3521/To Castle Gamelon

To Castle Gamelon
Date of Scene:	13 December 2015
Location:	The Hylian Mainland <LoZ-5>
Synopsis:	The Union heads to save Zelda from her uncle, while the Confederacy aid in the revival of Ganon.
Cast of Characters:	Deelel, Priscilla, 248, 385, 513, Sanary Rondel, 864, 878, 924
Tinyplot:	Clearing the Twilight

---

Agahnim (864) has posed:
     The Land of Gamelon is a beautiful place. It has been untouched by the hand of Agahnim, or the Twilight. Though just an island, it is vast. Forests, deserts, mountains, lakes... Even the villages are made in an old English style, that looks rather picturesque.

     The area right around Dodomai Palace, the home of Duke Onkled himself, is a lot less so. Especially, at the moment. The Union has been here, only briefly. The vast number of Union allies who went here were construction crews, simply to build a now broken Warp Gate. Before, it seemd beautiful and wonderful as the land itself. Now? The castle has changed. The town surrounding it is filled to the brim with monsters of all kinds. Moblins, Bulblins, Octoroks, Lizalfos, Stalfos, and similar. The soldiers of the castle are still present, walking as allies with the various monster races. A number of homes are boarded up and shut. Some signs on these homes list them as former homes to Enemies of Ganon. The fate of the villagers who did not join the Duke in his worship of Ganon are likely no more.

     The castle stands tall in the center of town, next to the sea. It has four tall towers at each corner, and a massive tower in the center. One of the four towers has bars on the windows. And, due to a fly over from Finna in bird form earlier, she was, in fact, able to see someone special behind the bars. A woman in a grey cloak, covering most of her body. Her long hair hangs out from under her hood, and she looks out the window constantly. This is, in fact, Princess Zelda. It is not a trick, it is not a disguise. She is locked in one of the tallest towers, waiting to be rescued.

     There are many roads leading to the castle, but all of them go through the city. There is one path that only the Confederates could take, though. On the south side of the castle, facing the ocean, there is a cave. Within the cave is a dock, for the various ships of the Castle. Should the Confederates take a small vessel here, they will be more than welcome into the castle. At which point? They will be guided to the throne room of the castle. Unlike the throne room of Hyrule? This one is done up in blacks and reds. Dark stone, a wrought iron throne. The Duke of Gamelon sits on it, a massive and tall man in black armor. His face is old. He might have been a handsome man, once. Especially with his long hair. But now? Age has not been kind to his looks. Still, he is a man with an air about him that commands respect.

Winedark Archer (924) has posed:
It's time. Having paid for a boat after scanning the map and finding the most secluded entrance to the castle, Archer sails towards the dock, dressed in the same beggar robes as the night before. As he's shown the path to the throne room, he observes the guards. Are they scared or confident? Are they trained, or just men given swords?

Once he reaches the Duke, Archer bows in respect, before speaking. "To the Duke of Gamelon, I, Rider, bring greetings." His eyes scan over the man quickly, before he continues. "The Confederacy knows of your plans, Duke Gamelon, for Agahnim has been slain, but not before he told us of them. We are most interested in what you plan on doing, and we would like to form an alliance to bring forward the Dark Lord. We are willing to provide protection and manpower, in exchange for the cooperation of you and your men, as well as assistance to the Confederacy."

"To prove that we wish to work with you, we have been told that the Union plans to strike tomorrow. However, they have already lied to us once, and therefore I would recommend sending your men on the defensive as soon as possible. The Union comes for Princess Zelda. What is her importance, detailed, to your plans, Duke Onkled?" There's a bit of Charisma added to Archer's words. He's not lying, but he's trying to make his words as believable as possible to make this go over smoothly. Hopefully, it works!

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Sanary's not quite sure what to make of Gamelon. It definitely looks like it's seen better days, although the alliance of monsters is definitely not an unwelcome sight. The fact that they've been united under a common banner is almost admirable, although... Well, would it really hurt them to have some decent-looking people around.

     At least she doesn't have to stick close to them for too long. For the time being, the healer is safely inside the castle, having gotten inside through a bit of flight and a lot of walking. She's decked out in her trademark white coat, significantly cleaner than it usually is from not wearing it for so long. It's not the most protective of outfits, but it does help her look a little less... Conniving? It's certainly better than if she showed up in full armor carrying an entire armory on her, and it isn't nearly as restrictive as a suit.

     "Sanary Rondel. Good evening." After offering the Duke a bow, she makes a beeline for one of the windows to keep an eye on the outside as another set of... Single eye watching for intruders. Negotiations didn't seem to work in her favor last night, so she's leaving that to the Rider and any other Confederates in the area. Hopefully, there won't be any Union interference this time around.

Vergil (878) has posed:
     Hopefully... this would end with a more advantageous outcome then the prior evening.

     In Vergil's mind, the Confederacy - or more specifically, the Bowman, the Knight and the Mage - turning on Agahnim before they had driven back the Union had been a colossal mistake. If they had waited until after the Union was driven back, Agahnim would not likely have expected betrayal so quickly, and he would have been weakened enough for them to overthrow easily. They would have been able to keep rule of the land for themselves.

