DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, or its lovely characters. It belongs to Nintendo.
Chapter 2: An Old Man, and a Sheikah Tower.
It took the cloaked figure to sharply turn around and head the other direction for Link to realize he was staring. Yet his gaze wouldn't leave them until they sat down next to a roaring campfire. Deciding not to waste anymore time, Link started down the slope, stopping to pick up a few resources along the way. He gathered Hylian shrooms and a tree branch for a weapon, just in case.
Suddenly, a thought struck Link, that maybe this stranger wouldn't take too kindly to his staring and might not be so welcoming once he reached their encampment. Deciding to err on the side of caution, Link skirted along the cliff's wall's, and only stopped to crouch behind a tree near the cloaked figures campfire, trying to get a better look at who he was approaching. What would he even say to this person?
"Hello, my name's Link! I just woke up in a mysterious cavern, with no recollection of this place or who I am, can you help me?" Link thought to himself. "Yeah, that's a real conversation starter".
His thoughts were diminished as he got a closer look at the person's features. Link realized that the cloaked figure was an old man, with cold looking eyes and a face weathered by time. He seemed to be staring up at the clouds moving in the sky above.
A low growl startled Link, and he scanned his surroundings for the source of the noise, only to realize that it was coming from him; He was hungry, and felt as if his stomach had been empty for a century.
"I have to find something to eat, maybe the old man will have something I can use to cook with the mushrooms I gathered" Link contemplated.
Link noticed something out of the corner of his eye laying next to the old man's campfire. It was an apple, and it appears to have been seared by the flames of the fire. The old man's back was turned to him now, and without a second thought, Link crept closer to the campfire and slowly started to reach out his hand towards the apple. It would make for a nice-
"I BEG YOUR PARDON! I do believe that is my baked apple! You can't just go around taking whatever you please!" Yelled the old man
Link's hand shot back down to his side immediately. He didn't know what came over him, not thinking to ask the old man first. He just really wanted that baked apple. Stunned, Link cleared his throat and started to speak, his voice hoarse from the lack of using it before.
"Listen sir, I-"
"Oho ho!" Started the old man. "Forgive me- I could not resist pulling your leg. Please help yourself, an apple and an open flame make for a succulent treat."
Link let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, and timidly reached for the baked apple once more. He gazed up at the old man, waiting for him to voice his approval, but no words passed his lips. When their eyes met, the old man gave him an encouraging nod, prompting Link to take a bite. The apple was soft and retained its sweet flavor despite being a bit scorched.
"It's strange to see another soul around these parts" stated the old man.
Gathering some courage, Link decided to speak. "Who are you?" he asked the old man.
"Me? I'll spare you my life story. I'm just an old fool who has lived here, alone, for quite some time now." The old man continued. "What brings a bright-eyed young man like you to a place like this?"
Link pulled at the frayed sleeves of his old shirt nervously. He didn't know what had brought him here, or why he awoke in that strange cavern. He didn't know how to respond. It was all too much. Feeling a bit impatient, Link decided to start asking questions.
"Where are we?" asked Link.
"Answering a question with a question. That is fair enough" responded the old man.
Link could feel his face reddening in embarrassment. He hoped the old man wouldn't notice, or maybe he would assume the sudden warmth in his face was from the fire.
To Link's relief, the old man carried on, "As I cannot imagine our meeting to be a simple coincidence… I shall tell you" he said. "This is the Great Plateau, according to legend, this is the birthplace of the entire kingdom of Hyrule." The old man paused to stand up, and turned to point at a large building in the distance. "That temple there… Long ago, it was the site of many sacred ceremonies. Ever since the decline of the kingdom 100 years ago, it has sat abandoned, in a state of decay. Yet another forgotten entity. A mere ghost of its former self" relayed the old man, with a hint of sadness in the sound of his voice. Seemingly finished with his story, the old man sighed and took a seat by the fire once again.
Link's gaze hadn't left the temple after the old man had finished. Something tugged at the back of his mind, like he had seen the place before, but it was gone in an instant.
Link's thoughts were interrupted by the old man speaking once more. " I shall be here for some time. Please let me know if I may be of service" he stated.
The old man looked at him, as if expecting Link to respond, but Link was at a loss. He took a seat by the fire, contemplating his next move. The old man's story about the temple and the plateau had left him feeling even more confused than he was before. He wasn't any closer to finding answers, instead he now had a frustratingly larger list of questions. His mind was in a frenzy.
