PART FIVE - THE WILD HORSE CHASE
A knock sounded on the door. Link rolled over his bed, snoring. The knock returned more persistent. Link took his pillow over his head stubbornly. Then the door thudded with a pound that only came from the flat palm. Link kicked back his blanket with a curse.
Yesterday had him so enervated that he didn't even eat his dinner. The room in the inn was lit with a slice of the sun peeking from the curtains of his window.
He rubbed the back of his neck. Those silver bastards wouldn't stop chasing him. It took hours to lose them and another hour to come back to the inn. He snuck into his room, drained from everything that had happened, visiting that crooked merchant noble, spending hours wandering out the outskirts of the village, ambushed by an army of monsters, and then chased around.
His stomach groaned as he went over to check the window. The sight of the sun halfway across the sky shocked him. He slept that much? By now, someone would've come by to clean his room.
On cue, the strenuous knock rattled the door.
"I'm coming!" he barked, storming to the door. "Can't let a bastard sleep? What with you—" He opened the door and yelped, slamming it back shut. The sword still got through the wood, inches away from his nose. Outside, the men shouted angrily and Link locked the door, stumbling back just as the sword slid back to the other side.
He swooped over to grab his sword that was leaning on the wall, then stashed up some of the complementary fruits that come with the inn all the while mentally kicking himself.
Shit, shit, I'm such an idiot!
How did he think it was a great idea to come back to an inn that was owned by the company? That was like depositing money in the bank you've just robbed.
"Come out, you little shit!" one of them yelled, and the wood creaked and groaned with every pound.
Link glanced back at the door with panicked irritation. They wouldn't have known he was in this inn but someone must've told on him as soon as they learned that he was on the naughty list.
I just punched a guy in the face!
And that was a big deal here. They guard their peace here seriously since it kept them on good grace with the villagers.
Link tried to get the window opened but it was stuck in place. The glass was tough too. He didn't have the chance to consider his other options by the time the door broke off its hinges to reveal three figures standing outside. At the far back was the innkeeper with his arms crossed.
Link let out a long breath. The numbers weren't favorable, not in these close quarters.
"Just come along quietly, lad," the man in the front said sternly. "You really want to cause trouble?"
Ever since he came here, he'd been straining to be on his good behavior. At the sight of three armed men, Link couldn't help but grin truculently. "Cause trouble?" He took out his hookshot. "Man, I am trouble!"
The innkeeper cried out as the metallic grip of the hookshot latched onto his shoulder. The mercenaries gave out startled yelps as Link flew passed them, straight into the old innkeeper. He pulled back his hookshot before he could slam into the man.
The quiet brunch downstairs came to a halt when a young man in green leapt over the stairs. He toppled chairs and tables to slow down his pursers. This upheaval had the guests getting up from their chairs, but some of them weren't just going to run away. A few had drawn out silver swords of their own. A couple blocked the door. Shit.
Link had to stop, turning back to see his earlier pursers getting close. The woman at front swung over the turned table, hopping from chair to another. Link threw a bomb and she ducked just as he hoped. The hissing item rolled to a stop right at the counter, in front of all the colorful bottles that stood rows over rows in perfect lines.
Link took out his shield and ducked. The woman saw what he had done and cursed, throwing herself down behind a table. Everyone else did the same. A tremendous powerful sound rung his ears, and glass screamed above their heads. The air bloomed of a thousand scents, liquor splattered everywhere.
Villagers rushed up to the door in frenzy chaos, and the swordsmen guarding it found themselves thrown into a wave of panic. Link grinned and stood up, flipping up a table when the same woman lunged forward with a sword. She cut through the table easily but didn't anticipate Link's fist. By the time she could register what happened, she was on the ground, groaning.
Link turned to find the door clogged with people. There was enough chaos to fill the bar with screams and cries. He felt someone at his back and ducked, a blade swung just over his head. Link backed away from a nasty looking man, tattoos crawling up his neck, one eye white and the other blue with belligerence. The silver earring dangled and sparkled.
The silver sword the man held was a beautiful cut, and in another time, Link would've seen it flawless, immaculate, impossible to emulate. Right next to the Master Sword, that silver blade will look nothing but a butter knife. Link itched to bring it out, to show real trouble, but restraint himself.
The man's eyes narrowed as he changed the grip of his sword, bringing it down. Link recoiled, and twisted out of the way from another swordsman who tried to stab him. At just the right moment, he raised up his sword and knocked that sword right off the man's hands.
And that gave Link enough time to throw a bomb to one of the windows. Villagers cried out. The mercenaries stopped and threw themselves behind tables. Link ran out, raising his shield and felt glass pounded into it. He jumped right out, ecstatic, frantic.
What a way to kick off the morning.
When he finally lost them, he draped himself in a clock, replacing his green cap with a hood. Despite the added fabric under this blistering day, the grin never left his face. Okay sure, he pissed off a lot of people but they really had it coming. Being so civilized all the time, dealing with ritzy nobles and arrogant 'officers' was enough to have anyone do what he just did.
It did explain a lot of why he never stayed around villages for so long. The people would band together under mutual agreement, purchase some pitch forks and hunt him down. If they didn't try to kill him first, they'd show him the way out the gate with shackles and colorful compliments about his existence. Thinking about it gave him flashbacks of Ordon.
Link sighed. There was nothing left in Dethal for him. The horse was gone for good this time, and all because of a greedy noble.