     The castle as a staging ground. A shred of semi-legitimate claim. A bargaining chip to give to this Duke as a show of good faith. All of it could have been a possibility - and all of it was subsequently cast aside because the bowman, the knight and the mage felt the risk outweighed the reward.

     ... in all honesty, that was likely very much the case, though - Vergil had always been one to exceed his reach, heedless of the risk to others. Yesterday was probably the first time anyone had actually forced him to back down from a plan or superseded a goal he had in mind.

     However, the Son of Sparda's arrogance tended to keep him from considering that he might have overextended his grasp as usual on the day before - a key factor in why the half-demon accompanied the Bowman into the castle, though one brow rises inquiringly as he addresses himself as 'Rider'.

     Vergil himself is dressed in his typical attire, lacking any of the burns or damage he sustained against Nero. He paid for his own transport, though like Sanary he walked much of the distance as well. He also shows a possibly-disturbing lack of alarm of even discomfort at the sight of the monsters. In fact he seems to feel more at ease with them then he did with humans.

     Like Sanary, Vergil offers his own bow and introduction - "I am Vergil. A pleasure to meet you." For the moment, he let 'Rider' do much of the talking - if the Bowman wanted to play the part of leader for now, Vergil would let him... and if he crashed this particular vessel and sunk their interests, it wouldn't be anyone else' failing.

     Besides, he was curious as to just how the Bowman would get the Duke to put forward such sensitive information as this when they had nothing to validate their claim off-hand - and he was more then willing to wait and see what cards 'Rider' had to play before making any moves of his own.

Agahnim (864) has posed:
     The Duke of Onkled gives a bit of a twisted smile, nodding at each of the Confederates as they introduce themselves. Though the last time he was met by the Union, he seemed like a strong and powerful man, his slimy nature is showing through a little bit. He looks upon Rider, focusing on him before the others. After all, he is the one asking questions, it seems.

     "Don't underestimate me. I already knew of your betrayal of Agahnim. If I hadn't, why would I even /allow/ you here? The Cult of Ganon has spies everywhere. It was not long after his death that I heard of your involvement. And, I one up your offer. I am merely a servant of the Great Lord, Ganon. But: I can say this. The power and might of the Confederacy has not gone unnoticed. Ganon and his Army would be more than pleased to join the Confederacy, once he is revived."

     He looks up, towards a certain direction. Towards the tower. "...Zelda is not, in fact, important to my immediate plans. Though I am a worshipper of Ganon, I still love my niece. My goal is to simply keep her safe as a prisoner, rather than let her die in the war that will come. The only thing that she /might/ offer, one day, is the Triforce of Wisdom. That piece of the Triforce keeps appearing in the women of the Royal Family. It has not appeared in her, though. I am uncertain where it might be."

     He stands up, looking behind him. The wall behind the throne begins to shift, the walls parting to reveal a hidden passage. He motions back, towards it. "But. For my immediate plans? There is one thing I can ask. As a member of the Royal Family, I am incapable of reviving Ganon myself. But. One of you /could/. Now. I understand one of you is the leader of the Confederate operations into Hyrule. I would ask that person to be the one who revives Ganon." His eyes turn, looking towards Sanary at this point. "It is a simple task. You must simply pour a special vial upon Ganon's ashes. Are you up to it?"

     He holds a gauntleted hand out to Sanary, motioning to her.

Finna (513) has posed:
    It's taken a bit of planning and scouting, but Finna finally has a plan to get Zelda out of there with the least hassle.

    Which is why, in hawk form, she finally zips past the princess' window. just long enough to make eye contact. And that red-tailed hawk's eyes are full of DIRE URGENCY. There's no words, but they are enough to carry a single message. 'Get ready. You won't be here much longer.'

    WHOOOOOOOOOOOOSH. Down, down she goes to one of the windows on the tower's outside edge. The part facing AWAY from the castle, open to the grounds.

    All Deelel and Priscilla have to do is get to that point.

    Because one or two archers in the windows aren't enough to stop Finna. As a hawk, most people will question just WHY a hawk simply dropped in onto the windowsill from completely nowhere.

    That moment of hesitation is all she needs to DIVE FORWARD and sink her talons into jugulars and claw out windpipes with a flash of silvery light. Human or 'blin of some kind, her talons rend both variations of flesh easily and ruthlessly.

    Her goal: Secure a windowsill for just a minute and keep the other guards from noticing too soon...

Priscilla has posed:
    Thankfully, this is an opportunity where the Union is afforded the luxury of stealth, at least in the form of not having to rush forward and take out a gigantic, flashy, magical barrier with a sword; admittedly a very good way for an arch-sorcerer to prevent being snuck up on. It's likely the Confederacy already has their own designs on the place, having heard the exact same speech from Agahnim as them, but that'll have to come as it does. For now, there's a plan worked out, of which Priscilla can fill a couple of difficult gaps with her powerset, and has insisted on doing so rather than settling on a plan B or C.

