Chapter Seven: To the Forest Temple
Noah's View
It took Reese and I but only a moment to catch up with Roxy and Ric, and when we did we quickened our pace towards the forest. We were following a dirt path, which seemed created by the traffic this area used to get. The land itself was peaceful at first glance as the trees gently swayed to the soft breeze, and the grass released its scent. I turned to Reese, who was to my left, and she smiled back at me. I couldn't tell if she was enjoying the nature as much as I did.
I looked back out to take in the surrounding one more time. We reached the middle of a small dirt road and I noticed the tops of a small patch of trees, which stood out against the rest of the field that was mostly just short grasses. To my left, I noticed a staircase and the small trickle of a stream underneath a bridge. Reese nudged me and said, "That's Kakariko village, the only other town of Hylans. Also, it's rumored that one of the temples is there."
"We'll have to keep that in mind then… if I may ask, what's with the temples? I know we were at the Temple of Time, but why are there others? Is Hyrule made up of many religions or something?" I asked, confused by the whole Temple subject.
"Well, there is really only the one idea of how Hyrule was created, and we discussed that. The other temples are areas where the sages, those who guard the sacred realm and the Triforce, have their power contained at their strongest. Each sage has their own temple, and that makes six of them. They are located in Kokiri Forest, Death Mountain, Lake Hylia, Greudo Valley, and it's fabled that the final one was located in Kakariko village. A while back, Gannondorf sealed all of the sage's power in their respective temple and took over the lands," Reese informed me. This was quite a bit to take in, but after a moment to think about it, I added two and two.
"So now he must be re-using the temples to contain the sage's power again. We should make it our goal to search all the temples and weasel out any evil forces there…"
Reese nodded, and we had our plan set. Ric and Roxy were well over the top of the hill, and I took another glance out. Now as we approached the height of the mound, I could see the number of trees in the field and a small opening in the landscape, which was in the shape of a giant hollow log. It cast a great shadow inside, and I could not see into it. To my left now was split in the river, where it emptied out on one side and passed behind the landscape on the other. To my right was a small wall, which seemed to be there for no apparent reason. Farther out was a circular wall with a tower and a few buildings peeking out from behind it.
With Reese at my side, we continued our pace and met Ric and Roxy at the mysterious entrance of the forest. The smell of various pollens rushed through the entrance as a light wind began to form. However, there were a few other odd scents, and I along with the others could pick them up. There were two that we recognized, and Ric was the first to speak up.
"That's… blood... the blood of the young Kokiri … I can smell it… It's unmistakable… but it's not too strong though…" He said solemnly with a slight frown. I could see Roxy getting worried as well. Reese was unmoved; she continued to hold a straight face.
In a split second, the wind picked up again but only came from the entrance. It was a hot and dry wind, unnatural to the past breezes. The air stung my eyes, and I was forced to turn my head and rub them. Roxy and Reese began to run through, and before I could muster the strength to say something, Ric also took off. Once I could see and the wind had stopped, I began to run as well.
It took but a moment to break through the thick shadows of the tree, and I could see the forest had begun. The trees overhead were thick, and only a few shafts of light managed to draft through. I only had time to quickly glance at this, it seemed, buffer zone between the forest and field before I was already through another hollow log. This one was a tad longer, but again the darkness passed quickly. I ran out the other end to meet up with my group and witness a horrible scene.
Kokiri forest was a small town inside the dense forest. There were large trees which appeared to serve as the homes for the residents. Down the middle of the village there was a small winding dirt path, not unlike the dirt paths in the field. To the left of the entrance, there was the largest tree home, presumably belonging to the head of the town. There was a small upward path behind this home leading to another dark trunk, which must have led to other parts of the forest. Down past the home there was a tiny pond, fit with a tiny waterfall and some large stepping stones. The pond emptied out into the lower-middle part of the village where a few grassy spots stuck out. Past that was the second house on that side, and the only house to have a cloth-like roof over the entrance.
On the immediate right side of the village was a slightly steep hill, leading up to a flat platform of land. There was a maze of short fence leading up to a wall where a slight rumbling could be heard. There appeared to be a large pile of ashes next to this fence, where a house seemed to have once stood. Father down, the hill came to an abrupt end and became a small valley where yet another home lied. This home, unlike the rest, was more of a full house built on top of a flattened tree. It was much wider than any other tree, and it was also the lowest altitude (seeing as it was at the bottom of a tiny valley). A bit further down was a round tree, with a curved path leading up to the top of it, and was then connected to a rope bridge that connected two seemingly random pillars. At the top of the final pillar, closed to the entrance, and a small girl quivering.
Past the round house was a second tall tree-home, and the only one with branches and leaves. This led to the back wall of the village where, lined up to the entrance of the village, a small path began and wound to the left and out of sight.
Despite the quaint and small look of the village, there were men in armor storming through and attacking whoever they saw. The group was near the waterfall when they turned around and look at us. There was about five or six men, each with their faces covered by a helmet, and they began to advance towards us. The farthest back in the group tossed off the corpse of a small child from the top of his spear.
"This doesn't look good guys…" Roxy muttered, and began to pull out her scimitar. Ric followed suit and cocked an arrow in his bow. Reese made a whimpering noise, showing her fear over the situation. I stepped in front of her as if to protect her, but she simply pushed me back to my original position. When the men reached about a pace away, I stepped to the front of the group to confront them.
"What do you want, pillaging this small village? Let there be peace, solders," I attempted at diplomacy, but the men didn't respond. I thought I heard a small humming noise, but it didn't seem relevant. "Please, there is no reason to be troubling these children. If you would direct me to your commander…" I attempted to continue, but then I was cut off. There was an incoherent shout in front of me, coming from the tree house. The men turned towards it for a moment, than directed their attention back to us. They began to advance towards us, each pointing themselves at a member of the group. One faced Roxy and jabbed his small sword in her direction. Another was aimed at Ric, and he more-so pointed at his large dagger. The third, who appeared to be the smallest of the bunch, eyed up Reese with both his eyes and his spear. Reese in turn pulled out her knives and readied them. The final three gathered around me, two of which had spears and the third, unlike all the rest, had a rapier.
"Please, we're trying to be civil…"I tried to say, but just then a man in an odd green tunic came out of the large tree house waving an iron broadsword in the air. He let out an angry cry and jumped from his perch, immediately sprinting towards us. One of the men surrounding me turned towards the sprinting man and tossed his spear at him. Just as the man reached the second pillar, the spear stabbed through his boot and caused him to fall face-first into the dirt. The armored men turned their attention back at us.
The man with the rapier quickly drew his blade and swung horizontally at me, but I managed duck just in time. I tackled him, and noticed out of the corner of my eye that the other men began attacking the rest of the group as well. Once the sword-man and I hit the ground, I rolled off and quickly took a fighting stance, drawing my sword at the same time. By then the man had also recovered, but allowed the two spear men (one still disarmed) to advance towards me. The disarmed man swung at me, and I dodged seeing as I didn't want to take the blood of another man if I didn't have to. He swung again, this time with enough force to make him trip and stutter forward, for I had moved to the side. With the pommel of my sword I hit him square in the back, causing him to fall in the dirt next to the green tunic man.
The second spear man jabbed at me, but I simply pushed the tip of the spear out of harm's way with my blade. I thought to myself He must be getting frustrated… I jumped out of the way so my back faced the hill, giving me more room to retreat. The man jabbed and swung constantly showing no signs of tiring, which surprised me as I continued to slowly walk backwards up the hill. The odd humming noise I heard from before was steadily growing, and did more-so the closer the man was to me. It was suspicious…
It wasn't until I heard a horrible screeching coming from the group were my suspicions confirmed. The wail lasted all but five seconds, and in those five seconds I learned the true nature of these… things.
Reese's View
The odd green tunic man caught me by surprise so much, my knives fumbled in my hand. Luckily the armored… freak in front of me didn't notice. I thought for a moment that I should attack and take the element of surprise, but disregarded it seeming as Noah sounded like he was trying to convince these guys otherwise. It wasn't until the tunic man charged at us did I know things were going to get serious. I saw a spear fly through the air towards the man, and then Noah ducked out of the way of a sword.
Acting, not thinking, I jabbed forward at the guy in front of me. My knife made a small puncture in his steel armor, but only that. He brushed it off and jabbed his spear forward nearly cutting my shirt, but I ducked just in time. "Hey, watch it freak!" I yelled, attempting to intimidate him. It didn't work. There was a strange humming in response but I ignored it, thinking it only a ringing in my ear. I jumped up to avoid another spear jab, once again just in time.
They fought like zombies. No skill, just jabbing and jabbing and jabbing and attempting to cause some sort of physical pain. It was no trouble at all to dodge each and every attack. I was only struck once, when I timed a jump wrong and I got my left flank slightly cut. Through my constant routine of jumping and ducking, I noticed Ric fending off his enemy. He also seemed to have some sort of rhythm going, bobbing and weaving out of the radius of his attacker's dagger. He must have noticed me staring, for he gave me a small smile showing that he was fine. It didn't, however, cover up the good-sized cut he had in his cheek. It must have been from a failed duck. I trusted his silent judgment and focused on the creep attacking me.
No actual person would fight like this. It's getting nowhere… I thought to myself, and decided to take the offensive. Seeing as I was just about at the back wall of the village (near the entrance), I was going to use that to my advantage. After the din-knows-what number of ducks, I felt my back rest on the cool stone of the wall. The humming settled just a tab bit, and Mr. Freaky brought his arm back for a powerful stab. Just as he began to thrust the spear forward, I launched myself off the wall with my feet. Using my slim build, I ducked between the man's legs and got to his back. I quickly jumped up and readied my knife for a back-stab.
I had all the time in the world, for the attacker had caught his spear in the stone wall. He was stuck, and was wholly focused on getting his silly weapon out. I took this golden time to plot the exact point on his back I was going to plunge my knife. I settled on the square of his back. Just as I was about to execute the kill, I heard a wretched shriek from behind me, coming from Roxy's position. I assumed the worst until I turned around.
Roxy's View
I was so focused on the freak in front of me that when I heard the incoherent yelling of a man in the distance, I jumped out of my skin. I however did not fumble my weapon like I noticed Reese did. And to think I thought her the powerful type, not scared of anything. No matter, I guess I shouldn't talk seeing as I jumped myself.
It was when I saw Noah duck out of the way of a sword that my fight-or-flight sense kicked in. I backed up just a few paces to give me room for fighting and running. The solider that confronted be charged at me with his sword, making horribly planned strikes at me. I was easily able to deflect these blows with my swift scimitar. I made a few attempts to strike myself, but one thing these jerks do have is some damn good armor. I had to keep retreating to keep the necessary distance I required to strike.
I took a quick sidestep to dodge a vertical slice, and I noticed Ric attempting a duck. His cheek was pretty well opened up from that failure. He underestimated the size of his opponent's weapon, and the skill of the wielder. Two deadly mistakes.
Another step back, another deflected horizontal strike. It was our first fight with bad guys and I'm getting bored. I let Dr. Jabby here thrust a little too hard and fall on his face. I giggled, and then took the moment to glance at everyone else. Reese was just about at the wall, and Noah just jumped and turned his back to the hill. Ric was in a steady rhythm of sidestepping and jumping.
And then it hit me, like an arrow one could say. Nobody on my team was on the offensive! Now's my time to shine I thought to myself. I let the man get himself up before readying my weapon again. He slowly turned, and I heard a dreadful humming. The same humming I swear I heard before, when these freaks first stood in front of us. It was odd, but I didn't care. I was ready for a kill.
The solider took another swing at me, and I let him miss once more as I spun out of the way. I got to his back, and he slowly straightened himself. I cocked my sword, and swung horizontally at the man's neck. My steel sword clanged against the metal helmet, and I saw it fling off. There was a blood-curdling shriek, and what my eyes saw next will be the most terrifying, yet interesting, sight so far.
Noah's View
The shriek made my assailants pause for a minute and turn towards the source of the noise. I looked over at Roxy and gasped. She had struck at the man, slicing his neck with her deadly blade. That man though… was no actual man.
The suit of armor clamored to the ground in a shiny heap, and what was left was shocking. It was a humanoid form, only dark purple/black and its body seemed to wave like the lake. Its outline was jagged, and it lacked any genitalia (its shape was like one who was wearing pants and a shirt). The face was flat, save for the small jagged bump for a nose and the indents for bright red eyes. And the hands, instead of fingers, were claws that were as jagged as the rest of its shape.
"These suits of armor hold not men, but shadows! I suspect minions of that evil Gannondorf, for there is some resemblance to the form we saw. Don't worry about spilling the blood of a fellow human my friends! No mercy!" I shouted, hoping to encourage my allies. It worked, but also drew the attention of the attackers.
The humming, which I now suspect as their form of speech, grew almost painfully loud from the shadow in front of me. From it, you could almost hear whispers of something to faint for a man or woman's ear. I readied my sword once more, now prepared for the kill.
The shadow lunged failingly, for all I needed to do was sidestep and he tripped on his own mistake. I took no extra time to drive my sword into the square of his back like I would drive a sword into a pedestal. There was a slightly quieter shriek, and the armor of the attacker fell apart and rolled down the hill. There was no sign that anything once took the space of that armor.
It was my mistake to dwell on my victory. It was only a moment later that a leather glove of the other shadow drove into my cheek and forced me to the ground. My vision blurred but recovered quickly enough for my senses to kick in once more. I rolled out of the way of another punch, and I heard the thump of the glove hitting the dirt. What the shadows lack in smarts they make up for with force.
Ric's view
Finally I could release some of this pent up energy, and after seeing that these creatures aren't people, I can get my revenge for this gash in my cheek. The armored shadow had turned to see the reason for the shriek, and then turned his attention back to me.
He quickly lunged forward, and I ducked. I am a horrible ducker, because once again I was struck. This time, it was just a graze by the last cut. It wasn't enough to cause me to falter, so I just ignored the twang of pain and continued with my plan. I laid flat on my back and kicked up my foot, pushing myself up with my hands for extra power. I hit his arm, causing the shadow to throw his knife into the air and to make him step back in surprise.
The dagger descended handle-down, right into my readied hand. I stuck a pose and glanced over at Reese. She was just about finished up with her attacker, so I threw on a smile. Heh… she's pretty when she fights… I thought for a moment.
I changed my attention back to my assailant. He had recovered, and was advancing to my position. I ducked down and, as he ran towards me, rammed my shoulder into his gut. He folded over and made a coughing-like noise. It was my one chance to make a messy death strike.
Releasing some of my pent up anger and rage, I upper-cut swung the dagger straight into the shadow's visor. It shrieked and fell backwards on its back. There was a gust of dark smoke, and the armor collapsed in on itself. I didn't feel any better. I scoffed and walked over to where Noah was.
Reese's view
My chance to strike was gone, but seeing as these things weren't human made me feel so much better. In my few moments of watching Roxy reveal the secret of these things, my attacker got its wits together and turned back at me. He tried to jab at me again, but I knew better then to let him hit me. I caught the spear with a back-hand slap and knocked it from his hand.
I bobbed down and swung up at the shadow's face, only to have my knuckles stopped by the steel armor it was wearing. I did manage to make the helmet unsteady, and when it took another step the helmet toppled off, leaving the shadow open for attack. I took a glance over to Ric, and I caught him smiling at me. I wonder what he wants from me. He keeps smiling at me like he likes me or something… but that's just not right. I thought to myself, and then readied my knives once again for the actual kill.
The shadow's back was now pressed up against the wall, and I took my advantage by closing the space between us. I leaned on it… one would say seductively, and raised my knives like they were his horns. The humming grew soft and lulling; it must have been happy or something. I smirked and drove my knives into its temples. The same screech I heard before ran out, only quieter. Along with it, the creature dissipated and the armor fell to a slump.
I quickly turned to see how Noah was doing, only to watch a suit of armor lunge itself off a hill and at Noah.
Noah's View
The shadow man looked at me with his red eyes and his hum grew rough and loud in my ears. He launched himself at me, but I stood up before he got to me causing him to fall on his back. I grabbed my sword, which had slid down the hill just a bit, and prepared to finish this one off like I did the other. This one was smarter though and rolled himself up the hill before I was ready. Just then, I was struck by an idea. While the shadow gathered his wits, I prepared my sword.
As I had imagined, my assailant jumped at me like he was trying to tackle me. Lucky for me he didn't notice that I had readied my sword just so that he would skewer himself. I smirked just a bit as his torso slid down my blade and the spirit whistled out of him. I flicked the empty armor off of my sword with a swing of my arm and turned to see the rest of the group.
Everything seemed handled. Reese looked as if she sprinted to me, but stopped when she saw I got up. Ric had just finished off his attacker and tossed the dagger it had had into the dirt. Roxy went to check on the carcass of the child we saw. I smiled seeing everyone uninjured, but returned to a neutral expression when I saw blood drip from Ric's cheeks.
I heard someone's pace increase to the right of me, so I turned quickly and noticed the final armored man fleeing. He was sprinting past the pillars until the green tunic man grabbed his leg and caused him to slam into the ground. The green tunic man was still stuck.
I carefully descended the hill (it was a tad steep) and made my way to the fallen solider. I put the point of my sword on his neck, but before I could finish him he… spoke.
"NO! Stop please… don't kill me!" He shouted in a deep rough voice.
"You can speak? I thought you made those… humming noises…" I said confusedly. One would think if these things could talk they would have spoken long before all this.
"I'm not… just get your sword off of me and I'll tell you everything!" He shouted, obviously frightened. I hesitated for just a moment until returning my blade into its sheath. The solider extended his arm, and I grabbed it to help him up. It felt just like a man's arm.
The solider sighed and muttered, "I… am a man, just like you. Not one of these shadow things I've been ordered to command," He then removed his helmet to prove his point. He had short blond hair and dark blue eyes like most Hylans. His features were sharp, and his beard was no more than stubble. He had the tired face of any solider.
"Who ordered you to do this then? You bring monsters here to terrorize… children!" I said loudly. I could feel the presence of Reese and Ric next to me.
"It was Gannondorf. He just appeared in the barracks and took us all prisoner. Forced us to swear allegiance to him. There weren't enough of us for an army, so he enchanted suits of armor he made us make. Filled them with shadows of men, but they looked more like monsters. We would only catch glimpses of them as they filled the armor. It was horrible, and they are the worst fighters I've ever seen. All they know is to press on and attack, no strategies whatsoever. That's why you killed them so easily."
"Well I got that part. They are just… darkness. Pure darkness filling the suits sent to kill… but that doesn't answer my question on why you're here and why you're leading them," I was trying to get as much information from him as possible. Maybe he could even help us. He looked really worn out though… and very tense. Like he's almost planning something…
"The new troops were so stupid, Gannondorf forced most of us to don armor of our own and lead them to where they need to be. He specifically made us make our armor lighter so he could tell us apart, but made us wear the same helmets so we would blend. I was ordered to take this group into Kokiri Forest and terrorize the locals. They were against Gannondorf, and he didn't like that. We were told to get them on his side or to kill them… they were not very cooperative," I could see his arm tense up. The atmosphere itself became tense. I could see the green tunic man shuffle out of the corner of my eye. Seemed he got himself free and was reaching for something…
"He also told us to be on the lookout for a group of adventurers… ones that helped bring him back. Two men and a woman… seems like you got a friend too. Oh well, orders are or-" he began to say until his arm, grasping a short sword, yanked up but was stopped by the green tunic man.
Well… stopped was an understatement. I backed up, pushing Ric and Reese with me, to avoid the spray of blood that came from the man's shoulder which was now a squirting stump. The green tunic man shouted something in another language and lifted his sword as to slice the soldier's head.
"NO! STOP! ARG! AR-"the solider shouted, but his cries were in vain. The green tunic man brutally decapitated him. There was a splatter of blood, and the headless body fell into a pool of it.
The green tunic man took a deep breath, then turned to us and spoke in odd grunts and shouts. I turned my head and gave him a puzzled look, but Ric and Reese seemed to understand. The green tunic man looked at me and then spoke in a way that I could understand. His voice was that of your average middle-aged man.
"I'm sorry; I didn't know you didn't speak Hylan. I'm Link, the hero of time," He said, flashing an obviously fake smile.
"Hey, I'm Noah. I'm a traveling adventurer and I made a stop here in Hyrule. Somehow I got called by the sages who changed me into what I am now. I met Gannondorf who was summoned through the blood of my newly met friends. Now I'm heading to the five temples to defeat him. Nice to meet you, hero of time," I said trying to be a one-upper. Link's expression quickly turned foul.
"Gannondorf again damnit… well, looks like you might need the assistance of an experienced hero. I might not have the Master Sword with me, but I'm still one hundred percent hero!" There was his fake smile again. This guy is… something else.
"Great, help is greatly appreciated Link," I waved my hands to indicate my friends, "This is Ric and Reese, my friends I met in castle town. They've helped me get this far."
Ric nodded, "Hey Link. Good to see you again."
"You know him already?" I asked Ric, turning towards him.
"Yea, as a kid I saw him running through Castle Town. When I saw the Ocarina of Time dangling from his belt, I knew he was some sort of hero," I nodded in approval for his story. I turned to Reese and she jumped, seeming to have dozed off a bit.
"Oh, hi! I'm Reese, and since Gannondorf killed my best friend Rose, I'm set to getting my revenge. After seeing Noah get all buffed up from the sages, he seemed like the best fried to help with this," She gave a small smile and a quick curtsey. She was cute, I have to admit.
I could see Link noticed this too, "Well met Reese, it's my pleasure," He got down on one knee and, taking her hand, kissed the back of it. I had to turn away a little to avoid getting red faced.
Reese wrenched her hand back, obviously displeased. That made me smile, but I felt my gut sink when I saw her blushing a little. Does she like this guy? This is not good… This is not good at all…
Roxy joined us just then, and turned towards Link. She extended her hand which was covered in blood. "Hello hello, Mr. Hero of Time! I'm Roxy, the guard captain and new friend of this group," Link hesitantly grasped her hand and shook it.
"Yes, hello… may I ask why your hands are…" He started, but was cut off.
"… Bloody? I was checking to see if that little girl over there was still alive. Dead as a sack of nails though… shame…" Link looked over and scoffed.
"That's just Mindo, don't worry. He's a jerk anyway."
That was mean. This guy is a real piece of work. Didn't seem like a hero to me. He's probably just over-confident after his last adventure. I hope he changes his attitude soon. It's going to be difficult dealing with him otherwise.
I clapped my hands and all heads turned to me. "Well, let's get a move on then. Every second wasted is another second Gannondorf lives. Now Link, where is this Forest Temple I keep hearing about?" I tried to lighten the mood a bit for everyone by sounding enthusiastic. Well, it was mostly to distract myself, but still.
He pointed to the log/area transition on the hill to the left of the entrance, "Right up there everyone. We need to go through the Lost Woods though, so stay close," He slid himself next to Reese and said softly to her, "Especially you."
She giggled, and I, on the inside, exploded. HE LIKES HER! Din damnit he LIKES HER! ARRG! I took a few deep breaths, and Roxy noticed my upset expression which subconsciously made its way out to the open. While Reese and Link took their own happy time climbing up the vines to the lost woods, Roxy and Ric approached me.
"Noah, are you alright? It seems like you're not taking this very well…" Roxy tried to sooth me. It didn't work, and I snapped.
"NO! It's not alright! Can't you see he likes her? And she looks… interested!" I said quickly and angrily.
"Hey Noah, calm down. I'm just trying to help here…" Roxy tried again.
"Well it's Not Working! Just go away!" I snapped again, and turned away from her. She nodded and walked to the vines. She waved at Link and Reese who were at the top waiting for us. I hope they aren't looking at me…
Ric put his hand on my shoulder and said in his most supportive tone, "Listen bro, everything is going to be alright, ok? Look, if you weren't so high-strung about this, you would hear that she's just messing around. Playing with him, if you wish. She's not interested in him. He's a jerk. Well, she might like that… but I doubt that's her fancy. Remember how she was all over you after your fight with Roxy? She likes you Noah. Just calm down and deal with Link's attitude. It'll blow over soon enough."
I sighed, and nodded. His words were true. I got what he was saying, and it calmed me. "Yea, I guess you're right Ric… thanks," I patted his shoulder, and then made my way up the vines.
Ric's View
What did I just say! I yelled at myself. I'm an idiot! I mean, it was good of me to help Noah and all since we need him… but… I more-so like Reese myself! Din dang it I just gave her to Noah! What am I going to do now!
I sighed, and slowly walked to the vines. Unlike Noah, I can keep my cool when beating myself in my head. But I was right… I have no chance with Reese now. She likes Noah and both him and Link like her. I just have to get some things in… maybe if I push my way up I can be next to her…
No, Noah will get suspicious. I just encouraged him to get her. If I pushed him away to get to Reese, he would kick my ass… I guess the only thing I can do is wait for an opening.
Climbing at a moderate pace, I made it to the top just quick enough to see Noah pass into the woods. Better catch up if I want any time with Reese soon.
Noah's View
Darkness again, a little longer then the past moments. Might be because I'm walking this time… but whatever. Now that my mind is calm, I can finally think straight and lead my group again. As I passed out the other end, I was struck with awe at the design of this mystical place.
The forest was divided into… well, squares. Small little patches of open grass surrounded by dirt walls and connected to other open areas by the log transitions. Above was a strange fog, littered with small glowing insects, glowing pollen-like objects, and ever-falling leaves stuck in the constant breeze.
Everyone was waiting for me in the first area, all gathered around Link. Seemed he was giving a little lesson on this "Lost Woods". I stood next to Reese and turned my attention towards Link.
"Ah, Noah. Glad you were finally able to join us. Get over your little temper-tantrum back there?" He said a horridly snotty tone. I took a deep breath and responded.
"I did not throw a tantrum, it was simply a little… internal conflict," I heard Ric walk casually behind us. He tried to squeeze between Reese and I, but I pushed him back, "Now, mind starting from the beginning of your lesson?"
"Well I do mind, but I love hearing myself talk so I'll begin again anyway. The Lost Woods is a dangerous place filled with wolfos, skull-children, stalfos, skulltulas, and most more of those shadow troops. Not only that, but one wrong turn can get you lost in the woods and you'll end up right back here," He stamped his foot to demonstrate. I was half excited and half scarred for upcoming fights. I took a deep breath as he continued.
"Now, to avoid getting lost, everyone stay close to me. There are a few areas here in the woods designed for purposes not aiding our goal so we don't want to get distracted. Follow close and be prepared to fight. Everyone ready?" We all nodded and gathered up what supplies we were carrying. From the direction we came in, we took a right and began the trek into the woods. Link took point, followed by me and Reese, then Ric and Roxy.
The second area sported a lower-altitude area, accessible by a ladder to the left. As Link told us, we ignored whatever was down there and headed left.
Upon entering the third area, we were so graciously met by a nice, large, grey wolfos. It looked at us with bright green eyes and snarled wickedly. Link stood up straight and drew his sword.
He lunged towards it and rolled behind it, the wolf quickly turning as well. I saw my opening and drew my own sword. I ran forward and, with a quick strike, cut off the wolfos's tail. Light red blood squirted from the stump that was left and quickly soaked into the dirt. The wolfos turned to me and I swung again, only to have it but up its front paws and stop my blade.
"The skin on its front paws is super thick! You can't break through it!" Link shouted, drawing the wolfos's attention. It turned and I prepared my sword to stab in in the center of the back. However, a knife whizzed past me before I could bring my sword down and hit the wolfos in the back of its skull. It slumped to the ground in its own bloody pool, and Reese casually strolled over and retrieved her knife.
"What? Oh, did you want to kill it? It was getting boring watching you guys," She said confidently and with a smile. I couldn't help smiling myself.
"Good job Reese, that was a nice kill," Link announced, jumping in front of me, "And Noah," He turned to me and took a step back next to Reese, "It would be best to not piss it off next time by cutting off its tail. Try to next time stab into its entire body, or hit the skull," I let out a quick burst of air in disbelief. He's criticizing my fighting when he didn't does shit but distract it!
"Fine, thanks for the tip," I said in my most sarcastic tone, "Let's get going. You lead the way, buddy." I added a bit of anger to that last word to show my displeasure. He just scoffed, turned, and continued by turning right. Reese and I cleaned ourselves and followed suit.
Next area held just a little surprise for us. Turns out the natives don't really like large groups of people traveling their woods. As we entered the area, we say little skull masks pop up above the stone wall in the trees. As Link walked out, he was pelted with pellets and the occasional dart. He let out a yell in Hylan and the masks dispersed. I laughed and Link turned to me red faced.
"What's so funny, huh? It wouldn't be so hilarious if it were you getting pelted with rocks from skull-children!" Link yelled. I kept laughing and he did nothing more than huff and turn away. He's just a load of hot air. I looked ahead of us a little and noticed a small pond with an odd stone protruding from it.
"Hey Link, what's that?" I said inquisitively.
"A pond. And if you can dive down deep enough, you can go in a small hole at the bottom and a current will take you to Zora Domain. I wouldn't try it if I were you. You'll probably drown," He said very tensely. He's pretty mad, so I decided to stop bugging him for the moment. We took a left to the next area.
We decided to stop for a moment and get something to eat, seeing as this area was clear and it's been quite some time since we last ate. Ric and Roxy brought out their packs and handed everyone some bread and cheese. Reese and I separated ourselves slightly from the group, both of us finding Link a little annoying and being able to rest our backs more comfortable. She wolfed down the bread, but I noticed her only picking at her cheese.
"Something wrong? I can't believe you're not hungry, even after all that bread," I asked as kindly as possible. She gave me a small smile and a short response.
"I love bread, but I only like certain cheeses,"
"Here, trade. This cheese is really filling and that's all I need," I handed her half my bread and she passed over her cheese. I felt like I scored some points when she talked after her meal.
"Thanks Noah. I appreciate it,"
"No problem," I said in return. I looked over and saw Ric's head turn quickly. Odd…
Ric's View
Phew, Noah almost caught me. I thought to myself as I picked at my bread and cheese. Reese just looked so pretty in the shade of the tree I just couldn't help staring… but I luckily caught myself before Noah did it for me. I snapped back to what Link was talking about.
"… and that's when I finally managed to catch up to the running man and deliver his bunny hood. He was weird, but just dumped rupees into my wallet. As a kid, a filled wallet was amazing to feel. Pretty damn heavy too," He shoved the rest of his food into his mouth and took one big swallow.
Pfft, he was a kid getting rupees shoved at him while I was out doing favors for locals, trying to get myself food. My dad was a drunk; my mom was nowhere to be found… money was so rare that I hung a green rupee in my room as my prized possession. Whatever… he's the Hero of Time anyway. It's his job to be fucking rich.
I stood up, brushed myself off, and gulped the last of my food. After helping Roxy up, Reese and Noah re-joined up and Link pointed straight ahead as our next destination.
Reese walked just a little faster than everyone else, and it seemed I was the only one trying to keep up with her. As we walked into the next clearing, I heard her gasp and the clang of iron in front of her.
"Shadows!" She yelled, and the grunts (As we decided to call them while we were eating. I heard that part) charged forward. One launched a spear right at Reese. Luckily I jumped and shoved her out of the way fast enough for the spear to harmlessly embed itself if the log. I landed on top of her and I flashed a quick smile.
"I saved your life, huh?" I said, grinning.
"Yea, now get up. Please, we're kinda in the middle of fighting," She said hurriedly, squirming underneath me. I wanted to stay and talk a while, but my good nature mad me get up right away.
"Yea… sorry about that," She then gave me a quick hug and then patted my shoulder.
"Don't worry. And thanks," She said happily and drew her knives towards the grunts. I swore I felt my heart flutter.
Noah's View
As soon as I heard Reese scream and the thud of her and Ric hitting the ground, my heard skipped a beat and I charged forward, sword ready and eyes filled with anger. There were four, as I've been hearing them called, grunts in total and three were armed with short sword. I noticed Link to my left and Roxy to my right, just a little behind me. I confronted the one in front, dispatching him quickly by driving my sword through its chest. The armor quickly fell to pieces and I saw Link's and Roxy's fights.
Link had to step back to dodge the blow from his enemy, but finished it off quickly by decapitating it.
Roxy met her foe's blade, pushing it away and diagonally slicing the grunt, causing the top half of it to slip off the rest.
Reese, now up and unharmed, dashed past me and jump-stabbed the final grunt who was disarmed. It must have been his spear that nearly hit her. I had a flash of rage but stopped it, telling myself that Reese was alright anyway. Link turned towards us and spoke.
"Reese, try and be more careful. We don't need you dead. Let's push on; we're almost to the meadow."
I saw Reese with a shocked look on her face, but she seemed to disregard it quickly enough. She must like him…. There's no other way she would push that off so easily. I took a deep breath and continued following Link and we took a left.
Again, this area was empty. However there were obviously boot prints from other grunts that passed through here earlier. I was half worried for a moment but quickly remembered our skills and pushed off that fear.
"Ok everyone, all we need to do is take a right here and we're at the Sacred Forest Meadow. We get through the meadow, and the Forest Temple is right there. Now the Meadow is more maze-like and filled with Moblins. They are big pig monsters with spears and can do a lot of damage in a short amount of time so watch out," Link informed us and walked somewhat quickly into the meadow. Ric shrugged and followed suit and along with Roxy.
I turned to Reese and asked her, "You ready for this? We're just about at the first temple. The first step to getting rid of Gannondorf!" I tried to sound just a little excited.
"Yea, I can't wait to make him pay for what he's done. Asshole of Time, you better move out of the way; its Reese time to get revenge!" And with that, she ran through to the meadow. I smiled at her enthusiasm and followed.
Upon entering the meadow, I quickly noticed the high dirt walls, along with a set of stairs and a pathway some ways in the distance. Looking at my group I noticed two sets of armor at Link's feet. Show off.
"Hey everyone, listen up! Stay close and follow my lead!" Link yelled, but I simply rolled my eyes as I made my way to the opening in the wall.
I strolled past Link who was distracted with informing Reese, Roxy, and Ric about the "little maze". Making it to the entrance, I peered to the left. The paths weren't too wide, only enough for two people shoulder-to-shoulder. Down the path just a few paces was an out of place pool of water. Strange, I wonder who put it there.
I heard clinking armor to my right, so I turned.
There stood a giant, half-naked, pig beast armed with a spear. He grunted and charged towards me with his weapon out. I let out a yell and ducked my head back away from the corridor.
The pig whizzed past me, nearly falling in the water but stopping just in time. He looked around a moment, confused on where I was. I took this moment to take action. One quick kick on its back on it went tumbling into the water. It sunk quickly, but to make sure it didn't come back I stabbed in the water a few times. Slowly the water grew to scarlet red.
"Hey, next time wait for the rest of us. You could have gotten yourself killed there!" Link yelled.
I rolled my eyes and replied, "I learn best from experience Mr. Hero of Time. Look, the thing is dead so let's get going. I'm tired of your lectures. We're not children; we can figure things out ourselves!"
"Fine then, if you want it that way you can have it! Once we get to the temple, I'll wait outside for you guys. If you make it out alive I'll quit the speeches."
"Deal, now let's get moving," I walked into the now safe corridor and took the correct path; to the right. I heard everyone behind me follow suit.
Following the path to the left, there was only a small length of path before turning once more to the left. A few more paces, and I could hear the jingling of Moblin armor. I stopped at the corner and stuck my arm out, blocking anyone's path.
"Hey Noah, what's wrong?" Reese asked, pushing my arm aside and walking forward.
I quickly grabbed her and pulled her back, whispering, "Shh! The Moblins, remember?"
"Oh yea…" She sighed and stepped back. Just then, the huge body of the Moblin appeared, stared at the wall for a moment, then turned and walked the other way. Their big skulls must hold tiny brains.
This time, Roxy pushed through announcing, "Move aside buddy, I'm sick of staring at your back silently. Let me do something for once!" She ran out of sight towards the Moblin. There was a squeal, thud, and then silence. Roxy walked back triumphantly and announced, "Now let's get a move on. This is going to slow for my taste. No more stealth, let's just kill these things!"
Reese giggled and sported a small grin, and I swear I heard Ric even give a small laugh. Looks like the group has spoken, in their silent ways. "Alright, sounds good to me if you're up to it," I stated, and Roxy gave me a happy nod. She took point and we followed.
Link however, wasn't happy with this. "Hey, Noah, aren't you supposed to be the leader? She's taking your position! Get it back!" He whispered. I shook my head.
"No, there's nothing wrong with letting everyone have a little fun every once in a while. Hell, if Roxy thinks she can get us there faster, it's worth a shot," I felt confident with my… I guess I can really call them friends now.
"Fine, but I say it's a bad idea," He turned from me and walked ahead, leaving me in the back with Ric.
Roxy's View
Finally I get to do something other than follow-the-leader! I said to myself. I was pretty happy. I quickly continued down the path and took a right. More path, then a second right. The Moblin didn't look too happy, staring me down.
I smirked as he prepared is spear, and I felt Reese bump into my back and walk back quickly. I drew my scimitar and held it out. Dirt flew out from the back of the Moblin's feet as he began to charge.
It wasn't more than a second before the Moblin's spear reached me but I was ready. I swatted the spear away and drove my sword deep into the Moblin's gut, ending him quickly. It was almost… funny, feeling his weight shift and slowly slide off my blade. I let out the tiniest giggle which got me a weird look from Reese.
I picked up the spear off the ground and continued forward. Not too far was the next turn; a left. With that, another shard left and I walked right up to a pool of water.
Thinking about it, these pools are quite out of place. Quite frankly I don't know why they're here at all. I pressed myself close to the wall of my right, got as close as I could to the water, and peered to the right down the path.
The Moblin was turned around, and that was perfect. In a swift motion I slid over the water and launched the spear at the Moblin. My throw made me realize why I never got accepted as an archer.
The spear shot clear past it's head, but imbedded it's self into the next Moblin, who was just casually strolling by. Lucky me!
Well, not so lucky that my original target now turned and readied his spear, and I was hardly prepared. In only a second he charged and I could already feel the cool metal of his spear piercing through my stomach…
SPLASH! There was a loud splash behind me, and the Moblin collapsed at my feet with a knife in its gut. I allowed the cool water droplets to cover my back before turning around to see who my savior was.
As expected, Reese was treading water and Noah quickly ran to her aid. I smiled and could only utter one word, "W-w-why?"
She turned to Noah and grabbed his extended hand. I walked over and helped her over the gap and she said to me, "I'm not going to lose a friend this early in an adventure. I had the chance to save you, so I did. Don't ask questions." She patted my cheek and walked ahead. I could only smile in response.
Noah approached me as the others moved on ahead. He gently wiped some blood off my face and said, "You've done enough, and I thank you for it. Stay in the back and relax now. We've got it." He patted my shoulder and walked away. So this is what it's like having friends… Real friends.
Noah's View
Walking past Roxy, I took a right to see we've come to the end of the maze. Everyone gathered at the base of the stairs until I joined them. Ric turned to me and said, "Hey, looks like I've been the only one to now do anything. Hope I get my chance soon… well, it's nice seeing everyone being happy doing something."
"You'll get your turn soon enough Ric, don't worry." I tried to sound supportive, but I was slightly suspicious of him for just a moment. I shrugged it off after thinking it over. He was just a friend.
We climbed the stairs, which were shorter then I had imagined, to find an odd sight. It was a long narrow pathway, only the dirt walls went up at least 30 feet. But that was just the design. It was what was in the path that was odd.
There was a corpse of a giant Moblin, three times the size of a normal one. Surrounding the corpse was five or so grunts along with a brighter-armored commander. They heard us climbing the stairs and turned when we reached the top.
"Hey, you there! Leave now! This is none of your business!" The commander yelled, and his troops gathered in front of him. I reached for my sword but Ric stopped my hand.
"No need Noah. A long narrow path is perfect for me." He gave a small smile and notched his bow. Quicker than I would have thought he could, Ric launched two arrows which took out two of the grunts.
The commander was obviously baffled and took a step back in shock. He yelled, "Troops, charge! No mercy for these!" The remaining three grunts followed orders by drawing short swords and charging.
Ric just laughed and yelled back, "Come! Come to your doom then!" He notched two arrows and shot them at the same time, both hitting and killing the two front grunts. The other one was momentarily stopped as the armor of his friends fell to pieces, and that time was enough for Ric to notch and launch a third arrow at the last grunt.
I was surprised myself at Ric's bloodlust and speed. I felt my jaw drop just a little as he slowly walked closer to the commander. He stopped ten paces away from him and let loose one more arrow into the man's chest. An obvious heart shot.
"What are you all waiting for? I see the temple ahead, just past these stairs!" Ric said, proceeding to run up the final flight of stairs. Link and Roxy quickly followed, obviously unmoved by Ric's display. Me and Reese stayed back a second, so I turned to her.
"You surprised by Ric's sudden behavior too?" I said, bringing her back down to earth.
She shook her head and replied quickly, "Yea, yea. He's been acting very strange lately. A lot of mood swings," With that, she walked ahead over the armor and over the dead man. I followed also, careful to not disturb the dead.
I slowly made my way up the stairs up to the final level of the meadow. There, the first thing that caught my eye was a small stone platform in the shape of a hexagon. There was a design of some triangles (Which I assumed to be the Triforce I kept hearing about) and what looked like a medallion. Link and Reese stood atop the platform and looked at the surrounding area.
Directly ahead there was a tall stone building which wrapped around the area we were in. The entrance seemed to be about three men up, making it inaccessible to an unprepared adventurer. To the left entrance was a tree that appeared dead and sported a single thick branch hanging over the entrance. And to the right was a short stump perfect for sitting as Ric found out.
"So, this it?" I called out to Link. He turned and nodded. However, instead of telling us how to get into the temple, he simply pointed to the sky. Turned out it was getting dark and my fatigue finally hit me.
"Best get your rest here while you can. I can sense… something different about the temple. I remember the evil emanating from it last time I was here… but this is different. Stronger. Darker. And a deep feeling of change," Link said in a very worried tone. He quickly changed back to his usual snotty attitude with, "Glad I'm not going in there again.
Deciding not to get worked up again, I simply gathered my supplies and set out my mat. Just then I noticed the sky darkening past its usual forest fog. I shot a glance at Ric who proceeded to find a patch of wet grass and start a fire. It took him only a moment, seeing as there were plenty of branches lying around. We all gathered near the fire except for Ric, who set up near the stump. I, lying next to Reese's mat, turned to her and started a small conversation.
"So, how do you feel about this adventure so far? Ready to take on a temple?" I said encouragingly.
"No, not at all. I was perfectly fine as an ally thug with Rose. But… this is fun I guess. It's nice having… these new friends," She seemed tense, and she gave off an aura of not wanting to talk. She turned away from me and muttered, "Good night Noah."
"Alright, good night Reese." I muttered back, and I turned away to talk to Roxy and Link. Roxy was happily warming her hands by the fire and Link, the only one without something to lay on, was sitting on the stone platform.
"So, Noah, what are you making out from what Link had said? Eviler and darker than before, sounds like a challenge. You ready?" Roxy said with a smile, not looking up from the fire.
I smiled and replied, "Yes, whatever it takes to get rid of Gannondorf. Even though I've never heard of him before, what he's already done is enough to make me want to kill him. If this is what has to be done, so be it," I sounded more confident then I actually am.
"Wow, you sound like Link did, a couple years ago. About ten to be exact," She leaned closer to me and whispered, "Before all this Hero of Time crap started getting to his head. He used to be a quiet guy. And pretty cute too. Now he has an "I'm better then everyone" attitude, so everyone started leaving him alone. After the fateful battle with Gannondorf, he stopped coming to Castle Town. We just assumed he was retired to the forest. When he came to visit the guards one time, we realized how glad we were that he left."
Well that was quite some story there. Guess I'm not the only one who hates him and that made me feel just a little better. It was almost an excuse to hate him more, and I liked it.
"Well, I'll put out the fire now. Seems we're all getting pretty tired," Roxy announced. Link and I nodded in agreement.
"I'll keep watch, just in case any grunts decide to pay us a visit in the night," Link said, turning his head at us for a moment then back to the stairs.
"Sounds good, just wake me up when you get tired," Roxy said, laying her head in the grass. The grass here was thick enough to be used as rests. I was just a little worried about bugs.
"No need, I've gone longer without sleep. See you all in the morning," He said, not looking away from the stairs. He seemed to be locked on to something.
"Fine then. Goodnight," Roxy said, and she closed her eyes. She fell asleep pretty quickly. The full force of my fatigue his me now, and I could barely keep my eyes open. Link spoke one more time before I faded into rest.
"Can you believe we have actually been awake for two days? Remember when we sat down to eat? The fog was so thick that the light from the insects actually replicated day. It happens sometimes… the fog here is thinner, allowing us to see night and making us mentally tired… Hyrule sure is strange sometimes…" Either he faded off, or I passed out. Probably both.
Link's View
Sitting around alone at night in front of the forest temple… exactly what I had been planning to do today. I guess it's better than doing nothing at home all the time.
And that guy Noah… he's got it out for me. Something about him… he's letting off the aura of out to get me. I'm not worried though. Hell, I'm the Hero of Time. I'm invincible! Hero's never die!
Whatever, I need to stay focused. I peered down the stairs again. Nothing. I doubt anything will come…. I need to make sure though. I don't want Gannondorf to have the upper hand.
A glint of moonlight caught my eye. I looked up but saw nothing. Strange. I looked back to the stairs and saw the glint again, this time twice. I picked up my Hylan Iron sword and walked down the steps towards the glinting. It happened again, twice like before. It was at the bottom of the steps and moving.
By the time I reached the middle of the corridor, I finally learned the origins of the glinting. It was two grunts, sent off to scout ahead.
"Hey, get out of here!" I called out; loud enough for them but quiet enough to not wake my friends. The grunts simply hummed and drew their weapons; one had a spear and the other a short sword.
I ran forward and targeted the one with a spear. He jabbed and I stopped quick enough to avoid getting skewered. He pulled his spear back and prepared another, but not before I rolled underneath him and drove my sword straight up his crotch. There was no scream, only the clanging of armor as it fell on top of me.
I could sense the other shadow becoming worried for his own fate. It took a step back, but then it's "programming" made it step back into the fight. He swung his weapon at me, just close enough to cut some of the fabric of my tunic. "Hey, watch the tunic!" I said, and jabbed at him to force a falter.
It worked, and he dropped his guard for just a moment. A moment enough for me to give a quick horizontal slice through his gut, parting his chest from his legs. The spirit faded out and the armor fell. I smiled at victory.
Another glint; they had a friend. Another grunt was just about to turn the corner, but I thought quickly enough to stop him. Just before he turned, I grabbed the spear out of the pile of armor and tossed it at the grunt, piercing through his back and ending his spirit-life.
Triumphantly, I marched back to camp and sat back in my spot on the platform. I smiled, leaned back, and noticed the rays of light coming through the fog. Morning already and I heard Noah and Reese both stir. I allowed my eyes to rest… for just a moment…
Noah's View
I awoke gently, my grass pillow being extremely comfortable. I stretched, and looked over at Link. Asleep… so much for staying guard… lazy ass. Whatever, I'm up and awake. I decided to make everyone some food before waking them up.
Bread and some dried fruit for breakfast, yum. Better than nothing I guess, so I choked my helping down before proceeding to awake everyone, starting with Rick and ending with Link, Roxy and Reese between. Each got up slowly but rested besides Link who awoke with a jump.
"Guard duty, huh? I'll remember who to trust next time for that job," I mocked Link. I was still pretty angry with him.
"You know what," He started very angrily, but calmed himself before continuing, "You're right… I must just be unused to staying up all night. Next time, someone else can do it."
"Glad you agree," I simply stated, and allowed everyone to grab their breakfast. It was simple, and everyone was done in a matter of minutes. I looked over at Reese while she ate, and she seemed to be happily enjoying the fruit. I sighed happily at my correct choices. Then I turned back to Link to speak business.
"Now, Link, our agreement? You stay outside while we head into the temple?"
"Yep, just as we planned," He dug in his pockets for a moment and pulled put a small key and a length of rope, "Here, the key is for inside and the rope is to get in. Good luck."
"Alright," I took the supplies and turned to the rest of the group, "everyone ready?"
Ric and Roxy nodded in agreement, Roxy giving a small, "Mhmm!" in response.
Reese, however, had crammed bread into her mouth beforehand and tuned to me in shock. She held her finger up, to signal me to pause. She proceeded to quickly gulp down the bread and replied, "Ok, I'm good… yes, I'm ready!"
I smiled because that was just so darn cute, and I walked over to the entrance. I pondered for a moment at Link's instructions before coming up with a plan. I took the rope and tossed it up, lassoing it around the branch securely. Without hesitation, I proceeded to climb up the rope all the way to the top and planting my feet safely on the stone platform. I stared the door down for a moment before turning and watching the rest of my group follow suit up the rope.
I nodded, and everyone nodded back. I gave a quick smile before saying, "Here we are, at the first temple. Here we go…" I faded off, and turned confidently at the door and opened it wide.
