The room was beautiful. Hexagonal platforms, all pouring blue water, were positioned seemingly randomly in the vast black space. I was standing on one, feet bare against the marble triangle. It was actually a triangle-inside-a-triangle, a larger gold triangle that seemed to shimmer and radiate its own light around the inverted marble triangle holding me.
"The Triforce…." I whispered.
"Correct." Her voice was smooth and comforting. "Hello, hero from distant lands. Welcome to the Sacred Realm." A floating, blonde woman, wearing a simple white robe, was floating above a golden disk on the platform.
"The Sacred Realm." I repeated, looking around. "Is this a dream?"
"It could be." She replied. "I have an offer for you. If you do not feel up to the task, then you'll just remember this as… a dream."
"A good dream, at least." I prompted, looking around. "Is this your realm?"
"It is. I am the Goddess Hylia." She smiled. "And I am in need of a champion."
"A champion?" I blinked in surprise. "Your offer."
"Yes. My lands need a hero. A Link." She frowned. "You do not have to accept, but… I have the sense that you will."
"I will!" I replied, nodding quickly.
"Please, allow me to fully explain before you accept." She shook her head. "Though I do appreciate your enthusiasm."
"I pleaded to the Golden Goddesses for aid, and they gave me the ability to empower one traveler from a distant land to begin the cycle alongside… myself. You will need to take this responsibility a total of nineteen times."
"There are more than nineteen… instances of the Hero." I replied, confusion in my tone. "Aren't there?"
"Yes." Hylia responded, smiling. "But some are more significant than others. You and I will enter the 19 most significant, to ensure that Hyrule does not fall to the darkness." She looked down, tapping her hip with her finger. "As it would inevitably do without you and I."
"I… hate to being this up." I hesitated. "But I'm a normal human. Not even a Hylian."
"Ah, again… I will explain." She nodded, looking back up. "You will be taking the role of Link. You will, in essence, be my chosen hero, each time, reincarnating or continuing on. However, that doesn't mean you'll be set back to a complete zero point each time." In her hands, she conjured five balls of light, flinging them out to the other five disks. "You have choices to make." She pointed to each in turn, clockwise from her platform. "Age, Skills, Items, Gear, and Karma."
I turned to the first light, hovering over the green disk. "Age?"
"Yes. You have a certain amount of discretion in what abilities you select for yourself." She tilted her head. "Or, to be less cryptic, think of it as a purchasing system. You have one thousand rupees, and you may spend those rupees on anything you desire."
"And that includes Age? My age?" I walked over to the light, peering inside.
"Yes, but you may also allow that to be chosen randomly. If that isn't your concern."
"It's not, not really." Inside the orb, as if spurred by my words, I saw two eight-sided dice roll themselves and land on eight and five. Added to a ten, hovering in the light, and the green disk itself was emblazoned with the number twenty-three.
"So, may I take it that you still agree?" Hylia asked politely as I walked to the next disk in line, a red one with the label 'Skills' above it.
"Yes. How could I say no?" I began to roll down the list, noticing that a few were highlighted in green. "What do these ones, these that are highlighted in green, signify?"
"Those are those that most synergize with your chosen skill as the hero. More specifically, as a Knight. You may receive those for a discount on rupees."
She held out a small rupee bag and opened it. "You only have a thousand, though you may gain more by accruing negative Karma."
"Will I always have a thousand?" I asked, peering into the bag. Twenty purple rupees glinted in the sacred realm's light, as if begging me to spend them.
"No. You may, as I mentioned, temporarily gain more by taking on negative Karma. Or you may make one instance of Karma twice as bad, in return for permanently gaining that many rupees going forward."
"And do I need to spend them all before I leave?" I turned back to the light, selecting the two Skills options labeled with 'zero'- Precise Bladework and Inherit the Sky. Using a sword and being able to fly on a Loftwing, respectively, were largely requirements for the tasks ahead, and these Skills were offering just that for free.
"No, you don't have to. But they will disappear when you're done." She looked apologetic.
"I understand. They're just… a medium." I rolled my hand, looking for the right words. "They're a gift."
"Yes. They're a promise. I promise that these skills will always, always work, unless you decide to take on negative Karma that suppresses them. If you buy any Skills, Items, or Gear here, it will always do what it says. You will always be able to rely on it."
I scrolled past Late and Useless, a perk that would empower me when someone (or, I suppose, multiple someones?) started to mock me, since I tried not to surround myself with people who would insult me on a regular basis. "I'm… having a hard time thinking of specific memories of the world we're about to enter, my Goddess."
Hylia crossed her arms, looking down and tapping her finger on her other arm. "That's because it hasn't happened yet. You can't have memories of events that have not yet happened."
"But I've…" I rolled my hand again, humming. "I'm… familiar with the events in the world. Or at least, I… should be."
"You can't be. That's not how it works, anymore. Any memories you may have had are… gone."
My jaw dropped. "You can remove memories?"
"That would be an interesting ability to have, but no. They simply… you do not have them. You never did, and so, you currently do not. The memories you will eventually forge of this world are the ones you will make, and discern, and discover for yourself."
"I guess I really am Link." I replied. "Okay, well, that's really interesting."
"There is an opposite side to that coin, though." Hylia perked up, pointing with her left forefinger. "Your actions will directly affect the world, free of any influence of how you believe the world 'should have' gone. You will be able to make any decisions based on what you know, in your heart, is right."
I laughed, selecting the 'Brave Bird' perk and handing over two of my purple rupees. It made my bond with my loftwing better, and would allow me to fly at night. Very useful. "I feel like I should be deferring to your judgment on that one. Won't you be holding the Triforce of Wisdom?"
"Then that's also a decision you would be making." She nodded. "Deferring to another's wisdom, or listening to them when they defer to your courage- Don't discount the impact of that."
I could only agree. Neither of the two four hundred, discounted to two hundred, level perks appealed to me. The single minded focus provided by Divine Chaser, while perhaps helpful in Skyward Sword, I couldn't remember, weren't that helpful in what I vaguely remembered Zelda media was, on the whole. Sidequests, fetch quests, and every other kind of quest… they were just as important, and I couldn't take a perk that would reset to zero every time I agreed to go pick up a divine something-or-other from the bottom of the nearby lake.
Similarly, Bring Out The Groosenator (what a name, honestly) provided knowledge in building large scale mechanisms with few materials… and I didn't see myself playing that role. Knights didn't tend to do that, or at least, didn't typically have that much time to do so, even with the speed boost offered. Shield, What Shield and Hello Again, Boy were very much worth it, though. After paying the six purple rupees each for the ability to perfectly parry even small, fast moving objects with a sword and the fatal flaw in my opponents that they would be forever underestimating me, my wallet began to feel a bit light.
"Did you say I could get more rupees through Karma?" I asked, looking around.
"Yes." Hylia gestured to the purple disk, the ball of light glowing and sparking a bit. "Would you like to do that now?"
"I might as well. I've already spent fourteen of your rupees."
"They're your rupees, now, my Champion." She pointed out. "Please, come with me."
I followed her to the purple disk, looking to the light and observing the Karma inside. Limitations of a Disk… would just make everything bigger. That seemed interesting, especially since it seemed to make things GRANDER, as opposed to simply larger. I liked the sound of that, and was willing to be a little late to things to have a larger than life experience and some more rupees. In exchange, Hylia reached into the light and pulled out two large green rupees, both with the number '50' printed on them in white script.
"They will remain green, and will not replenish during your next trip here, unless you choose to make this Karma doubly negative."
"I don't think I need to commit to that yet. There are so many more possibilities." I looked down the list, humming to myself.
"Oh, now I see why that Karma drew your eye." She laughed softly, the sound like bells on the wind. "More opportunities."
"I guess that's true." I smiled to her briefly. "You Should Have Given Her Paper… It just adds more enemies, right? That look like hands? I assume I'm already going to be dealing with those, so… why not take that one?"
She nodded. "Well, you are right that you will be dealing with a lot of enemies, and that this will add more. Would you like to make it worse?"
"I… suppose." I tapped my foot in the water on the platform.
"Then these will be yours to keep." She pulled out four more purple rupees, placing them in the rupee pouch.
"That's good…" I hummed, walking back to the red disk. None of the rest of the Skills were discounted, but a few did catch my eye. The Long Way Round, a perk that would extend my lifespan, would be good if there was a long gap between instances of the Hero… Ballad Of The Goddess was more than worth two rupees, as I remembered the music from these worlds being beautiful and would let me have a mental playlist of them. And finally, Boundary Break, worth four rupees, would give me a birds eye view, as if I actually was playing a game with myself as the hero. It would be a bit to get used to, but it would probably be worth it.
"Are you done here, with Skills?" Hylia asked.
"Yes." I confirmed, and the names of the Skills I'd taken were burned into the red disk.
"Okay. Then next is Items." She led me to the blue disk. "You receive free rupees to use here, but here only." She handed over four more large green rupees, and I began reading down the list.
"Your favorite food is pumpkins?" I asked, turning to look at her. The first item, Pumpkin Harvest, mentioned that the Goddess might have had an appetite for them.
"Wh-what?" For the first time, she looked caught off guard, and stood next to me to look into the light. "I… I didn't prepare these, you have to understand!" She insisted, shaking her head. "I don't know who could have gotten that idea!"
"I see." I tried not to smirk, placing two of my green rupees into the light and selecting that option. "Well, I like pumpkins too, for what it's worth."
"Well… good, I'd hate for you to spend points for… no reason…" Her voice trailed off into a mumble. She walked over to Gear, trying to look inquisitive instead of embarrassed. I selected the highlighted option of a Loftwing, the great birds that Skyloftian knights rode on, for no cost, and paid the rest of my green rupees on a set of Sky Armor, a set of armor that also promised to work like a flight suit and allow me to operate at peak function at the high altitudes I would experience on a fast-flying bird above the clouds. Nothing else caught my eye, but I did linger for a bit until Hylia looked away from the light.
"Next is… Gear. Whenever you're ready." She held up another six green rupees, standing aside from the copper disk.
"I just finished, actually, thank you." I smiled brightly, walking over as my choices burned into the blue disk. I used two green rupees first to buy an Adventuring Pouch, then spent the rest of my green rupees and all the rest of my purples to buy a Hylian Shield. The Pouch offered a space that was bigger on the inside, and I'd known for a long time how useful those could be.
The shield, on the other hand, seemed completely invaluable, considering it branded itself as being impossible to break. It would be an absolute pain to not have a shield, even if I could block with my sword, so it made sense to buy one now.
"That spends you out of your rupees. Are you satisfied with your choices?" She summoned the lights to herself, flicking her fingers to 'scroll' the words within.
"Yes. I believe… I can do what you ask of me with these choices." I nodded.
"Well, all of these I can provide to you now." Hylia waved her arm, and several items appeared on the platform of the triforce behind us. A simple package, wrapped in brown paper and rough thread, labeled with a picture of a smiling pumpkin. A shield, covered with the image of what would be the Hylian Royal Family's crest. A belt, with several small and large pouches on it. A red Loftwing, scratching at the floor and chirping at me in what I thought was a friendly way. Folded, fresh clothes, the Sky Armor done in the dark green of the Hero. Before my eyes, the smaller items flew into the belt pouches until only the Armor and the Loftwing remained.
"Can these be blue?" I asked, picking up the shirt.
"Pardon?" Hylia tilted her head. "You're not pleased with the green?"
"No, no, it's not that." I insisted. "I just… remembered what you said. About making my own decisions?"
"Oh." Hylia nodded. "I see. You are already making your role your own, I see." With a wave of her hand, the fabric rippled and became a sapphire blue. "I do think blue is a good color for you."
"Thank you." I replied, finding a slight blush on my cheeks. I wasn't expecting such a blunt compliment.
"In that vein, I'm afraid you do have a few more choices to make before you enter the world. Much fewer this time, and much more personal."
She held up one ball of light, then deftly separated it into three. "You must create for yourself a new body. I have already made several choices for you, based on our conversation, but you do have some choices left to make." The light floated above the depiction of the Triforce, and as I dressed in my new Armor (which was very comfortable, and reinforced in just the right places), Hylia handed me seven purple rupees. I selected, from the available options, the ability to regenerate my limbs if necessary, for two rupees, the ability to never have to use the restroom (I couldn't remember if Skyloft, or Hyrule proper, had bathrooms, and didn't really want to find out), the ability to subsist on any food I found, and the ability to survive in 'all manner of natural terrain', for three rupees total. My last two rupees I spent on a set of gills, which appeared as large, red gashes on either side of my upper chest.
"This is your body now." Hylia smiled, and as the lights vanished, I suddenly felt myself growing stronger, my senses growing sharper. "No matter what happens, even if you take Karma that removes your new abilities, this will remain."
"All of this, just for me?" I asked, staring at my reflection in the water. It should have been startling to see the piercing and gorgeous blue eyes of Link staring back at me, but it just made sense. I'd agreed to take on this role, and this is who I was.
"Certainly. You deserve much more, for agreeing to take on this task, but this is all I can offer for now."
"It is more than I expected." I admitted, looking at my hands. I could see the faintest outline of the triforce on the back of my left hand.
"That will grow, as you get closer and closer to your destination." Hylia took my hand in hers. "Should you succeed, should WE succeed, the full power of the Triforce will be yours to command."
"The full power…?" I asked, staring at the imprint. "Not just the third that I am drawn to?"
"The full power. Though, if you feel it necessary to just take your one third…" Hylia trailed off, smiling softly.
"No, no, I'll be far more than happy to accept." I smiled back. "Thank you, Goddess Hylia. You are incredibly kind to offer me this chance."
"Even if we should fail," Hylia bowed, "I have no doubt that you will not make it easy. I have faith in you."
A goddess, believing in me. Now that was a lot to take in.
"Our world awaits. Let's be off." Without hesitating, she walked to the edge of the platform, turned to beckon me to follow, and fell backward. Off the platform.
This is my first test, I realized. I will one day wield the Triforce of Courage. I must be courageous.
I ran to the end of the platform and dove off.
-
Author's Notes:
So, fun fact, this is my third jumpchain, and the first I'm really interested in publishing.
I found the format on Reddit at this link: r/JumpChain/comments/r26ce0/fanficwriters_champion_of_hyrule/
And so I decided that it would be interesting to write a comparatively small chain. I'll be uploading the corresponding builds at the end of each chapter, starting with the Body Mod now and providing the Skyward Sword build at the end of the actual first chapter.
Name: Link Haryu
Sex:
Male (0/1000)
Proportions:
Free (0/1000)
Hair:
Only head hair, nothing below the nose (-50/950)
Color:
Dirty Blond, Blue Eyes (0/950)
Extra Bits:
Gills (-100/850)
Affinity:
Body (-100/750)
Augments:
Strength: Tier 2 (0/800)
Endurance: Tier 3 (-50/750)
Speed: Tier 2 (0/750)
Resilience: Tier 2 (0/750)
Reflex: Tier 3 (-50/700)
Memory: Tier 2 (-50/650)
Resolve: Tier 1 (0/650)
Coordination: Tier 2 (-50/600)
Perception: Tier 2 (-50/550)
Charisma: Tier 2 (-50/500)
Appeal: Tier 3 (-100/400)
Empathy: Tier 2 (-50/350)
Flexibility: Tier 3 (-100/250)
Fertility: Tier 1 (0/250)
Powers:
Alt-Form Shift (0/250)
Regeneration (-100/150)
Survival Skills (-50/100)
Waste Not (-50/50)
Want Not (-50/0)
A Solid Foundation (0/0)