With that steaming in his mind, he walked towards the more deserted areas, not surprised to see streets long empty and buildings abandoned. People tended to congregate to areas with mercenaries. So all these shops, these businesses that were far away from them, had to be closed.
He could see several yard away the twisting path that led up to one of the mountains. It was narrow and rocky, crawling up the length of the mountain and disappearing inside of the woods. Henrick's manor should be somewhere up there. Link sighed out. Without a horse, he was left to find his fairy. He won't hear the end of it but she'll come up with a better plan than he ever could.
At least this pointless sleuth was finally at an end. He might decide to buy a horse this time, one that could actually listen to him.
Where could that sprit be though?
Is she still with that woman?
He raised his hands over his eyes as he glanced at the sky. If he doesn't find her soon, he'll need to find a place to sleep in.
Dammit. This is tiresome.
He looked at the pathway again, the one that lead up to the mountain. What a trouble that ended up for him. If only he…
Link stopped and shaded his eyes to see someone running down the road. The light bounced off sharp metal yielded by men with silver earrings. This time they weren't after him. Link widened his eyes and was running now, using his hookshot to leap over wide spaces. By the time he reached the landing point of the road, he saw a small fairy fighting the men off with a measly hammer. It wasn't enough. One of the men had cornered a tall woman who was cladded in a cloak.
Katie glowed into a sharp color when she saw him. "Link!"
Link took out his hookshot and brought the woman to him before her purser could take her head. She cried out when she was thrown back into one of his arm, the other hand pulled back the hookshot.
At once he smelled a floral perfume mixed with swear. He grinned when he saw a lovely pair of honey eyes staring back at him. "Need a hand?" he asked coly.
She stared at him, really stared at him, with large amber eyes, full lips, fiery hair that hadn't been brushed in a while. He pushed her behind as Katie quickly took her place on his shoulder. It's been so long since he'd seen her that he just had to smile.
"I could see you've been having your own adventure," he said.
Katie was flickering into several colors but a great blooming relief silenced them. "I'll tell you about it later. Deal with them first! These stupid dummies have been chasing us all morning!" She fluttered up and down, glitters hissing out of her red orb. "Give them a real beating!"
"Stay out of this, kid," one of the swordsmen told him gruffly, eyes beady and dark with a reddish beard growing in two prongs. "Just turn around and head back to town."
Link chuckled as he took off his cloak and let it fall. "Three men against one lady?" he tusked and shook his head with a long, dismayed sigh. "Is there no gentlemen left in this world?"
"I'm not laughing, son," the red-bearded man said seriously. "I don't want to cut you down."
"I'm not your son," Link sneered. He reached back and slowly brought out the Master Sword, thriving shriveled confidence of the men as their faces suddenly went pale. The woman gasped. Katie giggled. "I'll be the one cutting you all down unless you get out of my face."
Two of the men muttered among themselves. Though the front one wasn't as stunned, only surprised. He stepped forward just as Link did and the two clashed swords. Great sparks flew off the blades as if a bucket of molten had been poured. Just like it had been weeks ago, the Master Sword once again faced off another thinner but fine silver sword.
The man wasn't as lithe as Banard, not dancing with his feet, but he did hold a strong ground. Unfortunately for him, Link was younger, faster and crazed with excitement.
"You aren't the first silver bastard I take down," Link said as he met the silver metal once again with a bluish and thicker one. "And you won't be the last."
The man stumbled back after he tried to block the attack. The other two stepped up but the man regained his balance and waved them off with a gesture. He looked at Link. "Are you Link?"
"Uh huh."
"The one from the arena?"
"Yup."
"The same guy from the Zoras."
"Yeah. You want to fight or just keep gawking like that?"
The man wasn't gawking, only staring at Link, possibly contemplating if this was a good idea. He made his mind up by lunging out. Link found that the man wasn't nearly as experienced and deadly as Banard. He let the man swing and stepped back from it and then quickly—before the man had the chance to recover—rushed forward into his space and slammed his forehead against his. The man staggered back and Link brought him down with a powerful kick.
When the mercenary tried to bring his sword up weakly, Link grabbed the wrist and twisted it, bones crackled just beneath and the man cried, dropping the sword. Link kicked him back down again and he didn't get up this time. No, he wasn't on Banard's league. Chasing down a defenseless woman didn't take much for anyone.
The remaining swordsmen went still for a moment before moving for their leader. One of them shot a rueful look at Link. "We'll be back," he promised. They helped their friend up, one arm looped over each of their necks, and carried him off.
Link put back his sword, and wore his cloak before addressing the fairy. The heat had him panting."So want to tell me where've you been this whole time?"
"I'll get to that later." She then glowed warmly as she moved over to the woman's side. "First, this is my friend Ophila. Ophila, this is Link."
Link waved at the woman, giving her his best charming smile. Before he could say anything, Katie glowered at him.
"She's my friend. Don't you start flirting with her!"
The woman seemed to have snapped out from her reverie, as she had been staring at him for a while. She chuckled softly. "No need for that. I'm sure he'll restrain himself." She gave Link a knowing smile, one that sent a delightful shiver up his back. "Won't you?"
Link crossed his arms. "Well, I'd need a reward for helping you out, won't I?"
The redheaded woman placed a hand to her chest. "And here I thought you were a gentleman."
