So, before I get started with the chibis, I'm going to answer inkyknerd's review concerning the Master Sword.

inkykenrd
2011-11-06 . chapter 24

good story one point you need to bring up the master sword can only be weilded by the hero of time so how come ezra could use it

My point of view is through my interpretation of Rauru's words and statements found on the Zelda wiki concerning the Master Sword. I'll put examples of what I found and give my reasoning as to why I believe why not only Erza, but others can in fact wield the Blade of Evil's Bane.

To protect the blade from any misuse, the Sages ensured that only those pure of heart and strong of body could lay their hands on it.

and

The Master Sword is a sacred blade which evil ones may never touch

The way I read this, this means the Master Sword can indeed be wielded to a certain degree by other warriors; but only those who do not have evil dwelling in their heart. Instead, they must want to use its power in defense of justice. To me, that means Erza could indeed wield it effectively for she wished to use it to defeat evil and defend her Guild.

Now then, does that mean I believe she or anyone else would be able to use it to defeat someone like Ganondorf? No. Hell no, even.

Only one worthy of the title of "Hero of Time" can pull it from the Pedestal of Time....

First of all, that means only Link, or those with the same principles and qualities as Link, is capable of pulling the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time. While I cannot find the exact statements on the site, I remember reading that the Master Sword can only be pulled from its resting place by one with the blood of the Hylian Knights flowing through his veins. In addition, the Master Sword seems to have its own consciousness; only allowing itself to be pulled from the Pedestal in times of Hyrule's greatest need, and only by one it deems worthy. This of course is merely speculation on my part, but it could be Fi, the entity in the Goddess Sword, still inhabits the Master Sword and is drawn to those who are similar to Link from the Skyward Sword game at a subconscious level. This would ensure that only those with Link's blood, or at least the same ideals and principles, could draw forth the Blade.

Only one worthy of the title of "Hero" could pull the sword from the pedestal and unlock its true power.

In addition to my first statement about taking the Sword from the Pedestal, there remains the point of unlocking its true power. To add to my argument, I will compare it to Excalibur and Samurai Jack's sword. In both cases, they are mythical blades that can be, and have been, wielded by others than themselves. However, only those chosen by destiny can utilize their full potential in the fight against evil and evil forces.

This fact means that while an individual may be a better fighter than the one chosen by destiny, such as Lancelot was a better fighter than Arthur, they lack something the individual has that lets them bring forth the weapon's true power.

Hopefully my view on the Master Sword explains why Erza was able to utilize the Master Sword to deflect the blast of darkness back at Jose, though don't think Link would allow anyone to use the Sword lightly or without serious thought.

With that out of the way, on with the chapter! And as a reminder, this is when Link and company are kids.

Into the Past: Link's First Job

Link gave one last look out the window of the train before it pulled into the Onibas train station, thus cutting off his view of the city, then looked over at Erza as she stood up and brushed at her white skirt. "Let's go." She said once she looked back at Link, whose expression had turned expectant. "Now we need to get transportation to Thistle Village, and I'm sure we can get directions here at the station." Erza said and Link nodded his head as he stood up then motioned Erza to go ahead of him.

The two of them walked through the station, Erza hesitating once or twice as she tried to remember where the help desk was located, and in two hours were on their way to Thistle Village and the demon that tormented it.

"Okay, it should take us fourteen hours to reach the village." Erza said as they sat comfortably in an oxen driven carriage. "Let's use this time to come up with a strategy for what we'll be fighting." She said and Link nodded his head then reached into his bag to take the job description out.

Link read through the description again and a confused expression crossed his face before he looked up at Erza and handed the job to her. Erza read through description before she paused once she read exactly what it was that was troubling the mountain village.

"An Asag, is it?" Erza said speculatively then gave a small sigh. "I already knew that this wouldn't be an easy task... but when Master said it was a minor demon, I was expecting something smaller." She said then looked up at Link to see him looking at her, his confusion still on his face. "You... you don't know what an Asag is?" She asked and Link nodded his head in confirmation. "You already read this description but it didn't matter to you find out what you would be facing?" Erza asked incredulously and Link paused as he considered her words.

"I was going to find out the details from the villagers." Link said quietly after a moment of silence. "Since they had seen it multiple times, I believed they would tell me all I would need to know in order to make a plan." He said and Erza blinked as she looked at him in surprise. "The most important part was getting here to defend the village and save the people." Link said firmly and once again his eyes looked as if they had blue flames flaring up within their depths.

Erza was once again taken aback by his firm stance and the light in his eyes, and it took her several seconds to recover from her surprise. "Well... I know some basic information, but hopefully the villagers will have more to tell us." She said as she looked to the side and Link looked at her expectantly. Erza took a few moments to make sure she remembered all the information she could then looked back at Link as she crossed her arms. "Let's see... an Asag is a demon made of stone and the size of a medium-sized hill." She said as she studied Link for any signs that he might suddenly lose the desire to continue with the job.

Link seemed not to notice the scrutiny as he leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest while he closed his eyes; his entire posture showing himself to be in deep thought. "I'll need to test how strong its defenses are." He said after several minutes with a shake of his head as he opened his eyes, though he didn't appear to be seeing anything currently around him. "But this could be like fighting..." Link trailed off and Erza's eyes tightened at his words.

Has he truly done this before? Erza wondered, for Link almost seemed to be comparing the upcoming fight with a previous encounter.

"I have a plan of attack." Link suddenly said as he looked up at Erza.

Thistle Village

It was dark as the carriage drew into the mountain village and came to a stop. The sudden jostling made Link and Erza, who had both decided to get some sleep at one point during the ride, snap to full alertness even as the driver hopped down to go and wake them. "Hey, kids, we've arrived." He said as he moved to knock on the door when it started to open.

"So we have." Erza said as she rubbed her eyes while she walked out while Link covered a yawn, his elbow tapping the Hylian Shield on his back, as he followed her. "Thank you for getting us here." She said and the driver just smiled as he waved his hand dismissively.

"It's my job after all." He said then looked up at the night sky. "If I were you, I'd find a place to sleep for the night then get started tomorrow." He advised then covered his mouth with a yawn. "I know of an inn here, if you follow me to the stables I can show you were it is." He offered and Erza nodded her head in appreciation.

"No, we should hurry." Link suddenly spoke up and the driver looked at him in surprise while Erza looked at him sternly. "There's no-"

"We are going to rest so we will be at our best for tomorrow." Erza cut Link off firmly but Link met her gaze without backing down. "Was it not your idea to get more information about the Asag?" She demanded and at that Link hesitated then looked down. "We'll get the information tomorrow from the mayor and then move out." She said and Link took a calming breath before he nodded his head in agreement.

After a night's rest and a good breakfast, the two found their way to the mayor's office to talk to the man who had put in the job request. "You're joking." The mayor, a slightly overweight, middle-aged man with a head full of thick blonde hair, said as he looked down at Link and Erza, the job currently on his large, mahogany desk. "Children were sent to save my village... do you two think this is funny? !" He demanded as he suddenly stood up to his full height, the motion making his plush chair slam into the wall behind him.

"I assure you, we're quite serious about this." Erza said as she and Link looked at the mayor steadily. "Master Makarov would not have let us come here if he didn't think we could do it." She said and the mayor paused, his respect of Makarov's reputation letting him calm down.

"Very well... I suppose you two have a point." He said with a tired sigh as he sat back down. "But tell me, have either of you fought an Asag before?" He asked and they both shook their heads.

"This shall be my first demon, in fact." Erza said and the mayor gave a small sigh of resignation.

"I suppose the same could be said about your friend here." He said as he gave a small shake of his head. "I'm starting to doubt the stories I've heard of this Makarov." He admitted before pausing as Link took a step forward, his blue eyes boring into the mayor's brown. "What?" The mayor asked after Link said nothing for several seconds.

"Link claims to have fought demons, or monsters strong enough to be in the same league at least." Erza said and the mayor blinked before he looked at her in disbelief. "Master believed him, and thus he allowed us to come and fight." She said but the mayor continued to look at her in disbelief for a while longer then shook his head.

