Chapter 35 Witches, zombies, and Grannies, oh my…

Chapter 35

 

Witches, zombies, and Grannies, oh my….

 

 

 Dahrin stared in confusion as Ludd lunged at him once again. Reflexes took over and Dahrin blocked the scythe. He grunted in effort as Ludd pressed harder trying to take off his head. Ludd’s expression never changed from dazed even as he pulled the scythe back one handed to swing it again.

Dahrin gathered his sage energy and created a shield to block the swing. Ludd hit the shield and was repelled back several feet. Before he could charge Dahrin again, Meria swung at his head with her staff.

Ludd ducked and turned to face her bringing his scythe back to take a swing. She gathered her energy and flew backwards as he swung making him miss and over step, throwing his balance off. Gerad took this opportunity to strike.

Gerad aimed for Ludd with his shield intending to knock him out. Ludd’s body folded up like a puppet being yanked by its strings. Ludd landed in front of Bai poised again at the ready to attack.

“What have you done to him?” Selene asked in horror noticing that his right foot was bent at an absurd angle, like the ankle bone was shattered.

“What? He’s my toy; I can play with him however I wish.” Bai giggled.

Ludd pounced again aiming for Selene. Dahrin intercepted him locking weapons. Selene dodged around the pair of them and headed for Bai, her mace raised to strike in a horizontal arc. Bai’s eyes grew wide as Selene bore down on her.

Just as Selene swung for her a look of serene calm replaced the one of horror on Bai’s face, she looked almost bored as she ducked under Selene’s swing pulling out twin daggers from two sheaths at her back.

Bai came up out of her crouch jabbing both blades toward Selene’s middle from either side. Selene recovered from her attack in time to draw her shield up to block the left dagger. She used her mace to block the other dagger then picked her right foot up and kicked Bai in the chest shoving her away.

Selene didn’t relent as Bai tripped backwards falling to the ground. Selene aimed for Bai’s head as she fell but Bai continued the fall into a backwards roll that carried into a handstand then a back flip effectively making Selene miss and putting more distance between them.

Bai landed in a fighting crouch waiting for the next attack. Dahrin and Gerad were fighting Ludd. Meria stepped in with Selene both facing Bai waiting for an opening.

“This is taking too long Bai. We should retreat, we have what we came for.” Bai said softly in a monotone voice as Gerudo guards were heading over to help.

“No! I don’t want to!” Bai said stomping her foot her normal shrilly voice coming back, “Our toy can take them!”

Selene glanced at Meria quizzically to see the same confused expression as herself on Meria’s face.

The calm demeanor returned to Bai’s face, “Don’t argue with me on this, we’re leaving.” With that she sheathed her daggers and snapped her fingers. Ludd flew backwards out of the tangle of swords with Dahrin and Gerad, to Bai’s side. He still had a blank expression on his face.

“We shall meet again, mark my words.” Bai threatened, her monotone voice taking on an edge of hostility. With that the wind kicked up the sand around the two of them creating a mini sand tornado that swallowed them. When the sand settled both were gone.

For a minute or two nobody moved. Gerad and Dahrin dropped their guard and looked at each other in confusion.

“What was all that about? And what was wrong with Ludd?” Selene asked walking over to the two of them.

“He’s dead.” Dahrin replied sheathing his swords.

Selene stopped in her tracks, “What do you mean? He was jumping around quite well for a dead guy then.”

“It’s an old Gerudo magic, you use it to raise the dead to fight; like a puppet with strings you control the dead. It’s been banned for generations though. Whoever that Bai kid was she wasn’t normal.”

“Oh I could tell that by the floating blood red hair and monochromatic eyeballs. Not to mention the fact she attacked us.” Gerad said sarcastically as he sheathed his sword, “Calhan you- where’s Calhan?”

 

 

Calhan groaned as consciousness came back with a friend called headache. He blearily opened his eyes to be greeted by the dim light of torches. Calhan tried to sit up but couldn’t move. His hands and feet were bound. He was also shirtless and once again covered in sigils.

“Oh wonderful.” He grumbled.

“You’re awake.” A voice from the gloom echoed to him.

“Unfortunately.” Calhan said, judging from the way the sound echoed he was in some kind of large room. The ceiling was too far above him to see in the light of the five torches perched around him. He was lying on some kind of sand stone. Sigils were carved all over it as far as he could see.

“I’m in the Spirit Temple aren’t I?” Calhan said in a flat tone, recognizing the room for the sanctuary of the Temple.

“Good guess, or did you figure it out with the clues provided?”  Granny stepped into the torchlight to Calhan’s right.

“Half-way both ways. You seem different from before, Granny.” Calhan stated noticing she seemed younger, more in her late teens early twenties than a seventy year old woman. She also was no longer wearing her original outfit of tanned hides. Instead she was wearing a tight fitting set of black studded leather and chainmail.

“Yes, thought I should shed a few years.” Granny smirked.

“Must be nice. Where’s that girl, Bai, and Ludd?” Calhan asked glancing around.

