Chapter P1: Stranded in the Strange Land
"Computer, status," The blonde looked at her ship's instruments, making sure everything was set accordingly for her fueling at the nearest planet. Her fingers instinctively moved to the feathers in her hair, feeling the warmth from them as she felt her resolve strengthen.
"Systems operational, Samus," The computer's monotone was comforting to hear at least. "Fuel low as well. Redirect required to gather fuel and repair."
"Right away," Samus touched the button on the screen. Her blue 'Zero Suit' exoskeleton moved with her body, giving her a very nice feel. She'd always liked the feel of it, almost like a hug of sorts… not that it was like a security blanket, but she liked how it felt. The nearest planet was sixteen million units away, meaning it would take her at least two hours to make it there, going by her birth planet's time. By Chozo time, it would be a short little bit, either way meaning it would give her time to catch a quick nap. She closed her eyes, surrendering the fight and letting the bliss of sleep take her…
The alarms blared, waking her up in a startle as she looked around to assess the damage to her ship. It was smoking in places, forcing her to have to evacuate. She looked at the back of her left hand, noting what she could invisibly see; her extra weapons were used up and would need to be recharged. For now, she could just let it recharge on its own and move forward to return with them intact.
She stepped outside of the ship to see she was in some sort of forested area. It was a pretty forest, but that didn't mean it didn't have dangers. She had her blaster attached to her hip, as well as her suit if need be. But, for now, she was going to try not attracting attention.
"Atmosphere has damaged vitals," The monotone spoke in a quieter voice. "Beginning repair sequence. Activating cloaking."
"You do that, Adam," Samus put a hand to her stomach, sighing as she felt her hunger and desired something to eat. "I'm getting some food."
The blonde left the ship in the woods, noting its location in her mind. She was going to figure out what the hell was going on with this particular planet. The atmosphere didn't seem so poisonous, so she was going to go walking without her suit for now.
After walking through what must have been two miles of woods, she finally saw a light on the other side. She stepped out to find herself on a dirt road with what looked like a building just off in the distance. She shrugged, deciding to walk toward the building, taking a chance with the wildlife. She knew it best to keep a low profile, but there was something off about this world. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it was definitely worth looking into.
She made it to the building after a long moment, staring up at what was clearly a building of religious meanings. The blonde entered through the door, carefully walking in. If there was any explanation as to the darkness she could feel, then perhaps this place would.
"Oh, hello," The cleric at the front waved his hand in greeting, taking note of her. "How may I help you?"
Samus noticed he was dressed in a much more primitive fashion than she would have expected. She wondered what world this actually was.
"I'm not from around here," Samus took a cautious walk forward, her left hand cautiously reaching for her blaster as instinct. "I'm wondering what's going on here."
"Going on?" The cleric asked. "What do you mean?"
"There's this odd feeling I have right now," Samus looked at him. "And, I don't know why."
"Well, perhaps you've been referring to the dark mist that's coming down from the mountain," The cleric said. "It's said that underneath the mountain there's a palace of darkness that holds an ancient evil. But, it's been like that ever since the evil was sealed. Perhaps you aren't used to it because you aren't from here. Where are you from, miss? Your clothing doesn't resemble anything I've seen in my travels."
"It's… quite the way from here," Samus shrugged; it was accurate at least, being several planets away.
"Well, I shall help you to the best of my abilities. Will you be staying long?"
"I suppose it will be some time, yes."
"Well, then I shall have my assistant help you out. She's a bit too friendly at times, but I'm sure she can help you get to know this place better while you're here."
"Where is your assistant?"
"Yo, pops, I got the stuff!" The chipper voice called out, Samus' hear turning to see a pink haired girl about her height and presumably her age as well. She was dressed in what Samus would say were forest clothes from a game she once played while she was bored from travelling. Her hair rested neatly on her shoulders, but was messy everywhere else. Under her arms, struggling heavily, were two giant creatures that reminded Samus of chickens her family would sometimes raise back on K-2L. They were ornery little creatures, but they did taste good. On her hands she had brown, fingerless gloves, though that probably helped when holding the chickens.