"Look, kids, I know you're confident in your abilities, but fighting a demon is nothing like fighting another hu- ah!" The mayor started to lecture when he froze as he shifted his gaze to Link. His eyes! The mayor was shocked by the look in Link's eyes. They were not the expression of a youth coming to test his strength against something new and unexpected. Rather, they were the eyes of an experienced veteran that knew exactly what he was getting in to.

"Mayor, please tell me everything you can." Link said with quiet determination.

After several, long seconds, the mayor swallowed then clasped his hands together on the desk. "An Asag is a rock demon, normally the size of a good sized hill, with the strength to tear out large chunks from a mountain." He said and his eyes tightened. "Luckily, all that's been troubling us are its "children"." He said and the two young mages looked at each from the corner of their eyes. "They are about the size of oxen, all of them bearing resemblance to their monstrous "parent". They come in numbers no less then two dozen, though I have seen up to three and a half at one point, and we haven't been able to get through their stone skin." He said and Link's eyes glazed over as he crossed his arms.

If it's like that... then... Link thought then glanced over at Erza.

Erza caught his look and didn't react for several seconds before she gave a small sigh. "Where do they normally come from?" She asked and the mayor paused for a moment before he stood up.

"Follow me and I'll at least point you in the direction they normally swarm from." He said and they both fell in behind him as he walked out of his office then went to go outside. They followed him through the small village, there were only a little more than two dozen homes, half of which were demolished, and there were maybe five dozen people going about and trying to repair their village.

Link's eyes narrowed as his hands tightened into fists, the motion taking Erza by surprise. Unknown to her, Link was currently fighting memories of Kakariko Village after the shadow demon Bongo Bongo had escaped from its prison. After a few moments, Link shook off the memories and saw Erza looking at him in mild concern. Link gave her a faint grin that she obviously didn't believe, but they both had to look forward again when they noticed the mayor had stopped walking.

"Up over there, halfway up that mountain is where we see them come down from." The mayor said as he pointed at the highest peak of the mountain chain that was only eight miles away from the village. "Where the "parent" might be, I don't know, though I suspect it's somewhere up there as well." He said and the two of them took in the size of the mountain before Link gave a small shrug. It was large, but not quite as big as Death Mountain.

"Thank you." Link said then immediately went off towards the mountain without another word, his focus already on the demons he would be fighting; Erza coming up easily to run beside him. The two of them ran in silence and when the finally reached the foot of the mountain quickly started their ascent.

They had been jumping up, or climbing when necessary, for over three hours when they came upon a wide ledge that led into a large cave. "Hmm..." Erza said thoughtfully as she looked at the cave then back down at the now far distant ground while the wind whipped at her pony tail and Link's hat. "This may be the halfway point." Erza said and after his own look, Link nodded his head in agreement. "Which means..." Erza said as they both turned to look inside the cave.

"The Asag and its minions should be in here." Link finished and brought his left hand up to ensure his sword was in place while Erza brought hers partway out to check its edge then resheathed it. Link looked over at Erza the same time she glanced at him, and the two nodded their heads at almost the same time.

"Right then, let's go." Erza said and the two of them walked in side by side, their eyes scanning around to try to catch a glimpse of any enemies. The cave was massive, easily large enough to not only contain a monster as large as a hill, but also long enough that it could sleep in the back and none would be wiser. This, of course, made them both even more sure that the Asag was located in this cave.

The sound of rubble shifting suddenly echoed throughout the cave, making them both freeze as their hands went to their weapons. Link's ears started to twitch when they suddenly went back with a slight downward angle. Erza noticed their movement but didn't know what to make of it until Link pulled his sword out and held it at the ready, and she immediately did the same. Are they an indication when he's ready to fight? She couldn't help but wonder when suddenly chunks of rock from the walls and ceiling exploded toward them.

Erza's eyes went wide with shock and for a second she hesitated, trying to see an escape that didn't exist, when Link pulled her in close; his eyes showing no fear at the ambush. A blue crystal surrounded the two of them just a couple of seconds before impact, and Erza looked at it in surprise as it held firm against the barrage of stones. Wait... Erza realized as she was able to catch glimpses of the boulders before they were reflected off; a head, four powerful looking legs, and a thick tail. Those are the Asaglings! Erza realized even as she came up with the name for the smaller versions of the larger Asag.

Link's right eye twitched as he started to feel the strain against Nayru's Love and then the barrage was over. Just like with the Song of Storms... but it still kept its strength. Link determined then dropped his spell and immediately rushed forward to slash down with the Kokiri Sword at the nearest Asagling. Sparks flew as his sword cut deeply and then one was down, its head dropping heavily to the stone floor; cracking the stone under its weight.

At the same time Link had moved, Erza dashed out in the opposite direction and attacked another Asagling with a downward two-handed slash that left this one decapitated as well. So tough! Erza thought in surprise, for it had taken longer than she had expected to cut through. If it hadn't been partially stunned-

"GRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHH!" All the Asaglings, forty all together now, suddenly roared in rage and came in at the two, their charge making the cave shake. Once again, the two charged out in different directions, both of them instinctively knowing that their best bet was to stay mobile.

"Requip!" Erza shouted as she Ex-Equipped her saber then Requipped a broadsword twice her size, the process taking several seconds as her concentration was split between that and avoiding the rampaging Asaglings. "HHAAAAAAAAAA!" She screamed as she narrowly avoided a rush from five of them and retaliated with an upward slash that cut halfway through its body before slowing. "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Erza continued to scream as she pivoted while pushing the monster up then used it as a weapon as she pivoted and jumped to bring it down on another Asagling, the force of the blow allowing her to finish cutting through the first one and shattering the left flank of the second. She couldn't afford to give them any more attention as she was forced to go in a wild frenzy of flips and counter slashes that indeed caused damage, but not enough to finish any more of the creatures with one blow.

On the other side of the cave, Link had already put his Kokiri Sword into his bag while in midair, he had already come the conclusion a more powerful weapon was needed, and was about to do the same with his Hylian Shield when one Asagling made a sudden leap that took him by surprise. "HYAA!" Link yelled as he reflexively threw the Hylian Shield as hard as he could and it smashed halfway through the Asagling's face, the impact turning it aside long enough for Link to reach into his pouch and pull out the Biggoron Sword.

Link landed easily on his feet then immediately brought the sword horizontally behind him and a blue aura surrounded the blade as six Asaglings came in all around him. Four more launched up over them to bear down on him while the aura turned from blue to red. "HYYAAAAAAA!" Link roared as he went into a high speed spin and the red aura exploded outward in a wave of destruction that destroyed all ten of the Asaglings immediately while damaging many others that were caught on the outer edge of the attack.

Erza, who now had two broad swords as big as her, had been in the process of using both to smash down another Asagling right after avoiding a rush of four of them when the explosion of energy knocked her off balance. She quickly spun in the air to land on her feet and paused for an instant to look over at Link to make sure he was okay, and only due to what she had witnessed in the not too distant past was she able to fight through the shock she felt at the damage Link had caused. Close to a dozen of the Asaglings were just gone and another half dozen were injured as well; with just one attack, Link had taken out over a third of the original number of Asaglings. The other Asaglings paused as they regarded the young warrior in green, trepidation in their onyx eyes. "GUUUUUUAAAAAAAAANN!" They suddenly roared, their voices now pitched high; almost as if they were crying.

Link and Erza paused at the sound uncertainly for a few seconds before rushing in to destroy five more before they could react.

"GRRRAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!" A sudden bellow shook the cave, causing large chunks of rock to dislodge from the ceiling and come crashing down. The Asaglings hardly seemed bothered if a boulder managed to hit one of them, the rocks merely bouncing off its thick hide. Four of them, however, were not so lucky due to the damage they had taken from Erza and were crushed. Link and Erza were forced to dodge between the falling boulders; sometimes they could only barely dodge and sent flying several feet from the impact.

"GUUUUUUUAAAAAAAANN!" The Asaglings that remained roared again in response and something in the darkness of the cave shifted, something massive. "That must the Asag." Erza stated as her grip on the broadswords tightened and Link nodded his head in agreement as the cave started shaking again in time with massive footsteps. All the Asaglings that remained, now only seventeen within the few minutes of combat, fled to their "parent" to take shelter and regroup under its mighty bulk.

The two of them stood firm as the silhouette of the Asag moved into the light with only six ponderous steps to show an Asagling on a massive scale. Its head was easily thirty feet in diameter, its eyes five feet of the darkest onyx, and each of its razor sharp teeth were no smaller than Link's Biggoron Sword. Its eyes locked on to the two mages and an unholy light sparked from within their depths as it regarded the two intruders and killers of its "children". "GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!" The cave shook once more as it gave another massive bellow, this time Link couldn't help but wince slightly from the sound despite his battle focus, and the Asaglings charged out from under its bulk. Their charge was preceded by a swift stab from the Asag's mighty tail, a strike that two narrowly avoided and that sent rubble pelting into them.

Erza quickly turned and placed her broadsword in front of her to deflect the rubble while Link surrounded himself with Nayru's Love to take care of the rubble so that he would still be able to keep track of the Asaglings. Because of that, he wasn't surprised when an Asagling rushed in was where he was about to land and dropped the spell while he pivoted and jumped over its spinning tail attack; which left it open to a counter from Link in the form of the Biggoron Sword impaled into its face. Erza, though, noticed her own Asagling too late and was sent flying from the blow. Her armor absorbed most of the blow, however, and so she was able to keep her wits and deal a downward slash at another Asagling; her momentum allowed her to slash it into two halves down the middle.

Before the two could reorient themselves, a massive, clawed foot came smashing down, the shockwave from the impact slammed them to opposite sides of the cave and into the stone walls. Both of them coughed up blood from the impact and went down to one knee as they landed on the ground while eight Asaglings came in at Link and seven went in at Erza.

Blue flames burned in Link's eyes as he tossed the Biggoron Sword up into the air and brought his right palm over his left fist. "Hup!" He said as the Asaglings rushed in at him without regard and he quickly brought his left fist up then punched down at the ground. "HYYYAAAAAAA!" Link roared as Din's Fire exploded out from him and slammed into the Asaglings. Due to their skin, they were able to resist the intesnse flames but were still all pushed back from the impact to land heavily on the ground twenty feet from him. However, Link had already known that their skin would most likely be able resist the intense flames of Din's Fire, he had only needed to buy time for what he had truly planned for the stone monstrosities. As the Asaglings struggled to their feet eight bombs came out in rapid succession, each one impacting with a stony head, then detonated to entire consume each one in a fiery explosion.

"Requip." Erza said as she Ex-Equipped her two broadswords and then her normal armor to Requip leather armor colored a light grey and two short swords. "Myojo no Yoroi." She said as she stood tall against the incoming monsters. The armor had feather-like decorations with a short cape, her arms and legs fully covered by the armor, and her eyes narrowed as she crossed the two short swords over her chest. "Koshi no..." Erza said as she let them come in within a few feet of her and the swords started to glow with a bright light. "KEN!" She screamed as she slashed outward with her swords and an arc of light shot out that smashed into all seven Asaglings. Though they weren't completely destroyed, they were still obviously dead as the front half of their bodies was now gone.

"Haa... haa..." Erza breathing was a little heavy from the intensity of the combat, though like Link she was able to get it under control. Just the- "AAHH!" Erza suddenly screamed as she dropped down, just narrowly avoiding the Asag's massive claw. At first the force of the blow actually pulled her in after it until the impact of the strike sent her in an uncontrollable flight towards Link, who caught the Biggoron Sword as it came back down then rushed out to catch her.

Link slid back after his one-armed catch that he turned into a backward jump as he saw its massive tail coming down to crush them, and once again he smashed into the cave wall. "GAH!" Link yelled in pain this time as he felt three ribs crack from the blow. The two had no time to worry about his injuries though, as the Asag's front left claws came in at them in a wide sweep, its claws tearing through the ground to prevent them from trying to duck under the blow.

