The temple was much further away than it had seemed, Link realized as he walked. While it had looked rather large at the bottom of the hill, in reality it was a good mile from the foot of the already large mountain he'd been about halfway down. Luckily, most of the descent was uneventful. He passed the time by looking all around at the world sprawling before him. Everywhere he looked, there seemed to be about a million different places he could go. He couldn't help but notice similar-looking spires scattered about the horizon. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to them, but they were everywhere. They reminded him of lookout towers, though they seemed to be still and lifeless.

When he finally reached the bottom of the hill, he had to come to a stop. He heard a familiar chattering sound, and the noise made him cringe. Ducking behind the thick cover of some bushes and keeping as quiet as possible, he poked his head out to confirm that what he heard were the same monsters as before. He was unfortunately correct, and a frown crossed his expression as he realized there were, in fact, three of the creatures instead of just two, and this time, he was on the same level as them.

For a moment, he looked around, wondering if there was a way he could go to get to the temple that wouldn't cross their paths. He saw a rather tall mountain wall he could scale, but sizing it up he guessed he'd only get exhausted and pelted by rocks if he tried that way. He could feel the stick he carried pressing into his back, but he also saw some clubs sitting on a log near the monsters' camp. There was no way his tiny branch would stand much against an attack from those things. He cursed himself mentally for not looking around and finding a better weapon that a measly stick. He probably could've at least gotten a decently sized log from the old man's fire, but it was too late to go back now.

It then occurred to him that he might be able to get his hands on a better weapon, if only he could take the ones the monsters had sitting out. They seemed to be pretty simple creatures; if he could just sneak around the camp they had made here and grab at least one of the clubs and threw the other one far enough away, he was sure he could probably take them. Inhaling softly but deeply, Link lowered himself, dipping below the tall grass.

His footsteps were nearly silent as he calculated each step, placing his feet in the barest dirt possible. Careful not to tread on any branches or crunchy grass, he slowly made his way around the monsters' camp without being noticed. They seemed very intent on the fire they were building, and a large chunk of meat sat behind them. Link's mouth watered; he hadn't had something that hearty in a long while. Though the apple had been good, what he wouldn't have done for some beef. Well, if this excursion was successful, maybe he could take more than a couple clubs and peace of mind as a prize.

He didn't raise his head until he was right beside the fallen tree the monsters were keeping their clubs. They still seemed to be unaware of his presence, so at least he could take them by surprise. Cautiously, he picked up one of the clubs. It was heavy, much heavier than it looked, and was full of nicks and missing chunks. It had been through a lot of battles, and some pretty harsh ones from the looks of it. Another deep breath entered Link's lungs. He knew what he needed to do, but it was going to draw attention. He placed this club in his left hand, and took up the other, fresher one in his right. It was go time.

Biting his lip, he threw his left hand over his shoulder, releasing the battered club and sending it flying behind him a good distance away. It landed with a loud thud, immediately alerting the monsters and making them turn to look right at him. Their blue eyes pierced his own as their gazes met, and Link could see nothing but malice inside them.

Bokoblins.

The word hit him so suddenly he was surprised it had come from his own brain. He wasn't sure how, but he knew that was what the monsters were called. Before he could mull it over, the Bokoblins shrieked and went to grab hot coals from their fire. He knew he couldn't let that happen, so he did the only thing he could think to do: He jumped over the log and ran straight at them, brandishing the club with both hands

A loud shout erupted from him as he swung hard at the nearest Bokoblin's head, which sent it reeling off to the side. The hit was a good, solid one, but the thick-skulled creatures were going to be able to tolerate more than that. Getting them away from their fire was his first goal, however, and so he proceeded to strike at another one's torso, batting it off to the side as well.

The Bokoblin on the far side of the fire seemed to be alarmed by the assault, and rather than running to grab coals, it turned and ran the other way. Link shrugged inwardly; he didn't need to kill them, necessarily, just spook them to clear the path.

Unfortunately, it seemed the other two monsters were much more resilient, as they were back on their feet in mere seconds, squawking at him angrily. The one he'd hit in the head ambled around clumsily, as though the blow had disoriented, so he didn't focus on that one immediately. Instead, Link spun the club around in his hands and took another full swing at the other Bokoblin, smashing it in the chin and causing it to fly backwards and land hard on the ground. It let out a feeble growl and then went limp in the grass before exploding into a puff of purple smoke.

He didn't have time to try to understand what had just happened, as he heard the other monster moving not too far behind him. Without a pause, he twirled around, swinging his club around his whole body in an attempt to whack the final Bokoblin into purple smoke oblivion like its comrade. However, instead of the satisfying impact of wood on flesh, Link's arms were jolted by impact with something much harder.

While it had been stumbling around, the monster had found a wooden shield Link had neglected by the log where the clubs had been kept. The resistance was so unexpected and jarring that it ripped the club right out of his hands and sent it spinning. Both the Bokoblin and the boy watched as it fell onto the ground, then made eye contact with each other for a split second. They tore off toward the weapon at the same time, racing each other to the club. Link dove first, just barely grasping its tip before the Bokoblin landed on top of him.

There was a series of grunts and growls as the pair fought over the club, which ended with Link managing to get a good enough hold on it to smash its smaller end into the Bokoblin's nose. This released the monster's hold on both Link and the club, allowing him to stand and land a final blow on the creature to make it poof away. Breathing hard, he took a knee, using the club as support.

That had felt so oddly familiar, like fighting wasn't new to him. It couldn't be, he thought. After all, he had handled that weapon so well, though he had no recollection of ever using one. Shaking off the confusion, Link decided leaving the wooden shield would have been foolish, so he quickly picked it up and tried it on his arm. While he couldn't use it and hold the club at the same time, it felt comfortable on his forearm, like it belonged there, so he elected to keep it.

Getting back to his feet, he decided it was time to inspect the meat the Bokoblins had so generously left to him. It was still in good condition, he observed, and just needed to be heated up. He certainly had worked up an appetite, so a quick food break before continuing to the temple wouldn't hurt. Placing the club down by the fire, Link set to rolling the large slab of meat over to the fire and hoisting it up on the supports the Bokoblins had constructed. For being so brutish, they weren't bad when it came to setting up a camp.

The savory scent of beef floated into Link's nose as the meat began to cook. He could hardly wait, but a large slab such as this would take time to cook thoroughly. He wished the old man could see him now, making a meal at least five times as great as baked fruit. Still, he couldn't forsake the snack and was glad he could now keep it for later. He turned the meat around on its perch, heating another side of it now. He had to remind himself the wait would be worth it, and spoiling his appetite with the apple not only would take up room in his stomach but also be a waste of a resource for later.

The crackling of the fire was so comforting and encompassing that Link almost didn't hear the rustling of grass as something approached him from his left. He happened to glance in that direction to see the Bokoblin he'd let run away approaching rapidly, holding… something in its hand. Not having enough time to grab the club, he quickly slipped the shield onto his arm and jumped back from the fire, just in time to catch something sharp on the shield.

It took him a moment to register the Bokoblin had just sunk a metal sword into the wooden shield, and he was very glad he'd kept it on his person. The two yanked apart, but the monster immediately took another swing. Link ducked down to avoid this one, not wanting to get locked onto the creature's weapon again. This was dangerous; he couldn't fight with the club and protect himself, so he had to choose one or the other. Fresh for the fight, the Bokoblin was going to have more energy than he had, so wearing it down by blocking its blows wasn't really an option. But the club was so far away, running to get it would pose a great risk. He decided to improvise.

Taking turns between dodging and catching swings, he edged his way closer to the fire. Keeping a close eye on its proximity, he forced the Bokoblin to follow him around it until he was positioned just where he wanted to be. In one fluid motion, Link sidestepped a slice and kicked the club hard into the fire. It shot in, and the wood crackled as it was set aflame. It rolled just as he predicted, tumbling toward the Bokoblin. Surprised, it hopped back to avoid the rolling stick of fire, letting it roll into the grass.

Utilizing this distraction, Link freed the stick he was still carrying on his back. Leaping around the other side of the fire, he aimed a pointed strike at the Bokoblin's side. The attack caught it off-guard, making it stagger backwards. It growled, then lunged forward with its sword again. He again caught this on the shield, but was able to push the weapon away to take a few whacks at the monster with his stick. It wasn't the most effective weapon, but if he could just fluster it enough to drop the sword…

The crackling of the fire seemed to grow louder with their exchanging of blows. In fact, it seemed to smell a lot stronger too. As Link stepped back to avoid another swing, he took a second to look back towards the fire. Rather than seeing it contained to the one place, it seemed the club had had other ideas. The tall grass took to the flames well and it was spreading, fast. Link's eyes widened and he gasped audibly. The Bokoblin seemed to recognize his genuine shock and followed his gaze, also letting out a surprised squeak at the sight of the spreading fire.

Link took advantage of this momentary pause to smack the monster hard with his shield, successfully making it drop the sword. Dropping his stick, he retrieved the sword and threw it onto his back along with the shield before taking off towards the nearest cliff he thought scalable. He leapt at it, scrambling up its side as quickly as his legs would carry him. He heard the indignant grunts of the Bokoblin below him, and made the mistake of looking back to see it climbing up after him.

That wouldn't do. He paused, waiting for the monster to catch up. For a fleeting second, he thought the mutual danger was going to make them temporary comrades, but he was quickly proven wrong. The creature immediately seized his ankle when it caught up, trying to pull him down. Fortunately, he was much stronger than the Bokoblin gave him credit for, and with a well-placed kick to the snout, it was sent tumbling down the mountainside and into the fire.

Though he quite hated that thing for trying to kill him, Link still couldn't bear to watch it get burned alive, so he turned his eyes skyward and pushed himself up the side of the wall. Though he was already sapped for energy, he made it over the ledge easily enough. He dared to look back down at the fire below just in time to see the stakes holding up the meat he'd been roasting collapse, dropping the meat into the ashes. Well, there went lunch.