The Legend of Zelda: Blood and Spirit

Chapter 31: The Fused Shadow

Chapter 31: The Fused Shadow

The war had been going strong for three days. To say that both sides had suffered significant losses would be an understatement; quite a few of both the Sheikahs and Skyloftians had been slain and even more had been injured. The Interlopers had only experienced a few casualties, but in the three days of consistent fighting, a vast majority of them had been apprehended and carried off to the desert, where their exile to the world created by Terminus and the dragons was to begin. Overall, there was only a little less than fifty left of the legion of around two hundred rebels that had originally formed the Dark Interlopers, including their leader.

Veress sat upon her throne within the meeting hall of the Interloper stronghold, a fitting seat for someone who had recently proclaimed herself the new ruler of the surface, watching with a piercing gaze as the remainder of her followers streamed in. Her mind was still swimming with fury as she thought back to her encounter with the hero and the Sheikah leader the previous night, and how they had managed to somehow best her, despite her many advantages over both of them. She had been so close to victory in that skirmish, so close to getting rid of two of her biggest oppositions in this struggle, but it had been stolen out of her hands at the last moment, though by what means, she still could not figure out. The Interloper leader took a subtle glance over to the Fused Shadow, still floating atop its pedestal so it could supply power to all of the rebels, and she came to the conclusion that the cause for her failure had come from her own restraint. She had been holding back from using the true power that the dark relic was capable of giving her, as she had wanted to save as much of it as she could for her final conquest for the Triforce. But now that the war was quickly drawing to a close and she was starting to run out of options, Veress saw that such restraint was no longer wise. If she wanted to be the ultimate winner of this long-running game now, it was clear that the key to her victory would be the Fused Shadow, the greatest source of dark power that the surface had ever known.

The Interloper leader said nothing as the last of her followers entered the meeting hall and bowed down before her in reverence. For what seemed like ages, she simply sat upon her throne and stared down at them, her dark red eyes scanning the measly group in rage over the fact that their once vast numbers had been decimated so easily. Unable to contain her anger towards those who sided with the goddess any longer, Veress rose and slowly walked to the front of the raised platform she was on, keeping her gaze locked on her remnant followers as she began to speak.

"We have been cheated!" she began with a shout of burning ire for the injustices done to her uprising. "The goddess has contracted her all of her little followers out to capture us and cage us like we're nothing but wild animals! Higher powers have granted them the power to strike us down and banish us to the netherworld, a place from which we may never return! Rather than simply chose to be cordial to us and kill us in a way that we would die with honor, they chose to shame us by sending us into an eternal exile! They think we are weak, that they have defeated us and that we will be wiped off the face of the earth forever because of their 'noble' efforts. But little do they know that by banishing our brethren, they have stoked the flames of vengeance and fury into a blazing inferno that will burn for ages! I will make them pay for what they have done to us! For how they have disgraced us and disregarded us! I will have the power of the Triforce, no matter what it costs!"

Veress's booming voice echoed throughout the large room as she finished her speech, her breathing heavy as she tried to calm herself from her passionate rage. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides, she turned and promptly sat upon her throne once more, her thoughts consumed in how she couldn't wait to watch the blood of the goddess and her hero be spilled by her own hands.

The group of Interlopers slowly raised their heads as a silence settled upon the room, glancing at each other nervously as they looked upon their leader with worry. Never before had they seen her so irate, but they knew that they had to risk asking her nonetheless.