There were so many people around here . . . once upon a time, Parapa "Village" had been little more than a few ramshackle huts, sustained only by an alehouse where all sorts of miscreants and ne'er-do-wells would gather at all hours. The Zora missed those times; though the town still couldn't compare with the cities of Hyrule Proper, it now had population enough to warrant people actually traveling here for reasons other than mischief and mayhem. What a tragedy.
He stayed mostly to back alleys as a result, the better to remain unnoticed amidst the flocks of honest laborers and traders who gathered here. Well, perhaps 'honest' wasn't the right term for them . . . but they had morals. Pitiful, pathetic little morals.
Fortunately, a few still held on to the old,
effective ways.
A pale blue hand reached up to rap on the back door of a long-standing building on the edge of town, quickly beating the passcode into the wood. With a sigh he sagged back in his stance and waited for it to open, which took only a few seconds. Ah, interesting . . . things were running efficiently today, which was a rare treat in this part of the world. A small smile graced his lips as he eased his way into the dark abode.
Only to vanish as he felt the needle brush against his neck.
He froze on the spot in the instant the metal touched him, already having some suspicions but not daring to turn around. Silent curses filled his mouth.
The door slid shut behind him, leaving only he and his assailant stuck in the pitch black chamber -- he had already scanned the building for any additional auras and found none. Obviously the 'army' stationed here by his supplier had already been dealt with. Which made the minimal aura he was reading from his attacker even more impressive, more frightening . . . and also more impressively, frighteningly familiar.
Five seconds in, he couldn't hold back any longer.
"Kihahahahahahahahahaha!! You saw me after all! How in Ganon's Hell did you manage that, you old fox! Kah haha hah hah!"
The voice that answered was not nearly so jovial, as expected. "So it
was you."
"But of course, dear child!" He spun his head around, letting the needle slide across his neck and head fin -- he was pretty sure he felt it puncture a hole or two, but nothing
fatal. As if
he had to worry about death . . . His eyes lit up he stared where he knew the other was speaking from. "Forty-seven hours I've been watching you, and I must say, I'm quite intrigued with what I've seen~!"
"Forty-two."
He blinked. "Sorry?"
"You've only been watching me for forty-two hours."
. . . Dark World, he was good. Er, well, he'd always been
good, but this made it clear that time had not atrophied his skills. "Fine. As you say . . . forty-two. But that hardly changes my disposition on the whole subject." His brow abruptly furrowed --
-- and then he was free from the needle, and standing on the opposite side of the chamber, all in a single second's time. He smirked at his attacker, and with a sweeping motion bowed before him on one leg. Even in perfect darkness, he knew the man would not miss the motion. "It's
so wonderful to see you again, my dear Wraith."
* * *
Alpha hissed as his target slipped out of his grasp the way only he could. Rage only multiplied tenfold at the derision suffered by the man's 'greeting', and it was all he could do to keep his magic from bringing down the entire building around them. After a few moments, he had himself under control again and walked forward a few steps. His staff clinked with each step over the rocky floor, a subtle reminder that he was armed and dangerous. Finally he came to a stop and sagged his shoulders: "I'm surprised it took so long . . . I was expecting you all to come after me years ago."
"Oh~? Is that so?" The man cackled off a laugh for several seconds, and was still shaking with amusement when he continued. "And what makes you think we're 'coming after you' now?"
His eyes narrowed as he stood upright again. So, it wasn't what he'd been expecting . . . or rather, what he'd been hoping for.
With a twirl, his staff shot up and around his head, ending its arc by pointing directly at the man. "Why follow me if not to
end me,
Serul?"
Even in darkness, his eyes could see the man slowly lean back and smile. "You sure you want to know~?"
Silence answered him.
After a moment, he shrugged. "How long has it been since you visited the underworld, Keyru Varaudo?" ---
The words suddenly came from behind him, whispered into his ears by a mouth mere millimeters from his face.
