Chapter Two

AN/ Promised action in this chapter, and Rose-Pheonix00, you were close to some of my ideas, I won't give anything away, except it has something to do with darknuts. This will be my only work for the next two days, as I'm going to be enjoying the Jubilee, Long Live the Queen, and her Bank Holidays

Link's breath crystalized in front of him, in the cold night air, creating a little white mist in the torch light.

He stood next to Sean at the North Village entrance, looking at the hills that stood between them, and the forest. Everything looked neon green through his visor, not that it helped over that distance. The terrain was against them in this way, the hills stood in the way of their line of sight. Even from the watchtower, a thin metal structure in the middle of the village, there was no clear sight, even with thermal vision, there would be very little warning as to when they would arrive, or what their numbers they held.

Scouts were possible, but a bad idea. They would easily be able to see, and report the size of the raider's host, and when they would arrive, but the job would be suicide. If they weren't caught on the open ground, they would certainly never make it back to Ordon before the raiders caught up, that was their preferred method, lightening attacks, to catch people off guard, but the villagers knew they were coming, so they had an advantage there.

'They'll hit hard 'n fast, try to leave us reeling, and open for the easy kill. And they'll probably come from the North-East, it's the flattest terrain for those boars. The flatter ground means we'll see 'em earlier though. I think we should put someone on Solomon's roof, it would be a good position for a sniper, does you think anyone has a sniper's rifle?' Link couldn't help but voice himself.

Sean looked at him, like he was recalculating his effectiveness.

'You got a good tactical head on those shoulders of yours. We've got no snipers, but I'm sure someone will have a long range blaster rifle somewhere. Pete's got the best sharpshooter skills, we'll put him up there, nice idea kid.' Sean seemed impressed.

Sean was about to move off and find Pete, when Sam, the gangly fifteen year old in the watchtower with some thermal goggles started shouting.

'Hey. Thermal signs, huge. To the North East, heading this way,' Sean was shouting at the top of his voice.

All of the forty-five able bodied people they'd rounded up from the village's hundred, and twenty inhabitants, shouldered arms, and primed weapons. A few women were scattered here and there, like Malo, with her medi-kit, and Sandra, a mother of three who'd served in the Kakariko guard fifteen years back, before getting married and moving to Ordon.

The rest of the villagers were hiding, in cellars, and the Town hall. The women, the children, the elderly, all people to protect, reasons to fight.

'Nine hundred yards, and closing,' came the shout from the watchtower.

Link drew his sword, wishing he had his old shield, any shield really. The mismatched blade of his sword glinted in the light, as if it had a mind of its own. It was a weapon designed to kill, it had seen monster flesh plenty of times before, though once defeated the monsters just disappeared in a puff of black smoke into the ether, their loincloths and weapons included. It just showed how inhuman they were.

The sound of a horn echoed through the still night, every man and woman steadied themselves in the direction of the sound, ready to fight to protect their village.

'Four hundred yards, closing,' shouted Sam, sort of unnecessarily.

'You ready for this?' Sean asked.

'I was born ready,' was Link's reply, gripping his sword. The back of his sword hand, his right hand, was tingling, itching almost; he ignored it and kept his eyes on the distance.

He could see them now, a dark mass moving on the horizon, moving towards them. Link gripped his sword even tighter, there were some 'things', like eighteen tall, wide shapes. This meant eighteen boar riders, a mass of roiling small shapes accompanied them, this was going to be hard fought, they were outnumbered.

One of the large shapes was even bigger than the rest; it looked like a big shape, with another on top.

'Ready yourselves!' Sean hollered, holding his machine gun in both hands. It was an old style weapon, it shot out real bullets, which were highly effective, but a pain to reload. Sean's spear was strapped to his back.

'Remember what you're fighting for men,' Rusl, the village head, shouted out. He had been captain of the guard in Port Hylia, twenty years ago that is, he had white hair, and a moustache, both to match the white knuckles grasping his old sword, even in his fifties, he had insisted on fighting. The way he spoke showed his time in the Guard.

Link couldn't help but gasp as the enemy came into sight. The boars were armoured, no they had metal grafted onto them, pistons on outsides of their legs, forcing them fasting than would normally be possible.

The bokoblins themselves were green as guessed, but they too had metal, and cybernetic parts, effectively armouring them.

Some even carried force spears, one or two sported blasters even. This was bad; they had never had armour, and usually only swords, cudgels, and bows to arm themselves. How did they gain this sort of equipment?

Link was truly fearing for the lives in the houses behind him, before his calm side forced him to concentrate on the problem that was actually charging towards him, rather than the fears in his head.

But he couldn't help but worry about Anjay, who was on his right, looking terrified with his spear, and shield in his hands.

He was ripped from these thoughts by the five ton cyborg boar racing straight at him, it's huge tusks strengthened by metal easily able to tear straight through him. Its beady red eyes glared at him, matching those of its riders, one controlling the animal, the other levelling a bow with notched arrow right at Link.

Link did the obvious thing. He charged.

This took the bokoblins and their mount by surprise. Breath was steaming from the beast's snout.

Link grabbed the right hand tusk, with his left hand, and swung himself up, forcing himself feet first upwards. His feet connected with the driver, pushing it off, and under the pounding hooves of the boar, trampled instantly into a black mist.

He ran his sword right through the archer, before it levelled its bow, carefully putting his feet down, and standing on the now bucking boar's back.

He took his sword in both hands, hanging on by nothing but his feet, and plunged his sword through the boar beneath him. The beast roared, rocking from side to side. Link drew his sword out of it, and jumped, rolling as he hit the ground.

The boar swayed, roaring as it disappeared, its eyes trained on Link in deep bestial fury.

He stood to see a group of eight bokoblins, armed with swords and spears rushing toward him on foot.

Link ran up to meet them, the back of his hand itching up a storm, as he held his sword in both hands for extra power.

He slashed upwards, and two monsters dissipated before him, he brought the weapon back down arcing the curve to take out a third bokoblins, who puffed satisfyingly into smoke.

The fourth tried to bring a long sword down onto his head, but he stopped the blade above his head with his own sword, with right hand on the handle, his left palm on the blade. He kicked his right foot, sending it tumbling, he quickly stabbed, finishing it. Four down, four to go.

He dispatched the other four easily, and looked around for more enemies, charging for a group surrounding two villagers.

He took them out with swift efficiency, earning thankful looks from the two marooned villagers, he nodded at them, his heart beating fast. He looked around to see his brother Anjay facing down a huge blue boar, holding up a green moblin in heavy armour, with a massive spear.

Link was running, but the world seemed to slow down around him, he saw the moblin raise its arm back, ready to thrust. Anjay readied his shield, and held his spear tightly, his brown hair framing his determined face.

Link couldn't run fast enough.

Anjay dodged the thrust of the spear, and started forward, not seeing the spear coming up behind him to catch him on the back.

It hit him with such force he flew into the base of the watchtower, bending one of the four metal legs. Link heard the cracking snap of breaking bones; his brother looked very limp, like a rag-doll thrown into the corner.

The tower wasn't very strong, and it was top-heavy, it was just simple metal struts with a platform on top. It started to lean on the bent leg, then it fell with a creaking of screeching, shearing metal. It crashed down earthwards, covering Anjay and a house in broken, twisted metal, scattering bricks skyward.

Link was still running for the last spot he'd seen his brother. He leapt onto the twisted metal, desperate to find his brother, the last family he had, he had to be alive.

Suddenly there was a sharp pain in the back of his head, and he blacked out.

AN/ Well that's it for today, hope you like it. Also ideas on what should the Gerudo be like, freedom fighters? Pirates? Or just a forgotten people? Also which is the better temple, Arbiter's Grounds or the Desert Colossus? Please review.