"Are you sure we can't go back down the well?" Linkle asked, following her brother down the stairs of the inn.
Link rolled his eyes. "Look, I get it. You wanna do the whole 'hero' thing. But the way I see it? Killing those monsters down there is an exercise in futility," he explained once more. "They'll keep coming so long as someone's raising them, and the sage herself is dealing with that. We already got paid. It's not our problem anymore." That was only a half-truth, but Link had decided not to share his suspicions with his sister. If the Sage of Shadow truly was behind the undead appearing beneath the well, then the two of them would be out of their depth trying to fight an enemy like that.
Why can't everything be as easy to kill as a Bokoblin?
Linkle groaned in frustration, tapping her foot angrily behind Link while he handed some rupees to the innkeeper. "Well, we better find an even better quest next," Linkle said. "I am not letting another perfect opportunity pass us by."
"Don't worry, Sister," Link assured her. "You'll be back to shooting Keese and stomping Chus in no time." Hoping his sister wouldn't bring up the matter again, he led her through the doors out into the street.
From there, they made their way to the town square. Just like back in Rebonae, there was a large wooden board open to the public with various posters plastered on it. For whatever reason, it was rather busy that day, so Link and his sister had to squeeze their way through a crowd of Kakariko citizens and other adventurers who were presumably looking for work as well.
"Alright, let's see what we've got," Linkle said excitedly, rubbing her hands together. "Hmm… Rats? No. Keese? No. Bandits? No…"
Link noticed that the largest poster on the bulletin board was the request from the sage detailing the undead infestation beneath the well. Most of the others in the crowd who looked like adventurers seemed to be reading that poster, blissfully unaware of how dangerous the request truly was.
It's not our problem anymore. Let's just find another job and move on…
"Bah!" Linkle spat. "There's nothing else good on here."
"What? What do you mean?" Link asked, quickly scanning the board. "What about that one? A band of Blins led by a… Moriblin? That's a kind of Moblin, right? We haven't killed one of those yet."
"But that's nothing compared to the monsters beneath the well," his sister complained. "Remember that huge Bubble? That's still down there somewhere. Let's go hunt it! Come on. What's the matter? You scared?" Linkle smirked and punched her brother in the arm.
"Ow." Link rubbed his shoulder. "Course I'm scared, dumbass," he said, lightly slapping his sister on the back of the head. "And you were pretty terrified after you fell into that lake surrounded by ReDeads, as I recall."
"Halt!"
The siblings turned around at the sound of someone shouting from behind them. Pushing his way through the crowd was a young man who looked about the same age as Link. However, he wore proper armor, and he looked quite appalled.
"What?" Link asked as the young man approached them.
"Did I just witness you striking this fine lady?" the boy in the armor asked, glaring at Link while gesturing to Linkle.
"No, you saw me hit my sister."
"Hey! I'm fine!"
"Eh." Link made a 'so-and-so' gesture with his hand.
"Such disrespect," the young man said indignantly. "Apologize to her at once!"
Link sighed, then turned away from the strange person, hoping he would give up and go away. "Look, Elle. Let's just pick a quest and get going, alright?"
Linkle turned back to the board as well and started reading over the posters again. "Hmm," she said, placing a hand to her chin. "I guess we could…"
"What about this one?" Link pointed to a piece of parchment with what was probably supposed to be a drawing of several Pebblits on it. "We could pick up some bombs, and then-"
"Hey! Do not ignore me," the young man demanded.
Link heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed. Alarmed, he turned around again. Not only was the armored boy pointing a sword at him now, but the crowd had backed away and formed a circle around them, as if they were expecting to watch an exciting fight. "Whoa, what the hell's going on?" Link asked, taking a step back.
"Fellow adventurer," the young man spoke, sounding as though he was trying to make his voice deeper than it actually was. "I challenge you to a duel!"
"Uh-huh." Link was incredulous, but he could tell he'd found himself in a dangerous situation all of a sudden. "You know what, we're just gonna be on our way…" Clasping his sister's wrist, Link tried to walk into the crowd, hoping they would not be pursued.
"What?" Linkle asked. She didn't budge, and pulled back against her brother's grip. "Brother, no! You were just challenged to a duel. Your honor is on the line. You can't just walk away."
"Sure I can. Watch me." Link took another step towards the crowd, only for the boy with the sword to move and block his path.
"Draw your weapon and face me, coward!" the young man demanded. Some of the people in the crowd began cheering and shouting, encouraging the two of them to fight.
Link sighed. "Alright," he said, reaching behind his back to grip the hilt of his sword. "Three-two-one-go!"
"Huh-? Aghhh!"
Before the young man had a chance to react, Link drew his sword, charged forward, and stabbed him in the shoulder.
"Oooohhhhh…" came the noise from the crowd.
The young man dropped his weapon and fell down to one knee, clutching at his wounded shoulder. His armor had protected him somewhat, but Link could see blood soaking through.
"What? You told me to!" Link said, feigning indignity.
Linkle chuckled, pointing at the wounded man. "Hehe, he got stabbed."
"You coward!" the bleeding man shouted at Link.
"Oh, because you're so brave - wearing all that armor and challenging me to a fight," Link countered, gesturing to his considerably less protective gear.
"Why, you- I'll, I'll notify the guards, and, and I'll-" the young man stammered, climbing back to his feet, still clutching his bleeding shoulder.
"That will not be necessary," came a high-pitched yet authoritative voice from the crowd.
The three of them turned to its source and saw a strange sight. A little girl wearing armor was approaching them with a line of four soldiers following behind her.
"I was witness to the pathetic spectacle that occurred here just now."
Link furrowed his brow, bewildered.
