.
.
.
Before we even walked a few steps into the forest, Momon spoke up.
The armored man had been almost completely silent for most of the journey so far, but when he stopped in his tracks, straightening his back, the entire party turned to him.
"...If that monster called the Wise King of the Forest appears, let Nabe and I hold it off. The rest of you should escape first."
I blinked at the sudden statement, seeing the adventurers around me stare at the man, awe slightly coloring their faces.
After feeling the wave of confidence within his tone, I couldn't help but feel impressed.
He truly was a warrior of strength and willpower.
...But there was still something of a cold feeling inside of me, every time I looked at the man for a long moment. Like a bolt of frost, running down my spine.
I ignored it.
"If there is a need to run, could you all please go without delay? The monster may be powerful, and I'll need to face it with my full strength. I don't want to catch any of you within it."
Peter immediately stepped forward in response, his face set hard.
"Understood. If that happens, we'll protect Mr. Nfirea and flee the forest. But you shouldn't push yourself too hard, either, Sir Momon."
He nodded.
"Of course. I'll escape when it gets dangerous."
Watching the interaction closely, I felt a rush of disappointment managing to well up in me.
Momon was a level 100 warrior, who I was sure had completed countless questions and slain numerous powerful monsters.
The King of the Forest was level 33. A legendary creature, sure, but the fact of the matter was that the fight had already been decided. It doesn't matter what kind of RPG you played, a level 33 versus a level 100 would be a complete joke of a match.
That monster would be killed. Easily.
And that knowledge was disappointing, because I couldn't help but want a rematch.
I had already been beaten by that creature. Sure, I had never even been hit once during our brief encounter, but it was a fact that I had run away. Link had fled from combat countless times in his life, due to a lack of equipment or already being injured- or maybe he was just too weak at the time.
But even though I knew what I had done was understandable, maybe even the definite right thing to do, when considering how Aly had been helpless in that situation…
As a proven knight- no, as the champion of Hyrule, Link had made a promise to himself that he would not lose his honor, he would protect his home and show the world that he was worthy to hold that burden.
Even if I was not that same person, I had his emotions, his instincts and his will. I had literally inherited just about everything from him, including his face and name.
I couldn't let the name 'Link' be seen as a cowardly one.
'Link' was the name of The Hero. -The one who always saved the day, and rescued the princess.
'Link' was invincible.
And as the one who had decided to carry on that name, I couldn't let myself be anything less.
…
"...Wait."
The group stopped, turning to look at me in surprise.
Even though it had only been a few hours since I had met them, they had already become used to my silence. For me to suddenly say something firmly was a surprise.
"I would… also like to fight. "
As I spoke, I didn't let my eyes waver from the face of Momon's helmet, and even though I couldn't make out any sort of expression from the man, it seemed like his gaze had suddenly become heavier on me.
Even if I had trouble reading people, the others were easy enough to understand- they were confused, wide-eyed and startled by the sudden declaration.
"Why?"
Momon's voice was just as strong as it normally was, a kind of deep rumble that matched his stature. But it was also very calm.
I met his gaze as best I could.
"-I need to."
"That doesn't answer my question."
He replied immediately to my statement.
I had hoped I would be able to get the message across with a short amount of words- I didn't want to cause this kind of argument, and I felt like even without any emotion in his voice, Momon was frustrated.
There was a long silence where nobody seemed willing to speak.
The trees seemed to loom closer from all sides, and sweat beaded up on my back. I felt cold, while looking into Momon's helmeted face.
Peter tried to step in between the two of us, about to open his mouth, when Momon spoke again.
"...Are you sure about this?"
I nodded.
"..."
The group around us was quiet, and Peter stopped himself from talking.
"You may die if you decide to follow me."
I stared at Momon for another moment.
Something about the chilly tone of voice, the way he delivered that statement with absolute confidence….
It was unsettling, to say the least.
There was something in the way he spoke-
That cold feeling seemed to be back in full force, and I didn't understand why.
"...I-"
"Wait, wait!"
Peter stepped forwards.
"Alright, Link, why do you even want to go with Momon? What's the point? It's not just to chase after glory or something, right? You seem like a calmer person than that, and clearly you're someone who's already been on his fair share of adventures…"
I stared at the adventurer for a second, before wetting the sudden dryness of my throat.
"...I've… encountered it… before."
His eyes widened, and I could see the others around us shift nervously.
"I ran before… Now… I need…"
My lips twisted as I tried to force the words out of my mouth, but the pressure I felt from the ring of stares, the people surrounding me, closing in like predators-
I raised my hands out in front of me and clenched them into fists.
With that movement, and as the words I spoke reached his ears, Peter's eyes cleared, and an expression of understanding crossed over his face.
"...Okay."
Momon turned to Peter silently.
"No, I get it, I think. As an adventurer, I understand your feelings, Link."
His eyes flicked to the silent form of Momon standing beside us.
Peter didn't say anything else as he looked at the man; it seemed like the entire group's attention was now on Momon.
"..."
There was nothing to be said, until the armored man squared his shoulders slightly- a very normal movement from a person who usually stood like a statue.
"...Very well, I suppose there is a common consensus. Link may fight alongside myself and Nabe, in case we encounter the King of the Forest."
The group moved into the forest carefully, but spread out within seeing distance, picking up any plants and herbs they needed efficiently. After a few days learning at Carne Village, I was able to do much the same.
It was an interesting feeling, though. This body was very used to picking up wild plants through foraging, but I personally didn't recognize any of the local flora. For some reason, it sparked something of an interest.
Back in my old world, I was always someone who enjoyed filling out things perfectly, and getting deep into the lore of whatever game or show I was interested in- and Link clearly had a passion for nature. Both of our traits had seemed to combine and form what I had become, with the result being a passive joy that filled me with the motions of gathering plants and simply exploring the forest.
Surprisingly, Momon and Nabe did not forage with the same ease and familiarity as the rest of the group. It seemed clear now that they were from a distant country, which fit with Nabe's features. She had the face of a japanese beauty, which was very jarring compared to the more European features of every other human I had encountered.
I smiled at the thought.
It seemed like both me and the two powerful adventurers were foreigners in this land.
Through the next fifteen minutes or so, the group moved steadily deeper into the forest. As the shadows grew longer and the flora continued to become thicker, Nfirea looked around anxiously, the Swords of Darkness beginning to look wary.
I stopped in my tracks.
The others turned to look at me curiously, but I didn't pay them any mind.
Something was watching us.
-It was incredibly powerful.
The alien gaze sat on me like a heavy weight, my shoulders almost quaking from the pressure.
I could remember this sensation very clearly- although it lacked the dynamic music cues of the game.
It was the same feeling Link had whenever he was about to be snuck up on, either by a particularly smart monster, or a Yiga clan member.
The presence was hidden very carefully, but it's power was unmistakable. My senses, or maybe just a danger sense honed through multiple battles, could pick up on whatever was watching us.
Even though being mostly concealed, I could still feel those eyes on me. The gaze wasn't malicious, but it seemed to seep in it's own power.
This… it couldn't be the King of the Forest. The monster I had run away from was not nearly this powerful.
But that meant something else, much more powerful than the supposedly legendary creature, was currently in the forest, and consciously hiding while following from a distance.
I drew my sword and looked unflinchingly towards the direction of the presence.
The others immediately saw what I was doing and drew their own weapons, moving Nfirea to the backline.
"-What's going on?"
"...Strong creature, nearby."
The group nodded, not doubting me even though they couldn't sense the creature themselves.
Momon stood quietly, his swords drawn, as Lukrut spoke up.
"I don't feel anything, is it the King of the Forest?"
Lukrut clearly had plenty of experience as a Ranger. After watching his movements in the forest, I definitely admired the amount of work he put into his actions. His abilities to track others were finely honed as well, although I couldn't help but understand that he paled in comparison to the instincts I had inherited.
"...No."
They seemed to slightly sigh in relief, before I managed to get out another few words.
"It's stronger."
My focus was on whatever had been watching us.
The only thing I could compare something like this to was a Lynel. No- this presence was beyond that. It reminded me of a piece of ganon, and the scary thing was that the presence was still partially concealed . I couldn't understand that kind of power.
Honestly, it was a similar feeling that Momon gave off, although Momon's aura was more passive and subdued. -It was definitely stronger than Nabe, though.
To fight something like this, I needed all of my equipment. I needed to pull out all the stops, or I doubted we would be able to leave this forest unharmed.
Momon walked past me, facing the direction I was indicating, his swords held tightly. It seemed like he didn't have an ounce of the hesitation plaguing the rest of us-
No.
That wasn't right.
What I was feeling wasn't hesitation, or fear, or anything like that.
My cold sweat, and the quaking nerves, my grit teeth; none of that was due to fear.
It was such a similar reaction that I had mistaken them for a moment- but watching Momon stand forward reminded me of exactly what was filling my body.
I was excited.
So excited that I couldn't stop the trembling of my fingers, and the blood rushing in my ears.
I had the name 'Link'. That was a fact.
And now I was going to show the world what that really meant.
My eyes fell onto Momon's back, and I smiled.
We were definitely the same kind of person. I was certain that he also felt the excitement I did- the feeling of stepping into the unknown to fight a powerful foe, testing yourself against the world.
My smile died as I looked back towards the direction of the threatening presence, my grip tightening around the Soldier's Broadsword.
I needed a better weapon. And then, we would see whatever this mysterious creature would do next…
-It disappeared.
The power at the edge of my awareness, which had been following and hissing itself from us, the one that reminded me of the most powerful monster I had ever felt, was gone.
"…Good."
Momon muttered quietly, next to me.
I might not have heard him if it wasn't for my enhanced hearing, but as it was, I spent a moment to glance up at the armored man.
He turned to meet my gaze and sheathed the two greatswords clenched in his hands.
"Don't worry everyone, the threat is gone. It seemed to have realized we noticed it, and retreated once the initiative was lost."
They stared, wide-eyed. Nfirea seemed lost, confused as to what had suddenly happened.
"What was it? I didn't notice anything at all…"
"A powerful monster. But now it is gone. We should continue with the quest."
Momon took the lead quickly, speaking in a somewhat hurried tone.
"..."
….That wasn't what I thought would happen.
Wasn't the sudden powerful encounter in the forest supposed to lead into a deadly encounter? A surprise boss-fight?
Where was the intense battle to the death?
The boss ran away! That wasn't supposed to happen!
I sighed, quietly enough to not notify the others.
Hopefully, the King of the Forest would be able to put up a satisfying fight, because now I was seriously feeling down.
-But either way, that sudden encounter was a good wakeup call.
This land was much more dangerous than I had once thought, and much more interesting at the same time.
The Swords of Darkness, Nfirea, Nabe and Momon….
….I couldn't wait for whatever we would encounter next.
.
.
.
Author's Note:
Well, I did it again. After setting myself a deadline for one week to get this chapter out, I managed to completely ignore the story for almost two months.
The Fall just hit me from out of nowhere and I've barely had time to write- combine that with how I decided to start a new story (a Worm fanfic which is being posted over on Spacebattles forums called Overboard *wink*) and I kind of totally forgot about Hero's Landing.
I'll be continuing the story from now on, but the updates are probably going to be more sporadic in the future. Apologies in advance.
But besides that, thank you all so much for the reviews, and for sticking with the story up until this point! I'll try not to disappoint during this upcoming arc.