Note: Remember to check out "Imprudence".
A story from Twilight's childhood.
Clicking in gears.
Like the tune of a piano.
Beeping haunting his soul.
Three High. Three Low. Three High again.
A code.
S.O.S.
S.O.S.
A cry for help.
From friends long dead.
"Link, wake up!" Zelda nearly yelled at the half-asleep hero, who snorted loudly at being rudely awakened.
"Wha-!?" He flipped up his mask and looked around in a panick. "What time is it!?"
"Calm down, Wild." Twilight chuckled, standing behind and leaning on the bar. "It's only Noon. You were asleep for about an hour."
"Oh, okay..." Link grumbled, scratching his head. "Sleep schedule is offically screwed up..."
"Here, drink this." Val, who was behind the bar with Twilight, reached under the counter and pulled out a bottle, tossing it to Link. He caught it and read the label.
"Ginger Tea?"
"Yep, Ginger is really good on it's own." Val explained. "But We mix that with Stamella Mushrooms, so it's got a nice kick to it."
"Man, put that shit in tequila." Twilight grinned, looking over at him, leaning forward on both arms. "It's like the Booze from the gods."
"I know right?" Val laughed.
Zelda swivled in her chair, exasperated, turning back towards the azure-haired Hylian who had been sweeping the floors a few moments ago.
"Sorry, please continue." She smiled.
Tennessee didn't seem to mind the scrutiny the Princess gave him, giving a wry grin as he told his tale.
"My Grandfather survived Calamity Ganon attacking the Castle, despite being at Ground Zero of it. He was mortally wounded, but managed to escape the Gurdians on horseback, getting to Kakariko Village, where he recovered."
He sipped his drink, elbow propped on a table. "After hearing that you, Princess, had gone off to fight Ganon. He thought he had failed the King and left Hyrule in despair, settling in Ordon."
"Interesting, did he ever find out?" Link asked, sitting up.
"Hmm..." The blue-haired Hylian hummed. "I don't know, he died about...Fifteen years before I was born. But my Father told me alot about him. I trained to become a Knight like he did, but I never joined the Ordon Army, so I became a Sellsword with Val."
"We've been wandering for about two years now." Val remarked, scratching his chin. "Met Twilight the other week, got a job here. Which is honestly really nice."
"It's the alcohol, isn't it?" Twilight deadpanned, leaning on his fist.
"No..." Twilight gave him a look. "...Yes."
"Well, Tennessee." Zelda bit her lip. "How about joining our guard? We have need of a Lieutenant, and since Twilight has stepped down from Captain, we are in desperate need for a leader. If you are willing."
"Hmm..." He hummed, finger on his chin and eyes closed in thought. "I would love to, but I'm afraid I have my loyalties here."
"Whoa Whoa." Twilight frowned and waved his hand. "I never said you were my slave. You can leave anytime you want, if you want to. It's your call, man."
"Really?" Tennesse's blue eyes widened. "T-thank you! That's great!"
"No Problem." Twilight grinned. "Just head to the Castle, find Ro. He's a Zora, good kid, he'll get you settled."
"What about you, Val?" Link asked, turning to the Blonde. "Interested in being a soldier?"
"To be honest, I'd rather die in a bar fight than on the battlefield." He shrugged, leaning against a post. "But I'll keep it in mind."
"Well then." Zelda hopped off her chair, grabbing her cat mask off the table. "If that's all in order, I need to go to Kakariko for a while."
"I'll come with." Link began to sit up.
"No." Zelda stopped him. "Well, not yet. I need to go alone to discuss something Private with Impa. I'll be back soon."
"Tell her I said hi." Twilight smirked.
Tennessee headed out and Zelda used the Shiekah Slate to warp straight to Kakariko, leaving Link, Twilight, and Val sitting around.
"So..." Val said, looking to Link. "A horse?"
"It's actually the Horse God." Link corrected, pulling his mask down. "I happen to like it, thank you very much."
"Whatever, I'm going as a Darknut." Val grinned smugly, pulling out a helmet from under the counter, it looked similar to a Knight's helm, but painted black and gold.
"A what?" Link asked, inspecting the helmet.
"Haha, very funny..." Val frowned. "Wait, are you serious? You've never seen a Darknut before?"
"...No?" Link also frowned. "Should I have?"
"Those things are awesome and freaky at the same time." Twilight remarked, looking to the side. "I've fought about...I don't know...Ten?"
"They're these large undead Knights in tough black armor, they'll maul you in the name of honor." Val smirked.
"Or Ganondorf." Twilight snarked.
At the mention of the name, Link subconsciously scratched at the back of his hand, where his Triforce mark was.
An action which didn't go unnoticed by Twilight, who caught it out of the corner of his eye.
"You okay, Wild?" He asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Yeah." Link replied, dropping his hand. "Just a little itch."
"Hmm..." Twilight frowned heavily. "Why don't you head on back to the Castle, I've gotta discuss something with Val."
Link shrugged. "Okay."
He stood up, brushing his tunic off, readjusting the Master Sword's strap, and clipping his mask to his belt. He walked to the door and opened it, to a dark sky and a complete downpour. The little alley outside the tavern had flooded up to his ankles by that point, much to his displeasure.
"Here." Twilight huffed, grabbing a hylian cloak off the counter and handing it to him. "Try not to get swept away."
"Heh, I won't." Link smirked, taking off his mask and hooking onto his belt. Throwing the cloak over himself, he stepped out into the storm, heading up the steps and onto the south road.
The merchants and townspeople were now at a minimum, most had gone inside but many stores and cafes were still open.
Briskly walking back towards the central square, his eyes darted back to the three Hylians following him.
Upon passing the fountain, he stopped short and turned around, sapphire eyes peering out towards them from under the cloak.
They all seemed normal, just everyday people you would pass on the street, yet they had that glint in their eyes...
"For Bananas!" One yelled, fist raised. "I mean, Master Kohga!"
...and that odd behavior.
All three were cloaked by smoke, reappearing in their red Yiga outfits, sickles at the ready with their beady eye on their masks glaring at him.
Any people who were outside immediately turned to the commotion and watched in interest.
Link grinned, drawing the Master Sword, the blade flashing blue to signify it's upgraded power. He had not shield, but with the blade as it was, he saw no need for one.
One vanished while the other two circled him. His eyes darted to a nearby Hylian, who's eyes suddenly flashed with fear and surprise.
Link ducked, the sharp sound the sickle cutting the air above him met his ears.
Taking a page from Twilight's book, he rolled swiftly, circling the Assassin and springing up, spin-slashing his back and landing facing the castle.
The Master Sword's new power pulsed, wounding the Assassin mortally and sending him flying at great speed across the Central Square, smacking into the fountain with a splash and audible crunch.
The other two actually froze in their tracks, their jaws dropped behind their masks.
"W-what!? B-b-but H-how!?"
Link breathed out, dropping his guard with his back to them.
"I've been through a lot." He said darkly. "You vermin are small fry now."
"S-shut up!" One growled. "W-we're still on top around here!"
"Halt!" An entire platoon of soldiers marched from the East road, joining up with Link and surrounding the Assassins. Their spears, swords, and bows all aimed in their direction.
"Summon Bigger Fish." Link smirked, turning around. "Thank you, boys."
"Our pleasure, sir." A few of them said in unison, before turning back on the enemy. "Now, put your weapons down and come quietly."
"Heh!" One huffed smugly. "We're not afraid of-ARRRGH!"
An arrow sailed from a bow and landed perfectly in his thigh, making him fall to the ground in agony.
"Tom!" The other cried in a panic, reaching towards him.
"No! Run Holland! Save yourself!" 'Tom' cried back.
Panicking, 'Holland' fumbled with a smoke bomb and began to vanish...
Only for a guard to walk up to him and crack him across the face with his shield, shattering his mask and knocking him clean out.
The rest of the platoon converged on them both, unmasking 'Tom' and putting them both in binds, carrying them away towards the castle.
"Wow, these guys are idiots." Link huffed, sheathing the Master Sword and staring at the scene.
The townspeople watching, while still curious, just went back to what they were doing.
"You alright, Sir Link?" Ro, who was apart of the group, asked him.
"Yes, I'm alright." Link looked across the Square at the other Yiga, who's limp body was being carried away. "They're getting bold enough to attack us inside Castle Town now?"
"That is a bad omen, sir." Ro agreed, scratching at his gills.
"And a stupid move on their part." He cupped his chin in thought.
"Um, sir. A hylian named Tennessee came by ealier, saying he was chosen to become our Liutenant." Ro said. "Is that true?"
"Yes, it is." Link waved a hand, motioning for him to follow. "When you get back, I want you to show him around, give him a feel for the place."
"Yes, sir." Ro nodded. "But what about the prisoners?"
Link looked back for a moment, expression neutral, then shrugged. "I'll need to talk to Zelda about them."
Ro nodded once more, going off ahead. Link continued on, walking up to the Castle and into the main foyer.
Shaking himself off like a wet dog, he took off the cloak and watched in interest as it faded into black particles.
"Are you serious, Link?" He looked up to the stairs, where Zelda was standing with her arms cross and cheeks puffed out cutely in anger.
"Hi, honey." He smirked. "I'm home."
"Funny." She rolled her eyes and looked over the railing. "Reida! Can you come here please?"
The brown-haired handmaiden walked in from the hallway on the right, looking up at Zelda. "Yes, Ma'am?"
The princess motioned to Link, who unknown to himself, had tracked in some mud onto the shiny marble floor. Shrugging sheepishly, he cleaned off his boots and quickly walked up the stairs to avoid Reida's famous glare.
Of course, all he got for that was one from Zelda.
"Care to explain why you're back so soon?" Link inquired.
"Care to explain why there are two Yiga assassins in the Dungeon and one in the hospital?" She retorted, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow.
"Fair point." Link conceded, putting his hands on his belt. "They attacked me in the Central Square, unfortunately, that was a terrible idea."
"No kidding." She sighed. "We'll have deal with them later. There's something going on in Kakariko, I need you to come with me."
"Okay, sure." He turned. "Let me go grab something first."
She nodded, following him as he went back up to his room. All he grabbed was his Hylian Shield, Hylian Hood, and the stack of parchment he had been writing on.
He gave a thumbs up to Zelda, who grabbed the Sheikah Slate and selected Kakariko Village, both of them disappearing into wisps of light.
The storm at the Castle was traveling East, coming towards the Village, but wasn't quite there yet. Giving them some breathing room before the downpour reached them.
Of course it looked like a storm had already been through there, with shingles pulled off roofs and people panicking in the road, frantic and worried. Houses were burnt and crops were ruined, and all seemed in despair.
The path to the forest was blocked off with trees with about Four sheikah guards protecting it.
He watched with interest and confusion as they walked down the hill and through the village, past troubled townspeople, then up the stairs to the their leader's hut, pushing open the double doors.
No matter how many times he'd been there, it was always the same, wasn't it?
Except this time, there was young woman standing at the bookcase to the left, about 3 heads taller than him. It was hardly a challenge to figure out who she was, especially with her facial markings.
Now that he thought of it, he hadn't seen Impa in a while, especially after Purah used the anti-age rune on her. So he was rather curious to see her now.
Her blonde hair was straight, with blueish purple clothing marked with yellow lines and an orange belt around her waist.
"Impa." He nodded his head in greeting, looking around. "Where's Paya?""
"In the Village, helping." She said, closing the book she was holding. "We're in need of your blade."
"Zelda said something was happening." He said. "Judging from the panicking people out there, it's more than obvious too."
"Yes." Impa walked across the foyer, her arms behind her back. "I'm afraid we don't have much time, there's a Lynel prowling about the woods to the north-east, around the Great Fairy Fountain."
"Seriously?" Link asked, exasperated. "It's just a Lynel."
"No. This one is different." Impa paced. "It's...unique. It has already maimed a lot of our men and has attacked the Village proper, damaging many of the buildings and farms. If we weren't able to push it back..."
"Hmm..." That piqued his interest. "Tell me more."
"From what I've seen, it's another type of Lynel." Zelda remarked. "One with Golden Fur."
"A Gold Lynel?" Link repeated. "Interesting, I've never seen a Golden one before."
"We think it's a fairly new type, given that there are hardly any records on it." Impa mused. "The Princess attempted to capture it on the Sheikah Slate to read it's article on the Hyrule Compendium, but that would've required her to get close, and I cannot allow that."
"Impa, I can take care of myself." Zelda said, exasperated.
"That remains to be seen."
Link let them argue, his blood felt hot, boiling for a fight as he flexed his hands and breathed deeply. He pivoted and began to walk out, intent of ending the towns troubles the easy way, only for his arm to be captured by the Princess.
"Wait! Link, you cannot just go fight it!" She exclaimed, worried. "You've never even seen one before, how do you know you can beat it?"
"..." Link thought for a moment. "Princess, I've asked myself that every time I faced an impossible task. And yet, here I am, breathing and ready to fight."
Her grip slackened. "Are you sure?"
He shrugged. "Kinda, we'll find out soon enough."
Carefully freeing his arm, he kissed her on the cheek.
"Be back soon." He winked, turning and walking down the stairs, unaware of the mortified look on her face and the grin on Impa's.
He went up the hill, then past the shrine to the woods entrance. The Sheikah there were jumpy and seemed ready to run.
Link simply stepped past them, and to their protest vaulted over the fallen trees and into the forest proper.
By that time, the Storm had finally caught up and the downpour arrived.
Rain soaked his blonde hair as his boots splashed loudly in the newly formed puddles. There was a faint, yet noticeable snorting, like a horse, somewhere in the woods. He moved carefully, shifting closer and closer...
Ahead of him was a tree, a sandal sitting conspicuously under it's branches. Frowning, inched closer, hand tightening around the Master Sword's grip. He leaned forward and inspected the footwear, it seemed almost familiar...
The Branch above him snapped and on instinct, he rolled backwards and onto his feet, sword at the ready.
But it wasn't a Lynel that fell down, nor had it just fell on it's on.
It was Paya.
"M-Master Link?" She looked up at him surprised. "You're here too?"
"Paya?" He said, equally surprised. "I thought you were in the Village!"
"I-I was, but when I heard the Lynel was a new type, I got curious and..." She shrunk, embarrassed. "I...got trapped here with it."
Link sighed, sheathing the Master Sword and helping her up. Mud completely stained her white clothes, along with the back of his tunic.
"Now, get back to the Village. I can't risk you getting hurt, or worse killed." He instructed.
Before the words left his mouth, a snort of air came from behind him.
Paya's face turned from one of relief to fear.
The muscles in his back tightened as loud whistle of air closed in on his right ear, similar to that of a blade slicing through air.
He moved, his breathing hitched in his lungs as he dodged a large jagged blade slicing through the air where his neck was a few moments ago, pushing Paya away as he went down. She began to run and soon disappeared down the path, the Lynel didn't seem interested in chasing her anyway, it's attention was on him.
Ducking and rolling backwards onto his feet, he drew his shield and blade, facing down this massive beast with glowing blue eyes and golden fur as it bore down on him, blade and shield to match his own.
And yet, Link found himself grinning, his blood pumping as the thrill of the battle started.
Master Sword to his side, it's blade flashed blue, ready to face this monster.
This Golden Lynel.
-Told you the Title had irony. But in more ways that you think.
-Alright, so in one of the in-game memories, Link had demolished an entire army of monsters, including several Silver Lynels. It's implied that it was that moment that his power was peaked, but eventually dwindled away after being put into the Shrine of Resurrection.
He's reached that peak once more, leading to another inner-turmoil he must overcome.
He, as all my Links, is a bit of a blood knight. He liked to fight for fun, but also to hone his skills. Since he's reached his peak once more, it's not hard to say he's missing out on some good fights. But that's something he'll get soon thanks to the G!Lynel.
-I recreated the Link Vs. Golden Lynel poster from the first DLC. :D
-Introducing Young Impa. Don't worry about her minor role in this chapter, it'll get better for her.
I have...Special plans for her...Mwahahahaha.
-Twilight knows what's up...maybe. XD
He must be proud, Wild used the Back Slice Hidden Skill.
-The Intro text is actually referring to the fact that in Each Divine Beast theme song, there is Morse Code that when translated means "S.O.S."
It's like the Divine Beast, or even the Champions, are crying for help. I found that creepy and decided to throw it in, like it was ambiance that Link heard and he knew what it meant and it's haunted him.
I'll expand on it later.
Speaking of Divine Beasts, you guys will LOVE the next chapter. Stay tuned! :D