CHAPTER TWO
Examination
"Right on time, you two! Just what I like to see!" Link called as the two figures approached him.
The day was absolutely perfect for such an occasion as this, and the two trainees Mako and Shanya looked ready for action as they strode toward Link, who was now dressed in his trademark attire. They came to a smooth halt in front of him, both looking so different that one would never assume the two were comrades.
Mako was a rather curious case. He never wore the standard-issue chainmail tunic during his training for several reasons. Some (like possibly drying him out due to him being a Zora) were logical, while others (like him thinking it made him look "tacky") weren't as such. The only thing he did wear was a necklace decorated with Gyorg teeth and a pair of waterproof pants that were supposedly made from the hide of a massive Dodongo his father had slain. In fact, the very weapons he carried were the two large hunting knives that had been used to kill the beast. There was one thing that made Mako particularly noteworthy, however: he joined the Hylian army so he could have a chance to meet and train alongside Link himself.
Shanya, on the other hand, was garbed in a dark flowing cloak, leather pants and boots shaping out from underneath the hem. The cloak's hood obscured most of her face with only her mouth and chin visible. Even then, it hardly made a difference for she never spoke to anyone, thus making it a wonder that she was even properly enlisted in the first place. Perhaps her fighting ability had something to do with it, for she wielded a massive scythe that was even longer than she was high. She seemed more experienced than Mako, which was fortunate since she was a great help to him when he was just starting out. Judging from the symbols on her cloak and her lightly tanned skin, Link was suspicious of her being a Gerudo. He wasn't certain. He'd only met one Gerudo, and that had been Ganondorf. The least said about that, the better.
"You're looking a little jumpy, Mako." Said Link with a smirk. "Nervous?"
"Nervous? You kidding?!" beamed Mako. "I'm hyped, man! I can't wait to get in there and just let loose!"
"Easy there, rough rider. It's not gonna be easy."
"Easy, schmeasy. Is it gonna be a fun workout, that's what I wanna know."
Link laughed. Such enthusiasm from his trainee reminded the emerald-clad knight a lot of himself. Whether that was good or bad was up for debate, but it was definitely good that he had a lot of energy packed in that single body of his.
"Good to hear. You ready, then?"
"You bet!" Mako whooped.
"And you, Shanya?"
Shanya did little more than nod, her lips cracked in an admittedly cute smile from Mako's enthusiasm. For being the only thing that Link could see on her, it did at the very least let him know she wasn't the emotionless brute a lot of the other soldiers thought she was. Nevertheless, it was the answer Link was looking for.
"Before we head out, though, I'll give the little disclaimer right now. You both understand that there's going to be literally hundreds upon hundreds of enemies coming after you at once, right? You know, all the kinds of things that will tire you out really quickly if you aren't properly prepared?"
They nodded, and Link now noticed how swollen Mako's muscles were. Come to think of it, he'd heard shouts coming from the courtyard the previous night, and while he normally would have gone to investigate, he concluded that they were battle cries fairly quickly. It was safe to say that even though he was enthusiastic, the young Zora was taking this challenge before him very seriously.
"Okay." said Link. "But remember: while I want you to give it your all and come out on top, your safety is my primary concern while we're in there. If either of you gets too tired to keep going, we can fall back and try again another day. Understood?"
"Got it." said Mako. "Let's do it!"
"Alright then, troops! Let's move out!"
When they finally reached the mouth of the forest, they took the time to admire its various beauties. There were the trees, some of which stretched as high as Hyrule Castle's tallest tower. There was a river rushing underneath a large rope bridge, and the three could see a treetop village from a distance, ravaged slightly from its past assault by the spider-like creature Gohma.
Neither Mako nor Shanya had any way of knowing or even much in the notion of caring, but Link remembered now that this had been where he met Lana for the first time. It hadn't even been that long ago now that he thought about it, and the more he thought about her, the more he wanted to head off to see her. She'd proven to be a keen ally in the previous war, and even though their time together hadn't been long, Link knew that fighting without her would take some getting used to.
"So where are these guys at?" Mako asked. "They don't honestly wanna keep us waiting, do they?"
"They generate in random places every time to mix things up a little bit." said Link. "It's also so we'll be wandering around for a while before they suddenly appear when we have our guard down."
Mako smiled over his shoulder at Shanya.
"Well, we got ourselves a little edge, don't we?"
Shanya nodded and pressed her hands to her temples. This sorceress seemed to know no bounds, yet when hard-pressed for information regarding it, she said nothing. Even when Link told her that he needed to know what caused it so he could fully trust her, she responded by simply taking a piece of parchment and writing "There's some things people can't explain, even about themselves". An enigmatic answer from a very enigmatic woman and a rather exaggerated way of telling someone to stop pestering them about something, but at least Link got the tiny feeling she was honest about it.
She searched for any sign of ethereal movement, parting her lips slightly and taking in a deep breath as she did so. After a few long and uncomfortable moments of silence, Mako stepped forward with his hand outstretched to see if she hadn't fallen asleep or something of the sort when her head all of a sudden snapped up. Mako yelped and leapt backward.
"Jeez, Shanya, don't do that!" he half-shouted. "I'm a mortal man, y'know!"
One corner of Shanya's mouth turned up in mild amusement, and though neither Link nor Mako could be certain, they had a feeling she had rolled her eyes at her Zora companion. Nevertheless, she nodded and Link and pointed westward.
"You're sure?" he asked.
She nodded again.
"Alright, then. Let's get moving. Both of you keep a good hold on your weapons."
They dashed off in the direction Shanya had pointed, the forest animals scattering the second the three came charging by. Their chests heaving and their legs pumping hard, they kept on running until Shanya held up her hand and signalled them to stop.
"Right here?" Link asked.
Shanya nodded. Before them lay the ramp leading into the treetop village. With a good deal of space as well as numerous keeps, it was a perfect training ground, though it was very depressing to think that this used to be a beautiful village that got ransacked.
Now wasn't the time to ponder on such thoughts. As they completed their crossing of the ramp, a light breeze rushed through the wood, accompanied by several disembodied growls and shouts. The trainees kept their hands firmly on their weapons as Link asked of them, and the second there was movement, they tensed their grips. At last, numerous humanoid figures phased into existence, blank-eyed and translucent white in hue. The moment they saw the three heroes before them, the one at the front of the pack drew its sword, raised it into the air, and let out a loud war cry. The others followed suit, and they charged.
"Okay, you two! This is it!" Link shouted enthusiastically. "Hit 'em hard and don't hold back!"
"Yeah, baby!" Mako cheered as he wrenched his hunting knives out of their sheaths. "LET'S ROCK!"
And with their weapons drawn, the three lunged forward. Link began the carnage, reeling up his signature spin attack and letting it loose with such a force that it sent the closest ten spectres flying off in different directions. He raised his shield, the ghostly sword of his next target clanging against the metal surface before he countered with a mighty stab. Two spectres swung horizontally at him from different heights, but this proved fruitless when Link vaulted between the two blades and landed squarely between his attackers, kicking one and slashing the other. A mighty jumping slash and shield bash later, and he'd cleared a way to the nearest garrison.
"This way!" he yelled, pointing his sword toward it.
"Right behind ya!" Mako called right before he got swarmed. "Ah, crap, gimme a second."
He locked blades with the closest spectre and pushed it back, and from there it was a rhythmic and ridiculously fast stream of slashes as Mako decimated all before him. With one quick flurry of stabs, he kicked off of one spectre's chest and launched himself a good distance into the air, and with one cocky grin, he came down like a meteor, striking the ground and sending up a tsunami-like shockwave that quite literally drowned out the competition. As he landed, he pulled off a triumphant pose that in any other circumstance would have resulted in him taking far too many hits than was healthy for him.
"And that's how it's done!" he shouted.
As they entered the occupied garrison, it was now Shanya's turn to shine, and she didn't disappoint. As the spectres rushed toward the trio, she cut to the front and took a massive swing with her scythe. The wave of energy that blasted from it added to its powerful swing, and when she caught one of the spectres on the crescent blade, she spun it over her shoulders and threw it into its comrades like a bowling ball.
"Heads up, Shanya!" Mako called. "Archers on the battlements!"
Already taken care of. Shanya reeled back and threw her scythe as hard as she could while keeping her right hand aiming at it as it spun rapidly in mid-air. Using whatever forces she commanded, she kept the scythe flying around the battlements, striking each and every archer before returning it to her hands and turning to smile at her comrades. To say the least, they were impressed.
"Uh…yeah, that works." said Mako. "I mean, you could let me just climb up there and take 'em out or hell. Link's got his bow, but…yeah. Flying scythe of spinning doom. A much better alternative."
He got a playful punch on the shoulder in response before Link stepped in to resume command.
"This'll be our base!" Link said sternly. "If the enemy gets a hold of it, we're down for the count! One of you needs to stay here and protect it!"
"Sure as hell ain't gonna be me!" replied Mako. "You mind, Shanya?"
Shanya again smirked and (presumably) rolled her eyes, but nonetheless positioned herself in the center of the keep. She pressed her hands to her temples and focused, and within moments, a shadowy aura generated within the keep's walls. Any enemy foolish enough to enter without the proper defense would be steadily eaten away by its curse while Link and Mako could enter and exit as they pleased. Definitely a worthy defense.
"Perfect!" said Link. "That leaves the two of us to build up our defenses and hunt down the commander!"
"Gotcha!" said Mako. "I'll take the left bridge! Let's tear this place up!"
And they were off, slashing through the mob of spectres as if they were nothing. Mako hopped from massive branch to massive branch while Link took a detour into a tunnel leading through a gargantuan tree in the very center of the battlefield. His eyes adjusted quickly and spotted several spectres lunging at him from the side. He ducked and rolled forward, the spectres not realizing that he had dropped a bomb between them until it was too late. As he exited the tunnel, cutting through the stray Skulltula webs that hindered him, Link spotted Mako brawling like the energetic youth he was. It did Link's heart good to see Mako plow through the spectres, slashing and even kicking a few of them off the branches and down the ground far below without so much as breaking a sweat. It made him feel as proud as a teacher could be.
But of course, students were bound to make tiny mistakes once in a while. Mako performed a spin attack that rid him off some unwanted attention, but failed to notice the one stray spectre vaulting down from the tree with its blade raised. Luckily, Link had noticed it long before then and whipped out his trusty bow. With a loaded arrow ready to go in a second, he drew the string back as far as it would go and let it fly. The arrow struck the spectre in the chest and sent it hurtling over the side. Mako only now noticed his intended attacker and looked over at Link putting away his bow.
"Always got my back, eh?" Mako called with a smile and a thumbs-up.
"Always." Link said back, returning the gesture. "Remember to keep your guard up, though. Even for things you can't see."
They kept moving, eventually rejoining at the next ramp that circled around the massive tree. As they rounded the corner, four particularly large spectres materialized from nowhere. As Mako prepared to lunge for them, Link held out his arm and blocked him. A decent idea, since numerous plates of steel suddenly dropped from above, each spectre drawing in a fair amount of pieces each before they stood before the two heroes clad in thick black armour with circular shields and massive broadswords at their disposal.
"Be careful!" said Link. "Even if they're fake, you don't wanna mess around with Darknuts!"
They certainly didn't what with all four of the dark knights swinging at the same time, the sound as the blades cut through the air ringing loud and deep. Link raised his shield and blocked the heavy strikes one right after the other, bashing his shield forward on the last strike and dealing a critical blow to the Darknut in front of him. Mako meanwhile wasn't quite so subtle, moving quickly and stylishly around the swings of the other three dark knights until one of them faked him out.
As Mako sadly fell for it and made the dodge, the Darknut reared up its armour-clad foot and slammed it into Mako's unprotected stomach. The Zora youth went sprawling backward as he hit the ground with a loud grunt of pain, very nearly sliding off the pathway in the process. As the Darknut made another move toward Mako, Link jumped between them and blocked with his shield while giving Mako a stern look.
"What did I just say?!" he said.
"Sorry. Heat of the moment, y'know?"
Once Mako was back on his feet, things went a little smoother. One Darknut swung inward, Link parrying the blow for a few moments while looking for the oppourtunity to strike. Once he found it, he stabbed and delivered a successful strike. Mako too waited for the right moment when his target raised its sword to swing at him, he seized the knight's shoulder and stabbed its chest once. Twice. Three times. Again and again before kicking it away and sending it into a freefall toward the ground far below, leaving Mako and Link to team up against the final Darknut who slammed his blade against the ground. The blade conjured a large shockwave, but with Link strafing to the side and running along the trunk of the tree they stood on, he quickly closed the distance between himself and the knight and finished it off with a single powerful slash.
"Piece a' cake!" Mako cheered. "…except for the whole me getting hit in the gut thing…"
Link smirked and lightly punched his student's arm.
"Don't worry about it. Remember: you learn from failure. Now let's keep moving. The enemy base should be just ahead."
Mako nodded before pressing a finger to his forehead and closing his eyes. Link looked on in confusion for brief moment before asking what anyone else would have: "What are you doing?" The response he got was nothing short of strange.
"I'm checking in with Shanya to see how our base is doing."
"What, do you two have a telepathic link or something?"
"Hey, when you train together with someone for as long as I have with her, you kinda grow attached."
"How come she never speaks to me, then?"
"I dunno. I guess she doesn't like you."
Link raised an eyebrow and it didn't occur to him that Mako was joking until he saw the young Zora smirk. Link rolled his eyes.
"Whatever. What's she saying?"
"She says there's a lot of ghosts around the base, but it's nothing she can't handle."
"Good. Let's get moving."
They proceeded, slashing away at the spectres idiotic enough to get in their way. Link took a good look over at Mako as they kept moving upward. He took in the bright smile, the loud cheers of excitement, and the sheer amount of energy in his fighting style. Not unlike a younger and less experienced Link. In fact, Link imagined that he would still be much like Mako had he not seen such terrible things and met such horrible people in his time. Wizzro, Zant, Ghirahim, Ganondorf absolutely, and…
No. Cia hadn't been a bad person. She'd just been…horribly obsessed.
He shook it off. Now wasn't the time to think about such things. They had arrived at the keep at the top of the tree. At first glance, it appeared empty, but even the inexperienced Mako knew that things weren't always what they seemed.
But did he have to demonstrate this is such an obnoxious manner?
"Gee!" he called loudly. "I sure am glad there isn't anything in here! Looks like we can just take the keep without a hitch!"
And as expected, something materialized in the very center on the keep: a tall and muscular figure drenched in shadows with a battered cape trailing behind it, a horned helmet on its head, and a massive sword in its right hand. Link scowled the moment he got a good look at it
"Hey, isn't that…" Mako started.
It wasn't, but that didn't stop Link from lunging headlong at the phantom with his blade raised high over his head. In response, the phantom faded into an incorporeal form and strafed to the side, slashing at the green-clad knight upon reappearing. The ghostly blade clanged against Link's shield, rattling his bones and pushing him backward slightly as he glared at the blade's wielder who let out a loud and maniacal laugh. It lifted off into the air, floating there for a moment as four identical copies generated by its side, each one generating a sphere of azure energy in their palms.
"You familiar with dead man's volley, Mako?" Link asked sternly.
"What's that?"
"That's a no. Just keep your wits about you, or this is gonna get really ugly."
Without any hesitation, the five Phantom Ganons cast their projectiles. While Mako successfully avoided three of the five, Link slashed at the remaining two with enough force to reflect them both. One ricocheted far off course while the other shot straight back at Phantom Ganon, who also slashed and reflected it just as his copies tossed more into the mix.
"I got you covered, Link! Don't you worry about a thing!" Mako shouted.
"In all honesty, that's what makes me a tad bit worried." Link thought a bit sourly.
Link kept himself in a loop of reflecting the bolt over and over again while Mako kept the copies busy chasing him all about the garrison. As the copies lunged in for the kill, Mako ducked into a fighting stance and prepared a spin attack when…
"What the…where'd they go?!"
It was true. The four had simply vanished without a single trace, disappointing Mako in that he didn't get to use his epic attack as well as the fact that he had to wait until they showed up again before he could continue his assault. And if anyone knew a thing about Mako, they knew he hated waiting no matter how much it benefitted him.
"Dammit, where are you, you scum?!" he shouted.
And then they reappeared, surrounding him with their blades raised high and ready to tear him apart. The young Zora demonstrated his supreme athletic skills as he blocked and dodged the blades to the best of his ability, but as he slashed downward toward one phantom's head, it seized him by the neck, hauled him upward, and slammed him down hard. Seeing his trainee take such a beating was enough to make Link lose focus for a single fraction of a second, which was all the true Phantom Ganon needed to send the energy sphere back one last time and strike the young hero in the chest.
"Crap…" he growled. "I'm losing my edge here…"
With both of the heroes temporarily grounded, Phantom Ganon raised its sword, the blade flashing several times in succession before at least a couple hundred spectres appeared before their very eyes. The massive hoard, however, paid no attention to the two of them, and that was what worried them as the hundreds of spectres piled out of the garrison with their summoner in hot pursuit.
"Oh, no, they're heading for the base!" Link shouted. "Mako, get up!"
"No need to tell me twice!" Mako panted.
They started after the massive army, slashing at the spectres taking up the rear and generally trying their hardest to reduce their numbers as much as they could before the spectres reached Shanya. That wasn't to say Link nor Mako doubted Shanya's abilities (especially with her weapon of choice being excellent for crowd control), but with the army's commander among them and his perceived resistance to the barrier of darkness protecting the base, Shanya was going to have one painful time trying to hold it.
Mako especially felt angered by this sudden turn of events. He hadn't gone through all that training and made all those promises to his family that he was going to become the greatest Zora warrior that ever lived just to fall flat on his face now. He and Link kept slashing, taking down a fair amount of the spectres but not nearly enough to prevent a total onslaught. They began to panic as the army drew closer to the base, Shanya exiting it and standing to defend it with her scythe prepped but clearly showing signs of feeling overwhelmed, particularly when Phantom Ganon cast an energy sphere backward and tripped Link up.
At last, Mako saw no other alternative.
"Link, I know you never told me to use this unless I absolutely needed to, but I'll be damned if I don't gotta do it."
Link smirked (after he'd rubbed the dirt from his face). He knew just what Mako was talking about, and despite how risky it could be for the young Zora, he wasn't about to object when there was a ghostly semi-clone of Ganondorf threatening to bring their base crashing down.
"Alright! Go for it!"
Mako planted his feet firmly against the ground and drew in a deep breath, focusing all his internal energy and letting the adrenaline consume him. As it built up to an unparalleled peak, a light-blue aura appeared around him before he slammed his fists together and generated a massive echo.
"FOCUS SPIRIT!" he bellowed.
And he was off, his speed increasing exponentially to the point where he was running through the middle of the ghostly army. The spectres fell in droves at his feet before he took one giant leap at Phantom Ganon. Alas, even with his heightened speed and senses under the influence of the Focus Spirit, Phantom Ganon effortlessly blocked his attacks. Granted, it didn't manage to land a hit on Mako, but it certainly didn't slow its pursuit towards Shanya. Shanya herself reeled back and launched upward, crossing blades and slashing repeatedly at each other while suspended in mid-air. Shanya didn't manage to land a single hit, whereas Phantom Ganon palm-struck her once she'd left herself too open. She hit the ground, rolling head-over-heels until she finally came to a stop as her back slammed against the wall of the base. What a time for Mako to come flying at the chief spectre again.
"You're gonna eat it now, sucker!"
Somebody ate something, and that was sadly Mako eating Phantom Ganon's fist in his face, and he too hit the ground and slid for a while before coming to a stop and wondering what he'd done to deserve this.
"Oh, yeah…" he thought. "That."
Phantom Ganon raised its hands, a massive red sphere of energy appearing and steadily growing larger the longer he held it. With the two trainees too weakened to get up right away (Mako in particular when the effects of his Focus Spirit ran out), it seemed there was no way for them to defend themselves as Phantom Ganon cast the sphere and slashed it, causing it to separate into several smaller spheres quickly approaching them from all angles.
There was just one fatal error in Phantom Ganon's "foolproof" assault: it forgot that there was a third person trying to kill it, and that third person had jumped between it and its targets just in time to deliver a spin attack strong enough to launch every single sphere back at it at lightning speed. As the spheres slammed into the spectre, it let out a shout of pain as it collapsed. Link heaved his two trainees to their feet and shook them to their senses.
"Don't you two go quittin' on me now!" he said. "This is it!"
Mako stumbled about in a dazed state for a few moments before looking up like the impact had been nothing.
"Who's talkin' about quitting?" he asked.
"You when you didn't get up right away. You gotta stay resilient at all times."
"LOOK OUT!"
The Zora youth shoved his commanding officer out of the way just in time to block Phantom Ganon's sudden attack. He shoved, knocking the spectre's sword arm backward. Phantom Ganon swung downward as hard as it could at its Zora opponent, unable to defend itself when Shanya zipped in and took one massive swing at the sword. The force of the swing knocked the blade out of the spectre's hand, leaving him wide open for the finishing blow.
"Let's finish him off as a team, you two!" Link hollered. "Time for a Chain Attack!"
"Yeah, baby!" Mako cheered. "Yo, Shanya! Will you do the honours?"
Shanya didn't need to be told twice. She spun her scythe, catching Phantom Ganon in the curve of the blade and tossing it headlong at Link. Link continued the attack with a jumping spin attack, delivering several slashes to Phantom Ganon that propelled it upward before Link struck him back down with his shield.
"MAKO! FINISH HIM!"
"YOU GOT IT!"
With one single flip, Mako launched himself over Phantom Ganon and impaled it through the chest, letting gravity do the rest as they plummeted back down to the ground. The spectre writhed about in agony, screaming and bucking against Mako's knives in its chest as the Zora warriors smirked at his victory.
"Too late." he said as he pulled his knives from the spectre, spun them around his fingers, and sheathed them in a flashy display. "Game over, pal!"
At last, Phantom Ganon gave up the struggle and collapsed lifeless, melting into a mere shadow that crept away along the ground. At last, all was still and quiet within the forest yet again. Satisfied, Mako and Shanya turned to their commanding officer and awaited their results.
"So, uh…" Mako started, suddenly overcome with anxiousness. "How did we do?"
Link stroked his chin after sheathing his blade, deliberately making them tense as they awaited their judgment. He knew how stressful their preparations had been, but he needed to be 100% honest. No matter how much he liked them, he had to be honest.
"Well, there were flaws." he started, immediately catching a downcast look from Mako and even a light twitch from Shanya. "One or two major ones. Mako, you were far too reckless. I know that's your style and all, but your image isn't nearly as important as your life. Shanya, while you fight pretty well, your melee fighting style leaves a lot of openings and judging from that last throw down, you're definitely ill-suited to one-on-one combat. You both have weaknesses that you won't be able to compensate for very easily."
Mako stared down at the ground, his hand fidgeting and his lips starting to quiver. How? How could this happen? He'd tried so hard. He'd trained for months on end to be the best warriors he could be, and in the end, this was the best he could do?
Just then, Link smiled and clapped one hand on Mako's shoulder and another on Shanya's.
"At least not by yourselves." he continued. "But you both made up for it with the most vital thing one can have on the battlefield: teamwork. You both divided up tasks adequately. Shanya, your magical attacks were perfectly-suited for defense purposes. And Mako, you may have been reckless, but it was your offensive capabilities and mastery of the Focus Spirit that kept our base from getting stormed. And yes. That Chain Attack was executed perfectly. Each move flowed right into the other."
"So does that mean…"
Link nodded and reached into his pockets and produced two satin scarves, much like the blue one trailing behind him save for one being fire-red and the other leaf-green. As Link offered them to his trainees, they felt themselves fill with excitement, their fingers tingling as they brushed the tips against the scarves.
"Symbols of true knighthood." he said. "I heard through the grapevine that these were your favourite colors, so I made sure they were made to suit the two of you perfectly. Here, put them on. I kinda wanna see how they look on you."
With Mako taking the red one and Shanya taking the green one, they donned them in their own unique manners with Make wrapping his around his torso like a belt and Shnaya tightening hers around her waist like a corset. Link smiled at the sight.
"Just as I thought." he said. "They look perfect. Congratulations, you two."
The two couldn't hold back their happiness. While Shnaya merely smiled and pressed a hand to her heart in gratitude, Mako leaped all about, pumping his fists in joy.
"BOO-YAH!" he cheered. "Oh, man, this is so awesome!"
"Easy there, buddy." Link laughed. "This is just the beginning."
"Tell you the truth, that's what I'm…"
Mako didn't finish his sentence when there came a sudden rustling of leaves. The three looked all about, not saying a word or making a sound. Fearing the worst, Link started to reach for his sword, and when the sound came again from directly behind them, he and his two companions readied their weapons and looked toward the source. Their discovery, however, was quite unusual.
"Hi there!" said the child-like creature sitting on the nearby branch.
He was an odd little thing, garbed in a red tunic and pointed red shoes with green gloves on his tiny hands. The only bit of skin any of the three could see on him were his fingers, and even then they looked more like wood than skin. They could not see his face, for there was a strange mask resting on it. A heart-shaped mask with spikes jutting from the sides, glowing yellow eyes, and an assortment of colors with violet as the most prominent.
Shanya kept the same expressionless glare while Link raised an eyebrow at the strange creature, but Mako stepped forward with a bright smile.
"Hey there, little fella!" he called. "What're you doing up there?"
"Me? I was waiting for you."
"Us? What for?"
The nimble little creature hopped down from the branch and landed hunched over, walking toward the three nearly on all fours. He looked up at them, the mask's wide eyes still peering deep into their souls. Then he spoke again, his words mystifying them even further.
"Are you Link?" he asked.
Link raised an eyebrow, as did Mako and Shanya as they both looked over at him.
"Uh…yes. Do I know you?"
"Nope. I'm Skull Kid!"
Skull Kid held out his hand, Link returning the gesture and very nearly recoiling when the little imp turned his hand over and looked at the glowing emblem on the back of it. The Triforce of Courage. An ancient relic representing a true hero. Everyone, including his two trainees (now lieutenants), knew that he had it and he was revered because of it, almost on the level of Zelda herself. Why was Skull Kid interested in it, though?
"Wow!" he exclaimed. "You really do have it!"
"What? The Triforce?"
"Yeah! Do you know Princess Zelda?"
"Umm…yes. Why?"
"She's got a piece of the Triforce, too, right?"
"Okay, buddy, I think you need to back up and tell me what exactly you're doing here."
Skull Kid released Link's hand and scratched at the back of his head. He seemed ready to explain himself, but there came the sound of clanking armour getting closer and closer before a Hylian messenger rounded the corner.
"Oh, thank goodness! Commander Link!"
Link only needed to look at the messenger's panicked expression and hear his panting to know that something was wrong. The messenger slid to a stop in front of them, doubling over and taking in several breathes before blurting out his message.
"Thank goodness I found the three of you! It's an emergency!"
"What's wrong?!" Link demanded.
He didn't even need to ask. He knew what the messenger was going to say even before he said it, and it sent a wave of dread washing over him even while it was happening.
"General Impa needs all three of you to return immediately!" the messenger shouted. "The castle is under attack!"
Run, you fool! Your princess desires your presence! ...oh, and save the castle while you're at it, too!
Good ol' Skull Kid, eh? What would we do without him? Speaking of which, I admit I'm a little upset he's not going to be playable in the actual Hyrule Warriors game, but the Majora's Mask DLC shows a lot of promise. Oh, Tingle. Always sticking around to troll us, eh? Actually, I kinda liked him in Wind Waker, although I guess using his design from that game would be...in poor taste if you catch my drift. And Young Link...hm. Interesting choice. And he turns into the Fierce Deity for his Special Attack? ...okay...that's bloody awesome.
SOUNDTRACK SO FAR
Musou test in the Faron Woods- "In the Greenwood" from Hyrule Warriors
Link, Mako, and Shanya versus Phantom Ganon- Phantom Ganon's battle theme from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker