OOC: I hate school.

And that's all I have to say about that.

IC:
Allconus laughs as Leth, Drommlin, and Karuna charge forward . . . or rather, Zaboorak laughs. "Foolsss!" he cries condescendingly. "Go ahead; kill a loyal servant of Hyrule! You cannot touch me." Noval grimaces as he rolls out of the way of another of Laxin's crushing blows, knowing that these words are true. Allconus has done no wrong; it isn't his fault that Zaboorak was able to overpower his mind and seize control of his form . . . If only . . .

The next few seconds are naught but a blur of motion for the four beings participating in this short sequence of attacks. Allconus, fueled and empowered by Zaboorak's control and skill, sees Leth coming and brings his staff to bear. With it he bats Leth's first dagger aside, then his left hand shoots forward and grabs Leth's weaker sword hand, using the momentum to flip him over his back and hurl him to the ground (5+3[Roll+AGI] vs. 12+3[DEF+AGI]). Karuna experiences similar difficulty, as the councilor whirls around like a top to face him. He releases his staff mid-turn, hurling it at the Goron with all his strength. It impacts right against Karuna's grip, causing him to falter and drop the sword for a few precious seconds so that he is unable to complete his attack (1+2[Roll+AGI]).

But just as things seem at their worst for the defenders of the Royal Family, the spear wielding member of Leth's ensemble strikes. Drommlin's spear reaches out and gashes through the Hylian's side, knocking him back a few steps as pain overwhelms him (19+3[Roll+AGI]). He clutches at the hand at his side . . . smiling all the while. Zaboorak's maniacal laughter emerges from his lips as a black orb appears in his hand. With a flourish, the Shadow Elemental Burst launches outward at a speed that is too swift to dodge, and Drom takes the blast right in the face (10+1[Roll+SPI]). The blast deals 15 DMG, enough to take out the rest of the Hylian's health and knock him to the ground.

Laxin both cringes and barks a laugh as Allconus takes a hit and then retaliates with even more force than is necessary. Well, Lord Zaboorak can't feel any of the pain of those attacks, but it'd sure be a shame for him to loose that puppet of his. Wait - Laxin shifts to the side, narrowly dodging out of the way of Noval's blade (17+15[Roll+AGI] vs. 21+13[DEF+AGI]) as the Hylian general tries to take advantage of his momentary lapse in attention. "Too slow, General!" he cries out as his hammer swings, connecting cleanly with Noval's side (20+21[Roll+AGI]). The pleasantly familiar sound of bones shattering beneath its strength meets his ears, causing a grin as he shifts his weight and his stance. Once his grip is firm again, he turns around and carries it into another powerful blow on the shield protecting the royalty.

Then Alpha is darting into the fray, grabbing a handful of pebbles from around the destroyed portion of the flooring and knocking them into his Slingshot before unleashing them on General Laxin. None of them actually hit their mark, but they do manage to get the Hakiem's attention, giving Noval a few precious seconds to recover from his new injuries.

Alpha: 26 HP, 25 SPL
Raven: 4 HP, 6 SPL
Kasei: 19 HP, 9 SPL
Pyre: 12 HP, 15 SPL
Dogura: 11 HP, 17 SPL
Tayro: 22 HP, 17 SPL
Leth: 9 HP, 11 SPL
Karuna: 19 HP, 6 SPL
Drommlin: eliminated
Polari: 12 HP, 9 SPL
Shada: 19 HP, 25 SPL
Koura: 9 HP, 21 SPL
Calla: eliminated
Denning: 11 HP, 30 SPL
Fang: 31 HP, 30 SPL
Rose: 39 HP, 3 SPL
Firerova: 32 HP, 31 SPL
Icerova: 43 HP, 34 SPL
Nogare: 69 HP, 12 SPL
Colonel Horren Veldam: 29 HP, 9 SPL
General Richarn Noval: 181 HP, 150 SPL

Sovelis - eliminated

L2 Hakiem #1 - eliminated
L2 Hakiem #2 - eliminated
L2 Hakiem #3 - eliminated

Sir Allconus - 46 HP, 44 SPL
General Laxin - 568 HP, 203 SPL, Double DMG
STR - 17; DEF - 13; AGI - 21; INT - 13; SPI - 25

Their Majesty's Barrier - 130 HP

"Ugh." Kasei said, standing tall, and reassessing the situation, and realizes the only way to end this is to kill everything, so he pulls a Goku and his hair turns yellow.

STR>>>9
AGI>>>9
INT>>>4
SPI>>>1
DEF>>>8
SPL>>>100
HP>>>70

"DIE" He roars, blowing up everything in sight.

OOC: Jking, that's what I'd like to use as my stats, thought.......

the real IC: Kasei stood tall, scimitar out. it seemed that all of the underlings were taken care of, now it's just the big guys who go.....

He smiled, and stood back. He analyzed a bit. Allconus was possessed. He could be seriously hurt should Kasei face him, and the rebel flame refuses to hurt innocents. He then looks at the other enemy; General Laxin. He would be a problem. Definitely. Kasei needed to focus on him, and focus he did. He raised his left hand, and let his fire form in it. "Take this!" He shouted, letting the inferno fly at the enemy.

A simple dodge was all the Tarmian needed. Then others came in for the attack, so Rose waited. When the possessed advisor finished his attack, the druidic ranger moved in, lunging forward with sword and knife [Dual Wield L1].

After their attack on the Tempest, Sheena and Haru scanned the battlefield for Rose. Seeing that she was still engaged with Allconus, they decided it best to help her. They also decided that they still have some magical energy left, so they didn't need to bring out their elemental weapons yet.

While Haru rushed forward, preparing and shooting off a flare [Elemental Burst L2, Fire], Sheena eyed their fellow Gerudo. Koura had seemed especially enraged by the felling of the Rito girl, and so undoubtedly, she would've wanted to deal the final blow to the traitor. Figuring that there might be hell to pay later, she leaned forward and whispered, "If you're going to get pissed off, get pissed off at Haru." And then she was off over bodies to assist her sister and friend with a ball of ice, aimed for the councilor's head [Elemental Burst L2, Ice (Water)].

OOC: You scared me with that pseudo-IC for a moment, kasei.

Koura calmly turns to Sheena as the ice-loving Gerudo speaks to her. Though her movements bely no rage of any sort, one needs only look into her eyes to see Koura's furious spirit just itching for a chance to unleash itself on those responsible for hurting Calla. Of course, the real villain in that regard was Sovelis, and she's already taken care of the foolish Tempest. Still, her voice is not mad; however, it actually seems more frightening in its calmness during this tumultuous battle than it would if she had spoken in rage. "Oh, don't worry. I won't hold it against you two if you blast his head off and crumple his body into a million pieces."

Even while Rose and the Veilmist sisters are charging in for their own attacks, Kasei's raging Fire spell leaps out from his hands to engulf the other target, General Laxin of the Hakiems Tribe. Noval uses the distraction to quickly return to his feet and back away from his foe, backpeddling to where Alpha stands. "I don't think we can beat him - not like this." Alpha only nods in understanding, not even looking over to where the Hylian general stands. They stay like this long enough to see Kasei's flaming barrage come to an end . . . and to realize that the Hakiem has not been injured by the attack at all. A sphere of high velocity winds has encircled him like a shield, propelling any fire that gets anywhere close to him up and away, where it coalesces in a second sphere of wind just waiting to be unleashed. Nothing but warmth like a nice summer's day has been able to reach its target (7+25[Roll+SPI] vs. 25). Laxin is suddenly gone from sight, reappearing a moment later behind Kasei himself. His hammer rises up above the Rebel Flame's head . . . only to crash down into the floor two feet from where Kasei stands. The General leans down next to Kasei and whispers one little phrase into his ear.

"You're not worth the effort, rebel."

Alpha pales at the sight of Kasei being taken so low; Laxin is just out to humiliate them all now. The only one he sees as a worthy opponent is Noval, and the general himself hasn't exactly proved to be much of a match for the Sheikah. "You do know who the Golden Ones are, right?" Noval's face whips around to look at the speaker, waiting for Alpha to continue. Which he does. "Koura's Goldforce Power might be able to match the General's, but she lacks the experience needed to use it to its fullest." Noval nods in pained agreement. "So I must know . . . the King . . . is he the Golden Hylian?"

Noval's desire to respond is put on hold as Laxin speeds over to the barrier guarding the Royal Family. With a swing of his hammer, the shield is struck one more mighty time, weakening it to the point where the energy creating it begins to fluctuate. Within the orb can be seen both the King and Princess cringing under the force of the strike, and sweat beginning to mount on their foreheads as they try their best to keep up the mighty defense. But such a thing is not easy . . .

. . . for at that very moment, Laxin reaches upwards with a palm and directs the wind sphere containing Kasei's Fire spell to smash into the barrier as well. The magical flames pound against the seal, further damaging it.

Noval looks back to Alpha. "No, I'm afraid he's not."

While all this mess is going on around Laxin and his opponents, Rose and her allies all charge in together against Allconus. Rose's daggers are the first thing to enter the fray, yet with a simple leap upwards the possessed councilor is able to dodge past her and avoid the attack completely (7+5[Roll+AGI]). A similar method is used against Hanu's fiery Elemental Burst (19+7[Roll+SPI]) as he simply steps out of the way of the oncoming assault.

However, his luck cannot hold up forever. Sheena's icy blast catches him full in the back of the head, pitching him forward and onto the ground (7+7[Roll+SPI]). He lies there for several moments before his hands move, and he . . . begins clapping. "Oh, well done my dears!" Zaboorak cries from the safety of the Hakiems' base, miles upon miles away from the carnage of this battle. "Yesss, yesss, you're doing an excellent job at attacking a man who cannot help what he'sss doing - a perfectly innocent man, I ssshould add! Ha-ha, keep thisss up, and you might even find yourssselvesss doing asss well in life as Ganondorf did all thossse centuriesss ago!"

Alpha: 26 HP, 25 SPL
Raven: 4 HP, 6 SPL
Kasei: 19 HP, 4 SPL
Pyre: 12 HP, 15 SPL
Dogura: 11 HP, 17 SPL
Tayro: 22 HP, 17 SPL
Leth: 9 HP, 11 SPL
Karuna: 19 HP, 6 SPL
Drommlin: eliminated
Polari: 12 HP, 9 SPL
Shada: 19 HP, 25 SPL
Koura: 9 HP, 21 SPL
Calla: eliminated
Denning: 11 HP, 30 SPL
Fang: 31 HP, 30 SPL
Rose: 39 HP, 3 SPL
Firerova: 32 HP, 31 SPL
Icerova: 43 HP, 34 SPL
Nogare: 69 HP, 12 SPL
Colonel Horren Veldam: 29 HP, 9 SPL
General Richarn Noval: 181 HP, 150 SPL

Sovelis - eliminated

L2 Hakiem #1 - eliminated
L2 Hakiem #2 - eliminated
L2 Hakiem #3 - eliminated

Sir Allconus - 29 HP, 44 SPL
General Laxin - 568 HP, 203 SPL, Double DMG
STR - 17; DEF - 13; AGI - 21; INT - 13; SPI - 25

Their Majesty's Barrier - 54 HP

Noval takes one long look around. 'We can't keep this up; we may outnumber them, but our numbers will only dwindle if we can't get help soon . . .' His eyes look upwards . . . through the hole in the ceiling created by the flaming column that had passed through here only minutes before. Maybe others had noticed that pillar; maybe reinforcements were already on their way. Maybe . . .