"Jump on its hand." Link said and Erza nodded her head in agreement. The two of them each jumped for a finger and grunted with the impact, their bodies screaming in protest at their action, and when it finally stopped they almost went flying from the sudden reversal of the momentum; only hanging on by slamming their weapons into the stone skin enough to keep their grip. The two were quickly up and rushing up its arm and its onyx eyes showed a faint surprise at their charge.

The Asag brought its leg down and suddenly they were unable to run and had to hold on. "Link!" Erza suddenly yelled and he glanced down at her then looked over as its other arm came in to smash them flat. "Jump for it!" She screamed and Link nodded his head right before the two of them jumped out to narrowly slip through its clawed fingers, stabbing out so as not to fall back down to the ground. However, the Asag used more force than it should have as it tried to catch the elusive duo and its left front leg crumpled while its body was still twisted from the blow.

The end result was a roll that nearly crushed Link and Erza before it was out in the air and falling down the side of the mountain. "Go!" Link yelled over the tumult, the loudest she had ever heard him, but she had no time to be surprised if she planned to survive. The two of them once again ran up the Asag's arm, Link's balance perfect due to his life as a Kokiri and Erza too focused and scared to know that it should near impossible for her to run up a living creature as it slid down a mountainside.

The Asag turned its head to look at the two, and now raw fury shined out from those eyes as it struggled to right itself. The motion nearly sent the two flying to their doom, but Link put away the Biggoron Sword in one swift movement and then brought out the Master Sword before they started to fly away from the stone limb. "KYAA!" Erza screamed even as Link grabbed her left wrist and stabbed down with the Master Sword, a blue aura surrounding it to ensure it would sink in enough to hold them in place.

"GRAAAAAGHHH!" The Asag roared in pain as the Master Sword cut into it then tightened its grip on the mountain to stop its fall, dust and rocks kicked flying out from the effort. Link held on tightly for several seconds then glanced back at Erza to see her eyes focused one again.

"THROW ME AT ITS HEAD!" Erza had to scream to be heard, even with Link's hearing, and, although he looked at her in surprise at first, he nodded his head then carefully took aim while she Ex-Equipped the two short swords. He strained his muscles and threw with all his strength, and right as she went flying she Equipped a large broadsword twice her size held out in front of her. With the added weight she went even more swiftly down at the Asag's head and Link's shot was not only true, he was lucky enough to send her flying right at one of its massive eyes.

Never before had the Asag known pain like it experienced when Erza heavy sword pierced its eye, sparks flying as it sunk in. "GGRRRRRAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!" It roared and it brought the arm Link was attached to to try and get her. A soft glow came from Link's left, gloved hand as he spun to place his feet against the Master Sword then immediately kicked off from it while reaching into his pouch and pulled out the weapon used to smash even the scales of dragons, the Megaton Hammer.

Due to his reduced strength, Link wouldn't have been able to properly wield it, even with the Goron's Bracelet enhancing his muscles. However, the conditioning his body had gone through as he had traveled throughout Hyrule, which included practicing nightly with the mighty hammer, had somewhat passed over and allowed him to direct it well enough as he was already flying down towards the Asag. With the added weight sending him down further, Link narrowly beat the hand to the orb and spun once to add momentum to his strike. "HYYYAAAAAAAAAAA!" Link roared right as he struck the eye a few feet from Erza, and a large shockwave issued out that sent Erza flying with a scream even as it shattered the eye completely.

"GUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAANNNNNN!" The Asag roared in agony as its hand changed to cupping it eye, easily catching and holding Erza steady. Link was quickly beside her with Nayru's Love surrounding him, and after taking his pouch off his belt he was able to restore the Megaton's Hammer.

"You're crazy!" Erza screamed and to her surprise Link met her accusation with a grin and a nod of his head. Is he enjoying this? ! Erza thought in shock and after a few seconds she found a grin had come to her face as well while adrenaline pumped through her body. Erza found, to her surprise, that she was actually enjoying this as well, right as her sword cut into the Asag's hand a few feet to her right.

Suddenly they were flying through the air as the Asag smashed into the ground, the impact tearing its hand away from its face. Link and Erza quickly grabbed at each other and each pulled at the other, bringing them together in a hug. Immediately Link had Nayru's Love up and thus the two, though they were bruised from the jostling when they landed, again narrowly escaped death. With a groan they struggled to get up despite the way the ground shook as the Asag thrashed about while getting its footing back.

Link and Erza could hardly believe their eyes as the demon got to its feet, large chunks of stone falling from its skin and it turned its one dark eye on the two and a low, grumbling growl that shook the ground issued from its mouth. "Now what?" Erza asked as she held her side and looked at Link, who narrowed his eyes and looked for his sword.

"I'm going to try something." Link said and Erza looked at him in surprise when he sprinted off towards the enraged demon.

"Wait!" Erza cried out as she started after him when a blinding pain from her ribs brought her to one knee. Damnit... Erza thought in irritation as she looked down at her stomach then brought her gaze back up to Link as he pulled out yet another item from his pouch that she didn't recognize, the Longshot.

The Asag had no more desire to let him get in close, though, and brought its front right leg down to try and crush him. As soon as it started to bring its hand up, Link immediately stopped his forward spring and went to the right. Thanks to his speed he was able to avoid the attack by a couple of feet and was once again sent flying from the impact. This time, though, Link turned his body and brought the Longshot to bear and got a perfect shot off at its forearm; the Longshot found a small enough crack to sink into and quickly reeled Link in.

The instant he landed, Link was already pulling out the hook and then quickly fired further up even as the Asag moved to attack him. This time the Longshot brought him within inches of the Master Sword and he quickly pulled it from the stone skin then immediately jumped at the Asag's remaining eye, the Longshot already up and ready to fire. Before he could pull the trigger, the Asag's fanged mouth closed over in a sudden vicious movement and then swallowed.

Erza eyes went wide with horror as her entire body started to tremble. "N-no..." Erza said slowly as tears welled up in her left eye. "GRAAAAA- !" The Asag started to roar before suddenly freezing as its whole body started to shake. "W-what?" Erza said in surprise while the Asag's stone face twisted in what was undeniably agony to the shocked onlooker. This time the Asag let out a small whimper before its eye shot wide open; and thus this final look of shock was last thing on its face when a reddish-golden circle of energy shot out from its neck. Slowly, almost sluggishly, the large head started to slide down from its body without another sound from the Asag to smash into the ground. Dust and high winds flew into Erza as the ground shook from the large impact, and the combination of that and her injured ribs threw her to the ground.

When everything cleared, Erza was able to slowly stand and look upon the body of the Asag standing perfectly still, and so it would stay as its head lay on the ground at its feet. Still, no feeling of celebration found its way into her heart as she slowly walked towards the thing. "Link..." She said weakly then froze as a sudden movement caught her eye. There, slowly, was Link walking towards her with the Master Sword and Biggoron Sword in his hands and the Longshot around his right ankle.

Link stopped when he saw her and his left arm twitched as he tried to bring it up, but exhaustion and the weight of the Master Sword prevented him from pulling off a wave. He did offer a grin though and started to put away his weapons as Erza ran towards him, the pain in her ribs now seeming inconsequential. He had just finished putting away the Longshot and was tightening the strings on the pouch when a sudden sense of unease filled his body. Link looked up just in time to catch a right cross from a now enraged Erza that sent him flying back towards the head of the Asag.

Link was surprised both by the strength of the strike (he had thought Erza as tired as him) and by the strike itself, so he had only managed to get up to his hands and knees when Erza stepped in front of him. Link slowly looked up to see Erza looking down at him with her arms crossed over her chest and doom in her eyes. "Requip." Erza said softly and Link blinked then had to shut eyes from the sudden glow of magic around Erza, and when he could see again he found her back in her normal attire. The look in her eyes remained the same though, and then suddenly, and to his surprise, Link saw a few tears welling in her left eye.

"If you ever... do something like that again..." Erza said threateningly as she uncrossed her arms to crack her knuckles. "I will give you a beating unlike anything you have ever experienced." She promised and Link, who had fought countless monsters, demons, a dragon, and even a man with the power of a goddess, found himself believing her and offered a small nod of his head. "I'm glad we understand each other." Erza said then realized she had new tears in her eyes and turned to get rid of them.