    The crossbreed is actually nowhere near the towers for the time being -- though that'll easily change -- sat invisible well out into the trees. It's not difficult for her to pick out Finna circling around the window, and so she focuses on those bars in particular, a faint corona of light momentarily washing a small patch of nondescript forest in hues of fiery twilight as the iron bars sing softly, seeming to sizzle in some strange, non-physical way, before simply quietly falling to pieces, shredded to flakes of surprisingly hot metal by some unnerving, unseen hand. It's not actually harmful if Finna briefly gets in the way, but she'd be advised not to for . . . other reasons.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Sanary's expression drops just a bit when she hears the Duke name himself and his forces as a cult, although it's obscured by the fact that she's staring out a window instead of facing him directly. The idea just doesn't sit quite right with her, but... Hell, she bit the bullet last time with the Grimleal. It's not like her home could get any more blown up if she helps this one, too. Thankfully, this one seems a little more reasonable and direct than Agahnim, and the way he speaks of Zelda does give her a small boost in confidence.

     It's not until he mentions the revival of Ganon that she turns around to see the Duke looking right at her, just barely missing the sight of a weird bird falling at someone. Although her stance and expression are firm, it's a little unnerving being asked to do something that important in his stead. She looks towards Vergil and 'Rider' for a moment before nodding at the Duke, a confident grin crossing her face.

     "Of course. Let's not waste time here, then. He'll probably need to stretch his legs some, anyway." She starts towards the Duke of Onkled, waiting for the opportunity to start heading down that passage with the others.

Fassad (248) has posed:
     Fassad himself is nearby, in the city. He is here on horseback, riding along Excelsior. He normally is not one to hide himself, but today, he knows it is far too serious of a mission. He sits upon the back of Excelsior, wearing a black cloak. Upon it is the symbol of Duke Onkled's men. Sitting in front of him is his Shinki, Serafina. She is wearing a similar cloak.

     They're blending in well enough at the moment. He rides through the streets, looking around. He has been to this town before, and so he can at least wander without looking like a tourist. His eyes keep looking to the castle, though. Trying to watch for the sign of him possibly being needed.

Vergil (878) has posed:
     Vergil takes note of the Duke's nature a bit, somewhat reminded of Arkham - a human who exuded an aura of respect, yet inwardly was just another twisted mortal.

     ...

     And yet, deep down... some part of Vergil simultaneously chastised yet approved of how the Duke was willing and able to retain defense of his niece. It was... commendable that he would defend her and value her... yet at the same time it was a weakness to become outright attached. He was keeping her as a caged bird.

     In the meantime though, Vergil suppresses his surprise as he takes note of the Duke's open willingness to side with them so easily - another blow to his pride regarding his goals the night before - though he finds it a bit more bemusing as Sanary is regarded their leader.

     Inwardly, he would prefer to contest such a claim... but it wouldn't do any good right now to show fractured goals so openly to the Duke.

     He waits for Sanary to approach before stepping in stride with her - as much as he hated passing himself off as something lesser, 'Rider' had already taken the role of speaker among the group.

     Granted, Vergil /could/ parlay himself as being the 'second', and Sanary was probably well-acquainted with him enough to do so... but that would have to come later. When he didn't have that blasted bowman disputing every word he said.

     For now though, Vergil kept pace with the group even as he cast glances in Rider's direction, hand resting casually on Yamato... and wondered how much they would be able to accomplish before he Union no doubt arrived to try and take Zelda.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna's powers, such as they are, aren't really designed around 'stealth'. This doesn't stop her from trying to be sneaky when the situation calls for it ... such as trying to steal away a prisoner from the tower in which she's trapped, without drawing attention until her allies have a head start on their successful departure with prize in hand.

That still leaves the problem of getting close without being noticed, but fortunately for Yuna, a lot of people just don't typically think to look *up* very often. Combine that with the fact that her Flight Form is capable of flying very high indeed, and Yuna's got her means of arrival.

Yuna is flying high enough that even if somebody happens to spot her from the ground (or from one of the castle's tower windows), she should just look like a random dot in the sky; Jiina and Marina are coming in from other angles at even higher altitudes, but they're ready to converge on Yuna's location as required. And Elner is so small that the robo-faerie - flying alongside Yuna, at the moment - is practically impossible to spot unless you've got a telescope.

Once Yuna is in the general vicinity of 'above Onkled's castle' (still at a fairly substantial altitude), all she really needs to do is wait until Finna tells her they're on the way out ... or at least, that's how the plan is laid out. It might even be one of those incredibly rare plans that works out roughly as intended, too.

Agahnim (864) has posed:
     The human watchouts in the tower are struck in the jugular by the hawk. Not one of them manages to stop the hawk, and many of them are taken by surprise. It isn't something they're trained to look out for. There are Monsters in Hyrule that fly, but all but a few are allies of Ganon. They should not be a threat. But, the guards fall, leaving the tower a bit less defended. Soon after, the bars are broken by Priscilla's long ranged attack. It will be more than simple to get someone inside the windows at this point.

Winedark Archer (924) has posed:
Archer nods to the Duke as he speaks, deferring to Sanary as the leader. He follows along silently. He'll wait to see what they must do with Ganon before he speaks again.

Agahnim (864) has posed:
     Duke Onkled bows a little to Sanary. His eyes never leave her. Whether he notices her surprise at all is hard to tell, from the expression on his face. At least, he is certainly /very/ thankful for this. He walks towards Sanary, placing his hand on her shoulder as he guides her into the back room. He looks towards Vergil, and Rider. Even though he is a traitorous bastard? He has the highest level of respect for all three present, and for the Confederacy as a whole. But, finally, the Shrine is entered.

     The throne room looked dark and intimidating. This back room, the Shrine to Ganon, is without a doubt, pure Evil. Golden statues of a pig-like man line the walls, looking down towards the center of the room. These statues have red gemstones for eyes, magically illuminating the room. The floor of the room itself is covered in a giant magical circle, done in red colors. In the center of the room itself, there is a gold pedestal. Upon it there is a pile of ashes, which look as they have been untouched for ages. Next to them is the vial. Vial is really underselling it, though. It is more of a giant glass jar, filled to the brim with a red liquid. It is almost certainly blood.

     Duke Onkled motions forward. "Step forward. Pour what remains of the Hero upon the Ashes. And then... He will be back."

Finna (513) has posed:
    Boom. there goes the window. Deelel and Priscilla, looking on from the ground, see Finna - in human form - emerging amidst the rubble and peering out - without actually pushing her head into view from any other window. She can't see Priscilla obviously, but... after determining this was NOT caused by the guards bleeding out beneath her... she flings both hands out onto what's left of the 'windowsill.' Silvery lines fly down as though rocket propelled, dangling freely. One from each of Finna's palms.

    All Priscilla and Deelel need to do is grab on and they'll be hauled up and through the window quickly and quietly!

    It's like an elevator made of Essence-charged spidery silk!

Deelel has posed:
Deelel had heard the plan on the comm and it was a pretty good one really. It hopefully would work. She was thinking about what a tight fight it might be to squeeze in thee but she didn't have the issue of interal organs like a organic lifeform would so she thinks she'll be okay. Thankfully it seems Priscilla has a plan in mind and it will make life easier. She gives Priscilla a nod and then looks up making ready, she's also got a few more items attached to her outfit than she normally does.

"Here we go, Lady Priscilla."

With that she'll get the line and hang on to it hard. She seems focused and she's ready to go, she knows they have been played, as unhappy as she is, the objective is to save the Princess Zelda.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     To Sanary, this is really starting to feel like something that'd be more up Vergil's alley. Son of a demon, probably knowing more about demons in general... But she's agreed to do it, and she's not going to back out now. She's actually rather thankful that he and the 'Rider' are both around to back her up, nodding once at each of them before steppinginto that Shrine. Oddly enough, the sight of the pig-man actually seems to reassure her just a little bit more.

     She has to find confidence from /somewhere/ if she wants to get through this properly.

     Taking the jar of blood, she doesn't pour it right away, and instead stares at the liquid for a few moments before glancing over at Duke Onkled. "So how's the blood tie into this, anyway? Does this work with anyone's ashes and blood, or...?"

     She shuts herself up fairly quickly, at least, apparently realizing that this sort of thing would be best asked after the ritual. She takes a deep breath to ready herself from what's probably going to involve a bit of a mess, then starts pouring the blood onto the ashes slowly and carefully. Not a drop will go to waste, not even to splashing or spillage!

Agahnim (864) has posed:
     The moment the blood hits the ashes, an intense feeling of dread fills the room. Seconds later, it feels the entire world. Across Gamelon, across Hyrule, the sky goes completely dark for a moment, before changing to a bright red color. Thunderclouds and storms appear throughout the world, completely unseasonal. Every single citizen of the world feels what is happening. Even those indoors, unaware of the change in the sky, find themselves completely nervous about what is happening.

     The ashes start to take form. The altar itself melts away. A humanoid shape appears. It's hard to tell if it is the shape of a man, or a beastial monster. Perhaps it is both. The entire room rattles, the statues falling to the ground. Thankfully, everyone within the room remains safe. The immense evil pressure is felt by all present. For weaker people, it would possibly break them. For the ones present? It will make them feel uncomfortable, at most.

     A loud beastial scream is heard. It shakes the entire castle The shape of a massive pig man forms within the center of the Shrine of Ganon. Its entire body is cloaked in shadows, but it looks down upon all present.

Agahnim (864) has posed:
     After a few moments, the shape of the massive pig-man changes. It shrinks It is a green skinned man, with bright red hair. Sharp, pointed features, a masculine face. He wears leather armor across his entire body, and a long black cape flows from his back. He smiles at the group, looking around.

     "Mm. Thank you for your help."

Vergil (878) has posed:
     Vergil takes note of the temple's architecture as they enter, the gold design being extravagant yet perhaps a bit too flashy for his own tastes.

     It certainly was a testament to the being they were summoning forth, though. Even after how long it must have been, the power of this Ganon must have been nothing short of impressive to still linger here.

     Then... the blood pours upon the ashes... and the situation changes once more as the dark presence floods the room.

     Vergil is no stranger to evil presences... but the feeling that pours out as the ashes take a more seemingly-mortal form has the Son of Sparda standing tensely as the creature returns to life. Outwardly he may seem relaxed, not so much as flinching as the dark being is reborn - but inwardly... he is perhaps a mix of anxious and curious.

     What exactly will the black king of the chess-board move toward? And will it benefit them? This was what the bowman had advocated they turned their back on Agahnim and kill him swiftly to aide... but would he take that action as beneficial to them... or would he simply turn out to be a greater threat?

     ...


For now... Vergil keeps these thoughts private, instead affording a measure of respect he would keep for a fellow demon as he inclines his head in a bow. "You're welcome, Lord Ganon."

     He goes with the stereotypical 'lord' title as his greeting and response. It tends to be the common courtesy, so it will hopefully be a courteous reply in the eyes of the restored presence.

Winedark Archer (924) has posed:
As the room shakes, Archer grins. They've succeeded, and the Union was incapable of preventing Ganon's return. They now have a powerful ally, and that should also help the Confederacy's perception of him and his Master. Archer bows his head in respect, as he greets the Lord. "Lord Ganon, it is most honorable to meet you. We represent the Confederacy, who we believe would love to have you as an ally, for we know all of your power. If you would be so gracious to join us, we can bring you to the Confederacy at haste."

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Sanary's legs shake beneath her as that feeling hits her along with pangs of anxiety, dread, and even a bit of regret over what had just happened. It's strangely reminiscient of that feeling she had when the Dragon Balls were used so many months ago, but there's also something... Exciting about it all. Like she's actually done something right for once.

     Maybe the Grimleal actually had something going there.

     As the pig-man's shape changes, the cleric steps back to give him some personal space before offering him a low bow at the waist.

     "It's good to have you with us, Lord Ganon." She refrains from speaking further at first, glancing over at the Rider, then at Vergil. They seem to have defaulted to Lord, but the question just keeps nagging at the healer. Perhaps against her better judgment, she takes a deep breath before rising from that bar and looking straight at the green-skinned man.

     "Or do you prefer any other titles? Like King or Emperor or... Anything along those lines? Best get that out of the way before 'Lord' gets stuck in everyone's heads."

Agahnim (864) has posed:
     The tower is, thankfully, rather empty. The path further up is unguarded. The Duke's forces had assumed, incorrectly, that any attack would have to go through lower levels, and the same for any escape attempt. The guards are stationed lower, and the path further up is safe. It's a walk up a flight of stairs before they finally come to a solid oaken door, with a sturdy lock upon it. It's near impossible to pick from the inside, but from the outside? It should be more than possible.

     Down below, Ganondorf looks towards those gathered in front of him. He flexes his hands, cracking his knuckles. An intense amount of dark energy flows through his body, before concentrating within his fists. He gives a sly smile towards those in front of him. He speaks, in a firm and powerful tone. His voice is somewhat booming, filling the entire room without even trying. But, even as he speaks, he looks up towards the direction of the tower. His eyes narrow, for just a moment. He decides not to mention anything. Instead, he looks back to the others.

     "I am aware of the situation. Though I have spent a long time dead, that was no reason that one such as I would be /unaware/ of what transpired. You aided in the removal of one of the Twilight, which would have proven a threat. You have collected Majora's Mask, and brought power to it. Power to a potential ally of mine."

     He smirks a bit wider, "So, yes. I will join the Confederacy. Onkled. My castle has been taken in my time away. Your castle is now mine, until I can build another. Keep my castle /safe/, until I have returned."

     With that, the Duke bows to Ganon, nodding. And then Ganondorf looks towards Sanary, giving her a sly smile, "You can call Ganondorf. Apply Lord, King, or Emperor as you feel needed."

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Sanary's eye widens at that restrained, yet somewhat obvious show of power from Ganondorf. Was this the sort of power they were trying to bring back all along? Any doubts she had are more or less extinguished, a confident grin given in return to the Gerudo. She does notice that look upwards, but it's not given much attention since if it is anything... Well, someone probably would have mentioned it by now.

     Also, Duke Onkled gets something of an apologetic smile from the healer.

     "Ganondorf, then. No need to call me 'Lady', in that case. Just Sanary is fine." Granted, it does feel rather nice to be addressed so formally, but... Well, it's more polite to return the favor, right? She's not quite sure what else to say after that, though, looking towards Vergil and the Rider once more.

     "I... Guess our job here's done, then?"

Priscilla has posed:
    Priscilla doesn't even need to be outside to feel that. Something so severely violating the causal flow of death, the return of a soul of that magnitude to earth, that incredible pressure of pure, inarguably evil power; something that doesn't really even /exist/ in Lordran; is completely unmistakable, never mind the skies, the clouds, and the sounds of thunder. "So." she intones vaguely into the radio. "It wouldst seemeth Agahnim was misguided. Princess Zelda is ultimately irrelevant to the revival of the demon. The Confederacy is likewise being so bold as to taketh credit for the action, revealing their presence immediately. There art several courses of action before us."

    Of course that's not going to stop her from at least following through with the projected recovery of Zelda, and so the grass bends in a handful of places as an invisible pressure skips great tracts of it at a time, the air pressure flattening it briefly as a series of superhuman leaps take her up the castle walls, midway onto the hanging grapple, and then in through the window behind Deelel. "Sir Fassad. All pertinent information on the demon lord. Immediately."

Vergil (878) has posed:
     Vergil gives a respectful nod to Ganon, taking note of how the dead entity had still been able to observe events even when his physical form was deceased... and it seemed they would end up being rewarded for their efforts thus far.

     ... inwardly, that rubbed his ego somewhat raw, seeing as Agahnim being taken down alive would have risked the self-proclaimed king trying to sabotage this ritual in all possibility.

     It was never enjoyable to think he might have made a mistake had he done things his way... but for now, all he could do was begrudgingly continue to work down their new path and focus on their apparent goal. All while not letting any of that show through.

     He gives a glance to Sanary, struggling idly. "I suppose so. Or at least until the Union tries to make some form of attack."

     However... they likely ought to keep their guard up. Just because Zelda was not needed for Ganon's revival did not mean she should be reclaimed by the Union - or at least not without a fight.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel is now making her way up and into the tower, when she's on her feet and making ready to move for the door? Ganon returns she doesn't so much feel it but her Keyblade does and it's suddenly in her hand without her even willing it there. She senses it's clearly on alert and a souce of light like this might get Ganon's attention but she needs to work and rork fast as she bings up the blade. She focuses for a moment, she's not done this too many times but it doesn't take too long there's a thin beam of white light heaing towards the lock from the Dual Disc, if it works the lock should just end up trigging unlocking it self to allow the team entry, if not she'll have to take other measures.

Priscilla does a good deal with summarizing what's going on here too she has thoughts racing through her mind and she just hopes they can be out of here with her swiftly.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna is still the better part of a mile into the air over what is now Ganondorf's castle, and she still can't shake the chill trickling along her spine; by this point, it's crawled right down to her tailbone and is now creeping back upwards like an extremely stubborn mountain-climber.

The mission is most important, she keeps reminding herself. As long as Ganon's attention doesn't shift to the rescue mission, they can still get in, nab Zelda, and get out in one relatively-unhindered piece.

... right?

Yuna grits her teeth briefly and starts sort-of-rehearsing song lyrics in her head, keeping a solid chunk of her attention ojn the radio for when Finna calls for extraction-cover.

Agahnim (864) has posed:
     As Deelel unlocks the door, Zelda stands from her resting spot. She walks towards it, the lock simply falling from the door. She grabs at the handle, pushing the door open quickly. She looks at the others. Despite the presence of Ganon still being palpable, little fear is upon her face. Instead, determination. Eagerness. She looks to the others with Deelel, speaking calmly as per usual.

     "We must make leave of this place at once. Is there a way out of here?"

     Thankfully, the skies remain calm. Less calming is the method of leaving the Island of Gamelon that Ganon has prepared, even while remaining inside the castle. Yuna will be able to see it, rising from the ocean. A massive ship made of dark wood, with tattered black sails. Skull designs line across its railing. The water rolls off of it, a crew of skeletal Stalfos standing throughout the deck. It turns in the water, sailing to the dock.

     Inside? Ganondorf leads the way. Despite being dead for so long, he definitely knows his way along this place. As he leads the Confederates back to the docks, he speaks, calmly.

     "...Do not worry about her. It is better to let her be, for now."

     He does not know what the Confederates are discussing. But, he is a wise man. He can guess easily at the concerns the Confederacy has, leaving Zelda here.

Finna (513) has posed:
    With it seeming more and more likely that they're not going to be unchallenged on the way out, Finna decides that while Deelel's focused on unlocking the door - and probably Zelda's cell - she'll focus on putting up some kind of defense.

    Finna hasn't been idle with all of those rupees amassed from monster slaying. She pulls a bag out of Elsewhere and swiftly rigs up a trap using sprays of Essence silk and a handful of deku nuts in said bag.

    It's really quite simple. Trip the wire, and have a few impact-detonating deku nuts drop in people's faces.

    And she rigs the thing up in about ten seconds easily.

    Then walks into the room with Zelda, answering, "Nope. But..." Finna jabs a thumb at Priscilla. "She's gonna make one. Stay clear of the walls, Princess!"

Agahnim (864) has posed:
     Also of minor note: The red sky has finally begun to fade, turning back to blue. At least that's over with, for now.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Following the whirlwind of activity over the comms, Sanary's looking both more determined and thoroughly confused. She clears her throat before looking over at Rider and Vergil. "Alright, Vergil. Rider. Let's back him up and secure his escape rou-that is a huge boat." Her attention is grabbed rather quickly by the ship coming out of seemingly nowhere, and she hurries up to catch up with the Demon Lord. Her eye darts around rapidly even as they move towards it in relative safely, her attention returning to Ganondorf as she starts to focus her energy into her hands.

     "Take some of this. It should help you get a little more... Oh, what's the word." She gives up on trying to figure out the word rather quickly, focusing instead on just transferring raw magical power to Ganondorf. Assuming he doesn't have any wounds that'll need healing, it'll probably all go towards rejuvenating him! She even has enough spare in the tank to direct some energy towards Vergil and 'Rider' just in case, although it's clear that her goal now is to accompany the Demon Lord until he's safely out of harm's way.

Winedark Archer (924) has posed:
As Sanary makes her orders, Archer nods. He begins to move towards the ship, taking the scouting approach, but he does eat that delicious mana as it's transferred. He grins, before fading away, dematerializing. It's time to escape.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel sees that Zelfa is there she seems very happy that they found the right cell. She bows slightly to the Princes and then nods to Finna.

"Yes, Lady Priscilla will be making us a way out soon."

She keeps the keyblade ready and does seem on edge, who knows what else is going to happen here after all. Hopefully Finna's got some of the escape plan handled at this point but she doesn't seem worried about that given her allies skill sets. She does however move to guard Zelda and make ready as best she can.

Priscilla has posed:
    Simple enough. Suspiciously simple, actually. It doesn't hurt them in any way though, and so Priscilla is willing to take it. Ganon can be dealt with later, at a more opportune time. "There shalt be shortly, Princess. Stay close, but not overly so." she says to Zelda, walking over to the outward facing wall. She looks it up and down briefly, and then takes in a deep breath, causing the temperature of the room plummet rapidly, and then releases it as a stream of glittering crystal dust like the snowy haze of a luminescent blizzard, filling the room with the sound of tinkling glass and reeking of magic.

    An entire section of the wall crystallizes nigh-instantly, frosting over with a blue-grey shine patterned with whorling streaks of white that eerily resemble faces here and there, creeping outwards like a growing, living thing, continuing to do so even after she stops. Once it encompasses a sizable area, Priscilla takes a step forward, and then strikes it with the back of a curled fist, shattering several feet of what used to be solid rock instantly, letting the returning sunlight stream back in.

Vergil (878) has posed:
     Vergil expresses light surprise at Ganon's perceptions, noting that he seems perfectly willing to chance Zelda falling unto Union hands in favor of his escape. Whether or not this was a guess or an educated deduction, Vergil can't tell... but if nothing else, the warlock is as guileful as he is powerful.

     "Very well, Lord Ganon... but if nothing else, I shall at least make sure they have a harder time reaching us. Plus, if we get the chance... well, securing her safety will likely be priority. Especially if it seems she's in danger."

     Pausing, Vergil turns to face the direction they came from... and reaches into his coat, pulling free a few ritualistic stones.

     Then... as he tosses the stones into the air, there is a soft 'chink' of steel as Yamato is pulled free of it's sheath... and drawn across Vergil's own palm, spilling droplets of his blood outward unto the objects in mid-air descent.

     And then... between his own power and Sanary's boost, the stones shatter and spill out into a vile-smelling liquid that traverses the floor until it forms a wide summoning circle made of what seems to be blood.

     Then... in a burst of red smoke and with a sound like sheering fabric, reality buckles and dark shapes emerge into the land of the living.

     Six black-cloaked forms, skeletal hands clasping their bent, reaper-esque scythes. Dark hoods are drawn over their gaunt, ghoulish faces, red eyes gleaming like embers against a flame. Of the Seven Hells of the Demon Army, these - the Hell Prides - are the weakest of the demons Vergil can summon forth.

     However... the seventh form is a bit different - tall and lithe in a red-twinged blood-stained cloak with a large fur-lined collar, the Hell Lust was far faster and more agile then the Prides, and, without Sanary's power, Vergil normally wouldn't have been able to summon it without reducing the number Hell Prides down to four.

     "Kill anyone trying to stop us... and if you see the Princess... kill her." Vergil commands, a bead of sweat trickling down his brow from the energy he expended on the summoning, the six black-cloaked forms turning to lumber down the halls to deter any pursuing forces. The Hell Lust takes an almost sentinel-like position behind the group of demons, the creatures moving toward the intoxicatingly-powerful scent of souls that would belong to the Union.

     Vergil in turn proceeds to catch up with the others, though with less energy then originally. If the Union came after them, they would now at the very least have some opposition to work through.

Finna (513) has posed:
    When the wall has been toppled down, Finna steps forward. Her human form's already melting and reshaping, arms shifting into great wings but remaining folded carefully. the rest of her follows shortly thereafter. She stands proudly in the gap created by Priscilla, facing the (now) blue skies with the face of a noble, fierce, ENORMOUS eagle that barely fits in the given area. There is enough space to climb on this creature's back, but only JUST BARELY.

    "Squeeze on. I'll grow bigger once we're out! And pick up Fassad and his horse if need be. Gonna be a bumpy ride, girls, but we'll manage!"

    She's already as big as three horses. SHE CAN GET BIGGER?

    But there's plenty of worry in her eyes. might be best to not question.

    Looking closely, one will see that this eagle's tail feathers are weirdly colored and shaped, retaining some hints of the foxy aesthetic. The ears are a much bigger pointoff. Zelda and Priscilla will have no trouble seeing them. Deelel may have to squint.

Agahnim (864) has posed:
     The raw magic being transferred causes Ganondorf to raise an eyebrow. It's not that he is confused. In fact, he is actually a bit more surprised. He is not one who admits to weakness, ever. But, he has, in fact, just revived. Coming back from the dead is not something one does without a bit of difficulty. He has not returned to his full potential yet. The magic entering his body? It will help keep him together for today, even if he is attacked. To him, it is no wonder Sanary is leading this group.

     Eventually, he makes his way onto the Ghost Ship, standing amongst the Stalfos and the others. Once the Confederates are aboard, he looks at them all in turn. He says nothing. He is not much of a talker. But, he walks to a throne placed on the deck by the Stalfos. The ship begins to move away from the port, setting sail.

     Ganondorf, meanwhile, thinks on one thing: How best to reward those who helped him. After all. One /must/ reward loyalty.

     Meanwhile, near the top of the tower, Zelda nods to Priscilla. She is at least familiar with those here. It is reassuring. She follows along, keeping a distance as asked. When the wall is frozen, and shattered, she lifts her arms to block any rubble from hitting her. A magical barrier appears in front of her, to make the task a bit easier.

     Finna's transformation into a giant eagle leaves her unphased. It is not the weirdest thing she has seen today. Wordlessly, she moves forward, climbing upon Finna's back. She grabs ahold, showing no sign of fear of the flight ahead of them.

Fassad (248) has posed:
     Fassad, meanwhile, frowns at the events occuring. Once again, he is striken by a fact: He is not the hero. If he were, in fact, the hero? He would have been able to go into that castle on his own, fought through everything, and stopped what happened. Finna told him not to. But. He could have just kept going. Was that the wise thing to do? Or is he just afraid?

     It matters not for now. Instead, he turns around, guiding his horse back to his own ship. He will return to the mainland, and help with the reconstruction effort. And, most likely, he will tell Zelda the truth about himself soon enough, as well.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel is not going to argue about this she'll move on and hang tight she banishes her keyblade in the process as she looks carefully at Finna wait fox ears ona hawk? Well there's no way she could forget this even if she wasn't a basic that much. She's going to hang on for dear life howeve.r She gets the idea it's time to go. She hears Finna is pretty much at her limit right now. She Makes ure everyone else is okay.

Vergil (878) has posed:
     Vergil takes his place by Sanary, though the fact that he's lost some energy is probably evident considering the sweat-droplets that have dried against his forehead. Of course, he is now in the process of wiping them away a bit as he runs a hand back through his hair to make sure it doesn't fall down over his face.

     That being done, he did find himself looking over the Ghost Ship with interest, as well as noting that Ganon himself seemed to prefer speaking with actions rather then words, which he could very much respect.

     He also takes note of a sight farther up - the large eagle form that had rather abruptly materialized out of nowhere.

     The Union's escape strategy, likely. A shame they couldn't do anything to stop it - not without drawing attention directly onto themselves... but still, at the very least, he'd like to think his 'parting gift' to them would prevent them from pursuing... or direct focus on protecting Zelda if they took her near them,

    The six Hell Prides soon lumber through the halls, tracking the scents of powerful souls to feed upon - the souls of the Union members. The creatures are slow and individually weak, reliant on their numbers to cover each-other... but together, they may be a hassle for Elites if nothing else.

     The Hell Lust on the other hand, screaming and hissing as it shoots down the halls swiftly and ravenously, soon may come upon someone to hassle and occupy as it takes to patrolling the castle's interior for the Union, almost as if daring anything to come after it even while actively seeking out a target to stalk.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Finna and the others seem to be safely on their way out of Gamelon; Yuna hovers for a few seconds longer, making sure her friends aren't drawing attacks from anyone on the ground, before following their lead - still well out of nominal sight of the ground, and (she's comfortably certain) *way* out of attack range.

She's not letting her guard down, though. She's still got the screaming heebie-jeebies about ... she has to presume it's Ganon's resurrection she had an instinctive reaction to; it's the most convenient explanation to fit the facts as she knows them.

Finna (513) has posed:
    INDEED! OFF they go. It's a bumpy ride but the great eagle's wings are enough to carry all three OUT.... and Finna grows TWICE as large once she's clear of the tower. With a triumphant, screechy SHRIEK the huge bird takes off, speeding up gradually but very noticeably. And flies RIGHT overhead of the black ship.

    They may need someone to clean the deck later. Possibly several someone's.

    ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!