"I just said there aren't any gentlemen left in this world." His grin broadened. Damn, so this was Katie's company the whole time? He was jealous. "So you two were together and just left me on my own?"
Katie's color went sharp. "I can't believe I forgot. Link, there's no time to explain!" Her urgent voice took away his ardor. "There's a commander here!"
Link felt his blood turn to ice. "What?"
There was no time to talk. He could hear silver mercenaries barking out in anger. The woman, Ophila, cursed. "This way. Stay close and stay quiet."
Seeing the numbers gave Link pause. All those silver swords could use a real beating.
"Link," Katie said warningly.
Link sighed. This fairy was getting a little too good at reading him. Oh well. Another time.
o-o-o-o
Apparently, Katie hadn't known of Henrick's fate until just yesterday when her and Ophila discovered his manor. Katie wanted to go to him promptly after discovering about the commander but Ophila convinced her to wait, which was good of her since silver mercenaries had come by looking for them, forcing the pair to hide in a cave. Thomasine, the commander, was the reason behind the power struggle of the company.
The three of them were now cramped in a small shed just near an empty inn. It's been an hour since they heard another of the silver mercenaries.
Link finally traded his part of the story was pretty offended at how shocked Katie was that he had dedicated his time hunting for Epona.
"Whoa, really?"
"Yes," he said stiffly. "I wasn't just sitting on my ass the whole time. You have any idea the shit I had to go through?"
But she wasn't interested in the details. "Where is she?"
"Lost. For real this time."
Katie's color dimmed. Ophila gave her a smile in sympathy. Link leaned back against the wall, one knee brought up to his chest and the other lay out. The woman and the fairy were opposite of him.
Link sighed. "So we got another commander," he said with irritated dismay, "that's trying to run the company. He killed the leader and then Henrick who was some patron—"
"A very powerful patron," Ophila stressed. When Link gave no interest, her eyes narrowed. "I don't think you understand just how dire this situation is for you."
He rolled his eyes. "What's the big deal? So this guy wants to take over the arena."
"It's not any arena, Link," Katie said irritably.
"This arena is one of the power sources of the company. The recruitment," Ophila said, locking eyes with him. "That's what makes it so powerful. It is a place where the company adds more arms to its strength, a place where it expands. They collect the most skillful of the batch and displace them in the other headquarters of the company. If Thomasine gets control of this place, then he has the key to the company. All he needs to do now is take down the patrons and all the loyalists with it."
Link hummed in thought. "Then he won't be after me if that's the case."
"What do you mean?" Katie was starting to glow red. "The whole reason these commanders even exist—"
"He doesn't have any power," Link said, amused. "That's why he's trying to take over the company. He needs extra hands. This isn't going to be like Mathilda or even Louis. This guy'll be different."
"Well, he is a dwarf," Ophila pointed out.
Link laughed in surprise. "Wait, really? Charles hired out an imp?"
"Do not underestimate him," Ophila said sharply. "That's what Henrick did and how did that go for him?"
"Not very well last I checked," Link said and gave her a pointed look. "I'm not your Henrick, darling."
"Link, Thomasine is dangerous!" Katie exclaimed.
"And I'm dangerous if he decides to move against me." He grinned. "So that's what had your wings bunched up? You wanted to run all the way so you could warn me? Aww, where you worried about me?"
Katie flushed but quickly reddened. "I know you'd get yourself into trouble if I leave you alone for too long!"
Link raised his hands. "Hey, I've been a good boy for a while…until yesterday and maybe this morning."
"Goddess, what did you do?"
Link counted on his fingers. "Punched a noble the other day, jerk was pissing me off. Trashed the whole inn—the one we've been staying in—and got a whole bunch of silver bastards chasing after me. Then I just fought one of them but that was both your faults, not mine this time." He crackled at their silence, and leaned back with his hands behind his head. "Yup, it's been a hell of a day for me."
Ophila managed a chuckle. "Well, aren't you just impetuous? You think the company will let you off now?"
Link scoffed at that. "I don't give a shit about them. Bunch of cutthroats dressed like soldiers."
Katie sighed in exasperation. "Okay, okay! Moving on now, we have to talk about what we're going to do. Oh, what are we going to do without Epona, Link? We came all this way for her…"
"We'll figure something out," he assured, and took out some apples for him and the lovely lady, along with a plate that he filled with water. They took his offerings generously and he could tell they've been on the run for some time.
Link took a small sip from Cett's special sake, thinking for a moment. He'll have a tougher time going around for sure. The company might start putting out his picture soon enough and with a nice number under it to attract interest. Helping this woman was going to raise that number.
"I hope I'm not an inconvenient," Ophil said slyly. Katie was quick to assure her that she wasn't anything but. Link, on the other hand, could see the mirthful glint in Ophila's eyes. This woman knew her game very, very well.
He pretended to think about it. "I'll be hunted down for this, thanks to you. Well, I'm already a wanted man. Maybe I should just turn you in to win back their favor."
"Link!" Katie cried, horrified.
Ophila acted hurt. "But if you did that they'd hurt me. Aren't you a gentleman?"
"There are no gentleman in this world, darling."
"Well," she said, her eyes a deep color of honey, "you could be an exception. You aren't like the other men."
Katie's color showed just how confused she was. She didn't know whether to be horrified, or angry. Link and Ophila laughed at her and she certainly wasn't happy about that. "What? What's so funny?"
Ophila just smiled, looking lovelier than the day. "Oh, Katie," she said full of sincerity, "please don't ever change."
