an intense amount of profane energies at work in a heavily-armored enemy that was making its way to the Commander. 
When the barrier went up, Kae attempted to get closer to Meado, trying to cleave her way through it, but it wouldn't budge. This was his battle to fight. And they weren't going anywhere. It had to be coming from somewhere, because something felt very wrong. Briefly closing her eyes, she meditated to try to trace it back to the source and get her men mobile. Whoever was impeding their progress was also guilty of heresy. And they would pay dearly.
Zasalamel/Castle Gates/Afternoon 5
It was a painful, but short process. In a burst of purple light, Cid's magical touch began to work. As Cid's fingers stroked Zasalamel's arms, they began to heal at an incredible speed. Blood retraced the paths they left behind, and entered Zasalamel's veins. Bones moved and bent back into place, and the fractures disappeared. Skin magically stitched itself closed. Before Zasalamel could react, Cid also flicked his broken nose, which then bent itself back into place, and blood that was his returned to his head.
"Thank you brother." Zasalamel coughed in pain.
Cid frowned, but continued. Once the job was done, Cid rose to his feet and spoke.
"I also have a few things for you."
Zasalamel frowned as well, then answered with a "What?"
Cid said nothing, but moved out of the way and pointed at what looked like a pile of trash. Zasalamel puzzled for a moment, but then rose to his feet, and approached the pile. Further examination revealed it to actually be a very dirty blanket, which seemed to be hiding something large. He tossed the blanket aside, which revealed Darknut Armor. Zasalamel smiled. Cid stopped him.
"You'll also need a disguise if you're going to go out there,' He sighed as he reached for his bag. He pulled a make-up kit and approached Zasalamel. 'I can hide the color of your skin with this make-up. Then I'll use magic to change you to look Hylian."
Zasalamel groaned. "If you insist."
Five minutes passed before Cid walked away from Zasalamel.
"There, you look like a Hylian. This way, you won't be killed on sight by Hylian forces. It lasts for twenty-four hours only, so prove your loyalty to their cause before you're found out."
Zasalamel nodded, and walked towards his armor. As he began to put it on, Cid spoke again.
"I know what you've been through, but you can't let that hinder your progress in battle."
"I swear Cid, that bitch will get what's coming to her."
Cid chuckled, "That much is certain. We will not be tricked again."
"If she truly wants us both dead Cid, she'll have hell waiting for her."
Cid clenched his fist. "I'll burn her with the fires of Hell."
Zasalamel punched the ground, breaking the brick. "I'll destroy her with a wrath not unlike Ganondorf himself."
Zasalamel raised his sword, and rested it on his shoulder. He had put on all but his helmet. Cid puzzled at this, but Zasalamel noticed. "I don't need a helmet. Without a helmet, I can hear better. If I can hear her, she can see me..."
Zasalamel turned to Cid. "If she can see me, she's already dead."
Upon saying that, a cat appeared in the alleyway, behind Cid. Zasalamel burned it immediately, and pointed at it. Cid turned to it as well.
"Burn it." Zasalamel said coldly. Cid snapped his fingers, and the cat burst into flames. The cat only had time to cry in pain for a moment before death embraced it. The two brothers waited for anything strange to happen. After a moment of waiting, they both turned around, thinking nothing of it.
"Nope, not her." Zasalamel sighed in relief, and left the alleyway.
Cid jumped to the rooftops and disappeared without a word.
Zasalamel, with his stamina and physical being replenished, and his pride regained, walked carefully, but proudly back to the Castle Gates. He remained at a safe distance, but also made sure he was in Daurubia's line of sight. He popped his neck, and beat his chest, hoping he remembered the Goron sign of respect, and carefully approached the group, hoping for a reaction less negative than he would imagine, as he tried to introduce himself. He did not speak, or tried anything until they were aware of his presence. He was sure that the armor he was wearing would cause alarm, but he was ready for it. He probably deserved whatever bad reaction could come of it.
The Rito/Alleyway/Afternoon 5
He had always liked being invisible. It was only during these times that he felt truly free. He had no concerns like this, no worries, no fears. And yet, something about the cat that had just approached him made him uneasy. It's just a cat, nothing more, he told himself. But there was just something off about the situation that he could not put his finger on.
He supposed his smell was still on the air, the cat was simply confused. But it seemed to be staring right at him, or rather, it seemed to be staring through him. It was crazy, he knew, but he felt like he was naked. He felt like this cat had just learned everything he ever knew in an instant. 
And still it stared.
It's eyes were glowing, green and foreboding. Bright and piercing, they stared and stared and stared. The Rito suddenly realized that it had yet to blink. He wanted to fly away, but something held him down. Something just wasn't right, but he felt too scared to even move.
He was cold, and was suddenly aware of a small prick in his mind, like a worm wriggling through dirt.
Sha'Tive: Cat form/Alleyway/Afternoon 5
It was all too simple, making a connection with the invisible, unsuspecting Rito. All it took was eye contact and a shred of her soul.
("Child's play.")
She released the Rito from her unblinking stare, and mercifully looked away. She walked away casually, and turned the corner. Once behind the building she turned to, she found a pile of trash. With haste, she hid beneath the filth, out of sight, and lay down on the ground. She yawned and closed her eyes, which began to glow as she began to meditate, and activate her spell.
Sha'Tive: Through the eyes of The Rito/Alleyway/Afternoon 5
The Rito was still looking where she had been, in a cold sweat. He knew there was something wrong, he just didn't know what...
Seishi/Summit(See its an Ice joke)/Afternoon 5
Seishi tried to over fly the ocean of spikes that came rushing at him but the wave continued to branch and grow after him. He began to slash at the spears shattering as they came while at the same time dodging what he could not slash but in the end it was to much. Even with his demonic powers enhancing his abilities he was still weighted down by his armor, though that very armor manged to stop at least a dozed ice spears from piercing is chest. 
The attack finally ceased with Seishi's ensnared in a forest of ice spikes, his flesh thoroughly cut where ever his armor hadn't protected him. Though by testament of luck and skill he had managed to avoid any major puncture wounds the shear volume of gashes made that victory seem pointless.
"Ok, I'll admit, that hurt!" He yelled out to his opponent as he sealed away his demonic power for he could focus on healing and rebuilding stamina from the sun light. His first instinct was to simply stay put and heal his wounds as quickly as possible but being stuck like that was never a good thing. Instead throwing caution to the wind he enhanced his strength speed and jumping skill with a number of white magic spells that cast Din's Fire to free himself from his jagged prison.
"Really though I've had worse so I'm wondering if you've got anything better." He taunted as he cast the strongest healing spell he could to try to slow his bleeding then jump at the ice knight bearing down with is blade with all his strength.
Senshi/Hyrule Castle/Afternoon 5
As Senshi made his way to the war room he was called out by of all things a talking monkey, "Where are you going, strange one? This doesn't seem to be where you belong."
"Well that's a matter of perspective. Some would say I do belong here and admonish me upon leaving, some would wish I never came. Other still would have be dead regardless. Never mind that though, I simply have an errand to run and then I'll be on my why. Though I have to ask, you say I don't belong here but what business does a monkey have in a castle. Well assuming you're really a monkey."
[b][color=yellow][hl=darkblue]Whie Malreaux[/hl][/color]/Afternoon 5/Hyrule Castle Hallways[/b]
Whie scratched his head, picking at bugs that weren't there in an imitation of real monkey behaviour. "[color=yellow][hl=darkblue]Oh, I'm just kind of exploring, you know? Seeing all the sights? Ook![/hl][/color]"
He hopped over to the man, clambering up the wall and vaulting sideways to land on his shoulder. "[color=yellow][hl=darkblue]And I only say you don't seem to belong because I saw you sneak in with a bunch of non-Hylian soldiers.[/hl][/color]"
He idly plucked at the threads of the man's hood.
[b]Harken Zeiss/Afternoon 5/Beneath the City[/b]
Harken watched the events unfold through Pepperwhistle's bowl. "That looks to be the main concourse. There, see, those ruins are what's left of the fountain. Hm, if we leave now... Yes, that should give us enough travel to reach the battlesite by the time our puppet's ready to be stopped."
He stood then, beckoning over one of his lieutenants. "Holm! Got a task for you, my boy!"
The large man, hardly a boy at all, lumbered over to the pair. "Yeah boss?"
Zeiss clasped his arm around the man's shoulders. "Pepperwhistle and I have a bit to deal with up top. Protect the city, save the day, all that rot, you know? I need you to keep an eye on things down here. Keep everyone calm and comfortable, make sure everything's safe and secure. I know you can handle that."
Holm nodded. "Aye, aye. You go be a hero, we'll hold down the fort."
Zeiss patted his back. "That's my boy, good show!"
Then he hefted up his backpack from beside the sofa, securing the straps around his shoulders, and nodded to Tobias. "Right, then, Pepperwhistle. Let's get a move on before we miss the chance for our big charade."
Meado/Afternoon 5/Hyrule Castle Town Fountain
Before Meado could bother to respond to Kae, an armored figure came bellowing forth from a side street. With a jerking lurch Meado was dragged backward toward the thing as a sheen of psychic power separated them from the rest of the troops.
"Oh, bugger me..."
He turned as he was dragged backward and threw his sword into the path of a heavy-handed blow. The impact wrenched his hand aside and he followed it, stumbling away from the new foe. He recovered his stance in time to intercept another powerful strike from the thing's axe. His sword vibrated with the strength of the it and rang out a sharp note into the street.
"You've got to be kidding me! I did not just fight my way through all those golems to be taken out by some Dark Nut wannabe!"
He tightened his fingers around the hilt of his weapon in a two-handed grip and settled his feet into a defensive stance. He loosely focused his eyes on his opponent, ready to read its movements and react accordingly.
To bias Pepperwhistle/ Beneath the City/ Afternoon 5
Tobias nodded and rose from the table, he gently pushed in his chair and severed the magic that connected him to Taur, Zeiss appeared to know the way, there was no reason tiring himself before the upcoming fight. Whether staged or not, he rather preferred to be fresh. "Soun's like ev'rythin' is in order down 'ere, lead the way 'ark. I don' know this place like you."
Summary:
Tobias says okie doke, let's go.
Taur Dagnir/ Afternoon 5/ Hyrule Castle Town Fountain
Taur was amused, "Dark Nut wannabe? How fabulously misguided you are. Who would want to be something so...weak?" He circled around to the left side of his prey, why the Hylians praised him, Taur did not know. The man appeared to be weak, using two hands to wield such a tiny blade.