He freezes as movement catches the corner of his eye.

At the edge of the hole, just barely visible by the moonlight, Noval is able to catch a glimpse of him. A single man, kneeling over the ceiling, likely struggling with a momentous decision: whether he should join the fight and help turn the tides of the battle, stay at his perch and watch it go to its bitter end, or leave right now. Whatever he decides will undoubtedly change their fates, Noval knows . . . for he knows who it is - the only person it could be is . . .

* * *

The man makes eye contact with Noval long enough to give him a nod of his head, and receive a nod in return. Then he leans back so that he is out of sight, and continues contemplating his choices . . .

"Alright," he mutters to himself, "so what are you going to do, Zaris?"

The eyes of the rebel flame open wide in shock. He stares forward as his attack is brushed off like a cool breeze. What's even more frightening, is that the opponent actually got up close to Kasei. The rebel flame jumped away, not before hearing the words of the hakiem member. He stands now, not far from Noval. "Hmph, these guys are trouble, no doubt. I guess I have no more options..." He trailed off, before removing his jacket.

"I really cannot tolerate your actions any further. Negotiations are out, and, even though I might just lose, I will no longer hold back against you any longer. Perish in the fire that is my wrath!" The rebel flame said emotionlessly, letting all distractions flow away. His hair grows longer, and a beard forms, all color lost, and it turns gray.

His skin wrinkles, and he grows taller by a bit. He has obviously aged. He raises his hand, in it is his scimitar.

"Now come, shadows, trouble this land no more!" The old man said in an aged voice....

The God of Flames, Kasei
STR>>>9
AGI>>>9
INT>>>4
SPI>>>1
DEF>>>8
SPL>>>300 (actually about 270 'cause of of the spells.)
HP>>>200

OOC: Yeah, yeah.....if theres somethin wrong, alpha, tell me and i'll do a plan B....but this just seems cooler and something that would actually happen. Kasei wouldn't get his butt kicked that hard.

y'know what??? Alpha will most likely comletely kill me for this, so unless he says otherwise, this is just a placeholder for plan B, when I think of one....

With their attention focused on the possessed man, neither of the three females noticed Kasei's transformation. What they did heed was Zaboorak's words. The oldest of the three women answered. "We have no attention of killing him," Sheena replied. "If we have to rough him up so you can't control him anymore, than that's a sacrifice we're willing to make."

"Commence bruising," Haru muttered as she and her twin once more formed balls of their favorite elements and shot them towards the possessed Allconus. [Elemental Burst L2, Fire (Haru) and Ice (Water; Sheena)].

With a quick twirl of her blades, Rose lept forward, once again bringing down sword and knife with as much skill as she could muster [Dual Wield L1]. With a little luck, maybe her blows would land this time.

OOC: I just now noticed this, but it's Haru, not Hanu, Alpha. And it's a knife (arguably a dagger) and a sword, not a pair of daggers. Just a small detail I felt like pointing out.

Please don't DOOM me. ^^;;

OOC: Sorry, HNS, sorry. Or am I . . . ?

And Kasei, what the heck are you talking about? I already allowed Sovelis to do a super-special-awesome-transformation, so why not you too?

IC:
Zaboorak's laughter becomes so intense that, for a split second, the voice emerging from Allconus seems to be that of the Zora rather than the one the Hylian has been using. "You foolish Gerudo! The ties that bind me to this man are absol -" His voice cuts off as the twin Elemental Bursts blast outward, and he decides to focus more on his dodging ability than his taunting skills. But the delay that his words have caused is already too much; both Elemental Bursts nail the possessed councilor head on, and he is thrown back against the far wall by their destructive force (11+7[Roll+SPI] x2). The one-two combo is only followed up by Rose's expertly aimed blades, slashing directly into the councilor's skin with great force (18+5[Roll+AGI]) and dealing the final blow needed to bring Allconus down.

Zaboorak laughs in between Allconus' coughs . . . coughs which spit up blood. He speaks, though as the Zora is not suffering from the wounds that the councilor is he can continue speaking when Allconus cannot, so some of the words are incomplete. "You idiotsss . . . how hilar--usss thisss is-s . . . You ssseem to ha-- --rgotten to re-lize who yo-'-e been att--king. Al--on-sss isss no fi--ter; hiss- -ody can--t ss---vive the p-nissshm--t that a vet---- warrior'sss can . . . You've kil-ed an in--cent man! Ha-ha, how amus--ing!" And while those are indeed Allconus' final words, they will prove not to be his final action.

In the meantime, Laxin is doing anything but laughing as Kasei transforms into a being pulsing with incredible strength. 'Darn it . . . should've just killed him and gotten it over with while he was still a weakling.' Then a shrug and a grin. "Well, this certainly makes things a bit more exciting!

"Course, I don't need a flaming deity to raise the interest level of all this."

With a satisfyingly powerful SLAM!, Laxin's hammer crushes the remaining energy of the shield, collapsing the magical energy surrounding the Royal Family in all of an instant. Both the King and Zelda collapse as they suddenly find themselves unable to use their mental energies to shield themselves, and are forced out of the trance they'd placed themselves in. "Your Majesties!" all three of the Hylian Knights cry out in unison.

The dust thrown upwards by the collapsing barrier slowly settles back to the ground, revealing two sets of defiant eyes staring at the grin of the crimson eyed general. King Harkinian takes a step forward, motioning for Zelda to get behind him as he draws a sword from his belt. "Curse you Hakiems," he mutters, regal tone still not diminished by the anxiety and fear for his daughter that rings through his voice.