“She’s asleep for the time being. Magic exhausts her. Ludd is guarding her.” Granny replied shrugging slightly. She snapped and Calhan felt himself get lighter, he floated upright and hung suspended in midair facing her. His arms became unbound and moved to over his head and the rope retied itself.

“Neat trick.” Calhan said cautiously.

Granny smirked, “Trick he says.” She muttered to herself as she waved her hand and torches appeared throughout the room lighting every corner.

“What did you do to Ludd?” Calhan asked, “Bai said you ‘gave’ him to her.”

“Ah yes, my dear sweet Ludd.” Granny said lazily, “I really did like him. Unfortunate that I needed him more as a sacrifice than an assistant. Oh well.”

“What do you mean sacrifice?” Calhan asked, horror creeping into his voice.

“Well, Bai needed something in exchange for helping me. So I gave her Ludd.” Granny replied shrugging.

“You’re horrible.” Calhan whispered in disgust, “He loved you and you betrayed him so easily.”

“Do you know what it is I desire most, Lore Sage?” Granny asked turning away from him and walking to the edge of the platform.

“Haven’t the foggiest.” Calhan replied trying to pull his arms free.

“Oh? That is sad. How do you intend to defeat me if you don’t know my goal?” Granny asked softly as she turned back to him raising her eyebrows.

“Well I figured just like all the other monsters and demons. Run you through some kind of way with a sword, generally works out.” Calhan replied in a flippant voice.

“Oh really? And what if my skin is impenetrable?” Granny chuckled, walking back to him slowly.

“Is it?” Calhan asked as she stopped in front of him about two inches away.

“Say, for hypothetical purposes, it is. What then?” Granny asked lightly putting her pointer finger on his chest. She stared up into his eyes as she slowly walked to his left dragging her finger along his skin.

Calhan tried to ignore the sensation, “Well, I’m sure there’s some part of you that wouldn’t be. But even so, there would be other ways.”

“Like what?” Granny asked, her voice coming from directly behind him. Her finger had stopped in the middle of his back and was slowly moving up his spine.

“Well, we could set you on fire. Or drown you. Throw you in lava.” Calhan said, it was hard to concentrate with her fingers gliding over his skin. She continued to his right side and made her way back to in front of him.

“These are good points. But you would need something to set me on fire with. Assuming I wasn’t immune to it. Also I highly doubt there is a sufficient quantity of water in one place to drown me. And the only lava I know of is on Death Mountain.” Granny replied lazily tracing the sigils on his chest and stomach with her finger.

“You are indeed a fine man. Unfortunate the state of your organs. You haven’t long left on this side.” Granny stated looking up into his eyes.

Calhan stared at her in confusion, “What do you mean?”

“I, unlike you, know exactly who and what you are Calhan. I’ve been watching for quite awhile.” Granny answered walking back to the edge of the platform.

“Out of curiosity, why did you kidnap me?” Calhan asked.

Granny chuckled, “Had to get the rest of the brats to come here somehow, so, why not? It could have been any of you I chose but you were the only one unoccupied at the moment. Bai and Ciar were making quite a mess of things.”

“Ciar? I only saw Ludd and Bai.” Calhan said confused.

Granny chuckled, “’Twin minds one brain’ remember?”

At Calhan’s blank stare Granny sighed and rolled her eyes, “Come, come, Lore Sage. Use that incredible mind of yours and dig deeper into the memories.”

Calhan sighed and dug deep into the memory of the Lore Sages, his headache got worse the deeper he delved. Just as the headache became unbearable a memory surfaced.

Calhan’s eyes snapped open in shock, “Oh, crap.”

Granny laughed, “Yes indeed. Now you understand what you’re up against.”

“Why would you call something like them? Are you insane?!” Calhan cried in frustration and shock.

“I desire knowledge, Calhan. Knowledge is power. Ganondorf approached me seeking my help on what to raise to defeat you.” Granny replied calmly, “Going off of my own knowledge I chose them. I told him of them on the condition that he was to leave me alive. I also had a sort of leverage; he needed me to do the ritual. That’s why I needed Ludd more as a sacrifice.”

“You killed Ludd for his youth.” Calhan whispered, “The ritual requires someone to sacrifice their remaining years while another sacrifices the years they’ve already lived. That’s why you look like a young maiden instead of an old woman.”

Granny smirked, “Precisely.”

“There is a catch however.” Calhan grinned.

The smirk disappeared from Granny’s face replaced by a look of annoyance, “Yes, I’m well aware of it.

“So what’s the grand plan of getting rid of us?” Calhan asked looking lazily around the room. His arms were beginning to ache.

“Oh, that’s a surprise.” Granny replied walking away again, “But it will involve a lot of pain on your part.” A dagger materialized in Granny’s hand as she smiled evilly at him.

Calhan sighed, “I hate surprises.”

 

 

 

‘I don’t trust her, Bai.’

‘I agree, Ciar.’

‘She is planning to betray us, Bai.’

‘I know. That’s why we have a plan, Ciar.’

‘I do love our plans, Bai.’

‘’Specially when they involve lots of blood, Ciar.’