AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know I had told some people that this would be fifteen chapters long but I realized that Chapter 4 was just too long so I split it into two chapters and now the story will have sixteen chapters in the end.

Chapter 4

Well he was alive. Just because a person acts cocky sometimes doesn't necessarily mean they always believe in themselves completely; even after they have proven themselves quite well. Link sometimes felt like a fraud even though he had done something so extraordinary.

Now what? Go back to Impa? No, that would waste valuable time. Going south was out of the question as there was a giant roadblock on the path and he had not yet acquired the hammer. He didn't even know where it was. Best to head to Ruto. This required him to travel south back through the desert, the cave, and the forest until he reached the path. With the strength he had acquired no enemy he encountered could challenge him.

Taking the western path, Link noticed two forests he had not visited. One was a large patch of woods near Ruto. Nothing out of the ordinary there. But what was this little one off the path? It seemed odd to have such a small patch of woods in a grassy area. Well, it wasn't as if it would take him out of the way. But Link had had a few close calls in wooded areas.

Link was starting to develop certain instincts about his quest. Right now his instincts were telling him to check out the woods. Well it was just north of him. Link stepped off the path and into the woods. He wished Impa had let him bring his sheath. It was getting to be a pain in the ass carrying this sword in his hand every minute. But then again there were times when it proved to be a good idea to be ready to fight at all times. This proved to be one of those times. A few feet in, a group of Aches sprung at him from out of the trees. None of them hit him but man, they were good at evading his blade. After Link missed every single one of them they flapped back into the trees staring at him, seeming to mock him. Link took a few more steps and once again they attacked and missed as did he. This was frustrating. It seemed they wouldn't fly down unless he was right under them…

That was it! He walked under one and as soon as it flew down, he stepped back and used the Sting spell. In this manner he killed all three, one at a time. He was dismayed at how much tougher the bats were here. Keeses had been wimps but these things had given him a real run for his money. Link carefully searched the area and behind a tree found another P-Bag with its magic dust. Had it been worth the effort? Link wasn't sure but his instincts told him something was in the woods and indeed something had been there. It made sense to trust this instinct.

As the trail stretched on night fell and Link slept beneath the stars. Old witch could have at least let him take a sleeping bag but no. Good thing elves don't sweat much either or he would really stink by now. His kind rarely needed to bathe and could go quite some time without food. Not the case with water. Link was hungry but knew he could hold out until Ruto. Getting a drink would be difficult. The Tantari desert was to the north, the lake housing the North Palace to the south was too far away, and who knows what surprises would have awaited him in the woods?

By noon the next day when Link reached Ruto he thought he'd just die from thirst. After wandering the city streets ignoring everyone, he finally found a kind young girl with a water jug who was all too happy to give him a drink. Link wondered if these people too knew who he was already. So far no one had seemed to recognize him….

"Do not go south without a candle."

"I beg you pardon?" asked Link.

"You are the chosen warrior, are you not?" asked the girl with the water jug. Link slowly nodded. It seemed anonymity would not be an option while this crest marked him. Perhaps if he wore gloves…

"The caves around here are treacherous," continued the girl. "You would need to take a long dangerous cave to reach the area south of here. You wouldn't have a chance against the monsters there if you couldn't even see them."

In reply Link pulled out the Red Candle. "Thanks so much for the drink and the advice," he said. "I'll be OK, though."

"Well just in case you're not OK, there are two women here who can restore health and magic," said the girl. "We're here to help you. We don't want the forces of Ganon to win any more than you do." With that she headed off on her way. Link was always suspicious of strangers. It was hard for him to have to rely on these townspeople now. Well, may as well see what these people had to say.

"Hello young fellow."

"Sorry, I know nothing."

"Hello."

"I am much to busy to talk to a stranger."

Oh goodie! More of this bullcrap. Just what he wanted to hear. Was that another city hall? Link stuck his head in. Sure enough, there was the town chieftain having lunch. He looked up to see Link standing in the doorway. Before Link could say one word his stomach rumbled quite loudly. Link blushed in embarrassment.

