Link's Point of View
I'm back at the Ehrmich hotel our group all pitched in to rent, with Zelda, Mikasa, and the others. It's pretty late. I don't feel that tired. Still willing to drink coffee, though.
"So… how does this work?" I ask. Zelda, still dressed in her sleek Sheik costume, takes part of the cloth muffling her face and looks at me. "What does it feel like?"
"You've felt it before, Link," she responds calmly. "Well, what it feels like to receive a piece, I even talked to you about it…"
The image of slicing Annie's head off, along with the memories of that moment, come rushing to my mind. I was on a rooftop at night, fighting that titan girl, when she started to overwhelm me. Somehow, it felt like something awakened inside of me, and I felt it rushing through my body. I… I channeled that energy towards beating Annie, and… Well, I beat her.
"I think…" I reply, still picturing that moment.
"It feels like you've suddenly grown much stronger than before, and it makes you feel capable of almost anything. Giving one away usually feels the opposite."
"I've had that feeling before, Zelda," I say. "When I was fighting a certain enemy known as Annie, she used her, as you call it, 'sorceress powers' to stop me from slicing her head off, but my Triforce suddenly surged power through my body and I easily overcame her. Is this what you're talking about?"
"Yes! Yes. So you have used them…" she replies.
"Used what?"
"I call them tripowers. Speaking of, I don't have mine right now since you have the Wisdom, here, I'll show you how to transfer Triforce pieces..."
Tripowers… I've never heard of that. Weird.
"First off," she continues, "It's much easier to transfer when you're touching the person, but it's still possible to when you're not, like that one time you were fighting the so-called 'Annie' and I did so from afar."
"Link, your coffee's ready!" Sasha shouts from another part of the slightly crowded hotel room. I excitedly smile, saying "Yes!"
She abruptly grabs both of my hands and stares deeply into my eyes.
"Feel the power, Link…" she calmly tells me. "Feel the power of the Triforce, surging through every vein in your body; you are its master. Picture the Triforce in your mind, and focus on Wisdom. Then, picture me, with the Wisdom, and clutch my hands. Give me that power, Link, give me the Triforce of Wisdom."
I carefully do exactly what Zelda says. She looks to me, and I look to her; I'm afraid I'm going to mess up, so I try my hardest not to. I haven't seen Zelda in forever… Making a stupid mistake is the last thing I should do right now, in front of her. I remember her dressed as Sheik, guiding me through my adventures, and messing around with her at Hyrule Castle when I would get bored; sometimes, I'd spend all day trying to sneak into that castle just to see her. I concentrate very hard; after half a minute, I feel like I've lost power. I look at my left hand to see one of the Triforce pieces shining brighter than the others - Courage.
But for some reason, the other two are shining as well. Not as much as Courage, but more than usual. At first, I think it's because Zelda is near me, but the Power is also shining. I look to her in confusion to be greeted by a horrific, terrified look upon that sweet girl's face.
"Zelda? Are you okay?"
"What's wrong?"
No response.
"What is it? What's wrong, Zelda?" I ask loudly, standing up. Everyone in the room directs their gaze to me and Zelda.
"Zelda, what is wrong?!"
"HIM…" she sputters out. She looks at me, keeping her terrified expression. She then looks away, and coughs, taking more of the cloth off of her face. I notice her right hand clutching her Triforce symbol on her left hand.
"He-he's here. In this world. He…. He is close. I-I can feel it. Link… Oh no..." she says. Tears fill her eyes.
"Who, Zelda? Tell me, who? Who is here?"
She cautiously, nervously gazes into my eyes. "Vaati," she says.
"What? Vaati? Who the hell is Vaati?!" I ask her. "Where is he?"
She stands up and grabs my arm, clearly shaken by this Vaati guy. Zelda's scared, and that's the only thing on my mind right now.
"He's gonna… He can't…" she says whilst she drops to the ground. My heart starts racing, and I start freaking out. Nobody around me is saying anything - what can they say? They're all taken aback by Zelda's sudden outburst, which, regarding her usually calm attitude, worries the hell out of me.
She looks up at me with tears filling her eyes.
"Link… help me."
"Of course I will! I'd do anything… but please, tell me, who is Vaati, where is he, and why is he making you so damn scared?!" I continually question, squatting down in front of her.
"He's the one who… caused everything. Took over Hyrule. The reason I'm here, looking for you… The one who gave that girl you fought her powers," she tells me, regaining her calmness.
She continues, "But HOW? How is he here, why is he here?! How does he know I'm here?" She stands back up, as do I. "Link, he's close to us, as well as another strange person. They're coming for us. We have to go, immediately."
"Strange person? What?"
"This shadow-person… Hold on… He… looks like you, Link!"
"Shadow Link! He's with the - the Vaati guy! He's been causing problems ever since I got here!"
Not taking the slightest moment to process anything, I turn around. "Everyone, we need to leave immediately."
"What's going on?" asks Mikasa. Jean, Sasha, Armin, and Eren come closer into the room, confused. The only ones missing are Alex, who's sleeping, and that Peter guy, who went out earlier to "do stuff." The air is tense; my heart is racing; Zelda is still freaking out, and the others have not a clue of what is going on.
"Somebody very bad, and dangerous is here... But I can't explain, we have no time! I'm gonna go find Peter, meet me by the entrance to the district." I look to Armin and Eren. "Keep Zelda safe."
They nod, and begin hastily packing their bags and shuffling about. I frantically search for my items bag and almost try to reach for my hookshot when I remember I no longer have it, and the sight of my right hand reminds me that I lost my right ring finger back in Utopia. I instinctively begin trying to remember where I let Epona stay, when I realize I never even brought her in the first place. She's still at the Scout HQ. That's good, I think.
My shaking, finger-missing right hand slowly opens the door. Once the wooden door is completely open, I see no chaos ensuing the area - just the normal District Ehrmich, with its concrete and stone streets, crowds shuffling down the sidewalk, and its clear, night sky. Stone and wooden buildings span the length of the streets, and people are constantly entering and exiting said buildings. Though obnoxiously loud and filled with people, it's much better than the alternative, like when Annie appeared out of nowhere, fighting Eren in their titan forms.
I finally step outside and close the wooden door behind me.
Let's do this.
I scan my immediate surroundings. There's a large street directly in front of me, the hotel-house behind me, grass and other hotel-houses to the left and right of me. I sprint to the street, running past tons of other people. I almost run into a few, and they all glare at me.
"You know what those stupid wall-cultists are making out of all of this?" someone asks amidst the crowd.
"What's that?" another says.
"It's because we 'didn't take care of the walls' that all of this titans-versus-titans stuff came about. Like, seriously?"
"Oh, yeah, I heard that. There's also a rumor going around that they absolutely hate."
"Haha, what?"
"That titans live in the walls. Remember that giant-ass fight in one of those northern districts? Some people who survived that say they saw a bunch of those wall-cultists and other 'people in blue' were trying to cover some parts of the wall so they didn't show the titans."
"That's interesting. Heh."
Dammit… This is bad, I think. Something's going to happen any minute now even worse than what happened last time in Ehrmich… And everyone but me and my friends are completely oblivious.
I don't have my hookshot, my ocarina, and, even worse, my Fierce Deity Mask. Annie - no, Titan Girl - destroyed all three of them. Now, I might have to face the person who gave that girl her powers in the first place. And that person is probably ten times more powerful than she is. I'm completely screwed!
Sighing, I think, Despite that, one of my newer friends is out here, also oblivious. All I can do is push aside my fear and focus on getting him back.
I unsheathe my sword to prepare for the absolute worst. My Gilded Sword still, for some reason, has a green flame-like substance around it, like it's part of the sword itself. Weird. Ever since the first battle I had with Annie in Utopia, when I cut her head clean off (but it didn't even kill her), that same green flame has just stuck to my sword. I'm not bothering with figuring out why it's there, just admiring the fact that it made it so much better.
In the midst of walking about, trying to find Peter, my Triforce begins resonating even stronger. They're getting closer. Peter's supposedly trying to meet up with someone he knows from this district, and it's not too far from here. That's all of the information I have. Not to mention, it's night, so it's hard to see, and something horrible is probably about to happen.
At one point I find myself in an alleyway between two large, brick structures. There's a stone fence at the end of the alley; it's damp, dark, and I'm exhausted. Despite that, I then turn around and return to searching for Peter.
Shadow Link is standing there, at the entrance to the alleyway, glaring at me.
I step back and take a defensive position. He unsheathes his sword, and I see a dark flame engulfing his dark version of my sword. The shadow then begins lurching toward me.
"Shit! You?! What're you doing here?!" I shout at him.
"It's too late," I hear a voice say as the shadow halts. The voice is similar to mine, but a bit more distorted, monotonous, and deep.
Did he just… Talk to me telepathically? What the hell?
I realize I'm getting distracted by this annoying clone and charge forward with my sword. He tries to sidestep, but I slow down before he does so, and I'm able to kick him to the ground. Before he has any time to react, I point my sword in his face and glare down at him. My Triforce is seemingly freaking out, also, like it's… trying to come out of me, or something.
"Don't get in my way! Got it? I'm kinda busy, so kindly screw off!" I yell down at him. He doesn't respond, as usual. I then sprint away from the scene.
Making my way back into the crowd, my Triforce begins to calm down. But once I get Shadow Link off my mind, I spot his annoying-ass shadow figure sprinting towards me. Shit. He leaps into the air, and comes crashing down on me, but just before we clash Mikasa comes out of nowhere and punches him square in the face from behind me. I turn around.
"What're you doing here?" I ask her.
"You were taking too long. We need to get out of here immediately, like you said, Link. Peter will be fine."
"You don't know that!" I yell. "Even if you do, he's coming with us, we're not leaving him behind! You're already here, so help me look for him."
