The morning sky above Hyrule lit up as the silence of dawn was shattered by the shrill cry of a distant cucco. In the wake of the early call erupted life and energy amongst the populace of Kakariko City. Following the events of Ganondorf's death, the municipality experienced a fierce population growth that resulted in the village's advancement; Kakariko now housed several hundred Hylians inside its limits.
Slowly, but surely, the mechanical workings of the city spun faster as the waking people geared up for the day's main event: Kakariko's Annual Springtime Festival and Bazaar. It initially debuted as a celebration of Hyrule's salvation from impending evil, but over time people began to see the festival as another opportunity to peddle goods during the holiday festivities. The desire was met with minute protest and the people set up shop.
In a few short hours the city was already filled with bustling crowds that gave off various cries that ranged from the heckling of a street vendor to the jovial bursts from the many taverns and alehouses. All were happy except for a young, green tunic-clad male who sat on an otherwise empty bench, no doubt brooding as he ate Neapolitan dumplings off a stick. As he ate, the young adult eyed each passerby- no, the city and festival with contempt. He was disgruntled at how the celebrations in honor of his, Link's, heroic deeds that saved the country became little more than a chance for the silver-tongued enterprisers to sell cheap goods.
Link was much humbler than that of course, never really caring much for the festival since it was established. He just despised at how the greeds of man could corrupt such a pure moment of the nation's history. Even more so when the city officials tried to clear out some of the Kokiri's forest to make way for Kakariko's inevitable expansion. During the time Link was out adventuring and saving the world from various calamities, the nobles of Kakariko built up their power base, took over the city, and used under-the-table deals to obtain their goals. One such fantasy was to clear out most of the Lost Woods and the Great Deku Tree, a longtime friend and protector of the Kokiries and now decaying monument of Ganondorf's crimes. The land would then be split up amongst the nobles for their own estates. 'That stopped immediately when a certain hero promised death to those who came within several hundred yards of the tree,' Link reminded himself.
Goddesses knows what they plan on doing with Zora's Domain.
Finished with his snack, the forgotten hero expertly flicked the stick into a nearby trash barrel without so much as a glance. For seven years, Link had explored the continent and with that came sharpened reflexes and honed skill. His body was tall and the countless exercise that came along with dodging perils made it sinewy now, not a wasted speck of muscle inside of him.
Link stood up, readjusted his cap, and lowered his arm back behind his head. His fingers curled around a blue hilt with a guard designed to look like small wings. Feeling the legendary bane of evil in his grip always gave Link a feeling of warm comfort and safety. After a moment he ease his arm back to his side and set off at a leisurely pace through the populated cobblestone path, recalling the events that transpired over the course of his nearly decade long journey.
When Ganondorf's apocalyptic empire was brought to an end in the future, Link spent years practicing his marksmanship with a bow as a child. He snooped around the Gerudo's fortress, utilizing his tools of the present and future to hide. Thank the Goddesses for his Longshot, otherwise his plan wouldn't have gone as smoothly as it did. Eventually, his labor was finally bearing its fruits.
Just because Ganon was defeated in the future doesn't mean he was in the past. To resolve that issue, Link tracked down the dark wizard and wait for the perfect opening. That opening came as the Hylian menace was giving a rallying speech to his fellow tribesmen. Noticing the wizard emerging on a balcony below him, Link moved himself into position. He drew his bow, flooded the arrowhead with the essence of pure light, and let it fly. Ganon did even have a chance to speak as the glowing missile whistled through the air and penetrated his dark shield along with his skull. Thus Hyrule was indefinitely saved.
Escaping the raging mass of Gerudoes proved to be a far more difficult task however. It took Link half a day to throw his pursuers off course. He could still remember in vivid detail the smell of his tunic after hiding out in the hay inside the barn of Lon Lon Ranch; took him the latter half of the day to get it out.
Link was promptly hailed as a hero and showered with gifts. By that time, Ganondorf was already making his move on the kingdom and rumors of his cruelty had spread like wildfire. His death brought deep bliss for Hylians and Great Faeries, both who sought to bestow various rewards to their once-again savior. Link rejected the offerings of the people for he had no need of material goods. The Great Faeries, however, knew of his yearn for adventure and blessed him with two items to aid in his travels.
One was the clothing he wore now. The Great Faeries were aware that he would face numerous challenges in the future, so they enchanted his raiment. It was still the same green color, but it now held the powers of the Goron and Zora fabric, along with a few extra abilities. Link couldn't count the times the mystical tunic saved his skin from being turned to charcoal.
The other was an enchantment on his satchel. Lugging his potent arsenal of weapons and gadgets was a tiring chore, even with the increased prowess he gained from his clothing. To overcome this issue, the faeries awarded their hero with a Bottomless Satchel. Now he could store any item inside, so long as it fit, and didn't become over encumbered. And whenever he needed anything, it was right there at the top for him. Link spent months wondering how it worked, but eventually gave up in frustration.
Link also kept the Master Sword for his own since the blade was practically useless without any evil to vanquish. Instead, Link put it to use made sure to maintain its upkeep during his trip to see the world.
Seven years later, he decided to check up on the state of his homeland. The expedient evolution of the country surprised him. Everywhere he turned, the unprepared Kokiri witnessed some fantastic new mechanism that landmarked Hyrule's technological progression.
He had barely moved down the cobblestone street, taking his time to avoid bumping into others while observing the vendors before stopping dead in his tracks. Something wasn't right. He had no idea why, but his instinct, honed after countless battles and traps, pricked at the back of his mind. Then, he saw it.
Down the path just ahead of him, Link found himself staring at a spiraling vortex that emanated an eerie green glow. In all of his travels the only thing that came close to this supernatural entity would be Farore's Wind, which allowed instantaneous transportation over small distances. To further his amazement, nobody along the street paid any attention to it. 'Can only I see it,' the awestruck onlooker wondered.
Link bent over and picked up a stray pebble before tossing it at the paranormal swirl. The rogue stone arced a little before bouncing off of its intended target. Now slightly at ease, Link crept closer for better analysis, a whirlwind of questions cycling in his head.
The hero's thoughts were derailed as he perked one of his pointed ears. He could hear something- a mantra that reverberated through his soul as it beckoned him closer.
I… -uise... -oise… -e Bla-… de la… -ere.
Ca… penta… five… -ments.
Serve… bound… fate.
…
The rest of the chant didn't register with Link as he unconsciously traveled into the green space. Only after he crossed the point of no return did the Kokiri regain control of his motor functions. With a practiced motion, Link grabbed and fired his hookshot at the roof of a building across the street. The moment he felt the hook pierce through, he engaged the device's ridiculously high-torque motor, hoping it would pull his body free. To the captive's horror the robust gadget screamed in protest, doing little more than pulling the chain and Link's arm taunt. In fact, the vortex was overpowering the hookshot and continued to pull in its prey.
He was already three quarters of the way through when the hookshot reached its breaking point. Like lightning the tip broke from the roof was wheeled in by the strained motor. The force of the hook striking the firing mechanism was enough to tip Link's balance and force him through the spiraling disc. Link's only response was to do what he did best: scream.
"HHHUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"
*Scene Break*
For the students of Tristain Magical Academy, the Springtime Familiar Summoning was by far the most anticipated event. The ritual marked the moment when a noble mage would call forth their eternal partner from the void. It was a joyous occasion that also served as a type of pseudo coming-of-age trial for the students. Already were the grounds outside flooded with magical beasts and mages.
Among the remarkable was a blue dragon summoned by and equally blue-headed spectacled wind user known by most as just Tabitha. She stood and read in silence amongst the electric crowd. Another rarity was the large, red salamander spewing flames from its oral cavity. Its master, a fair-skinned fiery red-head call Kirche, fawned over her familiar seductively to further excite the academy's male population.
This girl was well endowed and knew it.
"I believe that's everyone," announced Jean Colbert, a powerful mage and popular teacher of the academy. He was also balding, a shame he tried so hard to ignore.
"Not quite," answered back a voice from behind him. To his surprise it was Kirche. "She hasn't gone yet."
Murmurs rippled through the conjugated mass. The mere mention of her was enough to cause anxiety in anybody who knew of her.
Her just so happened to be Louise, a short pinkette with a fiery temperament who also happened to be fixating a venomous glare at Kirche.
"Yeah, Zero hasn't summoned her familiar yet," echoed another. This one was from a blonde boy, Guiche, who had as many female admirers as Kirche had male.
Louise winced at the mention of her nickname. All through her life she had absolutely no success at magic other than manifesting devastation in the form of explosions. Her zero skill at magic and zero percent chance at correctly casting any spell is what earned her the infamous name of Louise the Zero.
The student body eagerly focused on Louise, wondering what type of screwed up familiar she'll summon, if she does. Everyone wouldn't put it past her to somehow mess up the summoning ritual. The compounded gaze and heckling of her peers irritated Louise to no end until she mustered up every last shred of pride, dignity, and confidence she had left to prove them wrong. At least, she hoped so.
"Fine, I'll do it! I'll summon the best familiar of all time," shouted back the pinkette, not trying to hide the acid in her voice. The mass swept outwards from Louise, maintaining a safe distance and prepared for the worst.
"I, Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière,
Call upon the pentagram of five elements.
Oh servant bound to me by fate,
From my Heart and Soul I call to thee,
Divine being that transcends time.
From my Magic I call to thee,
Mighty creature from the Void.
Come forth my Familiar!"
Unsurprisingly, the fixated ring of observers were treated to a boisterous explosion and accompanying shockwave. What was confusing was the fact that the momentary combustion of energy occurred hundreds of feet up in the air. In most cases, the path a spell follows is based on the direction of the wand; Louise had hers pointed straight up and somehow managed to target a bird. The sight that followed would also invoke awe inside the rattled audience.
Plummeting towards the earth at terminal velocity was a green speck, its features gradually enlarging gaining clarity. Another noteworthy aspect was the speck's wretched, bloodcurdling screech – a sound that one would think to give off if their limbs were being forcibly ripped off the central body.
"UUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~," shrieked the green meteorite before landing with a gut-twisting *crack* on the ground.
*Scene Break*
Link was only inside the starry void for a second went he found himself dropping to his death. He could feel himself screaming, but couldn't hear it over the rushing wind by his ears. Link took advantage of his aerial view to help determine his whereabouts. He instantly spied a lone stone fortress close to his drop zone and a large city off in the distance. Other than that, the rest was mountains, rolling hills, and vegetation. As the ominous ground grew larger below him, he thought of his choices.
One was to attempt a roll at the moment of impact, effectively transferring his kinetic energy into a less lethal motion. The downfall (heh heh) to that was if he made the slightest miscalculation in the roll, his crania was going to play the role of a Boko seed and embed itself into the earth. Not even a fairy could heal a wound like that.
The other was to momentarily sacrifice the usage of lower limbs to increase survival chances. And since Link had focused too much on his options, the ground had already caught up to him.
'Plan B it is,' reflected Link with a grimace.
Plan B consisted of Link hitting the ground with enough force to blow out his knees and fracture his legs in twelve different places. Each. He quickly assumed the position of a crumple heap of pure agony.
Thanks to the adrenaline pumping, Link maintained consciousness, but was delirious. He could he mixed cries of surprise, fear, and disgust. Just barely did he make out a masculine voice calling for, by what he judged by the tone, medical aid. At the moment, pain was an understatement to Link. To him, the sensation he was feeling at the moment border on a level far above what any sane being would call 'pain.'
Ignoring the stares of the frightened onlookers around him, Link reached into his satchel, digging around for a familiar shape. To his relief, like always, the object of his desire was right there for him. He held it up and quickly inspected it. The item he held was a bottle containing a crimson liquid: red potion. Link popped out the cork seal and downed the medicine, waiting for its effect. The crowd watched with undivided attention as they beheld the spectacle before them. After consumption of a red potion, the liquid immediately vaporizes and spreads throughout the body within seconds via blood. For small nicks and cuts, the potion causes the blood to seal the wound to straight away and stimulates surrounding cells to reproduce, ultimately leaving the area looking like the wounds were never inflicted. For magically inflicted lesions, a scar may be left. But for the operation at hand, the healing fluid's full potency is brought out.
The inhabitants of Tristain Magical Academy stood in awe at the level of miraculous healing that put many a mage to shame. Tentacles of blood latched onto the dangling limbs and reattached them to their respective stumps. Bones were reset and mended while cartilage grew back around the knee before new flesh covered the gory mess. Muscle fibers and tendons reconnected and Link could feel his blood pumping through his legs as the anesthesia wore off.
Feeling like normal, Link decided to try out his new legs. The students observed in silence as their newcomer stood up, dusted himself off, and prepared to speak.
"Goddesses dammit, that hurt like a motherfucker," was all he could say.
If silence could kill, the whole damn world probably would've curled up and died at that moment. Louise, Kirche, Professor Colbert, and the rest of the mob were still trying to piece together how the injured man before them pieced himself together. A voice from their peers gave them the answer.
"E-e-e-e," Montmorency, a blond girl with numerous curls stuttered.
"What's the matter Mon-mon," questioned Guiche, alarmed at her panicked state. Montmorency could only shiver in fear and point a finger. Guiche tracked her gaze and so did the others. Their eyes soon settled on Link's pointed ears, a signature feature of mankind's most feared creature.
"E-e-elf!"
*Scene End*
And there you have it folks. This is my first story, but I hope to do it justice. Whether you like it or hate, please by all means respond in some fashion. Continuation of this story is pending on the results.