Taur leapt forward with a speed unbefitting of his size, his shield raised in front of him, he brought his axe down with all his might, but his foe was far too quick to be caught with an attack such as that and had leapt out of Taurs path long before he arrived there, Taur turned and sent his shield whizzing through the air at Meado.
Kinslayer - Hyrule Castle - Fifth Day
The bleak, warped world of shadows had all but torn mind from body. The Brand however, just then given voice, had pulled him back. The agony of being forced in all directions, of being ripped from his physical vessel but still irrevocably bound to it, had in time caused his memory to go black.
When his eyes opened once more, and he felt the familiar sensation of being encased in comfortingly warm flesh, he realized that somehow he'd made his escape from the Warp. Awareness flooded back into him and he realized that he was on his back on a cold stone floor, looking up at an arched, vaulted ceiling. It was curious, but not altogether unfamiliar. He'd lurked about in Hyrule for longer than most could fathom, and though he'd not been within its walls in some time he recognized the architecture of the interior of Hyrule Castle.
How had he gotten here from the field beyond? He could not say, except to assume that somehow being transported through the Warp, through that world of interminable madness, had caused him to move to a different location in this world as well.
As he lay on his back, looking up at the ceiling high overhead and considering his situation, the right corner of his mouth curled upward once more into his signature grin. He had managed, unintentionally, to circumvent the great barrier of magic that had been put up by the Scion. Perhaps she was still somewhere within, perhaps she'd finally gone forth to do battle. Either way, he'd been presented with a rare opportunity.
As he pushed himself up into a sitting position he became cognizant of the fact that he still gripped the black haft of his glaive in his right fist. Somehow, despite being transported to an alternate realm and back, he'd not lost the weapon. He was still naked from the waist up, but he could address that later if he so chose. It wasn't as though heat or lack thereof was a particularly great concern to him.
All of the sudden brimming with amusing notions as to what he would make of this unexpected turn, he used the glaive to climb to his feet and flexed his arms and shoulders to work out the stiffness. Inter-dimensional travel always tended to leave his joints and muscles uncomfortably tight and sore.
He realized it had to have been the Brand, or thing behind it, that had extricated him from the Warp. It was determined to keep him active in this world, doing its unspoken bidding. It caused him no end of frustration to think that everything he did was likely to be by the design of that disembodied voice that had spoken to his mind while he'd nearly been lost int he shadow. Still, he could be no more or less than who he was.
"Now... where oh where might that Scion be...?"
His sneer grew all the darker as he thought of what he might have to say if he found her.
Senshi/Hyrule Castle/Afternoon 5
"Sneaked in, come now my simian explorer, even a child could tell I didn't sneak in. I walked right in through the front door." Senshi responded deciding to have a little fun at the expensive of the talking monkey, assuming it was a monkey and not someone who looked like one. At this point he'd come to expect either as being perfectly normal but didn't care which it was.
"Now you're wanderlust aside I do have to warn you, I'm about to enter that door at the end of this hall," he said as he turned to final corner before his destination. "What it's in your best interest to not follow me as what will go on is not something a monkey would likely survive."
Kae/Castle Gates/Afternoon 5
The Scion felt a wave of unholy energies materialize within the castle. In the castle. Near. And it was moving. Whatever it was felt so familiar, and she took a moment to think about what it possibly could be.
Her eyes flung wider open, and a sense of urgency was quite clear on her face. She could not stay here. But how did he slip in? What could possibly have gotten him through? She was looking at the hole large enough for her forces. And she would have felt it come through...
This foe had to fall. She had to get out of the gates before it found her or else she was probably dead. From what she knew of the Kinslayer, once he fixated on his prey, he wouldn't stop chasing her. And if he could sense her, that viper's instinct would not end until one of them was defeated.
Kae looked over at Daurubia and was visibly disturbed. 
"We need to save Meado and get moving soon, otherwise we won't be able to help the others!"
She took a few steps back and closed her eyes. While she was hurried due to all of the influences on her mind, she focused on the barrier between her and Meado. The fabrics of reality were fairly well-manipulated. Whoever had put this up had a fairly decent working knowledge of psychic manipulation...very textbook and academic in construction. This also meant that she'd be able to take a similar approach to weave threads of discord into it.
Letting her mind expand, she focused on the barrier intensely, letting her left hand open its palm. Outstretched toward the barrier, glyphs and sigils encircled her arm as she spoke an incantation in ancient Sheikah. Six glowing golf-ball sized orbs attached themselves to the barrier and attempted to unweave the original effect. They flared up and went to work.
Kae stood at the ready with her sword in hand, waiting to rush in and assist Meado.
"I can't stay here...if I need to take the men and charge I will do it, but I cannot stay here, Daurubia."
Her visage looked more visibly disturbed than before, but she did much to avoid betraying her true feelings to the others.
== Armchair Quarterbacking ==
Chamdar Taliesin - Hyrule Field - Fifth Afternoon/Evening
Things were not going as he'd anticipated. The Sunrise Knight had fallen in battle with an unknown but formidable dark warrior, and Kinslayer had pitted himself against the commander of this advancing force and had been swallowed into a world of dark, destructive madness. All the while the old man had watched from his less than distant hilltop, pondering the fate of Hyrule and the powers that fought over it.
The Twili did not invade in the hopes of seizing control of the land. They were not making war in order to expand their farms or their ranch lands. They made war against Hyrule because of the supernatural history of the realm.
And now Darrel Mytura was borne off on the power of Interlopers, and now Kinslayer had emerged within the powers of the Wall of Faith. The Scion, Kae Bryseis, had conjured that mystical barrier, albeit with the help of others. Still, it would keep Kinslayer's victims in just as well as it would keep those who would oppose him out. It was a dangerous, volatile situation for which he could fathom no easy solution.
"So young..." he muttered, thinking of Kae. "So inexperienced. I do so hope your Wall of Faith does not end up causing more death than it prevents..."
Whie Malreaux/Afternoon 5/Castle Halls
Whie widened his simian eyes as the cloaked man rounded the corner, facing the door to the War Room.
"Oh! You seek the old man! He is powerful, Mister Sneaky. Very powerful. That's not a fight for a monkey, it's not even a fight for a man!"
He slid sideways, dropping down Shinigami's arm and latching his hands around Shinigami's hand, tugging backward. "Come this way, come come! I bet there's something more fun and less dangerous somewhere else! We could go find where they pray?"
Meado/Afternoon 5/Fountain
Meado dodged the darknut's first attack with ease, reading the movement as it was being initiated. Then, oddly, the thing threw its shield at him. Meado twisted his weapon, and knocked aside the trajectory of the normally defensive item so that it passed him and dug itself into the stone of the street.
"Yeah, thing is, I don't really care either way what you are." he taunted. "color=seagreen]How about you go crawling back to the Interlopers under whatever rock you came from under before I have to hurt you?[/color]"
The beastly figure straightened, prying its axe from the street, along with chunks of stone which clattered back in a small pile. Then it growled out some curse Meado couldn't understand and charged him.
Meado jumped sideways before his opponent could reach him. He was, however, surprised to find his dodge arrested too early against something that wasn't even there: the psychic barrier that was meant to keep others from interfering with the fight. Due to this, Meado was still within range of the beast, and though its axe swung clean through air it did manage to ram its armored bulk into him, pining him against the barrier.
The wind was knocked from Meado's lungs, and the darknut let out a gruff chuckle, sounding pleased with itself.
"Inferior creature. Now, die!"
Meado managed to wheeze out a response. "You forgot about something."
Briefly, the crushing pressure against Meado's chest lessened, and the opoonent paused to hear the final words of the Hylian hero.
"My hands are still free."
Meado jammed his freed dagger into a slit in its armor under the left armpit. He didn't know if this thing was magical in nature or had weak points similar to a flesh and blood foe, but if it was armored, then it had to have something to protect.
Taur Dagnir/ Afternoon 5/ Fountain
The little beastie had managed wiggle it's blade right into the soft flesh under Taur's armor. Even with the dulled sense of pain that his curse allowed, it still hurt. Hurt like hell to be honest, Taur bellowed in anger. Grrrah!!! He shoved himself off and away from the piece of detriment, using Meado himself to push his bulk away and create the separation between them. Once at a distance Taur let out a string of curses in his own tongue. As he stomped around the Hylian was able to regain his composure to an extent.
Taurs breathing was already rasping, the fool had managed to prick the edge of Taurs lung with the little toad sticker he claimed was a weapon. "Well played, it's always more fun when dinner plays back. It's a game you cannot win though, so waste no more of my time and just die!" seemingly of their own accord the several pieces of stonework Taur had dislodged and crushed into rubble moments earlier rose into the air, hovering there for a short moment, with a flourish Taur, swung his axe towards Meado sending the debris hurtling at him. Meados reflexes however were stellar, he dove forwards and landed in a roll which resulted with him back on his feet.
Dagnir roared in frustration, if anything was said it was incomprehensible. Removing the chain from his waist he wrapped it around a gauntleted fist, took two long strides and swung te chain outwards at the shins of his opponent, he intended to remove his feet from under him, because like all bugs, he'd be easier to sqaush once on his back.
Kinslayer - Hyrule Castle - Fifth Evening (that's right, I'm forcing time forward as much as I can)
Prowling the halls, marauding for blood, was always a great deal more fun to Isaac than acquitting himself on the field of battle. There the deaths he took were many, and his connection to the lives claimed was less personal. Here though, stalking through the corridors of the royal palace, the center of Hyrulean power, he felt as though his victims were closer to him.
It reminded him of a time, some ages distant, when he'd earned the nickname Kingslayer. He had a history with Hylian royalty, a bond that tied them together in their blood. He'd taken many lives over his many years, but that singular act of regicide had been the apex of his long career, his highest point.
To date, anyway. He'd thought that perhaps the Scion would be his greatest victim, an instrument of the heavens that was ripe for the plucking. The old man, Chamdar, had been denied him long ago. It wasn't his great power, but his vast experience and endless cunning. Maydni had denied him his shot at the Scion, though he thought perhaps he might encounter her within her divine barrier. So far he'd seen neither hide nor hair of the Sheikah turned Disciple, and wondered if he might be better off.
Maydni, he wondered if he'd managed to kill her in the Warp. He had no evidence of her death, but she had vanished into that swirling abyss of madness and chaos. Few could survive it. He only had because of the Brand and the beast that empowered it. If she was dead, then he'd taken his vengeance. If not...