"Well stranger, if you were looking for a free meal you came to the right place," joked the chieftain. "The food is paid for with tax dollars. Come, sit and eat. I am Error, chieftain of Ruto.

"Thanks so much," replied Link. As he ate he kept watching Error to see if the man paid any attention to his crest. Error seemed far too interested in the fish he was eating to notice it or really to pay much attention to his visitor.

"Well then, are you from Rauru?" asked Error once the two of them had finished eating (which was not for quite some time).

"Not quite," replied Link. "I'm not exactly from around here.

"Oh you don't say," replied Error. "Well we don't get too many foreign visitors in these parts nowadays. With all them there monsters, well things just ain't safe. But you do seem to be prepared for such an occasion." He pointed at Link's sword and shield. "You a foreign soldier or something?"

"Not exactly," replied Link. "I'm just a knucklehead who's someplace he shouldn't be doing things he shouldn't do."

Error laughed. "Well ain't we all now? Tell me, what brings you to Ruto?"

"The free banquets!" joked Link. The two had a good laugh over that. "Actually, I'm looking for the Oracle here. Do you know where I might find him?"

"A warrior AND a wizard you are," replied Error. "And a freeloader too I might say. Well Old Man Ruto ain't quite so friendly as I, I'm afraid. He doesn't even like the people here that much. I can only imagine what he'd think of a stranger. But if you insist he can be found down the street. I don't much trust magicians myself. Boy, if I were you, I'd use caution around him."

"I will. And thank you so much."

Link ran out in a hurry. Just then something grabbed his arm. It startled the hell out of him and he very nearly stabbed the person who did it. Thank goodness he didn't. It was a little old woman who was breathing hard and looked as if she'd collapse any minute.

"Hammer….Spectacle Rock…. Death Mountain…"

Link nearly vomited when he heard that. "Do you mean to tell me that if I want to get the magic hammer I have to go all the way back…"

Just then the woman fainted and Link caught her before she hit the ground. Before he could even yell for help, the young girl who seemed to be the town healer ran up. Chanting a few words over the woman, she awoke.

By now quite a crowd had formed. The old woman was so embarrassed. "I am so sorry," she muttered to Link. "Someone told me the one bearing the crest was in town and I was running all over town to find you. Guess I shouldn't try that at my age."

"Come on Baruca," said the healer. "We'll get you home." She and Link supported the old woman and helped her back to her house where a young but plump woman ran out to meet them.

"Mother! Oh goodness, what happened?"

"It's all right," said the healer in a calming voice. "Baruca just overexerted herself a little, that's all."

"Honey," gasped old Baruca excitedly, "It's HIM! This is the one with the crest."

"That's great mom," replied the woman. "Let's get you to bed, alright?"

She, Link, and the healing woman helped Baruca inside and put her to bed. Her daughter tried to calm her and get her to drink something but she kept insisting her daughter give Link the map under her bed. "I will mom, please try to calm down and get some rest. Promise me you will."

Baruca nodded as her daughter, Link and the healer stepped into the kitchen. "She'll be fine, Emma," said the healer. "But she really got excited when she saw this young fellow here. Guess even at her age she still knows a stud when she sees one." The healer had a good laugh over her own joke. "I have to get back home now. Keep her in bed and make sure she doesn't try to cook for anyone." With that she took her leave of them.

No sooner had she left than Emma took a hold of Links hand and examined the crest. "Well I'll be," she muttered. "So you've come at last. Thank you so much for bringing my mother home."

"Oh it was no trouble really," said Link shyly.

"My mother helped some of the local chieftains set up some roadblocks several years ago to prevent Ganon's forces from coming too close. She knows exactly where they hid the magic hammer that can help an ally pass through them. She was very eager to give it to the one who had this crest."

"I have to go all the way back to Spectacle Rock?"

