Inside the falls
* * *
The room wasn't very large. About as large as an oversized living room, in all actuality. Through the large stone doors, and into the cavern, it looked like the place was furnished pretty well. There were about four wooden chairs surrounding a small table that sat in the middle of the room. Under the table, sat a medium sized Hylian rug, which had designs of the tri-force sewn into it, along with the royal family's symbol. North of the table, there was a wooden desk set up with diagrams and schematics laying all over it. Test tubes and beakers around the small work area made it clear that the samurai was still an alchemist, and still an inventor. East of the table was a pit of rocks and a rotisserie hanging over the pit. Scraps of meat still hung from the rotisserie, and there was still a smokey smell in the air.
To the west of the table were two small wooden beds made out of common trees from around the area. They were topped with guay feathered matresses, and medium sized makeshift blankets covered the beds neatly. Dogura beckoned the adventurers forward to sit in the available chairs. Shigure, knowing he was too big for any of the chairs, decided to have a seat on the cavern floor. He let out a heavy sigh, and leaned back on his hands, intent to hear what the samurai had to say. Darkin moved over to the far side of the room, and reached behind some of the junk on the work table. He pulled out a fancy looking wooden staff, which had designs painted all over it. He returned to the adventurers, and held it out in front of him. The staff began to glow, and before healing all of Saber's wounds, made a pleasant calming sound. The Rito would continue to heal the adventurers as Dogura explained his revival.
Dogura stared at the ceiling, as if wondering where to begin. Finally, he broke the silence. "After Gohma was slain, which I'm sure you all remember, Darkin, Fang, and myself traveled South towards our home. After a few days of travel, we finally came to the old country we grew up in: Shadowclaw." He folded his arms, and looked at Darkin, who was now moving on to Ruca. "Our country was in ruins. There were no survivors. Weapons, spilt blood, and bodies littered the streets. Some of the villagers weren't even in one piece. We were horrified." One thing the samurai was normally good about was keeping his emotions under control. Unwavering, he continued the tale. "Darkin and I weren't the only ones horrified. Even Fang, the darker one in the group was shaking like a leaf... We decided to split up, and look for clues on what happened, and by who's hands. Eventually, we found a clue that led us to believe that Moblins had a hand in it. Thankfully, the clue I'd found also pointed us in the right direction. After heading East for an undetermined amount of time, we sure enough, came to a moblin castle." He frowned, and turned his head in the direction of the falls, which could faintly be heard through the thick stone doors.
"In a state of hatred, and senseless blind fury, Darkin, Fanf, and I completely eradicated the inhabitants of the entire castle." Darkin nodded. "It's true." He chimed in, finishing up with Ruca, and moving on to Victor. Shigure raised an eyebrow. "If what you say is true..." He paused, and smiled. "You're certainly your father's son." Dogura closed his eyes, and shook his head. "No... I'm not." Shigure cocked his head, clearly confused by the man's statement. "If you knew my presumed father, Rendd Shadowclaw, I'd like to hear about it later, but right now, I've got some interesting news for all of you." The room fell silent until Dogura spoke again. "Rendd Shadowclaw is not my father. Tybalt Shadowclaw, Rendd's younger brother is my real father." Shigure's jaw dropped. "You're... Surely you jest." Dogura shook his head, and stared at the ceiling again. "When the first born heir to the Royal family is born, a certain process must take place within ten years of the child's birth. His body must become a vessel for the Royal Family's demon- Shadowclaw." Shigure knew of the demon, but did not know of it's rules. He listened closely like the others.
"Rendd had a child, but could not bear to pass the demon on to his own son- so what he did was use Tybalt's newborn son: Dogura Shadowclaw. He infused the demon into me instead of his own son, figuring he could fool the monster. A foolish decision." He stopped, and moved towards the table, leaning on it. "Rendd Shadowclaw's real son died at the age of ten. I however, did not." By now, Darkin had finished healing Shigure, and retreated to his bed to fix himself up. "Rendd took me in as his own child, and raised me. According to Rendd, who I will continue to call my father, Tybalt didn't want to raise a child. Tybalt let Rendd take me in. I leanred a majority of this information upon reaching the top of the moblin castle. Tyablt was there, and according to any information I could put together, Tybalt was the one behind the slaughter of Shadowclaw. It was about then that I blacked out." Dogura nodded to Darkin, and took a few steps back, giving Darkin the floor. The Rito placed his staff on the matress, and proceeded to move towards the table.
