Author's Preface:
Welcome back! I've had a ton of trouble with the site, and I still don't think it's properly reporting traffic to the last chapter as it says no one has viewed it at all. *Shrugs*. Not much I can do about it but keep on keeping on. If all five chapters are not showing properly, please message me. On a brighter note, this week is a fast paced, action-filled chapter. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.
Recommended Background Music: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask- Pirates' Fortress [EXTENDED]
It was a solemn crowd that trekked through the forest. Eleven men silently marched on, two on horseback and the rest on foot. Sunlight streaked in upon them through the forest canopy. The day was extremely hot, and the humidity was also extreme. The dark greens of the forest were alive with birds and small game. Bird song and the buzzing of small insects surrounded the small force. The raiding party pressed on despite the heat and irritation.
Link led the way, attempting to keep downwind of any potential lizalfos patrols. Lieutenant Fassil rode directly behind him. The man had begun the trip resentful of Link's temporary authority but had since seemed to have fallen into a certain awe of Link's foresting skills. The lieutenant had never seen somebody so effortlessly maneuver a column of troops through dense terrain. It also helped his ego that Link only occasionally gave commands, content to lead in silence.
The troop had traveled over the stream crossing a while ago where Link had been ambushed the previous day. Link contemplated pushing onto the camp as they were getting close, but he realized they had been walking for over an hour in gear. He glanced back at his comrades. The nine soldiers on foot appeared slightly tired, and Link knew the armor they wore became extremely hot on a warm day like this.
Three of the hylian soldiers carried metal crossbows, large weapons that provided a great deal of power but were slow to load. Two of the guardsmen were armed with spears. Link had been surprised to see Sergeant Letz was one of the spearmen that morning. The lightly wounded man had said nothing to Link since the discussion at the stable the other day. The final four infantrymen carried swords and pavises. Link stopped Epona.
"Alright we'll break here. The lizalfos camp is only a fifteen-minute trek from here, and you need to be fresh." The men-at-arms grunted their pleasure as they sprawled out where they stood. Some sat down on the ground, and many broke out canteens. Link turned to Lieutenant Fassil, who had already dismounted his horse.
"We'll be approaching the north side of the encampment, which is directly downwind of the lizalfos," Link told him. The Lieutenant took off his helmet, revealing his dark hair to be covered in sweat. The skinny lieutenant then replied to Link.
"Excellent," The man said with a smile. "I assume I can resume command then?" Link nodded. The lieutenant leaned against a tree as he looked back at his men. He then took a deep breath.
"Sergeant Letz, could you come up here, please?" The sergeant pushed his way to the front of the column, spear hoisted over his shoulder. He was the tallest of the three men, standing an inch or two taller than Fassil and much taller than Link. The man glanced at Link before locking his view onto Fassil. The sergeant never removed his helmet even as he spoke.
"What do you need?" Letz said gruffly. The lieutenant smiled at him.
"I intend to split our party into two groups to better surprise the lizards. I want you to lead the initial attack with your fellow spearman and another guardsman. We will then add our weapons to the fray from the flank with the crossbowmen supporting. Hopefully those lizards will fall apart and be ours for the taking." Fassil grinned at that declaration. He then spared a glance at Link.
"Er, Link maybe you could go with Sergeant Letz and help start the combat?" Link considered the two men before him. Fassil remained smiling, appearing excited at the upcoming combat. In contrast, Letz's body was extremely tense, but his helmet revealed none of his emotion. The difference couldn't have been more extreme, and it almost seemed as though the tension leaked from Letz into the air. It was a strange observation that hinted that Letz did not like being next to the lieutenant. Was there trouble between these two men? Link mused. He realized Fassil was waiting for an answer.
"That works fine for me," Link finally stated. Letz grunted his assent before saluting. Fassil returned the salute and began preparing his men for the assault. It was another ten minutes before the men were rested and aware of the plan. Letz's party then started forward.
The four of them moved quickly and as quietly as possible towards the lizards' camp. Despite wearing armor and moving through dense foliage, the soldiers managed a relatively quiet advance. Link's direction had also led them to an excellent position under some large bushes, out of sight from any sentry's sight. The lizalfos rarely kept proper visual vigil anyways, as they were overly confident in their sense of smell. This overreliance was another reason Link preferred to be the aggressor when fighting lizalfos.
The men were quiet as they watched the camp below them. It was much the same as Link had seen the previous day, with lizalfos lounging around the clearing. It seemed they were unprepared and unaware of the threat in the bushes just yards away from them. Link could feel the soft edges of leaves as he crouched in the low foliage. Letz crouched next to him with his men behind him, scanning the terrain. Interestingly, he was less tense here than when he was in front of Lieutenant Fassil. Letz broke the silence with a whisper.
"Listen for a horn, that'll be Fassil's signal to attack." The soldier had his spear nearly to the ground, to prevent it from being visible to the lizalfos below them.
"Shouldn't that be lieutenant Fassil?" Link replied, also whispering. The sergeant glanced at him, before silently resuming his watch of the lizalfos camp.
"Is there a problem between you and the lieutenant?" Link asked, still whispering. The sergeant sighed before turning to Link.
"Look, I…" he started before glancing at the two soldiers behind them. "Never mind. No everything is fine, listen for the signal." The man silently went back to watching the camp, and no amount of prodding from Link could make him break that silence.
The camp was surprisingly quiet, but more populated. Twenty-five or more lizalfos lingered in the clearing. There were two weapon racks filled with weapons and equipment. None of the monsters seemed to keep their blades or shields near them, which would only help the attackers, Link figured.
The small wooden barricades would provide almost no aid either, as they were too spread out to provide a proper defensive line. The wooden hut had its door shut, but two armed and ready lizalfos stood outside. It appeared the lizalfos leaders were present in the central hut based on that observation alone.
It was a strange sensation to wait for conflict. All of his life so far, conflict had found him and forced him to respond immediately. Even during the twilight invasion, there had been no real times Link had to wait in ambush for an enemy. He had always been moving forward with whatever he had on hand. Sure, he had planned and been patient when it was necessary but never had to wait for someone else.
Link attempted to access his Lupine senses as he waited. Being downwind of the lizalfos, the scent was overpowering. Despite his best attempts however, he couldn't tell where the other hylian party was located. So, he had no idea how close the other attack group was to being in position. The four raiders remained crouched on the hard ground, waiting in silence in the heat.
A horn blare suddenly filled the air. Link was the first on his feet, Letz right behind him. At first the four men attacked without any resistance. Link led the charge, cutting down confused and disoriented lizalfos as they attempted to reply.
Letz and his men supported the green-clad hero well, taking down their fair share of the beasts even as a few tried to strike back with their claws. Link's sword was soon covered in the green blood of the lizalfos, and half a dozen lizalfos lay on the ground motionless. Lizalfos were extremely fast though, and the remaining lizards jumped or ran out of the reach of the unexpected attackers. They raced towards their weapons, hissing in anger and fear.
"Stop! Link, stop!" Letz cried behind him. Link stopped his forward rush into the camp and backpedaled back to the sergeant. Letz pointed with his spear off into the distance. "They're reforming! We need to hold here until Fassil shows!" Link looked at where the gray-clad soldier was indicating.
Eight of the reptilian monsters approached from the rear of the camp, swords clutched in their claws. Their forked tongues slithered in and out as they hissed at the intruders. Each one carried their distinguishing small square shields. Link felt the hatred in their small yellow eyes.
The line of lizalfos was intimidating for the small group of hylian soldiers, with each lizalfos standing around seven feet tall. The lizalfos picked up their pace as they approached, coming at the squad in a sudden sprint. Link narrowed his eyes at the oncoming lizalfos. Not taking his eyes off of them, he replied to the sergeant beside him.
"Alright, get ready to jump on them once I have their attention." The sergeant seemed stunned by that.
"What? We need to form a line and break their charge. We'll all die if we don't!" Letz glanced at his comrades before returning his gaze to Link. The young hylian said nothing as he idly spun his Ordon sword in his left hand, taking in the gait of the incoming lizalfos. It was clear he was extremely focused on the enemy, but he finally replied to Letz.
"Just trust me." The sergeant cursed but told his men to do what the stranger had said. Instead of digging in their heels and forming a straight line, they formed up behind Link uncertainly. Link meanwhile had completely tuned them out, his eyes dead ahead.
The lizalfos were now only a dozen yards away. Link brought his sword up vertically in both hands to his left shoulder, preparing to jump. As the first of the lizalfos reached him, he slashed out with the sword horizontally, knocking three of the lizalfos off balance. The young swordsman then sprang forward and up into the air with the vertical slice of the jump strike, taught to him so long ago.
The strike landed on the ground, and a small energy shockwave seemed to explode from it. The three soldiers watched in awe as six of the eight lizalfos were flung into the air, landing heavily on their backs or stomachs. All present could see a golden light from the stranger's left hand as the hylian straightened back up, facing the last two lizalfos. Letz shook off his surprise and waved his men forward.
"C'mon, now's our chance!" the sergeant yelled as he moved forward, attacking the stunned and disoriented lizalfos. His comrades followed him with shouts of their own, quickly dispatching the majority of the lizalfos in disarray. Link meanwhile engaged the last two lizalfos with a speed that seemed to exceed even the lizalfos' uncanny abilities.
Link kept up the pressure, a parry here, a slash forward, and then a roll around his opponents. One fell to the ground with his Ordon sword through its chest, right before the other was beheaded in another quick action as it attempted to avenge its comrade. Link found himself panting over the two corpses while watching the remaining camp. Letz walked up behind Link with his spear still at the ready, having finished the other lizalfos.
"Remember, they're much stronger when on the attack," Link mentioned to the guardsmen over his shoulder. Letz nodded.
"Yeah, well not all of us are fast enough to force them on the defensive." The soldier's body suddenly went stiff. "And we have more company!" Link looked back towards the lizalfos camp. Another dozen of the creatures had gathered their weapons. They came on slower than the first attackers.
Two moved to flank the small party of defenders, while the other ten pressed ahead cautiously. Apparently, they had taken note of the many corpses littering the ground around the hylians. Link readied his bloody sword in preparation for another skirmish.
Suddenly, three of the lead lizalfos were struck down. Crossbow bolts extruded from their bodies in a bloody display. The shots were not the most accurate, but their power was apparent as the lizalfos failed to rise again. The remaining lizalfos hesitated, stopping in unison and scenting the air with their tongues for any threats.
That's when Fassil's men plowed into their right flank from the wood line, attacking in a mess of shield bashes and sword strikes. With a whoop Letz led his men into an attack to support his countrymen.
The lizalfos were caught on the defensive and seemed to panic in that moment. Becoming desperate, they swung wildly at the attackers. Only a few of the hits landed home. Another barrage of crossbow bolts fired, downing another two lizalfos. The dust cleared slowly, revealing the cut and dismembered corpses of all the lizalfos. One of Fassil's men also lay dead, a wound in his chest. Another hylian lay on the ground moaning, his shoulder and side bleeding horribly.
Fassil walked out of the wood line behind his men, helmet off and grinning. No blood or sweat covered him. Both Letz and Link approached the armored Lieutenant. Letz was breathing hard, but Link was barely winded. The Lieutenant greeted them with excitement.
"Well done gentlemen! Well done indeed!" The lieutenant seemed to take in their motley appearances. "Now we just have to deal with their leaders!" Letz's muddy figure suddenly seemed to fill with anger.
"You didn't even try to join the fight?!" the sergeant said in a disgusted voice. "Men were dying under your command!" The Lieutenant smiled at him, Fassil's skinny figure showing no displeasure.
"It was not my place. We won though, so it doesn't matter. But we must see to the lizards in the hut before they escape!" As if summoned by his words, the door to the hut opened suddenly, and two figures dashed out, running towards the far side of the clearing. Link made out the shapes of the lizalfos chieftain and the dinolfos. Fassil cursed before ordering his men to follow. Letz remained by his lieutenant's side. Despite the soldiers' haste, the lizards disappeared into the far tree line. Fassil turned towards Link.
"Do you know what lies in the woods in that direction?" Link shook his head. Fassil cursed again. "We must be after them then before they escape for good!" Link pulled his horse call from around his neck, calling for Epona. He replied to Fassil as his mount approached.
"I'll track them if I can." The green-clad hero asserted as he quickly jumped up onto Epona. Fassil looked up at the stranger that had led them here.
"Fine but be careful. If there's another lizalfos host around, you may be walking into a terrible situation. I want my men to be able to support you in any engagement." Link gave his assent as he made his way towards the tree line. As he was leaving, he caught Fassil's next commands to Letz.
"Sergeant, I want you to take this wounded man back to Vinwaka. Take my horse but see to it that you do not waste any time." Letz hesitated, glancing at the wounded man. The anger in his form had not receded. He finally saluted his commanding officer and moved to follow the orders. Link then was out of hearing range and into the woodlands. He passed the other soldiers, still slowly following the lizards' tracks through the forest.
Link moved as quick as he could, but despite his best efforts the lizards remained ahead of him. It wasn't a mile into his pursuit that the forest once again opened back up. Link broke into a clearing to stare at a concerning scene.
The area ahead of him was covered in giant rock structures that laid in piles of gravel and boulders. The terrain went up and down in several rolling hills, with the giant gray stone formations jutting out of them. Worse than that, the lizard tracks clearly went straight into the rocks.
Link took a swig from his canteen, considering the situation. Once again, the threat of ambush was massive. A dinolfos was not a huge threat alone, but Fassil had mentioned they could be seeking out another host of lizalfos.
Link thought that was unlikely, but if even five lizalfos were in those rocks the risk would be considerable. In fact, it was possible a foraging group from the camp they had just attacked had come this way. In which case the dinolfos and chieftain would have around five lizalfos at their disposal. Additionally, Fassil had clearly stated to wait on him and his troops. Link pulled his hawkeye out of Epona's saddle bag and scanned the rocky gravel ahead. Nothing of interest caught his eye.
Link wasn't sure if he needed Fassil and his men anyways. To him, it had seemed strange that Fassil had wanted him to wait on the hylian troops. They weren't on horseback, and only two lizards remained as far as he could tell. Fassil should know by now that those two enemies wouldn't be a problem for Link after the last few days. Normally, Link would push ahead, come what may. He had been in far worse situations with way worse odds during the twilight invasion. Link chewed his lip as he considered his options.
In reality, there wasn't just the situation out here to consider. What about the situation back in the village? Link already was disliked and mistrusted by the villagers. If the soldiers thought he was working against them as well by disobeying their orders, he may not be welcome back in the village at all. Lieutenant Fassil seemed friendly enough, but Link knew Captain Garsus had grown annoyed at his interference, particularly last night with the mayor.
It was Link's hope to leave the village with the guards and villagers in better relations. No town or village should have such friction between the community and its protectors. If the guards and villagers could work together, they would be much safer and happier in the long term. But it seemed prejudices and shortsightedness ruled their thoughts. Link decided then. He would wait for backup to placate the guards and hopefully help the village's political situation in the long run.
So, Link made himself comfortable, dismounting Epona and waiting patiently. Occasionally, he scanned the rocky ruins ahead. Once again, waiting for others felt extremely strange to him. The lack of urgency seemed misplaced after the rush of the twilight invasion.
Finally, the armored column of gray dressed infantry emerged into the sunlight of the clearing. Fassil immediately saw Link and pushed ahead of his men to speak with him, removing his helmet as he did so. Link watched the young officer move towards him. Link then quickly filled the Lieutenant in of the situation.
"Aye, those rocks could be filled to the brim with lizards." The man seemed to consider both the rocks and Link at the same time. "In fact, I figure with those tracking skills, you should be the one to lead us into those rocks. I bet you can keep up with them even in that rocky terrain." The man gave Link a large grin, but to Link it seemed forced. Despite that, Link figured his plan made the most sense. They didn't know he had sharp senses, but those would be extremely helpful in an ambush. Fassil took his hesitation as uncertainty, however.
"Don't worry, we'll have your back. I'll even order the crossbowmen to cover you," the Lieutenant stated as he nodded back towards the three men armed with the metal weapons. He gave Link another extremely large smile.
"Alright," Link replied. The Lieutenant's smile widened further in excitement as he ordered his men into a column behind Link.
"If anything jumps you, we'll be on it in no time," the soldier announced. "Those lizards don't stand a chance!" Link took another look at the rocky hills ahead, not sharing the Lieutenant's enthusiasm. It was clear that Epona wouldn't be able to navigate it. He leaned towards his horse, stroking her soft nose.
"See you in a little, girl," he whispered into the horse's ear. Epona nickered back, throwing her mane up. Link patted her on the neck and grabbed his bow, before leading the soldiers towards the rocks. He had lacked his bow in the last ambush, and he wasn't eager to repeat the scenario. Only four men followed Link into the rocks. Two of the soldiers had been incapacitated in the camp fight, and the three crossbowmen remained far back by the wood line.
Lieutenant Fassil followed right behind Link, still without his helmet. Apparently, he was more interested in being on the front lines here than in the lizalfos camp. Maybe he thinks the risk is lower, Link mused. The party entered the rocks on edge and at the ready.
Link was only a few yards into the rock formations when he sensed danger. The soldiers following him had already slowed down, letting Link advance ahead of them by a few paces. He stopped, closing his eyes and trying to locate the threat.
Above, he sensed a presence. But it was far above the party, most likely on top of one of the boulders. This felt much closer, and immediately threatening. Link took one more hesitant step forward.
Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted from his lower left back. Link was launched forward, landing on his chest in a heap. Cold gravel rubbed his face in contrast to the fiery hurt coming from his back. The agonizing pain left him gasping in misery.
He slowly turned over, pain filling his torso. Link looked down in shock, seeing a crossbow bolt emerging from his lower abdomen. Two more bolts clanged off the rocks nearby. Blood began staining his green tunic front. Fassil began to approach him, sword in hand.
"Wha.. What's going on?" Link forced out. The Lieutenant in front of him gave Link a broad smile. The unnatural grin never reached the soldier's eyes.
"Well, I guess you could say you're no longer needed," the skinny man stated. "The Hyrulean army thanks you for your service. It's a pity the lizalfos killed you out here when we were on the verge of a great victory." Link's eyes filled with shock as he tried to comprehend what the lieutenant was saying.
Fassil wants to kill me! Link realized in horror. He attempted to drag himself back from the advancing guardsmen, but his injury hindered him. Link weakly picked up his sword, attempting to prepare a defense from the ground. The lieutenant laughed.
"Pathetic indeed. Captain Garsus said you could fight, but I think this proves you got lucky the other day. It's a shame that such a useful person must die, but we can't have people interfering with army business now, can we?" The man smirked as though sharing a joke with Link. The smiling soldier made a swing for Link, which he barely blocked. But he groaned as pain shot through him at the sudden movement.
Fassil only grinned wider, throwing another attack at Link. This time Link was a little too slow, and the sword was knocked out of his sweaty grasp. That's when both men heard a sound from above. Link and Fassil looked up at the same time to see a figure sliding down the adjacent boulder's edge.
Link expected to see the dinolfos taking advantage of the in-fighting to kill as many hylians as it could. But it was not a dinolfos form falling down on them. It was another hylian soldier, a spear hefted in his right arm. Link realized that the man's left arm was bandaged as well. The armored man landed squarely on Fassil's shoulders, tackling him to the ground. Fassil's sword fell out of his grasp, and both men fell to their knees.
The newcomer was up immediately, putting himself between Fassil and Link. Link could now make out the form of Sergeant Letz. What?! Link asked himself in wonder as pain racked his body.
Letz lowered his spear at Fassil but at the same time backpedaled in small, careful steps. Fassil slowly regained his feet. The man's eyes were filled with a fierce anger.
"Ha! So, you finally show your true colors Letz," the Lieutenant snarled at the spearman defending Link. "I thought Garsus made it clear just what would happen to your little lover girl back in town if you tried a stunt like this." Letz calmly stood his ground.
"You've always belittled my skills with a spear," the helmeted man replied. "Want to try your luck and prove it?" Fassil's eyes widened as Letz suddenly lunged at the lieutenant, his spear aimed for the man's throat.
Fassil tried to jump back but tripped. He barely avoided the spear tip and instead fell back into his men behind him. The tight quarters of the rocks favored Link and Letz in that moment. The soldiers were blocked from advancing and off balance, if only for a few seconds.
Letz reached over and pulled Link's arm over his shoulder. He put his spear in his left hand and grabbed Link's sword in his right. He helped Link move further into the rocky boulders. The sergeant took a few wild turns, apparently at random, before slowing down. He eased Link down onto the ground a good twenty yards from the entrance to the rock piles.
"How bad is your wound?" he whispered to Link. "We need to get further in, but there's no time to lose them. Can you walk?"
"Hurts…" Link replied. "But I can slow them down… Bombs in back pouch." Link tried to reach back and pull them out, but the pain made it extremely difficult.
Letz instead gently turned him over, pulling out three explosives from his back pouch. Link's primary bomb bag was with Epona, but he tried to carry a few on his person for emergencies. Letz and Link both went stiff when they heard armored footsteps, not more than a few yards from their current position. Letz quickly lit the fuse of the first bomb and rolled it out around the nearest rock in the direction of the footsteps. Cries of alarm filled the air and the hylian soldiers could be heard running in fear back towards the edge of the rocks.
Letz then lit the other two bombs, throwing them as far as he could towards where he had confronted Fassil. More cries of surprise could be heard, and two crossbow bolts were fired into the rocks near Link and Letz. Then, the three explosions rocked the countryside, spraying gravel and debris high into the air.
Gray dust covered the area in a large cloud. In the mess of low visibility and confusion, Letz helped Link to his feet. The two of them stumbled deeper into the maze of boulders and rock formations, dust swirling around them. Link went as far as he could, even as weakness and pain overtook him. He had no idea how far they had walked when his vision finally faded, and the world turned black as he slipped into unconsciousness.