"Tell me! What are you two laughing at?"
"Dammit, sprit!" Link placed a hand to his chest. "Why did you keep her away from me? I feel like I'm in love now."
"Link, you dummy, this isn't the time to joke around!" the fairy hissed. "There's a commander out there! You know, like Mathilda? Like Louis?"
"You think I could forget about Snake Bitch?" Link asked flatly. "Or that pathetic so-called King of Shadows?"
"Hopefully not because we're in their comrade's territory! Even if he doesn't take over the company, Thomasine would still have the same powers as her!"
"He might already have the company in his pockets," Ophila added in gravely. "It's only a matter of time."
"See? We have to leave!"
"I know," he said irritated. "What, you think I want to stay here longer?"
"And we have to help Ophila sneak out so she could go to Desmera!"
Ophila frowned. "Katie, I haven't decided."
"Wait, why's she going to Desmera?" Link asked.
Katie fluttered over to Ophila in a sharp color. "You said you'd leave this place if Henrick is dead! Please, Ophila, Desmera is a good place for you."
Link snorted. "They don't have any brothels last time I checked. Well, they did have one but it got raided long ago."
Ophila was looking at the fairy who swirled in many emotions. "Fine," the woman said at last. "I will go to Desmera."
Katie beamed. "Yes! Trust me, you don't regret it! Silas and Sophia are the best people ever. They'll love to have you around."
Ophila said nothing as her eyes went distant. He could probably guess what she was thinking about. Henrick, a low noble, was dead, finally out of her life. Now she had to go and be in service to another noble, one that was a bastard this time. He wondered how Silas would take it if she showed up. They may not take it too well to have to deal with another whore like their mother. Or maybe they would be. Silas was too kind and he would be delighted to help someone who was Katie's friend.
Link sighed. "They're good people over there," he said, snapping the woman from her thoughts. She looked at him as Katie splashed in her plate, oblivious. "You won't even need to keep your little 'past' a secret from them."
"Isn't the lordling over there a bastard?" she asked. "He doesn't have a strong hold to his name."
Link remembered that fearsome look in Silas, the way he looked like he was someone else and the way he commanded his people. "Oh, he does," he said. "He definitely does."
He shook his head as he got up, throwing away the core of his apple. "Time to skip town I guess."
"Shouldn't we wait until night?" Katie asked, rising from her plate.
Ophila shook her head. "It's tempting but it won't be safe here. This place isn't much of a secret. My friends—if I could still call them that—might sell me out for little more than a handful of rupees."
"Ouch," said Link.
"It is expected," she said with a sigh. "Silver mercenaries will comb this area soon enough."
Katie flickered into colors Link could recognize as sympathy, along with anger and grief. She did care a great deal for this woman. How strange was that. Once a upon a time, Katie couldn't stand the mere mention of Mad Frank but now she had a prostitute for a friend. Needless to say, he was pretty impressed. Who'd have thought of that?
He opened the door to let the woman go in first. She giggled. "My, and you say you aren't a gentleman?"
Link grinned. "Well, I do have my—" An arrow cut him off, piercing into the door inches from his head.
Link took out his shield and the Hylians ducked under it as they climbed up the stairs and into one of the corners. He could hear people speaking to each other and the sound of metal sliding out from their sheaths. Ophial was the very picture of calm; this was nothing new to her.
"They've brought help with them," she pointed out.
"Come out where we can see you!" someone shouted.
"Yeah, I can see that," Link replied casually, peeking out a bit and quickly withdrew when the archers fired. Arrows flew past him.
"Real help this time," the woman said gravely, looking at him sternly. Her eyes were hard amber. "These are the real blades."
The advent of the mercenaries had Katie fluttering over their heads in panic. Link understood and told them both to get out of here. There was an alleyway just a bit ahead to their right. If Link could distract the archers and create enough chaos, they should be able to get through just fine.
"I'm not leaving without you!" Katie said firmly.
"I'll be fine," he said, nodding to Ophila. "We'll meet outside the town. Wait for an opening first."
Link went out before Katie could protest. He quickly raised his hands up so the archer could see him. Link saw the little bastard was hiding in a low squared roof just across the street, his nocked arrow twinkled out like a star in the day.
"It's that brat from the arena," a buffy woman said, sword at hand. She glared at Link. "You should've played nice, kid."
"Come on, fellas and er ladies, can't we talk about this?" Link asked as he mentally did a headcount in his head.
Holy shit, they really went far out this time. Two archers across in the roofs across the street, maybe even more in the buildings at either sides of him, and roughly a dozen of swordfighters here with much more experience than the earlier ones. In some of them, he might find a challenge that matched Banard's.
It finally occurred to Link of the mighty thin ice that was treading on. He was in the big games now.
"I don't want to cause any trouble," Link said coolly. It was true for the most part. He was a survivor in the end and it was trouble like these that could get him killed.
"You've already caused trouble," someone sneered. "A hell of it! You really should've played nice, kid."
But then there was another part of Link, a wilder, untamed part that refused to be chained down by rules or logic. It was this part that made him excited, exulted when faced with the impossible.
"I just want to play," he said and then quickly brought out a bottle and threw it at the ground. This was something he nagged to Katie about and she finally gave in, the two of them then spent hours making it.