"I'm afraid so," said Emma. "A maze of caves was cut through the mountain so that only an ally would know how to reach it. Anyone else would be lost." She handed him a map. "As you can see, this is also a more direct route than any other paths that go through the mountain. Spectacle Rock has become quite run down since Ganon died. The place has fallen apart. Sadly, I'm sure the monsters have moved back in since then."

"I don't mean to be rude," said Link. "But I have to get going right away if I have to travel that far."

"Well the only advice I can give you is this: Use keys in palaces they are found in," said Emma. "Don't try to skip any doors so you can save keys for later. You might miss something important."

Link thanked her and left but no sooner had he stepped out than another villager recognized his crest. "Find magic in a cave south of the castle," he said.

"What do you mean?" asked Link. "Is there an oracle there?"

"No," replied the man. "But there is a vial of fairy water there. It will permanently increase your ability to use magic. It was placed there decades ago in anticipation of your coming. Just look south of the North Palace."

Link thanked the man as the villager quickly departed. Link noticed a girl outside her house staring at him intently. No doubt she had spotted his crest too. Link waited long for her to speak but she never did.

"Friendly people you have here," said Link who was feeling awkward about the silence. Still she said nothing. "Seems I can't take two steps without someone trying to help me."

"Well they have a reason not to like followers of Ganon," she finally replied. "Goriya of Tantari stole our trophy. We won it in a jousting competition last year. It wasn't valuable but it had great sentimental value."

"Then why'd he take it?" asked Link.

"Bait," replied the girl. "Our best fighters were lured away from our village out to Tantari to retrieve it. None ever returned. Now we are defenseless and only the enchanted path keeps demons away. I suppose these people will trust anyone who comes here eager to fight the darkness."

"But you don't, do you?"

The girl sighed. "If you are who you say you are, don't go further. You'd just be throwing your life away. And if you're a member of the Cult of Ganon I hope you die."

She walked away while Link registered a double take. Just then something occurred to him. Tantari desert had a large cave. Goriyas had been cave dwelling creatures when Link had known them. True, he had seen a couple above ground here in the north but if that trophy was anywhere it had to be up there. Link knew he needed to earn the trust of these villages. They had helped him so much already. But would it make more sense to get the fairy water first? Well if many warriors had perished in Tantari it would be wiser to get stronger first. Link headed south.

Fortunately for Link the forest and grasslands to the south held few surprises. Just a lot of Moblins. It was still amazing to see how much more aggressive they had become but none of them laid so much as a hand on Link. By nightfall he reached the cave.

Not surprisingly, a swarm of Lowders came charging at him right away. The strategy these creatures were used to using in dealing with their prey was skulking around in the dark and striking unseen. With the cave illuminated they had no chance.

What was this? Link found himself face-to-face with a very familiar old foe. Octorocks. He had never seen an Octorock in a cave before nor had he ever seen one jump before but given all the odd things he'd been seeing lately it wasn't that shocking. Quickly dispatching all three of them he found his way to the end of the cave. And there it was. The bottle of fairy water. He had wondered on the way to the cave if this vial was not indeed poison. I mean if the Cult of Ganon couldn't beat him by force thus far, perhaps they could pose as allies and trick him into drinking something toxic. As soon as Link came near the vial he knew this was not the case. His very fingertips felt the tingle of magic that came from this thing. The fairy water also had no taste other than water but he felt the effect immediately. Since he had emptied the cave of enemies, Link decided to spend the night there.

Link overslept because, of course, the morning sun didn't wake him up when he was all the way in the back of a cave. It was eleven o'clock before he set out. The journey back north was uneventful. Within a few hours he reached the cave in Tantari only to be greeted my more Aches and Octorocks. These sorts of enemies were a mere annoyance more than anything. The real challenge was the Goriya. It was no ordinary Goriya either. It was bright red in color and seemed much more fierce than the last one he had faced. Link tried his best to block and dodge all his boomerangs but it was just no use. He was hit several times. The Goriya exhibited great endurance. It took a surprising number of wounds to kill it.

Blood from a head wound was running down Link's forehead, getting in his eyes and making it hard to see. He did his best to wipe it away. There on a rocky shelf was the trophy. It was solid platinum and was carved in the shape of a cherub. No wonder these people liked this thing so much. It was beautifully crafted and must have been worth a king's ransom. Tucking the trophy under his shield arm, Link turned to go.

You know what they say about when you assume? You make an ASS out of U and ME. Well Link had assumed he had killed every enemy in the cave. Yet somehow on his way out there was a very much alive Ache flying around that Link hadn't been looking for. Therefore he was totally unprepared when it swooped down and sunk its fangs into the back of his neck. It wouldn't let go and was biting with all its might. Have you ever tried to stab a fifty pound bat that is perched on your back biting your neck? It ain't easy, let me tell you. Once it was dead Link was filled with rage. He wished it was still alive so he could pound the crap out of it mercilessly THEN kill it. In his frustration he kicked the rock but all that accomplished was to hurt his own foot.

It was nearly three in the morning when a battered and bruised Link returned to Ruto. His first stop was the healer. Then he searched the streets for Error. He figured the chieftain would be more interested that anyone in the return of the trophy but he couldn't find him anywhere. That's when he spotted the skeptical girl from earlier. "Here, Merry Christmas," said Link sarcastically as he handed her the trophy. He was in a bad mood and expected no pleasant greeting from her. But sometimes you underestimate people.

"You saved our trophy!" the girl nearly screamed in delight. "Come see my uncle." And before Link could react she grabbed him by the arm and practically dragged him down the street to her house.

The second Link stepped inside the house he knew the Oracle lived here. The smell of magic was strong. "Wait here," instructed the girl. "When I show him this he'll have kittens!" She ran downstairs excitedly. A few minutes later she came back up. "He wants to see you. Go downstairs. Oh you are so wonderful!" In her excitement she hugged Link. Something felt wrong. Link couldn't put his finger on it but something just felt so wrong.

Slowly Link entered the basement and found himself before old Ruto himself. Ruto walked up slowly and, like everyone else, grabbed his hand and looked at the crest. He spoke not a word but walked around Link in a full circle seeming to study him. At last he spoke. "With this you can jump very high. AGDA!"

Just as with last time, it was as if the moment he spoke this magical word, it was imprinted into Link's memory. Link doubted he could forget it if he wanted to. He didn't ask any questions, the spell seemed pretty self-explanatory.

"Fate has a strange sense of humor," continued Ruto. "I have learned to expect the unexpected. One might have expected the chosen one to be a giant ox of a man, over thirty years old with dozens of wars under his belt. I knew that wouldn't be the case. We have had dozens of men come through our town meeting that description and all of them died in Tantari like fools. You are young, that is true. But you have great strength and have obviously seen many battles and carry wisdom beyond your years. It is late. Stay here tonight. Tomorrow you must head south towards the cave that will take you to the marshes."

He lead Link upstairs and to the attic of the house. "I haven't been up here in fifteen years," said Ruto. "I haven't left the house in twenty years and I haven't left the basement in five years. I can't even remember the last time I left town. I am nearly finished. My life is coming to an end soon. May I live just long enough to see this evil extinguished once and for all."

No sooner had Link fallen asleep than he knew immediately why the girl's hug had felt so wrong. He hadn't dreamt about Zelda in quite a while but now it hit him harder than ever. He must have been restless. When he woke up, he was several miles south of Ruto near the cave entrance. He had walked that far in his sleep!

By the time Link exited that cave he was not only bruised and bloodied, but burned as well. The Lowders and Octorocks hadn't done him any real harm, but those two Red Goriyas were murder. But it was the Aches that had fooled him. After killing a couple he saw another one that was red in color. He had tried to use his usual strategy against it but to his horror, the Ache landed on the ground and transformed into a gargoyle-like creature. Before he could react, the Acheman spit a fireball in his direction. It shattered the shield and burned him badly. As the magic of the shield caused it to regenerate, the charred flesh on his chest constricted, making it hard to breathe. The next time it landed he stabbed at it wildly, killing it before it had a chance to attack again. He had also had to exhaust some of his magic power. The exit was too high to reach without the jump spell. Fortunately for Link there was a small fairy waiting for him in the patch of woods outside the cave. The pain of a third degree burn is beyond description.

Now the real fun began. Marshes are difficult to walk through. Link would have had to cross the marshes anyway and at least there were no Goriyas there. Damn those things were irritating! In the marsh all he had to worry about were Octorocks and Mobies. There was a cave here but it was blocked by a roadblock (a roadblock but no road, go figure). But Link certainly couldn't ignore pillars sticking out of the ground. What was this? As he edged closer and closer the ground became solid rock. There on the ground was a wooden doll that looked exactly like Link. Was it a trap? It seemed to smell of fairy magic but it didn't heal him when he picked it up. Thinking nothing of it, he placed it in the small purse on his belt.

The map indicated two paths to get to Saria. One would take him way out of his way so at first he took the closest one. That was until he got he first look at Bago Bagos. He liked to steer clear of enemies that moved in odd patterns but these also spit rocks. He decided to take the other bridge. A short detour through the woods lead him to a small patch of desert. No sooner had he set one toe on the sand than he was accosted by two Blue Goriyas. Not having a death wish, he took on only one of them and escaped. A small patch of forest nearby concealed a fairy but he was in no need of healing now.

At first when Link stepped onto the bridge he thought he'd hit the jackpot. He saw only Lowders. Only Lowders and…a freaky looking guy wrapped in black. It was the Cult again. The Cult member laughed evilly. "Don't look so shocked. Saria is our turf my friend." With that he cast his bubble spell and vanished. Once again those explosive magic bubbles began to rise out of the water and Link had to play a rather interesting game of tag. He made it through without being hit but was getting a little irritated. The P-Bag he found in a small patch of woods was no consolation either. Well on to Saria.

The second he entered town he knew something was wrong. Though it was noon the sky seemed unusually dark within the city limits of Saria. A young man stood by the road as if he were waiting for something. Sure enough, as soon as he saw Link's crest he approached him with great anxiety apparent in his eyes. "Eyes of Ganon are everywhere," he warned. "Be careful! If I were you I'm not sure I would trust anyone in this town."

"Yes, I got that impression," replied Link. "It's like walking into downtown hell. Thanks for the warning. "

Link continued on his way. He could have sworn the people he saw only pretended to ignore him. Or was he just being paranoid?

"Hello."

Link turned to see who had spoken. It was a young girl in a red dress carrying a water jug. "You're the guy, aren't you? You're the one here to save us! Oh I have been praying so long for this day. You are him, aren't you?"

"That depends who's asking," replied Link cautiously.

"Oh don't worry about that," replied the girl with a giggle. "I'm someone who knows how very important your quest is. Something so very important that…well… I CAN'T LET YOU COMPLETE IT!"

With a howl of rage the girl transformed into a purple Ache and viciously bit Link in the arm. At the same moment several other villagers also turned into Aches and attacked. Everyone else on the street fled in terror. Link had never fought on a city street before. He had always considered towns to be safe havens. Link slashed wildly, killing three of them. Two others hovered upwards and if they had retreated they wouldn't have been killed. But they were determined and tried to dive bomb him. He slew them both. People cautiously emerged again from their homes. A scream came from down the street. In all the confusion the man who had warned Link had been stabbed in the back unnoticed.

"Quick, get him to the healer!" yelled Link.

"Too late for that," said a villager sadly. "He's dead. And look at this." The villager pointed to the man's forehead in which was carved the letters HLG.

"HLG?" said the villager in confusion.

"Holy Legion of Gannon," replied Link. "A Cult member got to him." Link had to resist the urge to vomit. The man had obviously had these letters carved into his head before he died.

"Get out of here!" screamed a little boy. "You did this! They wouldn't have done this if you hadn't come."

Immediately the boy's mother grabbed him and hushed him. "I'm sorry sir," she said. "But maybe it would be better if you go. It's not that we think you're a bad person, we're just…scared."