<center>--- "Have you heard . . . the rumors?" ---</center>
Just as quickly, from a dozen feet to his side.
<div align="right">--- "Rumors of one of our own having survived an attack by a merciless foe who has never failed to silence those it targets~. ---</div>
--- "What very few of them know, however," Serul spoke from his original position, "is that there seems to have been an onlooker. An observer, who saw in that moment a potential chance for
freedom. Who approached the surviving foe and literally
begged for their aid." The man cackled again. "Hihihahaha! And even got the promise of it, provided he could clean up a few menial messes scattered around the land. Become a chore boy for one organization to be free of another; how
classic!" The laughter died. ". . . At least, that is what you told your Deku friend, is it not?"
A scowl formed on his lips. "So you've been sent to stop me?"
"
Sent? ---
<div align="right">--- "Oh no, no, no. I was not
sent, dear Wraith. ---</div>
--- "But I happened upon you in your hour of need, old friend. ---
<center>--- "And I felt . . .
compelled--"</center>
"To stop me?" Alpha snapped, tired of having to turn his head every which way to keep up with Serul. That man did so adore his special magic . . .
And stop he did. But when he did, it was to ensure Alpha got a clear view of the new expression gracing Serul's face, one that was enough to send chills up the Sheikah's spine.
The man was dead serious. Goddesses, he'd never seen Serul look so focused before.
"Not to stop you, Wraith, no." Serul brought himself up to full height and marched forward until he stood within a foot of the Sheikah. Eyes narrowed, he glared straight into the depths of Alpha's crimson eyes with a Beamos' glare. "I wanted to
warn you.
"There was a time when your name struck fear in the hearts of all the Underworld. Wraith -- the
'Lightning Reaper' --
'Ganon's Second Shadow' --
'Yuuneri en Briannal' -- whatever name you went by, the souls of man knew to give you distance." Serul's hand suddenly shot out and grabbed the Sheikah's collar, hoisting him off the ground. "You were an Assassin! One of
Ganon's Assassins! Have you forgotten what that
means? What you did during those days? Even if you have rejected them, even if you never wanted to in the first place, the fact remains that you committed countless atrocities in Lord Ganon's name!"
He dropped Alpha and spun around, walking to the other side of the room. "There's a reason you were never informed of the White Wing Order, I'm sure. Lord Ganon alone knows what it was, but I can guess." The Zora turned his head and eyed Alpha with those pitch black eyes of his. "He figured you'd try something foolhardy like this. Did you know Ganon had a rule against allowing living people into his Assassins? He broke it in your case, no doubt due to your potential, but the rule's there for a reason: you Alive-rs have too much incentive to avoid our nasty line of work." A quick cackle broke through. "Someone dead like me already knows where they're going, figures he might as well make the best of it. You living folk still can hope to gain the goddesses' favor. Give a man like that a way to escape our tasks . . . chances are they'll take it without a second thought.
"But a second thought's exactly what they need. 'Cause it would never work out." He snapped his fingers, and suddenly a pipe appeared in his hands. Serul sagged down onto a crate and puffed a few times. All the while Alpha struggled between two urges -- listen to what Serul had to say, or kill him. The only reason the former won out was because he wasn't sure he could do the latter.
"Let me put it simply, in a way that you're sure to understand: the White Wing Order punishes those whose actions strike out against the natural order of the world."
Serul leaned forward, even as Alpha's blood ran cold.
'The natural . . . oh goddesses . . .'
"Now you're getting it," the Zora muttered. "There is
nothing more unnatural than what we Assassins do. The White Wing Order only stays away from us because of who our targets are." He scoffed, snickered, and cackled once more. "Kihaha! And of course because they couldn't hope to take us out without losing a number of their
precious members. Pfft, silly Orderlies . . ."
Alpha stayed silent, barely hearing those last few words. If Serul was telling the truth . . . he gulped. Magis had acted on impulse when Alpha had requested help with his scar, without consulting his superiors for approval in testing the Sheikah.
Magis wrote:"The highest among the White Wing Order know a lot about every single person on this planet... I however, am not one of them."
'The ones who know everything about me . . . are they even aware of my request? Of what I'm doing now?' If they didn't, they would know the moment Magis tried bringing him up to the clouds; if they did, they were likely allowing Alpha to continue on so as to better ensnare him once the missions were complete.
Because Serul was right: there was nothing natural about the Assassins' line of work. Even for the few who knew of the Assassins, Ganon had always hidden their true purpose. Most of them thought like Dogura had assumed: that they performed simple assassinations, as their name implied.
'If only that were true . . .'
"I'd say you're signing your death warrant if you continue this, Wraith, but honestly, it's far worse than that. You're asking for an eternity of torture the
moment you give yourself over to them. And unlike Lord Ganon, they won't make deals with you. Won't set you free in exchange for working for them. You drop yourself into their hands, you're there until the end of time. As someone who rather liked working with you . . . I want to keep that from happening."
The Assassin leaned back and then hopped up onto his feet, suddenly smiling wide. "Ahh . . . Honest to evil, I gotta say -- if I'd known how exciting Hyrule was becoming, I'd have come back here
years ago! HihihahaHA!" He walked to the exit, slapping the silent Sheikah on his shoulder as he passed. "I expect I'll be sticking around for a while, unless Lord Ganon finds some assignment for me in one of those
boring countries. Who knows, maybe some of the others will show up too!
"Hey! We could have a big reunion some time! Kahaha! Wouldn't that be
fun?"
Alpha spun around, a trio of needles flying from his hands -- only to embed themselves into the wooden doorframe.
Serul was already long gone.
There were so many people around here . . . once upon a time, Parapa "Village" had been little more than a few ramshackle huts, sustained only by an alehouse where all sorts of miscreants and ne'er-do-wells would gather at all hours. The Zora missed those times; though the town still couldn't compare with the cities of Hyrule Proper, it now had population enough to warrant people actually traveling here for reasons other than mischief and mayhem. What a tragedy.
He stayed mostly to back alleys as a result, the better to remain unnoticed amidst the flocks of honest laborers and traders who gathered here. Well, perhaps 'honest' wasn't the right term for them . . . but they had morals. Pitiful, pathetic little morals.
Fortunately, a few still held on to the old, [i]effective[/i] ways.
A pale blue hand reached up to rap on the back door of a long-standing building on the edge of town, quickly beating the passcode into the wood. With a sigh he sagged back in his stance and waited for it to open, which took only a few seconds. Ah, interesting . . . things were running efficiently today, which was a rare treat in this part of the world. A small smile graced his lips as he eased his way into the dark abode.
Only to vanish as he felt the needle brush against his neck.
He froze on the spot in the instant the metal touched him, already having some suspicions but not daring to turn around. Silent curses filled his mouth.
The door slid shut behind him, leaving only he and his assailant stuck in the pitch black chamber -- he had already scanned the building for any additional auras and found none. Obviously the 'army' stationed here by his supplier had already been dealt with. Which made the minimal aura he was reading from his attacker even more impressive, more frightening . . . and also more impressively, frighteningly familiar.
Five seconds in, he couldn't hold back any longer.
"Kihahahahahahahahahaha!! You saw me after all! How in Ganon's Hell did you manage that, you old fox! Kah haha hah hah!"
The voice that answered was not nearly so jovial, as expected. "So it [i]was[/i] you."
"But of course, dear child!" He spun his head around, letting the needle slide across his neck and head fin -- he was pretty sure he felt it puncture a hole or two, but nothing [i]fatal[/i]. As if [i]he[/i] had to worry about death . . . His eyes lit up he stared where he knew the other was speaking from. "Forty-seven hours I've been watching you, and I must say, I'm quite intrigued with what I've seen~!"
"Forty-two."
He blinked. "Sorry?"
"You've only been watching me for forty-two hours."
. . . Dark World, he was good. Er, well, he'd always been [i]good[/i], but this made it clear that time had not atrophied his skills. "Fine. As you say . . . forty-two. But that hardly changes my disposition on the whole subject." His brow abruptly furrowed --
-- and then he was free from the needle, and standing on the opposite side of the chamber, all in a single second's time. He smirked at his attacker, and with a sweeping motion bowed before him on one leg. Even in perfect darkness, he knew the man would not miss the motion. "It's [i]so[/i] wonderful to see you again, my dear Wraith."
* * *
Alpha hissed as his target slipped out of his grasp the way only he could. Rage only multiplied tenfold at the derision suffered by the man's 'greeting', and it was all he could do to keep his magic from bringing down the entire building around them. After a few moments, he had himself under control again and walked forward a few steps. His staff clinked with each step over the rocky floor, a subtle reminder that he was armed and dangerous. Finally he came to a stop and sagged his shoulders: "I'm surprised it took so long . . . I was expecting you all to come after me years ago."
"Oh~? Is that so?" The man cackled off a laugh for several seconds, and was still shaking with amusement when he continued. "And what makes you think we're 'coming after you' now?"
His eyes narrowed as he stood upright again. So, it wasn't what he'd been expecting . . . or rather, what he'd been hoping for.
With a twirl, his staff shot up and around his head, ending its arc by pointing directly at the man. "Why follow me if not to [i]end[/i] me, [color=blue][b]Serul[/b][/color]?"
Even in darkness, his eyes could see the man slowly lean back and smile. "You sure you want to know~?"
Silence answered him.
After a moment, he shrugged. "How long has it been since you visited the underworld, Keyru Varaudo?" ---
The words suddenly came from behind him, whispered into his ears by a mouth mere millimeters from his face.
<center>--- "Have you heard . . . the rumors?" ---</center>
Just as quickly, from a dozen feet to his side.
<div align="right">--- "Rumors of one of our own having survived an attack by a merciless foe who has never failed to silence those it targets~. ---</div>
--- "What very few of them know, however," Serul spoke from his original position, "is that there seems to have been an onlooker. An observer, who saw in that moment a potential chance for [i]freedom[/i]. Who approached the surviving foe and literally [i]begged[/i] for their aid." The man cackled again. "Hihihahaha! And even got the promise of it, provided he could clean up a few menial messes scattered around the land. Become a chore boy for one organization to be free of another; how [i]classic[/i]!" The laughter died. ". . . At least, that is what you told your Deku friend, is it not?"
A scowl formed on his lips. "So you've been sent to stop me?"
"[i]Sent?[/i] ---
<div align="right">--- "Oh no, no, no. I was not [i]sent[/i], dear Wraith. ---</div>
--- "But I happened upon you in your hour of need, old friend. ---
<center>--- "And I felt . . . [i]compelled[/i]--"</center>
"To stop me?" Alpha snapped, tired of having to turn his head every which way to keep up with Serul. That man did so adore his special magic . . .
And stop he did. But when he did, it was to ensure Alpha got a clear view of the new expression gracing Serul's face, one that was enough to send chills up the Sheikah's spine.
The man was dead serious. Goddesses, he'd never seen Serul look so focused before.
"Not to stop you, Wraith, no." Serul brought himself up to full height and marched forward until he stood within a foot of the Sheikah. Eyes narrowed, he glared straight into the depths of Alpha's crimson eyes with a Beamos' glare. "I wanted to [i]warn[/i] you.
"There was a time when your name struck fear in the hearts of all the Underworld. Wraith -- the [i]'Lightning Reaper'[/i] -- [i]'Ganon's Second Shadow'[/i] -- [i]'Yuuneri en Briannal'[/i] -- whatever name you went by, the souls of man knew to give you distance." Serul's hand suddenly shot out and grabbed the Sheikah's collar, hoisting him off the ground. "You were an Assassin! One of [i]Ganon's Assassins[/i]! Have you forgotten what that [i]means[/i]? What you did during those days? Even if you have rejected them, even if you never wanted to in the first place, the fact remains that you committed countless atrocities in Lord Ganon's name!"
He dropped Alpha and spun around, walking to the other side of the room. "There's a reason you were never informed of the White Wing Order, I'm sure. Lord Ganon alone knows what it was, but I can guess." The Zora turned his head and eyed Alpha with those pitch black eyes of his. "He figured you'd try something foolhardy like this. Did you know Ganon had a rule against allowing living people into his Assassins? He broke it in your case, no doubt due to your potential, but the rule's there for a reason: you Alive-rs have too much incentive to avoid our nasty line of work." A quick cackle broke through. "Someone dead like me already knows where they're going, figures he might as well make the best of it. You living folk still can hope to gain the goddesses' favor. Give a man like that a way to escape our tasks . . . chances are they'll take it without a second thought.
"But a second thought's exactly what they need. 'Cause it would never work out." He snapped his fingers, and suddenly a pipe appeared in his hands. Serul sagged down onto a crate and puffed a few times. All the while Alpha struggled between two urges -- listen to what Serul had to say, or kill him. The only reason the former won out was because he wasn't sure he could do the latter.
"Let me put it simply, in a way that you're sure to understand: the White Wing Order punishes those whose actions strike out against the natural order of the world."
Serul leaned forward, even as Alpha's blood ran cold. [i]'The natural . . . oh goddesses . . .'[/i]
"Now you're getting it," the Zora muttered. "There is [i]nothing[/i] more unnatural than what we Assassins do. The White Wing Order only stays away from us because of who our targets are." He scoffed, snickered, and cackled once more. "Kihaha! And of course because they couldn't hope to take us out without losing a number of their [i]precious[/i] members. Pfft, silly Orderlies . . ."
Alpha stayed silent, barely hearing those last few words. If Serul was telling the truth . . . he gulped. Magis had acted on impulse when Alpha had requested help with his scar, without consulting his superiors for approval in testing the Sheikah.
[quote="Magis"]"The highest among the White Wing Order know a lot about every single person on this planet... I however, am not one of them."[/quote]
[i]'The ones who know everything about me . . . are they even aware of my request? Of what I'm doing now?'[/i] If they didn't, they would know the moment Magis tried bringing him up to the clouds; if they did, they were likely allowing Alpha to continue on so as to better ensnare him once the missions were complete.
Because Serul was right: there was nothing natural about the Assassins' line of work. Even for the few who knew of the Assassins, Ganon had always hidden their true purpose. Most of them thought like Dogura had assumed: that they performed simple assassinations, as their name implied.
[i]'If only that were true . . .'[/i]
"I'd say you're signing your death warrant if you continue this, Wraith, but honestly, it's far worse than that. You're asking for an eternity of torture the [i]moment[/i] you give yourself over to them. And unlike Lord Ganon, they won't make deals with you. Won't set you free in exchange for working for them. You drop yourself into their hands, you're there until the end of time. As someone who rather liked working with you . . . I want to keep that from happening."
The Assassin leaned back and then hopped up onto his feet, suddenly smiling wide. "Ahh . . . Honest to evil, I gotta say -- if I'd known how exciting Hyrule was becoming, I'd have come back here [i]years[/i] ago! HihihahaHA!" He walked to the exit, slapping the silent Sheikah on his shoulder as he passed. "I expect I'll be sticking around for a while, unless Lord Ganon finds some assignment for me in one of those [i]boring[/i] countries. Who knows, maybe some of the others will show up too!
"Hey! We could have a big reunion some time! Kahaha! Wouldn't that be [i]fun[/i]?"
Alpha spun around, a trio of needles flying from his hands -- only to embed themselves into the wooden doorframe.
Serul was already long gone.