Fan Fiction ❯ Roam ❯ Wise Men ( Chapter 3 )

Wise Men

"I come to gain your wisdom to take to the King."

"Ah," the Wise Man sat back on his haunches, "but in order for the King to understand the truth, it must be explained by one who understands it himself."

I was confused, but I had my own question to answer. "What were those…guardians?"

"Ah, them." Sahasrahla nodded and took a seat on the bluish-greenish tile. It mixed of sapphire and emerald. I rose slightly at the scent of incense. "Those are the once great souls of the Armos knights. Currently, they hold allegiance to me, but I feel my grips on them are weakening."

"How do you mean?" I remained standing.

"Sorcery of some kind, or maybe I'm just getting old." He grinned, his long, white mustache parting further. He shifted faintly, swaying back and forth in his crosslegged position. "Actually I've been expecting you for much time."

"Then…" Why the Armos?

"Visitors come from all over." He chuckled, then sighed with lament in his heart. "Most are slaughtered."

"Why the need for so much protection?"

He sniggered again. "You ask many questions boy."

"I'm not a boy." I stood straighter.

The Elder still held a gentle face. "What are you then?"

"A Sniper for the King."

Sahasrahla laughed out loud. He actually laughed out loud at me. I felt my brow furrow in fury. "Why do you scoff!?"

He taunted me with his tone. "Oh, excuse me, Sir Sniper, or is it Knight?"

I hissed. "Never compare me to those oafs…"

"Very well, my boy." He grew somber again. "But you will be compared to many things while you're here."

I left it at that, I wasn't in the mood to continue the discussion.

I stayed the night. The clouds shifted over my open room. The shrine lacked any other rooms, so I slept on the roof. I hadn't left the argument entirely alone. I was well prepared for the morning…

"My name is Roam, that is what you will call me."

"Awake with an air of arrogance I see."

"Shut up!"

"You first, watch this." The Old Man dashed the blue sand into the fire before him. The flame shot into a green pillar to the ceiling, then cascaded into and around itself. The chaotic swirl solidified into a body, a massive, muscular body of a creature.

I readied my sword in front of me. The Old Man spoke from behind the behemoth, "You must kill it, that is all you think. You do not ponder why it is here, why it is angry. All you know is that it is a monster, and you must gut it, slice it, and/or kill it in any way possible."

I didn't move my eyes from the still, growling creature, but I heard every word. I even continued listening. "Your mind is narrow, you see only what you wish to see. Your heart is stone, you care for nothing. For no one. That is why this monster must die. You don't care, it means nothing to you."

"It's in my way." I growled.

"Of what, pray tell?" the wise man whispered.

I sliced down the image from head to foot, and jumped through over the blue fire as the body split. My sword stopped one foot from the Elder's head. "How about you?" My anger was head-splitting. Where was my rage coming from?

"There is a demon inside you." The Elder did not falter before my blade. "Even now, it eats away at your own control. A menacing weapon… Your composure is losing the battle…"

My sword sheathed itself. "Why do you see these things?"

"It is my gift. Wisdom over many years of seeing warriors like you fall and be torn to shreds by the world you want to accept."

"What world?"

"Hyrule."

My sword drew itself in a flash white. It shot a piercing line to the Elder. He froze, but was never alarmed. "I am Roam, Sniper-errant of the Seven Maidens and the King. You expect me to stand here and accept these lies?"

"What lies do you speak of?"

"I have resided here a day, and you have told me nothing of Agahnim's prophecy."

"He has no prophecy."

"Then his premonition. His bad feeling. I came to gather your thoughts on it."

"I have no thoughts on it." He let that sink in, then grinned vaguely.

I fumed. "Then why have you kept me here?!"

His somber expression returned. "I have kept you nowhere. You stayed."

I could not answer him. For the life of me, there were no arrows I could fire at him now. He elaborated on my thoughts. "I continue to teach souls how to appoint their lives. If you feel I am wasting your time, leave. But I believe you could do great things if you could tame that demon inside you."

"I will not listen to this. Farewell Old Man." I donned my sword again and stepped out.