Laxin regards the pair with a smirk as he hefts the enormous mallet over his shoulder, letting it hang there as if its weight is nonexistent. "Hey, it's not my fault, ya know. If your buddy Noval over there would just be so kind as to tell us a bit of info on the Golden Ones, we'd be happy to pack up and leave." The hammer crashes back into the ground, littering the ground with cracks and even causing a few small pieces to fall back down into the chamber below. "Or maybe you would be so kind as to tell us everything you know? That would be acceptable as well, I'm sure."

Harkinian's eyes dart over to where Noval stands, the conflict in his soul clearly evident on his troubled features. "Stand strong, Richarn!" his Majesty cries. "Tell them absolutely nothing, do you hear me?! That is a direct order!" He levels the blade directly towards Laxin, fully aware that he cannot stand up against the Sheikah assassin. "May I die before the gate to the Golden Land falls into Zaboorak's hands."

Laxin rolls his eyes and lets the hammer rest where it is on the ground as he crosses his arms, the sheer weight of the mallet's head keeping it upright and ensuring that the handle remains floating within an inch of his hands should an attack come. "Now, now, Your Highness, you know full well that that's not how we Hakiems work. We're not exactly fond of political assassinations; too much notoriety from the public and all that. We have . . . other ways of dealing with you."

Zaris' eyes shoot open as he hears that last sentence - something about the tone he'd used . . . it seems as if foresight is guiding him to say those words. What else could they do to a king if not threaten his life or his daughter's? Torture would cause just as much commotion as killing him, so what . . . ?

And then it hits him like one of Karunik's anvil-sized punches. 'No! Koura, get to the King immediately - you've played right into Zaboorak's hand!' The Gerudo's confused glare shoots ceiling-ward as the voice echoes in her mind, that hesitation prompting an enraged scowl upon the Sheikah's face. 'Don't you see it yet?! He's going to -'

Too late. Allconus' head shoots up, eyes locked directly on the King as his form rises into an all-out sprint, using every ounce of the Hylian's remaining life force to fuel his speed. With staff in hand, Allconus hurls himself onto Harkinian in a full body tackle; His Majesty deflects the rod with the blunt side of his blade, then takes the cackling Zora's puppet tackle right in his chest. Zelda feels herself yanked aside, finding Alpha's strong grip propelling her away from where the two men fall to the ground. With the Zora cackling, Sir Yaen Allconus breathes his last, the last of his body's energy being spent trying to wrestle the sword back towards Harkinian's neck. Alpha can only nod mentally at the tactic; if the councilor had killed the King, the Hakiems would probably have been able to escape the public's eye. But His Majesty apparently still has strength in his veins. "Seems your little attempt has failed, Hakiem," he mutters with a brief chuckle.

King Harkinian pushes the body off of him, letting it fall to the ground as he rises back to his feet. Taking up his blade again, he looks around the room and speaks a single sentence . . . one which only confirms Zaris' ideas and condemns Alpha's:

"Oh, I wouldn't sssay that, Sssheikah."

Brainwashed Monarch: King Harkinian II
STR – 4; DEF – 17; AGI – 3; INT – 7; SPI – 5; SPL – 50; HP – 100
Items – Gilded Sword, L2 Chainmail

Princess Zelda
STR - 1; DEF - 3; AGI - 2; INT - 6; SPI - 6; SPL - 50; HP - 70
Abilities - Shield L3, Elemental Burst L3, Fire, Magical Unarmed Combat (UC L4)

* * *

'Things are getting very bad now,' Zaris broadcasts outward, using the Goldforce to communicate telepathically with all the other Golden Ones nearby. 'I'm coming down there--'

'Absolutely not!' Koura's voice cries mentally. Silence reigns in the Sheikah's head for several long seconds. Then, 'You get out of here right now Zaris; they're after you most of all, and you know it. I can do this. I can use my Goldforce Power to kill Laxin and -'

'And what? The Gerudo Goldforce doesn't pick targets; it will strike at everything in the vicinity, friend and foe alike! And even if it did not, we'd still need find a way to get Zaboorak to stop controlling the King . . .'

'Want me to come in, fists a-flying and tunes a-playin'?' A female's voice, but not Koura's.

'No, I doubt the Human Goldforce can help us here, Andek. Stay nearby, but be ready to retreat with me again if I'm forced to go in there. Where's Ukedra at? We could really use that Deku Power right now . . .'

'Not sure,' the woman, Andek, replies. 'We met as planned, discussed a few things, and I passed off that vial of Sheera's potion to him. Then he went back into the woods . . . old coot kept saying he had to 'keep up the good ole appearances!' . . .'

'Hm . . . run back towards the woods, Andek, fast as you can. Get the Golden Kokiri; her Power could work wonders here.'

'And you?'

Zaris stands and takes one long look down below. 'Koura, you and I will be making sure that Irisos still has someone to work her wonders on when she arrives.'

Alpha: 26 HP, 25 SPL
Raven: 4 HP, 6 SPL
Kasei: 178 HP, 289 SPL
Pyre: 12 HP, 15 SPL
Dogura: 11 HP, 17 SPL
Tayro: 22 HP, 17 SPL
Leth: 9 HP, 11 SPL
Karuna: 19 HP, 6 SPL
Drommlin: eliminated
Polari: 12 HP, 9 SPL
Shada: 19 HP, 25 SPL
Koura: 9 HP, 21 SPL
Calla: eliminated
Denning: 11 HP, 30 SPL
Fang: 31 HP, 30 SPL
Rose: 39 HP, 3 SPL
Firerova: 32 HP, 23 SPL
Icerova: 43 HP, 26 SPL
Nogare: 69 HP, 12 SPL
Colonel Horren Veldam: 29 HP, 9 SPL
General Richarn Noval: 181 HP, 150 SPL

Princess Zelda - 70 HP, 50 SPL
Sovelis - eliminated
Sir Allconus - eliminated

L2 Hakiem #1 - eliminated
L2 Hakiem #2 - eliminated
L2 Hakiem #3 - eliminated

King Harkinian II - 100 HP, 60 SPL
General Laxin - 568 HP, 203 SPL, Double DMG
STR - 17; DEF - 13; AGI - 21; INT - 13; SPI - 25

'Andek, Zaris, both of you can stay put. I'm specially suited for this one,' a new voice commands, stopping Zaris just as he's about to leap into the throne room. 'You've never seen my Goldforce in action before, Zaris; let me just make a grand entrance as the Golden Hylian and we'll remedy that situation immediately.'

OOC: wait...what? I'm allowed? Cool, I know it won't help much, but i'll do my best with this privelege!

IC: The aged Kasei closes his eyes, as he hears Laxin's words. The old man smiles confidently as the enemy spoke. "My freind, I am by no means a deity, I am a servant of the gods will placed here on this earth, forever bound to carry out their will. However, I can now show you the reason I am called 'The Rebel Flame.' I daresay it will be the finest performance you will ever see, and the last before your death." The shiekah said, grabbing his shirt with his left hand, and ripping off the article of clothing, revealing his muscular, old body. As he did so, he watched as the once good king of Hyrule

"A hundred years, my freind, a hundred years I have trained, all because of beings like you, beings who are too stupid to realize that their evil will not do them any good, beings who shall burn in the flames of hell, because they cannot atone for their sins. Let me show you the prize for a hundred long years of training, as the Rebel Flame." Kasei says, pointing his sword at Laxin, a scowl on his face.

"Know this; my judgment is final, you shall not recieve mercy from me, as I am sure I would recieve none from you. I will not slow myself, or pause in an attack, even if I take the life of a dear one, should they be encased in evil, they are no longer my freinds." He finishes, and lets his power show.

Fire, his chief element, courses through his sword arm, and then through the blade itself. "I shall give you a taste of your punishment now!" The Rebel Flame roars, letting the inferno that is his wrath manifest in the form of fire, and fly out of his weapon towards his target; Laxin.

"Perish."

The sound of metal striking stone. The crash of ice. The dying hiss of a flame. In this situation, all can be interrupted as the will to fight leaving three women.

"No," Rose whispered. She hadn't meant to kill. None of them hadn't. They were so sure that they would only knock out the possessed councilor and break the connection between Zaboorak and Allconus. So sure the Zora had been lying. But he was right: they had needlessly taken an innocent life.

Their horror only grew as the king came under Zaboorak's control. Before, their first reaction would have been to fight; but things had changed. Now, they were afraid to act.

OOC: You know you're not sorry, Alpha.

And I think you just gave me a good reason for Rose leaving Force of Gold. Hmmm, now how to bring Sheila into the story?

OOC: HNS, don't worry, come Part IX, people will need an excuse as to why they didn't join, Rose included. Sheila shouldn't have any problem.

Kasei, yes, it most certainly is allowed. For this topic, at least.

IC:
"Not a deity, eh?" Laxin says as the inferno rushes towards him. "Could've fooled me . . ."

His hand grasps the handle of his hammer faster than can be seen with the naked eye, and he is just as quick to swing it around. A gust of wind grips Kasei's fire, the gale being strengthened beyond the power of a normal breeze by Laxin's innate mastery over the element in question. Even with Kasei's newfound powers he cannot seem to break through the impenetrable magical defense Laxin has created (15+25[Roll+SPI]), but now Laxin finds himself unable to contain the blast as he did before. The flaming rocket soars straight towards the Sheikah, who ducks to the right even as the gust pushes the fire to the left. In the end, he is only able to avoid the flame by a few inches, yet he still does avoid it.

"STOP THIS!"

Noval's plea succeeds in stopping everyone in their tracks, and everyone turns to find him on his hands and knees, sword clattering just a few feet away. "Fine, Zaboorak . . . you win. I'll tell you what you want to know - but after that, you must leave the King and never harm or possess any member of this court again." His eyes are moist in rage and sadness, narrowing as Zaboorak nods in agreement with these terms.

"No, General!" Horren cries, charging forward to kneel beside him. "We cannot give up hope so easily; we can figure out some other way to do this, to save him -"

"I'm afraid that'sss nigh imposssible, young Knight," Harkinian states calmly as he strides forward confidently to stand before both of them. "My control over your pathetic king is absolute, just as it was with Sir Allconus. The only way to force me out . . ." he motions to where Rose and the Veilmist sisters stand, still shocked by what they had done, even if it had been an accident, ". . . would be to repeat their actions and slay Harkinian where he stands." A laugh, both from the Zora and from Laxin, who finds the adventurers' predicament especially humorous. "And you wouldn't want to do that, would you?"

"N-no way," Horren stammers out. Yet still he rises, gripping his sword in both hands with fierce determination. "I may not understand what all you're after, and I may not know everything the Generals here do, but I do know what His Majesty's final orders were!" With that, he charges straight at Harkinian -

- only to find his feet flying backwards as he collapses in a heap, General Noval grabbing him by the leg. "Your courage is admirable, Colonel," Richarn says slowly as his face drops to the ground. "But we cannot win this fight through force. Tact, strategy, they have also failed us . . . we only have one option left open to us at this point."

Harkinian walks straight up to the General, stepping over Veldam in the process. "That isss indeed the cassse, General. Now then, let usss ssstart with sssome namesss . . ."

"Very well." Noval's head abruptly rises, looking straight into Harkinian's eyes; Zaboorak, and therefore the King, takes a step back at the sight of the intensity of anger in his pupils . . . and only as he speaks notices their shift of color - to gold. "Golden Hylian: Richarn Noval.

"GOLDFORCE POWER - HYLIAN!"

* * *

'He'sss the Hylian?' Zaboorak gapes, but after a second his mind concurs with the realization. 'Hmmm . . . that explainsss why he wasss made leader of the RER, I sssuppossse . . . one able to keep the sssecret of the Goldforce Powersss would undoubtedly be able to keep the RER'sss sssecret sssafe asss well.' The Zora's mouth slowly alters its shape into a smirk. 'But he ssseemsss to have forgotten that I'm not really there; hisss attack could kill Harkinian, but I ssshall remain sssafe and sssou -'

It is only then that a sharp pain pierces into his mind, like a spear being driven straight through his brain with the strength of Ganon. "Lord Zaboorak?" Karunik calls out to him . . . but between the bloodcurtling screams of agony the Zora finds himself unable to answer, unable to even comprehend what it is that is happening to him.

* * *

The same tortured screeches rip out from Harkinian's mouth, causing Alpha, already surprised by the revelation of Noval, to take a step back. His footing become sporadic, unbalanced, as he grips his head in pain. "Father!" Zelda cries out, attempting to move around the Sheikah and get to him, but Alpha's arm rises up to further block her passage.

"He's not hurt, Zelda," he calmly reports, bringing her eyes back to him. "When Allconus was dying, he didn't make any grunts or groans or screams; he only did what Zaboorak did. It is the Zora who is in pain, not your father." But what does that mean? How on earth could Zaboorak, who is Din knows where, be getting hurt by the Goldforce?!

Laxin didn't know, but he didn't exactly care either. Noval was doing something that should have been impossible, and it was up to the Hakiem to prevent it from coming to fruition. He leaps forward, hammer swinging behind him as he aims a blow directly at the skull of the Golden Hylian, who remains motionless as every ounce of energy pours through the Goldforce into the King. Alpha, seeing him moving out of the corner of his eye, immediately abandons Zelda and starts on a dead run towards Harkinian, intent on stopping the Sheikah, yet knowing all the while that he has started far too late to make a difference -

"Farore Effill!"

Lion suddenly stands in the way, imposing himself directly in the hammer's arc. The Zora's speed is impressive, Laxin has to admit, but if he's standing still that does the general very little good. 'Idiot, I can smash right through him and still have enough momentum to bash Noval's skull in!' He keeps up his swing, smashing it directly into Kamas' left side -

And suddenly every bone in his left arm, as well as several in his left leg and ribcage, shatters.

As if he himself had taken the blow, the Hakiem finds himself flying to the right, soaring straight past a startled Shada and impacting against the far wall, denting it as the stone collapses beneath the force of the collision.

* * *

'Ah, I see . . . incredible. So this is the Hylian Goldforce Power.'

'Glad somebody gets it,' Koura thinks as she bites her lip. 'What exactly is going on?'

Zaris allows himself a wry grin. 'Well, every Goldforce Power began the same way - as pieces of the gate to the Sacred Realm. Where they differ is that, over time, each one has taken on one trait of its holder species or of their environment, and amplified that into a force to protect its bearer.'

'Ah,' Koura nods, finally beginning to comprehend. 'Right, the Gerudo Goldforce forms an energy sandstorm, the Zora one an energy whirlpool, the Fairy power has healing energy . . .'

'Exactly. And Hylians have long been known for their ability to communicate with the goddesses and other deities of Hyrule . . . through telepathy. It appears that that's the trait the Goldforce has chosen to associate itself with: telepathic energy.'

The two Golden Ones smile as the same thought hits them both simultaneously. 'He's attacking Zaboorak's mind directly.'

* * *

It was like a maze he was running through. Thousands of passageways, each one leading towards either the entrance or exit; the only difference existing between this place and a true labyrinth was that he knew which turns to take to keep in contact with his prey. Well . . . there was one more difference . . .

Every time he turned a corner, the glowing figure of a Hylian awaited him, holding a brilliant blade that pierced his skin before he ever had a chance to react.

The maze-like setup was how Zaboorak always constructed his possession spells; there were thousands of small passages connecting the Zora's spirit to his victims, so that if the main one was shut off he could assume control once again though any number of other pathways. But never before had he come up against such a skilled man as Noval - and backed by the almighty power of the Goldforce, he became a clairvoyant beast with which no mortal (perhaps no immortal) could hope to best. In between the throes of pain that Noval's mind dished out to Zaboorak's he had reached the same conclusion concerning the nature of the Hylian Goldforce as Zaris and Koura had, and the fact had him flying through his own maze as fast as his legs could carry him.

Yet even when he attempted to retreat back into the confines of his own mental palace, Noval stood there, blocking his way and hurling his shining sword, creating another rift in the Zora's spiritual presence.

He had no choice now. He hated it, more than he'd ever hated anything before - save perhaps Zaris, but the fact that this contempt came even remotely close to the pure loathing with which he regarded the Golden Sheikah was almost unbelievable. But it had taken him over thirty years to craft the spell that had taken over Allconus, which had been transferred to Harkinian - over thirty years starting with a chance meeting in an Opelonian tavern, carefully planting the magical seed within his mind once he was drunk enough to be distracted by the Zora's cover as a magician, and then slowly feeding it magical energy from afar until, one year ago, the spell had matured to the point where he could assume direct control over the subject.