"Stupid bitch..." he muttered to himself as he thought about her. Vanishing like that, denying him the satisfaction of knowing whether he'd killed her or not.
As he rounded a corner, he found himself looking at a pair of men apparently engaged in some manner of altercation. One of them he was quite familiar with, but the other he did not know.
Smiling with renewed interest, he leaned back against the cool stone wall and watched the events unfold, not announcing his arrival for fear that he might interrupt. He wondered who Senshi Shinigami's new friend was.
Elly/Hyrule Castle Halls/Afternoon 5
Her eyes were sharp, and her wit sharper. The Wall's flickering and subsequent reinforcing only heightened her caution. Something had to have gotten in. The only way this castle would be safe is if the Hylians were victorious and all Twili forces dead. Taking prisoners was good if diplomacy mattered. And since she believed Jaden's theory about enemy scryers, the only good heretic was a dead one. 
Their command sees what they see. Don't give them an inside eye into anything by sparing them. Give them death and pluck out their eyes from afar.
As she made her way around the halls, she watched everyone and everything to see if there were hairs out of place. Many folks were on edge, and she took this into consideration. But then there was a soldier on patrol...his marching was totally out of step. He wasn't used to wearing the scale mail armor, and it was crooked on a shoulder. 
Then she saw something to confirm her belief about this one. There was blood under the left side. Hylian armor was stronger there to protect vital organs. But there were dents in the scale and blood that didn't wash off. Plus, the armor didn't fit properly.
Mirroring his steps and keeping to the shadows, Elly waited for the spy to deviate from standard patrol path. When he got too curious and broke pace, she quickened her own and snuck up closer behind him. Being unarmed would make this a little more difficult. Instead of slitting his throat from behind, Elly decided upon the "Sap and Snap" method of spy removal.
In her bag of tricks was a small leather pouch full of sand and small stones. She palmed this, got right up behind the spy, and hit him swiftly in the back of the head, stunning him. As he turned in a staggering fashion to see what had happened, Elly turned with him and put her hands on the sides of his head, vaulting into the air. Using that momentum, she twisted and snapped the imposter's neck real good.
Finishing her maneuver, he fell to the ground where she landed on her feet. Others nearby had heard the snap and came running.
"It is as I suspected. It was a spy! One less now, but still, there could be more! We must move quickly, or else a few heretics in the castle will be the second-worst thing to happen to us today!"
Searching his corpse, she could find no evidence to help in her search except for the dead man's Twili undergarments. They were made of a distinct fabric that wasn't commonly worn by Hylians. It certainly wasn't standard issue for Hylian soldiers. And she stole his shortsword.
"Take this trash to the morgue for further inspection."
Elly walked off, in search of more troublemakers.
IC: Shato - castle battle - afternoon 5
The sheikahs sudden berserker outburst caught Shato off guard. Trying to roll clear of his wild slashing she still managed to get stabbed through her shoulder. Before she could get clear several ice attacks began to slam into the ground drawing closer before finally hitting her and sending her tumbling clear.
As she struggled to her knees she could see the sheikah was still in rough shape, the zora was readying his next attack, but oddly their large Goron ally was missing. "Heh, lets see how well you do without your heavy hitter." She laughed as she released a large amount of smoke from the urn.
As it spewed forth the smoke sank in through the ground. For a moment nothing seemed to happen, but then a deep rumbling echoed out across the battlefield.
Shato simply smiled as she rose to her feet. "I hope you like bugs." she called out as the ground erupted outward and one of the giant three eyed insects Twinmold burst out and let out a deafening roar before slamming down on the area where the Zora and Shiekah were standing.
OOC: Shato gets hit a couple times and summons one of the Twinmold centipedes from MM. A shame you don't have a giant with you any more. 
IC: Quell - battle - afternoon 5
The paladin had flown clear of the attack and was now attempting to perform the down thrust maneuver. With a simple motion with one of his gauntlets Quell generated a pulling force on the Padadin to give him significantly more force coming down and then lept to the side, well clear of the paladin as he slammed into the ground with shattering force.
Without waiting to see the effect it had on the paladin Quell unleashed a concentrated ice beam at Seishi while at the same time began to mass a large ice shard with his free hand.
Meado/Afternoon 5/Fountain
Meado had rolled away from flying chunks of debris, coming up in his feet just in time to hear a rage-filled roar and find himself, somehow, back on the ground. Though his time he found his ankles pinioned in a length of chain. Confused, his eyes followed the chain away from his legs and saw the other end clasped in his foe's hands.
"Oh shi-" Meado's words were cut short as he was suddenly jerked, leg first, toward the beast. He was scraped over the broken street and his ankles were wrenched rather painfully with the force of the pull. He managed, with the ending distance of his reach, to grab up his sword before being pulled to far away.
The dragging ended with Meado's toes basically wiggling against dark metal shinplate. The giant's axe was hefted over its shoulder, set to come like the executioner's axe down in a crushing, severing blow down Meado's mid-section.
"Oh no you don't, you bastard!"
Meado rolled to the side, but the lifted axe adjusted angle above the beast, still primed to snuff Meado from the living. Meado gritted his teeth and swung the pommel of his sword, with all the might he could muster, at the thing's foot. A dull thunking sound rang out from the greaved boot, and vibrating metal caused Meado's bones to ache in his hand. The sword clanged to the ground, dropped by his numb fingers.
Senshi/Hyrule Castle/Evening 5
The monkey relieved he knew of Phoenix's power and Senshi knew the only way he could have seen that is if he pulled him into a fight. It was clear to him now this a man in disguise much like the one Taden once held with the help of a mask. Far too much of the Ice Mage's legacy had started to appear and it was only reinforcing him resolve. "I know of the cathedral monkey, this is not my first time here and I am in no need of a tour. I have come here for a reason which requires me to enter that room. If you know of Phoenix's power then you have just that much more of a reason to follow my advice and run as far from here as possible."
Not caring what the monkey would do Senshi made his way into the chamber unaware was the Dark Warrior behind him due to the sealing of mental powers. "How far the mighty Hylian army has fallen. Your ancestors would be shamed to see you, the leadership of the army, cowering behind this barrier while your soldiers die for your glory." All except Phoenix jumped from their seats a drew they blades in response the cloaked invaders insults.
Phoenix calmly remained seated with his hands folded in front of his face. "We owe you no explanations, but allow me to impart one last lesson you before your sense completely gives way this this Shinigami persona of yours. This army has changed, it is no longer lead by a single young champion who marches at the front of the battle. These men are aged but they are experienced in the way of wars. Their job is the lead and strategies not to play hero, that's for the young. In here we fight wars while we expect our junior officers to fight battles. That this offends the old world you were raised in is irrelevant."
"Fight Wars, how? Your cut off from your armies, you've merely give a plan for them to act on while hiding here and hoping for the best. You'll be safe though allowing you to plan the next battle for you now dead army to fight wont you. Besides why of you Phoenix, you alone have the power of one hundred men. Should you not command from out side this barrier encase your might is needed. And what of him," he pointed to the man wearing the armor of a famous Light Warrior who once lead the Hylian army during the Imprisoning War.
"He wear's Sabre's armor, is young, and I can only assume he's a decedent. If he had even a fraction of Sabre's power the he could win this battle on his own. Why is he in here? Because he's the General of the Army, you said yourself these officers are aged an experienced, he's barely older then me."
General Blade's sword began to glow with celestial magic has his temper grew from the strangers wild accusations. "Who are you to speak of my actions, are you not hiding behind this barrier yourself. At least our actions are for the war, what have you done besides lecture us!?"
"He's not hiding, he's attacking us."
"How do you know-? Lord Phoenix who is this man?" He pointed his sword at the intruder ready to strike him down. 
"He is the one was discussed several days early. The one I had investigated."
"He is of that line and serves the Twili!? I WILL NOT HAVE IT!" Blade's armor curled but like a Goron and began spinning in place picking up more and more speed. It suddenly darted forward with enough speed to put the invade through the wall however Senshi was able to block the blow with this scythe staff thanks only to the power granted to him by the Golden Gauntlets.
Senshi struggled to hold back the General as the armor continued to spin, slowly pushing him back. "I see that armor's been improved. I don't remember Sabre being able to build up speed in place. You still can't hold a light to him though." Mustering up all of his enhanced strength he forced Blade to one side sending him smashing through several walls. "Investigated? Bloodline? What's this about Phoenix?"
"I wanted to make sure you would pull this stunt again so I assigned someone to make sure you's be kept in check. I needed a very specific kind of person for this job and I found one in the form of one of our special forces. A young girl who works for intelligence as well as internal affairs weeding out sedition and traitors. As a cover for this I told every one else she was investigating a possible connection you I though you had to the Light Warriors. After all I didn't want everyone to have a reason to mistrust you from the start, of course you being the first Light Warrior to show up here was a help. After what she learned her grandfather was able to piece everything together. And I do mean everything, much to my surprise. Well I also told Kae and Darrel to keep an eye on you but nothing went as planned with your mission."
"And you lecture me about shady methods. It doesn't matter though, hell really I should be thanking you. Its thanks to all you did to keep me in line that I was able to join the Twili."
"Oh and how is that?"
"Ask Bryseis I gave her all the details. Though with her attitude I doubt she'll understand half of it. After I went through all of the trouble to drop my barrier so I could talk to her telepathically. It's all really annoy since I'm partially acting on her best interests."
Phoenix's eye's briefly lit up suddenly understanding most of what Senshi was doing, and most importantly he at least had the sense to make sure the Twili psychics can't get anything out of his head. "So you don't have access to your ESP right now, well that certainly explains things."
"Explains what?"
"Sen, I've told you a thousand times you rely far to much on those powers. It causes you to ignore your other senses such as hearing. Which is why you've tuned out all the noise Blade's armor is making as he's running back."
Phoenix timed his final lesson so that Senshi would have no time to react. The General reached through the whole he had made in the wall pulling Senshi through and throwing him down the hall. Senshi recovered and drew and reformed his scythe as Blade's sword once again illuminated with celestial magic, only time Senshi noticed the coin forged into the hilt that was allowing for this display of magic. Senshi just smirked, this was what he was looking for and was the reason he'd started throwing around insults to pull Blade into a fight. "Well that's one way of using it."
Blade said nothing, instead he lowered his face guard and slammed his sword into the ground into the ground sending a shock-wave of star magic at the traitor.
