Link stared at the cloaked old man, unsure of how to proceed. Said man was sitting next to a small campfire, under a shade provided by an outcropping on a large rock. It seemed strange that someone would be here, so close to Hyrule Castle. The evacuation orders involved all Hylians retreating past the Great Plateau - So what was this guy doing here? Even if he wasn't informed of the evacuation, it was bizarre to think that he wouldn't recognize the rise of the Calamity.
Was this a trap, perhaps? Some sort of illusion cooked up by Calamity Ganon to lure passerbys? Or maybe he was just an old hermit who had lost his mind.
Cautiously, Link approached him. He wished that he had the Master's Sword-Already, he sorely missed the weapon, as well as the familiar weight it held. The old man kept his gaze down at the campfire, apparently remaining unaware of his presence. Next to the campfire was a spread out jacket of some kind with a small pile of baked apples laying on top. Freshly made, by the smell of it - The rich, flavorful scent of the apples was mouth-watering, and even overpowered the musk of the Calamity.
When they were only a meter or two apart, Link noticed that the man seemed familiar. He was sporting a big, white bushy beard that stood out sharply against his dark clothes. He frowned. Now that he'd gotten a good look at him, he seemed to bear a striking resemblance to the King - King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule.
But that couldn't be him. The King… He was dead. Struck down by manifestations of the Calamity itself.
Finally, the old man glanced up. Link barely bit back a gasp. His face was one of pure exhaustion and misery, disfigured with an endless sea of wrinkles that made him look thousands of years old. Thick half-circles of black hung under his eyes, which were dull and colorless.
And yet, he was sure. Impossibly sure.
'This is the King.'
"Ah… It's rather odd to see another soul in these parts." He whispered in a scratchy voice, hoarse from disuse. "Who were you, if I may ask?"
Link frowned. Were? What did he mean by that? And besides, didn't he recognize him? Of course, it was possible that this wasn't the king, and was instead just someone who bore an insanely striking resemblance to him, but… Somehow, he felt as if that weren't the case.
"Not much for talking, hm?" He sighed and poked at one of the baked apples by him with a walking stick. "Well, feel free to help yourself, if you'd like. Of course, I've no use for them, but the scent helps at least. It's been a while since I've had company, so why not stay for a moment? Perhaps something will loosen your lips and you can tell me about yourself."
Still remaining wary, he sat down across from him and took an apple from the pile. After a moment of consideration, he took a bite from it. The taste was nothing special, but it was juicy and sweet - Enough to make his stomach growl for more. Caution thrown by the wayside, he quickly scarfed down the rest of the apple down to its core.
The (king?) old man stared at him with wonder, some light appearing in his eyes. "You… You're eating those? And with such gusto? But why? It isn't as if you could enjoy them anyway."
Link glanced up at him, more confused than ever. They made eye contact, and after a tense second, the old man's eyes widened with recognition.
"Y-You're… Link?"
A sharp jolt ran through his body as he said his name. Unsure of how else to react, he slowly nodded. It was a simple and sluggish gesture, and yet it managed to spark something in the old man. With almost frightening speed, he stood up and tossed his walking stick aside.
"Tell me, Link. Do… Do you happen to know who I am?" He asked, pulling his hood back, revealing more of his face. He stared back at him, eyes wide with anticipation.
Link was almost certain. He nodded firmly.
At this, the old man ducked his head down. Bright, blue balls of flame began to encircle him. More and more appeared, until it seemed as if his figure was lit ablaze. Then, a pure bright light exploded from him, forcing Link to shield his eyes. When the light faded, the tired old man was gone. In his place was King Rhoam, outfitted in his crown and royal garb.
Out of pure instinct, Link dropped down on one knee and rested an arm above the other, bowing his head at the same time. The King was alive. He didn't know he lived. He didn't know why he was here. He didn't know why he was disguised as a hermit. He didn't know why there were blue flames surrounding him. He didn't know any of that. But it didn't matter.
'The King lives.' He thought. It felt as if every atom in his body was trembling. 'I must inform Princess Zelda. I must.'
"No, Link. No longer shall you bow for me." He said gravely. Link's head snapped up at him. "Rise. I'm afraid there is much I need to tell you."
Link rose unsteadily. King Rhoam considered him for a second before speaking. "Tell me, Link. You remember me, and it seems that you remember your duties as well. Am I correct in assuming then, you also remember all that had happened during your time as my daughter's knight, as well as the events leading up to the Calamity?"
He nodded.
"Then… what was your last memory, before awakening in the Shrine of Resurrection?"
…
"I… fell. To the Guardians. Zelda's power awakened and she saved my life." Link said quietly. "But I blacked out and woke up here."
"I see." King Rhoam grimaced. "Link, there is something you must know. But as you've just awoken from your recovery, I do not think it would be wise to tell you everything at once. The last thing that I would want to happen would be to overwhelm you."
Link wanted to protest. It felt as if he would die if he would be left with this many questions. But he couldn't. He'd been overwhelmed once already, hasn't he? Failed in both his duty to protect the Princess, and to defeat Calamity Ganon.
"There is a Sheikah pedestal hidden somewhere in the plains. As for the exact location, I'm not sure, but-"
Link brought out his Sheikah Slate and pulled the map out. Just a few minutes earlier, Princess Zelda had spoken to him again and somehow placed a golden marker on his map. Could the pedestal be what the golden circle was indicating? He held the slate out in order to show it to the King.
"That… Ah, my daughter's Sheikah Slate." King Rhoam stared at it wistfully. He reached out for it, but stopped with his fingers just inches away from the slate. He shook his head and retracted his hand. "What are you trying to show me?"
He nodded. "The marker. Ze-Princess Zelda put it on the map"
"Hm. On the map, you say? Well, I'd have to hazard a guess and say that should be where you're headed." King Rhoam's mouth twitched upward. "My daughter always was a resourceful one, wasn't she?"
"Have you spoken to her?" Link asked. "I need to know where she is."
He winced. "I… have not spoken to her since the Calamity had been freed. I know of her location, but… I'll tell you later. I promise this. For now, just follow that marker."
Link frowned, but nodded anyway. Months of drills and training had made it almost impossible for him to argue, or even question any of the King's decisions. Even now, with Hyrule under attack and the Princess missing, it seemed as if he couldn't bring himself to push back.
'As expected of the child of Farore, goddess of courage.' He thought bitterly.
It was honestly terrifying to him, how quickly the Calamity had seemed to spread.
It seemed that every body of water, from shallow ponds to deep lakes, were emptied. Not a single drop of liquid remained in them, making them look like craters. It was only due to his memory of exploring this area did he even know that they were supposed to be filled with water in the first place. There were thick veins of hot, burning malice spread across the ground in nearly every direction. It was barely visible, but they seemed to be emitting black smoke that was thin enough to go relatively unnoticed. It was a wonder that there were none near the Shrine of Resurrection. If there were, he'd probably have stepped on one by accident and be left without boots.
They were dark swirlings of purple and black, condensed into unsettling tube shapes that were almost perfectly smooth, running through the dirt and weaving past the dead grass like snakes. The worst part of it was that these veins seemed to be just that - Every second or so, they would pulsate horribly, expanding and shrinking as malice runs through them.
Dozens and dozens of these arteries, doing what? Were they all coming from the pillar at Hyrule Castle, in an effort to spread the Calamity further?
The Calamity was a parasite. A virus. A disgusting blight that was sucking away at the life of Hyrule, with only one goal in mind-Growth. It repulsed him. Link turned and glared at the giant mass of malice at the castle. Hadn't it took enough already? People's lives by the thousands, the bounties of nature, the Guardians, the Divine Beasts, so much. And yet it still wasn't done. It wanted more. Ganon, the greedy bastard was still not satisfied.
'You won't stop until the world is yours, will you?' Link thought, suddenly angry and with his heart racing. 'Until everything is dead. Until you're the only one left. Then, you'll consume upon yourself.'
He grimaced and drew a woodcutter's axe - It had been left buried into the gray, withering stump of a felled tree. It was rather unwieldy, but he had no other weapons on him, so he had to make do. With both hands, he gripped the handle and lifted it up above his head. With a loud, rough shout, he brought it down on one of the veins with as much force as he could muster.
A vicious wave of sludge and malice exploded from the area of impact, leaving Link with only just enough time to step back as it began to spread across the ground. He watched, simultaneously fascinated and horrified as more and more malice poured out from both ends of the severed tube, creating a smoking puddle that was growing larger by the second.
He took several more steps back, taking care to not step on any of the other veins that were strewn about the ground. The pool of malice continued to grow until abruptly, it stopped. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a thin (leg? arm? limb?) appendage shot out of the center of it. A large sphere of the goop began to form on top of it, and he could only stare as the sphere opened and he found a glowing, orange eye staring back at him. It was a single, bright pupil in the shape of an oval amidst a sea of darkness.
It held its gaze without signs of anger, sadness, hatred, or any other sort of emotion. It just stared at him.
Below the eyeball the mass of malice writhed until sharp, white (teeth why does it have teeth did it eat people oh hylia does the calamity eat) triangles popped out of its body, forming a crude mouth. Barely a second passed and just as Link managed to register the ridiculous scene he had witnessed, the mouth vomited out what looked to be a floating Bokoblin skull.
That was enough to break him out of his stupor. He gripped the axe between his hands and swung at the skull, landing a clean hit to its jaw. The skull fell to the ground, purple flaming eyes extinguished. He then focused his attack at the ever-staring eyeball, cleaving it in half with the axe. He cut through it so smoothly that it was like swinging it through air. It was almost unnerving how easily he split it.
The glowing eye faded back into malice along with its mouth until the puddle was just a puddle once more. Except now, it was bubbling. Bubbling and steaming. Meanwhile, the head of Link's axe was covered in a thick, acidic mess. It only took a few seconds for it to eat through the metal, leaving the Hero of Hyrule with nothing more than a stick.
He could see something rising out of the malice. Without even thinking about it, he ran. Ran away from it. 'Like a coward. Like a fool. Like an idiot.' He pulled out the Sheikah Slate. He was facing the same direction as the marker Zelda (princess zelda) had placed on it. Good.
At least that's one thing he was doing right.