"Ahem. Anyhow, here's what happened after Dogura lost conciousness. It's my best guess that when Dogura lost complete control of his mind and emotions, Shadowclaw saw a golden opportunity to sieze Dogura's mind, and succeeded. Now under a full possession of the creature, Dogura moved across the room like something out of a scary novel. Inhuman speed, even for Dogura. It was more like teleportation, really." He scratched the back of his feathered head, and placed his hands behind his back. "Dogura took the life of Tybalt, and then drew his sword upon himself, and then took his own life. Despite my elementary healing abilities, and all of Fang's remaining magic power, we couldn't manage to bring him back to the world of the living." Darkin sniffed as if he were going to cry. "I lost my best friend that day... But I won't let that happen a second time. Fang and I decided to remove Dogura's armor, and his sword from his body before we buried it. I kept his belongings at my cottage in Ruto town, and I even made sure they never gathered dust."
Dogura stepped forward, and cut in. "Creepy as that sounds, it's a good thing he did. Because you're never going to believe what happened to me." Darkin mumbled something, and took a few steps back, leaning against the cavern wall. "In the very next instant, I was in an unbearably hot place, where smoke clouded the air, embracing the stench that hung in it. I had no idea when I'd arrived there, or how. There were rock formations, and cavern like walls. I fell to my knees in agonizing pain. At first, I'd figured that something my lungs were unfamiliar too was in the air, but that didn't explain the way I was feeling." Dogura cleanched his fists, and grabbed his chest. "I felt like I was being torn into two seperate pieces. Half of my body wanted to reach right, while the other was tearing to the left. Somehow, I flung across the dark room, and I hit the wall. It was after hearing the sound the wall made when I hit it, I realized that I was still in my armor, and I still had my sword. The feeling of comfort that flowed through from that realization vanished as quickly as it'd come. I looked up to something I never thought I'd lock eyes with- Shadowclaw."
He gripped his chest again. "That thing that lived inside me managed to escape my body in what I now understand to be hell." He looked up at everyone, and it was now noticable. Anyone who knew the samurai from before would notice that the sharp stone look in his eyes had vanished. His eyes almost seemed warm and inviting now. Was the demon a part of his personality and being? Everyone would have to keep listening to find out. "It escaped my body, and ravaged about, until it eventually disappeared into the darkness. However, very soon after it's escape, monsters began appearing at every corner of the area. Large ones, small ones, monsters who had to drag their half missing bodies across the floor... Unfathomable horrors appeared to me. A horribly deformed bokoblin took a swing at me with it's club, and I slayed it easily, as I did the other demons. They weren't very skilled, but there were far too many of them for me to handle on my own. I fought with all I had, but still wound up losing my left arm, and my right eye." He held up his wooden arm, and moved it around.
"As for what happened next, it was only a miracle- Farore smiling on me from even the deepest corner of hell. A large being, who I believe to be Ganon himself appeared before, and warded the demons off. They disapated into the darkness, and left me there to bleed out. I stood there, drenched in my own fluids, unaware of what was happening. Then, to my surprise, it spoke to me. It explained to me that my skills were beyond many of his minions, and that he was impressed with my abilities." Dogura stared off into the random area of the room. "It told me that it wanted me to be... It's new Grim Reaper." Darkin spoke from across the room. "I didn't even know the Grim Reaper was real!" Dogura nodded to Darkin's statement. "I didn't believe that death had a physical manifestation either... But this was something different. It explained that my job would be to drag as many innocent souls to hell as I could. Of course, I couldn't understand why I should agree to the deal- until it continued. It told me that it would grant me my life back, and even return me to Hyrule."
