For the next couple of days, Tira had traveled alongside her companions, who treated like a true friend. The assassin knew of a nearby town where they could replenish their supplies, so the Hylian decided that it was their next destination, as they indeed were running low on food, and Talim needed some supplies of her own.
The city was a populous location, filled with people hurrying along the streets and food stalls set up everywhere. It was impossible to throw a stone without hitting someone who was trying to sell you something. Towering structures hovered above, the sounds of horses clicking their hooves were everywhere, and it was hard to walk in a straight line without bumping into anybody. This city was known as Beaumont Springs, the center of trade within the region.
"Please, pretty please?" Talim put on her best puppy dog eyes.
"Oh alright, and take Tira with you." Link sighed and rolled his eyes as handed Talim and Tira some money for her to do her own "girl" shopping, as Link liked to call it, "I'll be shopping for stuff to keep us alive."
Talim and Tira laughed as they were on their way. Talim's needs were obvious; she was unable to pack when she had left her village. She needed clothes, cosmetics, and was also ready to do a little jewelry shopping. Tira, on the other hand, needed nothing, as she handed her share of the money to Talim, knowing that Talim would need it more.
During the next three hours, Talim had been pestering Tira on what looked good on her, followed by a lot of "oohs" and "hey that looks cute" from Talim. Out of the corner of Talim's eyes, she saw something that couldn't be passed up.
"Oh my gosh, that's the prettiest thing I've ever seen!" Talim jumped up, holding a shiny, silver pendant in her hands. "I have to have it."
The stall keeper was an old woman, at least in her seventies, so Talim thought, with a hood on her head, and spoke in a low, chilling voice.
"The pendant you hold in your hands is known as Athena's Adornment, one of our most finest products. You will buy, yes? Only 499 gold pieces, but for your pretty neck, 300."
Tira looked at Talim concernedly, but Talim took out what she had left from her shopping, and realized that she was considerably short on gold.
"Darn," said Talim, as she began to walk away.
"Wait wait…where are you going, my pretty?" the stall keeper mumbled in a low voice.
"I'm a little short, sorry. Actually, I'm really short, and it's no use haggling."
"Come here…" Talim now was scared, and Tira held her arm, trying to keep her from advancing, but Talim would do anything now to get that pendant.
"Yours…" began the stall keeper, "yours is a beauty," pointing at Talim's large sun and moon pendant she had on currently.
"Oh…this old thing?" the wind priestess pointed at her neck.
"Yes, yes…perhaps a trade?" Now an avarice look appeared upon the stall keepers face, as she could not cast her glance away from it.
"You mean, trade my pendant for the Athena's Adornment?" Now the Shaman was confused.
"Yes…"
Just as Talim began removing her necklace, she realized that it was her only memory of her family. Despite the beauty of Athena's Adornment, she couldn't possibly discard her memories for a pretty pendant.
"S-Sorry, no deal." Talim began backpedaling away, knowing that she will soon regret her decision.
As Talim and Tira were finally out of sight of the stall keeper, Tira had some questions on her mind.
"Why do you think she wanted your necklace so bad?"
It was a question that Talim couldn't find an answer for, but would kill for it.
Tira and Talim ended their shopping spree after visiting a few more stalls. Talim came out with three new outfits, cosmetics, and jewelry. Realizing that it was time to meet Link back at the entrance of Beaumont Springs, Talim and Tira broke out into a sprint. Not wanting to make Link worry, the two girls decided to take a shortcut through an alleyway.
"Ouch!"
Tira looked back, finding Talim's face planted on the ground, apparently tripping over something. Helping Talim up, Tira was startled at the sight of a young, blonde girl who was about seven or eight, huddled up and crying. Tira looked at Talim to signal her to do the talking, for she was worried the girl may be scared of Tira's appearance.
"Hey little girl…are you okay?" Talim asked in a very calm and peaceful tone.
Still sniffing and crying out her tears, she gently nodded.
"What's wrong?"
Before the terrified little girl could answer, all three girls heard sounds of screaming and crying on the main road.
"Tira, you better go get Link and tell him to get over here. I'm gonna go and see what's happening." Tira nodded in agreement, picked up the young child, and ran off. Talim ventured to the end of the alleyway, discovering the cause of the disturbances in the city.
A lizard with a humanlike figure had been demolishing the stalls and buildings recklessly, leaving nothing behind. The green lizard wore a golden breastplate, with scattered arm and leg bands throughout his body. A sword in one hand and a shield in the other made him look very vicious, along with his strange, scaly skin. His eyes were on either side of the pointy horn that was on his nose, and had orange scales coming out of the back of his head. He was just as big as Link, if not bigger.
Wasting no time, Talim sprung at the lizardman leading with her foot striking into the back of his head, followed by Talim's other foot knocking off the lizardman to the ground. The Wind Priestess landed on her two feet, ready again to strike. The lizardman bounced back to his feet, screaming something in a foreign language and he charged toward Talim with his sword. As the lizardman's piercing blow was about to land, the Wind Priestess back flipped onto a stall, avoiding the attack. With his target gone, the lizard blindly rampaged forward, crashing into the stall that Talim was standing on. The stall collapsed, Talim along with it. Now stuck under a large pile of oranges, the lizardman struck wildly and rapidly with his sword at the pile of oranges. The Wind Shaman's quickness helped her escape the pile unscathed, with the exception of a few scratches here and there.
Where the hell are Tira and Link?
Accepting the fact that she had no chance against this humanlike animal, Talim ran in hopes of finding Link or Tira. As she ran, she looked back, breathing a sigh of relief as the lizardman continued with his rampage, not worrying about the escaping Wind Priestess. She dodged and hurdled the civilians, screaming out "Sorry!" here and there as she bumped and tripped over many people, as she was so determined to find out what happened to her two friends.
Soon, Link came into view, sitting down by the entrance of Beaumont Springs, writing a letter. Hearing the rushing footsteps from afar, Link quickly looked up, putting his letter away.
"Talim! What's the hurry? And where's Tira?" questioned Link.
Talim stopped in her footsteps, with an expression of disbelief.
"What? You mean she's not with you?" Link shook his head, gesturing that he had no idea where she was.
"Crap. We've got to find her. I'll explain on the way," Talim said, as she signaled Link to follow her as she took off to find Tira.
Throughout the town they went, searching every inch of the town, and asking everybody in sight if they saw a girl with sparse green clothing and hair to match. Nobody saw anybody that fit in Talim's descriptions of Tira, until finally somebody did indeed witness.
"Girl, about this tall, green clothes and green hair?" asked Talim, desperately.
"Hmm, yeah, I do remember seeing someone like that," Talim's eyes glowed, "but she ain't around these parts. Check out Delphi Alley," said the boy, pointing toward it.
"Thanks so much!"
Talim's skin was plagued with goose bumps by the silence and misty air in Delphi Alley, as she embraced Link tightly. Nothing, not even the sounds of faint footsteps were audible. Though she hoped for it, it came as a shock when a scream came from deep in the alley, unmistakably from Tira. Talim broke her embrace and ran down. Link did what he could to keep up with the speedy Wind Priestess.
Talim stopped in her footsteps suddenly as she was about to turn the corner, forcing Link to almost trip over her. Talim hid at the corner, signaling Link to keep silent.
"Shh, I think I hear something," Talim said, as she began to peer around the corner.
Peering around the corner, Talim was overjoyed to have found Tira, but her happiness soon faded when she realized someone else was there as well. A chillingly scary woman had been in the same scene as Tira. She had short, snow-like hair, with purple eye shadow and golden earrings on both sides. Her outfit had been traditional British attire: A large blue coat with golden outlines and buttons and long boots to match. What made this woman terrifying was her weapon she held in her right hand. To Talim, it seemed like a long, metallic whip, and it was around Tira's neck, forcing her to scream in pain. Tira had been lying on her stomach with her head forced up, and the other woman was on her knees on Tira's back, pulling hard back on her whip.
