I sure hope you guys didn't think I was gonna abandon this one! I owe it to my buddy Mr. Dork to keep at it... even if I do end up taking forever. My bad! Anywho, let's recap! Looks like Link is being forced to take on the leader of the Garo tribe, Sa'alel Garo. He seems tough, now doesn't he? Let's see how our hero does against him then!
Chapter 25
The Garo Masters
"Sa'alel Garo, huh?" Link asked, carefully watching his opponent. "You talk big for a guy afraid of the Gerudo King."
"You talk big for a boy stripped of his only means of protection," Sa'alel fired back, slowly approaching Link.
"I'm not the kind of person to be completely defenseless just because I'm unarmed," Link retorted, taking a few cautious steps back. Sa'alel was very strong. Not Shaagos strong, mind you, but strong enough that fighting him without a shield could prove extremely troublesome. He really wished he had his weapons and gear back...
"You fear me, do you not?" Sa'alel asked, chuckling as Link looked around for an easy out, not being able to find one. "You do! Or at the very least, you fear the thought of fighting me without your equipment. Very well... What would you think of the two of us making a wager?"
"A wager?" Link asked, Sa'alel nodding. "What do you want from me?"
"It is less what I want from you, and what you need from me," the Garo Master replied, sheathing his weapons. "I will allow you to leave my tent and collect your gear, but be aware that we will continue to hunt you, aside from myself. Then you will return to me and fight me at your best. And then I will kill you and reclaim what is mine from your corpse. Do you accept?"
"I don't really think I have many other options..." Link said, sighing. "So sure, I'll accept your wager."
"Good," Sa'alel said, and Link could tell he was smirking under his mask as he did. "Take your gear from here, it is in the chest behind my throne. But to ensure you do not flee the moment you can... I will be taking this one as collateral."
As he spoke he quickly grabbed Marze and put a collar on him, chaining said collar to his waist.
"Whoa, leave me out of this!" Marze shouted, though to no avail as Sa'alel merely tightened his restraints.
"Don't worry Marze, I'll get us out of here," Link said, trying to calm him down. "He may be a murderer and thief, but as a chief he'll likely keep his word. Besides, he knows if he hurts you, he'll never see me again."
"I commend you for your insight, Hylian. I cannot wait to rip that sight from you as you die," Sa'alel said, chuckling darkly.
"Yeah, sure," Link said heading over to the chest behind the throne and grabbing the gear of his that was stored there. "Oh, how I missed this stuff..."
Quickly donning his pouch and storing the gear in there, he couldn't help but notice Sa'alel looking on in confusion as he didn't actually put on the gear he so desperately sought after.
"Why do you store away the gear you were looking for?" he asked, Link rolling his eyes and gesturing to the shackle around his ankle.
"Because of this. I don't wanna keep wearing this," he said, putting the last bit of his gear in his pouch.
"How does putting away your gear help you?" he asked, watching on as Link snapped his fingers, evoking Changeling and swapping to his as of yet unnamed armor, getting the shackle off of his ankle.
"I have my ways," Link said, glaring at Sa'alel from under his hood. "You have no idea what you just loosed into your camp."
With that, he pulled the shackle out of his pouch and chucked it at Sa'alel before leaving his tent, looking around for the larger tents, finding the closest one and slinking back into the shadows; he didn't need to get caught right after being on his way once more.
"He's right, you know," Marze said. "You're gonna regret letting him go like this."
"And why do you say that, little one?" Sa'alel asked, glaring at Marze.
"You guys are afraid of Shaagos, right?" Marze asked, looking back at the Garo Master. "Well, he's even stronger than him."
Sa'alel couldn't help but look in surprise out of the tent at where he'd seen Link go, finding him already gone.
"This... could prove troublesome," Sa'alel said, realizing his mistake.