Oh, now what? Some knight's sassy daughter or something?
"Who are you?" the wounded young man asked.
"I am Mila of House Shadowgale, Knight of Akkala," the little girl said, straightening her shoulders proudly as she introduced herself. Link did not recognize the name, but many in the crowd began murmuring at the mention of it. As she spoke, the girl drew a golden sword from the sheath on her back, although it looked slightly too large for one of her size. "You, silly overconfident mongrel, challenged this skeevy rat to a duel," she explained, pointing her sword at each of them in turn. "You failed to set the terms, so anything goes. You lost, he won. That's that."
The wounded man looked shocked and humiliated. "But, but he-"
The little girl lifted her hand. "Stop. I care very little. Now, the three of you, step away from the board. I have an announcement to make."
"Are you sure we can just leave him injured like that, Dame Mila?" one of the knight's soldiers asked, speaking with a slight foreign accent.
Link couldn't help noticing the soldier was a gorgeous, blonde, round-eared girl who looked maybe just a bit older than he was.
They don't make soldiers like that in Necluda…
The tiny knight sighed. "Luft, heal the idiot."
With a sound like the ringing of a bell, a little fairy flew out from the dame's armor. It hovered next to her for a moment, flapping its wings, before flying over to the injured young man. The fairy flew in a small circle above his shoulder, dropping little sparkles of magic over the wound. Once it was finished, it returned to the little girl and disappeared.
"Whoaaa!" Linkle said loudly, staring at the girl-knight with wide eyes and an excited grin on her face. "You're a Kokiri!"
"And you're annoying," Mila replied. "Now, I say again, move!" With a swift wave of the knight's hand, Link, Linkle, and the newly healed man were shoved forward by a sudden gust of wind. Somewhat frightened and very confused, the three of them complied, moving quickly to join the crowd who had watched their 'duel.'
With the siblings and their opponent out of the way, the Kokiri knight and her soldiers strolled up to the bulletin board. Clearing her throat, the short girl addressed the crowd. "Citizens of New Kakariko, I am here on behalf of Governor Rudi Vryciaro and Prince Percival Seliph Hyrule." There was more murmuring from the crowd at the mention of one of the princes. "I come to you with two proposals. One is an opportunity to join the kingdom's army, and the other is a quest for any adventurers open to it. Vanova!" she said, turning to the round-eared soldier.
"Yes, Dame Mila." The girl called Vanova unfurled a large piece of parchment and plastered it onto the bulletin board, covering up some of the other requests.
"The prince is gathering forces at Akkala Citadel to fight against the cult of the earthquake sage. Any who wish to contribute to the effort are advised to join us there," the Kokiri knight explained. "As for the quest, we were supposed to be joined by Chief Darote and his Goron warriors after they returned to Rudania following the royal summit. However, we recently received a message saying that a dragon has been ravaging the land near the Goron capital, and the chief refuses to leave until the dragon has been dealt with."
Linkle's jaw dropped. She didn't say anything to interrupt, but she grabbed Link's arm and shook him excitedly.
"So, Prince Percival is offering a substantial reward to any adventurers who help slay the dragon," Dame Mila concluded, gesturing to the poster her subordinate had put up. "The details can be found here. I suggest you all make up your minds quickly." With that, she and her soldiers turned and marched away.
Linkle squealed with an eagerness she had not displayed in a very long time. "A dragon, Brother! A dragon!"
"Yes, yes, Elle. I heard. Quit shaking me already!" Link complained, struggling against his sister's grip.
"If we slay a dragon, we'll be famous heroes for sure!" Linkle declared. She let go of her brother and pulled out her sword, slicing through the air as if fending off imaginary opponents. "Ooh, it'll be just like when the Hero of Twilight slew the twilit dragon that was guarding the last piece of the Mirror of Twilight!" The crowd around her began to disperse, either to go about their business or to get away from her while she recklessly waved her weapon around.
Link was unsure how to respond. He'd been searching for some sort of excuse that would convince Linkle to leave Kakariko, and it seemed as though the gods had dropped a perfect one right into his lap. However, going after a dragon, one of the most powerful monsters in the known world, seemed even more dangerous than staying in the Sheikah city.
He felt his sister grabbing at his hand. "Come on, Brother. We must hurry, or another adventurer will slay it first."
"Hold up there, hero," Link said, dragging her over to the bulletin board. "That sounds incredibly dangerous. And last I checked, we couldn't even slay a Hinox. I'm not sure this is a-" As his eyes scanned over the poster that the soldiers had left, his gaze fell upon the reward.
No. That doesn't matter. We would never succeed anyway.
However, he realized they didn't even need to succeed. All he wanted to do was get away from the city as soon as possible and let the heat die down. They could go after the dragon, fail, then continue on their way, perhaps to Akkala or the Woodlands. Surely there would be some easier work elsewhere.
"You know what, Elle? Let's go slay a dragon."
Encouraged by Linkle's enthusiasm and Link's desperation to get out of Sheikah territory as soon as possible, the siblings completed preparations for their latest quest rather quickly. As the perilous trails leading up through the Eldin Mountains were no place for a horse, they were forced to pay to leave Arion in the stable long-term with the intention of retrieving him when they eventually returned for their reward money. However, since they now had to travel light, they were easily able to pay the cost after selling everything they couldn't bring with them.
Additionally, they were aware of the intense heat they would soon be facing higher up in the mountains, so they needed to purchase some protective gear. Link ended up choosing a set of armor made from Dodongo leather, which would shield him from the heat while also providing the same modest level of protection as his old gear. Linkle purchased boots and gloves made from the same material, but for the rest of her outfit, she chose a pink tunic laced with fibers from Eldin bomb flowers. The tunic would not explode, but the mention of bomb flowers had been enough to convince Linkle to buy it.
And so, still early in the morning, the siblings passed through the Maw of Death Mountain, traveling on foot. The trail took them between two lakes of water so hot they could see steam billowing into the air.
"You think we could swim in there?" Linkle asked, pointing down into the boiling lake to their right and casually kicking a rock over the ledge.
"Dunno," Link said with a shrug. "Looks like a hot spring. There should be rivers of actual lava further up the mountain, so we're probably good up until then."
"I'm goin' in, then," Linkle declared, grabbing at her clothes as if to pull them off.
"No, you're not," Link denied. "In a giant lake like that? There's probably monsters you've never even heard of in there."
His sister turned to him with an excited expression on her face, more eager than ever at the mention of new monsters.
"Er, I mean, let's just wait until we find a smaller spring, okay? I hear the Gorons like to soak in hot springs all the time. They probably know which ones are safe, and I don't see any down there."
"Yeah, 'cuz they'd sink to the bottom," his sister pointed out.
"Just come on." Link walked past her, hoping the threat of getting left behind would be enough to convince her to hold off on diving into the unknown waters.
"Ugh, fine."
After a couple more hours of walking, Linkle began to groan. "I wish we could've brought Arion," she said, lamenting having to leave their horse behind.
"I'm not gonna carry you," Link said immediately.
"Oh come on, Brother! You used to give me piggybacks all the time," she complained.
"Yeah, when we were kids."
"I'm still a kid."
"Oh? You're an adult whenever you're begging me to let you drink."
"Shut up."
Link laughed. "Come on, Elle. You're a big brave adventurer now. What would the other adventurers say if they saw you letting your big brother carry you on his back?"
"They'd probably say you're my bitch."
"Really not doing a great job of selling me on this one, Elle."
"Bah!" Linkle kicked another rock off of the road in annoyance. It tumbled to the left of the path, then fell over a small ledge, landing with a plop. She gasped, noticing the small pond. It had been difficult to see at first since many large boulders were littered around it, but steam could be seen through the openings. "Hot springs!" she said excitedly. "Can we stop here for a bit, Brother? My feet are killing me."
"Hmm? Yeah, might as well," Link agreed. His muscles were beginning to ache from the hiking they'd been doing. A dip in the hot springs sounded appealing, as long as it wasn't deep enough for monsters to be lurking beneath the surface.
"Yay!" Linkle threw her hands up and ran to the water's edge. But, as soon as she got there, she was startled by something. "Ahh!" she shrieked, leaping backwards.
"Elle!" Link shouted, rushing to catch up with her. He drew his sword, expecting to have to fight something.
A large figure emerged, its body dripping with steaming hot water as it stepped onto the rocky surface beside the road. However, it was no monster. It was merely a Goron. The large, rocky brute yawned and stretched, then wiped the water from his face and opened his eyes.
"Hmm?" he made a noise as he looked down at the two humans barely half his size. Link was nervous that the Goron would be annoyed by them disturbing his leisure time in the spring, but instead, he smiled broadly. "Ah, more Hylians!" he said in a booming yet amicable voice. "Welcome to Gero Pond, brothers!"
"Um. Hello, sir," Link said, taking a step back so he wouldn't have to crane his neck as much to make eye contact with the hulking rock man.
"Brother and sister, actually," Linkle corrected.
"Gorons call everyone 'brother,'" Link pointed out in a hushed voice.
"Yeah, but I'm a girl."
"I don't think they know the difference."
Linkle's face scrunched up in confusion. Putting her hand to her chin thoughtfully, she very slowly tilted her head downwards. Upon finding nothing between the unclothed Goron's legs, she slowly turned to brother, giving him a quizzical look.
Link shrugged and shook his head, not knowing any more about it than she did.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, brothers! Feel free to go on in," the Goron said, gesturing to the spring. "Don't worry. The water's so mild, even you Hylians can handle it." The Goron chuckled heartily before lumbering away.
Link peered through the mist created by the steamy water. He could see the silhouettes of more Gorons further in, although some were curled into a ball to rest, making them hard to distinguish from the boulders. "I don't really trust a Goron's definition of 'mild,' but it doesn't seem too bad." Stepping closer to the water's edge between two of the large slabs of rock, Link knelt to remove his boots. "So, we going in, or what?"
"Oh hell yeah, let's go!" As she spoke, Linkle kicked off her boots and hurriedly pulled her tunic off. "Oooohhhh," she moaned as she stepped into the water. "Come on in, Brother. The water's actually really nice."
"I'm right behind you, Elle." Before he entered the water, Link took his and his sister's stuff and hid it in a little crevice between the rocks, covering it with another large stone. This would be a terrible time to get their clothes stolen, so he figured he might as well take the precaution.
Linkle waded further into the pool and was soon more than waist deep, so she dropped down to let the water soak her all the way up to her neck. "Ahhhhh, damn that's nice."
Link stepped into the water just as his sister swam around a large boulder jutting out of the spring, disappearing out of his sight. "Ooh," he said with surprise. Linkle had been right; the hot spring water was quite soothing.
As he waded through the hot springs, Link exchanged brief greetings with a few other Gorons he passed by along the way. All of them were casually relaxing in the hot water or by the water's edge, and none of them seemed particularly surprised to see him.
That's odd. Are Hylian visitors common around here?
When Link caught up with his sister, he found her in a little area sectioned off by a semi-circle of large rocks. However, she was not alone. There were three Gorons and four other Hylians lounging around with their backs against the rocks, soaking in the hot spring water. Linkle stood in the center, chattering away at them excitedly. When she noticed Link approaching from behind her, she turned to greet him.
"Welcome, Brother!" she said in a fake gravelly voice, imitating the way the Gorons said the phrase.
"Yes, welcome, brother!" one of the Gorons echoed, likely not noticing the joke and probably unable to tell he was her actual brother.
"Oh. Uh, hello, everyone," Link said, waving to the group of Hylians and Gorons, to which several of them returned the greeting.
"Brother, this is so great." Linkle grabbed him by the hand to pull him closer. "More adventurers!"
Getting a good look at the Hylians now, they looked much more like seasoned adventurers than he and Linkle did. The oldest one in the group had a well-trimmed beard and looked to be in his mid-thirties. He sat with his muscular upper body above the water, and Link saw he had many scars. A large claymore was propped up against the rocks next to him. Sitting near the bearded man was a slightly younger-looking man with tattoos on his arms. On the far side of one of the Gorons sat two Hylian women. The first had brown hair in a ponytail. Link thought she seemed the bookish type, but that might have been because her wooden staff with a crescent shape at the end of it gave her away as a sorceress of some kind. The other woman had long blonde hair and looked to be the youngest of the group. She had a staff with her as well. Hers was metallic and had a far more elegant headpiece with gold rings and blue gems. Her angelic appearance made Link think she was probably a priestess.
Or a princess.
"How do you do?" the tattooed man said in greeting. "Name's Fin. This here is Russ," he said, gesturing to the bearded man sitting next to him. "And them over there is Breen and Gaile."
The sorceress nodded in acknowledgement, and the priestess waved in turn.
"Nice to meet you," Link said, waving back. He probably should have been more wary, but the kind smiles of the girls disarmed him. "I'm Link. This here's my kid sister, Linkle."
The sorceress chuckled. "Link and Linkle?"
"Yeah, that's what our parents stuck us with."
"You two going after the dragon?" the bearded one called Russ asked.
"Yep!" Linkle proclaimed proudly. "You all might as well go home, because that dragon is all ours." The four adventurers all chuckled at that.
"Well, good luck getting there before someone else kills it first," the tattooed Fin said. "We thought we had a pretty good head start, but the Gorons here say half a dozen parties have passed through here already."
"Really?" Link was surprised. It had taken them some time to stable the horse and buy their new gear, but they'd done so immediately after the quest had gone out. He'd thought they had a good lead, too.
"Oh yes, there have been lots of you coming through here all of a sudden," one of the Gorons confirmed. "But we don't mind. Always happy to treat with our Hylian brothers." The other two Gorons grunted affirmatively, nodding their heads.
"Are Hylians common up here?" Link asked out of curiosity.
"No, sadly," another Goron answered. "Seems you softshells can't take the heat." The Gorons all laughed at this.
"You're always welcome in Eldin, though, brothers," the third Goron said. "Our peoples share a mighty bond that can never be broken."
"Indeed," the fair-haired Gaile said, briefly forming a triangle with her fingers, further making Link suspect that she was a priestess. "Our peoples fought side by side under Hylia's guidance against the Demon King. We will be proud to aid you against this dragon."
Link noticed that Breen the sorceress was looking at him funny. "Hey, aren't you the one who stabbed that guy in front of the quest board down in Kakariko earlier?" she asked.
Fin perked up at the mention of the incident. "Hey, yeah! It's him! Three-two-one-go! Haha, oh, that was priceless, mate."
"Don't you encourage him," Linkle complained, smacking her hand into the water to splash her brother. "That was so underhanded."
"Maybe. But it was better than being stabbed." Link casually reached over and put his hand on his sister's head, shoving her downwards until her head was beneath the water.
Fin, Breen, and the Gorons all seemed to find this hilarious, but the priestess looked shocked. "Young man, stop! You'll hurt her!" she pleaded.
"Don't worry. She'll get me back in a second."
Link let go of his sister. She sprung out of the water and took a big gulp of air, then immediately punched him in his bare chest.
"Ow. See? All good."
"She's a feisty one," the tattooed man commented.
"Easy there, she looks a little young for you," Breen warned, which made the priestess gasp scandalously.
"Not like that."
The exchange wasn't anything serious, but nonetheless, Link silently waded through the water, stopping to rest against the rocks a fair distance from the other adventurers. He patted the spot next to him to invite his sister to join him. Likely thinking nothing of it, she obliged.
"So, how are you two planning to slay the dragon?" The bearded adventurer asked.
Link paused for a moment. In truth, he hadn't thought of a strategy yet, figuring he had a few days before he reached Rudania. If they even made it that far, he was hoping an idea would come to him along the way.
"The Hero of Twilight used clawshots and magnetic boots when he killed a dragon," Linkle answered unhelpfully. "He latched onto it and pulled it out of the sky, slamming it against the ground to shatter its armored scales. Then he finished it off with the Master Sword."
"So what? You gonna go all the way to Faron first and nab the Master Sword, then bring it back here?" the sorceress asked with a smirk.
"Heh," the tattooed man chuckled, elbowing Russ in the side. "'Member when we tried to pull the Master Sword outta the stone? The cursed thing nearly sucked the life right outta us."
"Mm," the bearded man grunted, his face showing that it wasn't a pleasant memory.
"Yeah, and Gaile was too scared to even touch it," Breen said, tapping the back of her hand against the priestess's shoulder.
Gaile shook her head. "That sword is for Hylia's next chosen Hero. That is not my destiny," she affirmed.
"Wait, you lot have actually seen the Master Sword? You've actually touched the Master Sword?!" Linkle asked excitedly.
"Of course," Fin replied, accidentally splashing his companion a little as he raised his hands out of the water. "Every adventurer eventually gets curious and wants to see if they're the Hero."
"Every adventurer who's willing to brave the Lost Woods, anyway," the sorceress added.
The priestess shuddered at the mention of the cursed forest. "A dreadful place. So many poor souls, wandering and lost…"
Breen nodded. "Once you get through it, though, the Kokiri Forest is actually quite nice."
Linkle perked up at that. "Oh, right. The girl who put up this quest was a Kokiri, wasn't she? What's she doing out here? I thought they never left their forest."
The tattooed man chuckled. "You're not from around here, are you?"
Link shook his head. "We're from Necluda."
"Ah. Well, she's pretty famous up here in the northeast," the man went on. "Not sure why she left her home, but she showed up here a few years back. They call her the Devil of Shadow Pass."
"OoOoOhhh." The sorceress wiggled her hands in the air, making mock spooky noises. "She's got 'devil' and 'shadow' in her nickname. That's how you know she's scary."
"Oooohhh," Linkle said, sounding genuinely impressed. "Why do they call her that?"
"There's a road that runs between the Eldin Mountains and Kanalet Ridge in Akkala," the tattooed man explained. "It's overlooked by a tiny village called Shadow Hamlet, so they call it Shadow Pass."
"There used to be a forest there," the sorceress continued. "But that Kokiri girl burned the whole thing down just to smoke out a small band of Akkalan separatists." To emphasize her point, she grabbed her staff and waved it in the air, shooting a small burst of fire up into the sky.
"Excellent fire, brother!" one of the Gorons cheered as he and the other Gorons clapped.
"So she's a pyromancer?" Link asked. "I didn't think the Kokiri practiced that kind of magic."
"Well, no, I think she's an aeromancer," the sorceress said, putting a finger to her chin and tilting her head upwards thoughtfully. "Some other soldiers lit the fires from both ends of the pass. But the whole thing was her idea, and she used her wind magic to fan the flames and suffocate the rebels with the smoke."
"They say she laughed while she did it," the bearded man said, reaching over to grip the hilt of his claymore. He had an intense look in his eyes. He clearly did not think kindly of the Kokiri knight. Similarly, the priestess looked mournful, and made a triangle shape with her fingers once again.
"That seems… a bit excessive," Link said. He didn't know the full details of the rebellion in question, but even though such a thing was considered high treason, the way the Kokiri had apparently dealt with it sounded a tad over the top.
"Yeah, well, rest assured," Fin said with mock cheer. "She received knighthood for that 'heroic deed' of hers."
"Heroic deed?" Linkle sounded bewildered. "Adventurers do ten times more heroic deeds every day. Why haven't I been knighted yet?"
"She was serving her lord," Russ said with disdain. "The 'heroic deed' is just a formality."
Link rolled his eyes. "Ugh. Nobles," he said with some contempt. His own interactions with proper nobles back in Hateno had been few and far between. He'd sold merchandise to their servants many times, but most nobles only spoke directly to his master, as if he and the other apprentices were not even worth their time.
The sorceress laughed. "Watch it, kid. You'll hurt poor Gaile's feelings."
Link saw the priestess was hanging her head, looking a little ashamed. He realized she must have been highborn in some way. "Oh! Dreadfully sorry," he said quickly, embarrassed to have insulted her accidentally.
"It's alright," she said meekly.
There was a brief, awkward pause afterwards. Mercifully, his sister changed the topic back to the more pressing matter. "So, how are you gonna slay the dragon?" she asked the other adventuring party.
"Nuh-uh-uh." Fin smirked, waggling his finger at them. "That's a trade secret. You didn't expect us to give away our plans to a couple of competing adventurers, did ya?"
"I kinda did, yeah," Link said.
Breen laughed. "Oh, come off it, Fin. We haven't got a clue either. Never hunted a dragon before. Few people have. Successfully, anyway."
"Ah. I see." Link felt a bit relieved. It was good to know that even these veterans weren't too far ahead of them in this regard. "We'll probably try the 'stab it until it dies' method. Linkle's a real pro at that one."
"Hey. I shoot stuff, too," she argued.
"Our people have a story about a mighty Goron hero," one of the Gorons chimed in. "Back in the old days when dragons ruled Eldin and treated Gorons as cattle, a lone brother rose up to fight them. Wielding the enormous Megaton Hammer, he single-handedly slew Volvagia the Dragonlord and paved the way for a Goron revolution."
"Great. Another dragon slain by a legendary weapon," Link complained. "Can't dragons be killed by any normal stuff?"
"Killing a dragon is what makes the weapon legendary, not the other way around," Russ stated.
"My crossbow is gonna be so legendary when it takes down that dragon." Linkle smacked her hand down onto the water's surface in excitement.
Breen chuckled. "Well, if you're that eager, why don't you two travel with us for a bit?" she suggested. "We should really be getting back on the road if we wanna keep up with the other parties. Any of you object to them tagging along?" she asked her teammates.
Russ and Gaile shook their heads.
"Eh, why not?" Fin said with a shrug. "We'll probably part ways before we reach the dragon. And if we don't, we can fight over the bounty after we kill it. So, whaddya say, kids?"
"Sure!" Linkle readily agreed. She was probably looking forward to seeing what a group of professionals was like in action, even though she probably wanted the glory of killing the dragon all to herself.
Link was a little more skeptical. These people had been kind to them so far, but they were complete strangers, with weapons, who were after the same prize they were. Who could say what these people would do once they were away from the Gorons and there weren't any other witnesses around?
"And what do you say, young man?" the priestess asked Link. "Is our company acceptable?"
Link blinked. "Yeah, I don't mind."
No way any of them would try to harm us in front of a priestess, right?
"It's settled, then," the sorceress said, grabbing her staff and using it to help herself stand up out of the water. "Let's grab our gear and get back to it."
The road got steeper and rockier after the party left Gero Pond. For a while, they continued northeast, but then they came to a bend in the road and began heading west. To Link, traveling with a larger party felt very different than when it was just him and his sister. However, it felt a little safer to know they had backup for when they inevitably ran into monsters. And, of course, monsters had been the primary topic of conversation for much of the journey, at least whenever Linkle could find an excuse to berate her new party members with questions about what they'd hunted in the past.
From what Link could tell, the four of them had been traveling together for several years. None of them seemed to be officially in charge, but Russ came off as the de facto leader. He wore Dodongo leather similar to Link's and kept his claymore strapped to his back. He also carried a larger travel bag than the others. Fin was dressed the same as him, except his weapon of choice was a spear. Breen and Gaile both wore travel robes that were cut short to avoid dragging along the ground. Breen's robes were red and pink with a faded purple cape. They might have been woven with bomb flower fibers like Linkle's tunic, but Link assumed they were more likely enchanted with some kind of flame protection spell. She also wore boots and a leather breast guard. Gaile's robes were white and blue with gold trim. They looked almost the same as what regular Hylian priestesses wore in their temples, but Link could never tell what kind of magic a mage was using for utility.
"Whoa, lava!" Linkle called out, pointing to a red, molten lake further up ahead.
"Don't get too close to it," Breen the sorceress warned. "It's so hot, you don't have to touch it to get burned."
"Neat." Linkle skipped forward, but her brother grabbed her by the arm.
"I'd listen to her," he warned.
"I know, I know. I'm not gonna get too close," she assured him, sounding a bit annoyed at his protectiveness. "Besides, this will keep me safe." She grabbed her pink tunic and tugged on it for emphasis.
Link was skeptical, but he let go of her arm. "Just be careful, okay, Elle?"
"Will do." Without further hesitation, she ran off.
"Your sister's certainly got the adventurer's spirit," Fin, the tattooed man, commented to Link, a smirk of amusement on his face.
"If that's what you wanna call it." Link watched his sister in the distance as she scooped up a rock and tossed it into the pool of lava. She seemed entertained by whatever the result was.
"How long have the two of you been traveling together?" Gaile the priestess asked, offering a friendly smile.
"Hm? Oh, not long," Link replied. "We only left home a few weeks ago."
Russ turned around and eyed him disbelievingly. "And you want to hunt a dragon?"
Link thought about how to respond. Of course he didn't want to hunt a dragon. Would admitting that make him seem cowardly? This adventurer clearly thought it would be stupid for him to even try, but would it seem even stupider if he knew he shouldn't but was trying to anyway? And then there was the matter as to why he was really there. He couldn't tell them he suspected the Impa family was behind the undead infestation beneath Kakariko. Just thinking about it made him glance around nervously, expecting to catch a Sheikah ninja ducking behind a rock somewhere.
"She wants to hunt a dragon," Link said honestly, pointing over to his sister. "I want to make sure she doesn't die."
Fin laughed at that. Even in the dangerous environment they found themselves traveling through, he seemed completely at ease, walking with his arms resting on his spear which was draped across his shoulders. "Well, ain't that sweet? Lookin' out for your kid sister like that."
"That's very nice of you," the priestess said sweetly. "Hylia smiles upon such acts."
"I sure hope so."
The goddess would probably smile upon me more if I kept Linkle from doing all this dangerous stuff in the first place.
"Brother! Look!"
Everyone directed their attention to Linkle who was pointing at something up ahead.
"A torch slug."
Sure enough, what looked like a four-foot-long blob of lava had crawled up out of the fiery lake and was inching its way towards the road. It moved slowly, and the heat from the fire on its back made it appear hazy, but Link could barely make out two eyestalks extending up from the front of it.
"Great. Don't touch it," Link called out to her.
"I'm gonna shoot it." The young girl pulled her crossbow off her back and aimed it at the slug.
"Smart," Breen said. "I can make us some quality fireproof elixir out of that thing."
"She's not thinking of that," Link commented. "She just likes to kill every monster we see."
Fin chuckled. "She really is a natural born adventurer."
"Mhmm."
Linkle loosed a bolt at the torch slug. Molten slime splashed out of it from the impact, and the flame on its back blazed twice as high, as if more fuel had been thrown on a bonfire. Suddenly, the flaming slug monster wasn't moving quite so slowly, and it was heading straight for Linkle. She shrieked and leapt backwards, scrambling to load another bolt.
"Elle!" Link cried, drawing his sword and rushing towards her. Before he got there, Linkle shot the slug a second time. The fire on its back flared up once again, but it slowed its movements. Link reached it when it was about two feet from his sister. Acting quickly, he swung his sword downwards and chopped it in half. The two pieces wriggled about for a few seconds, but eventually they stopped. The flames died down as the two halves of its body curled up on the ground.
"...Neat!" Linkle said with delight, stepping forward and crouching down to examine the dead slug.
Link sighed. "Be a little more careful with strange monsters, would ya?" As his sister poked the monster's corpse with her shortsword, Link heard laughter from behind him. He turned to see the adventurers approaching.
"Well, look at you!" Breen said with a teasing smile. "This one's quite the hero, eh?"
"I'll say," Fin agreed jovially. "Every sister could use a big brother to protect her from creepy crawlies like that."
"Be nice, you two," Gaile chided them with a look of disapproval. "I thought it was sweet. And you, young lady, are you alright?" she asked with concern.
"Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine." As she spoke, Linkle picked up the front half of the torch slug. It was probably still quite hot despite the fire having gone out, but her gloves seemed to protect her hands well enough. "Hehe, look at it! Isn't it gross?"
"Oh my," the priestess said, taking a step back and placing Breen between herself and the dead thing.
The sorceress laughed and took it out of Linkle's hand. "Nice work, kid. If you let me have it, I'll let you and your brother have some of the elixir I make out of it for free."
"Done," Linkle agreed, scooping up the other half of the slug and climbing to her feet.
"Let's keep going," Russ suggested. "It'll be nightfall soon, so we should find a good place to set up camp."
"Yes, sir," Fin said, mockingly saluting his companion as he turned to follow him back to the road.
Finding a place to camp for the night was not as difficult as Link had expected. Once they'd passed by the lake of lava, there was nothing immediately hazardous about their rocky surroundings. The cliff faces lining the road were full of small caves, so they found one to hide in for the night and set up their bedrolls. They slept in shifts, with one person awake at any given time to keep watch over the others for fear of monsters or rival adventuring parties, but none of them spotted anything in the darkness aside from a few flaming Keese flying by.
The next morning, they shared a quick breakfast from among their food reserves as none of them had hunted anything edible along the way. As she said she would, Breen also managed to brew up an elixir using the torch slug they'd killed along with a few other ingredients. All six of them drank a vial of it, as Breen claimed it would help with the increasingly high temperatures they'd encounter as they climbed further into the volcanic mountains.
The next part of their journey took them through a steep, narrow canyon. The area was filled with rocks that were covered in glowing red cracks. While not on fire, one could feel the heat radiating from the stones if they stepped too close. Link hoped their protective gear and the magical elixir would hold up for the rest of the journey.
"What are these things made of?" Linkle asked, hopping on top of one of the simmering red rocks, landing with her arms spread wide for balance. "Like, hardened lava?"
"It doesn't matter," Link said. "They're dangerous. Don't go near them."
"But what if there's treasure inside?" Linkle's head turned back and forth real quick, scanning the area. "Are there any bomb flowers around here? I wanna try blowing these up." The two of them had been walking slightly ahead of their new traveling companions, but when Russ and the others caught up to them, Linkle shouted in their direction. "You guys got any bombs on ya?"
"No," Russ said, shaking his head. "Bombs sometimes get set off by the high temperatures up here. It's best not to bring any."
"Ah, dang," Linkle said in disappointment, hopping down off the rocks. However, after skipping a few more meters, she came across another pile of them sitting right in the middle of the road. Jumping from one to the other, she climbed atop the largest one and stood there, posing proudly. "Ha-ha! I'm the queen of the mountain!"
"You're the queen of embarrassment," Link replied.
The joyful look on Linkle's face lasted for a few seconds as she laughed, but suddenly, there was a loud rumbling sound. The rock she was standing on seemed to be shaking, and she moved her feet to maintain her balance. "Whoa, whoa. What's going on here?"
"Get down from there!" Russ shouted. He and his companions all drew their weapons, so Link did the same.
"Elle. Do as he says."
However, before she could do anything, the rocks lifted from the ground, moving forward as though they were a person sitting up.
"Shit!" Linkle shouted, jumping at the last second. Her feet fumbled as she jumped, and she ended up crashing rather ungracefully onto the hard, rocky ground.
"Elle!" Link ran to her side to help her up, moving quickly to pull her back behind the other adventurers.
The red, glowing rocks Linkle had been climbing on were now standing upright, joining together to form a vaguely humanoid shape, standing at about twelve feet tall. There was no head, but the largest rock formed an oversized, lopsided torso, while smaller rocks took the form of a tiny pelvis and two stubby legs. Two large rocks acted as heavy, brutish fists, connected to the main body by a couple of smaller rocks.
After brushing off the pain from her rough landing, the sight of the glowing golem in front of them made Linkle smile. "A Talus! An Igneo Talus! So that's what these rocks were."
Link was bothered by her lack of urgency about the situation, but ignored it for the moment. "How do we kill it?"
"There should be a gemstone-rich ore vein somewhere on its body," Linkle explained. "Smash that and it'll crumble."
"Hey, not bad," Fin said, apparently praising Linkle's monster knowledge as he raised his spear towards the enemy.
"We can't see it, so it's probably somewhere on its back," Breen noted.
"Breen, ice it. Fin, hold its attention. I'll get behind it," Russ said, doling out orders.
"Right," Breen and Fin said simultaneously. The three of them approached the golem and, following Russ's instructions, Breen began to pelt the monster with blasts of ice magic while Fin attacked it head on.
"What about us?" Linkle asked.
Gaile put a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "How about we stay at a safe distance until they take care of it?"
Linkle looked offended, like she'd just been spoken to as if she were a child. "But we're adventurers, too!"
"I know, but you are rather new to this, and you're quite young…" Gaile replied, giving her an awkward, apologetic smile.
"Elle, it's fine," Link said, trying to reassure her. He was perfectly happy to get the chance to sit this one out. "We can observe how a real party does it."
"We are a real party," his sister argued.
"Gaile!" Breen cried.
The priestess looked in her direction and saw one of the monster's rocky fists flying through the air. Moments before it hit the sorceress, Gaile held out her staff. It lit up, and a blue magical barrier appeared around Breen. The boulder crashed against it, breaking into several pieces. The shield shattered too, but Breen emerged unscathed.
"Maybe we should move further back," Gaile suggested. "It's still quite dangerous here."
Linkle looked to her brother, probably hoping he would join her side. Instead, Link gave her a sympathetic look and put a hand on her upper arm, pulling her along as he stepped back. She looked defeated for a moment and went along with him at first, but that did not last long.
"Augh!" Fin let out a cry of pain as the now one-armed Talus smacked him with considerable force. The spear-wielding adventurer was knocked back against the wall of the canyon, landing with a thud.
"Fin!" Breen shouted in distress.
Linkle gasped. "Come on," she shouted to Link and Gaile, setting off towards Fin.
"No, wait!"
"Elle!" Link chased after her, drawing his sword and shield.
With Fin no longer distracting it, the hulking mass of volcanic rock turned in place. Russ had been on the other side of it, but now, he was its next target. However, by turning around, the Talus had exposed its weak point. Link could see a protrusion of rock jutting out from the top of its back, noticeable due to being colored differently than the rest of its body.
That must be what Russ is trying to get to.
Once Linkle reached Fin, she drew her crossbow and took a shot at the Talus's weak spot. The bolt bounced off of it harmlessly.
Link and the priestess arrived a moment later. "Fin, are you alright?" Gaile asked worriedly, kneeling down next to him.
"Never better, love." He winced. His head was bleeding, but nothing looked broken. The priestess's staff lit up again as she began to heal him.
"What are we gonna do about that thing?" Link asked his sister. As they spoke, the Talus became irritated by another of Breen's ice blasts. It threw its other fist at her, which she was narrowly able to dodge. "Oh. Well, there you go. It should be pretty much harmless now, yeah?"
"Russ, get back!" Linkle called out to the adventurer on the other side of the monster. A moment later, the Talus fell forward, as if it were trying to crush Russ with its body. But then, it stood back up, and new large rocks had attached themselves to it, forming new arms.
"Gods, dammit…" Link muttered.
"Get me on top of it," Linkle said.
"What? How am I supposed to do that?"
"I don't know, just lift me. Come on!" She ran forward, then turned to the sorceress. "Breen! Freeze its back!"
The sorceress glanced at her, then did as requested. A stream of icy wind blew from her staff, and Link could see the fiery cracks on the monster's back dying down.
I hope that'll be enough to make it safe for Elle to climb on it.
Link caught up to his sister, who was now dangerously close to the Talus. It seemed to be adequately distracted battling the adventurer with the giant sword, since it didn't seem to notice the siblings behind it.
Are we 'behind' it? It doesn't have a face. How do we know which side's the front? How does it even see?
"Lift me up," Linkle demanded.
Link felt like he was giving into her piggyback demands after all, but, reluctantly, he bent down on one knee and ducked his head. He felt boots stepping onto his shoulders, so he reached up to hold her ankles to help her balance. Then, moving quickly, he stood straight up.
"Whoo!" Linkle shouted as she leapt off of him. Luckily, the Talus leaned forward to swipe at Russ, so she was able to land safely on its back. She clung to it with her hands in the cracks of the rock, as if she were mountain climbing.
"Now what?" Link asked, taking a few steps back.
But then, as if feeling the intruder on its back, the Talus turned around again, 'facing' Link.
"Uh… Hi?" His eyes shot open wide when the monster swung its gigantic stone fist at him. He didn't have time to dodge, but luckily for him, the same magical barrier Gaile had conjured earlier appeared around him. He was still knocked to the side when the barrier shattered, but most of the pain came from the landing. He rolled when he hit the ground, and he heard a ringing in his ears.
A hand grabbed him by the arm and helped lift him back to his feet. "You okay, kid?" Breen asked, steadying herself with her staff.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Dusting himself off, Link turned his attention back to the battle. The Talus was now advancing on Fin and Gaile. Fin had gotten back on his feet and was standing with his spear at the ready, although Link had no idea what he planned to do with it. Gaile stood behind him, projecting another barrier around the two of them. "We gotta help them."
Knowing his sister was likely still clinging to the monster's back, Link ran towards it. However, as it raised its fist to attack Fin and Gaile, its body released a cloud of smoke and embers, and then it began to crumble. The individual rocks that joined to form its shape fell off of it one by one, like a broken doll falling to pieces.
When its torso landed on the ground, Russ and Linkle were standing on its back. The ore vein Link had seen earlier had been almost completely hacked off, with only a small piece of it remaining connected to the larger boulder. Russ stood there clutching his claymore, and the serious look in his eyes made him appear rather intimidating.
Linkle, on the other hand, looked about as proud and jovial as she could be, standing confidently with her hands on her hips. "Fear not!" she shouted dramatically. "The Talus is slain!"
Link sighed, but more out of relief than embarrassment. He made his way over to the others to congratulate the victorious pair. "Well done, Sister."
"My thanks, Brother. Catch me!" Evidently still rather invigorated from the battle, Linkle leapt down off of the boulder and into her brother's arms.
Link held her for a moment after he caught her, worried she might have been hurt in the fight somehow. When he was satisfied she was okay, he resisted the urge to drop her, and instead he set her down on her feet next to him.
The adventuring girl took a moment to look the pile of rocks up and down, grinning with self-satisfaction. "This is the biggest thing we've killed so far, yeah?" she said, glancing at Link. "I knew we could handle ourselves as well as the professionals."
Link raised an eyebrow skeptically. He certainly hadn't contributed much to that fight, and given how small Link's shortsword was compared to Russ's claymore, he figured Russ must have been the one who chipped away at most of that rock. However, his reservations were unneeded.
"You did well," Russ said to both of them. "We knocked some gems loose from the Talus's ore vein. Let's gather 'em up before we continue. We'll split 'em six ways."
Link tilted his head downwards curiously, spotting some large red rubies on the ground by their feet. "Sounds good to me."