"You are a filthy traitor!" screamed the woman with the whip in a low, British accent.
"Please, Ivy, I'm sorry! I won't do it again!" choked Tira.
"You have tainted our name, and the Azure Knight! You won't have a chance to not do it again, because it's time to die, backstabber!"
Tira said nothing, for she had nothing to say. Indeed she betrayed her group, and this was intolerable to Tira's tormenter. Talim pulled her head back out of sight, and stared horrifyingly at Link.
"That's Ivy," Talim whispered, "Tira's current master."
The Hylian drew out his sword and shield, and made his way around the corner.
"Let her go," Link ordered, pointing the tip of his sword at Ivy. The two stared each other down.
"Oh, and why should I listen to you?"
"If you know what's good for you, then you would."
Instantly, Ivy's whip released the stranglehold on Tira's neck as it stretched thrice its length toward Link. The Hylian's reflexes were very proficient from his past battles, as he was able to defend the attack with his shield.
"Do I need to repeat myself," continued Link, still with his sword pointing at the British woman, "Let her go."
"I think not. She's none of your business. Besides, what can you do?" Ivy replied, stomping her boots hard into Tira's back as she let out a wail of pain.
"He's right," Talim now said, coming around the corner as well, "You're outnumbered, two to one."
Talim knew she had to say something. She knew that it was partially her fault Tira was defenseless when Ivy had ambushed her; it was Talim and Link's idea to keep the ring blade out of Tira's hands. She almost forgot that Tira was now trustable, and deserved possession of her weapon.
"Ahh, the Wind Shaman. I knew you must be here if this traitor was here." chuckled the Brit. "Oh, and I'm not alone."
Ivy turned around, now looking into the sky. She produced a green glow in her weapon, as her whip extended into the sky turning everything within the proximity into the identical green glow. Everybody but Ivy squinted as the green glow shone in each person's eyes. In a flash, the familiar lizard that Talim had battled earlier appeared atop on the nearby buildings and leaped onto the ground, right next to Ivy. A few seconds later, the same building the lizardman was on had been broken through, as a giant golem had busted through the wall. The golem was a giant monster, who had dark, tan, and rough skin. He had no hair, and black metallic armor had been placed around his waist, mouth and legs. A giant ax had been in his arms, but what frightened Link and Talim especially was his exposed, beating heart. Talim nearly vomited at the sight.
"I would like you to meet a few friends of mine: Aeon Calcos and Astaroth." Both hollered when their names were called. "Who's outnumbered now?"
Link's mind raced quickly. Hatching a plan, he threw his sword to the ground. His three foes, now confused, stared at the sword. Taking advantage of their downed defense, Link pulled out his trusty bow and arrow, and hit Ivy directly in her gut, propelling her back. Tira immediately got up, and ran to Talim.
"Go, Talim, take Tira and run!"
"But, what about…"
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Go now!" Link said, without even looking at Talim, as he was more concerned about his advancing enemies.
A tear now dropped from Talim's eye, as she took Tira's hand and ran.
"Wait," Tira exclaimed, as she made her way to a nearby dumpster. Opening it, she pulled out the child that they had found earlier. "Let's go."
Link, relieved that the Talim and Tira were on their way to safety, now focused on Ivy, Aeon Calcos, and Astaroth.
"Fools! They are getting away!"
"You're gonna have to get by me, first."
Coming from his blindside, Aeon Calcos had lunged forth at Link, smashing him into a wall. As Link got to his feet, he rolled to where he tossed his sword and picked it up in the process.
He charged his sword back, then spun like a tornado toward Calcos, hurling the lizardman into a dumpster. With him detained for at least a few minutes, he turned his attention to Ivy and Astaroth. Link's heart jumped once he turned, for the first thing he saw was a wild swing of Astaroth's axe toward the Hylian. He was able to duck under the attack, slashing his sword at the golem's legs. Astaroth roared in agony, falling to the ground, blood spluttering everywhere. As Link savored the moment, he too was knocked to the ground when Ivy's long whip had tied up his legs. Immediately Link got back to his feet, now looking intently at Ivy.