Meanwhile, Link was slinking through the shadows of the Garo camp, now much more quickly thanks to having his armor back. Being able to move without the sand slowing you down was definitely a bonus... Breaking free from his thoughts, Link saw that there were a few Garo ahead of him, though most were asleep, only one being awake. Luckily he was facing the opposite direction, facing the rest of the sleeping Garo, so he could sneak up and choke him out without risking alerting any of the others. Quickly doing just that, he laid him down as though he was sleeping just like the others, taking a look around in case there were any more Garo around who could have seen him. There were none, so he was luckily able to check the sleeping Garo for any more gear he could use in his raid of their compound. Surprisingly, he found a spear among their ranks, and took it with him as he slunk back into the shadows.
"This'll do nicely," he said, feeling the heft of the weapon as he moved. It was certainly light, the metal in its construction likely being stolen Gerudo gold. Typical, he thought. Of course it was stolen, they're murderers and thieves; most of what they owned was likely never theirs in the first place.
Moving on once more, he dodged through a group of tents, avoiding any groups of Garo that he deemed too large to deal with, at least with his current gear. As soon he was fully armed, however, he knew he'd be able to tear through this place and get Marze back, and then move on to the Savage Pillar. But his gear was his top priority for the moment, as he knew Petra would kill him if he left her handiwork in the hands of such savages.
Snapping himself out of the horrid visions of what she'd do to him were that come to pass, he realized he'd actually made it to the closest of the large tents, thankfully undetected. Looking around once more to double check the positions of any Garo guards, he nodded to himself and slipped inside, finding a dark, seemingly empty tent, being absolutely sure to close the tent flaps.
"Not falling for this again," he said to himself before bathing the immediate area in a subtle dose of Flare; not enough to burn down the tent, but enough to fill the room with his signature golden flame. Confirming his suspicions, he saw a random portion of air had caught fire, giving way to reveal the now visible form of a Garo General. He was dressed mostly the same as Sa'alel, though with much less decoration and a different main color, his being green. He was also much shorter than Sa'alel, but still taller than the average Garo.
"I may not know how your magic works or whatever, but I know how to find you guys," Link declared adamantly.
"You are a smart one, Geru-" the Garo member tried to say but was cut off by Link drawing his temporary swords.
"I am NOT a Gerudo, Goddesses damn it!" he shouted, getting very tired of being called Gerudo. "I am going to enjoy this a little bit too much..."
"...Now that I look at you, you do not seem to be Gerudo," the Garo said, squinting at him from under his mask. "You are Hylian, no?"
"Don't worry about what I am," Link growled, taking a menacing step forward. "Make it easy on yourself and tell me where my gear is before I get angrier than I already am."
"I am afraid I will not do that, Hylian," the Garo said, drawing his own swords. "The Master has gifted those to me, and I will treasure them always. Even if that means I am forced to defend them from you."
"I figured," Link shot back, sick and tired of having to deal with all of these entitled thieves. They steal his stuff and then say it's theirs? Despicable. "Whatever, let's finish this up quick."
"I am Rahvel Garo, General of the Garo Tribe, and I will cut you down!" the Garo shouted, naming himself as Rahvel.
"Sure," Link muttered, bracing himself as Rahvel came in quick, bringing his own dual blades down onto Link. Link, quick as always, blocked the attack, thankful to find out that he didn't seem nearly as strong as Sa'alel. Still strong, mind you, but not so strong that defending would prove inefficient. He'd still much prefer to have his shield, though, that much was for sure. But then he remembered something...
Pushing Rahvel away, Link quickly grabbed one of his new throwing knives and chucked it at his foe, the Garo being able to block it rather easily. Figuring that would have been the case, Link quickly leaped at Rahvel, subtly using Changeling to get out his old axe, as apparently the Garo only split up the expensive looking weapons he'd carried with him. Understandably surprised, Rahvel had a hard time blocking the weighty axe, one of his swords hitting him in the chest.
"What-" he tried to say, only for Link to do a heavy turnaround slash to smash the axe back into Rahvel, cutting him off and winding him, as he wasn't expecting to be cut off like that. The generals were likely very used to being able to speak as they pleased and to silence whoever they wished, aside from other generals and Sa'alel himself. Pushing forward, he raised the axe and brought it down onto Rahvel once more, knocking one of the swords from his hands. Invoking Changeling once more, he switched to his Flamebreaker Armor and smashed his off hand into his opponent's face, the weight of the gauntlet and added Inferno doing the trick and knocking him back even further, perhaps even burning his face. Sadly, due to the lack of light in the room, he couldn't really tell.