"It worked, though." Link suddenly said and Erza froze before turning back angrily at the now standing Link. "The village is safe, and we are still alive." He continued quietly then brushed the dust off his clothes.

Erza had to accept that fact, though the pain in Link's eyes from his cracked ribs and the pain from her own bruised ribs made accepting it rather difficult. Her mood suddenly shifted, though, as she considered something. "Hmm... I wonder what Master will think of you becoming food for the Asag?" She asked with a small grin as she crossed her arms and Link blinked in surprise. "Even though you had been so sure you could take it alone, you were nearly nothing more than a snack for it." She said almost teasingly and for some reason, Makarov's opinion on how he did mattered to him.

"It didn't swallow me." Link said in a quietly petulant tone as he crossed his arms and looked to the side. "Technically, I wasn't eaten." He said and Erza offered a small chuckle then winced as the motion made her ribs throb. Before anymore could be said, the pounding of hooves got their attention and Erza turned around to see several of the villagers riding in on horses; their looks of shock at the dead demon obvious even from where the two stood.

"Well, we'll let Master decide on-"

"Kya." Link suddenly said and Erza blinked in surprise at the sound when she suddenly remembered her scream and a her face went a bright red as she looked back at Link, who now had a small grin of his own. "Kya." He said again simply and Erza moved to face him again.

"If you ever tell anyone..." Erza trailed off threateningly, her face still red with embarrassment, and after a few seconds Link extended his right hand in a truce that Erza quickly took as the villagers stopped a few feet from the two.

"In... incredible..." The mayor said as he smoothly dismounted, his gaze never leaving the Asag's head. "You two actually pulled it off." He said then turned a wide smile on them, a smile that turned to concern as he saw the injuries the two had sustained in their fight. "You two, are you okay?" He asked in concern as the rest of the villagers, twenty in all, dismounted to help them.

"We'll be okay." Erza said then glanced back at the Asag's left hand. "A shame, I rather liked that sword." She said then offered a small shrug and winced, the movement again reminding her of her injuries.

"My shield." Link suddenly said and everyone looked at him to see his gaze up at the mountain. Link gave one wince from his broken ribs then immediately started walking back towards the mountain.

"Where do you think you're going?" Erza suddenly said and Link paused to look back at her in surprise. "You cannot hope to climb that in your state, so-"

"It was a gift." Link said firmly, his eyes showing no compromise, when he and Erza were suddenly lifted into the air and placed on a pair of shoulders each.

"We'll get your shield, don't you worry about that." The mayor said with a wide smile as the surprised mages were placed on horses. "But you two are getting some medical attention." He said firmly then nodded at the two riders who had mounted the horses the two were on. Before Link could protest, he and Erza were swiftly on their way back to Thistle Village.

That afternoon, the two were lying in two beds set in the same room and covered in bandages. "Does this happen often to you?" Erza asked after several minutes of silence and Link blinked his eyes at the sound then looked over at her curiously. "Getting this injured I mean." She clarified and Link paused then gave a self-depreciating grin as he nodded his head once; it had become a common occurrence since he had left his own village. "Hmph, then I suppose I'll have to do jobs with you from now on." Erza said and Link looked at her in surprise. "I somehow doubt this will be the last demon you decide to fight, and since I'm your partner I very well can't let you go and try something like getting eaten again." She said and Link's expression turned cross.

"Kya." Link said and Erza's face went red even as it puffed up in a pout. Suddenly, the two of them felt that something like this would come up more than once as they took on more jobs together, something that the two would use to get through harsh fights yet to come.

Link, though he truly wished to get back to Hyrule quickly in order to return the things that did not truly belong to him, couldn't help but offer a grin that Erza returned. "Partners." They both said then turned their attention back to recovering from their injuries so they could return to Fairy Tail and choose their next job.

Well, that's the first one done. Coming up next is Link's first meeting with Durga.

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter.

Till next time.