The sun was right over my head then, casting neither heat nor a shadow. But I did not descend the steps. Instead I stepped heavily around the outer terrace and gazed over the ancient ruins. It was then I witnessed the Armos Knights, this time only watching. They looked dead and gone. Solid in their cases of sand and rock, their dark sockets staring toward the horizon. They'll never feel again, or see through eyes not made of stone.

Sahasrahla shuddered as a breeze split upon hitting me and encircled the room. "I'm ready to listen." I said.

The process was not simple. The Elder required me to sit completely still. However, he had revealed a staff, and was resolutely hurling it at different parts of the room. I was not allowed to flinch, otherwise he would strike me with the rod.

Sahasrahla flung the shaft to where it clattered and banged against the far walls. I flinched, then, my head hurt. I wavered from the blow, then, my back hurt. Arching back from that hit, my gut now open, the rod's shaft side imbedded itself there. At that point I stopped reacting. Finally, I could see where this was going.

The punishment didn't stop there, however, the Elder continued to attack my weaknesses. And I was unwilling to move to them. I would not flinch when I was struck, no matter how many bruises. Yet, even with my compliance, the beating would not cease. There was something else. He's not striking me in a pattern. Any area that is not still warm from a blow will be hit.

My shoulder felt cold. Hmm. I experimented, and my arm shot up. The palm of my gauntlet felt the shaft, and clamped it. But I didn't stop there. In a pit of damnation, whatever force still held that rod was flung with it across the room. It was then that I opened my eyes.

Sahasrahla rose with remarkable ease. "I think you're anxious for the more involved training." He grinned.

Okay, I was blindfolded. That bothered me. It was similar to the preliminary training, but this was annoying. Added to that, Sahasrahla is an amazingly fast old man. I was beginning to wonder how old he really was.

"HOW DOES IT FEEL BOY? With no way to see your prey! How can you FIGHT!?" Oh, and another thing, his voice carries when he wants it to. The straight walls allowed the sound to bounce around, making it encompassing. I couldn't hear my own thoughts, let alone try to guess his.

The shaft caught me behind my knees and I was thankful I had removed my quiver for the exercise. The stone was flat against my back, but only for a few seconds. I slashed madly about, with as much fervor as I could summon. And still he laughed at me. His voice rang in my ears. I couldn't stand his taunting. I swear at that point I wanted to slice his heart out. Is this the Demon?

"NO DEMONS TO HELP YOU HERE! They only come when you can lock on to your prey! What's the matter warrior? Sniper?" He scoffed at me. His voice was all around me, I couldn't target. He has no pattern… Maybe that is his pattern. Every action is never thought out. The patterns of non-patterns. No, damn it, wasted thought!

Thud! Yep, you guessed it, I found the floor again. I let my mind shut down for a moment. My blade was in front of me. Nothing else, just the blade. My feet spanned across three tiles, I could feel the grooves separating them. I could cover the ground of nine. I defended nine tiles. His voice was everywhere, but there was no contact in those nine tiles. Three tiles in front, three in back, three on either side. Fifteen. My territory. No one would touch my territory. But his voice… No, concentrate on you. Concentrate on your senses. I waited. And waited. His voice was a muffled lapse, a cloud around me.

And I could see. I saw the fifteen tiles around me, and a black smoke. I focused on the smoke. It formed words and sound. But not so harsh, quiet at first, with inflections in volume. Words being accented…

"You CANNOT track me, BOY!" But I can track you. Voice inflections.

"…NO DEMON to help YOU now!" Demon…You… That's all you said, why not speak louder? As I listened to the inflections, I noticed another underlying rhythm. Footsteps. I could see again.

I swear Sahasrahla had never seen better swordplay, but maybe I'm just being arrogant. I blocked three swipes with a choppy motion, then blocked three more with fines, and advanced. I knew where the rod was. All I needed now was its wielder. I counted the tiles now in my head, my feet dancing over the floor, at every groove. Twenty-four, twenty-nine, forty. Forty tiles and manless rod floating about.

A fighter grips his weapon with two hands. Those hands connect to arms, then a body and legs. Footsteps belong to legs. And everything has a head.

I swung down, then up, and a clatter sounded of a shaft against stone. My sword was thrust forward. I felt no resistance, but I held it to its place.