"Shut it," Link commanded, shouldering the axe. "I've had to deal with enough of you self-righteous Garo for one lifetime, I don't need you talking anymore."
"Hmph," Rahvel muttered, having gotten his breath back. Surprisingly enough, he took the hint, remaining silent and slowly circling the room. He didn't pay it any mind, but when he'd tried to block Link's axe, the sword that had hit him in the chest had bitten in a little and caused him to bleed. The clothes he wore were padded enough to ensure it wasn't a completely debilitating wound though, so he seemed to be mostly fine. Link knew that it would take its toll on him, however, and that Rahvel needed to deal with him quickly in order to ensure his safety.
And as such, Link had his strategy.
Using Changeling to equip his metal shield and his old Demon Sword, he began circling as well, aiming to wear Rahvel down while keeping himself in fighting shape. There were two more of these generals, and then back to Sa'alel again. Blocking the comparatively reckless attack that came from Rahvel next, he bashed his shield into his face and slashed at him once more. Needless to say, the comparative lack of skill Rahvel had when compared to Sa'alel confused Link. How was this man a general when his fighting skill was so lackluster? Regardless, Link wasn't going to complain, as it made his life that much easier.
Blocking another reckless attack from Rahvel, Link bashed the pommel of his sword into his head, knocking him out.
"Wow, that was... surprisingly easy," Link muttered, putting away his older weaponry. Checking around the room, he found a chest that thankfully contained his sword and shield, instead strapping them to his back where they belonged. "Oh, how I missed you."
"You are skilled, Hylian," Rahvel said, Link turning around and seeing that the Garo had reawoken, rising shakily to his feet. "Alas, I know I cannot best you myself. Thus, I must uphold my duty."
Link looked at him in caution as he reached under his cloak and pulled out a large bomb with a short fuse.
"Die I shall, leaving no corpse," he said, Link's eyes widening in understanding. "That is the law of us Garo."
Before Link could do much else, Rahvel lit and subsequently detonated the bomb, blowing he and his tent away.
Despite being knocked back, Link was lucky he was in his Flamebreaker Armor, as it mitigated the damage he would have otherwise taken from the bomb going off right in front of him. However, this drew a lot of unwanted attention, as a bomb going off in a tent was incredibly obvious. Quickly swapping to his as of yet unnamed armor to avoid being slowed by the sand, he dashed away from the tent, doing his best to avoid any approaching groups of Garo. As he ran, he heard many of them trying to figure out what had happened.
"What happened to Rahvel?!"
"His tent is in ashes!"
"Did he fall in battle?"
"That would mean we have an intruder!"
Sadly, Link knew all too well that they were correct, as he was obviously the intruder in question.
"Looks like sneaking up on the other two is completely out of the question at this point..." he mumbled to himself, running further into their camp away from the blast zone. "Oh well, I doubt I could have snuck up on the other two anyway, especially if I could sneak past that mook Rahvel."
Dashing towards the next of the tents he knew his gear would be in, he accidentally happened across a small group of Garo, one turning around and seeing him.
"There, he is the one who fought Rahvel!" he shouted, the others turning and seeing Link there. They didn't seem happy, especially as they started drawing their weapons and aiming them at Link.
"Great," he muttered, drawing his own sword and shield. Granted, he was definitely happy he had them back; now he could fight the way he was used to fighting.
Quickly blocking a throwing spear, he charged in with his shield raised to fend off any other blows and rammed into the group, the force of the blow knocking the one who had seen him into those behind him, knocking them all over. Looking quickly to the side, he saw a rather rickety stand holding up several barrels. Kicking one of the supports, e knocked it over and blocked the way between himself and the Garo, setting it ablaze with a quick shot of Flare for good measure, sinking back into the shadows before any could get up and give chase.
Taking extra care to avoid any groups, he made his way to the next tent, seeing more guards than usual out in front, likely an extra safety measure due to Link's presence now being known throughout the camp. Luckily for him, tents weren't exactly sturdy, and as such slashed open his own entrance in the back, sliding inside and looking around, seeing that it was actually lit inside, and in the center of the tent was a group of Garo huddled around a table with a map of the camp. Link turned out to be rather lucky, as he wound up behind the throne of this Garo general, and as such none of them could see him. Sadly, this one had smartened up and moved the chest that likely contained his gear into the open near the front of the tent to keep it in sight.
"Double great," Link sighed quietly to himself. Looking around the tent, he made note of several things. One, the Garo general this time wore a blue cloak that was otherwise identical to Rahvel's. Two, the chest was made of what appeared to be a rather thick metal, and was held shut by a sturdy lock. Three, the room itself contained a few large red barrels marked with X's, barrels Link knew he'd seen before.
These are explosive barrels that I've seen Fang members use before... I guess these guys use them for their own bombs... Makes sense, he thought to himself, seeing how close the barrels were to both he himself and the group in the middle. Getting an idea, he waited for just a moment in order to listen in on those in the center.
"We have discovered that the Gerudo we have captured killed his guard and broke out of his holding cell earlier this night, leading to the death of General Rahvel," the blue cloaked figure stated, gesturing first to Link's cell and then to Rahvel's tent.
"What are we to do, General Yassan?" asked one of the Garo present, the now-named Yassan turning to him and thinking.
"Send word to General Ba'arash and Master Sa'alel regarding the intruder, and be quick. We do not know where the Gerudo will strike next," he said, the Garo he'd commanded nodding and sprinting out of the room. Link had heard enough at this point and carefully slipped out of the tent.
"Ok, so it sounds like the other general, Ba'arash, will know that I'm coming for him specifically by the time I can make my way over there..." he whispered to himself, looking around cautiously in case any Garo came around the back of the tent. "I'd better be quick here then, take care of these guys and grab my gear."
Quietly checking around the tent for any more Garo, he slipped back inside and looked at some of the explosive barrels, taking a deep breath. He knew he'd have to do this quickly in order for it to work out. Quickly getting back into his Flamebreaker Armor, he snapped his fingers and filled the room with as much Flare as he could muster, setting the tent, its inhabitants, and the barrels ablaze before diving out of the back of the tent mere moments before it exploded, the barrels having caught on fire as he had hoped. The Garo in front who had been guarding the tent were caught in the blast as well, meaning he had a little bit of time before any more came to check out this explosion. Sifting through the rubble, he was able to find the chest that he'd hoped held his gear, and using his sword to break the lock, he was pleased to find his bow and Greed Axe held safely within, completely unaffected by the blast.
"Perfect," he whispered in relief as he stashed them away. Hearing more Garo running in from the side, he quickly swapped back to his Gerudo armor and ran back into the shadows, none of them having seen him by the time they got there.
"One more to go, and then it's back to Sa'alel," he whispered as he rounded another corner, seeing yet another group standing around in confusion, as Link was admittedly moving very fast; they didn't know where he was at any point because of how quickly he moved from place to place, and as such they couldn't figure out what to do. Link took advantage of their confusion and slipped past them, as they were too distracted to pay any mind to their surroundings, bickering amongst themselves about where he was.
Finding the last of the tents he had to reclaim his gear from, he was unsurprised by the state of it; not only were there plenty of guards surrounding the entire perimeter, but all explosive barrels that were inside had been moved to the outside, meaning sneaking in and blowing it to sky high wasn't an option anymore. Looking around to find another in, he noticed that he was actually rather close to the watchtower whose guard he had incapacitated, and it looked as though that guard was still as unconscious as he'd left him previously. Once again sneaking through the camp to the tower, he scaled the side away from the camp and took a quick glance at the inside of the tower, seeing that the guard was still out cold on the floor.
"Thank the Goddesses," he whispered to himself before hopping in, readying his own bow and taking out a few arrows. "If I light the tent on fire in enough places, it's unlikely Ba'arash will be able to get out in time... but considering Starfire is gold, I'll probably only get one shot before these guys catch on to the fact that I'm up here."
Taking a few deep breaths, he prepared five arrows in total with Starfire, the tips burning brightly with the otherworldly flames. Nocking them all as carefully as possible such to avoid burning his bow, he peeked over the side of the tower to estimate how he had to aim before raising his bow and firing, each arrow piercing through the tent and catching it ablaze, scaring the Garo around it. True to Link's deduction, the dried fabric tent caught fire incredibly easily, the whole thing going up in flames in just seconds. Unfortunately, Ba'arash burst through the side of the tent before it could collapse on top of him, quickly putting himself out before it ignited the bomb he likely carried on his person. Ba'arash was similarly dressed to the other two Garo generals, only his cloak was red in color. Well, it was before turning dark with burns and ash. Cursing quietly to himself, Link looked around once more to find that one of the explosive barrels had been placed near a weapons rack, which gave him a new idea. Quickly setting another arrow ablaze, he threw caution to the wind and fired at the barrel, setting it off and blowing weapons all over the area, many finding themselves sheathed in the bodies of many Garo members, including Ba'arash himself, though he didn't seem to be mortally wounded. He looked up and locked eyes with Link, the bounty hunter glaring at him and quickly climbing down from the tower, Ba'arash shouting that the intruder was at the tower. Link, tired of dealing with so many Garo, figured he'd thin their numbers out a bit.
"They hide themselves with magic," he said to himself, looking at the cold expanse of desert behind him, "but can they hide this?"
Grabbing out his axe, he began chopping away at the tower, the entire thing rattling as he struck it. Hearing a few more Garo shout to stop him before he finished, he redoubled his efforts and put his all into his next few swings before ultimately cutting all the way through, the tower creaking as it fell towards the tent of Ba'arash, the Garo general looking up in horror as the structure fell onto him, missing his smoldering tent by mere inches.
To both Link's relief and horror, he heard the sound of a monster roar in the distance before feeling the ground shake, meaning he'd succeeded; he'd made enough noise to attract the Dawddat.
Tiptoeing towards a pile of barrels, he silently climbed them and hid behind them such that any approaching Garo wouldn't be able to see him, bracing himself as the Molduga plowed into the camp, smashing through tent after tent and taking with it many a Garo. As much as Link despised having to do this, they'd forced his hand, as he needed to get his gear back, get Marze, and get to the Savage Pillar no matter what. Besides, the more Garo he took care of, the better off Shaagos and the rest of the Gerudo would be in the future. After all, they were down a good number of men and all 3 of their main generals at this point, it'd take them a long time to build back up to their previous numbers, assuming they could in the first place.
Waiting for a while in his pile of barrels, he was satisfied to hear the Dawddat tear through the Garo camp, ravaging a significant portion of them before deciding it'd had its fill, making its way back to its usual territory in the middle of the desert. Being extra cautious, he waited until he was sure it wouldn't come back before hopping back down onto the ground, making his way back towards the remains of Ba'arash's tent, seeing that since he'd scared everyone away from it earlier, there were no Garo left to attract the Molduga, and as such he was able to find the chest that bore the remaining pieces of his gear, putting them away in his pouch.
"Now we're back in business," Link said, ensuring that both his Ruby Greatsword and Channel Orb were held securely in his pouch. "Now, we go get Marze and head to the Savage Pi-"
"Watch out!" shouted a familiar voice, causing Link to quickly dodge back, a familiar flaming blade swinging merely inches from him.
"You!" Sa'alel shouted, pointing one of his sword at him in rage. "I will kill you for what you have done to my home! I will kill you and avenge all those you have killed this night! I will kill you and restore the honor of the Garo Tribe!"
"Thanks for the heads up, Marze," Link said, nodding to the tiny dragon chained to the Garo Master's belt and ignoring Sa'alel.
"Look at me, Hylian!" he shouted, seething in rage at the destruction Link had wrought throughout his camp. "You will pay for what you've done to us!"
Grabbing the chain holding Marze, he held the Stardrake up in front of him and held up one of his swords. "I will take everything you hold dear from you, starting with this little nuisance!"
Before he could hurt Marze, however, he dropped him when Marze bit his hand as hard as he could, taking a chunk of skin off as he did. Not wanting to give Sa'alel another chance, he quickly grabbed one of the swords he'd taken from his cell guard and readied to throw it, yelling for Marze to try to take flight. Marze did as he was told, pulling the chain as tight as he could. Link took aim and threw as hard as he could, the sword sheering through the chain and freeing Marze, who quickly returned to Link.
"You sure gave these guys some trouble, huh?" Marze asked, fumbling with the collar around his neck.
"Worry about it later, we gotta move!" Link shouted, grabbing Marze and making a mad dash towards the Savage Pillar. Positively livid at this point, Sa'alel made to follow them, sprinting after the hunter and his companion.
"You will pay for that, Hylian!" he seethed, doing his best not to lose Link among the many twists and turns he lead him through, always keeping him within sight. Setting his swords ablaze, he crossed them in front of himself and shot towards the young hunter, Link turning around in time to see him coming in and duck the powerful slash. Sa'alel skidded to a stop in front of him, cutting him off the exit from the Garo camp that lead towards the Savage Pillar standing a bit into the desert expanse around said tower.
"There is no running from me, Hylian!" he shouted, practically growling at Link. "There exists no one alive who can flee from the wrath of the Garo!"
Link looked around for a moment, and looking behind Sa'alel, couldn't help but smirk.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, pal, but I won't need to flee from it for long at all," he said snarkily, shrugging and shaking his head. "After all, the Garo are about to be without a leader in just a second."
"Do you mean you plan to kill me, Hylian?" he asked, laughing maniacally. "You are bound to be tired after all that you have done, and I am still more than ready to take your head from your shoulders!"
"Who said I was gonna kill you?" Link asked, looking to somewhere behind Sa'alel.
"Bah! You are alone, Hylian, no one here could possibly help... you..." he said, trailing off as he turned around and saw that the Lynels that prowled around the perimeter of the Savage Pillar had deemed that he was too close and approached him.
Now, Link had never seen Lynels up close before, and had only really heard stories of what they could do to someone. Seeing them now, Link knew that those stories were more than likely right, as these things were huge, and had weapons of such scale that he doubted that even Kaine could brandish them. One Lynel in particular approached the now shaking Sa'alel, one with a weapon that seemed to be nothing more than a massive slab of blackened steel with chains and golden bracings on it to increase its power.
"N-No, stay away!" he said, swinging his flaming swords in front of himself as it to try and scare the Lynels off. This did little more than annoy them, as the Lynel closest to him simply took the weapons from his hands and snapped them in half, tossing the useless scraps of metal off to the side.
Figuring he couldn't exactly stand and fight against such monstrosities, he turned to run, but one of the other Lynels quickly readied one of its weapons, a brutal looking bow, and fired and Sa'alel, several arrows flying forth and piercing through his legs, knocking him to the ground, unable to stand up. Rolling onto his back, he saw the same Lynel as before approach him again, not brandishing the massive weapon, growling at the Garo before him.
"Please, no!" he shouted, though it was in vain, as the Lynel raised that hellish weapon before bringing it down onto Sa'alel, causing the ground around them to shake. To Link's surprise and fear, the Lynel then turned and looked at him, sneering for a moment before taking a few steps forward towards him.
"I-I'm not in your territory, and I have no plans of entering it," he stammered, the Lynel stopping and looking at him for a moment. One of the other Lynels roared somewhat quietly, the one who had slain Sa'alel turning and looking towards it instead, seeing that those two had turned to leave. The Lynel then turned back to Link and growled, then turning back to its companions and leaving. Link, relieved beyond words, released a pent up breath and fell back into the sand, rather tired.
"That was lucky..." he muttered, Marze beside him nodding.
"They seem to only care about guarding their territory," Marze said in agreement. "When that Garo guy waved his swords around at them, they probably took it as a challenge or something."