And now he found himself with no other options. He had no choice. And so before Noval could eradicate his very soul, or worse yet, trap his spirit completely within the maze, ensnaring him for all eternity in its endless passages . . . he severed all contract with the King, actually beginning to weep tears of outrage as the spell and the maze representing it crumbled and was destroyed.

* * *

Alpha stands there, as if in a daze.

Harkinian and Noval both collapse to the ground in tandem, the former still able to move while the only sign of life coming from the latter is the breaths he takes and the small grin struggling to remain on his face; Noval had used up every ounce of energy freeing the King, and it seems the time has come for a good long rest for the General. (OOC: No, I never intended to have you guys fight the King himself. ) Zelda is finally allowed by Alpha to go to her father after getting a nod from Koura; the Golden Gerudo, more than anyone else present, should know whether or not Noval succeeded in whatever it was he was doing. Laxin lies in a vertical crater in the wall, while General Lion brushes off the side of his body where the hammer made impact. Yet the Zora's body is still unharmed.

He feels Master Zaris departing. He's known the Sheikah was there for some time now; he could feel his Master's presence, one which could not be mistaken for anyone else. 'Very well, Master . . . we'll just have to keep searching for you on our own, I suppose.' Much as he'd like to dart after the Sheikah, there's something more immediate for him to deal with: the imprisoning of an unconscious Hakiem general. More than anyone before, he can tell them where the Hakiems' base lies. Finding a way to rid himself of the curse of the Hakiems, he realizes, appears to take precedence over finding a way to rid himself of the curse of his scar.

He strides over to where the Sheikah lies, examining the body for himself: his entire left side looks as though it had a cliff rammed into it, his arm holding together only because of the skin covering undoubtedly broken bones and torn muscles. The body is also heavily bruised, and the leg has a few spots that indicate broken bones there as well. He can only look on it in wonder; whatever Lion did to him, Alpha finds himself doubting that that arm will ever be able to heal, save through more than a few fairly powerful magical healing sessions.

He doesn't even see the hammer coming.

Laxin's right hand, still clutching his weapon with all its might, swings upwards, crushing Alpha in the side (18+10[Roll+AGI]). The unexpected blow catches him shamefully off guard, and a hefty toll of 30 HP is stolen away from him. He collapses to the ground alongside Noval as Shada's shriek draws the attention of all those gathered back to the Hakiem general as he stumbles out of his crater, eyes blazing in anger. Only his right side is usable, yes, but a mighty gust of wind once again appears, surrounding him and actually lifting him off the ground.

"Time to end this," he mutters, all trace of the previously omnipresent mockery and playfulness having vanished from his voice.

*Due to his massive injuries, all of Laxin's stats have been cut in half.*

Alpha: eliminated
Raven: 4 HP, 6 SPL
Kasei: 178 HP, 285 SPL
Pyre: 12 HP, 15 SPL
Dogura: 11 HP, 17 SPL
Tayro: 22 HP, 17 SPL
Leth: 9 HP, 11 SPL
Karuna: 19 HP, 6 SPL
Drommlin: eliminated
Polari: 12 HP, 9 SPL
Shada: 19 HP, 25 SPL
Koura: 9 HP, 21 SPL
Calla: eliminated
Denning: 11 HP, 30 SPL
Fang: 31 HP, 30 SPL
Rose: 39 HP, 3 SPL
Firerova: 32 HP, 23 SPL
Icerova: 43 HP, 26 SPL
Nogare: 69 HP, 12 SPL
Colonel Horren Veldam: 29 HP, 9 SPL
General Kamas Lion: 74 HP, 0 SPL
General Richarn Noval: unable to fight
Princess Zelda - 70 HP, 50 SPL
King Harkinian II - 100 HP, 60 SPL

Sovelis - eliminated
Sir Allconus - eliminated

L2 Hakiem #1 - eliminated
L2 Hakiem #2 - eliminated
L2 Hakiem #3 - eliminated

General Laxin - 254 HP, 101 SPL, Double DMG
STR - 8; DEF - 6; AGI - 10; INT - 6; SPI - 12

Kasei smiles as his inferno is barely, just barely, kept in check. "Hmmm, no matter, I shall deal with you...." He trails off, watching the other events unfold. The shiekahn elder smiles as Noval reveals his power, and releases the king of Hyrule. Kasei is in awe of the power. "So...this is the goldforce i've heard so much about, truly an outstanding power." The Rebel Flame finishes, turning back to face Laxin. "It would seem, my freind, that you are gravely injured. How unfortunate for you."

Kasei raises his hand, around it swirls a mistical power. "Hmph, I still regret wasting my time on this spell, Elemental Burst(LV 1)!" The shiekah cries out in his aged voice, letting the spell fly towards his enemy.

Though at first confused at what had happened between Noval and the King, Sheena smiled when she realized that the events here seemed to be coming to an end at last. And with Laxin's left side in such bad shape, he suddenly looked a lot more attackable. "Come on, you two. This is going to end now." Keeping her distance for now, the blue-haired Gerudo once again formed a ball of her favorite element, flinging it at the Hakiem general. [Elemental Burst L2, Ice (Water)]

Neither Rose or Haru really had the willpower to continue fighting, but they were not about to let their beloved friend battle alone. The Gerudo followed her twin's lead and used her fire magic from a distance, not willing to get close unless she absolutely had to. [Elemental Burst L2, Fire]

The Tarmian, on the other hand, could not utilize magic. Well, she could; after all, magic powered her druidic transformations. But she didn't have the energy to turn into a dragon, her only form that could attack from a safe distance. However, she did have a quiver filled with around forty arrows. While she would agree with Sheena that Laxin does look more likely to succumb to their attacks, he still looked as if one good strike form his hammer could take care of her. The human set an arrow and let it fly towards the Sheikah.

Though several of those present are caught completely off guard by Laxin's reawakening, the majority, though not expecting such a thing to happen, are quick to draw their weapons and magic again to launch at the Hakiem. Kasei and Sheena's Elemental Bursts, the first transforming to take on the attributes of Earth and the second of frozen Water, nail the Sheikah right in the chest simultaneously (3+12[Roll+SPI] x2 vs. 20). The first blast takes out a massive 20 HP, and the second deals another 17 DMG. Haru's flaming attack flies right past the man, but only because the first two had knocked Laxin out of the Burst's path (17+12[Roll+SPI]).

As soon as the smoke from those first attacks has cleared, Laxin rides the wind forth and into the group. His Hammer speeds forward, coming around to nail Firerova right in the face (10+10[Roll+AGI] vs. 15+1[DEF+AGI]). It seems fate has something against Haru Veilmist, as she is thrown to the ground by the still powerful General of the Hakiems Tribe. She's still conscious, but it's obvious that shes on her last leg.

Rose's arrow lances forward at that moment, ensuring that he'll at least be too distracted to be attacking too terribly quickly. The bolt misses (12+3+1[Roll+AGI+Gerudo Training Gloves] vs. 6+10[DEF+AGI]), but only because the wind surrounding the floating Sheikah veers it off course. Quick to make use of the distraction, Shada leaps forward towards the whirlwind ensnared man, firing off an Elemental Burst of her own - one of Light, a Sheikah's weakness. The blast hits him right in the face, hurling him back just as he had done to Haru only moments before (6+12[Roll+SPI]) as it deals a good 23 DMG.

"Oh no you do not!" Zelda cries as her father rises, drawing his own Gilded Sword and preparing to charge into the fray. She grabs him by the sleeve, and waits for him to turn around and look her in the eye before continuing. "At least, not without this." Her hands wave before her father's smiling form, casting a Shield upon him - and not a moment too soon. Enraged beyond words by the pain eating away at him, Laxin darts through the air straight at the King, heaving it at him. Leaping skyward himself, His Majesty meets the attack head on, but twists to the side as the blow is executed. Laxin's blow grazes the Shield Zelda has cast but fails to penetrate (14+10[Roll+AGI] vs. 21+3[DEF*+AGI]), giving Harkinian an excellent opportunity. One that he makes full use of, as when the two land again, Laxin's left ribcage, already in pain, is pouring out an unending stream of crimson blood (20+3[Roll+AGI]).

Alpha: eliminated
Raven: 4 HP, 6 SPL
Kasei: 178 HP, 281 SPL
Pyre: 12 HP, 15 SPL
Dogura: 11 HP, 17 SPL
Tayro: 22 HP, 17 SPL
Leth: 9 HP, 11 SPL
Karuna: 19 HP, 6 SPL
Drommlin: eliminated
Polari: 12 HP, 9 SPL
Shada: 19 HP, 25 SPL
Koura: 9 HP, 21 SPL
Calla: eliminated
Denning: 11 HP, 30 SPL
Fang: 31 HP, 30 SPL
Rose: 39 HP, 3 SPL
Firerova: 2 HP, 19 SPL
Icerova: 43 HP, 22 SPL
Nogare: 69 HP, 12 SPL
Colonel Horren Veldam: 29 HP, 9 SPL
General Kamas Lion: 74 HP, 0 SPL
General Richarn Noval: unable to fight
Princess Zelda - 70 HP, 40 SPL
King Harkinian II - 100 HP, 60 SPL, 21 DEF (3 Turns)

Sovelis - eliminated
Sir Allconus - eliminated

L2 Hakiem #1 - eliminated
L2 Hakiem #2 - eliminated
L2 Hakiem #3 - eliminated

General Laxin - 179 HP, 101 SPL, Double DMG
STR - 8; DEF - 6; AGI - 10; INT - 6; SPI - 12

Pain filled her body. She could feel the lower part of her own ribcage break. There was no doubt in her mind that her abdominal region was bleeding internally. As the Gerudo fell to the ground, Haru summoned the breath to weakly say, "Cleric."

Rage welled up Sheena. An icy blue aura surrounded her, and a "badass hair in the wind with no wind" effect took a hold of her hair. "NO one hurts my little sister," she growled (I'm younger by five minutes. Stop holding it over me, Haru thought nearby, not having the strength to say it out loud). Her arm went up, and then the Gerudo flung it down; an overly large scimitar made out of ice formed in her hand.

Ice Scimitar:
Sheena summons a two handed scimitar made out of ice. There is no spell resistance. To hit the enemy, a d20 roll plus AGI must beat the AC of the enemy. However, the scimitar deals 17 damage like any other spell. Costs 8 SPL to create. The scimitar remains for an hour.

Enraged Spellcasting:
For double the SPL cost, spell damage from Sheena's spells deals double damage.

The pissed off Gerudo lept foward, swinging her frozen weapon in a wide arc, the Sheikah general naturally in the middle of the attack range.

Meanwhile, Rose positioned herself so that no one was in the path between her Tarm bow and the Hakiem. Once she was certain of this, she let her bow sing.

OOC: Badass hair in the wind with no wind effect brought to you courtesy of El Goonish Shive.

"Well, the tide turns, don't you all agree?" Kasei says, turning to the rest of the group. "Laxin, you will never find peace now. Death and an eternity of pain are all that await you." The shiekah says, turning back to his foe. "Let us make this easier for all of us, just die." He finishes, raising his hand again, and letting magic course through him. He let it go a second time, the elemental burst flying at Laxin. "Feel the wrath of the gods."