"Impressive," growled Ivy, "But how will you endure this?"
Ivy's whip began swinging violently, now producing the green glow that Link had witnessed earlier. As it swung, she bludgeoned it toward Link, and before contact, it came back, now completely wrapped around Ivy's body. She laughed in triumph, as she unleashed her attack toward Link.
The Wind Priestess shut her eyes as she fled with Tira and the young girl. She hoped to conceal her tears from Tira, for she was worried sick about Link's predicament. It all felt too familiar; she was running away from stronger opponents and running away from the people to mattered to her. She ran from Ganondorf, fleeing from her family and friends, and now, she fled from Ivy, Aeon Calcos, and Astaroth, and away from they Hylian that took her into his arms and practically saved her life. Talim hated herself now. Temptation aroused in her to grab Syi Salika, place it around her throat, and end it all. But she knew she couldn't. This time, Talim wasn't alone. Now she had to watch out over two more souls, as they continued to run away from Beaumont Springs.
I'm sorry Link, Talim kept repeating to herself.
Talim was about ten feet ahead of Tira, as the child on Tira's back slowed her down. Exhausted from the heat, and convinced that they were safe from harm's way, the two girls decided to rest. Talim wished to be alone, and Tira sensed it, so she respected her wishes and began speaking with the girl, who was sobbing herself. Tira and the little girl sat down on their knees, and Talim was huddled up fifteen feet away, still repeating, I'm sorry Link.
"What's your name, little girl?" Tira asked.
The little girl simply said nothing, as she stared at the ground.
"Aw it's ok…what's wrong?"
"My mommy…" the girl finally began speaking, "I can't find my mommy."
"You're mom? What does she look like?"
Before Tira could get an answer, distant cries became evident. As they looked around, Tira saw a blond woman, dressed in a blue tank top with laces and a white skirt. She was about Tira's height, and had long, silky hair in a ponytail. Upon further inspection, Tira noticed a sword and shield placed on her back. She came sprinting down toward them, apparently screaming the words, "Pyrrha!"
"Pyrrha! My baby!" screamed the approaching woman.
"Mommy mommy!" answered the girl by Tira, as she rose and ran to who apparently was her mother, as she jumped into her arms and held a long embrace.
"Oh my dear girl…thank you two for finding her," the mother said, looking up at Tira and Talim, "I lost her at Beaumont Springs when a giant lizard attacked us."
Talim finally looked up, still slightly sobbing.
"A giant lizard? Aeon Calcos?" queried Talim.
"Yes! Yes, that's the man? You know him?"
Talim merely nodded, for she began to think of Link.
"Well, thank you for finding my daughter. My name is Sophitia Alexandra, by then way."
The three girls now began conversing, as Sophitia shared her personal information, and Talim and Tira did the same. Shockingly enough, Sophitia was searching for the Soul Edge, just as how Link was. They talked and talked, and Talim really liked Sophitia, and highly enjoyed her company. She understood Talim when she spoke of Link, and it felt like a thousand pounds lifting off her shoulders, as she was able to get all her feelings off her back.
Then, as Talim began to feel joy once again, they were interrupted.
The sounds of a familiar maniacal laughter had interrupted their conversation.
Ivy.
"Tira. Come back to us," growled Ivy.
"No! I've found real friends now!"
Talim searched in her bag, found her ring blade, and tossed it to Tira. Now all three girls were armed, ready to face down Ivy, Aeon Calcos, and Astaroth.
But wait. Where's Link?
"Where's Link?" screamed Talim.
"Oh, he's taking a nap back at Delphi Alley…that pour soul never had a chance," answered Ivy, sarcastically.
The Wind Priestess began to think the most hateful thoughts that she had sworn never to think, as she pondered over her dilemma. Stay here and leave Link alone? Or leave her two friends to face down three enemies.