Immediately, the air was filled with smoke. The men and women cried. Link grinned and laughed. He took out his bow and fired several bomb arrows to the buildings opposite of them and heard the cries all around. He couldn't see anything but knew his aim hit its mark when slews of rocks crashed into the ground.
He felt someone behind him and moved. There was years of experience in him that made this smoke tolerable and made his body react before his mind could. A sword came for him blindly, cutting through the smoke. He twisted out of the way, surprising the owner by grabbing the wrist and punching her in the face.
The woman grunted as she fell back. Before the smoke could die, Link took out his sword. Its light thrilled him. It cut through the smoke as he saw swordsmen and women trying to figure their way out. They look like a bunch of headless chickens running away from a butcher.
Now this will be fun.
"Glad he convinced me to make those," Katie commented as they rushed out from their corner, past the oblivious mercenaries and straight to the right in the narrow alleyway.
"He is insane," Ophila uttered, climbing up from the barrels that were wedged between the walls. "Oh, Goddesses, the whole company will come after him, Katie! Men and women will hunt him down to the ends of the country for this!"
"It was bound to happen eventually," Katie said with a tired sigh. "I'm only surprised it didn't happen sooner." He really meant it when he said he held back.
Ophila only shook her head. They reached to the end of the alleyway, but Ophila stopped and pressed herself to the side. People passed by them with silver swords. She cursed. "They heard the noise," she whispered.
Now Katie was getting a little bit worried. She tried to convince herself these men were nothing compared to Link but there were more of them…all experienced like Banard…
"We have to help your friend," Ophila said lowly. "He'll get himself killed."
"But how?" Katie could use her hammer but she didn't want to leave Ophila alone.
"I have an idea," Ophila said as she waited for the coast to clear before going out. "Remember what I said about hiding away supplies in sheds? There's one next to us. It has a weapon."
"A weapon?"
"A gun."
Ophila led the way. Katie saw that they were going around the block on the other side. The woman stopped to a low, shaggy shed and started to work on the lock using her hairpins. Katie kept a watch out until finally the door creaked open. Ophila closed it behind herself once they were both inside and quickly she started to make a mess.
"It could distract them," she insisted. "Oh, where have I left it?"
Tins with leaves and papers, tapes, sewing kits, all were strewn on the ground. There were boxes unturned, showing bandages and potions that have long gone expired telling their grey color. Katie was worried the sound was going to cause attention.
"Will it still work?" Katie asked nervously. She wasn't fond of guns, not after knowing how much chaos they could cause, especially considering how Silas and Sophia lost their father.
"I don't know. Henrick was assertive that guns will be interpolated into warfare. I pray it doesn't come to that but he's rarely wrong." Ophila pulled a box out from the shelf, and rather than looking through it, she flipped the box upside down and searched the contents. The raucous cries of the battle made her frantic.
"Why didn't you take it with you?" Katie asked. "When those men were chasing you?"
Beads of sweat slid down the woman's face, causing her red hair to stick to the sides of her temple. "Because, my dear fairy, guns are for the rich to flaunt over. If I were seen with it, I'll have more than just mercenaries after me. And guns aren't very reliable."
"Then don't use it! What if it blows up on your face?" Katie heard that happening around. The guns were nascent to this world and were poorly underdeveloped. She couldn't understand why the rich insisted on buying it before it could be perfected. They wanted to show how much money they had. In the end the guns were just redundant, accessories.
There were more sounds out there, more explosion. What was that idiot up to now?
He has Nayru's blessing, she assured herself. He'll be fine.
But he would often forget about it, so confident in his skills that he saw no use for it until she reminded him in the last second. She should be with him right now.
Ophila brightened up. She had already scourged through half of the supplies that lay all around them in heaps. In one of the boxes, she now held out a heavy piece of metal and a small bag that held even smaller bits of metal that clinked like coins. "Yes, this is good."
Seeing it was unnerving. "Do you know to use it?"
"Once, when Henrick wanted to lavish the gun he bargained for." Ophila turned it to the side where a name was engraved on it. Her face darkened at the neat cursive writing, the maker of the gun.
Thomasine.
There was a shout outside.
"We must hurry," Ophila said, taking the gun by the mouth and snapped it down, splitting the gun down where there was small, intricate tube. She slid the beads of metal down the slot, fixed the gun back, and snapped the safety off. The weapon made a metallic click. "Let's go. Let's hope your friend didn't make too much of a mess."
Link created war.
These mercenaries have done mutiny, assassinations, they've acted as guards, as soldiers before deserting. And yet they could never anticipate something like this.
It was like being in the middle of a battlefield. Dust sprayed everywhere. People screamed. Panic. Chaos. Link loved it.
But now he ran out of bombs. The dust finally settled and he could see the result of his bombing spree. The buildings around them collapsed as if a giant sat over it. Debris slid to the side, covering up most of the road. Men and women lay motionless.
Link faced down a few of the mercenaries left, and knew it was time. He took out his sword and watched their muted face struck with awe. From the corner of his eyes, he caught a man going in quickly to one of the intact buildings with a bow at his back. Link knew he'll need to make this quick before more show up.
One of the mercenaries snapped out of his reverie and rushed out, lifting his sword in a wide arc. Link stepped back, then jerked to the side when another man tried to hit him from there. He parried one silver blade, the Master Sword beaming, causing the man to lose focus. That gave Link the chance to throw him back with a hard kick. The man went back, bumping his head hard against the wall. Link moved around quickly, sweat flying out from his brow, his sword clashed against another blade.
