Beasts

Courage without conscience is a wild beast.

-Robert Ingersoll

The land of Vesomdel is nearly devoid of humanoid life. There are small pockets of inhabited land, but most of the area is infested by vicious monsters that would tear apart any who dare cross them. The various ruins scattered across the landscape indicate that things were not always this way. The remnants of cizilizations long departed hold great treasure, but only a fool would venture into the dark depths of the earth to find them. From the Blackspine Mountains to Uzumaki Bay, it is the beasts that rule.

Music: VG Music, Link's Awakening, Moblin's Den

The Moblins were everywhere. Whatever direction Link faced, there were more of them. Some had short bows, a scant few held a sword and shield, but most of them simply rushed at him with sticks and small knives. An arrow bounced off his shield as he spun and planted his blade into the groin of a foe behind him. The beast burst into heatless flames: a sure sign that it was not a real Moblin but a construct of magical energy that would repair itself in time.

Two more monsters rushed at him. Despite continued ranged assault, he lashed out with a recklessly wide swing, grazing them both across the torso. The Moblins recoiled, and he rolled forward between them just in time to avoid being struck with an arrow from their comrades. Ignoring the injured mooks, he charged toward the nearest knight. The beast raised its sword and shield in an amateur fighting stance. A low feint followed by a thrust to the throat was all it took to bring him down.

As more and more of his foes were slain, Link began to remember the tales he had heard as a small child. In them, the Moblins were a monstrous people that lived in the woods and ate anyone they saw. They were once men, but they were transformed into pig-like beasts as punishment for their greedy, gluttonous lifestyles. While the old stories had little to say on how to fight them (as the poor children wandering into the woods alone were almost invariably devoured), it had mentioned some key flaws of theirs: they were slow, fat things with little more intelligence than the hogs whose faces they shared.

Suddenly, the forest became quiet. The Moblins had withdrawn. Link warily continued in the general direction he had been heading before blundering into the monstrous patrol. For almost half a minute, everything was quiet. Then, a small grunt alerted him to the presence of another Moblin behind him. He turned, and saw something completely unexpected: the monster, dressed in a loose, open-faced coat of feathers and a helmet made from a reptilian skull, was obviously female. Link was highly surprised, as no story he had heard of the Moblins mentioned busty pig-women that simply stood there chanting and gesturing instead of running at you with a knife!

In fact, no Moblin had ever been recorded chanting and gesturing instead of charging, mammary glands or no. The only people who would do something like that were wizards, witch doctors, and other magic-users. Obviously Moblins were far too stupid to grasp the complexities of magic, so there couldn't be Moblin spellcasters. However, there apparently hadn't been Moblin females before. Link was just realizing the danger he might be in when the monster girl completed her ritual. There was a flash of light, and Link found himself changing.

The Moblin caster never knew what hit her. One second, she was a completely functional being, albeit one constructed from dark power instead of born naturally. The next, she was a pile of ash. A sickly green light rose away from her remains, hovering for a moment before setting out to the north. The remaining monsters stopped hiding and ran away as fast as they could; they wouldn't stand a chance against the creature before them.

Obviously, the spell had not been intended to strengthen its target. In fact, the Moblin mage had been trying to transform Link into a newt. However, the creator of that transformational enchantment had never thought it would be used against a natural shapeshifter. Though Link's magical power had still not recovered enough for him to change on his own, he could easily hi-jack a spell as flawed as that one had been. There were things he couldn't change about it, such as the reptilian nature of his new form, but the results were far better than having no control at all.

Link's long tail flicked back and forth as he examined his clawed hands. He could easily use those claws to rip his foes apart, but it would be easier to hack them to pieces with the two short swords that used to be the Deku Blade and his metal shield. Armoured scales would protect him from weak blows, while his tail would grant him extra balance while running and dodging. True, with his inherent magic drained, he was unable to turn back, but that wouldn't stop him from having fun until he could. With a roar and a burst of fiery breath, Dinofos Link ran off into the woods.

Music: Zelda Reorchestrated, Majora's Mask, Mayor's House Council Room

Link rampaged across the general area for the better part of the day. He shredded any monsters he came across, checked their remains for loose change, and torched anything that got in his way. As far as combat went, this form really didn't seem have any disadvantages.

Bursting through a gap in the trees, Link found himself standing at the edge of a village. The side he was on was mostly occupied by what looked like the shops of tradesmen. Through gaps between buildings, he saw the south was covered with gardens. The only thing he couldn't see was the people. Was this village abandoned?

Suddenly, he heard a noise behind him. He spun around just as a weighted net landed on top of him, closely followed by two more. He struggled to break free, but was soon tripped and immobilized. It was then that he got a glimpse of his attackers.

"Yeah! Good job boys, we caught the thing!" said a tall, well muscled man in clothes that were heavily blackened by soot.

"You sure this is the beast we're after?" questioned a younger man whose clothes were likewise coated with black dust.

"Of course!" replied the third, a boy about Link's age. "We've never seen anything like it, so it must be the one!"

Link struggled to break free again, but the men quickly pulled on the ropes attached to the nets, causing him to be held even tighter than before. Trying to explain who he was and what had happened was also futile as nothing left his mouth but hisses and shrieks. He was about to try burning his way out when the men came up and began to carry him away. Not wanting to hurt innocent people, he decided to leave that option until he was in immediate danger.

"Hey everybody!" yelled the largest of his captors, "We got it! It's safe to come out now!"

Doors opened and people rushed into the street. Something of a procession was formed behind Link as he was being carried down the road. A number of minutes later, they came around the edge of a hill. Link gasped.

What he had (from a distance) believed to be simply trees on the other side of the hill was actually just one tree. A veritable wooden behemoth, it seemed to hold the sky on its top branches. Link was placed on the ground in front of it. A man in a simple brown robe stood beside him and began to address the living tower.

"Oh great Maku Tree, guardian of our village and protector of Vesomdel, we ask for your wisdom! This creature has been terrorizing everything in the area, and we believe it would have burned our homes to the ground had it not been apprehended. Tell us, oh mighty spirit, what is to be done with it?"

There was a low rumble as the wood shifted. A face soon came together on the front of the tree. It glanced at Link for a moment, then began to speak in a deep, powerful voice that resonated through the clearing.

"Untie him. Leave us."

The villagers were taken aback. "Are you sure?" asked the robed man.

"Yes." replied the tree. "Go."

The three men who had originally trapped Link now removed their nets. The townsfolk fled. Link stood up and bowed in thanks to the spirit who had ordered his release. The Maku Tree smiled, and began to speak again.

"Your coming has been foretold."

Comment: Please let be know if I'm sounding a little cheesy with this whole "a new quest begins", "your coming has been foretold", etc. Most of that stuff should be over soon, but you never know...

Also, there is a good explanation for why Link hasn't regained his magic power yet, but this didn't seem like the place to put it. I don't want anyone knowing before Link does.