"Linkle, dear, please refer to me as 'father'," The cleric sighed. "It makes the people around here think you have at least some level of understanding of your job here."
"Got it. So, who's the one in the skintight outfit," The pinkette asked, tilting her head as her semi-curly locks fell to the side. "I'll bet that feels great to wear."
"I quite like it," Samus replied, stepping closer to the girl. "Are you supposed to be my guide?"
"Guide?" Linkle looked at the cleric, who nodded.
"Linkle, you're going to guide this young lady and show her the place while she is here."
"But, why?! I was gonna go catch a Faerie!"
"Why would you need a Faerie? Those poor creatures should be left alone. It's bad enough poachers are catching them to sell their wings and make them into potions."
"Well, I'm just gonna catch it and make it show me a treasure."
"Treasure?" The bounty hunter's ears perked up slightly. Treasure hunts were always something she took an interest in.
"Yeah, if you catch a Faerie, they show you treasure."
"Interesting. Are these creatures harmed?"
"Not if you catch them in a butterfly net."
"Okay. I wouldn't want to harm a poor creature. I've seen it happen before."
"We don't hurt them, we just use them to look for treasure. They help us and then we let them go. If they don't know where treasure is, we let them go then too."
"Well, I suppose while I wait for my ship to be repaired, I can embark on this adventure."
"You have a ship!?" Linkle gained a sparkle in her eyes. "Is it a giant sailing ship!?"
"Sort of…" Samus shrugged. "We'll have to wait until it's repaired for you to see it. But, I can let you see it once it's fixed. The less people that see it the better."
"I'll hold you to that," Linkle dropped the 'chickens' on the ground, the creatures walking around.
"These chickens are large," Samus glanced at them. "Much bigger than I'm used to seeing."
"What's a chicken?" Linkle asked. "These are Cucco."
"I don't know what that means," Samus glanced at one of the 'Cucco' that was standing close to her leg. She didn't really feel like making it go away, but if it was going to be a problem, a swift kick would solve it. She thought it best not to use her armor unless the need was great. This place didn't seem too technologically advanced anyway. The less from her arsenal they saw, the better for her. Something was on this planet, having damaged her ship, and she was going to find it.
"A Cucco is these guys." Linkle nudged the one closest to her with her boot. "Don't piss 'em off or they'll turn really hostile. Very little can withstand that sort of attack."
"Noted," Samus moved away from the Cucco, following the pinkette out of the sanctuary.
"I gotta tend to the graves really quick," Linkle looked over her shoulder. "But after that, we're gonna explore the place."
"I wouldn't mind that. Would be nice to learn the lay of this new land."
"Where are you from anyway?"
"Far away. What's this place anyway?"
"You've never heard of Hyrule? It's like the most well-known kingdom in this world. People come from all around to see it and to see the legends of the Triforce and the goddesses."
"Triforce?"
"It's like the ultimate power that created this world. It's hidden somewhere in this land, but no one's been able to see it. It's something I've always wanted to see, but they say it only appears to the one who's worthy. Only pops thinks I'd have any of that sort of worthiness."
"I think you'd do fine," Samus followed close behind, moving her hair behind her ear so it would stop going in her eye. "I mean, you seem like you're a good kid."
"Kid?! I'm seventeen! I ain't no kid!"
"That's how old I am. It seems we have more in common than just a hair color."
"You're underestimating me!" Linkle shouted, turning around and jumping at Samus. "Underestimate this!"
Samus leaned back, grabbing her by the wrists and effortlessly pinning her to the ground. Linkle struggled, but Samus, even without her armor, was too much for her.
"Hey, uh, can you get off of me?" Linkle gave a nervous laugh. "People are gonna get the wrong idea if they see us. They already think I'm some weird fairy girl who hangs out in the woods."
"Apologies," Samus stood up, the sheepish blush on the pinkette's face starting to face as she rubbed the back of her head.
"H-How are you so strong?" Linkle pouted in a quite childish way. "You took me down like it was nothing."
"My physical strength has less to do with it than my technique. You're clumsy and I took advantage of that. My life has been shaped through combat and self-defense. I've had to face monsters that could eat you for a snack and then move on to something capable of draining your life. You just need to work on your technique a bit. I… I could teach you a few things."
"You'd do that?"
"Think of it as payment for you being my guide. Speaking of payment, what sort of currency do people take here?"
"Rupees. You're definitely not from around here. Pretty much everyone uses Rupees. That's the universal currency."
"I suppose I'll have to find some. I wasn't carrying anything of the currency sort with me." Of course, that was a lie, but her currency was in Galactic Credits, which most likely wouldn't work there. She didn't know what the exchange rate was or even if they'd change over. She didn't want to borrow too many from Linkle, since she was her guide and all.
"Oh, don't worry, they're literally everywhere," Linkle walked over to a tuft of grass, kicking it. The grass moved as several gems popped out, two red ones and a blue one. "Looks like you got forty five Rupees,"
"I couldn't take those from you," Samus began to protest as Linkle tossed them over.
"I told you, they're literally everywhere," Linkle waved it off. "Besides, forty five isn't a whole lot, but there's places to win more."
"Win more?"
"Yeah. I'm gonna tend to the graves. Once we're done, I'll show you a place to get some more as well as a great place to eat."
"I could help you."
"Do you know how to tend to graves?"
"If you told me how, I suppose I could."
"Fair enough. Fine. Anyway, I gotta question for you that I couldn't ask with pops present."
"Ask away," Samus crossed her arms as Linkle stood up from gathering the Rupees.
"Where did you get that outfit?" Linkle asked. "I mean, I kinda want an outfit that shows off my curves like that. Plus, it looks like something Sheikah made."
"I don't know what a Sheikah is, but my outfit here and my other clothing was given to me by my father when I was a little girl, along with these feathers. He also taught me how to fight."
"He sounds pretty cool."
"He was."
"Was?"
"Another time. We need to learn about tending to these graves so that we may find food. I am getting hungry."
"Ah, well, I'll teach you quick so we can eat. I was starving too, but I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want pops mad at me."
"It seems like that happens often."
"Pops is the only person who doesn't get mad for no reason." There was a certain sadness to the cleric's voice.
"Care to elaborate?"
"Another time," Linkle gave a wink and held up a finger. "I get my secrets too. We just met, remember. Can't be spilling all my secrets."
"Sure thing, Linkle," Samus put her arms behind her head, stretching a bit before following the pinkette. They made it to the gravestones, Linkle looking back and forth before pushing hard on one. It gave way, revealing a staircase, a cavern lit with torches. Samus figured she would be fine. The Chozo had taught her to see in the dark as one of their trainings.
"I don't think this is how graves are tended," Samus piped up, hand resting over her blaster.
"It is here. We gotta go into this cavern and make sure the evil air hasn't awoken the dead within. Don't worry, it's well-lit with torches"
"I see. Well, what do you do if it has?"
"Well, we gotta kill 'em again, obviously," Linkle said with a grin. "Duh."
"You seem quite enthusiastic about that."
"I get to learn how to fight and it doesn't hurt anyone." Linkle's sigh was quite evident. "That's a great way to learn."
"I will help."
Two skeletons, flesh rotting off of their bones, walked forward, lurching toward the two teenagers. Linkle pulled out her dagger, but before she could, two beams of light shot from behind her, the Hylian turning to see Samus putting her blaster back into its holder.
"It would seem I could learn here as well."
"If only I had a real weapon. Pops doesn't let me mess with the other weapons because he's worried I'd hurt myself. I so wouldn't."
"Well, for right now, let's just get out of here and kill these dead."
The two moved through the corridor, taking out skeletons. Walking toward them, two skeletal figures stalked forward. These two had skin, but it clung to their bones, looking like a rotten tan shade. Their eyes were sunken, ghostly, and hollow, seeming as if they could suck one's soul from their body.
The creatures screamed, forcing the two to freeze, a chill preventing them from moving. They were frozen as the two walked toward them, getting closer.
Samus began to regain movement before Linkle, grabbing her pistol and charging it before firing into the head of one, destroying it as it fell to the ground, strange black ooze seeping out from it. She was about to aim at the other when it screamed again. She froze once again, but seemed to be able to move quicker.
By this time, Linkle had regained her movement, slashing toward it with her dagger. Its head fell off, the same ooze leaking from it.
"Thanks, partner," Linkle shook the taller teen's hand, grinning. "Couldn'ta done it without 'cha."
"It was nothing. You helped too. Now, let's continue to explore this place."
"I haven't ever gone this far in. Usually, it's about making sure they aren't trying to break the tombstones themselves. But, now, we'll look through the rest of it. I've heard there's some good loot in this place."
"This is a tomb."
"With some ancient good loot. I'd love to get something cool to take. Not to steal, but something to have that looks cool."
"We'll see what we have to use," Samus nodded. She looked at her left hand, glancing at the symbol; her armor was nearly finished recharging, giving her nearly an advantage.
Linkle, on the other hand, kept clenching and unclenching her left fist, looking at the back of her hand.
"You okay?" Samus asked. "You seem fidgety."
"My hand is reacting to something here. It normally doesn't when I'm in here."
"Let me see," Samus said, reaching for Linkle's hand. "I'll just have to take a look at the hand under the glove to see."
"No, it's okay," Linkle moved her hand from Samus' line of vision.
"Let me see it," Samus said a little more firmly. Linkle considered resisting more, but relented, moving her hand where Samus could see it. Samus took the glove off, looking at the symbol on it. It was a triangle with three smaller triangles inside of it. The triangle closest to the pinkette's thumb was more of a golden yellow where the other two were a dull, nearly invisible yellow. The golden triangle was glowing slightly as they got closer, pulsing.
"That's pretty cool," Samus said.
"You say that because you don't have a cursed mark," Linkle muttered, putting her glove back on.
"You see this on my left hand?" Samus held her left hand out to Linkle, showing her the mark on the back of her hand. "It's grafted into my skin as well. It's how I was able to survive on my home turf. My father, my secondary father and the others in my tribe had to do it so I would survive."
"Secondary father?"
"He was also like a father to me. There was no relation between the two, but they both raised me together. One of these feathers belongs to each of my fathers. But, worry not. I don't care about your mark. It's destiny or something."
"What?"
"My father always told me that this mark I have on me was a mark that meant "destiny". It's something that your mark may have as well."
"You think it's cool?" Linkle felt her face heat up. "Pops always told me to hide it."
"Of course. And, so are you. Now, let's make it to the end of this so we can tend to this grave. Your father probably knows more about it than he lets on anyway."
"I think we're almost to the end of it," Linkle pointed to the light that was in front of them. It wasn't a bright light, but it certainly wasn't a dim one either. Either way, it wasn't becoming of a tomb, seeming almost magical in nature.
An almost heavenly light shone down on what looked like a coffin with a strange symbol on it. The two stared at it, both marveling.
"I've never seen this here before," Linkle put a hand out to touch it. It's such a strange coffin, full of strength and power. I can tell someone powerful was buried in this and they built this tomb to guard them."
"We shouldn't disturb someone's grave, Linkle."
"Of course. But, I wonder who this is…"
Almost as if by magic, the lid of the coffin moved over, sliding off to reveal a skeleton, power burning in its bones. It seemed stronger than the other skeletons. Clutched in its hands were two crossbows that seemed to possess Faerie's magic.
"Such cool crossbows… Just wanna touch 'em…"
"Linkle, no. It could be a trap."
"Nah, it ain't."
As Linkle reached to feel the crossbows, the skeleton began to glow, a dangerous red glow in its eyes. It looked at the two teens, holding the crossbows.
"Who has dared to disturb my slumber?!" The skeleton's voice was raspy, yet still commanding. Both teens nearly snapped to attention as the skeleton looked directly at them.
"So, it is you two. Has the evil air coming down from the mountain corrupted these fair lands?"
"It's not been doing much," Linkle chimed in. "It's only making these dead come to life."
"Then, it has gone on far too long. You must take up my task."
"Why can't you take it up?" Samus asked.
"I cannot leave the sacred tomb in which I was buried. The goddesses instructed me to only awake to bring the one who awoke me to their destiny. I was never told there would be two."
"Yep, there's two of us," Linkle leaned on Samus, who seemed quite confused at the gesture. "And, we'll be needing whatever you have to give us."
"If you feel the truest confidence in yourself. Then, I shall not say no. The goddess needs heroes. Be warned, heroines, that this will not be easy. But, if you defeat me, you may take my weapons for your own use as well as the first key to the Power."
"What's the Power?" Both teens asked.
"The Power is something passed down and hidden in the Lost Woods," The skeleton pointed at the wall, the direction of the Lost Woods. "It is something the people of Hyrule have forgotten to time. But, the Sheikah were preparing ways to master this power and discover it. One of the ways is in the Shadow Temple within Kakariko Village. Discover it to aid you in finding it if you can defeat me."
"We will defeat you here," Samus aimed at the skeleton's eye, letting a blaster shot loose to hit the skeleton. However, even faster than she had drawn her blaster, the skeleton drew his crossbow, the bolt intercepting the shot from the bounty hunter.
"You will need more than fancy weaponry to defeat me. I have been here for hundreds of years, prepared to test those who stumble in here to steal the secrets of this place. But, we will not be here long. Strike me within a minute or I shall defeat both of you."
The two prepared, Linkle with her dagger and Samus with her blaster.
"Get ready," Samus nodded to Linkle, the pinkette tilting her head as Samus charged up her shot. She shot once again at the skeleton, Linkle watching as the skeleton intercepted it once again with the bolt from the crossbow. This time, Linkle ducked down, slicing at the skeleton's ribs. The skeleton was hit, stepping back as there was a visible crack.
"It seems you two are more than capable of working as a team. While I am not defeated, the fact that you could strike me tells me that you have capability. When next we meet, I will not go so easy. Worry not, we shall meet again. But, I shall not meet you in hatred. We are of the same kind, Linkle."
"How did you know my name?" Linkle demanded, stepping forward.
The skeleton said nothing, turning to dust, a green fire burning away at it. The crossbows dropped to the ground, glowing slightly as the two looked at them.
"So… do we keep them?"
"You can keep them, Linkle. I'm no good with weapons like that. They're quite awkward to hold when I'm not wearing my armor and they're quite useless when I am wearing it."
"You have armor? Can I see it?"
"It's got to regain energy from me last using it. When I arrived here, I damaged it and it needs to heal itself."
"That sounds interesting. I wanna see it."
"It shouldn't be too much longer. But, before that, let's get out of here. Your father's probably wondering where you are."
"Oh, crap!" Linkle ran a hand through her hair in shock, grabbing the crossbows and running back through the way they came. Since it was a straight walk, she had no trouble reaching the entrance, the blonde right on her heels.
"Linkle, what were you doing in that grave?" The cleric asked, watching Linkle exit the grave with Samus. "I've told you that isn't what you're supposed to do when tending to the graves."
"You said this is how it's done," Samus said.
"I, uh, kinda may have fudged the truth on that one," Linkle laughed nervously, twirling her hair a bit with a finger. "Uh, no hard feelings?"
"Look, I didn't die, so I guess it's no big deal."
"What did you two do in there?"
"We beat up a skeleton."
"You mean we broke his ribs a bit. He probably could have taken both of us at the same time if he were trying."
"Well, in any case, let's just move the stone back."
"Why would you have such a strange crypt anyway?" Samus asked as they pushed the stone back into its resting place.
"That is a story that is a bit difficult to tell," The cleric looked down at the crossbows in Linkle's hand. "But, I see you have learned of the secret of the crypt. What were you told by the guardian of the bows?"
"He told us that we should head to the Shadow Temple in Kakariko Village."
"I… I see. Well, child, all I can do is offer you one thing to aid you on your journey."
"You're just letting me go, old man?" Linkle grew suspicious at this.