There was good thing about this fight: these men don't fight as one.
He could guess that they worked separately, but never as one, never in sync against an assault like this. The company had such a fearsome reputation that they never thought anyone would have the audacity to stand against them.
So it did make things a little easier for him. Link's Master Sword broke one of their blades when he hit at the right time. The end metal of the silver blade flew back, flipping in the air and clattered on the ground.
The man stared at his hilt dumbfounded. Link hit his head with the butt of his sword and stared down at two of the men. Link had taken down most of their numbers by surprise, but this was it now. They were out from their shock and more alert than ever now that they've seen what he was capable of.
He should be leaving by now. He should throw down another smoke bomb, he had another one left. Katie and Ophila have already made their escape and no doubt they were on their way out of town.
But Link couldn't leave. He couldn't get himself to leave.
He never felt more than a child than he did standing in front of these men. These were the ones he had dreamed of fighting, of destroying. He could never stand the thought of being anything less, no matter how young he was.
So he stayed to show them. To show the world what he was made of. If he can't beat them here, then Thomasine might as well kill him and be done with it.
"You know something, lad?" the man in the lead asked him in terrible calmness. "We were only going to take you in a little cell is all. Scare you a little bit. Get the rules pounded into your head. But now? You have any idea just how bad you messed up?"
Link snorted. "As if I care. You bastards can go rot in hell."
The man went at him with such ferocity that it startled Link. He saved himself at the last moment raising his sword but the man gave him a blow to the stomach. The air rushed from Link as he staggered back, raising his sword up in time. He brought his sword up, bringing his weight on it. The man fell for it and Link managed to get him to back off. This was a trick Banard had done on him. His experience with that silver prick taught him enough to watch out for deceptions.
This opponent showed clear skills with how adroit he was with his sword. It shined a powerful, bright silver like ivory. Link sensed someone trying to sneak up on him and he moved to the side, taking out his sword and blocked the attack. It was a heavy blow, one that vibrated his whole arm to the shoulder up to the teeth. Another blade swung and Link staggered back and moved once again when the first man thrust out. His sword pierced into the wall Link bounced away a split second ago.
Link managed to get back, putting in some distance between them. He went for the closest one, his sword trailing a long ribbon of blue light behind him. The man blocked the first attack, stepping back with each lash of the holy blade.
Then Link deceptively twitched his body to the right, the man followed it, and Link turned left, and was surprised by how quick the man was to react. He was an old geezer for sure but he still kept his sharpness. He dodged Link and that gave him the chance to backhand him.
Link whirled back, and the one behind him managed to get his sword to cut at Link's arm. Link didn't have time to consider the pain since another one exploded at the back of his mind. He dropped down to one knee, the world growing fuzzy around the corners.
The man who had spoken earlier grabbed his hair and raised a knee to his face. Link fell to the ground, his nose a squished tomato. He tried to lift his sword but someone planted a boot on the hilt, crushing the fingers. The man loomed over him, eyes dark. A sudden, deep chill ran across Link's body as he realized the man did not intent to kill him right away.
Rather, the blade plunged right at Link's stomach, pinning him at the ground. Seconds passed between the shock and then the ineffable reaction it caused.
"You're one hard headed, aren't ya?" the man said over Link's screams, ignoring the way he withered madly, his hands bleeding as he desperately tried to take off the sword. His scream raised in a pitch when the man twisted the blade with cold, merciless eyes. "You really thought you could take us all down?"
Elixir, Link thought numbly. Need one…now…
The Master Hand beamed and he felt its urgency, though he couldn't act on it. Pain screamed away his sanity. It had been a while since he felt anything like it.
"A shame, that. We could've made you better. You think I want to kill someone talented?" the man sighed as if he was disappointed. "Now this is the problem with young ones. Leave them alone long enough and they'd start to think—"
The man's head jerked forward, and like a heavy sack of meat, he fell down at once. Something had whizzed at his head and exited at the back of his skull. Link, shaking with tears down his face, turned up to see a bright fairy wielding a hammer, and she managed to knock out the stunned men before they could recover.
Another gunfire. Link heard it from far away. More footsteps. Through his blurry vision, he could see tall figures headed their way.
"Link! Link! Oh Goddesses, Link!"
The world was so fuzzy. He was bleeding out.
Should've…should've used…elixir…dammit.
"Link, the elixir! You have to drink it!" Katie cried.
Didn't he tell her to leave?
"Ophila, please, in his bag there's a potion. We worked so hard for it. It's the only powerful one left!"
More gunshots sounded. Someone fell over beside him, pulling out the silver sword from his stomach. He cried out, watching his blood leave his body in streams. He was dying. It had been so easy. So easy. They nailed his ass to the ground like it was nothing. If he had fought them head on without creating so much distraction, how long would that fight have lasted?
I didn't stand a chance.
Somehow that thought brought him awake. He'd been living on the top of the tower and someone kicked him from the back, plunging him down to the very bottom of the chain.
He was weak.
Energy began to fill in his veins. Ophila got him to drink the rest of the elixir and he saw with dread that it was the golden potion, the elixir as Link had called it. Silas had once told him that he had a better chance at getting struck by lightening twice than catching this particular beetle. But really you just needed patience. A lot of it.
It felt so unreal. One moment the world looked like it was fading out and the next thing he knew the colors were sharper than ever. The bleeding stopped. His strength returned.