Invisible Rito/Above Castle Town/Afternoon 5
That awful prick in the back of his mind would simply not go away. It ate at him, and he knew there was something wrong, but he could not for the life of him figure out what it was. 
But he tried to put it away and concentrate on his task at hand. His search for Eddard had been pretty much abandoned at this point; he would let whatever happens happen. But being invisible, he had a few advantages. Doing some spy-work would please his master, if he was ever found that is. But regardless, he had nothing better to do, so he flew around the blue wall around the castle, looking for some way inside of it.
It seemed completely impenetrable, and the Rito was about to go spy on the Twili instead when he noticed a battalion of soldiers leaving through a small hole at the gate. And of all things, he saw a goron with them, but figured it'd be pointless to pursue them. He waited until they had moved on a bit and then flew into the castle courtyard unseen.
He instantly smelled something that should not belong: Twili. But as he looked around, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. That was not his concern though. Let these Hylians be infiltrated, what the hell do I care.
He was here to hear something important, something not meant for his ears, and he knew that would be high up somewhere. He flew parallel to the wall, flying straight up, but something soon caught his eye in one of the open windows. He looked in, and down the hall was, of all things, a monkey talking with a soldier.
Now that's odd, he thought, but figured it was not important. He was about to fly away again when he noticed a strange looked man walk up and look at the conversing duo. Years of spying had made the Rito perceptive, and there was one off trait about this man. An ancient mark of some sort on his arm. The Rito wanted important people to overhear, well he had found one.
He decided to play the waiting game. The Rito flew past the man with the mark, and sat on a near-by door. They said a name he recognized: Pheonix. The Rito's previous trip to the castle, just after the war had started, had revealed to him most of the higher ranking officials.
But before he had time to think, the Hylian walked right through the door he was sitting on and shut it. Well sh**, now what do I do. Luckily, his question was soon answered when he heard a loud crash from around the corner of the hall. He flew after to investigate, seeing that the room was now free to enter.
He hung back though, knowing that at least some of these men had ESP, and if they suspected anything, they would find him. The Rito thought it best to sit back and watch the ensuing fight between these two obviously powerful men.
[b]Daurubia/Fountain/Afternoon 5[/b]
'''
Lead. Yes, that was something he could do. It was something he was raised to do. Yet he had avoided it the whole day. Jaden seemed more than capable, and a Shiekah to boot. And this woman, she was a freaking scion! Daurubia knew that men around him were seasoned, experienced in war. He on the other hand had never actually fought in a large-scale battle.
He had tactics shoved into his mind as a child, every ounce of education was focused on teaching him the strategies of war. But being here, being faced with it all now, he was nervous. He knew something important must have happened to make the scion have to leave, but that did nothing but frighten him more.
He put on his best patriarch face though, [color=red][hl=black]"You do what you must, Lady Scion. But first, we must escape this prison.[/color][/hl] 
He knew that whatever the scion had just done, it was eventually going to break down the barrier. But he felt all the more angst seeing the battle with the man they called Meado going to hell. 
When Meado hit the ground, Daurubia tried to punch his way through the barrier, but was met with failure. The scion gave him a look, as if to say that all of his strength wouldn't help him here. Daurubia's strength was all he had, and for once, he felt helpless.
Kae/Castle Gates/Afternoon 5
"I don't doubt it. But we will judge the ones who held us back."
Nodding at Daurubia, she gave the barrier another test as her rote kept working to bring it down.
She took a side-stance, lifted her right palm toward it, and fired two quick blasts of cosmic energy. They made it cave a little, but ultimately it took its original shape once again. 
"Unweaving this would probably work better. I couldn't even blast through it. Whoever made this had best pray we do not find them, for this blasphemy will not be forgiven!"
Kae felt something slip past them and through the deployment zone. She wasn't sure of its life signature, but with all else that was getting through the Wall at this point, she felt as though the bigger problem was Kinslayer.
"Lord Phoenix, Kinslayer has also slipped through the Wall! He is in the Castle somewhere!"
When she reached out, his mind was very busy. Perhaps he had already found a threat to engage.
Everything was falling apart. She could not lose faith, and she had to do her best. Luckily, she was not alone. There was no way she'd be able to run through the deployment zone now, as it'd be closing up in a minute or so. Her objective was to keep the faithless out, and somehow she had failed in that, even after doing everything in a logical manner.
These blasphemous fools defy logic and tactic, and have given themselves over to the chaotic whims of the Profane. There is no other explanation for how they are successful, because they sure have not outsmarted us. Blessed Nayru, give us the insight to prevent any more hidden surprises. They come from under the ground. The air. Existential instantiation. Stay by our side!
She continued to focus on unweaving the barrier. It would take a while though, and Kae could feel her brother as well as the others becoming rather overtaxed with real problems...including something else profane spawned from the depths. This farce had to end.
== Wavering Strength ==
Jaden/Castle Town/Afternoon 5
He was in a state of absolute bloodlust. As the poison was starting to leave his system, his body had gone into an overdrive that he wouldn't be able to sustain for long. Had he not been poisoned, his abilities would have been amplified significantly. For now, he had become as he was before he was stung. 
Jaden's blade met more flesh, and his excitement rose. This would be short-lived as his mark rolled clear from his range and used her best option to avoid another attack.
His vision was fixated on the one who had forced his hand before she'd summoned another troublesome creature, knocking him clear of the area, where he flung to his feet in search of something to kill. There was a large beast, and smoke obscured anything else from view. He was not his sister; he couldn't sense life signatures as she did. But what he could feel was an intense rage boiling within as blood continued to seep from his pores. 
The Twinmold wurm was attracted to his men, but he didn't know that. However, it was nearby and available for the slaying, so he charged at it with full speed. Jaden could not speak words at this time; his communication was limited to grunts, growls, and roars as his facial paralysis was starting to go away.
It reared its head and rushed down at him with a considerable amount of force. Jaden met it head on with his blade shining brighter than it had a few minutes ago, delivering an uppercut slash. While it did not kill the thing, it did reel back as the Sheikah landed on his feet, growling loudly. Twinmold took a moment to size up its latest target, and stood at the ready to attack once more.
orus/Castle Town/Afternoon
What met his eyes filled him with horror. A bug of astonishing size had risen from the ground, and had already began to attack the soldiers of Hyrule. Its centipede-like structure stretched out in a repulsive manner, as Horus was reminded of his deathly fear of giant bugs. He nearly decided to flee to avoid fighting it. The colossal bug roared into the skies before it appeared to be hit with incredible force, which only knocked it back a few feet. Horus looked around the creature to see that the cause of this impact was Jaden, whom was completely red with blood, as if sweating the stuff. Horus blinked as he gathered himself and reached for his bow. He could not allow his fears to slow him. A giant was ravaging the streets, and the only friendly giant Horus knew was nowhere to be found. He readied his bow, and pulled out an arrow, ready to shoot. Horus swooped down towards the bug and flew past close enough to smell its breath, and in what felt like an eternity, but was actually only an instant, Horus fired an arrow, which glowed with incredible radiance as it disappeared within its mouth. 
Horus had no time to think. Just as he had shot the arrow, he rose back up into the sky, and made his wings disappear, as he attempted to land on top of the creature, with his dagger at the ready. Before the centipede could react to Horus' presence, Horus was on its back, with one of his daggers firmly planted in its back, working as a handhold. As the creature roared in frustration, Horus' mind raced as he tried to formulate his next move.
Taur Dagnir/ Afternoon 5/ Fountain
It would all be over soon, in an instant really. Taur drew Tholcrist his mighty war axe high above his head, ready to bring it and all of it's weight down upon this insect whom the Hylians so revered, moments from now he'd be torn from the life of the living with a crushing finality. As he began the downward swing of his axe, something struck his foot hard causing him to lose his footing briefly. When the axe slammed down, it wasn't the soft hylian flesh it was aimed at, nor was it the crunching of bone. He merely caught a lock of Meado's hair as his axe smashed into the stonework street sending a cloud of dust and rubble up into the air. 
Tholcrists handle reverberated in his hands, sending shock waves up his arms. In all of the commotion Meado, caught Taur cleanly in the breastplate with a well aimed upkick and scampered away. Dagnir, with dented armor and all roared in anger, "Come! Come and face me you coward! Quit running away and just, die!" Leaving his axe in the ground for the time being, Taur rushed headlong at his opponent and leapt into the air gauntleted fist drawn back behind his ear, cocked and ready to explode to and through the bastard that troubled him. `
At the last second Meado again dove out of the way just as Taur landed and smashed his fist into the psychic barrier that held them in close quarters. His hand shot back as it deflected off of the magic that encapsulated them. Taur shook his hand and worked the joint of his whiplashed shoulder while he turned to face his opponent. He was amused to see Meado struggling to pull Tholcrist from the ground. "And just what would you do if you were able to free it from the stone? You fool! Neither you nor any of the other dogs of your race are fit to wield it."
Running over to his sword Meado picked it up, and much to Taurs surprise, went on the offensive, he dashed forward directly at Taur who was waiting with arms spread, ready to grab him in an embrace he would not enjoy. Seconds before he came into range, Taur lunged forward and Meado spun out of his path with a well timed juke, Dagnir stumbled forward and Meado smacked him in the back his helm with the flat of his blade dazing the massive knuckle. Taur stumbled about for a few moments until he regained his composure, drew his axe from the ground and refitted his chain to his arm, and slowly began to advance on Meado once again.
Seishi/Afternoon 5/Battle Field
Seishi raised his shield against the ice beam with out breaking his stride. He angled so the the shields mirrored surface would reflect the beam into a column of Twili solders; however the power of the spell was to great for the imperfect mirror shield causing it to partially freeze over. "You know I got to admit I'm starting to enjoy this."
Seishi suddenly became surrounded in a swirl of magic as he cast Farore Wind once again. In a split second he vanished from sight only to reappear right behind his opponent. "Hell I could do this all day," he grinned as he swung down on the Ice Knights unguarded flank.
[b][color=seagreen]Meado[/color]/Afternoon 5/Near the Fountain[/b]
The giant brute advanced on him once more. It was hard to stop the thing, with its armor so heavy. Any blows landed seemed to be just as easily shrugged off, and even then it didn't seem attrition would win the battle. But Meado refused to panic. Anything could be beaten with enough pluck, as his own personal motto went.
More to the point, with luck and a bit of planning, he was sure he could come up with something.