"If you have opened the crypt and been told to embark on such a dangerous quest, then it would appear that you have to embark. It is your destiny after all."
"My… My destiny?"
"Yes, child. It is the destiny brought before you when your mother first brought you here to me."
"You mean, you're not my dad?"
"I thought I told you that."
"You always insisted that I call you 'father' or whatever. How was I supposed to pick it up from that?!"
"Linkle, that's a term that is used to refer to a cleric such as myself. I was trying to teach you at least one respectful thing so that people would believe you were more mature than they first believed. I love you as my own daughter, but I took no part in your birth."
"This is so much to take in," The pinkette clasped her head, groaning as she sank to the ground. "First, I have a destiny, then I have a dead mother, then you're not my real old man…"
"I never said your mother was dead," The cleric put a hand on Linkle's shoulder, tilting her chin to look at him. "I simply said she brought you to me. Now, how about you take your new friend and show her Kakariko Village while you explore that temple."
"You're just letting me go?"
"I tried to prevent your destiny once," The cleric sighed heavily. "I couldn't prevent it then and I am unable to prevent it now. I knew there would come a day when you would need to fulfil such a destiny."
"Does this have to do with my mark on my hand?" Linkle removed her glove to show the triangle mark.
"That is the symbol of your destiny, my child. If you can succeed in your quest to visit the temple in Kakariko Village, then I will tell you everything I know."
"I… I suppose I'll have to live with that for now," Linkle put her glove back on. "You've never broken a promise with me yet."
"Be strong, Linkle," The cleric took her in a firm hug. "You will need to keep your wits about you."
"I… I will," Linkle returned the hug, holding the one man she had ever called father.
"I'll always be here if you need to rest, my child."
"I'll always come back if I need to."
Samus stood off to the side, watching the events unfold. She knew exactly how the pinkette was feeling. It wasn't a whole long time ago when she'd watched her own father sacrifice himself to stop a tyrannical machine and save her life. She instinctively reached up to feel the feathers in her hair, stroking them gently.
"Pops?"
"Yes, Linkle?"
"What does this mark signify?"
"This symbol is the symbol of the Triforce, child, though you know that already. When the mark of the Triforce appears on a person, it means that person has a legendary destiny. You are one of many such people throughout history. I will tell you more when you return from your quest. Be safe, my child."
"No promises, pops."
"That's my girl," The choked sob came from the cleric as Linkle stood up, taking the crossbows in her hands, looking at them.
"I'll do what I can to fulfill this destiny or whatever. I'll get people to see I can do something."
"It matters not what others think. Your destiny is your own whether they agree or not. But, be wary. As you are awakening to your destiny, surely the forces of darkness are awakening as well. You would do best to be very careful so that you do not get into more trouble than you can get out of."
"Again, no promises, pops," Linkle turned to leave the church. "You comin', Samus?"
"Right behind you," Samus casually followed her out, the two now adventurers leaving the cleric to his own devices. When they were out of sight and he had shut the doors, he walked to the altar at the front of the church, kneeling down. He did this often, but this time was especially a time where he felt he needed to pray.
"Goddess and the goddesses that flank her," His prayer was earnest, from the heart. "I pray with all my heart and soul that you watch over Linkle and her ally. Give them courage to face the horrors they will undoubtedly encounter. I pray that this reaches you in good favor and that you will listen to the prayer of a humble servant…"
Oh my god, it's been a while since I've worked on this one and there are several reasons that aren't tied to laziness. The first was how I would get as many characters as I had planned together. In total, there's about eight characters that are supposed to be together here. But, things are definitely coming together differently than I originally had planned. For starters, Linkle wasn't in my original idea (I'd forgotten about her) and I had only a stupid way for Ruby (and possibly Yang) to appear (I did say this involved RWBY remember). But, I have since altered those ideas. For starters, this is now going to revolve around two separate stories that are linked together. As for how, well, I'll let you guys figure it out. But, I do have plans for this, as well as who I plan to be in each story. Not sure if the next chapter will be about the Skyla/Lucinda crew or this one, but I'm definitely looking forward to the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy.