Ulterior Motives (Elohim)

[Nightmare Darklight]

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It had been a long night, what with having deals to make in the Castle in all. Though in the end, Nightmare had been personally asked by Zelda to take out Merik. It was reasonable to him, the guy could become a serious thorn in their side, so he took it.

Later on, after Nightmare had been hired, he donned a soldier's uniform and for a time, used his old name of Alexander Sorel. With that, he had been able to get into the archives and thus fish through the castle's documents. Throughout those documents, he had found two that interested him; one detailing Merik's actual assault on Hyrule, and the arresting of Caramon. Both of these he was already aware of, but that wasn't why they interested him. He was interested because they were submitted specifically by the Knight Captain and the Human Champion. Which meant they had their handwriting, something he could use.

So, snagging the documents, along with one penned by Zelda herself, Nightmare switched into his regular clothes, left the Castle and headed towards the Fairy Court, taking a set of fiber wire with him. Didn't take long for him to arrive, and once he did, it became a matter of stealth. It wasn't too hard to sneak past the guards and into the rooms. However, upon examining each of the rooms, it was clear that Merik had left already. On the bright side, it didn't take long to figure out which room was Merik's; it stunk of blood, smoke, and alcohol. Nightmare mentally noted the surprise that it didn't stink of piss however.

The guards had been speaking of strange visitors, but it seemed they didn't know who they were. In a way, Nightmare cursed his luck. He had lost the mad dog and now he had no idea where the Gerudo King was, or where he was going to be. He'd lost his chance and would have to wait for the guy to resurface. There had literally been no leads, no hints at all as to where he could have gone.

But, it meant that Titania was with Merik. That was all he needed. Sneaking through the court once again, he snuck into the Fairy Queen's room. Wrapping the wire around his hands he wrapped the wire around the sleeping Queen's throat. After a few minutes of somewhat silent struggling, the Fairy Queen breathed her last. There was no blood, nothing. This however, opened up an opportunity that Nightmare could not have passed up; he started sifting through her belongings, being careful to put everything back when he was done searching, he scoured the room.

Eventually, he found something he was looking for; information. A simple letter sent to the Fairy Queen. Opening it up, he noted the discussion of a Gerudo Hybrid, how Titania was addressed as "T" and the sender as "M". Nightmare smiled. He now had Merik's handwriting to use as well. He still however, had to deal with Titania's body.

Taking the thing back into Merik's room, he unsheathed Silversnake and plunged it into the Queen's abdomen, letting blood pool beneath her as she slumped onto the bed. Taking a hand, he placed it beneath the wound, taking some blood into his hand and making a few quick, whip like motions along the walls, trying to create evidence of a struggle. Forging a crime scene if you will.

Nightmare ripped off part of Titania's clothing and wrapped it around the body's abdomen. He didn't want a blood trail. And with that, he slipped out of the court, body in tow. Making a few more slashes once outside in order to imply more of a fight should the body be acquired.

---

So here he was now, in Hyrule Field. He had transformed, lifted the body with one of his talons, and was making his way back to the desert. Merik wasn't done, he was sure of that, and he needed to cripple the man before he could cause any real damage. Killing Titania was risky. The woman was a healer, the Fairy Queen no less. The Hippocratic oath did hold some water. But facts were facts. Titania had allowed the most wanted man in Hyrule to stay alive. If she was functioning as a goto girl for Merik and possibly those under him, she needed to be stopped before she could save anymore enemies or, heaven forbid, rally the fairies to rebel against Zelda. Morally wrong as it was, to Nightmare, it was a necessity to bring the inevitable war to an end as fast as possible.

Still, he was a little worried. Granted, he had done everything within his power not to be seen, and he was certain the guards had not caught him, he didn't want to be traced back to Zelda. Then again, he supposed that wasn't really possible. What with him being the Monster Emperor and all. Zenethil and Ryan Green couldn't really take down Merik in the Fairy Court without getting Zelda in trouble. If he did it, the Hylians wouldn't even suspect the Princess. Though he supposed that he really didn't matter at this point. Merik had escaped, and literally any leads on his whereabouts had now officially gone cold. All that could be done was wait for him to resurface. If he had been infiltrating the castle as easily as admittedly, Nightmare himself had been able to, that meant Zelda could be in serious danger. He made a note to try and get her out of the castle later on.

But for now, he just continued to make his way towards the desert. He was going to get back to the tower to write a letter, then drop the body off and head right back for Zelda. Merik had gone into a hole, and he didn't know which hole the Gerudo King would come out. The Emperor hated situations like this. If he could keep track of those he felt could possibly be a danger, then he hated it when they disappeared. To him, Merik was a danger in an odd way. On a personal, individual level, Nightmare did not feel threatened by Merik in the slightest. The people the Gerudo King led however, the pirates and amazons. Together they could create a long and bloody war. It wasn't the man in power who was the danger, it was the people he had power over.

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[Elohim]

Nightmare would feel a small tugging in the back of his mind as he kept flying, but soon, the world would begin fading into darkness. He felt no pain, no magic at work, but this was something else entirely. While he felt his body continue moving, the world went black, and eventually even the sense of movement came to an end. The world would light up again, but the sources were flames instead of the sky. Four torches marked the corners of a square room, and a golden chandelier hung from the ceiling. The whole room was illuminated in the glow of the flames, revealing a gold and black tiled room. Red curtains hung around the outside of the room, hiding any form of wall from view, the curtains having golden trim along the bottom. There was no door in or out, and there were few things to break the flow of the room.

One of them was a raised section of floor, upon which were four instruments; a grand piano, a violin, and two xylophones. Next to each of these were glowing balls of light with faintly humanoid outlines, which then began playing the instruments to create a light, yet mood-setting tone. It quickly faded into the background as the other side of the room became noticeable. There was a lush, red velvet armchair with gold-coated mahogany wood making up it's frame, and a couch across from it in the same style. In between them was a mahogany table, upon which sat a gold and black chessboard with golden pieces. The one in the armchair would be the last one to come into view, and Nightmare would recognize him almost immediately.

It was the Undertaker, Elohim. He sat in the armchair in his black and white casual attire, sitting comfortably with one elbow on the arm of the chair. His head rested in his palm as he looked over the chess set. He didn't even seem to be paying Nightmare any mind, a small smirk on his face as he moved a couple pieces into new places. He had already ensured things would be continuing as they were without his involvement, and so while Nightmare's spirit was here, a poe loyal to the Undertaker was continuing to guide his body towards his destination. It was obvious where the Emperor was going, since he knew that the hydra didn't want this tied to the princess. It was an easy assumption, as he knew enough of their 'friendly' relationship to piece that together.

"Bishop indeed, hydra. Well done though, you found out how to eliminate the wench without tying it to the princess," he spoke, making it well and clear that he knew he was here. His expression didn't change at all as he waited to see how the Emperor would react to the whole thing.

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[Nightmare Darklight]

And... now he was out of the field. What the hell.

Nightmare found himself in a rather fancy room. Instruments were everywhere, playing what he found to be a somewhat soothing song. Of course, what really caught his eye was the fancy looking chessboard, with the Undertaker himself playing a game, with himself. Nightmare admittedly found that to be a bit odd, though he supposed the Undertaker might have his head so far up his ass that he'd consider himself the only worthy opponent to play against, or something stupid like that. The Emperor watched him fool around with the pieces, just now realizing that he was sharing an audience with the King of the Dead, and in his human form no less.

Though the fact that this had been so spontaneous, he figured that he probably didn't die. And if he did, it had to be so well done that he never even knew there was anyone out to get him. Though, then he heard the Undertaker actually address him, calling him a bishop. Nightmare quirked an eyebrow, not really offended or insulted, but more confused as to why he was a bishop on the chess set. Then again, there was probably something about Elohim's special chess set that he didn't really know about. Then again, it was probably something that he could find out if he really bothered to. In a few seconds namely.

The Emperor approached the chess set, noticing how each member represented a different piece. "Honestly, it wasn't hard. I could've run in there firing off spells and wiping everyone out, and it'd have just been chalked up to me being the Emperor rather than being traced to Zelda." Really, it couldn't go wrong for Zelda no matter what happened. "So, mind explaining to me what your pieces represent so I can figure out why I'm a bishop?" Nightmare inquired, also wondering if Bishop would even fit him concerning what the meaning might turn out to be.

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[Elohim]

"In times of trouble, when the problems are visible to the public, fools cling to leaders expecting support. A leader takes both the the praise and the scorn of their people, and must endure them all. That poor little girl would be the target of the public if you were obvious, blaming her for not stopping you from running rampant. Covert assassinations are much more difficult to handle in that respect, and so the public is less likely to aim their malcontent at her," Elohim explained calmly to make his own point. Indeed, the reason why would be chalked up to him being the Emperor no matter what, but how the public would respond was an entirely different matter. Because of his choice of method, the public will turn to their leader asking what she intends to do now that it's already happened, rather than blame her for not stopping it in the first place. It was easier to stop the siege at your front door than the man sneaking in the back, after all.

"But to put it in simple terms, the bishop does not move in straight lines. Some men are predictable, simple-minded, like a pawn or a rook....some men require a bit of thought to predict, and aren't straight-forward. Some you don't see coming because rather than take the front door, or the back door you always leave open as an escape route, they smuggle in through the delivery to the royal baker....some are obvious influences, but their motivation or gain aren't quite as obvious....those are the bishops," his explanation followed, and almost as if something dawned on him, two of the pieces shifted. What was previously Midna in the spot of a bishop, now turned into a vague humanoid figure, while the other blank piece that was obviously a rook now became Midna. Frankly, he wasn't impressed with her motivation after having met her, but he knew she at least had some influence.

It was after that that three moves took place on the board almost simultaneously. The rook that was Midna, the pawn that was directly in the front of it, and then the equivalent pawn on the opposite side of the board all moved forward one space. Of course, Elohim didn't move them himself. Rather, they all vanished and then reappeared on the spaces he wanted them moved to. He then decided to move the next two himself, moving the pawn in front of the unmoved bishop on the opposite side forward one space, and then moving the bishop that was Nightmare so that it fell directly in front of that pawn, in the middle rows of the board.

"It is fitting then, that such a predictable queen would fall to a bishop..." Elohim commented and with a snap of his fingers, in one of the corners of the room manifested a figure of light. It was curved, thin, feminine in nature, but it was bound in a chain. The figure had no features beyond what looked like the faint outline of fairy wings extending from it's back, but it couldn't move because of the chain that kept it stuck in place. It had no mouth, and so it could not speak. It wouldn't take much thinking to figure out exactly what, or who, it was.

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[Nightmare Darklight]

Nightmare didn't interrupt as Elohim made his point. Yes, it was a good point, and it was damn hard to defend against, but not impossible. "Not like it matters in the end. I'll be found out as the assassin somehow, mark my words. I even used forensics to my advantage, even then I'm sure someone will somehow figure it out." Nightmare responded in a casual manner. He knew it was only a matter of time, but Elohim did have a point. Regardless, he did like the fact that this thing was starting to move on its own. "If you have another one of those chess sets, I'd love to have one. Usually if I win at that game, my opponent flips the board and leaves." He just threw out there.

But the meanings, did that mean that Nightmare was difficult to predict? Well, he supposed he could take that as a compliment. And in a way, hearing about everything, and what the pieces meant, well, he wasn't crazy about the idea of being a bishop. In a rather unorthodox manner, he took a hold of his piece and held it up for a few seconds. "I'd like to be transferred to a pawn." Nightmare asked as the bound fairy appeared, which he assumed to be Titania. Though really, it was a simple request, though one that might be seen as odd to the Undertaker. Then again, the man seemed to like chess, so he would probably figure out why he would want to be changed to such a small piece.

"As you might be aware, in some chess games, once a pawn reaches the end of the board, it can become a Rook, Bishop, Knight, or even a Queen. It's arguably the most versatile piece in the game. Plus..." Nightmare set his piece back down, taking notice that the woman he had met at the festival changed from a Bishop to a Rook. Why was she on the board in the first place? It didn't matter as he stood back up however, "Only fools ignore the 'insignificant' pawn. And if your rooks being filled to the brim are any indication, there are plenty of fools in this game." Nightmare smirked slightly. Though really, he was still curious as to why the girl was on the board.

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[Elohim]

Elohim made no sort of motions of acknowledgement as Nightmare made his first retorts, observing the board before paying particular attention to the moved knight on the opposite side of the board. If things were going as he had planned...yes, it should be about that time. The knight he focused on shifted in form, going from a vague figure to that of a small woman. If Nightmare had ever met her, he would recognize it as Ruma Dragmire. Elohim then reached out to move the newly changed knight in their standard L-shape, putting it directly diagonal of one of Elohim's pawns. A funny coincidence, given Night's request that shortly followed. The request itself couldn't help but provoke an amused, haughty laugh from the Undertaker.

"Indeed, indeed! Even a good pawn has it's uses," he replied, as he promptly moved his own pawn to take out the newly formed knight just after it gained an identity. The pawn was still a generic figure, yet it had taken out the knight anyway. That was because Elohim intended to have his own little influence on this game beyond simply speaking with a few, and more importantly, he wanted to strike a blow at Merik before his life came to end. He knew the line between life and death, and the rabid dog felt weak. It would probably happen soon, so he wanted to drag the dog through the mud prior to ending his existence for good.

"Let us see what this pawn can do then, hydra," he commented in an amused tone as the bishop which was previously Night also reverted to a vague figure, and the pawn in front of Zenethil shifted into the human/hydra hybrid visage of Night. Elohim then moved Merik back two spaces, to be next to the king on that side of the board, and the newly formed pawn Night moved a single space forward. The pawn in front of the opposite king then moved a space forward, which was responded to by the knight Zenethil moving in an L-shape to land between Night and the blank pawn that killed Ruma.

In the same corner that Titania's spirit sat bound, another appeared, this one a shorter female figure, held by it's arms by two other poes. This one was the spirit of Ruma, being brought before him as preparation for what Elohim believed to be a soon-to-be death. This game was getting interesting and speeding up quickly, but he hoped someone of interest would emerge on the opposite side soon. With most of the gerudo royalty dead, and only one worthless wench left safely living to lead them, it seemed the desert women would soon fade out of interest. It would then be up to someone else to keep the Undertaker interested.

However, he knew this death would bring other interesting results. Nairore would then be left without a purpose, her vengeance being stolen from her before she could achieve it. Part of him was curious how she would react to this if she was not present, and part of him wondered how she'd react if she was present. It should at least be a brief moment of entertainment no matter how it goes.

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[Nightmare Darklight]

Well, it seemed that Elohim was not a fool, as he seemed to recognize the value of a pawn. Indeed, he started laughing, and upon Nightmare's request, the bishop that he had occupied became vague, and a pawn began to take on the likeliness of the Emperor. "I much prefer this to Bishop, actually. I feel that throwing me into Bishop limits me. If I feel predictability is the best measure, then I shall be predictable. If stealth and deception are required, then I shall baffle the greatest minds of chaos and order. If what is necessary requires following an absolute order, then I shall follow it. And if I must show my absolute power to the world in order to achieve what I desire, then even the dauntless shall be forced to face such a foe." He remarked. He had to admit, it was enjoyable to have a little bit of ham sometimes.

However, this was followed by another piece joining the board, this one bound by two poes. The face was immediately recognizable as Ruma Dragmire. Really, he hadn't known anyone else in Hyrule that wore a helmet like that. He looked towards the corner of the room, noticing a second figure. "I see." It was all Nightmare said. Apparently he wasn't the only one that was dismantling the Gerudo. Elohim had struck out at the secluded Ruma and taken her from the world of the living. Made sense, he supposed. If one of the Gerudo were to take over following Merik's demise, it would likely be Ruma, being the more level headed, and therefore competent of the sisters. With her out of the way, things were left to the rash Kotone.

He turned back to Elohim. He wasn't too thrilled about murdering a little girl that had little to do with this. Or at least he wasn't hopping with glee, but he knew this sort of thing had to be done in the end. If nothing else, attacking his family would hopefully force Merik out of his hole. Unless he was the kind of bastard that fled when his loved ones were in danger. Realizing what he might need in the future, he made his request. "I'll be needing those soon. Think you can package them up for me?" Nightmare requested. He didn't like the idea of using Ruma against Merik like this, but he knew that it would give him an advantage if it was used right.

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[Elohim]

While Nightmare didn't seem thrilled about the murder of Ruma, Elohim wasn't phased in the slightest. Death was not something where 'you must be this tall to ride', or rather old in this case. It was a trip any and all took when the time came, and Ruma's was....influenced a little by circumstances. Really, in the long run, it was Merik's fault that this happened. Had he sat down and become tame like a good dog, Elohim wouldn't have felt the need to force hands as he did. It was simply because he was biting the hands that fed him that resulted in this, so he had no one to blame but himself. It didn't matter though, since things had already been done and Elohim had no intent of allowing this soul to be revived.

That was why her body had been turned to ash by the poes before they left. Those ashes had been scattered, and so no remains of the gerudo girl remained except for her abandoned creations.

Nightmare's little speech about his position as a pawn amused the Undertaker, but not as much as the information he was about to obtain. A small orb manifested near the Undertaker, the floating essence of a poe, and it seemed to be speaking something almost unintelligible. Not all poes could properly replicate abilities they previously had, including speech, but Elohim had learned to understand the gibberish these other poes spoke. It made it more useful, in fact, for the transmission of information in public without others overhearing it. After about half a minute, he burst out into another short bit of laughter, before gesturing for Nightmare to have a seat.

"Do have a seat, hydra. It seems the game just became a little more interesting for us both," Elohim remarked as two pieces on the opposite side of the board took on recognizable forms.The unmoved rook shifted into a very recognizable form, being the infamous Leviathan that terrorized the sea, and that Nightmare had just recently recruited into his ranks. The pawn directly diagonal of it also shifted, becoming the form of Kotone. Really, she was pathetic. She wasn't even worthy of the spot of a knight that her sister had obtained. He had learned multiple interesting pieces of information, as conversations believed to be secret weren't so.

"The rabid dog and his pathetic wench of a sister spoke in the night past through their dreams. Dreams normally border the ethereal and so occasionally they touch....but then they used their little charms to link the two. Fools don't realize that their precious "unbreakable" connections from such things pass through this plane of existence. It's mere child's play for any poe to listen in on such chats. The dog knows he's going to die this day and is leaving it upon her to rule the desert. A desperate plan of a desperate man. And it seems that wench now instills the tides of mutiny in your own, turning the snake of the sea against you. I doubt they will move immediately, but you will have that upon your hands, hydra," he explained in an amused voice, just loving the pathetic drama of mortal affairs. Really, he won no matter how this went, but he did view things as having a certain outcome in the affairs of the rabid dog, and did not intend to allow that to change. The king on the opposite side now began to change as well, but it did not take on a directly recognizable form. It was the torso of a large man, slightly pointed nose, donning armor and a cape, and having quite a few traits of a particular race that could not be expressed in a pure gold chess piece.

"As well, the rabid dog's voice isn't even his own....the fool is following in the footsteps of those before him, those who have failed time and time again. It's truly amusing, to watch history repeat itself simply because mortals know no better. It will be slightly troublesome if his plans succeed though, so I will be taking the matter into my own hands to ensure that things do not go as he wishes upon his death. My messengers have brought me all the information I need to take proper action, and I am certain you will find at least some entertainment value in this. Upon the dog's demise, I shall depart to go deal with matters, and you shall be a guest. The women will be in tow, so they shall be remaining in my custody."

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