It only took him a few minutes to recollect himself, by which time Link and the three children arrived with the extra scarecrows. They must really want to see me fight, he thought with a small frown. I…abhor it…right?
Before too long, the clearing was filled with bucket-helmeted dummies, just waiting to be slaughtered. Link patted Roy on the shoulder, before offering his wooden sword. "Here," he said. "It'd be upsetting if you used a real blade…"
"Definitely," Roy replied softly, taking the crafted stick and walking to the edge of the clearing, where Colin was sitting next to Epona. He turned to face the 'soldiers', waiting for Link to usher the other children aside before anything else.
Alright…remember…the monster things… Remember that feeling… You're a fighter… Destroy… Ruin… Defeat… He closed his eyes, tightening his grip on the wooden sword.
Kill…
A sweat broke across his brow as images of death and destruction he'd never seen before but somehow knew crossed his mind.
Murder…
"Uhm…" Beth whispered to Talo. "Is he going to do anything?"
Slaughter.
Without the slightest bit of warning, Roy lunged forward, with such speed it almost appeared he was flying across the grass. Eyes blazing with anger, he slashed with his sword, tearing the nearest scarecrow in half.
Unlike Link, though, there was no hesitation to be proud of his strike. The red-head leapt across the grass twice, taking out a pair of the straw-stuffed dummies. He spun once, sword twirling about his head before coming down diagonally, taking the fake head right off a fourth scarecrow.
Link did a quick count. Four down, ten to—nine, sorry, he apologized to himself as the red-head sliced the fifth scarecrow down the middle. Talo and Beth were both shocked into silence, and even Malo looked surprised.
The onslaught did not stop. In less than thirty seconds, Roy had crossed the clearing, straw and pumpkin guts flying in every direction. Soon, only two remained—the one Link had used to practice, and the one Roy was currently hashing into soup. Fifteen feet was too far of a distance to walk to kill the last one. So Roy spun once more, stick the dying light. One second, it was in his hand. The next, it was stuck through the last scarecrow's head, the momentum causing it to teeter and topple backwards.
It had taken Link twelve minutes to beat the stuffing out of one scarecrow.
By Roy's hand, fourteen had fallen in under a minute.
There was a long moment of silence, broken only by Roy's gasps of air. Finally, Link found his voice.
"Damn."
*
"How was I supposed to even understand that?" Talo complained, once the five had cleaned up the disaster left by Roy's spar with the dummies. "That was like, BAM SLASH PLFFT and everything was destroyed."
The red-head nodded slowly. He hadn't talked since he'd showed off his sword skills. He sat under one of the trees, huddled between the roots, head bowed and hands clenching the fabric of his pants. My god… Did I do all that? I wasn't…I wasn't even thinking! I was just thinking about what it was like to kill, and then…everything was destroyed. How…? Am I…
Am I a killer?
"That was amazing, though," Beth decided.
"Thanks, Link, Roy!" Talo cheered. "So, uh, I... I think I get it... Kinda... Hmm... Maybe not..." He scratched his chin with a frown, ignoring Malo's eye-roll and muttered insult. "So this means that anytime one of those naughty monkeys shows up..." And then he paused. "WAH!"
Link glanced over to where Talo was looking. Standing at the entrance to the forest was the same monkey that had stolen Uli's cradle. "Oh—!"
"C'MERE YOU!" Talo roared, sprinting after the monkey as it fled. Beth let out a small gasp, before taking Malo's hand and dragging the small boy after his brother. Link glanced at Colin worriedly, then Roy, who seemed almost unaware anything had happened.
"Roy!" Link jogged over as the red-head looked up. "The kids just ran into the forest! It's dangerous out there, we have to help!"
The red-head's head tilted up slightly in recognition that Link had spoken. "Am…I a killer?" he whispered.
Link paused to be startled by the question, then shook it off. "Of course not. Come on, Roy, I'm worried that something will go wrong." He held his hand out, offering to help Roy back onto his feet.
Roy watched the outstretched hand warily, like it was suddenly detach itself from Link's arm and eat him. After a long moment that just about drove Link crazy, he took up the offer and pulled himself up. "…I'll be fine with fists," Roy said, steeling his jaw to not look as weak as he felt. "Let's go." Worry about how clean your hands are later.
*
The light of late afternoon shimmered down through the Faron Woods. Roy had not been beyond the Ordon Springs, and every sight seemed new to him. He leapt off Epona and took to foot once they'd made it to the Faron Springs, kept slowing down, kept looking around, taking in the new scenery. Link ignored him, keeping his eyes open for any of the creatures that wandered the forest, ready to beat them to death at a moment's notice. After seeing Roy slaughter the scarecrows, he found himself unconcerned with the red-head's safety. The younger male clearly knew how to defend himself.
I guess it becomes habitual, Link thought. You can't forget something once it's been so deeply engraved into your mind nothing can erase it. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing Roy standing at the edge of the spring, water lapping at his feet. "This water is…different. It's like the water at the other spring," Roy said, tilting his head to look back at the blond.
"This is where I found you, you know," Link said, turning fully. "You came stumbling out of the bushes screaming your head off about your ankle and collapsed into the water." When Roy winced and averted his gaze, the blond shrugged. "Hey, it's not a thing to be ashamed of or whatever. Now come on, let's go find Talo."
Roy hurried to catch up with Link as they entered a short tunnel, littered with lichen and grass. The Hylian slowed down, glancing around for any signs of enemies. Dank places like this were ideal places to be ambushed.
"I don't see anything," Link said after a moment, standing straight and stepping forward.
Something flickered in Roy's mind. A sense of foreboding, a blurry image of green stained by red, flashes of flesh and purple…
"Watch it!" he shouted, grabbing Link by his collar and jerking him backwards in time to avoid the plant creature that sprang up at that moment from the ground and snapped its long fangs at the blond. Roy lunged forward before Link even knew what had happened, throwing his fist at the plant. It attempted to close its gaping mouth on his hand, but Roy dodged and grabbed its stem, jerking it out of the ground. The plant yelped, and slumped, hardening into a useless shell that fell to the ground.
"Deku Baba," Link said, rubbing his neck where the fabric of his shirt had pulled against the flesh. "Weak, but plentiful. Didn't see it coming…thanks, Roy."
"Anytime," the red-head replied, looking relatively proud of himself. What was that image? That was weird…then again, everything is weird…I wish I could remember! This is driving me insane! "Do you want me to go first, or do you want me to watch your back?"
Link pouted. "I'll go first. Don't need to be showed up on everything!" He stepped ahead of Roy, moving onward carefully, watching for anymore of the Deku Babas. Roy trailed, face set and fists curled, ready to take anything on that dared mess with him. When another of the plants sprang up near the end of the tunnel, Link swung twice and killed it, barely giving Roy time to realize they were fighting again. "See, I can fight fine!" Link said.
"Didn't say you couldn't…" Then, under Roy's breath, "But you're fighting like a girl…"
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
"…Okay. We're almost to a clearing." The two emerged into a small patch of open area, which was empty, save for the Deku Baba that sprang up, and died a few seconds later by the fast slashes of Link's wooden blade. "And there appears to be another clearing," the blond said, wiping some of the plant's saliva off his arm. "I'll be right back." He slipped into the adjacent clearing, leaving Roy alone.
The red-head leaned against the wall of dirt that surrounded the clearing, crossing his arms, and keeping his head bowed, hair falling over his face. What was going on? Why couldn't he remember anything? He felt stupid, unimportant…
Am I a killer?
He swallowed, reaching up to scratch his head. No…no, I'm not. Don't tell yourself you are. You're not, you're not you're not. …So why can I fight?
"Maybe when I lost my memories I subconsciously woke my hidden fighting talents," he said aloud. The wind picked up for a second, stirring the grass. "…I hope…" I guess I'll just keep this sarcastic shield up. It makes me feel stronger than being so open and sad.
Another few moments passed in silence, before Link returned, looking moderately disappointed. "There was a guy back there," he announced once Roy looked back up. "He gave me a freaking lantern." He held up a beaten iron-cast object, a small flame flickering in its center.
The red-head raised an eyebrow, watching the fire dance in the lantern. "Good luck trying to slay enemies with that," Roy commented after a moment, shifting slightly where he stood.
Link snorted. "Since when did boring old Roy get a sense of humor?" he asked, clipping the lantern to his belt without extinguishing the flame. "I'm finding this difficult to comprehend."
"Don't pretend like you can comprehend anything," Roy said, smirking slightly to soften the biting sarcasm in his voice.
"Like anyone can comprehend you. You have mood swings like a teenage girl. As unpredictable as Ilia's temper." Link grinned, lightly punching Roy in the shoulder, and pausing to be surprised when the red-head didn't flinch away like normal. "Ah, see?"
"Shaddup," Roy replied. "Let's go find Talo before like, a spider eats him." He stood straight, stepping forward to face the dark tunnel that the two were sure the small child had run through. "Not too scary, right?"
"You're brave all the sudden," Link said, walking forward.
"I laugh in the face of danger," Roy replied. "Hahahaha…ha…uh…is that Talo's stick?"
Link followed Roy's gaze, pausing when he spotted the painted piece of wood lying on the ground, abandoned carelessly, like it had been dropped. "…Well, that's no good…" Link decided, drawing his own wooden blade again. "Roy, are you sure you'll be fine with your fists?"
"Of course I will," Roy boasted, flexing his hand. "I'll just rely on this half-aware fighting state I'm in."
"Stop being positive, it's weird," Link said.
*
The dark tunnel was relatively uninteresting to either male. Link handed the lantern to Roy, who burnt the webs in their path while he killed the bat things—Keese—and more of the Deku Babas that stood in their way. Link found a small, abandoned chest in one offshoot, and pocketed some of the jeweled money they'd been picking up from off the ground. Eventually, they reached the end, emerging into a dim clearing, patrolled by a group of the purple-skinned creatures they had fought when Roy had first arrived.
"Bokoblins," Link said, glancing at Roy when he stopped. "Easy fights. They'll be harder with your fists, though."
Roy swallowed noticeably. "Eh. I'll knee them in the gut and then beat them to death with their clubs." He didn't seem too sure of himself though. Link's heartbeat increased slightly—Roy was losing focus. Losing the mentality he needed to keep moving forward without losing will.
"Come on, Roy, don't let this scare you," Link said. "You've probably fought a lot worse than this, right?" It was just a wild guess, but from the way Roy flinched involuntarily, he knew he'd hit a nerve.
"Yeah," he said blankly. "Probably. Can't know for sure, but probably." He turned his head to look at the Hylian. "Better keep moving, then."
Link nodded, tightening his grip on his sword and moving out. Some of the Bokoblins noticed him, but he quickly beat them to death, looting their pockets for spare change and the forest fairies that healed wounds, and forged forward, disappearing into a small cave on the side. Roy simply waited outside, waiting for another one of the monsters to catch up so he could attack it.
"'Mere, you ugly bastard," he growled, spacing his feet for the impending fight. It finally reached him, screeching and rearing its club to bash the red-head's brains out. He dodged to the side, practically sliding along the grass, standing back up behind the Bokoblin and lashing his foot out, kicking the creature in the back of the skull. It turned, clutching its head and whimpering furiously, but that only gave Roy the opportunity to drop into a splits, swinging one of his legs out to trip the monster. He was instantly on top of it, beating its face into a dark, bloody pulp, not stopping until its chest stop rising beneath him.
"If you're done beating on dead things, let's move on." Link startled Roy, and the latter jumped up, trying desperately to wipe the blood off his hands. "Don't worry about it, that's what water's for." He held up a small crystal that was shaped like a heart. "Look what I found, anyway. I've heard about these before. If you get five of them, you'll become stronger!"
"That's cool," Roy said, clasping his hands behind his back shamefully. "Did you find anything else?"
"Just a key." Link pocketed the crystal. "Let's keep moving. You sure you're okay?"
"I swear to god, Link, I'm going to the grotto after this."
"Good to hear." He drew his wooden sword again, nudged Roy on the shoulder to bring him back to reality, and lead them deeper into the forest.
*
The gate they came across was locked, but was conveniently opened by the key Link had found. Despite the fact the key had broken in the lock, they moved onward, beating more Bokoblins to death with wood and hands. Eventually, they emerged into a large clearing, with a small wooden bridge crossing a massive chasm to a building that appeared to be made from trees. Ignoring the small stand on the side, Link ran forward—then paused as he heard a loud yell.
"Talo!" he shouted, following the cries for help up to the entrance to the tree-building. Roy stepped forward, narrowing his blue eyes, making them look darker than usual.
"They've been captured by more Bokoblins," he said. Link wasn't sure how Roy could tell—he couldn't see them very well—but he wasn't going to question it. "I don't think they're in any immediate danger. From the looks of it, they're holding them captive, as if they're waiting for someone. We'll be better off with a direct frontal attack. Yelling, flailing our arms around, throwing rocks, anything to intimidate them. Then we slaughter them and take back Talo before they can do anything to him."
Link stared at him. "Roy? Are you okay?"
The red-head looked back, eyes as bright and confused as ever, and slightly glazed at the half-aware state he was wandering in. "Huh?"
Something is definitely weird. Link glanced back up. "You're positive that'll work?"
"What will work?" Roy asked. Link's jaw dropped slightly. Had he spoken without even realizing it? Was his mind already beginning the process of recovery? Or was it this weird mindset he was in? "Link?"
"Oh, n-nothing," Link said, shaking himself. "Listen, I've an idea. Let's rush up that bridge and try and scare whatever is up there. Then we can kill them and find Talo."
Roy looked at the sky slightly, pondering. "That…might work," he said after a brief moment. "Let's try it."
Link took a brief moment to feel bad about pretending to come up with Roy's idea, but he brushed the guilt aside for the moment. Instead, he readied his wooden blade, then let out a feral yell and charged forward. Roy followed quickly, shouting angrily. Like Roy had said the Bokoblins surrounding the wooden cage panicked, and tried to attack while confused. Each male sprang on one, and soon there was nothing left but blood-soaked bodies. Link rushed forward, shattering the cage holding Talo and the monkey he'd chased into the forest, setting them both free.
"Ah!" Talo gasped, clutching his stomach. "Ah…Link! Roy!" He glanced at the monkey as it shrieked with joy, then fled. The boy's gaze returned to the teenagers', though. "You…you saved me! Thank you!"
*
The three returned to the clearing between the Spring and cave in silence, watching out warily for any enemies. One did try to jump them, but a couple of well-placed punches to the face from Roy rid them of the threat. The sun was setting by the time they got back, covering the world with oranges and reds.
"Uhm…" Talo said, pausing and turning to face Link. "You know, if you hadn't come, Link… Gee, me and that monkey would've gotten eaten, probably!" He laughed, though it was half-hearted. His glance turned to Roy, who simply leaned against Coro's sign and gnawed at the flesh of his index finger. "She's actually a pretty nice gal, that monkey... She tried to protect me, so we got captured together."
"They seem pretty smart," Link commented. "I'm just glad you're safe."
Talo wrung his hands nervously. "Um, Link... You're not gonna mention this to my dad, are you?"
"Hmm?"
The little boy shrugged. "He's always telling me to never, EVER go into the forest, 'cause he says it's
dangerous... So you really can't tell him! Really! You have to promise!"
Link smiled. "Alright, I promise."
Talo grinned at the older male, then took running, back towards the village. Link nodded to himself, satisfied. At least, until he turned around to face Roy. The day had been especially weird. He'd never seen the red-head so…open. Or fighting. Or not acting like an innocent child. "Roy?"
"I'm gonna head to the grotto." Roy stood straight, arms crossed and head bowed, pushing past Link and following Talo. Link frowned. It had to have been bothering the red-head, too. What seemed weirdest to Link was how he seemed unable to remember some things he had done, like coming up with the plan to save Talo. Something weird is going on in that guy's mind, Link thought. Maybe when we head to Castle Town tomorrow, we'll figure things out.
We have to. He might just lose his mind before he can save it.
-
So in the land of pickled fairies and sunshine-pooping unicorns, a sleep-deprived girl got off her fat ass and finished the fourth chapter of her TP/SoS crossover.
Note to all: Don't. Eff. Up. Your. Grades.
Voila. With love, the Moose.