"Wh-what?" he uttered, voice too thick. His mouth was filled with blood. He spat at the side. "What?"
"Link!" Katie cried. "You idiot!"
Ophila stood up, gun held in both hands. She had it pointed at the men who approached them and seeing the weapon in her hands and the bodies that lay at their feet, they stopped. The woman was a fool, but she looked very fine standing there, valorous against a swarm of dangerous men.
"You bitch!" a shorter man shouted and got a piece of metal for it. It went into his eye but didn't go further than that since he was still alive and screaming. The others hesitated.
"I wouldn't take one more step," she said calmly. At the side, Katie was watching over Link, turning blue and white. Link took in steady breaths, trying to get used to the heal up. It felt as if someone had him ride out a bull.
"I wouldn't fire that one again," the woman at the front said, wearing a bright blue suit. She didn't seem bothered by how many men had fallen. There was only a group of them left. "I know you don't have any more metal in that. You have any idea how bad you just made things for yourself?"
Ophila smiled. "You brought all these fine people because you were so afraid of him. That boy right there, you recognize the sword he has? Do you know what that is?"
"It's fake," the woman spat. "The fakest I've ever seen."
"Fake?" Link was laughing and he was finally able to stand up. The look on their faces was almost worth that terrible experience. Their eyes were bulging, the woman at the front spluttered to say something. Link was bruised, his nose a mess of blood, his tunic had a gaping hole across it. But the wound had closed up. The pain vanished from his nose and he could feel it fixing it up. He felt wild, more awake than ever.
"Are the hero?" the woman asked.
Link narrowed his eyes. "I'm no hero."
The woman laughed dryly. "So you're just a random bastard trying to fight us all to protect some whore? She your fair maiden, hero?"
Link lunged for her, shocking the woman and himself over how much of his strength had returned and more. The woman staggered back. Katie was quick to get to the others while Ophila reloaded. Link locked blades with the woman, moving fast with elixir-enhanced speed. The woman staggered again and Link was able to rush her, trying to shove her by the shoulder.
The woman held her own weight however and was able to shove Link right back. Her silver sword met a superior blade, and they locked together. She was close enough that he could smell her bitter breath.
"What's your game?" the woman gritted. "Why you fighting us?"
"I'm stronger than you," Link hissed, pressing harder, putting all his weight into his sword. "I'm stronger than all of you combined."
The woman grunted, irritated. "Is that so? You think you strong enough to save the kingdom?"
"I don't care about the kingdom," Link spat. "I don't care about anything. I only care about my dog."
The woman frowned slightly for only a short moment. Link saw something glinting from over the woman's shoulder, from across the street on one of the building. He quickly broke blades with the woman, twisting away so that his opponent was in front of him. The mercenary didn't have a chance to react when an arrow inadvertently pierced into her neck. There was a startled movement from the person on the building.
Link turned to see Katie hitting one with her hammer. Another man backhanded Ophila and he hand his hands on her throat. Link went for him, driving his sword into the man's back. Katie screamed when she was captured and before she could be crushed, Link swung his blade. It met with flesh so perfectly that the man almost seemed perfectly intact. Then a smooth line of red showed across his neck and he collapsed.
Ophila coughed, massaging her neck as Link brought her to her feet by the drag of her arm. He shoved her into the alleyway just as arrows loose.
"Go now," he said with a growl. "Go right now!"
"I'm not leaving you again!" Katie cried. "Please, Link—"
"We are not having this discussion right now!" he bellowed over the shouts of more fighters. "I'll be fine, okay?"
"Promise me first," she said in a whisper. She was close to him that he could hear her well. There was fear shaking in her voice. "Promise me you'll use the blessing. Promise me you'll run as soon as there was an opening. This is one fight you can't, Link."
Link could've argued against that, and even cuss her out. Though the phantom pain lingered over his stomach, reminding him. There will not be a scar there, the elixir won't allow it, but he will not forget.
"I promise," he said reluctantly. "Now go."
Another arrow flew. Link raised his shield and the arrow broke apart on its surface. He ran to the streets, getting out from this small courtyard where another arrow greeted him from another archer. It came so fast that Link used his promise before he could think.
"Nayru's blessing!"
The arrow bounced off the air harmlessly. In seconds, he was protected from everything in the world. This made him smile, but only a little. He'd nearly died, he'd been beaten badly. The ardor in him died like a flickering candle and replacing it with a much louder voice.
What the hell were you thinking! You should've ran! You should've ran like your ass was on fire!
Using his hookshot, he brought himself to the roof, reaching to the sniper next. Two of the archers dropped their bows and attacked with swords.
Link couldn't help but grin at their faces when their weapons bounced off the blue shield. Link cracked his knuckles and began to work. First, he allowed the first man to enter into his bubble so that Link could punch him in the face and then knee him in the stomach. There was a thunk and he turned to see that the man was trying use an arrow instead.
"What are you?" the man uttered.
Link moved his head this way and that, grinning. "Trouble." He lunged at the man but not to attack him. The bubble of his shield shoved the man back and right off the roof.
More arrows broke at his left. Link glanced down to see an archer with a small group of silver swords. Link scoffed and jumped down to greet them, landing in the middle. Like an unseen force, the shield had them all knocked back. His sword did the rest, taking care of the most of the mercenaries before the blessing blinked out. The archer remained back, seething at him with a bow ready.
Link spotted Katie and Ophila on the side of the street opposite to him. He cursed, and did his best to keep the swordsmen's full attention on him.
His shield blinked out of life and he allowed it to go. He wasn't going to keep relying on it all the time. Seeing him ostensibly vulnerable had the men fight with more confidence even with their numbers a quarter left. He quickly took two down, still fueled with that incredible elixir.
An arrow came from the eager archer. It sailed just past his face, nearly brushing on his cheek. He staggered back, nearly falling to a blade that came swinging at him. He stepped away, metal shield raised up and the sword slid off it.
He tricked the first one by letting him attack from the right. Link quickly skipped to the side and gave him a good blow to the head. The archer kept on shifting his position. Link moved too fast for him and too close to his comrades to make for a good shot. When Link did back away, an arrow was loose and Link raised his shield in time, glaring at the last member of the group.
This one was much slimmer, only a few years Link's senior. His eyes were intense green as they teemed angrily at Link.
"They lump you in with everyone else?" Link asked cheerfully. "Tired of getting the boring jobs? Want something big?"
The young man didn't reply. He was quick but Link was quicker. This wasn't one of the stronger, more experienced blades. Link swept the floor with the mercenary, not holding back. The young man tripped and Link slammed his shield on his head.
And that was all the silver mercenaries taken care of.
Link let out a breath and suddenly remembered of the archer. That bastard wasn't near him but far up ahead, drawing a careful arrow towards the sprit and the woman.
Cold water washed over Link. The archer was far out of the reach of a hookshot. He ran to the archer. He ran and time felt as if it had slowed down, each step was important, each heartbeat louder than before.
Ophila kept running. Link ran to the archer, yelling out with his sword up. The archer didn't turn to him in time as his fingers had already loosened. The arrow flew.
And met its mark.
"Come on, we're almost there!" Katie said, taking the lead. She hadn't noticed Ophila stopped until she heard a strangled gasp. "Ophila—"
Katie froze.
Ophila stood there, bottom lip quivering, and her trembling hands rose to the sharp tip of an arrow that had jutted out between her breasts. Ophila opened her mouth but no words were coming out.
"Ophila?" Katie whispered.
The woman fell to the ground, first on her knees, the hands twitching at the arrow tip. Then she fell to her side. Blood trickled down from the wound, soaking through her clothes.
It took a very long minute to realize what had happened.
"Ophila!" Katie screamed, color faring into a powerful, fulgent white. "Ophila, NO!"
Katie swooped down to her head. Ophila's face was tightened in pain. It was the first time Katie had ever seen her with so much fear, so much pain. Blood drooled out from her lip, rolling down her chin and dripping into the puddle.
She'd shown such resilience, such imperturbable. This woman had been betrayed by everyone she knew, hunted down like some animal, cornered, beaten, but she showed such spirit, such force. Though she'd been sold like some sheep from her own mother, led a life Katie couldn't even imagine, she still had the strength to smile and laugh.
Ophila whimpered. Katie couldn't cry, only stare at her. "Link will you an elixir," she whispered, trembling. "It-it's going to be okay. Okay. Everything will-will be okay."
Ophila's hand reached up to Katie, a plea in those amber eyes, a tear slid down and lost in the blood. The bloodied fingers twitching.
And then they dropped.
Katie never saw someone die like this before. Never in all her years. She had seen people get killed, but it was much more different up close, and if it was with someone you knew, and if it happened right in front of you.
Ophila had been mere breaths away from freedom, from a new life. No longer would she have to please men out. As if any man worth his purse deserved her. Oh, she would've been so happy in Desmera, the twins would've opened their arms to her. She would no longer have to depend on ruthless men like Henrick, she would no longer be chased by Thomasine's thugs. She would've been free. Her life of hardship would have been over. No, it should have been over.
Ophila laid inert on the ground. Her eyes stared to the heavens and they didn't move, not one inch of her did.
The Goddesses wouldn't have allowed for this. They couldn't. They can't let someone die like this. Ophila suffered enough. She should be blessed. She should be free.
Her blood just kept pouring out. How much blood could a Hylian hold? Usually about three buckets but for a smaller woman, it should be a bit less. To Katie, it seemed so much more, a whole mess of it.
It hurts.
An ineffable coldness swept over the small fairy, holding her like a fist. The world went dimmer as blood soaked in the dirt around the dear woman who'd been her friend for only a few days.
It hurts so much.
Had she ever felt this pain before? Had the world always been this horrible? It was so dark, so very dark. She can't see anything.
She met Ophila and followed her more than just for Epona. She wanted to become better, to learn not to judge, to stop looking on the surface and search for something deeper.
And now none of it mattered. All of Ophila's struggle, that determination to stay alive was all meaningless. This was how her story ended. The enemy won. She lost.
Oh it hurts. It hurts. It hurts.
It was just like it was with Frank. Poor Frank. He was gone.
Katie didn't see Link coming to her. She didn't see the swordsmen who ran the opposite way towards her. She didn't realize how the buildings were rising around her as she sank, weighed by a single emotion that dragged her down like an anvil. She smelled blood. It coated her, warmed her, and it slowly drowned her.
The world made no sense. She could only think of Ophila, the way she had fallen down, the way she had looked with shock and fear. The last thing she had ever felt. A lifetime of misery didn't give her a kind death.
I feel…so cold.
Ophila was gone. Just like Frank. Just like King Edmund.
Just like that.