He fingered the handle of his knife, the only thing so far that had actually dealt damage to his enemy. He knew it had to somehow be the key, and that initial stab some sort of portent showing him the way. At least his mind kept coming back to it. The problem, of course, was one of ranges. The chain was an effective medium range weapon, the axe rather handily covered the shorter ranges, and in the bubble of this psychic shield there was no real long range. Not that Meado had ever fancied himself a long-range fighter anyway.
The chain swing round and flew out at Meado again. He batted it aside with his longword and, somehow, managed to get the blade stuck on one of the link. Both he and the foe saw this at the same time, and both moved to take advantage of the sudden weapon-lock. Meado tugged with a twist as the enemy applied mere brute strength to pull back. Had it been a straight tug-of-war there was no way Meado could have won. but the twisting motion caused the chain to cinch around the armored fingers of his foe, and the great strength of the tugging was transferred into the bind.
Through some great irony, his enemy managed to debilitate itself, crushing armor in around its digits. It howled out in irrate pain and the chain went slack and dropped to the ground. Meado collected it toward himself. He had no idea how to effectively use it as a weapon, but at least in some way he now held the advantage of reach.
Polaris/ Afternoon 5/ Castle Town
He'd finally engaged the Twili summoner and what did he get in return? A giant Twinmold wyrm. Fabulous. Both Jaden and the new Rito entrant had already engaged the beast, time was of the essence for Jaden and his situation, this monster needed to be exterminated in a timely manner.
As both Jaden and the Rito tried to wrangle the blue portion of the beast, Polaris went to try his hand on the red, something on its tail caught his attention and he leapt into action, literally, Polaris leaped into the air, propelled by his arctic magicks and landed midway down the creatures back. As soon as his feet touched down, he took off in a dead sprint, running the length of it. As he ran, he drew upon the moisture in the air around him, and formed another large frozen spear and launched it before him, the projectile slammed into the soft yellow weak spot on the tail and the monster screeched in agony and reared up before taking off around the fountain sending an unprepared Polaris flying off its back.
Polaris hit the ground with a thud skidding to a halt several yards away. He rose to his feet just in time to dive out of the way of the rampaging monster. Polaris hurried back upright and readied himself for the next go round, this time he managed to grab hold of one of the pincers and wing himself atop of the beast. The worm bucked and roared, violently shaking its ugly head from side to side trying to shake Polaris off again, this time however he'd firmly secured himself in place by wrapping his legs around one of the massive antennae. 
Sitting his hand down on the exoskeleton just below the base of the monsters skull, Polaris began to channel enormous amounts or frigid energy into the monster until gradually it slowed it to a snails pace. No longer possessing the strength to roar it barely managed a sputtering cough, before a now standing Polaris brought the Thunder Rod down with a sonorous boom, the blow was devastating to the worm, the body began to crush and crumble, turning to dust. 
The head however, went into a free fall, Polaris held onto both antennae and whooped all the way down until both he and the skull smashed into the hard, unforgiving ground. Wobbling upright, Polaris looked around, "Whew! Now then, where's the other half of this oversized hunk of Loach bait?"
He didn't have to look long to find the answer to that question, as the blue beast roared while it tried to shake the Rito on its head, holding on only by the hilt of a dagger. "Hmph. Dagger in the skull...why the hell didn't I think of that?"
Horus/Castle Town/Afternoon 5
He had to think fast before he was flung off of this disgusting creature. His mind continued to race as he watched Polaris make quick work of the red half. Polaris' reckless actions brought a feeling of hilarity in an otherwise dire situation. As the red half perished, Horus tried to look for a source of fire, but to no avail in the confusion. After a moment of glancing around, he had another idea. He couldn't destroy this beast himself, but maybe Jaden could in his current feral state. Horus pondered about his next move before looking at his free hand. He glared at it, then smiled.
"I'm going to enjoy this."
Feathers and wind gathered around his arm as he activated large amounts of magic from within. He could still feel the power of the shield course through his very being as he gathered more and more energy around his arm. The wind grew faster and stronger until he had what could only be described as a small tornado around his arm, which magnified the strength and speed of everything it surrounded. He clenched his fist tightly, and looked at the beast he rode with an triumphant grin. The monster began to roar once more, but Horus interrupted it, with a voice loud enough to be heard over an explosion. Although, he could only think of a pun to spout.
"You're grounded!"
Horus clenched his teeth, and reared back. He roared in effort as he punched the monster with all he had. The punch had enough force behind it to bring the monster's head to the ground, which created a crater upon impact. The shockwave that ensued was strong enough to knock a nearby Goron off balance. Wind spread every which way, pushing all whom were caught by it to the ground. For a few moments, all activity ceased. Hoping this punch disoriented the creature enough for Jaden to reach it, he removed his dagger and jumped off the beast, yelling to anyone who was nearby.
"Finish it!"
[b][color=yellow][hl=darkblue]Whie Malreaux[/hl][/color]/Evening 5/Castle Hallways[/b]
Whie watched as the cloaked man entered the room with the old warrior. Whie was in no hurry to face that man again. He was in no hurry to die before he'd finished having all his fun. So instead he stood in the hall, and looked around wondering what to do now that that distraction had gone off to its own destruction.
He scratched at himself and then noticed another man standing nearby. "[color=yellow][hl=darkblue]Ook! What are you doing standing there! We didn't even notice you arriving![/hl][/color]"
[hr]
[b]Harken Zeiss/Afternoon 5/Castle Town Streets[/b]
'''
Zeiss' breath came heavier as he rushed through the streets of the city. At times he led Tobias through the alleyways, others Tobias managed to use his powers to know the right path. But both now knew they were coming up fast on their destination. Harken paused his feet. If they were to be fighting that giant, and making it a believable confrontation, they would need to look fine and fit when they arrived to play into the parts of heroes.
He called ahead to his running companion. "Oy, Pepperwhistle! Hold up a mo', you crazy bastard! Let's catch our breath here before we go running off into a fight like that. Want to be hearty and hale to play the part of the gallant hero, after all. No use blowing the whole thing with a sub-par entrance."
He meandered over to a large chunk of rubble and plopped down on it, resting his legs and catching his breath. "Right, just a bit of rest... So, tell me Pepperwhistle, how did you meet that big oaf, anyway?"
Kinslayer - Castle Corridor - Fifth Evening
Watching Shinigami breeze past the monkey and into the War Room, he could only shake his head at how such an old acquaintance of sorts could have completely missed the fact that he was standing just a meager few paces away. He could only marvel at the tunnel vision that the necromancer displayed.
The monkey, it appeared, was far more perceptive. Once its verbal sparring partner had taken his leave, the strange simian turned its attention in Kinslayer's direction, addressing him in that peculiarly childish manner that all monkey masked individuals seemed to employ.
"Probably because I didn't announce myself." he replied flatly, looking down at the ape with a critical expression as he continued to lean with his back against the wall and his glaive held diagonally in front of his body. "You're not Hothnight, obviously. Where'd you get the mask?"
Taur Dagnir/ Afternoon 5/ Near the Fountain
Instinctively, Taur tried to flex his smashed fingers and howled in agony as the armor creaked and both bone and armor alike popped and cracked. The hand would not serve him well until it was healed. He winced and hacked up a globule of blood from his injured lung as he bent over and picked up his shield which by some shred of luck, was laying at his feet. Fixing it to the arm of his bad hand, Dagnir hefted Tholcrist one handed and held it against his shoulder. Pausing, he sized up the minuscule warrior, who through some mixture of great luck and not so great ability, had Taur much worse for wear than he. 
Taur chuckled, it was a horrible guttural sound, he truly was amused. "Meado, such a pitiful name..yet, your persistence surprises even me. You and I are not so different little man. In mind set at least, it would take but a small nudge in the proper direction, the direction of power to set you on the right track.."
Meado shook his head, "Now, now, you're getting nasty" he spat at Taur, "Go to hell." The hero of the Hylian men at arms hefted Taurs chain and flung an end of it at the dark armored knight. Taur raised his shield and deflect nonchalantly. "Suit yourself. You choose death."
Taur's eyes filled with a bloodlust and rage that had not been present before. Sure, up until now he was angry, sent to kill this figurehead was a task given. Nothing more than a bit of fun, some small shred of enjoyment until he found the next victim. Now however, he'd been insulted and that wouldn't go unpunished. 
Meado was struggling to draw the huge chain back into him as Taur lumbered forward and stepped on the end of it stopping the advance completely. "This is mine. As is your soul.". Taur lunged forward and smashed the handle end of the war axe into Meados face sending him to a knee spitting up blood, Taur wasted no time assuring that prior mistakes not be repeated and pressed his massive boot into the small of Meados back, flattening him to the ground, raising Tholcrist high above his head again Taur prepared to finish him, this time nothing would stop the final blow. 
Summary:
Taur tries his hand at diplomacy, fails and gets really really pissed.
Tobias Pepperwhistle/ Afternoon 5/ Castle Town Streets
Tobias skidded to a halt when Zeiss beckoned him halt and rest. It was a novel idea, one which Tobias consigned to. Retreating back to where Harken had taken a seat, Tobias did the same. "Well 'ark, that was a bit 'o a 'airy one it was. I tried me damnedest ta follow yeh through tha' port'l, but it was 'aff closed and a weakenin in stren'th when I took the plunge." 
Tobias chewed on the question a bit more, mulling over how best to explain the scenario he'd landed in. "Any 'ow, I landed smack dab in the middle 'o some sort 'o a 'ot mess, right in fron' 'o that big bugger. 'E'd been 'avin 'is way killin an' ravagin some 'o the loc'ls in tha forrest. I scrambled up ta me feet an' the big'n looks down an 'e says, 'e says all deep an gravelly, Who are yeh? An' whaddya doin 'ere?...well it was somethin like tha' anywho by then I'd got me wits abou' me an saw 'e was bad news."
Tobias shifted his weight, repositioning himself more comfortably, "I look'd 'im once over an said, 'Ello mate. D'you know who I am? I'm the bloke tha's goin'ta rip you in ta litt'l pieces. An' I'm goin'ta swallow those pieces before you die. 'E thought that was downright 'ilarious until I whacked 'im right b'tween 'is peepers. Pissed 'im right off it did, 'e went ta swingin that axe 'o 'is, Tholcrist is wha' 'e call'd it, it means 'elmcleaver in the ancient language...an' it dawned on me, the ancient language! This bloke 'as knowledge of it, so 'e's gotta be more than meets tha eye, not that that isn' quite impressive alone. I attacked 'is mind with all muh vigor, battering again an' again an' again at 'is mental defensification...tha's a word righ'? No matt'r...the beast faltered when 'E came into view, a devilish little imp 'e was, ran I 'im through an' 'e laughed, so I punched 'I'm in the face, 'e laughed sa'more. Taur was all limp at that point, so I subjugated 'im psychically, and tol' 'I'm to kill the bloke...he split 'I'm right in two."
Kae/Castle Gates/Afternoon 5
Persistence paid off. Kae had an indignant gleam in her eye as she wove threads of discord into whatever barrier that thing had put up around them and Meado. They would be able to advance. But this wasn't over. Kae felt obliged to give this walking abomination a present from on high...
She continued to make gestures as the six glowing celestial spheres wore on this barrier. It was constructed by the book, and rotes in print always had some sort of counter. Magicians had time to study spells. And Nora taught Kae to study the best foil to each of them, provided their school was able to produce one. With the way Lunar mages worked, most things did not go unanswered. Especially when it came to mental prowess.
Conjuring a few star shards and leaving them to orbit around her, the orbs absorbed into that barrier. It began to match Kae's anima and flake away. As it did, Kae readied herself to unleash serious retribution on Meado's heavily armored opponent.
"My patience has reached its limit. I will be rid of you!"
Sword in hand, Kae began to channel arcane power to her hands, waiting for the barrier to completely dissipate.
Jaden/Castle Town/Afternoon 5
It had hit the ground, and it needed to die. There was only one logical step for Jaden to take.
Charging at full speed once more, he leapt into the air, wildly slashing and stabbing at the Twinmold's head. Blood was flying everywhere; he was covered in his own and that of the beast. And he kept slashing even after it stopped moving, roaring loudly all the while. 
A few moments later, he started to huff a bit, staggering around. Looking over at Polaris, he nodded and grunted. It looked like he was starting to come out of his rage...and he looked worse than he did before he entered it. At least the poison left his system, but this tactic was quite costly. The Hylians would not have one of their leaders at top strength. 
Tobias Pepperwhistle/ Afternoon 5/ Castle Town Streets
Tobias stood and glanced off in the distance, sensing some sort of disturbance, "After that, I holed em up in a 'ut I foun' an' left 'im to sit til I needed 'im. Guess mah spell wasn' too concise since he took off all willy nilly on 'is own an' did Gods know what...Any'ow seems like things is bout to go bad for our boy, we need ta get there before 'e 'as more than 'e can 'andle. The barrier is waverin' I seen it wit me own eyes jus' now."
Senshi/Hyrule Castle/Evening 5
'''
Blades attack was to narrow allowing for Senshi to simply side step it and charge toward his armored target. "You'll need more then half-assed versions of Phoenix's tricks." 
Blade didn't even both dodging the upward slice from Senshi scythe knowing his armor would deflect the blow instead readying him to strike the cloaked warrior down the second he was close enough. To his surprise, even though the scythe was unable to so much as scratch he ancient armor he found himself stumbling back from a sharp pain in his chest from the shadow magic that passed through. "What the hell?"
"It's shadow magic, you really are a novice," Senshi followed through with his swing returning with a second strike for the opposing angle. The aura shrouding Blade sword suddenly shifted to cover his whole body absorbing the whole of Senshi's attack much to his dismay and surprise.
"Right, I get it, the element of death." Blade swung across with is now unenchanted sword only for Senshi to back flip out of the way. "It doesn't need to cut me to injure me. I get that, I just didn't know your weapon could do that, but all and all I guess that makes us even. After all, you didn't know how well I could use this coin." He pointed his sword at Senshi as the Aura left his armor and once again encompassed his weapons. A beam of star magic shot out from the tip catching Senshi square in the chest and launching him down the hall way.
"Or maybe I didn't," Senshi struggled to say as he fell to one knee coughing and struggling to breathe. "If your abilities were half as good as your boosting..." he paused forcing himself to breathe in deep as his stood back up only to end up briefly coughing violently once again. "...that would of killed me instead of just winding me a little."
"Lord Phoenix, out of curiosity, shouldn't we be helping General Blade?" One of the lower ranking Generals asked Phoenix as they all watch the two warriors trade blows in the hall.
"No, this will be a learning experience for the both of them. Besides I don't think you want to be caught in the middle of that."
"Fair enou- Wait? Both of them? Why wouldn't you want the enemy to learn something?"
"Shinigami isn't so much an enemy as he is a royal pain in my ass. Case in point you shouldn't concern yourself with any of the Light Warriors that aren't part of the Military, they're my problem. Wayward children aside Kae warned me early of something much worse lurking in the castle and as a result I can't allow myself to wait effort on breaking up a tantrum."
Blade let out a powerful slash sending a horizontal shock wave down the hall. The large crescent shaped attack was to wide for the passage and tore up the walls as it speed towards Senshi. The cloaked warrior dashed towards the shock wave rolling under it and stopping at the Armored General's feet. I he quickly drew his flaming sword and swung upwards. To Blade surprise the sword shot out of Senshi hand and nearly took off his head if he hadn't stepped back at the last second. Blade swung low hoping to catch Senshi before he was a second to slow. Senshi he jump into the air, deforming his scythe and grabbing onto the guard of his sword which was lodged into to the stone ceiling thanks the enhanced force the Golden Gauntlets put behind the throw.
Senshi flipped himself upside-down, pushing of the ceiling as he pull out his sword. He shot down at Blade at an impossible speed as he swung his sword with all his strength. Blade return in same causing the two to be surrounding in a swirling torrent of flame and celestial magics as they're sword swords collided. Senshi's sword, being merely enchanted with fire was not match of Blade's weapons, a sword with the powers of a sage forged into it's hilt as would become quickly apparent. The swirls of fire quickly gave way to the godly force of the star magic and Senshi was once again sent flying down the hall this time a little more worse for ware.
Blade rolling back into a ball and charged down the passage to flatten the intruder. Senshi was to slow to get back up to try and catch the ball or jump off it. The hall was to narrow for him to roll out of the way. With no means of escape, on pure instinct Senshi thrust out his palm and just inches before crushing his foe Blade was sent flying in the opposite direction. The telekinetic force throwing was so great it destroyed the walls as he passed and launched him through the wall and outside the castle. "It-it happened again."
"Again? You do that while your awake now!?" Phoenix called out as Senshi walked down the hall to see what had become of the General. To say he was surprised was an understatement, Senshi had never made an effort to control his telekinesis and knowing his psychic powers were cut off see this happen now didn't seem possible.
"I-I'm not really... I don't know how that..." Before Senshi could gather his through Blade appeared just outside the whole in the outer wall hoovering in mid air. His body was once again surrounded in his celestial aura though is looked much different from before probably reconfigured to allowing his flight. "Cute Trick," he said with a cold tone as he grabbed Senshi and threw him out of the castle. 
Senshi reformed his scythe allowing him to stop his decent in mid air as well. "You're one to talk. You know there was a time when only a few of us can fly. It's really annoyed when everyone else can do it, takes away the shock and awe effect."
"Yesterdays super weapons are today's cheap toys. Impossible spells become the easiest of tricks. War pushes us the these kinds of innovations, if you can't keep up its your problem."
"Innovations? More like everything old is new again. Well shall we press to round two?"
Polaris/ Late Afternoon 5/ Castle Town
Once the Rito brought it down, Jaden finished the other half of the Twinmold pair with a barrage of slashes, incapacitating it through sheer force. It was an impressive display. Polaris' would've commended him on his prowess, but in his primal rage, Jaden wasn't quite cognizant enough to appreciate the gesture, kudos would be given later. For now, the noble Sheikah needed another gesture, this constant protector of the people needed protecting and he staggered towards Polaris and he staggered his way to the Arctic General in search of this. Stumbling forward and falling into Polaris' arms just as he reached him.
"Jaden needs to die, eradicate the threat he poses. And lo! What moment more opportune!? Slip your blade between his ribs, stop his heart just as you did the day you claimed the glorious weapon. None would be the wiser, writing his death off, attributing it to the multitude injuries suffered in battle, only you would be privy.."
Polaris fought hard to resist the urge to lash out at those around him, letting such a valiant hero fall so low, a figurehead on the level that Jaden was, should be revered and protected. Kill him? Why?! Kill those that allowed him to end up in this state. Yes. The Rito, the infantry, all of them were to blame!
Polaris shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts swirling through his head. He fought against himself and the ever present urging and not so subtle suggestions presented by the entity only identified as Hothnite. How in the hell Lynn had managed to penetrate his psyche he didn't know. He resigned himself to not be the one responsible for the death of Bryseis, no matter what his frakked up mind was prompting him to do.
Dragging Jaden a safe distance from the central area, Polaris propped him up against a building and turned to the surrounding soldiers and started barking orders. "I want a large detail on him until he's back on his feet or until I figure out what the hell to do with him!"
The soldiers seemed tentative to follow his orders, angering him to no end, he was unaware of what caused this, but it pissed him off. Insubordinance was unacceptable, he was the superior of them all. He leapt forward and snatched the closest of the men up by the collar of his tunic and lifted him off the ground, his icy grasp evident as a thin layer of frost formed on the front of the mans armor, "I believe I gave you and your men an order soldier. It would be...unwise to turn a cold shoulder on my commands." As he whispered this in the mans ear the frost spread from the breast plate to the shoulder of his sword arm, as it began to freeze, the man tried to cry out, but Polaris' cool breath flowed into the mans gaping mouth, numbing the vocal chords to the point that all he managed was a rasping cough. Polaris released him and the ice that had begun to encapsulate him, subsided instantaneously. 
"Y-y-yess, s-s-sir!" With a look of sheer terror in his eyes, the man hurriedly gathered several of the men and set up a perimeter around Jadens body."Good. Make him comfortable..or else."
Feeling that he'd proven his point, Polaris walked back to the center of the courtyard, the Twili summoner, to his knowledge, had either disappeared during the fracas or hid somewhere, Polaris gazed around him at the carnage and for reasons foreign to him and his being, he was pleased and more than content to wait. For what however, he did not know.
IC: Shato - castle town - afternoon 5
With the hylian defenders occupied by her monster Shato took the opportunity to slink back to the twili lines. 
The wound on her shoulder was bleeding rather badly, and she could feel frostbite on her back. The skirmish hadn't gone as well as she had hoped. It was becoming increasingly clear from the battlefield that the Hylians were winning despite their smaller numbers. Shato could only curse Madyni's lack of true leadership for this blunder.
As she reached the relative safety of her own forces ranks she began to search for a medic. As she did she could hear a blood curdling shriek as the Twinmold monster crashed to the ground and exploded into smoke. "Hmph... even the titanic beasts of forgotten ages can't hold up to the hylians." she muttered in frustration.
Finally coming to a medic she quickly grabbed him by the arm. "Hey you! I need you to patch up my injuries!" she demanded in a sharp tone.
"Hmph, get in line. We've got more wounded than we can handle." the medic snapped back as he yanked free of her grip and tried to return to what he was doing.
"It wasn't a request." Shato shouted, grabbing him again and summoning the Helmorac King beneath the two of them. With a few powerful flaps of its wings the giant bird rose into the air and began to fly off from the battlefield. Looking down Shato could see the rear lines in utter chaos from the Hylians battle with Maydni. Within a couple minutes they had flown far enough away that they couldn't see anything that was happening at the castle town.
"Now then, heal me or I'll drop you off right now." Shato spoke in a more forceful tone. Shaking a little from fear the medic had no choice but to obey.
OOC Summary: Shato pulls out from the battlezone to get medical attention.
IC: Quell - castle town - afternoon 5
With his attack reflected by the paladins sheild Quell readied his ice shard for a kinetic strike. However before he was ready the paladin was enveloped by a whirling light and then suddenly appeared behind him. 
"Gah!!" Quell cried out as the paladin unleashed a fierce attack to his back. Crashing forward to the ground Quell cursed in frustration. His foe was much stronger than he had anticipated and trying to continue would only prove costly. Scanning the area quickly, Quell noticed a damaged section of the street had collapsed into the sewers.
"Hm, that tunnel network should be useful. Perhaps a less direct approach will be more effective..." Quell thought to himself as he used his gauntlets to blast the hole open wide enough for him to pass through. Flying into the hole he unleashed a wave of ice magic behind himself, causing an ice formation to burst forth like a blooming flower, plugging the gap behind him.
Maneuvering through the passages Quell quickly dissappeared into the mazelike tunnels.
OOC Summary: Quell retreats underground through the sewer tunnels.
IC: Felina - castle town - afternoon 5
Watching from above Felina descended near Seishi.
"Ha! He ran away like a coward." She called out with a triumphant tone. "You can give chase if you want, but I have no intention of chasing him through raw sewage." she said glancing at Seishi.
Glancing around she quickly spotted some hylian soldiers engaging against twili soldiers.
Landing she switched to coyote form and ran off to aid her allies.
Twilit Giga/Afternoon 5/Outside Castle Walls
The vomiting had stopped thankfully, and around him most of the other soldiers were busy trying to recover. He felt sick now, and woozy. At least, he thought the medic might have some sort of potion. He doubled back the way he had came, coming upon the medic who was over-busied with other soldiers looking for the same thing he was. 
What surprised him, though, was what he saw next. The summoner approached the medic and demanded to be healed. He refused, it seemed, as she quickly got angry and summoned some sort of giant bird, the same one he had seen fly away from Death Mountain yesterday.
Yet strangely, his anger subsided. He controlled his emotions as he thought out the best plan. No more hatred. This will be justice, not revenge. This Twili will answer for what she had done. As the bird flew off north, Giga closely watched their path and probable destination. Slowly, without making any sort of scene, he followed as best he could. Justice will be wrought. I'll make sure of that.
[b][color=red][hl=black]Daurubia[/color][/hl]/Afternoon 5/Fountain[/b]
[color=red][hl=black]"Whatever you are doing milady, I pray you do it fast. This Meado looks like he may be tiring."[/color][/hl] It was true, the Hylian's opponent should be obliterating this man, due only to pure size and strength. But somehow, he yet live. Though it sometimes seemed more through luck than skill, and luck couldn't last forever.
[color=red][hl=black]"I want to bring this Draknut down to size,"[/color][/hl] he said, clinching his fists.
Seishi/Battlefield/Later Afternoon 5
"Coward? Heh, kids these days. Can't tell a duel from war." Seishi laughed to himself as the young women who fought with him ran off the tackle other foes. He knew the difference between a coward running from a fight and a strategic retreat. That ice mage managed to avoid a fight he couldn't win while hiding himself away in a network of tunnels that could let him strike anywhere in the city. What was worse was the time it would take to melt the ice he blocked his escape with would make it impossible to catch up with. In the grand scheme of things that mage come out on top.
"Oh well I guess I'll just give Phoenix the heads up about that guy later, or that General kid. Assuming he's got half the brains to-" His sentence cut short as he saw a Light Burst attack illuminating the battle field at the rear line were he'd left his troops. "Damn it thank can't be good."
Summery:
Seishi laughs to himself over Felina's comments since he figures Quell came out on time after all that.
Ayala/Battlefield/Later Afternoon 5
"[Light Burst!]" Hundreds of blasts of light energy shot out from the Sword of Light in ever direction felling Twili by the dozens. Those unscathed yet still close enough to react charged Ayala in unison only to be cut down by a well time sword spin. The young dragoon leaped into the air landing in the middle of another cluster if Twili several yards away and repeats the process over and over.
Rin looked on in amazement and feminine pride as the tiny girl decimated the Twili's rare echelon, "Well ain't she a little spitfire."
"Yeah, how are we suppose to keep up with that. I mean maybe it's just me but ever since that darkness wave thing it's been kind of hard to move, or think." Gen chimed in while massaging his throbbing temples.
"Stop what ever it was is effecting everyone. Well except her which is why she able to clear a path for us." Dren drew his sword and started running toward the battle. "In other words, stop *****ing and start kicking some ass."
Polaris/ Afternoon 5/ Hyrule Castle Town
With the battle for Castle Town raging before him, Polaris stood and for awhile, that's all he did, at peace in this war zone, he observed all that took place. The Twili time and again battered the Hylian lines, it was a tug of war, a push and pull will against will. Man against man, both sides fighting for causes they believed to be "right" or "just" neither were willing to submit. 
"The role of spectator is nary a suitable one for you General. That you rest on laurels and merely watch is a travesty, it's time for your advancement."For once Hothnite said something that made sense.
Polaris twirled the Dagger in his hands, its rotation grew more and more rapid as he advanced. Pausing briefly, he looked over his shoulder at the spot where he'd left Jaden, the Sheikah was still flanked by a myriad of soldiers, protected on all sides. Content that his new found friend was well fortified, Polaris halted the rotation of the Dagger in his palm firming his grasp on the hilt. Almost as if it knew what to do, the blade extended outward, elongating and widening until it reached the size of a fully forged hand-and-a-half sword, it's balance perfect at the crossguard, even though the very edges were blurred and the "metal" for lack of a better term seemed to shimmer and swirl as if it were alive.
Leaping forward into the fray Polaris cut down one, two, three, four...the number of Twili felled by his hand started to pile up, the death toll was innumerable after a few minutes time. Breathing heavily, not from exhaustion, but excitement, the General pressed on. It wasn't long before the Twili had singled him out, a few of the braver fools attempted to rush him, only to be swallowed up in a whirlwind of arctic air, produced by a combination of his magicks and a subtle flick of his wrist with the Thunder Rod. Using its whirlwind capabilities to his advantage, Polaris swept the area where he stood clear of the dead.
A group of Hylian soldiers who'd been around him began to whoop and holler, pausing to celebrate his turning of the tides. "Don't." The celebration continued, the soldiers shirked their responsibility to the battle at hand, all of them wanting to get a peek at Polaris in action. Their complete disregarding of protocol infuriated him, undisciplined and ignorant of their roles in the battle at hand, they were unnecessary. There was no room in His army for men likethem. Roadblocks, impeding progress and ultimate victory, they were removed.
An immense wave of arctic energy erupted forth from where he stood, blasting out in all directions, the wave came to a crest about waist high, each and every Hylian soldier who, only moments ago had been chanting and screaming his praises froze below the torso. Their bodies cracked and popped like ice with warm water poured over it. Their upper bodies fell to the ground in unison, the thwump of blood drenched flesh and clothing striking stone echoed around him, all of them writhing as they bled out.
"They were warned."
Turning on his heel, Polaris marched back towards where he'd left Bryseis.
Twilit Giga/Afternoon 5/Battlefield
For the first time since his transformation, Giga noticed how scarce the Twili ranks seemed to be. In fact, other than the huddling mass of soldiers at the gate still, the numbers seemed staggeringly smaller than what he would have expected around him. And that number was only seeming to decrease.
On one hand, Giga knew this was a good thing. On the other, there were obviously Hylians out here, and they wouldn't think twice about knifing down what appeared to be a common Twili foot soldier.
To the north, he saw a flash of light spread out, killing dozens more. "S***, if I don't get out of here fast, I'll be as good as dead," he said under his breath. He looked again at where the giant bird was flying off to, knowing that possibly the most dangerous of the Twili was on top of it.
She'll have to wait, I suppose. For the first time, Giga noticed a hole in the ground, having no obvious signs of how it was made. He edged closer and looked down, and saw below a great river roughly 200 ft. down, with small ledges along the way, easily jump-able if he was careful. 
Despite the fact that Giga had no idea how to swim, he resigned to hop down to the first ledge. If things went south for the army, he would have to get out fast. This seemed like his only bet, and he was ready to take it.
Senshi/Evening 5/Hyrule Castle
Senshi swung his scythe again in and again, Blade struggling to parry each shot. He was strong but by no mean fast and hadn't had much practice fighting in the air. On the other Senshi had fought more battles like this then he could count and was out maneuvering the General. "I'm guessing you didn't plan this part out very well. Was it because you thought I couldn't levitate or because you thought that sage coin would give you the advantage?"
"I guess it doesn't matter does it." Senshi preformed a modifided helm splitter with his scythe why Blade once again barley managed to parry however Senshi, now behind his opponent quickly spun around with a powerful strike sending Blade flying back several feet. "Well, I finally hit you I guess when you use that aura to fly it doesn't act as a shield. For that matter you haven't been shooting any star light beams form that sword. I see, the amount of power you draw from that coin in limited. You can only manage on trick at a time. Hahaha, you're not even worthy to carry that thing."
"I guess that means I'll have to take it from you." Senshi darted forward and struck Blade again and again. He swung his scythe faster and faster to the point where Blade couldn't keep up and was only being save by his armor. Senshi readied himself for one final sword spin like blow but Blade dodged it by flying strait down. 
The General smashed into the ground throwing a cloud of dirt and debris around him to shroud him from view. "I had heard you Dark Warrior like to talk a lot but I really had no idea. You really just don't shut up." Blade once again focused the Star power onto his sword only this time with far greater intensity then even he thought he was capable. "My only mistake was trying to fight someone faster then my in the air, but I guess it worked out because it maybe realize to very important details. First you came after me, which means I get to choose the battle field. Second, even if you're faster then me in the air you're still not that fast, and that means from where I'm standing, you're a target. 
Blade pointed his blade towards the sky, the cloud covering him quickly disbursed for the shear power he was generating. "I'll show you use worthy of what you arrogent ****!" A massive beam of star magic fired from his sword. The blast, dwarfing his previous attacks in size and power was far to large and fast to Senshi to avoid. With no other options, will less then a split second to react, Senshi reached into the pouch on his belt.
Polaris/ Sunset Day 5/ Castle Town
"No! Damnit, I'll not play puppet to you." 
The weight of his actions bore down on him, such a waste of innocence. Throwing away able bodied soldiers, and for what? To satiate the blood hunger of Hothnite? It was a ludicrous act, a nigh overwhelming sense of shame rushed over him, if he were capable, Polaris would be blushing with anger. His thoughts were not his own, that was evident from his actions.
Yet...who's to say his actions weren't warranted? It isn't as if those measly pawns would've made a difference one way or another. They weren't fighting, weren't upholding the terms of their enlistment. Traitors. That's what they were, traitors to the crown. Shirking their responsibilities the way they did, they'd just as soon run and hide at the first opportunity. Or worse, if the tides of battle turned, they'd forsake their race and take up arms on the side of he Interlopers. He'd done the Hylian military a service by eliminating the threat.
"Yes."
Burying his face in the palms of his hands, Polaris cried out, "No! What the hell?!" Polaris clawed at his own face, gashes tore into the flesh, closing in upon themselves and healing almost as quickly as he gouged them out. Dropping to his knees Polaris sobbed a tear less lament as this all played out, he lost complete control of his powers. The ground around him froze over and a frigid gale whistled through the streets, ice blasted outwards in all directions spiky frozen crags shot up all around him, impaling the few remaining soldiers in the area.
"Alas, all admissions of the admirability of the theatrics and their results aside, get a hold of yourself man! Seriously now, as a general, your decorations were unrivaled, as are your accomplishments as a warrior, this...this is ridiculous!"
As much as Polaris despised the entity, Hothnite again made sense. Making a fool out of himself in the middle of a battlefield would solve nothing. He COULD overcome this, he COULD block Hothnite out completely, but he hadn't, and why? Because he shouldn't there was no reason to, the two could co-exist. 
"Yes. Now where was I?"
He turned round scanning the area for something, someone, anything, anyone, to kill. That's what he needed, what he craved. Blood shed would be the elixir to soothe his pain. His eyes passed from Jaden and his honor guard to the Rito, and back.
His eyes flashed white, as he mulled his options, "So much to kill, so little time."
Jaden/Castle Town/Afternoon 5
He was out cold after he had collapsed into the arms of one of his biggest inspirations. And he felt momentary dishonor as he fell, but he trusted him to protect. And that Polaris did.
Jaden was fortunate that he was unconscious as events transpired around him. The honor guard assigned to him didn't speak a word of it either out of fear that they'd share the fate of perfectly good soldiers who were needlessly killed. But they weren't going to speak up. Maybe the General had gone senile or his powers went out of control. Either way, they prayed the third battalion wouldn't get flash-frozen.
"Now I know why we're supposed to fear the Sheikah. He'd been going strong all day up until that Twili girl ripped his arm to shreds...and that primal stuff he did? If that was the Twili Commander there wouldn't be enough left to put in an urn!"
"Medic! Wounded VIP!"
A small detachment of clerics and field surgeons rushed over to where Jaden had been propped up, and they cringed when they saw him. Healing magics took care of most of his contusions, but they had to operate on his wrist to stop bleeding and repair all sorts of damage.
That wire had been laced with some sort of poison that really ate away at him...and one of the doctors was correct in diagnosing an allergy. As they irrigated his wounds, one of them began to start extracting bits of wire.
"Any lesser man would be dead from this kind of reaction. It's not even a rare poison, either. Extract's from a plant deep in the swamps of Faron. Antidote's pretty common. Let's see how much we have, cause he's gonna need a lot."
Chaos ensued around them, but they were not shaken. The soldiers stationed around the medical team would hold fast.
== Desert Blues ==
Darrel Mytura - Main Twili Encampment - Fifth Evening/Night
It was growing dark when Darrel came awake. His head was pounding and his wounds still pulsed painfully. He wasn't sure where he was, but through his blurry field of vision he could hear the sounds of clamor. Hammers struck anvils, armor creaked, and orders were shouted. It was clear that wherever he was, he was surrounded by a military force of reasonable size.
As things began to sharpen before him he started to realize that he was inside of a rather small tent. Heavy manacles chafed his wrists, ankles, and neck and were attached to a chain and stout post which was driven deep into the parched earth beneath him. He tried to rise, but found that he lacked both the strength and the slack to do so.
And then he started to remember. He'd been seized by a pair of Twili soldiers that had fled the battle outside of Hyrule Castle Town. They'd wanted to avoid falling or being captured when it turned into a rout. He'd heard them speaking as they'd taken him, but he'd lacked the strength to resist, wounded as he'd been in his fight with Shadow Nightingale.
The attempts to move about sent fresh waves of pain rippling through his body from his many wounds. He'd been attempting to meditate and let the energy of the soul revitalize and regenerate the wounded flesh, muscle, and bone when he'd been found. The Twili had said that they'd watched him on the field of battle, had seen what he was capable of. Without even testing them he knew that their fetters would be resistant to his or any other magical assault. He would need to regain his strength and then assess the situation fully. With that in mind, and with no knowledge of where he was or what his captors intended to do with him, Darrel seated himself cross legged, leaning with his back against the post to which he was bound, and sought the peaceful tranquility of the soul.
The one thing he had now, the one thing that could work in his favor, was time.
Lord Grem/Twili Desert Encampment/Just Past Twilight 5
The entrance to the tent was opened bu his aide, and Grem strode through in all his dark glory. The prisoner, chafed, bleeding and bruised, crouched bound by magic metals to a post. Grem gestured, and his aide brought a wicker chair and set it before the prisoner.
Grem took a seat and peered down at the seemingly broken Hylian before him. He did this in silence until, finally, the man lifted his head to look back at him.
"Hello, Mytura." Grem said with the slightest of smirks tugging at the corner of his lips. There was no response from the prisoner.
"So you are the apparent leader of the so-called 'Light Warriors'? My, but that is and embarrassment to the Hylians. Though, I suppose, this whole war is an embarrassment to your kin."
Another Twili manservant brought a goblet to Grem, than filled it from a freshly corked bottle. Grem swirled the liquid around the cup, watched the thin film around the edges as it slowly retreated back down.
"This is a good vintage, from our land. Potent, strong, for a wine. Brewed with a touch of the Shadow, actually, before that technique was banned." He took a sip, and shivered but slightly. "Ah. It suffuses the being. The shadowbrew, in some manner, takes the alcohol to the spirit, or so I'm told. One can become intoxicated in body, mind, and soul with enough ingested."
He leaned forward in the chair, steel gaze capturing Darrel's vision in a deadlock. "Of course, drink too much and it will kill you in ways far worse than any poison could conjure."
He set down the goblet, just within Darrel's reach. "Much the same with the Shadow, all told. Our mages live such dangerously short lives."
Leaving the goblet, Grem leaned back into the wicker chair. It creaked under his weight.
"Now, I'm sure you've gathered as much, I will need you to tell me everything you know of the Hylians, their defences, and these Light Warriors you... led. If you put yourself in my position, you see I have nothing else I can do with a prisoner of your stature, except execution." His eyes glinted, dangerous. "And I'm certain you don't want that. So, let me know what I want, and we work out a fine relationship."
Darrel's response was not vague in its refusal. Grem sighed
"Of course, I knew you'd say that, but lost nothing in asking first." He waved to one of the bodyguard troopers, who stepped forward. "Take him to the torturesmiths."
Darrel Mytura - Main Twili Encampment - Fifth Evening
The Sunrise Knight, a once great warrior for Hyrule and leader to its men at arms, was paraded through the Twili camp to the cheers and jeers of the soldiers he passed. He was still shackled with manacles of that strange magical material, only now the chains that ran from those shackles were attached to the heavy wooden yoke that he carried on his shoulders and around his neck. His strides were shortened by the leg irons that kept him from running.
The Twili, it appeared, were taking no chances that he might free himself from their bonds.
The soldiers that marched at the fore called for the way to be cleared before them, while the soldiers that marched at his back kept him moving at the points of their swords and their spears. Many were not shy about jabbing their weapons into him here or there, just because they could.
Darrel did not struggle, but simply moved as swiftly and as innocuously as he could manage. Now and then a Twili soldier would cast some scrap of food or drink into his face and still others loosed vile oaths and scathing strings of expletives. He supposed that he should have been flattered that he had a reputation even amongst these foreign tribes. It was clear to him that the Interlopers that had borne him across the lands south and west of the city had spread stories of the numbers of Twili that had fallen at his hands.
As the torture tents came into view, he sought the quiet and calm of the soul. He was going to need every ounce of composure that he could muster in order to withstand the torments he was about to endure. Their commander, Lord Grem if Darrel's hearing was accurate, wanted what he knew, or he wanted him broken. Either way, Darrel was prepared to frustrate him until the very end.
Darrel Mytura - Main Twili Encampment - Twilight of the Fifth
He couldn't say how long the torments lasted, for he endured many. He lost all sense of time, all sense of anything beyond the agony of the tortures visited upon him. Tortures of the flesh, tortures of the spirit that were driven by the arcane magicks of his captors. After a time he couldn't see, for he held his eyes closed against the blood that flowed from his innumerable wounds.
Even the voices of those who tirelessly worked him over became little more than distant echoes, incomprehensible through the fog of unbearable suffering.
The most curious of all, however, was that despite his graying consciousness he was cognizant of one singular fact. The Twili hadn't yet asked him a single question.
Bleeding, trembling, and weak, the Sunrise Knight remembered being dropped rather unceremoniously back on the dirt floor of his tent. He was aware of being chained once more to the post that had held him upon first awakening. Even from such a distant, near unconscious level he realized that the Twili would not resume their tortures until he was once again awake and alert, else the true agony of it would be wasted.
He had a long way to go yet.