Davus - Distant Land - Months Ago
Davus was caught in an endless balancing act of his own patience. Things were happening too slowly for his liking, but a nagging voice reminded him that brashness would only lead him back into the same cycle of fear and death. That voice used to be Severas, as it had been her guidance that Davus first used when climbing his way towards higher moral ground.
And so here he was, watching Severa betray the principles Davus continued to grapple with. Elaborate trick, or true turning of evil, Severa’s actions reinforced his will all the same.
So as a favor to her and the trust he continued to place in her hands, Davus temporarily accepted reality as it seemed.
“Davus, what’s going on?” Polaris asked. He didn’t know Severa nearly as well, and was on an entirely differently plane of confusion.
“I know we started a detective agency together and swore to stop saying this, but it’s time to stop asking questions and just fight.” Davus answered.
“And when did we stop saying that?” Polaris dropped the rhetorical question to the floor and did what he never tired of doing. Cloaked from sight until the moment of unsheathing, he brandished his twin makhaira blades. The blades did not stay in his hands, as he rather casually flicked them each towards Masa and Severa. A pair of glowing red steel chains emerged from absolutely nowhere, snapping behind and attaching to the blades.
“Don’t try my patience.” Severa said, reaching out and grabbing both makhaira, gauntlets protecting her hands from danger. She ripped them off the chains and tossed the blades to the side. Polaris seemed noticeably offended to Davus, and his immediate reaction delivered on that fact.
Polaris snapped his chains forward again, and Davus quickly arced a blast of lightning into them, supercharging the ends of the chains. With only centimeters remaining, Severa stepped to the side at the last moment, leaving the chains to strike Masa alone. Davus took note.
As Masa fell to a knee and recovered, Severa stepped in to show just how serious she was about her betrayal. Her powers were still a curiosity to Davus. From what he knew they were almost entirely derived from the pair of gauntlets she wore. And yet he had seen some evidence that the gauntlets were little more than a decoration and her power was of more mysterious origin.
It wasn’t the best time to ponder, as Severa chose the close quarters option, rushing Davus and throwing a heavy punch. He caught it with one hand, and she swung her opposite arm out into his gut. Despite not having a real stomach, it still hurt from the strike. Davus winced and glanced at Polaris looking for some assistance. Polaris attempted to strike Severa with the chains, but Masa had regained her footing and intercepted with a jet of water that knocked his aim off by a few feet. The chains slammed instead into one of the dead tree husks, blowing it into several large pieces that disintegrated into a large dust cloud just as they reached the group.
A sharp clang sound could be heard, and Davus glanced back to see that the portal had exploded into nothingness, leaving no obvious way home. In that moment, Davus found some comfort. Desperate situations did always bring out his best.
“So we just fight here until we all die from boredom?” Davus asked, half rhetorically.
“This game is over. You shall-” Masa’s tone had all the trappings of a monologue neither Davus nor Polaris were interested in hearing.
“No.” Their voice coalesced into one singular force. From the lifeless sky a massive red bolt of lightning descended, piercing into Masa’s body and tearing a small but vicious looking burning wound down her entire left side. Polaris tightly wrapped the chains around Severa in the moment of shock, squeezing her unconscious in seconds and then releasing the chains. Masa lay bleeding, eyes shaking with disbelief.
“How did you…” Masa lacked the strength to continue and fell silent. Davus wasn’t sure if she was still alive or not, but wasn’t about to chance a close up inspection. People like her always found a way to reject death's embrace, as Davus knew all too well.
“We need a way out of this place.” Polaris said, his eyes now darting between Severa, Masa, Davus, and the massive spire that was looking more and more ominous.
“Where is Koro?” Davus asked in response. He glanced to Severa as well. He wasn’t sure whether to leave her here or not. Given the circumstances, it seemed best to leave any redemption up to her and her alone. “Do you see him?”
“We need to leave…” Polaris’ focus was now entirely on the spire, which had dark black tendrils wrapping around it slowly. The remaining light in the sky was fading. The spire was undoubtedly responsible for whatever was happening to the world. Perhaps more. Davus surveyed around the dimming landscape, seeing a very faint ghostly image of a black tendril reaching from the spire towards where the portal had been.
“The spire, it’s been reaching through to our world, draining the town. It’s the reason for the behavior change and at least some of the vanishings. The rest is-”
“Davus.” Polaris cut Davus’ musings short. “I think the road stops here.”
Most of the light was gone, and Davus saw only the outline of Polaris standing several feet away, staring at the spire. Maybe Polaris was right. Davus wasn't ready to give up yet all the same, he had lived through too many false endings to trust this wasn’t just another fake out.
“Where is Koro?” Davus asked again. The second time asking the same question proved the charm as a flash of light burst between them, Koro appearing within the glow. The light radiated out gently as the two observed the undead Kokiri playing a dusty old Ocarina. He finished playing and smirked. The light expanded further, enveloping the entire group - Masa and Severa included - and teleported them out. However, when the light faded Davus saw only Polaris and Koro in addition to himself. They were at least back in the catacombs but there were no signs of Severa or Masa.
Polaris looked to still be coming down from his assumption that final death was at last upon them. Davus tossed out the question that was bound to be asked at one point or another.
“How?”
Koro just smiled and twirled the Ocarina around in his hand.
“I learned a couple of new songs that let me teleport across vast distances. While you were busy fighting, I slipped back through the portal and established a connection. Good thing I did too or we’d all be…” He didn’t finish his sentence, and there was no need for him to do so. Polaris at last seemed mentally back with the group, and spoke up.
“Davus, you were saying back there about the whole town being affected by the spire. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“It was sucking the life from everything, and that portal was extending its reach to this town. Everything else happening here is cascading down from that. The strange behavior, the missing people, the unusual activity in the graveyard - all of it.”
“I agree.” Polaris nodded. “So there’s not much left to do except get back to town and see if the people behave any differently now that the portal is shut down.”
“Let’s go.” Davus was still angry about Severa, and very suspicious of the entire situation. Her motives couldn’t be placed, and her actions during the fight suggested someone deliberately holding back. Added on top of that Koro’s teleportation song happened to fail at transporting Masa and Severa, which seemed very convenient for them. Davus had no reason to suspect Koro, but information was scarce enough that any conclusions would be premature.
Still working out the questions he wanted to ask Koro, Davus led the way out of the catacombs and back to the town. The first thing he noticed was that it was now daylight, which meant time in the dead world had been passing faster. There was no telling how long exactly it had been, but he had a hunch. And that led him to the second thing he noticed.
“Where is it?” Koro asked. “Where’s the town!?” Nothing of it but depressions on the ground remained. The only patch of land still mysteriously unaffected was the entrance to the catacombs. The remainder of the town was simply gone.
“It’s not all gone.” Davus pointed to the towns tiny ‘harbor’ that had consisted of just two docks and a scattering of very small, very un-seaworthy beached vessels. There was however one much larger ship in the harbor, and it did not look like it was from the area. It seemed like it could easily take a crew of fifty or sixty, but not a soul was upon it. Polaris and Koro alongside, he headed in the direction of the ship.
“Hurry up! Let’s go!” A female voice was yelling from the ship. One that Davus felt was familiar, but not enough to be placed.
“Who is that talking?” Koro asked.
“Oh shit, move! MOVE!” Polaris glanced back to see the land was rapidly falling away, revealing a deep chasm beneath. Deep enough that none could the bottom, nor did they have the time to assess. Left with no other options, the trio scrambled aboard the ship, which wasted no time in demonstrating its unnatural qualities. The ship spun hard to the left pulling away from shore, and then shot off across the water. It moved with a force and speed that would have been impossible for a fully crewed vessel, let alone one manned by a mysterious voice, a pair of immortal detectives, and a kokiri with a magic hat.
“Lia?” Davus asked, finally placing the voice.
“It’s pronounced Liah, actually.” She replied, confirming his memory.
“That’s...that’s what I said....” Davus shook his head in confusion and exhaustion. “I’m going to sit down and think about all of this for a few minutes, and then I hope you plan to tell us what the hell is going on here.” Polaris and Koro agreed in their silence.
“We just have to get to a safe zone first.” Liah replied, still not revealing where she was on the ship even though her voice sounded as if she were standing on the deck with them. Davus didn’t reply and sat down, taking a meditative stance and promptly hearing a stifled laugh from Koro. Davus glared up at him briefly but didn’t respond.
“Settle in, it’s going to be a few hours before we reach safe land.” Liah said. Nobody felt like seeking explanation for how Liah managed to be waiting at the exact right time, instead choosing some desperately needed rest.
Summary: Davus, Polaris and Koro escape the dead world, and find the town to be completely gone. Before long the ground begins to fall away, and they board a mysterious ship conveniently waiting in the harbor for them.
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