"Plus, he was being really loud, there's no way they wouldn't notice that," Link said, suddenly looking dejected. "Damn, if those things are so quick to act, I doubt I'll be able to sneak past them into the pillar..."
"Well..." Marze said, looking up in thought.
"Spit it out, I've gone through enough today," Link groaned, looking at Marze in annoyance.
"When the big guys snuck on you, he used that magic of theirs to cloak himself and me," Marze explained.
"Yeah, what about it?" Link said, brushing sand, ash, and wood splinters off of himself.
"I think I figured out how to replicate it," Marze finished, Link's eyes widening in hope.
"Wait, really?" he asked, looking at Marze in glee. "If that's so, then we might be able to sneak past those Lynels! Good job, Marze!"
"I know, I know, I'm amazing," Marze said, rolling his eyes. "You know the drill, new spell, new brand, gimme that arm."
"Alright, hold your horses," Link said, using Changeling to remove his right gauntlet, sleeve, and pauldron, exposing his magical brands. "Go for it."
Marze went to work, carving an intricate knot-work around his arm just below his elbow and above his Changebrand. Since it went all the way around, it took a fair amount of time, but he eventually finished, leaving the newest brand emblazoned upon his skin.
"And done," Marze said, giving Link a moment to flex him arm and to ensure that everything was still okay there.
"All good here," he said, putting the remainder of his armor back on. "So, how about this one? How do I get it to go?"
"First and foremost, this one is your Shadowbrand," Marze explained. "It'll let you use a spell I'm gonna call Hush, since it's my derivative of that Garo magic."
"That's fair," Link said, standing up and looking in the distance, seeing that the sun was beginning to rise, the night slowly becoming brighter.
"For this one, just clear your mind of all thoughts, and you should be undetectable," Marze said, Link nodding and doing just that. Closing his eyes for a moment, Marze was pleased to see that Link quickly became completely invisible before him. Or rather, pleased to not see? Regardless, Link took a few cautionary steps around, Marze not realizing until he came back into view right behind him, startling him.
"Ah!" he shouted, taking to the air. "Just because you can sneak up on me doesn't mean you should!"
"Sorry, sorry, I'm just trying to get used to it," Link said, rubbing the back of his head. "Oh right, if you hide in my cloak it should work on you too, right?"
"I think so," Marze said, contemplating the effects of this new spell.
"Let's hope so," Link said, looking at the Lynels as they trudged around the sand near that massive tower. "Regardless of how fast you can fly, I'm willing to be one of those things wouldn't have any issue taking you out of the sky."
"Let's not stick around and try to find out, huh?" Marze said, glaring at Link from his shoulder.
"You don't gotta tell me twice, I wanna avoid any interaction with those demons," he said, pointing at the Lynels as one took a bird out of the sky with a single shot from its bow.
"Yeah that's a good call," Marze said in agreement.
"Well, here goes nothing..." Link muttered as he activated Hush, taking a few cautionary steps past the sandy pit that held Sa'alel's body, sighing in relief when he saw that the Lynels didn't pay him any mind and continued to wander around as if he weren't even there.
Making sure not to waste any time in case he couldn't keep the spell up for long, he kept up a decent jog towards the Savage Pillar, periodically checking to make sure the Lynels hadn't noticed him. Thankfully, the spell held up the entire way to what he deduced as the entrance, a large archway with a massive split above it running up about a third of the pillar.
"Well, I guess, this is it," Marze whispered, looking at the seemingly mechanical structure, hearing a multitude of mechanical clangs and other almost industrial sounds from within.
"Yep, the Savage Pillar," Link said, rolling his shoulders. "No turning back now. We've got a job to do."
With that, he made his way inside, the entrance behind him sealing itself shut.
I'm back again lol
Sorry for the... like 2 years wait on this. I try to push myself to write, but my best work only comes when I'm motivated to work, and you guys deserve nothing but the best. And for those of you who were REALLY waiting for this chapter to come out... yeah, thank Dork for that. He's been constantly reminding me that I've still got work to do here, and I'll be damned if I slack THAT hard for that long.
Anyway, OniHelix out!