"Sir" Link blurted out, unsure of where he was going with this response. The old man gave him a questioning look. Link took a breath to sturdy himself and started again. "Sorry, but the truth is, I have no idea who I am or where I came from. All I know is my name, and that I was asleep in the strange cavern up the hill. If you don't mind me asking, might you know who I am? Surely you must, having been here a long time, yeah?" Link questioned eagerly. He was unsure if he may have made a mistake by being vulnerable about his situation with the man, but it was too late to go back now.
The old man let out a hearty chuckle. "Oho ho! Wouldn't we all like to know who we are, and our purpose in this world, yes? The journey towards self discovery can be a formidable one, but a necessary burden we all must endure, hmm" He said.
Link's brows furrowed in frustration, and he didn't bother to mask the scowl forming on his face. Of course the old coot wouldn't give him the answers he needed, he mentally scolded himself for thinking otherwise. Exasperated, Link got up to leave, turning to give the old man one last remark, his frustrations boiling over.
"If you didn't want to help me, you could've just told me, you know," he said bitterly.
The old man looked a bit taken back by Link's sudden outburst, but his demeanor changed instantly as a small smile rose to his face when he began to speak.
"Oh? Did I not help you by allowing you to have my baked apple? I could've punished you for attempting to steal it, you know. We've only met today now, yes? Wouldn't you have expected me to recognize you when you came down that hill if I knew why you were up there in the first place, hmm?" He said coyly
Link's expression softened a bit. He could see what the old man was saying in plain terms; Duh, we just met. How could I know you?
"I thought it better to impart some wisdom upon you, my mistake for believing you'd see it as beneficial" retorted the old man.
Link could not believe what he was hearing. "Wisdom" was the last thing he wanted to hear right now. He could feel his frustrations starting to turn into unbridled anger.
"Yeah? Well I don't need your help, especially not from you, old man" Link countered.
The old man seemed unfazed by Link's harsh words. "Oho ho! My my, aren't we a proud one, ey? I stand by my word though, feel free to help yourself to anything you might need from my camp. I do not know what your future plans are, but monsters are a common nuisance around this area. I suggest you equip yourself with more than a tree branch if you're expecting to combat them. It would ease this old man's mind knowing you aren't out in danger ill prepared" he said.
Choosing to ignore the old man, Link turned to head down the hill further, away from the old man. As he walked down the cobbled path, Link couldn't help but admire the beauty of the quiet hillside. He didn't know what exact season it was, but the warmth that lingered in the air and the lush green of the trees told him it was likely the start of summertide.
A sudden screech jolted Link from his thoughts. Out of the bushes darted a squat creature that resembled a goblin outfitted in only a loincloth, its skin a menacing red. It was holding a crude club, one that Link did not want to be on the receiving end of. As it started sulking towards him, he brandished his tree branch and assumed a wide stance. When the goblin got within a few feet of him, Link took a swing, his stick connecting with the goblins face. "I've hit it!" Link thought excitedly. As if the creature could hear his thoughts, it let out a snarl, and lept towards him, its club raised high. Link parried the sudden attack with his tree branch, only to feel his stomach drop as the worst happened; His tree branch broke in two, leaving him defenseless. Thinking on his feet, Link did the only thing a sane person would do; Run. He turned sharply and sprinted back up the hill, weaving around trees in order to confuse the goblin following his trail. When Link made it back up to the old man's encampment, he was relieved to see that the goblin had ceased following. Link let out a loud sigh, and heard the man sitting across the fire chuckle quietly as he approached. Unwilling to bring himself to meet the old man's eyes, Link instead tasked himself with finding a weapon. Opting to grab the closest thing to him, he grabbed a torch laying against the rock outcropping, hoping it would fare better than his tree branch.
"Well then, just help yourself to that torch there. And how, may I ask, are you planning to use it?" piped the old man, with an amused look on his face.
Link gave him a look. "Too set things on fire" he said sarcastically.
"That is rather…Unnerving. Please be cautious with that around any dry grass that might catch fire. Although it could be used as a weapon, which I'm assuming that's what you are in search of given how much trouble that bokoblin gave you with your, ahem, tree branch, might I suggest using my wooden axe down yonder instead? That may prove to be an even more suitable choice for you, boy" said the old man
Link muttered a few choice words under his breath, and begrudgingly walked towards where the man's wooden axe was resting. Firmly grasping it with two hands, Link gave it a good heave and was able to lift the axe comfortably, despite its hefty weight. Determined to not let the so-called bokoblin get the best of him again, Link crouched and walked slowly to the spot in the bushes where he knew the creature was hiding. As he approached the grunting bokoblin from behind, Link raised his wooden axe high into the air, and thrust it down upon the unknowing creature's head. The bokoblin let out a large cry, it back now sliced clean open; A critical hit! Link let out a little cheer as the bokoblin fell, unmoving. He had gotten the best of the nasty creature, despite the odds.
"... Link. Link!"
Link looked around, puzzled. He could've swore heard someone calling his name just now…
"Head for the point marked on your Sheikah slate" said a voice
"That voice… I know that voice" Link mumbled to himself as he pulled out his Sheikah Slate. He hoped that the voice would have more to say to him. He was so certain he recognised its sound. "Her sound" Link corrected in his head, recalling that it sounded like a woman's voice.
Deciding not to dwell on it further, Link looked to his Sheikah slate. It was now pulsing with blue light. Tapping it, Link turned it on to see a dark blue landscape with a white triangle pointing the way he was facing, and a glowing yellow circle a bit further on the screen.
"She told me to head for the point marked on my slate. The yellow circle must be it, then." he said to himself.
Link headed towards the location, running into a few more bokoblins along the way. But it wasn't anything he and his trusty axe couldn't handle. When he reached his destination, Link was puzzled at first. It was a massive stone rock that caved in slightly, but upon further investigation, he noticed a pedestal similar to the ones he encountered when he first awoke.
"Place the Sheikah slate on the pedestal" rang the voice.
Not wasting a moment, Link did what he was instructed to do and waited, watching the mechanism of the pedestal with interest. It made a whirring sound, and text soon appeared on the screen of his slate.
Shekiah tower activated. Please watch for falling rocks
Suddenly, the floor beneath him started to tremble. Link tried to maintain his balance, but the tremors got too violent and he fell hard to the floor. Link felt himself get shot up into the sky, his stomach doing flips as he ascended. When the movement subsided, he rose to his feet and looked around. He was now atop a tall tower, the earth of Hyrule now far below him. He gazed out into the distance, noticing similar towers now dotted the land as well.
Distilling local information
Above the pedestal where his Sheikah slate rested, a small teardrop of blue liquid was starting to form. He backed up as the glowing blue liquid splashed onto his slate, but unfortunately for him he wasn't quick enough to avoid the droplets that ricocheted off the screen. Link grimaced as the liquid burned his skin like acid.
Link's Sheikah slate ejected itself from the tower's pedestal. He examined it and noticed a section of a map had appeared.
Regional map extracted
"Wow" Link breathed out
Link stood there for a moment until he thought he heard something
"Remember …Try… Try to remember" said a voice
"That voice, she's speaking to me again. I've been hearing her since I woke up. What does she want with me? Does she know me? Who I am…" Link thought
"You have been asleep for the past 100 years" she said
Instantly the castle in the distance erupted in a huge black fog, and a swirling mass with the face of a boar appeared.
"The beast… When the beast regains it's true power, this world will face its end" the voice continued.
A bright light pierced through all the darkness. It shined brighter with each moment, and caused the menacing beast to let out a roar and retreat back towards the inside of the castle.
"Now then… You must hurry, Link!" The voice cried out. "Before it's too late…"
Link didn't know how to feel as he slowly processed what he just witnessed and what the voice had told him. 100 years! Asleep, for 100 years! That just wasn't possible, it couldn't be, right? His body was young. He felt young, definitely not over 100 years old. And what in good name was that thing he saw terrorizing the castle? Not to mention the bright light that seemed to fight it back.
Link's breathing halted. Was that her? The one who had been guiding him since he woke up, speaking to him. If she could speak to him in his head, surely it wouldn't be impossible for her to be using that golden light against the beast.
"Hello, voice? It's Link, the one you've been speaking to all day, I'm going to need a bit of an explanation here!" Link shouted towards the castle. "How do you know my name? Are you in danger? What is the beast you speak of? Was I really asleep in that cave for 100 years, I mean come on, really?!" he continued.
Some stupid part of him almost expected her to voice an answer. It couldn't be that hard for her to tell him, right?
Link ran a hand through his hair and let out a shaky sigh. "Yeah, like it's gonna be that easy for me to know the how and why to… everything" he muttered. He slumped against the Sheikah tower pedestal, defeated. The sun was starting to set, and Link felt as if he had been running this entire day towards something, something he came so close to grasping, but ultimately falling short every time. He tried not to let it get him too down, for the promise of a new day seemed a better promise than any at the moment.
"There's always tomorrow," Link said to himself. "And I'm not going to get any closer to it, wasting time up in this tower" he said. Picking himself up, he took one last look towards the cascading beauty of Hyrule, and went in the only direction he could; Down.
Hello! Iris here. After a long, long, LONG wait, finally here is Chapter 2! Hope you all enjoy. Don't expect updates to be anytime soon, as they will be sporadic, but I do have the next one fleshed out a bit, so there's some good news! Thanks!