"Roam." I did not move my sword. "Take your blindfold off."

Steadying my blade with one hand, I removed the blindfold. My sword had stopped inches from the Elder's throat. I did it. I actually did it. The Elder grinned at me. His face was one of gratitude. Strangely though, it disappeared, and a wave of sadness filled his eyes. He stared at nothing, then his body swayed with a heaviness I had not seen in him till now.

Sahasrahla faltered. I rushed to his side. "Elder?"

He shook his head to clear his mind from whatever chaos had filled it. With wide eyes he looked up at me, then narrowed them. "Trouble," he whispered, "At the castle."

My heart sank. I donned my sword with ease and my crossbow never left my side.

"Roam." He beckoned. I turned back to him. "First you must know." He took a long breath. My heart raced. "You are not who you think you are."

"I know. Farewell Elder."

The steps became shorter in my mind, as the moon descended and light once again began to split the darkness. The rock zealots watched me fly with weary eyes.

I didn't care which path I was taking. I didn't care how fast I could move now. I didn't care about the knot in my stomach, the pinch of worry. I knew something was wrong, that much was obvious, but only my speed and purpose would clear the mist this time.

"HiiiiIIIIIIIIIISSSAAaaaa!" I stopped short. The high-pitched wail was hardly a crow's song. More of a tortured yell. Somewhat Hylian, but mostly not. There was rustling in the bushes, but I didn't tense. My hilt was grasped with tranquility and I waited…

The sack of bushes to my left exploded in a torrential emergence. I glimpsed a wave of silver hair and white and black armor, as well as a small saber. My sword was drawn instantly as I blocked a blow aimed for my forehead. My assailant was wielding his blade point down. I deterred another hit for my side, then lost my balance stopping a third at my foot. Although I spun to regain it, I still ultimately fell on my back. Very graceful, Roam, perfect.

My opponent was now fully visible and I shuddered at the sight. He was an archer, crazed, and his fangs were showing. In his insane state, he proceeded to pounce on me. Too bad my boots caught him in the stomach, coiled so much from his force that my knees touched my chest, and recoiled to pelt him into a tree. I used my own momentum to get me back on my feet.

The moment, however, I charged the archer, he copied me, using my own force to slam me into the opposite tree. Our blades met and I was treated to being face to face with this monstrosity. His mouth opened wide, showing off his fangs once more. What commenced then will be burned into my memory for centuries to come.

The archer cocked his head to the side and opened his vocal cords far. What slithered out was a sound unlike anything remotely human. His head shook violently from the air waves. It was like a thousand shrieks of that accursed Sand Worm. It hurt my ears.

"Oh shut up." I uttered. I summoned my anger and pushed his blade off mine. He stumbled. The back of my right gauntlet thwacked his jaw, and my fisted hilt hand followed through. Then the butt of my hilt sank into his chin and my right fist knocked him to the path. He didn't move. I left him there. I didn't care that I was just attacked by a rather driven archer. Really, I didn't.

The castle was dark. Literally. The walls had been recently scarred by swordplay and the air still smelled of ash. "What the hell happened?" I asked out loud. A dark, black mist had come and settled upon the tile. But something was still wrong. I could feel several entities roaming the catwalks. I remembered the Elder and closed my eyes.

All things… All encompassing life. There wasn't much life left here. Not much movement. But I could feel the arrows. I sidestepped twice. Thwik! Thwik! They stuck in the floor plates. I could not balance the trajectory from here. They would need to fire again.

Focused Wind whipped past my ear, locks of hair fluttering out of place. My eyes shot open, my fingers finding the thief's knife. I threw without looking. After I heard the metal split skin I glanced up to see the body descend away.

Then a gash grew on my right arm. I clutched it, knelt, and rolled out of the way of two more arrows. There were two fanatic Hylian archers upon that catwalk. Damn it, I was careless! But another shot never came. I was a sitting duck, but another shot still did not come. I looked up again to see the archer transfixed, with a ruby arrow protruding through his back. He fell and joined his partner on the ground. A third archer emerged, but his mannerisms reflected composure and humanity. I recognized his choice of arrow. Cimon.

"The fight's inside! Go, I'll see if there're any more drifting out here!" He called.

Be careful. I dashed inside, stretching over a few bodies lying on the steps, all knights.

The first corridor was empty. Ghost-like, that same eerie mist flanking every direction. However, I saw movement up ahead. Gauntlets protruded from every hallway, as to which side of mutiny they were on, I did not know. Maybe this fallen could help me. I leapt over two more unmoving souls to reach this knight.

"It was…Huasu." The knight gulped out, his breathing was raspy. I cursed inwardly that I missed this. "He…he came in the night…with a smaller band of warriors."

I was shaken and reflexively grasped my hilt, looking around. The knight reassured me. "No, we killed them, but Charles…" he was beginning to lose it.

My hands clutched his armor and shook him. "Charles? What did that damn idiot do?"

"No…Charles, he…" he shook his head and brushed off my hands. "He went to face Huasu." He took another deep breath. I could see it was getting harder to hang on. "He went to stop him." The knight coughed up blood then. A few droplets landed on my tunic. I couldn't help wincing.

The knight reached to his side, unlatching something. It was difficult to see in the dark stairwell. It was a short sword, exquisitely made, with no signs of use. He sheathed it and motioned it to me. I normally would have snatched it, like the thief's knife, but this was a dying man. Worse yet, a man of honor.

At last, I grasped the furnished hilt. Its sheathe was laced in gold, and a marvel to see with a knight. It was clear then that this sword was of some great importance to this knight.

"My son wanted it to be used in combat." A smile rode over the man's face. I couldn't stop myself from feeling his sorrow. "Every battle…didn't seem worthy…" he cringed. These were his last moments. Why are you entrusting me with this!? Take it with you! Why me? I can't take your sword, I'm not a knight.

"You'll make a fine knight….." he fell limp. To tell the truth, I felt nothing. Only guilt. I latched on the sheathe anyway.

Whhew-kking! The clash of swords echoed down the stairwell. After a moment of silence, my eyes flared to the sound. I guess Charles and Huasu found each other.

I consequently found them in the courtyard. Amazingly enough, they had kept the grounds nearly completely intact. There were only a few scattered leaves on the entranceway. One bush had been torn to pieces upon arrival. Poor bush.

"Oh crap." I murmured, then hurled myself behind a bush on the right castle wall. The two knights had not noticed me, you could tell they'd been fighting at least a little while. Charles' blue tinted armor had a few noticeable nicks along with his shield. Huasu's armor I couldn't tell due to its extreme black color.

They now mirrored each other in stance, sword and shield alike. Both of their feet were spread, left knees bent, shields in front. Both swords held high. Charles' sleek longsword caught the sun just right, giving the illusion of it glowing.

The two knights swung their blades high at each other, in circular motions, connecting and sliding off each other, retracting and recoiling back into the cycle again and again. Charles, following a strike in the air, altered course and swung his blade down to the courtyard tile, then slicing it back up in reverse direction. The break in the cycle threw Huasu off, nearly blocking the slice. The Black knight stumbled back from his awkward maneuver.

I have this thing about knights when I see them battle. Everything slows down, all actions become like a brute force. I swear it; I've seen them enough. But, damn, when those swords hit, the sound stirs the heart and echoes across the land.

Charles continued his assault, finally bringing his shield into play, ramming the other knight to the ground. Huasu's face shone in the slight sunlight peaking through the clouds. His face was contorted in rage. He can't accept being beaten by Charles, how amusing.

From behind the bush, I smiled to myself. Huasu had finally met a match, and a younger one at that…

Huasu's sword locked onto Charles' shield, and vice-versa. Charles struck his opponent's shield with fervor. Once, twice, but on the third swing he swung just short of the shield, and clashed between both shields, knocking Huasu's blade off. His shield now free, he coiled his arm back. I grinned at what I knew was coming next.

Crunch! Charlie's shield smashed into Huasu's chest plate, hurling him further toward the wall. But the Black knight recovered fast, locking/crossing both his shield and sword together, and rushed forward. Charles, startled, emulated the motion, and Huasu connected shortly after. Charlie's boot heels dug small trenches in the tiles as he tried to hold his ground. They crashed into the wall I was next to. It was hard to see Charlie's face through his helmet, but he was straining. I did notice, however, that his right knee was rising behind his shield.

Suddenly, he parted his arms, parting Huasu's as well, and his lifted leg shot out, smacking the Black knight's shield arm, especially the shield. The black and blue plate shied off his arm and clanged over the tile. Huasu had arched back, his arm straightening, as his shield flew from him. He whirled back to face a now quite confident Blue knight.

I made a mental note never to face Charles in a duel.

Huasu, however, didn't seem too shaken. He unlatched his cloak and let it fall to the ground. From our viewpoints, neither Charles nor I could see what his cloak had concealed before, but he was quick to show us. His shield-less arm reached behind and I heard a loud release of clasps. That hand now rose with a hefty war axe. I cursed under my breath. This was far from over. Charles lowered himself into a new fighting stance. There was a pause in the air.

What ensued was a much faster volley of blades. Huasu would alternate his axe and sword against Charles' shield and sword, administering a fast-paced pattern, succeeding in driving Charles back. Charlie, however, easily copied the maneuver, and won back his ground. Huasu would then do a different pattern. This sequence barreled on for what seemed like hours.

Charles, however, had to break the cycle again. Huasu swung his tired axe, and Charles instead ducked, then surfaced again, bashing Huasu's faceplate with his shield. Gold speckles now shown on Huasu's helmet. The Black knight retaliated in a flurry of enraged steel. The Blue knight blocked sufficiently.

There was a pause in the assault. Huasu stood panting, brandishing his axe and sword. "What, makes you think you can stop this mutiny?" He seethed.

"It's already been stopped."

The Black showed off a fanged smile. "Nothing ends till one knight falls!" he roared, then barreled up, his dual weapons becoming bladed wheels. But Charles was calm, as he spun down with his right boot and knee, justly sweeping his other armored leg into Huasu's flurry. The knight crashed down into the green. He pushed himself back up with grass trapped in his visor.

Charles called back down to him. "This is futile, Huasu. Discard this false visage and join up with the correct one. You may escape the king's wrath as a Corporal, or a Squire."

Huasu stayed down. "My 'visage' is in the strong place. And I will do, all that I have to." He tore the grass from his visor, and half rose. "For the glory of the kingship."

"What?" No, Charles! Your guard!

"Rrrraaaaaaah!" His sword and axe abandoned, Huasu rammed head-on into Charles' gut. The force of the ram left the Blue knight's shield discarded and shook the armor itself as he smashed into the courtyard wall. My eyes widened at the turning tide.

Huasu rocked his head up, knocking Charles' faceplate up. The Blue knight tried to retaliate by raising his weakened sword arm, but a massive steel-laced blow to his stomach let the blade fall. Huasu's vigor now rising like a geyser, he handily hefted Charles up with two hands over his head, held him their, then flung the disarmed knight about five feet toward the opposite wall.

My acquaintance his the courtyard floor with a heavy thud, and lay, dazed. The Black knight looked to his downed opponent, then strode over and picked up Charles's sword.

I broke my trance then. Charles is going to die… Unless, I intervene. Without much hesitation, I pulled out the short sword just blessed to me. I held it up aways behind the bush. All of a sudden, as I saw Huasu take position over Charles' head, I felt what I'm sure that knight had felt at every battle. I let the sword hilt fall till the blade pointed down, then shoved into the ground.

"You were never fit to be a knight." Huasu gloated, and brought up the blue-laced broadsword, reaching high over his head.

"Huasu!" I rose and yelled. His head jerked up, then back, his whole body feeling the force of the arrow between his eyes. His body fell with many heavy thuds, his armor truly showing its weight. The air became still. But the air was always still. I suppose I noticed it then because it changed. The Wind blew again. The leaves moved once more. And, I guess, life continued…

"Hey, Roam, thanks." Charles broke the silence. He was on his feet again, sword and shield retrieved.

I went back to the bushes, gazing down at the short sword. I hesitated again, but finally picked it up and sheathed it. "I had a score to settle of my own." I walked on, the Wind finding me.

"Are you sure that's all?" Charles asked. He was quiet.

The leaves encircled me. "Yes." And I walked on. I knew his eyes didn't leave me as I made my way to the town…