Shigure gave the samurai a skeptical look. "You're not lying... are you?" Dogura shook his head, and stared at him with sincere eyes. "I swear on my mentor's holy soul that I am telling you nothing but the truth as I remember it." Shigure stood up, and placed his hands on his hips. So... You agreed to this deal." Shigure's mind began racing. The doors were closed shut behind them, and honestly, they were trapped. A chill ran through the Goron's body, as he contemplated the possibilities. "I accepted the deal, but I had no intention of holding up my end of the bargain." These words put Shigure somewhat at ease, but he was still on a careful watch. "The monster waited until I accepted the deal to reveal the final details to me. He explained that if I wanted my eye and my arm back, I'd first have to send five hundred souls to hell." Shigure was now nearly completely at ease by now. Shigure knew that if this man had
any of Rendd's skills, he could have easily accomplished this feat by now. "I was returned to this world completely naked, and hungry beyond belief. My wounds were closed, and I was generally unharmed, save for the missing eye and arm."
Dogura held up his wooden arm once more, and moved it around. "I decided to find Darkin, and started with his home in the mountains." Darkin held the side of his head. "And boy, was I surprised to see him. I really didn't know what to think." Dogura smiled. "But thankfully, Darkin still had my old belongings, and I was able to clean up and stay with Darkin for a while... That is, until whoever granted my life back realized that I wasn't intending to hold up my end of the bargain." The samurai shifted uncomfortably. "We were out one day running a small errand, when we were attacked by a large number of Moblins and Lynel. After Darkin and I defeated them, we choked some information out of a Moblin who was still clinging to life. He stated that Ganon knows of my attempt to escape my end of the bargain, and that I'd never succeed. He informed me that more and more of them would be looking for me, and they'd be searching far and wide for me. So far, the only place I've lived out of the many that I actually feel safe in, is this cavern. I've been living here behind the falls for nearly a month and a half, and I they still haven't found me."
Darkin looked at the adventurers apologetically. "This is why... Well, that's the reason I felt that I had to dispose of you all before any of you could relay information to Ganon about our current living quarters. Don't get me wrong, I'd never confuse people like you for Ganon's minions, but... More recently, a group of Wizzrobe used a spell to change their appearance... They appeared as some of Dogura's friends, and we let them into where we were living. They nearly got us that time, and I wasn't about to fall for anything like that again." Dogura sighed, and pointed to his work station. "It was over there that I finally finished the design for the magically powered arm of mine. It has a good sturdy frame, and it's even been made to be able to extend a little bit." He demonstrated the arm's power to extend and retract. "With an old friend's help, and Fang's powerful magic, we were able to enhance the arm to react like my old arm. I can move it like a regular arm, and even work the fingers to a degree. I cannot, however, wield a weapon with this arm."
He nodded to Saber. "So Sabertache, you can keep the dagger if you wish- I've no use for it." He pointed to his missing eye. "But this... This is something I still haven't thought of a cure for
this problem. Dogura pounded his chest with a clenched fist, and smiled confidently. "But through fighting that many monsters for what seemed like a hellish eternity, I've grown much stronger. I feel more in shape than I ever have, and alive too! I still yearn for adventure, and I still plan to grow even stronger." Darkin smiled, and raised a fist to join in Dogura's enthusiasm. "Yeah! That's the spirit!" Dogura smiled at his old friends, and even at the new. "Things have certainly changed around here... It seems that time moves a lot slower in hell than it does here... So much has changed." Walking across the room, Dogura sat down on his bed. "It certainly is good to see some of you alive and well. I plan to be beside you all in the revival of the South... Even though it
is especially dangerous for
me to show myself to Ganon's minions.
He stood, and his face hardened. "But I swear... My face will be the last thing they'll ever see. I cannot forgive them for what they've done to my home- my people- my family, and my friends. I'll see to it myself that the South is liberated from these filthy beings." Darkin placed his hands on the table, and nodded. "And I'll do all I can whenever I can." Standing up once more, the samurai walked over to the large doors, and threw them open. The faint sound of the falls turned into a roar as the mist showered the warrior. "I'm back, and never will I let something like this happen to anyone else." He turned to the warriors, and grinned. "What say you... to some good old fashioned monster hunting?" Shigure stood from his position, and smiled larger than he had in a long time.
You lead the way... Assuredly son of Rendd...
OOC: That's it kids. The big ending of my story. There might possibly be small story arcs after this, but they're not required. Just for fun. Don't get me wrong, Dogura is my main, but that doesn't mean you've seen the last of Shigure, Taint,
or the newest addition to the group: Lilly Willowfrost.
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