She had to stay, and she knew it.
"Kill them," mumbled Ivy to her comrades.
At once, Aeon Calcos and Astaroth charged forth, tackling both Talim and Sophitia to the ground while their guards were down. Ivy stayed put, staring down Tira. The assassin had half a mind to charge into Ivy as well, but knew she'd be running into a trap. Ignoring her thoughts, Tira raised her ring blade and sprung forth at Ivy. The Brit began pacing backwards, and soon breaking into a sprint away from the charging girl.
Tira wanted Ivy dead.
She disregarded her body's exhaustion as she continued to chase after Ivy. The two ran and ran, and eventually ran into a steep mountainside. It eerily reminded Tira of Delphi Alley, because the rising mountains on either side had blocked out all sunlight and nothing was heard besides the rapid footsteps of the two women. Just as Tira was about to give in to her body's fatigue, Ivy ran into a dead end. There was no way out.
"Sorry Ivy, you aren't escaping this time."
"Haha…" chuckled Ivy, "You really think I was afraid of you? You merely ran into my trap, my dear girl. Now it's time for you to pay for your betrayal to the Azure Knight."
"It's going to be you who is going to do the paying."
The two dashed at each other, like knights from the Middle Ages jousting. Tira swung her blade at Ivy only to miss, as Ivy was able to swoop her whip down and cause Tira to falter. She recovered quickly, swinging her blade fiercely, hitting Ivy every once in a while. The battle had gone on for hours, Tira continuing her assault of heavy blows, with occasional hits. Ivy had just as much success, as their battle mainly ended in a stalemate. Ivy collapsed to the ground.
The moment Tira let her guard down, thinking that she had won, a smirk came across Ivy's face.
Instantly she leapt back up, extending her whip, similarly to what she had done to Link, and fired it at Tira. Fortunately for her, the attack was off target, as it landed on Tira's ring blade, hooking on to it. Improvising, Ivy pulled herself to Tira, using her whip as a grapple hook. The two warriors were now fiercely entangled, with the whip still attached to the ring blade, as both struggled for supremacy.
"Sorry to do this," Tira managed to say.
Tira leapt around Ivy, encircling her throat with the ring blade, pulling her down with a headlock on Ivy. Ivy gasped for air, as she began to surrender.
Back outside, Talim and Sophitia had nowhere near Tira's success. The Wind Priestess was completely destroyed by Aeon Calcos, who had not suffered a single scratch as Talim laid on the ground, accepting her defeat. Cuts, bruises, and blood had been all over Talim's body. Sophitia, however, continued to fight even though she was in bad condition. The Athenian rushed at Astaroth like she had many times before, but was again rejected as she was launched away by a swift swing of an axe. As Aeon Calcos and Astaroth began approaching the two fallen warriors ready to make their fatal blows, they were disrupted by Tira's high voice. The golem and the lizard looked up, only to find Ivy's throat poised against Tira's ring blade.
"Get away, unless you want Ivy dead, creeps!" Tira demanded.
Confused, Astaroth and Calcos looked at each other in puzzlement. As they pondered their next move, Ivy began to speak.
"Tira…you wouldn't. The Azure Knight wouldn't approve…you wouldn't be betraying us, you'd be betraying him," croaked Ivy.
Now Tira had to face a dilemma of her own. She waited long enough for her two friends to move to safety, and released her iron grip on Ivy. Tira didn't know what to do. Taking one last look at the Talim and Sophitia, she hurried away, hoping to get away from everybody and everything. There was nobody that Tira could be with. Taking a side now would go against another, and all she wanted now was to be free. Freedom of her own choices; it was something that had never crossed Tira's minduntil she met Link and Talim. Secretly hoping for the best for her new friends, she ran off into the sun, depressed by losing everybody she knew, but happy because she was ready to begin her life of independence.
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Hope you liked this chapter. Took a long time, had a lot of writers blocks. Anywhos, as usual, please read and review, and I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible.