The Spirits' Playing Ground [Starsend] [COMPLETE]

"Well," Julius said loudly over the noise of all the moaning, groaning chaos around the tree. His blade sliced through at least five more of the things before he turned back to them, to complete what he was saying.

"If you think you can defend these two until they start feeling better, then I have no problems with rushing it in order to keep you guys safe until recovered." He returned to slicing down creature after creature, attempting to stem the flow of monsters for his comrades. "I don't think there's much more I can do at the moment, Horus," he said to the youth, leaping over mounds of bones and pallid flesh. "Keep them occupied! When Luna's feeling better, I'll know!" He yelled over the masses of zombies. He hoped they wouldn't be overwhelmed with the sheer volume of undead... But he knew Horus was a smart fighter. He hoped they wouldn't have any problems.

Their group was already massively weakened, while they had barely touched whatever this tree-being was. He began sprinting there, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. Its purpose worked twofold: firstly, it damaged its roots even further, and secondly, it stemmed the tide of zombies flowing towards his compatriots.There was even a third purpose: it could set his Keese aflame! He quickly summoned one, setting it to its purpose. If he could get the branches and leaves atop to catch, then this would be a very quick battle indeed.

He continued running towards the tree as his Keese, now on fire, flew amidst the branches. He knew it was agile enough to not immediately die, so perhaps his plan would work after all. He was almost at the tree-- a branch came crashing down in front of him, quickly severed with a Spin Attack.

He was there sooner than he thought he would be. He planted his foot directly into the trunk of the creature, leaving licking flames and scorch marks where his feet touched on the bark. He followed up with a Spin Attack almost amazingly quickly -- only to then notice that the mobs of undead spewed forth from the tree had begun to target him. He continued up with his dervish of attacks, freely slicing burning undead and tree limbs out of his path.

He looked back towards his group. He knew the risk he had taken, coming out here by himself. He only hoped that his allies would be prepared for a more permanent assault soon.

Silas tried to remain standing on shaky legs, fingers digging into the fabric of his empty sleeve. His heart was racing in his chest, mind going a million miles an hour and yet, at the same time, nearly completely devoid of any coherent thought. How was he going to fight without his hand? What worth was a Sheikah who could not propely fight? Was this how Sirius had felt when his leg got injured?

No, focus. He was still alive, he had to help the others, any way he still could.

And that is precious little, he thought bitterly.

But through the whirlwind of thoughts and sensations, he could still feel it. The pull at his shoulder, at the edge of his mind. Silas took a deep breath, mentally reaching out. The link was thin, but still there, miraculously. The Sheikah closed his eyes to better concentrate on it. Yes, it was still there.

He gritted his teeth, mind involuntarily going back to the grasping hands and immense weight crushing him. Silas pushed those thoughts away, trying with all his mind to grasp at that faint trace...

The hand burst forth from between the roots, launching splinters and a rain of foul-smelling shreds of corpse into the air, the limb a silver flash as it flew back to its owner. Silas gasped in relief as it returned to him, floating at his side once more. Where it belonged. His side and shoulder still hurt, feeling not quit unlike his arm had been dislocated and violently put back into place, had it still been a flesh-and-blood arm. But slowly, feeling returned to the hand, as much as it ever had, fingers starting to respond to his mind once again.

As the panic cleared from his mind, now Silas felt whole again, he could focus on the battle. He was wounded, yes, and heavily so, but not down and out yet.

"As much as I can be. We can't give up here."

It was time to show them the true extent of Sheikah willpower.

Julius shifted his focus between the undead around him-- now little more than burning piles-- and the tree that had so tragically damned all others in the realm to a restless death. He looked above himself for a split second, catching sight of something amazing: the upper branches, the leaves, everything-- it was all starting to catch fire!

With a renewed fervor, he landed blow after blow on the zombies around himself, thinning their numbers significantly. Spin Attack, Spin Attack, Spin Attack-- his dervish continued, striking everything within reach of himself in a whirlwind of righteous fury. His waves projected so far that now, even the tree's trunk was showing visible signs of damage. Maybe even Horus, Luna, and Silas could see it!

But for all the intensity, fervor, and energy he had remaining, nothing could have prepared any of them for earsplitting, blood-curdling yell of fury that resounded from the tree. The meteor they were on rumbled-- and, if anyone looked, they would see the motes of light in the distance begin to blink out of existence, one by one, then in a massive spread before only a handful remained. Even the meteor they themselves were on began to feel... strange. It felt as though it were only half there-- like if he made too many sudden movements, the shifting earth beneath him would fall through, releasing him into the void of space.

But Julius kept the silver blade flashing, its blade finding a home in the shoulders and through the heads of the dead. He knew he couldn't give up-- otherwise they would die. There would be no salvation for Hyrule from this menace.

He looked back at the group-- already on their way over, it seemed. It was a relief for Julius-- it meant that soon, this battle would be over... But what about after the battle? They had no way out, no escape from this strange dimension.

Now his mind was no longer clouded by panic, Silas could see what damage Julius had done as he had gone on ahead. Embers had burst into flames, grown into raging fires all around them. Was the tide truly turning for them?

'De dievenkoning, de schemerkinderen, vervloek ze allemaal! Op hun bevel zou ik leven noch sterven...'

There were only a few stars left to illuminate their grim battle along with the fires Julius had started, as all others had disappeared from the sky. With every blow Julius landed on the tree, more of the asteroid fell apart, forcing the group closer and closer to the trunk of the tree. Its widest roots were now hanging loosely in the void, more bodies falling from between them with every passing second. Silas tried not to think too hard about where the former soldiers would end up, and what it meant for their own group.

'Ook de levens van anderen zullen mij geen respijt brengen...'

What would happen when the tree died? From the way things were looking, the dimension was tied to it, and would die alongside it, and most likely take them all with it. Silas' expression grew grim, but determined. Even if they would end up vanishing into the void, they would do so knowing that this threat to Hyrule and all its inhabitants died with them. One way or another, they would finish their mission.

'Niet dichter bij het leven, niet dichter bij de dood...'

The Sheikah followed after Julius, tearing into corpse and tree alike with hand and knife, evading the erupting fires. But suddenly, the air turned even darker. Had the last of the stars vanished? No, Silas looked up, and saw the fires were going out. Slowly but surely, the flames at the top of the tree snuffed out one by one.

'Vervloek de levenden ook! Vervloek ze allemaal! Iedereen die dit rijk betreedt zal het berouwen! Iedereen die dit rijk betreedt zal leven noch sterven!'

Silas tore his attention away from the screaming man, away from their rapidly shrinking bubble of air, to Luna. A three-man spin attack...? Yes, that might be it all it took! If Julius could do such considerable damage on his own, with the three of them combining their power... He gripped his knife tightly as he joined up with the other two men, focusing his power into his arm and weapon.

"Ready when you are! On your mark, Luna!"

Frigid enchantments appeared on their blades as each one of them took the same form. Julius spread his legs wide, bringing his stance low, blade extended behind him almost as though it were an extension of his body; he was natural, comfortable, in his element. Of course, this was because he had been using the technique for...

Had it really been almost fifty years now?

He was ready. He spared a glance at Silas and Horus, already in the same position, each beginning to quake with stored energy.

They were almost ready.

He allowed their energy to reach its cusp-- he could practically feel it-- before he shouted "NOW!" and one gigantic, seamless wave of energy rushed from around all three of them, the perfect storm that would uproot and destroy this abomination of a tree He briefly saw the normally white energies take on a more frigid blue colour, obviously taking the enchantments from their blades and using its energy to further its own destructive potential.

Julius disengaged from the group, taking only a step back-- was it done? Over? The titanic Spin Attack had been as perfect as any he had ever seen before-- further add to its force with an Ice Enchantment, and...

He was quickly answered by finding himself staring up at the disintegration of the tree. The being let out one final, guttural scream, its bloodcurdling pitch enough to drive any untrained man to suicide in an instant. Julius felt a familiar sensation begin to spread around his body, his soul separating from himself, but forced it back. It wasn't so powerful now that it was dying.

But what about us? Julius thought to himself, suddenly wondering about how the group would escape... or survive. With its master -- focal point, whatever -- finally taken care of, Julius assumed that that was what was facilitating the collapse of this hellish dimension. "If this bubble bursts, hold your breaths. We'll find a way."

They backed into the center of the island, forced there as their last vestige of refuge dwindled to a barely lit mite upon the shaggy black fur of a great celestial beast.

Hopefully the beast wouldn't swallow them whole.

The island continued crumbling away. When there was only space for three, Horus took hold of Luna. Space, ironically, was a luxury that they didn't have. Room for two remained. He took hold of Silas, eyeing an ominous light coming from below them.

"See that?" Julius said, nodding towards the light. "I think that's how we get out of here," Julius said, remembering the glow of the portal when they had entered. "Same color and everything! I'm gonna try and get through it."

He said his final goodbyes, just in case... this didn't work. It was a possibility, and had been what they had planned for, upon entering this nightmarish realm of Undead. "See you back in Hyrule," he said, before finally exiting their bubble and entering freefall properly.

He could scarcely believe his own words. He kept going, going, and going... Even if this place were supposed to be... somewhere outside of Hyrule, up there among the night skies, he felt himself being pulled towards something. Something was... pulling him. Like it was expecting him-- hungry for his presence, thirsting for him.

He saw what it was. A rift, a portal-- something not natural, like everything else in this place. It was like a white tear through the seams of this place, only... He didn't know where he would wind up. Dark World, Twili Realm, Hyrule... The possibilities repeated themselves in order, again and again, as he only grew closer to the source of white light flooding into the dimension around him. He finally touch the portal, first with an outstretched hand, feeling the cool, moist mist envelope the limb, slowly tugging him into itself.

He lost consciousness shortly after.

((This might be the most badass thread I've ever done.))