Shadow Link gets back up within the minute. He pulls out his bow and begins shooting at me and Mikasa, and we barely dodge every time he does so. I slice a few out of midair, roll under a few, and take cover behind the many multi-storied brick structures. As I slowly make my way towards him, Mikasa does the same, and once I'm in slicing distance I try to jab him with my sword. He jerks back in an attempt to dodge, but ends up tripping over himself.
"You!" I say to the shadow. "Stop causing me problems! Jeez."
"Is this why you were taking so long?" Mikasa asks. "Fighting this guy?"
I nod my head.
"Then allow me," she tells me, and jumps forward as Shadow Link hops back onto his feet. The two clash; Mikasa is using her ODM gear sword, but does not have her actual ODM gear, and Shadow Link is using his dark version of the Gilded Sword. I intrust my shadow clone to her, and begin looking for Peter.
Think like Peter would think. Wait. How does Peter think?
I really don't know this guy that well. But that matters not! He's with us. Like Alex earlier today, everybody apart of our "death crusade" will stick together, and fight to save each other.
I got this.
"PETER!" I scream. "PETER! PETER! COME ON! WE GOTTA GO!"
My voice echoes throughout my surroundings, and, luckily enough, a certain person pops their head out of a window from the top of a building and looks towards me. That person catches my gaze and I realize it's none other than freakin' Peter, with his shaggy blond hair and weird-lookin' face.
"PEEETEERR!" I screech at him. "GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE SO WE CAN GO!"
"WHAT?" he yells back, confused.
"HURRY UP! WE HAVE TO GO, RIGHT NOW!"
"WHY?"
"SHUT UP AND HURRY UP! NO TIME TO EXPLAIN!"
"OKAY, FINE! BY THE WALLS, KID, CALM DOWN!"
He comes stumbling out the door a minute later. He almost trips, but I stop him from doing so. His face looks exhausted; he's holding a bottle of some sorts, too. I quickly figure out what's going on.
"Peter, what the hell? Are you drinking that crap? Especially how things are now?"
"Maybe, I dunno, but why we gotta leave so early?!" he sputters out, chuckling.
"You fiend! Is this what alcohol really does to a person? Well, whatever. Doesn't matter, just get a move on!" I yell at him.
Mikasa comes into sight with two horses; she's riding one, and holding the rope of the other. The townspeople hastily jump out of her way and shout at her to slow down, but they're quieted once Shadow Link arrives at the scene, hopping about and trying to stab Mikasa.
"Get on!" she shouts. We comply - I hop onto the other horse and let Peter climb on as well; good thing we have these horses or else getting Peter out of here would've sucked.
I look back and spot Shadow Link standing in the middle of the street. Terrified glares surround him, as well as uneasiness. He doesn't move. And as the citizens of Ehrmich begin fearing another incident like on that certain day not too long ago, a figure appears in the sky. A figure I can almost… sense. It's floating ways above the street, and is glaring down at me. It's wearing a purple garb and cap, and its eyes are shining white.
Vaati.
. . .
Before any real chaos broke out in the unlucky Ehrmich District, my group escaped to Zingi Field. We set up camp somewhere along those lines, and Sasha made a fire that we're all crowded around - me, Mikasa, Zelda, Eren, Armin, Sasha, Jean, Peter, and also Alex, who's finally awake.
"Did you guys know?" Sasha asks us. "Connie's village isn't too far away from here."
"Where is it?" Jean asks in response. He looks down, into the fire.
"Directly south of here." She half-smiles, then lays down on her back, looking to the stars. I look over to Zelda, to the right of me; she's also looking at the stars.
"Tired, Zelda?" I ask her. She no longer has her Sheik costume on but instead a normal outfit Sasha lent her. Her long, blonde hair is finally completely visible, as well as her calm, blue eyes…
"I am not, I just like to gaze at the night sky before I sleep," she responds.
"You know," I continue, "I mean no disrespect, but you don't need to be so formal with me." She looks towards me.
"Apologies, it's a habit I've acquired throughout my childhood."
"Do you care if I don't refer to you as 'Your highness' and bow every time I see you?" I jokingly ask. She smiles.
"Just treat me as a fellow comrade and I think I will be completely fine, Link."
I notice the silent Alex gazing down at his left hand. He's studying it very closely - I wouldn't blame him, if I grew back an arm I'd be staring at it all day. Eren, who's sitting between Mikasa and Armin, notices this.
"How're you doing, Alex?" he asks, calmly. He gives Alex a genuine, warm smile.
"That's quite the difficult question. I.. I'm bewildered, even now," he answers. "I don't remember any of it, though."
"You attacked Mikasa, like I did when I was still learning how to be a titan," Eren tells him. "You didn't hit her, though, so it's all good."
He raises his head. "Thank you, guys, for coming to get me, and dealing with my titan form. I… I don't know what would've happened if I stayed, but I'm glad I didn't find out."
"Once we get back to Scout HQ, would you wanna train with me?"
Alex's face lights up, and he smiles.
"I'll… teach you how to use your titan form, probably with Hanji or something, and also… teach you how to fight, just like… she did."
"Sounds great!" Alex replies. "You're already so experienced with being a titan and all… I'm glad I won't have to figure it out for myself…"
"The first time Eren went titan," Armin starts, gazing into the crackling fire under the night sky, "we had no idea it was him, and he wasn't aware of it, just like you, Alex. 'Twas during the Battle of Trost, and he fought titan after titan for many hours until he finally collapsed."
Armin chuckles a bit. "Despite that, by the time he woke up we were being threatened by the Garrison because they found out he was a titan, even though he only helped us unlike the other titans. It was certainly a weird time…"
"Weirder than now?" Jean interrupts. "I doubt it."
"Touché," Armin responds.
"I mean, you have Annie with her weird powers, boy wonder over here and his shadow friend, and now his girlfriend and the purple guy. Did I mention the purple guy was flying?"
"Well, if you put it like that, yeah, Trost was nothing in comparison to this. Life… really does get crazier. The idea that there's… multiple universes, or possibly infinite universes, never even crossed my mind as a child. The most I wondered about is what lies outside of these giant walls. Now, by chance, we have Link, who's from another universe, here, in ours. Heh, what's next? Going to the moon?"
"Going to another universe seems more bizarre than going to the moon, if you ask me," Peter finally chimes in. "You know, with the right tools, you really could go to the moon."
The image of that horrifying moon from Termina gets stuck in my mind. Every time "moon" is mentioned, that's all I can think about.
"Uh, I highly doubt that," Jean argues, laying down on his back with his hands under his head. "Not possible."
"Like I said, if you can travel to another universe, Jean-y boy, you can probably do anything, which includes going to the moon."
"Did you just refer to me as 'Jean-y boy?'"
"Yeah, you got a problem with that?"
"Eh… It's better than horse-face, I guess."
Following that conversation, there's about a minute of silence. It isn't until Armin starts talking again that it stops begin quiet.
"You haven't eaten yet, have you, Sasha?" he asks. She's sitting back up, staring into the fire. She looks like she's thinking really hard about something.
"Sasha?" he continues. "Are you awake?"
"What?" she asks abruptly, jerking back into reality. She looks around for a second and then turns her head to Armin. "Y-yes, I'm awake, what's up?"
"You haven't eaten anything since lunch, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I-I'm completely fine. I just… I had a really weird dream just now." She continues staring into the fire.
"About what?" he asks, curious.
"I don't really know. I'm going back to sleep, so good night."
"Link," Zelda asks whilst gazing at the stars. I quickly turn my head to her.
"What course of action are we taking tomorrow? I know not of this world, so I don't have any idea about the places we should travel."
"I'm not quite sure, to be honest. Sasha, you mentioned Connie's village to be directly south of here?"
She doesn't answer. Weird.
"Well, whatever." I turn my head back to Zelda. "It's probably Situation City. That's what I nicknamed it. I had some problems there, but… the people there are probably kind-hearted, if they come to understand us. If we take shelter there for a few days, we could get back on our feet until we have to face the Vaati guy."
"Ragako," Armin says. "The city's name is Ragako."
. . .
"But, anyway, Link, if you want to stand a chance against that monster you must learn how to use the tripowers. He can use… the 'anti'-tripower, and it's even stronger. When we get to this village, I'll start teaching you, okay?"
"Sounds good, Zelda. Let's get going, alright?"
"As you wish," she replies. Our group begins travelling to the city known as Ragako - where I was seen as a Goron, and was pursued by the villagers of that town. Intelligent Woman's face comes to mind. She… That woman sure did cause me some trouble, but I hope she'll be willing to accept us.
We ride on our horses through Zingi Field, its grass as tall and lush as ever. The morning sun slowly rises upwards; the sky gets brighter as well. We're currently riding southwards. The sense of adventure emitted by the field raises my spirits. The people around me who I've been travelling with for a while get rid of the loneliness I experienced in Termina.
No matter what, I think, I'm not leaving this world until all of its problems are gone.
And as we speed through the plains, towards our uncertain destination, I spot a shadowy figure looming in the distance, glaring at us. I sense a dark vibe from its direction, and notice that it's holding up the back of its right hand - Shadow Link, showing his Antitriforce.
I'll kick your ass one of these days, my shadowy clone. I guarantee it.
He does not pursue us, but instead just keeps watching from his position until he's out of view.
And after a bit more travelling, we finally make it to Ragako. Everyone here, except for me, Zelda, and Alex, are armed with hookshot gear - well, they call it "ODM gear." We've got a good night's rest and some pretty powerful people on our side. I'd say, after avoiding a potentially catastrophic confrontation back in Ehrmich, we're doing pretty damn good.
Our luck is put to test once we approach the village and the townspeople notice us. The same brick house I accidentally crashed into as a Goron is still there, along with the giant crack left in it. The man living in that house steps outside when he notices us through the window; none of the curious townspeople seem to remember me. I let out a sigh of relief and my tensions are lifted as I hop off of my horse, along with the rest of my group. Thank Hylia, I think. Hopefully Intelligent Woman isn't lurking around somewhere.
"What business does the Scout Regiment have here?" one of the men asks. He's holding a spear, ready to attack, but doesn't seem too hostile.
Armin takes the lead as he steps to the front of our group. "We were recently ambushed, and we were hoping we could stay here for a bit to get back on our feet." Armin's confident, hopeful tone of voice is responded with warm smiles and welcomes from the people of the village. We're still in front of the cracked house, and there are a few trees surrounding us; it's the edge of the village, the northern edge to be precise, so there aren't many people aware of our presence.
Before they all let us in, some of the people step back and talk amongst themselves, discussing the recent events involving the Scouts. They seem really unified… I like that.
But once I'm convinced they'll let us stay, you-know-who appears. Coming out of nowhere from the crowd of twentysomething people in front of my group, she points her new dual pistols straight at me. She has light, red hair, hanging down to the bottom of her neck, has a spear on her back, and has two pouches on her waist for her pistols. Reminds me of that one guy from Yarckel.
"It's you!" I yell out. I jump back and take out my sword. Everybody looks to her and me in confusion as she paces over to me.
She stops about three meters in front of me, and then asks, "What the hell do you think you're doing here?"
"Calm down! Just hear me out," I plead. I go ahead and put my sword back in its sheathe. Last time, I acted more defensively and didn't try my hardest to not stir up conflict; I'll try to do better this time.
"You have one minute to explain before I-"
Mikasa abruptly slaps the woman while she's talking and shoves her to the ground.
"What the hell, Mikasa?!" I shout. It's the exact same mistake I made, but still, I wasn't that aggressive.
"Before we tell you anything I'd like it if you put those weapons down. Do you understand?" Mikasa tells her.
"Fine," she replies, reluctantly putting her dual guns on the grassy ground and kicking them off to the side. "Now, go ahead."
Armin begins talking. "I don't know what happened here with Link and all, but he's with us, and we're just looking for a place to stay for a bit, see, we were attacked in Ehrmich and have nowhere else to go right now."
"Who attacked you?" she asks, curious.
"We don't even know that, that's why we can't blindly counterattack."
"I see. I would let you guys stay, it's just your friend here caused a widespread panic to Ragako and I don't feel comfortable letting him in here."
I get irritated by her remark, and reply, "You people cornered me! What was I supposed to do, woman? Remember, before any of you attacked me, I gave you an out."
"Does that justify the tons of property damage you inflicted trying to escape in that 'monster-form' of yours?"
"Like I said, it didn't have to be that way. I was on a tight schedule and there was no other way."
"Bullshit! If you had simply laid down your weapons and complied with what we said there would have been no problems."
"I beg to differ. You insulted me, threatened me, and yes, while I do feel I was a bit too defensive it's nothing compared having a gun and fortysomething spears pointed at me. Look, I mean absolutely no harm and I'm willing to put aside our differences. You all seem like nice people, can we please just rent a place, chill for a day or two, and leave? Zingi's still in bad shape, Ehrmich's not an option, MH is too dangerous and this was the closest and safest village to come to."
She thinks for a moment.
"Fine. A few days is all you have, and if I suspect any funny business you're all gone immediately."
"Understood," I say. Thank Hylia, that went good. Not the best case scenario, but better than what I was expecting.
The seemingly happy people of the town begin walking back to their houses. I instinctively look to Mikasa with a face of relief, who's now atop her horse, along with the rest of my group. Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Zelda, Sasha, Jean, Peter, and Alex… they've followed me all the way here, despite knowing a monster from my land has come about to cause havoc. I almost feel guilty about it, but honestly I've found myself loving to have people travelling about with me versus saving the world on my own, or with a fairy companion. I guess it's because I helped them defeat Annie, so maybe they are willing to help me out with this 'Vaati' guy whom I know absolutely nothing about.
At the very least, I'm grateful to have these people by my side, even if just for now.
Before we get settled into a house, Zelda tells me something.
"That woman… I don't know why you two had a feud, but I can tell… she's a good person, Link."
I chuckle. "How do you know that?"
"She gives off that vibe. I cannot explain it, but, if you will, listen to her with an open mind and talk with her."
"About what?"
"Everything. In the meantime, I assume, you should really start learning tripowers."
. . .
After a brief demonstration of the 'tripowers' Zelda's been going on about, Armin came along and told me you-know-who wants to see me. I sigh, roll my eyes, and begin dreading for what she has to say. I remind myself to keep an open mind like Zelda said, though. We meet in a certain cottage on one of the busier streets; the traffic and such is absolutely nothing compared to Zingi or Ehrmich, but much more than, say, Kakariko Village. Towns in this world seem to be much bigger than back in Hyrule.
Inside the cottage is a hard, wooden floor, many tables with complex equations and half-built gadgets lying on them, and tons of candlelights spanning the entire place. Armin and I sit down at a small, round table with Intelligent Woman on the other side. None of her weapons are visibly present and the magic-infused sword on my back doesn't seem to phase the woman. And, for once, she doesn't look like she wants to kill me.
"Alright, you two. I was told to keep an open mind about all of you, and honestly, I'm willing to, under one condition."
"What's that?" Armin asks.
"Inform me of everything that's been going on ever since the Scout Regiment revealed they had a god damn titan working for them."
"Compared to what's happening now, that's old news. Indeed, we do have a soldier that can take the form of a titan; in fact, he's here with us right now."
The woman is taken aback. "Are you serious? In this town? Why the hell wasn't I told this?"
"My apologies. Don't worry, he's not going to wreak havoc here or anything like that," Armin calmly reassures her.
"What's you two's names?" she asks.
"I'm Armin, and he's Link," he tells her.
"Armin, Link, I'm Siciline, and I still want to know what's been happening in all of those northern districts and such. We usually try to stay out of everyone's business, but when there are titans fighting other titans and kids that can transform into monsters like Link here, it kinda worries me."
"I get what you mean, ma'am… To tell a long story short, just as a titan we call the Female Titan appeared, Link arrived as well, and he helped us defeat her. She wanted to capture the titan that was on our side, but ultimately, we defeated her in District Utopia, and Link's been with us since then."
"What do you mean by 'arrived'?"
"It's complicated," Armin quickly replies.
"Well, I've got the time, boy."
I decide to speak up. "Let's just put it this way: I'm not from inside the walls."
"Do you mean there are people living outside the walls, then? How can that be possible with all of them titans wandering about out there? Where did you come from, anyway? Is there some sort of fortified utopia or something?"
It was hard enough explaining to Armin, Mikasa, and the others, and even then, they barely even know anything about where I'm from. I'll keep it simple.
"I guess you could say that," I tell her. "But, anyway, a certain person from the same place I'm from also came here recently, and now he's the one causing all of the problems…"
"So, you brought all of your trouble to us?" she asks.
When I think about it, if I didn't come here, Annie wouldn't have been given her powers, and they probably could've defeated her without me… From the start, it's been because of me...
"Yeah, I guess so... " I reply. "But that doesn't matter. To all of us, that's just another obstacle in our way that we'll do everything to get rid of. We're a team above all else, to hell with what everyone else thinks. I helped these people with their problems, they seem to want to help me with mine, it's all good. Take a look at your village, how unified the community is - that's what I want to be."
Armin smiles for a moment. "He's right," he says. "No matter where he comes from and what his past is like… he helped us when we needed it, and we're thankful."
Siciline thinks for a moment. "So, what I'm getting from all of this is that you're a good guy?"
"Indeed," I say.
"You'll protect us from all of the crazy madness that's been happening ever since the titan-soldier appeared?"
"I'll do my best," I say with a smile. She again thinks for a moment.
"In that case, feel free to stay here as long as you like," she says, half-smiling. She seems convinced I'm not some monster that crashes into random houses like the first impression I gave her, but simply a person trying to do good.
"And, by the way, what the hell's with that sword of yours?" she curiously questions. I unsheathe it and place it on the table. Its green flame is still there, covering the entire length of the sword and rising in the air a few centimeters; it's not affecting the table at all, somehow.
"Why… does it have a green flame on it?"
"I'm not so sure myself… Back in Utopia, I was fighting that Female Titan - cut her head clean off, but of course that didn't kill her. I must've hit the right spot, and then had some of her power transfer over to my sword, and since then that green flame has been there."
"You probably hit somewhere near her neck," Armin chimes in. "That's where a titan's life force is, so it makes sense her powers would reside there as well."
"Madness," she says, studying the yellow sword. "Hell, I don't even know what's real anymore."
"I know the feeling," Armin replies. "I recall dreaming of the world outside the walls as a child, and I was told I was crazy for simply thinking about it… Whatever craziness heads my way from now on, I think I'll be able to accept pretty easily, considering what's happened so far."
"Does the general public know of everything that's going on?" she asks us.
"Half of it," Armin responds. "Mostly through newspapers, and also the fact that a lot of people saw actual fighting taking place, but not much else other than 'titan-versus-titan' and 'Scout Regiment doing stuff.'"
"You know what? I'll write something out about it and send it off to the capital to get the word spread around. It's the least I can do, fellas. Speaking of what I can do, I also have a hobby of creating devices to make life a bit easier, I suppose I can also make some to help you guys fight. A couple of ex-Garrison soldiers live here, and they brought along their ODM gear. I was able to reverse-engineer and create it all on my own, and now lots of people here have the gear."
Hookshot. She can make me another hookshot. Hell yeah!
Armin quickly tells her, "There's a kid who travels with us named Alex, I bet he'd be interested in those gadgets you can make, he likes that kind of stuff…"
"I'd also like one of my gadgets that was destroyed to be remade," I say.
"What gadget?"
"It's called the hookshot, it can basically latch onto anything and send me flying in that direction."
"That," she says, standing up, "sounds like something I can make. Tell ya what, I'll have that kid Alex come help me, and I'll see what I can do."
Over the next couple of days, the townspeople are extremely helpful, especially Siciline. She creates enhancements to my group's ODM gear, has a look at Eren's titan transformation, and makes me not one, but two new devices - the clawshots. They're like the hookshot, but they latch onto a surface like a claw and can either wrap itself around an object or digs its way into it with its incredibly sharp claws. Eren begins teaching Alex basic hand-to-hand combat, Sasha tours the village twice a day, wondering where Connie's mother lives, Mikasa tests out her new ODM gear with Peter, Jean trains with his bow & arrow with Sasha, Armin discusses with everyone what our next course of action should be, and Zelda continues teaching me tripowers. We're not attacked, nor does any bad news come our way.
Zelda tells me she's teaching me the very basics, because she herself hasn't fully mastered them, and plus, it takes a long time. She says the Triforce powers running through my veins makes me capable of many things I've never known of, but, so far, she's only taught me how to use it to "heighten my senses." After two days of training I'm able to sense attacks just before they happen so I can dodge or counter in time. I'm guessing it's one of those "slowburn" tactics, like Annie and her sorceress powers, and how she had only begun to learn how to use them.
Siciline begins referring to my group as "The Flamers" for some reason. In the letter she's planning on sending to the capital, Mitras, as well as a few other places, that's what she calls us. When I ask her about it, she responds by saying it's inspired by the green flame that engulfs my Gilded Sword. From then on, as well, I begin calling my sword the Flame Sword. After mentioning the fact that Annie destroyed my shield, a new shield was promptly created for me - a green flame symbol is embedded onto its circular front. It's made of steel, is painted red (except for the flame symbol), and is heavier than my Mirror Shield; I nickname it the Red Shield.
Before I know it, we're all stronger than we were before, and already about to leave.
"I think our best bet is to not stay in one place too long or else that place will be destroyed, the prime examples being Zingi, Ehrmich, and Utopia. Your friend Zelda told me you need more time before you face off with the enemy who's pursuing us, so I think we should slowly make our way back to HQ and train whilst doing so. We'll visit Zingi again, and fight Fraternity Rose if we encounter them, and maybe follow them back to their source at Merchant's Heaven. Revisit Yarckel, maybe check out District Orvud, which we've never been to," Armin explains. I nod my head.
"And, one more thing, Link, have you noticed anything… 'off' about Sasha?"
"What do you mean?"
"She's constantly zoning out, hasn't slept much, and goes on walks all the time, like there's something on her mind."
"It's her late best friend's hometown, that might be why… I don't know. Anyway, let's go round up everybody."
Armin and I walk down the dirt roads of Ragako. We pass a fruit stand, and the person running the stand tosses us a couple of oranges that are 'on the house'. I spot some man teaching their kids how to wield a spear in their yard. We also pass by a farm of sorts, with cows, cuccos (they call them chickens), and pigs, as well as a garden; this village really is self-sufficient.
"Why can't I just use the regular gear?" a familiar voice asks from a distance. I turn my head and spot Peter, walking alongside Mikasa. "It feels too weird compared to the regular."
"It's better, it just takes some time getting used to. Trust me," Mikasa replies. She spots me, and promptly begins walking towards me.
"Link, good to see you - when are we leaving?"
"Right now," I reply.
"Link, can I just use the regular ODM gear?" Peter abruptly asks me.
"I don't know, I mean, it's up to you. I don't use that stuff anyway."
"Mikasa won't let me! I like the regular better, and I'm not saying the enhanced is bad, it's just that I prefer the original."
"You two can handle that, I'm not the boss of anyone," I tell him.
"Touché, but, to be fair, neither is she."
Once everyone is ready to go, I notice a confident look on all of their faces, except Sasha, who seems to be devoid of any emotion, like Mikasa usually is. Jean can hit a target from ten meters away with a bow, Mikasa can swerve around buildings with her enhanced ODM gear in a flash, Alex can create cool devices, repair ODM gear, and can throw a decent punch, and I have a new shield and clawshots, also I can predict attacks just before they happen. It's been a good couple of days, and I'm glad I decided to head to Ragako.
The bags on our horses are filled to the brim with food and other supplies. The helpful townspeople bring all of our items to our horses, as well, and just as the sun is in the center of the sky, we're completely ready to leave.
Siciline tells me just one thing right before my departure:
"Godspeed, Link."
And thus, our group returns to the madness better equipped than ever before, ready to face any threat that comes our way. The Flamers, as Siciline calls us, are now back on their feet.
How well-equipped we are is instantly put to the test once Shadow Link returns out of nowhere and totally screws up everything.
A/N: Damn, that chapter was long. And, on top of all that, I wasn't able to fit everything I wanted to into it. Maybe this should've been a two-parter or something. Oh well. Hope you liked it!
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Review Response for Chapter 25: The Reunion
Blazblade: Vaati? Not that I have a problem with it, but he's the main bad guy? He was the one that gave Annie her powers? Well, considering that he's the only major villain to reappear in multiple games besides Ganon, I guess that makes sense.
I really like that Mikasa does feel bad about Link leaving, it shows how far they came as friends. I hope that the AoT guys go to Hyrule. Imagine how they react to all of the different races.
Also is Link going to tell them his whole story? I wonder how they'll react to hearing that he took on beings like Ganondorf and Majora.
You could say Vaati is the main villain of this particular arc, but as for the entire story, no.
Yeah, It seems that Mikasa does not want Link to go, but, as it is, that's probably not on his mind at the current moment. The AoT guys in Hyrule would definitely be interesting, as well. As for telling them his entire story, maybe when he feels comfortable enough to do so he'll tell them. Thanks for the review!
Guest: VAAAATIIIII I KNEW IT!
AND ALEX IS A TITAN SHIFTER WTF
WHAT IS GOING ON
Haha, glad you liked it, anon. I look forward to see what you think of the events that will transpire in the future regarding both Alex and Vaati.
Guest "fan of zelda": that was so goooooooodd! definitely one of my fav chapters.
i mean... there's vaati now, alex ARROWHEART is a TITAN, you got zelda there, and it looks like link will learn how to use those triforce powers he used in chapter 20. this is really cool and i cannot wait for what comes next.
and i hope link doesn't end up leaving. but even if he does, ive noticed the title indicates he'll leave and then come back at some point. idk, speculation.
You have good observational skills, anon. And I agree in that this chapter is one of the better ones, I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for the review, as always,
Radenshire: That was an interesting chapter, to say the least.
A few things I liked: Eren, Armin, and Mikasa's "catching up" conversation, the Mikasa & Link flashback, the Alex is a titan reveal, the Jean & Sasha argument, and, of course, the Vaati reveal. These made this chapter one of the best chapters in the story so far, maybe even up there with Odyssey and the three chapters where they're in Yarckel (I loved that part.)
A few subtle things I noticed: Alex's mom is either dead or exiled of some sorts, Link's power he used in Battle of Utopia is called tripower, Vaati still hasn't given Sasha the powers, Lex's full name is Alexander Arrowheart, and Alex's is Alexander Arrowheart Jr.
What I want to see improved: Develop Zelda's character more. I know she's only been in two chapters so far, but she's an important character. Have a flashback to Hyrule or something, show her weird quirks. Anything. Also, develop Link and Mikasa's relationship more. Not saying you're not already doing that, this chapter developed their relationship a good bit, I just want to see even more because they seem to be the two main characters of this story. And one more thing - give Jean more spotlight. I liked the argument he had with Sasha earlier in the chapter because it was pretty much the only ounce of character development he's been given. Keep doing things like that with all the characters.
All in all, it was a great chapter, and I look forward to the next one.
Thanks for all of the tips & suggestions, I will most definitely take note of them - this recent chapter was getting too long, so I couldn't fit everything I wanted into it, but I'll try to do better with character development and such in the future. Thanks for the review.
Gussy Phantom: That was a great chapter! I don't know too much about Vatii, but I'm still excited to see how this goes! If he's supposedly in the SNK universe right now, it's possible he's going to go after Sasha. She's a pretty strong character, so she might be able to handle him. But then again, Annie was a pretty strong character too. Guess I'll have to wait and see! It's pretty cool that Alex is a Titan Shifter! So, Lex is his dad and Jessica is his aunt. Lex is also a Titan Shifter, so that kind of makes me think that it's possible for Jessica to be or become one at some point. I'm not sure how Lex initially got his powers, but I'm guessing Alex might have gotten his the same way Eren did. I can't wait to find that out and see what happens next! Keep up the great work!
Vaati going after Sasha would probably not be too good… And Jessica becoming a shifter would probably not be too good either. You'll be seeing more of Lex, Jessica, and their strange relationship with Alex sometime in the future, that's for sure. Thanks for the review!
Guest: Glad to see Vaati as the villian, definatly an underrated villian. This story just keeps getting better and better. )
Aw, thanks :) I try.
Guest "scott": is this the last chapter?
At the time of your comment, it was the most recent, but it is far from the last chapter. At the point the story's in, it's probably not even a fifth into the entire story.
Guest "JG": So... which Vaati, Minish Cap or Four Swords? If Four Swords, will we get an appearance of the FS Links. Red, Blue, Green, and Vio? (I really want to see Red, he is my smol bean)
Probably shouldn't be saying it this early, but it's the Minish Cap Vaati. I won't say any more than that. The Four Swords Links do sound cool though, I'll take that into consideration
