Tales of the wild

a X-over between

Breath of the wild/Tales of Symphonia

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia or Breath of the wild.

Before you start: please note that English isnt my first language. It is possible that there are mistakes in this story. That said, have fun reading :)

It was completely dark, save for one torch close by. Its flame had a unique, blue color, barely managing to illuminate the surroundings. It was a kind of darkness, that no matter how long you waited or tried, your eyes would never adjust, never be able to see through it.

This reminded Lloyd of the temple of Darkness, giving him involuntary chills. He tried to shake it off, picking up the stick next to the torch and lighting it. As he moved in, more torches were waiting to be lit, but also yellow glowing eyes, were staring at him from the dark surrounded by red glowing malice.

This place sure had the creepy vibe going for it. But Lloyd wasn't easily scared, nor did he back out. He lit the torches, lobbing bombs to the eyes that were staring at him in the meantime.

Activating the terminal with the map, he found out the gimmick of this Beast; tilting. It was a full quarter tilt, as he felt the Beast move. It probably was perched against the inside wall of the volcano to do this. It almost seemed like Vah Medoh in that matter.

It was interesting and annoying at the same time. Because of Lloyd's short attention span, he got tired of it rather fast. It was bad enough he had to do this alone while he wasn't the brightest of the bunch.

Having to go outside, was also a real chore. Not only did the heat press down on him like it was trying to make him suffocate, the sight of lava underneath him in which he could fall at any moment, was absolutely terrifying. To make matters even worse, this seemed to be the location of the main terminal. So, the boss would be here.

There was nothing else to it. Lloyd had to go along with it now, trying to adjust as much as possible. Activating the main terminal, he quickly stepped back while the dark fluid mixed in with red gathered and rose up. Blue lines shot passed him and formed a ball on the opposite side.

This creature was much like the last boss. Only this one had a weapon that looked like an ancient sword, but much bigger. With its free hand, it created a fireball, letting it fly with a loud, ear piercing screech.

Lloyd could hear the voice of Daruk once again: "Watch yourself now! That ugly pain in the crag is Ganon's handiwork. Thing got the best of me a hundred years ago. Good luck, little guy. Go get 'm!"

The boss crept closer, hovering above the surface. It seemed to be slow in its movements. But there was no doubt in Lloyd's mind that big sword would deliver big hits, he had to keep an eye out for that.

Keeping close to this boss, seemed to be the best tactic. It didn't hover high enough to be out of Lloyd's reach as he went in with his glowing, blue swords. He jumped forward with a slash. Hitting it a few more times with both his swords, the boss hovered out of reach.

Turning into a blue orb, it floated away fast, crossing the vast surface of Vah Rudinia's back. At some distance, it took its original form again.

Lloyd huffed, readied his swords and charged toward the boss. The big sword swing came with a great side sweep. The teen avoided just in time by doing a back flip, but not completely unscathed; a lock of his hair drifted down before his eyes.

Clenching his teeth, Lloyd quickly closed in to get as many hits in as possible, before the boss could do another move. It hovered out of his reach, however, going higher. It rose its free hand and a fireball formed. From this, little fire missiles were fired as a salvo, directly at Lloyd.

Side jumping away, the teen deflected others. He rolled under the boss and then jumped up, swinging both swords upward.

Letting out a screech, the boss became an orb again, floating back towards the main terminal, appearing above it. With a gesture over its blade, it made it heat up until it had an aggressive red glow. At the same time, a shield formed around the boss that seemed to be completely made out of fire.

How am I supposed to get through that? Lloyd thought to himself. The boss moved again, seemingly charging itself up, drawing in all the heat around itself. A large fireball formed and it set its course directly towards Lloyd.

He tried to dodge, but the fireball just followed his movement, as if it was honed in on him. This was clearly meant to drive him back. But Lloyd had no other choice; he did not want to be set on fire.

The fireball finally caved to gravity, hitting the surface, exploding unexpected. Its radius blew the teen back. The boss had changed its locations in the meantime, going for another charge.

Damnit, this is going nowhere, Lloyd thought while he kept his distance. He observed for now, hoping to find any weaknesses. He noticed the boss inhaling greatly; there had to be something he could do with that.

Running away from the second fireball, he still kept an eye on the boss, to see where it was going. After the fireball blew up (which he completely avoided this time), Lloyd pulled out his Slate, letting a bomb appear. He threw it towards the boss, who was repeating the pattern. As he'd hoped, it inhaled the bomb as well, going past the shield and exploding in the boss' face.

The boss fell out of the sky, its shield disappearing. Running in quick, Lloyd made use of this moment. He put in all of his strength, not wanting to repeat this pattern. With a jump, he drove his swords downward, straight into that one, glowing blue eye.

Another piercing scream sounded and the boss flailed, not being able to hit its attacker. It dissolved right after, becoming a mix of purple light and dark shadows, disappearing soon after.

Silence. Only Lloyd's slightly quickened breathing broke it. He took a moment to calm down, a disgruntled look at his unwanted (be it only slight) haircut. Approaching the terminal again, he finally unlocked it, giving it a blue glow.

"Good work, little guy!" The voice of Daruk was very loud and clear, as if he was right behind the teen.

In a reflex, Lloyd turned around and, to his surprise, a big Goron stood there, slightly see through and surrounded by small flames.

"I owe you big for this. Because of you, my spirit is finally free. Can't thank you enough!"

"Uh, you're welcome." At least this Champion seemed nice and welcoming, very different from the rude Revali.

"I've been watching you coming up the mountain with my grandson. You may not be Link, but you have his courage all the same, along with a good heart. So, thank you again, for going through all this trouble."

Daruk smiled widely at him. The teen couldn't help answering it with his own, nodding to him. The smile quickly faded, however.

"I hope the little guy is alright. Link doesn't deserve to be treated badly. I am willing to say he worked the hardest out of all of us."

"We will find and save him. You will see." Lloyd said this with such confidence. He trusted the people who were on the search; the Sheikah, the Rito. He will ask the Goron to do the same. Surely, Link will be found in no time.

Nodding, Daruk showed another smile. "I trust you will. I'm gonna take this Beast down the mountain, from there I'll have a better shot at Ganon. When you've made your way into Hyrule Castle, we're gonna light that thing up! Oh, and I also wanna give you something. It's a special power of mine called 'Daruk's protection.' I can't use it anymore, so I might as well give it to you."

Daruk slammed his hands together. When he parted them, an orb formed in between, bright red and glowing. It flew right into Lloyd's chest. A warm feeling within him rose and then, for a moment, the same kind of shield that Yubono had, formed around him.

"From this moment forth, the power of protection, from the depths of my soul, now lives inside you."

Light started to envelop Lloyd, fading his surroundings. He looked to the former Champion, mouth opening but no words would come. Honestly, he didn't know what to say.

"Good luck, little guy. I believe in you, and in Yubono too!" Daruk laughed and waved.

A bright flash of light blinded Lloyd and the next moment, he was standing outside the volcano. Yubono stood practically next to him; he jumped back from the teen's sudden appearance.

Vah Rudana's movement, made them both look up. The Beast set itself up on the side of the mountain, moving its head to look at the castle in the far distance. It's chameleon like face then opened up like a blooming flower, revealing a thin rod. This shot of a red beam, straight towards its target. On the shoulder of the Beast, Daruk's shape could still be seen as he pumped his fist into the air.

Yubono watched in awe, then he waved happily to his grandfather. This happiness, the smiles and the gratitude. This what Lloyd was doing it all for. He didn't care for material rewards. That what comes from the heart means so much more to him.

A strong hug, caught Lloyd off guard. Yubono was bigger in more than one way, so a hug from him could have a crushing result.

"Oh, sorry!" The young Goron released him quickly. "I'm just so thankful. You really did it, goro. The Beast has been tamed!"

"Only thanks to your help, Yubono. You were brave and came with me all the way. You are a hero too."

"Really? Well, gee..." Shy, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Are you coming back with me to the village, to celebrate?"

"I'd love to, but I can't. Time moves on and there is still more to be done. You just tell everyone what happened here and don't leave out any of your heroics! Oh, and please keep an eye out for Link, okay?"

"Huh...? Oh, okay." Blinking confused, Yubono nodded to these words.

Lloyd took out the Slate, stepping back while propping up the warp point at the latest stable. He waved to the young Goron.

"It was great meeting you, Yubono. See you around!" Widely smiling, Lloyd then pressed the travel option.

Taken aback by the light the seemed to swallow the teen, he could only raise his hand in a goodbye before Lloyd completely disappeared.

Patience was running thin for Shade. He knew it could take a while before the one with the Slate would finally turn up. What was frustrating, was that this guy was within reach, yet so far away at the same time.

Shade now had a clear image of the young man in question. The Sheikah woman probably didn't notice, but he was in her head. It was just for a moment, but it was enough to see this guy more clearly.

Such a stupid smile was on his face, as if he had not a care in the world. Someone like that was outrunning him. This frustrated Shade to no end. It was safe to say he wasn't in a great mood.

A red beam shot overhead, shaking the ground a little while it passed. So, the next Beast has been tamed. It won't be much longer now, before this guy would come back down the mountain. Then, Shade will have him, he would be at his mercy and he had none to spare.

Suddenly, in the corner of his eye, he spotted a blue light, flashing close to the stable. Damn it, he teleported! Shade cursed as he jumped to his feet and started running, back towards the stable. He hadn't considered this, because the tower wasn't activated and it looked like this guy hadn't been making use of shrines. Damn this guy!

Fatigue washed over him like a wave, as Lloyd walked down the hill where the shrine stood. It had been almost two full days of being up on his feet and doing all kinds of stuff, so it wasn't that surprising.

When he entered the stable, he saw Vera with the owner and his daughter, who both looked pale and scared.

"Uh, what's going on?"

"Lloyd, you're back!"

In quick steps, Vera came to stand next to him, looking him over, to see if he still was in one piece. The teen had ditched the hefty armor, expecting (and hoping) he didn't need it anymore. He looked tired, but other than that, he seemed fine.

"Something happened. Someone, no something is after you. We have to go now."

"What?" Dully, he looked from her to the little family. "What about them?"

Vera took his arm and started dragging him along, not giving any explanation or an answer.

"We will hide, don't worry about us. Just go, quickly." The owner sounded scared, but also had a pressing tone in his voice.

Reluctantly, Lloyd went along with the Sheikah. The horses were already standing ready for them.

"Can you ride?" She asked him.

"Not too far," he answered honestly, struggling to keep his eyes open. His muscles were aching; all his body wanted now, was some well-deserved rest.

"I'll find a good place for us to hide. Come on."

The horses were set in motion, going off in a gallop. They passed the mountains quickly, which made way for dense forest. Vera stopped her horse and got off, Lloyd just following suit. She took of the saddlebags and whispered in both the horses their ears, slapping their rears right after. They set off, going in a different direction. This was to hopefully put their pursuer on a false trail.

Leading the way, the Sheikah walked into the forest, pushing branches aside. "Gather leaves and branches."

Vera did this while going in deeper, the teen behind her again just going along with it. It was clear the lights were shutting off, so they had to work quick. Luckily, the Sheikah had her fair share of training and practice. She was able to put everything together fast, making a camouflaged shelter out of the gathered materials. It was set up so well, it blending right into the surroundings.

"Get your rest, Lloyd. I'll keep watch." She took a sleeping bag from the saddle bag and handed this to him.

The teen just nodded, too tired to do much more. He took the bag, ducking into the improvised tent and very soon could be heard snoring.

There was no chance he could catch up to horses. Shade knew as much. He let the chase drop soon. But that didn't mean he was giving up. He knew exactly were the two of them were going, eventually. He just needed to set up for that at the right place at the right time, where they'd least expect it.

Shade decided it was about time to gather some forces. A small collection of incognito Yiga, would surely be enough. All for a perfect ambush. He won't let them get away again.

After a few hours of relative silence, Vera was quite sure the strange shadow gave up his pursuit. Taking one last look around, she went inside the small shelter, to check up on Lloyd. He was asleep, but he seemed to be tossing around. Was he haunted once again, by a nightmare?

Kneeling down next to him, Vera laid a hand on his free, upper arm. She wanted to calm him, assure him that everything was alright. Unexpected, he took hold of her wrist, almost growling like an animal.

"I will kill you, Kvar." Lloyd's dark tone of voice and his iron grip, shocked the Sheikah.

"Lloyd...Wake up!" She almost yelled, but held it in just in case.

Waking with a start, Lloyd's eyes shot open, staring straight at Vera. For a moment, it seemed red was reflecting into red. No, that wasn't correct. His eyes were brown, right?

"Vera." Realizing what he was doing, he let go of her wrist, staring at the impression he'd left behind.

Did I do that? Goddess, what is wrong with me?!

"You need to get things of your chest, Lloyd." Vera tried keeping her voice leveled, rubbing her sore wrist. "Things are clearly haunting you. I think you will keep having these nightmares, if you don't openly start talking about things."

There was a silence, as Lloyd shakily breathed and nodded. He let it sink in, he mulled it over. Was it really that much more heavy on him then he'd like to admit? He wasn't even sure himself.

"You already said you wanted to tell me about your journey. I suggest you start at the beginning; see how far you get until you fall asleep again. I will listen, if you allow me, that is."

"Huh? O-of course. I'm fine with you hearing it. I haven't even gotten around telling my dad everything." Maybe that was the problem. Lloyd shook his head and sighed. "It will be a long story."

"I do not mind. Take the time you need."

It was nice, Vera offering to hear him out. Forgiving him so quickly, she even seemed to understand what was going on, even more then he did himself. He trusted her insight. And so, he started his tale of that fateful day at school. One that seemed to start of like every other, but turned into a great journey to save the world(s).

Vera listened, mostly nodding, trying to understand what was history to Lloyd. The Chosen, the salvation of the world, freeing it of evil beings. It did seem to have similarities with their own situation and legends.

After talking about the appearance of the angel Remiel, his eyes were getting heavy again. Vera knew better to ask questions; she was sure everything would become clear eventually.

"Rest up, Lloyd. I will wake you in the morning."

"Hmhm." The teen nodded off, going back into a deep sleep.

Morning set in too soon, as Vera had to shake Lloyd awake. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, rays of sunlight pouring in through the leaves of their improvised shelter. Vera had taken food from the saddle bags, setting it up inside.

"Have some breakfast. I will scout the area, to be sure we are alone. And I'll call back the horses."

Lloyd nodded, already picking up bread and a jar of jelly. He was not yet settled down, the Sheikah could tell from his shifting eyes and body langue.

"Don't feel guilty, Lloyd. You didn't hurt me."

"It's not that. I mean, not really." Lloyd looked at the ground. He hadn't realized how much of an impact the whole journey has had on him. The mental breakdowns, feelings like loss, heartbreak and betrayal. It was a lot, for sure.

"It's okay. Talk when you want to, I'm here to listen."

"Thanks, Vera. Really." He said it from the bottom of his heart.

The Sheikah showed a slight smile and left the tent. Lloyd shook his head to lose the somewhat dark thoughts in his mind. They wouldn't help the situation as it stands now. He should concentrate on the here and now.

It did feel nice to finally talk about it. He never really did with his dad. It just happened, that was that. This was how he thought anyway, never realizing how much it really affected him. But his subconscious showed his through his dreams.

Finishing up his breakfast, Lloyd stepped out of the improvised tent. Vera came walking back, horses right behind her.

"Are you sure you aren't some kind of horse whisperer?" The teen asked with a slight grin.

Vera shrugged. "Maybe I am. I work with horses a lot, so I understand them as they do me."

"Aha, sure. Should I break this thing down?" Lloyd gestured to the shelter.

"Very well. You can do that, while I have my breakfast."

While the teen took the shelter apart, it came to mind: "Hey, who was after us anyway?"

"Right, I haven't told you that yet. When I came back from another fruitless search, the people in the stable were being threatened by a sharp knife. Luckily, I was able to stop it before anyone got hurt. But this thing..."

Vera shook her head, trying to find the best description, eating her breakfast thoughtfully.

"It looked like a person, but in all black. Red glowing eyes and hair white as snow. He was a very skilled fighter. I hate to admit that he had me pinned. I was able to turn it around, I thought I had him. He just...sank away, into the ground."

It was something she hadn't seen before. Was it some kind of dark magic? She honestly had no clue.

"Like a shadow." Lloyd remarked.

The Sheikah looked at him, tilting her head and frowning.

"You know, black shape, human form, moving into the ground. Sounds like a shadow to me."

"Hm. I didn't consider that. But I was still able to touch him."

Lloyd shrugged, dispersing the last of the shelter. "We've had a summon spirit who was darkness. It also was a sort of shadow, but it was able to touch others. So, that is my guess. You didn't get hurt, did you?"

He went over and set down next to her. Vera looked him over, his remark about a spirit confusing her. Surely, he'll get to that later, so she put it aside. She shook his head to his question.

"Were you?"

"Nope. Also, I got an awesome new thing."

Concentrating on the protective shield, it showed up around Lloyd, which made the Sheikah's eyes widen. She reached out to touch the shield, which reflected back her hand.

"That is amazing, and so very useful."

The shield did show its weakness though; it could only be held up for a few seconds.

"I think it's mostly meant for a reflex defense. Could be useful for me, because I don't use shields. Oh, and I found a second sword as well."

Lloyd showed the two ancient swords. Their glow together had something beautiful and enchanting.

"What was carrying that?" Vera asked curious.

"Like a Guardian, but smaller. Maybe it's in the Slate." Lloyd took out the small piece of tech and was able to find a description with a picture of it. "Hehe, I'm not doing bad with this thing. Tech really is growing on me."

"We aren't used to this kind of technology. It was lost with our ancestors." Vera remarked while looking at the picture.

"Yeah, it was unknown in our world as well. Only the Desians made use of it. In Tethe'alla, it was totally different. Tech was everywhere. Oh, I will get to that."

The more Lloyd said, the more questions it rose for the Sheikah. She kept to her policy however: they will get answered eventually. So, she just nodded.

"Let me show you where we are going."

Vera spread out her map on the ground. She put a finger that seemed to be northwest. "This is where we are. And here," her finger traced down to where there seemed to be a lot of water and rocks, "is where we need to go. Zora's Domain. It is populated with Zora, the fish like creatures I have told you about."

She said this to prepare Lloyd, he was aware of this. And he appreciated it. Lloyd couldn't really picture it, but eventually he will see a Zora for himself. It made him excited just thinking about it.

"Are you ready to go?" The Sheikah asked while she put everything back into the saddle bags.

"Ready as ever, so let's go. How long you think it's gonna take?"

"If the horses can keep a good pace, we may be lucky to make it to the stable before it gets dark again."

"Alright, let's try to aim for that. I'm sure the both of you can do it."

Lloyd padded both horses in the neck, seemingly trying to encourage them. This made the Sheikah chuckle.

"I don't think you can talk with animals that well."

"Hey, I have a pet you know. His name is Noishe and he is the greatest dog in the world. I was used to riding on his back."

Both got on their horses and spurred them to go. Frowning, Vera looked at the teen.

"You rode a dog on his back?"

"Noishe is a very big dog. Like a small horse, I guess."

"That doesn't sound like a dog to me."

"Why does everybody keep saying that?" Lloyd mumbled more to himself.

"Hm. Well, if you want, you can continue your story." Vera suggested while the horses picked up a good pace.

"Yeah, sure. Let's see."

Lloyd remembered where he stopped and his smile disappeared. Marble... He still felt guilty for what happened to her. Even though the old lady had been there for a while with an unprotected Exsphere, something he couldn't have helped, he still felt like he should have done more.

It was the fault of those heartless Desians, that she suffered. That all the people in the ranches had to suffer. Oh, and he made sure they felt the pain of their victims. If not him, then one of his friends.

He did want to explain the whole Exsphere thing to Vera, but they learned about them and the truth later, so this too, had to wait.

"These Desian guys, set fire to your village and you and your friend Genis were held responsible for it? It got you two banished?" The Sheikah tried to make sense of it all.

"We interfered, broke the peace treaty."

"That doesn't make it right to set fire to an entire village!"

Lloyd blinked at her sharp remark. "I guess so. That was just how they were. Desians looked for any excuse to torture, destroy and even kill. They had no respect for human lives."

That much was clear. Vera bit her lip, frustrated about this fact. She understood why Lloyd wanted to get back at them. Not only did they kill his mother, they seemed to bring misery everywhere they went.

"We got rid of most of them now. But that is getting ahead of myself."

"I see. Please, continue."

So, Lloyd did just that. He talked about how he and Genis, accompanied by Noishe, went to the desert. Now that Lloyd had experienced the heat of a volcano, being in a desert almost seemed like a walk in the park.

They were having lunch on the back of their horses, who seemed fine with just moving on.

"Did I mention I had help while I went up that mountain?"

"No. Who helped you and how?" Vera wanted to know.

The teen switched to talking about Yubono, how he saved him and helped him up there. It was a surprise to hear that this young Goron was the grandson of Daruk. She had heard many stories about this great Champion, which she remarked out loud.

"Really? He seemed like an alright guy. A bit loud, but caring in his own way."

Vera looked at the teen confused.

"Oh, it seems the spirits of the Champions show up when the Divine Beast is freed from the malice. He talked to me for a bit."

"So, their spirits have been trapped there for a hundred years?"

"I suppose."

This thought brought a somber silence. Only the rhythmic sound of the horses' hooves hitting the ground, broke it. The dark slowly set in. As they had hoped, the familiar shape of the big horse head showed up in the distance. The path kept going past it, leading to oddly shaped rocks.

"Almost there. You can get your deserved rest there." Vera told her horse, stroking the neck.

A nice, cooked meal and a warm bed, just the thought of it made Lloyd feel warm and cozy. And tired once again, but he will surely be sleeping soundly soon in those soft beds. Food was indeed waiting for them and a girl took in their horses. She told the two the road to the Domain wasn't meant for horses, so they had to leave the animals there for now.

Vera paid for the facilities again. They heard from a traveler, who wanted to visit the Domain, that it was dangerous ahead. Apparently, a lot of Lizalfos were there, wielding electricity. This was a nasty move because it was always raining in the Domain and the Zora weren't a big fan of electricity for obvious reasons.

"This constant rain, you think that is the work of the Divine Beast?" Lloyd wondered out loud.

It wouldn't surprise him if this was the case. Those things seemed to have some strange natural influence on their environment.

"We will find out when we get there. The road won't be easy, however."

"Let's see to that tomorrow." Lloyd stretched out with a yawn.

The Sheikah nodded and let him turn in for the night. She would follow soon after; they both could use some sleep.