"I won't spend one minute longer here than I need to," promised Link. "But I can't leave just yet." He walked away trying not to pay attention to the stares of the townspeople.

As he passed a brick house a girl came outside and started searching for something on all fours. "I lost my mirror," she said to Link. "I'm sure you're wondering what on earth this silly girl is doing here on the ground. Well I'm just looking for it."

"No I'm not wondering that," replied Link. "I'm wondering two things. I'm wondering how you could be concerned over something so frivolous when a man's just been killed and I'm wondering if you'll turn into a bat if I get to close."

"Killed! Who was killed?" asked the girl.

"A man down the street…"

Link didn't have a chance to finish. The girl ran down the street. Link sighed and went on. Poor girl. Must have been a terrible shock. Shame to have to have news like that delivered so roughly as well. Link was hesitant to seek advice from anyone and the only useful information offered was "In Midoro Swamp find a handy glove" whatever that meant.

Link stopped at what appeared to be the town hall and stopped inside. The place was empty. He was just about to leave when a flash of light caught his eye underneath the table. It was a mirror. Well he didn't need to ask where that came from. He'd wait for a better time to return it. The girl was in shock now.

It seemed people in these villages weren't good about home security. He passed a house with the door wide open and… WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? Link peered inside and couldn't believe his eyes. It was a Bot sleeping on a table. Unlike the others, it was purple in color. Now this was just ridiculous. Link's curiosity got the better of him. Cautiously he crept inside and placed the flat of his sword on top of the Bot trying to nudge it awake. At first it didn't work but after a couple of attempts it woke up. Link jumped back, sword in hand ready for a fight. Nothing could have prepared him for what happened next. It spoke! "Let me be!" it hollered. "Master is in woods north of river!" And with that it went back to sleep.

"OK," said Link to himself. "It's official. I've cracked up." Link got out real quick and hurried down the street to the healer's house.

"You don't happen to do any psychiatry as well, do you?" asked Link as the girl healed him.

"Why?" asked the girl with a giggle.

"I'm serious," replied Link. "I just went to a house with a purple talking Bot. Now either this town is stranger than I thought or I'm one card short of a full deck."

"You must have gone to Bagu's," replied the girl with a grin. "He is certainly a strange one. He's a woodsman who typically stays in a cabin in the woods north of here. He has homes here and in Nabooru but rarely uses either of them. He has a way with animals and can even tame monsters."

"And you let this guy live here?"

"What can I say? He pays his rent on time every month."

Link was starting to wonder if he wasn't the crazy one after all. These people were nuts! After thanking the healer he went on. Directly in front of him was the river. He walked into the bridge keeper's house fully expecting to get across.

"Only town folk may cross this river!" scowled the river man.

"What kind of crap is that?" growled Link. "Look pal, I'm on an important quest to save the world here. I don't have time for this. Now lower the bridge or I'll flatten you!"

"Town folk only! No exceptions!" hollered the bridge keeper ignoring Link's threat. For a moment Link considered making good on that threat but it was bad enough having the Cult after him. He certainly didn't need a posse on his tail as well.

"Jackass!" muttered Link as he left. Great. Now what would he do? Town folk only? Would he have to get a house in town just to cross the river? He wandered back up north. Maybe someone could help him. But who? One thing was certain. Saria was no place to look for help of any kind.

"Here you go," said Link handing the mirror back to the girl who lost it as he passed her on the street.

"Oh! You found my mirror!" exclaimed the girl. "Follow me!"

"Sure. Trust a complete stranger in this of all towns," said Link. "No thanks."

"But my grandfather is the town Oracle," said the girl. "Don't you want to see him?"

"Oracle?" Link had to think that one over. If she was lying and he followed her into a house he was trapped. If she was telling the truth, he'd be passing up on some strong magic. "Let's go," said Link making up his mind at last.

A few moments later, Link found himself in yet another basement in front of yet another old man. "Use this magic to restore your life," said the old man. "ADAK!"

So that was how the town healers did their job! Link had wondered about that. Those girls must have muttered that spell after mastering it. It occurred to him not to rely on this spell. It would eat up his magic. No doubt these girls could replenish their magic somehow.

"This magic may restore life, but it will not help get you past the river," said Old Saria, seeming to read Link's mind.

"Yeah," said Link angrily. "Can you believe that stuck up bureaucratic jackass telling me…"

"That jackass is my nephew," interrupted Saria.

"As I was saying, that dear sweet completely reasonable man is sadly and through no fault of his own unable to let me cross," stammered Link. "But perhaps if you said something to him, being his kinsman and all…"

"No dice," replied Saria. "What he really wanted from you was a bribe and he'd expect the same from me. But if you were to make friends with a drinking buddy of his, say one who lives north of here and chops wood all day…"

"I get it," smirked Link. "Mums the word. And thanks."

Link took off in a hurry. This time he was all too willing to cross the bridge with the Bago Bagos. It wasn't easy and he got knocked around a little in the process but he made it across in one piece. His search through the woods for Bagu was, however, disappointing. All he seemed to find were Megmets, Megmets, and even more Megmets. It was getting dark too. Just as he was about to give up and return to the path he stumbled out of the woods and into a small clearing. The clearing contained one single yellow cabin. This had to be it! Link approached the entrance carefully and knocked on the door.

"Door's open!" called a husky voice from inside. Link opened the door carefully and entered to see a large man with a red beard cooking a stew over a fire. The man turned around to get a look at his visitor. "Well hello friend," he said with a slight grin. "Bagu is my name. Show my note to river man. He's buddy of mine, he'll let you pass."

Link stared in amazement. "That is why you came, isn't it?" asked Bagu. "No one ever shows up on my doorstep for social calls."

"That is why I came but I also wanted to see the man who could actually tame some of these demons," said Link. "What you've done is amazing. I went to your house and saw the trained Bot you have there."

"Oh, so you saw Terah," said Bagu with a laugh. "You can imagine the kind of reaction I used to get taking him for a walk on the village streets. Now that town's turned so evil I don't dare go back except to go drinking with the river man on Saturday nights. He's a greedy dishonest bastard, that's true, but he's my only friend. Well… my only elf friend that is. Want to know a secret about demons?" Link nodded. Bagu leaned closer and whispered. "The smaller weaker ones are crazy about turkey livers." Bagu sat back and laughed as if he had said the funniest thing in the world. "Well now you know all about me, but I know nothing about you my friend. What brings you to this region in such a bad time as this?"

Something about this guy made Link trust him completely. He told Bagu everything. Everything. "You don't say!" said an amazed Bagu when Link was finished. "Well whether that's all true or whether it's a load of crap a story like that at least deserves room and board for the night. You won't offend me by saying no, will you?" Link nodded in agreement. "Don't get me wrong, you look to be telling the truth and truth is stranger than fiction but tales don't get no weirder than the one you just told me. Best story I've heard in a long time, it was."

After a wild night of feasting, drinking, and dirty limericks, the two fell asleep. Early the next day a very hung over Link woke up long before Bagu. He felt bad about leaving without saying goodbye to his host but he didn't want to wake him up and he really needed to get a move on. On his way back across the bridge, a rock fired by a Bago Bago hit him in the stomach and in his condition, he barfed all over the ghost fish. "Serves you right," muttered Link.

Back in Saria his first stop was to the healer. Oddly enough her spell cured not only his wounds but his hangover as well. Heading back to the river, he stopped to see the bridge keeper. "You again?" asked the river man with his hand out quite conspicuously. "Look pal, I told you…" To his surprise, the river man found a note placed in his palm instead of rupies. He picked it up and read it. "You know Bagu?" he asked. Link nodded. "Then I can help you cross." He reached for a lever on the wall to lower the bridge. Link didn't stick around to talk with this creep any further. He had to get to that hammer today and get back before nightfall. He pulled out the map of the cave systems. "Well here goes nothing." He took the tunnel to the south through Death Mountain and entered the cave system.

End Chapter 4