Well, let's recap, shall we?

Last time, it was revealed that a man by the name of Virtus Kin paraded around, claiming not only to have been the one to purge Faron Woods, but also to be the Hero himself. What gall, am I right? Anyway, Link left Sebastian and Kain to try and help out Abel, who done got mobbed by some idiots who didn't listen to the one person they were listening to. Isn't that dumb of them? Anyway, let's slide into the next chapter here, shall we?

Chapter 10

Resistance Isn't Futile

Link made his way through the streets of Castle Town, tracking even the most subtle signs leading to Abel's whereabouts. He was led to a small alleyway on the Southern thoroughfare near an old bar that supposedly existed around the time of the Hero of Twilight, fittingly renamed the Twilit Tavern when ownership was passed to the first owner's daughter, a kind woman who came to know the Hero personally thanks to her mother's involvement in the Twilight War against the King of Evil, as she was a trusted ally. Her name escapes him though, but it isn't really all that important. He did know that started a tradition of passing the bar unto the firstborn daughter, or at least the most trusted young woman assuming they bore no females.

Making his way down into the alley, he saw a group of people holding Abel, and one was cracking his knuckles.

"How dare you try to denounce the Hero like that?" said the one cracking his knuckles before beginning to wrap them with fabric, both to protect them and to hit harder. "All he does is get born to save us, even join the Royal Guard, and you have the nuts to say he isn't the Hero?" He said, finishing up wrapping his knuckles experimentally opening and closing his hands, nodding in satisfaction.

"Are you so blind as to just blindly follow someone because he calls himself the Hero? The Hero was brave and selfless! He didn't parade himself around, telling everyone that he was the Hero! He just did what he could for the people! All Virtus has done is lie and try to get others killed!" Abel retorted, earning a hard punch in the face.

"You shut your mouth! Virtus is the next Hero, you just don't want to believe it! You've caught yourself up on the lies that the Hooded Demon has been telling you!"

"And what lies are those exactly?" Link asked, making his way down the stairs in the alley.

"Just the guy we wanted!" said the man who punched Abel before he approached Link, rolling his shoulders. "You tried to say Virtus wasn't the Hero as well. Maybe you'll wanna take that back?"

"Why? He isn't the Hero, not even close. His hair and eyes are wrong, his sword isn't the real thing, and he's cocky. He couldn't be that much more off the mark."

The man seethed, running to punch Link, though his hand was caught and he was thrown into a wall hard enough to knock him out. The other two dropped Abel, who spat out some blood when he hit the ground. They tried to attack Link, though he proved to be much more skilled than them, using them to knock each other out by bashing their heads together, shortly afterwards going down to Abel and helping him up.

"You all right?" he ask as he brought him to his feet, dusting him off.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Abel said, wiping the blood from his mouth and chin. "I mean, I still have all of my teeth, at least."

"What's going on out here?" said a feminine voice from the door of the bar. Link and Abel turned to the bar to see the current owner standing in the doorway, hands on her hips.

She was a smaller woman, though she was still reasonably tall, and she looked to be in her early to mid twenties. Her hair was a deep blue, which was rather uncommon, even among Hylians, and her eyes were a lively golden color. She wore a typical barkeep outfit, a white blouse ending just bleow her elbows with a tight leather vest over that, black leggings tucked into brown leather boots, a wrap around her waist matching her hair in color, and black leather gloves. She wore golden jewelry in the forms of bracelets on her left wrist, a few necklaces, and small earrings.

"Hey, hurry up, I don't have all day! I've got customers, you know! Now what are you doing out here?"

"It's nothing, milady," Link said, bowing to show his respect. "Just a disagreement with a few of the townsfolk. It's been resolved."

The bar owner looked to the stairs, seeing the unconscious forms of the men who took Abel.

"You sure they aren't just drunk? That's usually the spot they pass out on their way back to their houses."

"I'm quite sure," Link replied. "But, as I said, it's all over now, so we'll be on our way."

"Hold on a second," the barkeeper said, shifting her weight to her other leg. "I know you from somewhere. Where was it again...?"

"I don't believe we've ever met, ma'am," Link clarified, but the shopkeeper held up her finger to signify silence as she thought.

"Just not in person. You a bounty hunter?"

"Yes," Link responded.

"That's where I know you from! You're the Hooded Demon, aren't you?"

"Well, yes," Link responded, starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. This woman knew quite a bit more about him than he knew her.

The woman stepped closer, holding her hand out to Link. "My name's Elvira White. I'm a friend of Mary's. Word around is that you brought Kain back to her. That true? Most people seem to think Virtus brought him back, but I don't buy it. Damn good knight, but not good enough to do something Kain couldn't do. So, what brings someone like you here?"

"Nice to meet you," Link said, shaking hands with Elvira. He was surprised by her grip, firmer than any other woman he'd ever met. "It's just that those three didn't really like my friend Abel here, so I had to come and save him."

"Yeah, nice to meet you, too," cut in Abel, "And no, it wasn't Virtus who saved my brother. It was the Hooded Demon," Abel finished, gesturing to Link.

"Wait, you're Kain's brother?" Elvira asked. "Can't see it. He's definitely a lot bigger than you."

Abel slumped over in defeat. "Yeah, I know," he said.

"Anyway, why don't you two come inside for a bit? Mary's in there, if you wanna say hi."

"We'd love to," said Link as he went to the bar, patting Abel on the back as he passed him, heading into the bar.

The moment he stepped foot in the bar, the entire populace stopped what they were doing and just... looked at him.

Link merely looked around for a moment, finally seeing Mary, now dressed in more casual clothing than what she usually wore in mourning, sitting at the bar. She waved to him, having him sit next to her.

"What are you doing here?" Link asked politely as he sat down.

"Well, I left Rose with Kain because I wanted to say hello to Elvira. Have you ever met?"

"Just did," said Elvira as she came back into the bar, Abel awkwardly walking in after her. He wasn't of drinking age, so he felt super uncomfortable at a bar. "So, can I get you anything to drink? We've got all the standards: Beer, vodka, tequila, wine. We've also just recently gotten a shipment of Kakariko Ale, if that's what you fancy."

Link shook his head. "I don't drink."

"Well, there's always a time to start!" said Elvira, setting a glass in front of him. "Go ahead, give it a try! It's a lighter make than anything else I've got, so it has less alcohol than anything else. It tastes the same, really, just makes you a little tipsy, even if you're a lightweight."

Link shrugged, removing his mask and grabbing the glass, taking and experimental sniff of the new drink. Satisfied, he downed it in one go, as that's how he knew shots worked. Setting the glass down, he nodded.

"Well, that was... interesting to say the least."

Elvira laughed, then looked up to see that everyone was still staring at Link in silence.

"What are you all staring at? Either focus back on your food or get out!"

Reluctantly, the patrons went back to doing what they were doing before, though a few rogue glances still found their ways to Link.

"Don't mind them," said Elvira. "Just backers of Virtus'. But I made sure they knew that anything started over politics wasn't going to be tolerated, so if anyone tries anything, they're headed straight to the knights."

"I doubt that will stop them," Link said, turning to one man that had yet to stop staring at him, an older man with a full white beard and no other hair. "After all, Virtus couldn't keep a few guys from trying to beat Abel, so I'm sure your rules wouldn't do that much."

"I hear you," Elvira said, nodding. "But, there's a few folks out there that'll keep they're distance from that threat. Dark Realm, there's a few that don't need it. Some of 'em agree, the knights aren't right."

Link nodded in approval. He knew plenty of people like that back at the bounty office. That was the main reason most people became bounty hunters; They didn't trust the knights.

"Well, at least we can trust people like Kain," said Link, Mary and Abel nodding in return.

"Well, I'll let you in on a little secret," said Elvira, leaning closer to Link. "There's a group of folks that have been around since the Hero of Twilight. They're few in number, but by the Goddesses can they handle themselves. They call themselves 'The Resistance," and I let them use my bar as a base after hours, also been a thing since the Hero of Twilight. Speaking of which, it's about closing time."

Elvira quickly headed out in front of the bar, clapping loudly to get everyone's attention.

"All right, folks, it's that time! Finish up everything you've got and head out!"

A few folks left immediately, though some took a bit more time to leave. However, four of them remained, among them the older man who had been staring at Link.

"Say hello to the Resistance, Demon," said Elvira as she gestured to the four, moving to set up a table in a sort of storage room across from the door.

Link looked through the four, two men, two women. For the men, there was the older man, a white-bearded gentleman lacking any other hair, wearing a pair of leather overalls and heavy boots, though he had a pair of gloves and a white long-sleeve shirt. The other man wore a long black coat with a white fur collar with the rest of his outfit hidden by the coat, a black headband, and he had a katana at his back. His hair and eyes alike were green, which was also a rare color among the Hylian people. As for the women, one was clad in sturdy silver armor with her brunette hair held in a ponytail, though her bangs still framed her face, her red eyes scanning Link for weakness. The other woman was quite the opposite, wearing a blue and white checkered dress and white leggings. She wore blue boots ending just below her knees, and she had her sleeves rolled up just beyond her elbows, and she had her soft blonde hair held up in a bun, whatever wasn't held in the bun on the right side of her face, wearing black, half-rim glasses that honestly complemented her blue eyes.

"So, who's he?" asked the older man, crossing his arms.

"Someone important, if Elvira deemed it safe to show us to him," said the armored woman.

"Well, I think he seems nice!" said the blonde woman, who was evidently the cheerful one of the bunch. "That, and he knows how to dress," she said, looking at Link's outfit.

"...Hm..." said the green haired man before sitting at the table, crossing his arms and closing his eyes.

"Aw, don't mind Tensa," said the blonde girl. "He just has a hard time getting to know new people. I'm Meredith Ferrum," she finished, holding her hand out to Link.

"I'm the Hooded Demon," said Link as he shook her hand, though Mary shook her head.

"No no no, real name. These people can be trusted."

"Ugh. Fine," said Link as he removed his mask and hood, placing his mask in his pouch. "I'm Link Valion."

"Well, Link, allow me to introduce you to the rest of the group!" said Meredith as she gestured to the other people in the Resistance. "This scary lady is Iris Kingston, the older man is Alphonse Erickson, and I guess you've almost met Tensa Kazeryu. He's from a different country, so if he comes off as rude, please forgive him."

"No problem," said Link as he shook hands with Iris.

"Know how to use that sword?" she asked.

"Depends. Do you know how to use yours?" Link asked, noting that she had a sword of her own.

"...I like you, kid," she said before sitting across from Tensa.

"Well, definitely the first bounty hunter to join our group," said Alphonse.

"Sometimes you have to change things up," said Link as Alphonse sat at the table.

"Yay, introductions!" said Meredith, sitting at the table across from Tensa. "You too, Tensa! Say hello!"

"...Hi..." said Tensa, never opening his eyes, keeping his arms crossed.

"Sorry again," said Meredith, sipping at some tea Elvira had provided. "He's never been fond of people. I don't remember the last time any of us have ever had a fulfilling conversation with him."

"I doubt we will," said Alphonse, shaking his head. "But anyway, welcome to the Resistance, Link. It'll be nice to have someone with your experience among our ranks."

"It'll be nice to put my abilities to good use protecting my country," said Link, pulling up a chair to the table they were stationed at, a large map of Hyrule on it, complete with multiple red marks on it. "What are all of these?" Link asked, pointing at the red marks, which there were six of.

"These are areas experiencing certain... problems recently," said Alphonse, looking over the map. "For example, the Gorons of Death Mountain have been saying that a monster has basically taken over their mines, making it nearly impossible for them to mine safely."

"A new monster, huh?" Link said in thought.

"You'd better not be thinking about going to fight it alone!" said Iris.

"If it's anything like a Queen Gohma, I'll be fine," said Link, drawing his sword to sharpen it.

"What are you talking about, kid?" asked Iris. "There aren't any Queen Gohma anywhere from Lanayru to Ordana Province."

"Not anymore, you mean," Abel said, standing near the table. "I was with him in Faron Woods when we were out to save Kain. He had been taken by a huge Queen Gohma, and Link killed it almost single-handedly. Kain only helped a little."

The group blinked in mild surprise after hearing that.

Of course, Tensa did nothing.

"You've actually fought a Queen Gohma and survived?" asked Meredith. "Those things are some tough customers from what I've read. Shells harder than steel, venom that can burn hotter than magma."

"Both true," said Link, "as well as a few other abilities. For instance, they have a very potent venom capable of inducing something akin to possession. Damn monster pumped Kain full of it before I killed it and took... whatever this is," said Link as he fished the strange golden coin from his pocket.

"Whatever this is, it's magical, and it made the Queen Gohma even more dangerous than it already was."

Meredith was about to try and reach out to the coin, though Link closed his hand around it before she could do so.

"And it could likely do the same to anyone else," Link said, staring Meredith down.

"Then how come it hasn't effected you?" Meredith asked, writing some things in a journal of hers.

"That's beyond me," said Link, setting the coin on the table, Meredith getting a better look at it.

"Wait a second... Oh my Goddesses, I think I know what that is!" shouted Meredith, earning a glare from Tensa, though he closed his eyes shortly afterwards.

"First, quiet down a bit please, second, what do you think this is?" Link asked, tapping the coin.

"For that, we'll have to consult my big book of mysteries!" she said as she grabbed a large tome from her bag next to her chair, setting it on the table. "Now, it should be in the Ss..."

Meredith flipped through pages in her tome, occasionally looking up at the coin and then going back to her book. Eventually she cheered quietly and set the book down on the table, facing it to Link.

"All right, it's here on page 317. That's something known as a Starlight Coin, supposed to have been left by some 'Star King' or another a long time ago. These things possess a huge amount of power, though they're unusable in this state. Likely when you killed the Gohma, it's power couldn't simply disperse, and it formed this coin, a physical manifestation of it's power. That means that unless you find someone capable of harnessing that power, it both useless, and harmless," finished Meredith, grabbing the coin. "See? Not a giant monster yet!" she laughed, setting the coin back on the table in front of Link.

"While I would have preferred that you didn't do that, I guess it's good to know that they're safe right now. Maybe the monster that's in Death Mountain has one of these too..." said Link, trailing off.

Wait, thought Link, Did she say something about a Star King? But... Marze is from the land ruled by the Star King! Surely, he must know something!

"All right, I think I have what I needed. I should really be going now," said Link, grabbing the Starlight Coin.

"Wait, you've only been here a few minutes!" said Meredith.

"Surely you could stand to stay a little longer," said Iris, Alphonse nodding in return.

Tensa, however, opened his eyes. "If he feels he needs to leave, let him."

Everyone blinked in surprise. "But, you never talk," said Iris.

"Hmph," replied Tensa, closing his eyes again, though not before nodding to Link, who nodded in return.

"Don't worry, I'll see you guys again," Link said as he got up from the table, heading to the door.

Exiting the building, he grabbed Marze from within his cloak.

"Oh, you have no idea how hard it is to breathe in there," said the Stardrake, taking to the skies.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. What can you tell me about this coin," said Link as he held out the Starlight Coin to Marze, the little dragon stopping the moment he saw it.

"Where did you get that?" Marze asked, lowering himself to get a better look at the coin.

"It came from the Queen Gohma. Meredith says it's a Starlight Coin. Anything else you can tell me about it?"

"There's not much I can say about it, but..."

"But, what?" Link asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I might know someone."

So yeah. Now we have even more of a plot. That's always nice, am I right? And yes, I added in the Resistance from Twilight Princess. Don't crucify me. But still, new faces are always nice.

OniHelix out!