After their strange ordeal at the hands of the Sheikah, Link and Linkle continued as planned, exiting Old Kakariko through the west gate and descending down Sahasra Slope. They encountered a small group of Bokoblins at the bottom, but otherwise found no resistance before continuing north up the road.

It took another day of travel, but the siblings eventually arrived in the Lanayruan town of Rebonae, situated on the bank of the Hylia River. The town's only feature of note was its proximity to the bridge that connected the Lanayru Province to Central Hyrule, which Link and Linkle had previously planned to cross in order to get to the capital. However, with the new 'quest' that had been given to them by the Impa family, the plan was now to continue on past the bridge and head north for the Eldin Province.

After doing their usual business of selling their spoils and restocking their supplies, the siblings went to find an inn.

"This place is neat," Linkle remarked, walking a few paces ahead of her brother, her hands clasped behind her back and her head lolling about whimsically. "I've never seen so many Hylians and Zora together in the same village."

Link had noticed it as well. It seemed as though almost half the town's population was made up of Zora. He'd expected to see them in Lanayru, but he hadn't expected to see this many outside of the wetlands. But then again, they were right on the river.

"I wonder if we'll cross paths with any Zora adventurers," Linkle wondered aloud. "I bet they hunt Gyorgs, Degu Toads, and Octoroks. Did you know there are Octoroks out in the ocean that grow to be the length of ten ships?" she asked, looking over her shoulder.

"That's a dumb way to measure something," Link pointed out. "Ships come in different sizes."

"Yeah, but it's still big." Linkle seemed unperturbed and continued observing the town. Her face lit up as something in the town square caught her eye. "Ooh!" Nearly knocking over a pair of passing villagers, the eager girl ran off.

"Hey!" Link called after her. "Sorry," he said quickly, apologizing to the villagers Linkle had bumped into. Pulling the horse along with him, he followed Linkle towards the town square.

He found her standing in front of a big wooden board off to the side of the walkway. Upon it were several pieces of paper that had been nailed there. Some were official notices from the kingdom or the local government, while others appeared to be advertisements or requests from the villagers. "What's the big deal? You wondering when the next town meeting is gonna be?" Link asked.

"Sometimes people put quests up on these," Linkle said, her eyes excitedly darting across the notice board. "Ooh! Take a look at that one." She pointed to a poster that showed a crude drawing of a fat red creature with one eye.

"Warning to all residents and travelers," Link read aloud. "A Hinox has taken up residence in the woods to the south of town. Do not enter woods unless absolutely necessary." There was a reward for killing or displacing the monster written at the bottom of the page. A large number next to a rupee symbol had been crossed out and replaced with an even larger number, twice. "By Nayru," Link said when he saw the price of the bounty.

"I know, right?" Linkle said with a twinkle in her eye. "Blins and ReDeads are one thing, but this is a real freakin' monster. We gotta go slay it right now."

"Hmm…" Link placed his hand to his chin. "The money is certainly tempting, but now that I think about it, don't you think the reward may have been increased because previous adventurers tried and failed to hunt the Hinox?"

"That'll only make it more impressive when we're the ones to finally slay it." Linkle remained optimistic as ever. "Think about it. We'll be legends around here."

"All hail Linkle, Hero of Some Random Town." Link spoke sarcastically, but his sister was beaming with pride as if she were looking forward to carrying that title. Link sighed. "Alright, fine. We'll go kill your cyclopean forest giant."

"Yippee!" Linkle cheered.

"But first, let's stable Arion and get a room to drop our stuff in," Link suggested. He looked up into the sky and noted that the sun would be setting soon.

Let's hope this doesn't take long.

The inn they found was run by some local Zora. It wasn't anywhere near as large or as fancy as the Sheikah-style inn they'd stayed at in Kakariko, but the architecture was certainly unique compared to what they'd seen so far. As was the case with half the buildings in the town, the walls appeared to be a cobbled mix of river stones, but they were cut and flattened to be smoother than the Hylian-style brick buildings. The room also came with a large bath, likely meant to accommodate Zora guests.

"This is probably expensive compared to a Hylian inn, but I guess that Hinox bounty will cover it and then some," Link said as they placed their bags in the rented room.

"Heh." Linkle gave him a smug grin as she replenished her quiver of crossbow bolts. "Bet you're feeling pretty stupid for doubting the adventurer life now, huh?"

Link scoffed, not wanting his little sister to claim that victory over him. "Sure. Back when I was hammering swords, I was always wishing there was something trying to eat my face." Mentioning the job he'd walked out on reminded him that he still needed to send a letter to his old smithing master and to the farmer his sister had worked for. He would have informed them earlier of their desertion, but up until recently, he'd been hoping they'd just turn around soon and he could explain things when they got back.

We might still return someday, though. I wouldn't put it past her to get bored of this after a few months or so.


Taking only what they needed for a short excursion into the woods, the siblings locked their valuables in their room and exited the inn. The edge of the forest was only a short distance from the south side of town. Link had no idea how long the Hinox had been harassing the area, but judging by the size of the bounty, the villagers must have been desperate to get rid of it.

"So how are we supposed to kill this thing anyway?" Link asked, following behind Linkle through the woods.

"Same way you kill every monster with one giant eyeball," his sister replied, slicing branches out of her path. "Shoot it in the eye."

"Makes sense," Link agreed. "Although I imagine that strategy works on things with two eyes just as well."

"Sure. You can probably kill a Hinox in a lot of ways, too. But shooting it in the eye is what they always do in the stories." Perhaps because she was getting excited, Linkle pulled out her crossbow and shot at a pinecone hanging from a high branch of a nearby tree. The bolt hit its mark, sending the pinecone tumbling to the forest floor. "Whoo! Right on target!" Linkle shouted.

"Don't waste those," Link chided half-heartedly. Then he had a thought. "So, if we gotta shoot it in the eye, what am I supposed to do?"

Linkle stopped walking and turned to face him. "Don't you have a bow?"

Link gave her his best 'Are you an idiot?' look. "What d'you mean? 'Course I don't. It got chopped up by a Moblin, like, forever ago. Remember?"

"Pfft." His sister turned back around and kept walking. "You're useless."

"Ha, ha," Link laughed sarcastically, following after her. "Well, don't blame me if I stand around 'uselessly' and let you get eaten by a giant cyclops."

"Alright, fine. How 'bout you get behind it and try slicing its heels?" Linkle suggested. "Make it lose its balance. 'The bigger they are,' and all that."

"Great. So I'm the one who's gotta get close to it," Link complained, wincing as his hand pressed against a mossy log he had to climb over.

"Well maybe you shoulda got a new bow, then!" Linkle held her crossbow into the air, waving it tauntingly.

"Y'know, they say the longsword is the more heroic weapon," Link pointed out, drawing his sword for effect. He smiled smugly, knowing the insinuation that he was more of a hero than she was would really get under her skin.

"Unless you've got the Master Sword or the Four Sword, nobody cares." Linkle waved him off. "And when we kill this thing, nobody's even gonna ask what weapon we used to kill it. We'll be heroes either way."

Link chuckled. "That'll be nice. I could use something to boost my reputation around here, seeing as though I can apparently be mistaken for a criminal."

Linkle turned back to him again, looking at him in confusion. "What d'you mean?"

"You know. That bit of nonsense with the Sheikah the other day," Link explained.

His sister stopped walking, standing with her head tilted and her crossbow in her arms. "No no, I was the one they mistook for the criminal."

Now Link was confused. "What? What makes you so sure?"

"Because when they had me in the dungeon, that creepy lady with the mask examined me really thoroughly," Linkle explained.

Link narrowed his eyes. "Did she check the backs of your hands?"

"Yeah." Linkle held up her hand, turning it over in demonstration. "How'd you know?"

"She did the same to me," Link said. "You think maybe we got mistaken for a pair of criminals? Ones that fit both our descriptions?" It would've been one hell of a coincidence, but knowing his luck, it didn't seem that far-fetched.

"Maybe," Linkle agreed. Then she laughed. "It's funny to imagine a pair of siblings like us, traveling together on a crime spree."

"I'd hate to be that brother," Link said. "Being on the run from the law and having to put up with my little sister? Just gimme the noose now."

Linkle punched him in the shoulder. "That can be arranged easier than you think."

Link laughed, rubbing his shoulder and trying to pretend it didn't hurt. "Well, let's just hope we don't look too much like those guys. Nobody in Rebonae has mistaken us for them yet, but we should probably keep an eye out for any guards who seem overly suspicious of us."

"Don't worry, Brother," Linkle said with an optimistic smile. "Like I said, we'll be local heroes by the time we leave this town." With that, she turned back around and continued on through the woods.

As expected, the Hinox did not end up being too terribly difficult to find. All they had to do was head for the center of the wooded area, and eventually Linkle spotted it through the trees. "There it is!" she whispered excitedly, crouching down and pointing off to the left.

"Hmm?" Link knelt beside her and looked where she was pointing. What he saw didn't even look like a living thing at first. It looked like a massive, overstuffed, red sack of grain lying on the ground, but then he realized that was the monster's gut. It was asleep, snoring soundly, passed out like the town drunk with the largest beer belly the world had ever seen. "What the fuck?" he whispered, suddenly realizing they were supposed to fight that. "That is way bigger than I thought." Even lying down, the Hinox was three times as high as he was, and it would only be larger when it stood up.

"Don't worry," Linkle assured him. "Hinoxes are heavy sleepers. We can get an easy surprise attack in, and he'll be dead before he knows what hit him."

Link sighed, not exactly sharing her optimism. "Alright, well, how are you gonna shoot it in the eye when it's asleep like that?"

From the look on his sister's face, it was clear she hadn't thought of that. "Well, I'll just climb on top of it and shoot downwards."

"That's crazy. It'll wake up for sure."

"Not if I'm super quick and super stealthy." Before Link had a chance to talk her out of it, Linkle began creeping forward, staying low to the ground and trying not to make any noise.

Well, guess I better get in position…

Following his sister's earlier suggestion, Link planned to slice the monster's ankles, preventing it from standing up, or knocking it over if it managed to stand up before they could disable it. He followed his sister through the trees and bushes, drawing his sword along the way.

The Hinox did not look any more slayable up close. If anything, it seemed to have gotten even fatter somehow, and the stench was overwhelming. Linkle did not seem to mind, though. Tentatively, she drew her shortsword and poked the monster in its great big belly. Link nearly had a heart attack when he saw her do that, but the beast did not stir. Linkle turned and gave her brother an expectant look, then made a gesture asking for a boost up onto the Hinox's arm. Link didn't want to help her climb onto the monster, but he also did not wish to open his mouth to argue for fear of waking the sleeping giant. So, he complied.

Once Linkle had climbed up onto the Hinox's arm, she drew her crossbow and climbed higher, looking to get a clear shot at the single eye in the middle of the monster's forehead. Seeing as she had that covered, Link walked down to the other end of the monster to prepare to do his part of the plan.

Uh-oh.

As he approached the Hinox's right foot, he noticed it had a barrel wrapped around its ankle. The monster could have clumsily stepped in it and got it stuck there, but it looked more like it had done so intentionally in order to armor itself.

One of the previous adventurers must have tried this strategy. Perhaps this thing is more clever than it looks.

However, the monster was evidently not too smart, or at least it was lacking in barrels. When Link circled around to the other side of the Hinox, he found its left leg bare.

Perfect.

Getting into position, he raised his sword, ready to strike as soon as he heard Linkle's crossbow let loose a bolt. However, as he was waiting there, he had the strange feeling of being watched. With his sword raised, he turned to the right. A short distance away from him, there was a Bokoblin sitting on a log by a fire pit. Its mouth hung open and it held a leg of meat in its hands, as if Link had interrupted it just as it had sat down for a meal. The two of them made eye contact, and the little monster seemed as surprised to see Link as he was to see it.

There was an awkward pause. Both Link and the Bokoblin stared at one another in silence, with the only sound coming from the Hinox's snoring and Linkle's clumsy climbing. Link tried to think of what to do. He could charge at the Bokoblin and try to kill it, but that might make too much noise and wake the Hinox. On the other hand, if he just stood there, the Bokoblin would probably attack him sooner or later.

What do I do?

Suddenly, the Bokoblin dropped its food and picked up a warhorn from beside the log.

Oh fuck.

Link charged at the Bokoblin just as it blew into the horn, making that familiar 'AAAhoooooo' sound he'd heard in his previous encounters with these monsters. However, before he could reach the Bokoblin, the Hinox rolled over onto its side. A massive red hand smacked the Bokoblin down into the earth, crushing it to death in an instant.

"Whoa, whoa, whoooa!" Linkle cried from the other end of the Hinox, falling off of it as it rolled over. She landed with a thud, falling to the ground very close to the monster's face.

Link froze, terrified that the giant was already awake, but it did not move again.

Linkle. Back away quietly.

Link dared not speak, but he hoped his sister wasn't so injured or panicked from her fall that she'd continue to make noise.

"Owww," she whined, climbing to her feet and wiping the dirt off of tunic. "Gods, that hurt."

You bloody idiot!

Slowly, the Hinox's single, gigantic eye opened. Linkle didn't notice at first, instead directing her attention to her brother. "What?" she asked in response to the look on Link's face. Then there was a snort. Glancing to her side, Linkle saw the monster's massive eye staring at her. She screamed, leaping backwards in fear.

The Hinox roared, apparently quite angry to have its sleep interrupted. With absolutely no grace, the obese cyclops attempted to climb to its feet, handling it about as well as a drunken peasant after having been thrown out of a tavern.

As the Hinox rose, Link noticed a necklace around its neck - the only article of clothing it wore aside from its loincloth and the barrel around its ankle. It had several jangling weapons strung through it, likely those it had collected as trophies from other adventurers who had failed to slay it.

We're not doing this.

"Elle!" Link shouted, rushing towards her. "Run!" Any hope he might have had that they might actually be able to fight this creature was lost as soon as he saw it standing at full height. The Hinox stood at perhaps thirty feet tall, much larger than any creature they'd faced so far, and the ease with which it had crushed the Bokoblin earlier was still fresh in his mind.

"No! We can take him." Linkle aimed her crossbow and let loose a bolt. The Hinox simply raised its hand in front of its face, letting the bolt pierce its palm as if it were a toothpick. It then bounded forward, easily closing half the distance between them with a few strides.

Link grabbed his sister's hand. "We're leaving," he said firmly, yanking her hard as he took off running. Luckily, she did not seem to resist this time. Together, they headed for the treeline. Link knew the monster could follow them if it wanted to, but he hoped having to navigate an obstacle course of trees would deter it, or at least slow it down.

When they got several yards into the dense woods, Link heard an unusual sound from behind them. He looked back over his shoulder and saw the Hinox uprooting a tree with its bare hands. It then let loose another angry roar and tossed the tree like a javelin.

"Look out!"

"Ah!" Linkle shrieked. The tree missed them by a couple feet, hitting the ground with enough force to shatter into tiny pieces.

The siblings didn't stop until they were out of the woods. They knew the monster had stopped chasing them earlier when they could no longer hear its booming footsteps behind them, but they weren't taking any chances.

Link collapsed to the ground as soon as there was open field beneath his feet, rolling onto his back and breathing heavily. Linkle was similarly out of breath, and she sat down in the grass beside him.

"Sorry," Link said after a moment, knowing his sister must be disappointed. "I know you wanted to be this town's hero and everything, but there was no way we could've killed it."

Linkle looked forlorn, but she didn't deny it. "I guess…" She sighed and fiddled with her crossbow. "But if I'd just gotten a good shot…"

"We might've had a chance if we'd hit it while it was sleeping," Link admitted, trying not to make them sound like complete failures. "But that damn Bokoblin woke it up. What was it even doing there?" It seemed strange that the smaller monster had felt safe enough to set up camp right next to the sleeping giant. Link knew from experience that different kinds of Blins often coexisted, but Hinoxes weren't Blins.

"Hinoxes sleep a lot, so sometimes they keep lesser monsters as watchdogs," Linkle explained, never missing the opportunity to talk about monsters. "And sometimes other monsters, like Moblins, use Hinoxes as beasts of burden."

"What?" Link tried to imagine the thirty foot cyclops taking orders from a Moblin that was half its height. "I thought monsters always follow the biggest one."

Linkle shrugged. "Hinoxes are really stupid. Sometimes the smarter monster wins, I guess."

"Makes sense." Link stretched, then climbed to his feet. "Alright. This was a disappointing little excursion, and we're walking away without any rupees to show for it, but it's fine. We'll just have to hold off on spending too much until we take care of that thing in New Kakariko. Okay?"

Linkle hopped to her feet, her face lighting up at the reminder of their 'quest.' "Yeah!" she said enthusiastically. "Who needs that stupid Hinox? We'll be more famous for completing a quest directly from the Impa family anyway."

Link smiled.

At least she's taking it well.

"That's the spirit. Now, let's head back to the inn. We've still got a long journey ahead of us. Maybe if you're lucky, you can kill something big along the way."


Most of the next day was uneventful. After the siblings left Rebonae with their wallets significantly emptier than when they'd arrived, they passed right by the bridge to Hyrule Field and continued north past Crenel Peak.

"The Hero of the Minish climbed that mountain once, you know," Linkle told her brother as they rode between the hills. "When he was forging the Four Sword, he came here to find the Element of Fire. He had to slay a Gleerok to get it."

When Linkle talked about the famous Heroes like that, it became clear to Link why she was so desperate to slay a huge monster like the Hinox on her own. She could probably die happy if she knew people would still be telling tales of her deeds centuries upon centuries after she was gone.

However, as they looked at the Crenel Hills, the massive Death Mountain could be seen looming in the distance, absolutely dwarfing the puny mountain that the Hero of the Minish had climbed. "The Hero of the Sky and the Hero of Twilight climbed that, though," Linkle went on, pointing to the distant volcano with the ring of smoke above it. "We gotta go up there someday, too," she insisted. "I wanna slay me a dragon."

Link laughed. "You are absolutely mental. You know that, right?" Luckily for him, their destination was only at the base of the Eldin Mountains, far enough away from Death Mountain that any random eruptions wouldn't hit them, and he doubted they would encounter any dragons.

A few hours later, they came to the Thims Bridge. The road they'd taken to get there divided the Crenel Hills in half. According to the map, it technically served as a border between the Central Hyrule Province and the Lanayru Province. However, once they crossed the river, they'd be in the Eldin Province. Unfortunately, there weren't any towns between the bridge and their destination, so it looked like they would be spending at least one night out in the wilds somewhere in Trilby.

"Let's hope this bridge goes better than the last one," Link said aloud. After facing down that group of bandits at the Kakariko Bridge, he thought it couldn't get much worse than that.

But then again, it can always get worse, can't it?

The bridge was unmanned by any guards, and there didn't appear to be anyone else around. However, as they got closer, it was clear that there was something in the middle of the bridge, blocking the way. It appeared to be a large, fat, pink monster lying on its back, sleeping.

"Oh you gotta be fucking kidding me." Link complained. "Don't tell me it's another goddamn Hinox."

Linkle gasped in excitement, standing up on the horse's saddle and leaning her hands on Link's shoulders. "Is it?! Have the gods given me a second chance?" She squinted her eyes as they rode closer. "Hm. No, that's no Hinox. It's too small, isn't it?"

"Really?" The fat pink monster looked plenty big to Link. But, after a moment, he realized she was right. The monster took up the whole width of the wooden bridge, but the bridge was not wide enough for the Hinox they'd seen the day before. "Well, that's good news. So what the hell is it, then?" Deciding not to get any closer until they had identified the threat, Link pulled on the horse's reins until they came to a stop.

"Dunno," Linkle said, hopping off the side and letting her boots hit the ground. "I wanna go see, though." Link didn't even have time to dismount before she ran ahead.

"Don't get too close!" he called after her, feeling like a parent whose child wanted to go look over the edge of a cliff.

Linkle stopped at the edge of the bridge and observed her possible quarry. When Link caught up to her, she had a bright smile on her face. "It's a Durpyblin."

Link raised an eyebrow. "A Durpyblin? That doesn't even sound real. That's like what I'd call it as a joke."

"It's real," Linkle assured him. "It's the largest and dumbest subspecies of Moblin. It's basically a mini, two-eyed Hinox."

"Oh, come on…" Link put his hand to his face. "So we really do have to deal with another Hinox, basically."

"Yes! But don't you see?" Linkle asked. "I was right. The gods are giving us a second chance. They want us to build up our strength fighting monsters like this in preparation for fighting larger ones like the Hinox. That must be it."

Link tilted his head up to the sky.

If that's true, you better reward us for this.

"Alright," Link said, drawing his sword. "Let's see if we can get a proper sneak attack in this time, at least."

"Good idea, Brother." Linkle readied her crossbow with a wicked grin on her face.

"Don't even get close to it. That thing's sleeping now, so just shoot it from here," Link advised. "And if it wakes up, just keep shooting it. If it manages to make it over to us, draw your sword and we'll take it from there."

"Right." His sister nodded, adjusted her stance, and took aim. Link wasn't sure why she took so long, since the target was large and immobile. But, if she was praying to Din for her shot to be lethal, he wasn't going to interrupt her. "Sneak attack!" she shouted, pulling the trigger on her crossbow.

The bolt sailed through the air, finding its mark in the Moblin's great big belly. That was enough to jolt the monster awake. It made a confused groan and rolled into a sitting position. Looking down, it spotted the bolt embedded in its blubber. The look on its face was one of shock, but then it noticed the siblings. Glaring at them, it shook its head and roared, causing its jowls to jiggle wildly.

"Hit it again! Go for the head!" Link shouted, hoping to kill the monster before it crossed the bridge.

"On it!" Linkle loaded her crossbow as fast as she could and let loose another bolt. However, she wasn't fast enough. Unbeknownst to the siblings, the Moblin had been sleeping next to some planks of wood that had been fashioned into a gigantic, square-shaped shield. After standing up, the Moblin was able to lift its great big shield in time to block the second bolt.

"Oh, fuck," Link swore. The shield was so large it covered their opponent completely, and it took up the entire length of the bridge. Now it was advancing slowly towards them with a spear peeking around the edge of the shield, and they had no way of attacking it.

"Now what? Should I shoot it again?" Linkle asked, reloading her crossbow.

"Don't bother," Link advised, knowing her bolts would do nothing against that wooden barrier.

So much for doing things properly this time.

"Maybe Arion can push it back," Linkle suggested.

"What?"

"Just hop on the horse and ram it."

Link knew immediately that the idea wouldn't work. The Durpyblin was much too large to trample underfoot like a Bokoblin. However, it gave him an idea. "Elle, get on the horse, but don't ram it. When I say, ride into the Moblin and jump over it, then attack it from behind." The horse may not have been tall enough to trample the monster, but maybe it would give Linkle enough height to jump over it. The shield provided full protection to its front, but its back must have been completely exposed.

"Got it," Linkle complied, running for the horse.

The only problem was the spear. As the Durbyblin slowly approached, it periodically stabbed forward, ready to kill anything in its path, a horse included. However, the spear was made of wood and clearly not crafted very well, like all Blin weaponry. Link was confident he could simply chop off the tip of the spear, rendering it no more deadly than a broomstick.

Feeling like an idiot, Link stepped onto the bridge, directly in the approaching monster's path. "Alright, fatass," he said, raising his own shield. "Let's get this over with." Taking a few more steps forward to close the gap, he allowed his shield to absorb the first blow. "Ah!" he grunted in pain as he was shoved backwards, stumbling and falling to one knee. This Durpyblin hit even harder than that Tallblin had. After readying himself, Link was able to dodge to the side to avoid the next blow. Moving his arm as quickly as he could, he swung his sword down at the monster's spear. The strike landed. His weapon failed to slice all the way through, but it left a mark. He managed to achieve the same success with the next attack as well, hitting the spear in almost the same spot.

One more and it'll give way.

However, when he dodged the Moblin's next strike, it was merely a feint. The spear went past him, then swung to the side and whacked him in the head with the wooden shaft. "Aghh!" Link was knocked to the ground, dropping his sword and shield in the process, his body slamming against the planks of the bridge. When he looked up, he saw the speartip coming down at him. He barely managed to grab his sword and roll out of the way at the last moment. When he stood up, he looked at his empty right hand, then watched as the Moblin trampled over his discarded shield.

Okay. No big deal. Still got the sword.

However, his sword had not proved all that useful yet, and he wasn't confident he'd be able to hit the spear so easily again. The Moblin was clearly learning to adjust its strategy in order to prevent him from doing so, despite Linkle's claims about the monster's low intelligence.

"Oi! You need some help?" Linkle called over to him from atop the horse.

"Not yet!" Link shouted back. "Just be ready!" Avoiding the spear, he backed up until he felt the road underfoot. Glancing to the side at the end of the bridge's railing, he got an idea. He stood where he was and waited for the Moblin's next strike. When it came, he dodged just as before, and as he'd anticipated, it turned out to be feint. Link was prepared this time. He ducked, and the Moblin swung the spear over his head, banging against the end of the bridge railing. "Hyaa!" Link shouted, kicking the spear. It bent around the wooden pillar and snapped, sending splinters everywhere. The speartip flew to the ground, leaving the Moblin's weapon as nothing more than a wooden stick. "Now!" Link shouted to his sister.

"Yes! Chaaaarge!" Linkle snapped the reins of the horse, running directly at the Moblin, while Link dove out of her path. When they reached the monster, the horse stopped and reared back, banging its front hooves against the wooden wallshield. Linkle used the opportunity to nimbly climb up and leap over the Moblin. "Whoo!" she shouted as she jumped, followed by an "Oof!" when she presumably failed to stick the landing.

Knowing he had to keep the enemy's attention on him, Link quickly shooed the horse away and took some useless stabs at the big square shield. "Hit him now, Elle!" he shouted as the Moblin swung its broken spear at him.

"For Hyrule!" came his sister's voice from behind the Moblin. There was a flurry of sounds that could only be a shortsword slashing through layers upon layers of monster fat, coupled with the Moblin's groans of pain. With considerable effort, the Durpyblin waddled in an attempt to turn in place, having difficulty due to how little space it had in the narrow bridge. "Hiya! Hiyaa!" Linkle continued to take free stabs at it while it turned.

Once the monster's side was exposed to him, Link went on the offensive as well, taking stabs at the Moblin as quickly as he could. It thrashed wildly with its shield and broken spear, but it could not handle an opponent on both sides.

The Moblin's wounds soon caught up with it. Link noticed it was losing its balance, knocking against the railing of the bridge. "Elle!" he shouted. "Push him over!"

"Good idea!" she shouted back.

Dodging one last feeble swipe from the broken spear, Link shoved against the wooden shield, and his sister joined in to do the same. The Moblin toppled over the edge, roaring on its way down. It plummeted into the water, causing a splash like a cannonball. Blood rose to the surface, and still alive or not, the Moblin's body was quickly swept away by the current.

"Yes!" Linkle cheered after peering over the edge. "I knew we were strong enough to slay it." She enthusiastically slapped her hand against her brother's, beaming with pride.

Link cracked a smile as he exhaled deeply, unable to hide the small sense of accomplishment he felt. "Well, it was certainly more within our pay grade than that damn Hinox," he said. "Although I guess nobody's gonna pay us for killing that fat bastard." They had seen no bounty on the Moblin, and they didn't even have its body to claim spoils from.

"Who cares?" Linkle said. "When we get to New Kakariko and tell this tale at the tavern, they'll be singing about us for days."

Link was about to tell her not to get her hopes up since it wasn't that big of a deal, but he could tell she really wanted a victory after they'd been forced to run away from their last battle. "If it gets us free drinks, by all means, shout our story from the hills." Link walked along the bridge to collect his discarded shield, then went back over to the horse. "Alright. Now that we got that out of the way, let's get back on track. We've still got a ways to go, and I don't wanna have to spend more than one night out here in the middle of nowhere."


As expected, Link did not enjoy having to camp out in the wilds overnight. Sleeping on the cold, hard ground gave him backaches, food cooked over a fire pit was never as good as tavern food, and the ever-present threat of monster attacks made it impossible to relax. His sister, on the other hand, happily regaled him with stories of heroes, princesses, and demons as they sat around the campfire until he finally managed to convince her to get some sleep while he took first watch. Luckily, they made it through the night without any real trouble.

The next day of travel was relatively uneventful as well, save for a pack of Chus by the side of the road that Linkle insisted on smashing into jelly before they moved on. They also ran into what looked like another gang of bandits where the road forked between the path to New Kakariko and the path to Akkala Citadel, but this time, the siblings managed to simply charge past them on their horse before any of the bandits had a chance to say anything to them.

They actually made good enough time to arrive at their destination before sundown. New Kakariko had a very similar feel to Old Kakariko. Having been rebuilt around the same time in the aftermath of the Twilight War, much of the architecture and urban design was the same. Most of the buildings were Sheikah-style, and the guards who received them at the city gates wore distinctive Sheikah-style armor similar to what the guards at the shogun's castle had worn.

When Link showed the shogun's letter of introduction to one of the gatekeepers, the man was surprised to see who had written it, but he was not surprised to hear their purpose. Adventurers had recently been coming to the city seeking rewards for the 'quest' that the Sage of Shadow had put out. The guards instructed Link and Linkle to head for the Shadow Temple, which was located up the path on the northeast side of town, past the graveyard. So, the siblings said their thanks and entered the city.

"I can't believe we're finally here!" Linkle said excitedly as they walked their horse down the city streets. "Drink in the sights now, Brother. This is where our legend begins. Before we leave, this whole city, and then the whole kingdom, is gonna be talking about us."

That's what you thought about Rebonae.

Link chose not to deflate his sister's spirits. He wasn't keen on fighting more undead monsters after their little run-in with those ReDeads, but he was willing to do what he could to keep his sister alive, especially if they came out of it with a fistful of rupees.

Linkle gasped when she spotted something down the road near the center of town. "That must be it!" she said, extending her arm and pointing. There was a small, square-shaped, haphazardly constructed wooden wall built around something, and armed guards stood in front of its gate.

"You think that's the well behind there?" Link asked, not sure why else such an oddly placed structure would've been there.

"Absolutely," Linkle nodded. "Come on, we should head down there immediately."

"Slow down, Elle," Link said, grabbing her by the collar to keep her from running off. "Let's stable the horse first and then go talk to the sage. No point in heading down the well until she agrees to pay us."

"Ugh. You're such a money-grubber," Linkle complained.

"Oh, come on. I would've figured you'd want to see the Shadow Temple anyway," Link said, leading the horse down a path toward what looked like an inn with a stable.

"Eh, not really," Linkle said. "None of the famous Heroes ever went to that one. Ooh, but the Hero of the Sky journeyed to the Fire Temple." Throwing her hand out, she pointed up at Death Mountain. With the city built at the base of the Eldin Mountains, the massive volcano seemed to always be looming over it. "We must go there next. Ooh, and then we can go to the Water Temple, like the Hero of Twilight. Let's see, where else? The Hero of the Minish went to the Wind Temple. Maybe we can-"

"Let's just deal with this one first," Link interrupted. The last thing he needed was Linkle planning out another grand adventure for them before they were even finished with their current one.

After finding an inn and stabling the horse, a ritual Link was becoming familiar with, the siblings did as directed by the guards and headed for the graveyard. To get there, they had to climb a hill at the edge of the city into a secluded area with cliffs on every side. Just walking under the arch at the entrance and seeing the rows upon rows of gravestones gave Link flashbacks to their previous misadventure back in Necluda, but it was decidedly less creepy while the sun was up.

"Who puts a temple in a graveyard anyway?" Link complained as they walked up the central path. "I mean, sure, Shadow Temple and all that, but it's just plain creepy, yeah?"

"Must be a Sheikah thing." As she walked, Linkle glanced back and forth at the headstones, keeping one hand ready to draw her shortsword.

I can't tell if she's being cautious or she's just eager to kill something.

At the end of the graveyard, there was a stone staircase leading up to a higher level in the cliffside. The temple must have been built into the cliff itself, since the only part of it that was visible from the outside was a stone archway with Sheikah writing across it.

"Welcome," said a voice just as Link was about to put his foot on the first step of the staircase.

"Holy-"

"Ahh!"

The siblings jumped back in shock, with Linkle shrieking and drawing her blade as she did. Standing right in front of them on either side of the staircase was a pair of hooded figures in dark violet robes.

I swear they weren't there a second ago.

"What business have you in the House of the Dead?" one of the figures spoke again, apparently unfazed by their reactions or by the fact that Linkle had pulled a weapon on them.

Link was a little unnerved by the fact that their faces were obscured, but he had come to expect that with some Sheikah. "We were told to come here," he explained, reaching into his pocket for the shogun's letter. "By Impa Sadashi."

The cloaked figures tilted their heads, glancing at one another questioningly. One of them extended an arm, revealing a pale hand from beneath the robes. Link handed her the letter. Everyone stood silently for a moment while she read it. "Ah, more adventurers," she said. "Simple, then. I feared it was something more urgent." Without further questions, she handed the letter back to Link

"Please proceed up the stairs. You may enter the shadows," the other cloaked figure spoke. Together, they stepped aside and bowed.

"Uh… Thanks." Link nodded to his sister, who nodded back. Still somewhat cautious, they climbed the staircase together, and when they reached the top, Link looked back to find the cloaked Sheikah had vanished.

Creepy.

Oddly, they were soon descending a second flight of stairs after passing under the stone archway built into the cliffside. With each step, it took them further into the darkness, with the light at the entrance growing smaller and smaller.

"I can't see shit," Link complained.

"I know," Linkle said in a quiet voice, but she sounded excited. "This is spooky. What do you think the sage will be like? I bet she's all 'OooOOoohhh, welcome to my lair!' before she appears out of nowhere, like those priestesses outside."

"You only think you'd like that, but you scare way too easily."

"I do not."

"Boo!"

"Ahh!"

Link laughed heartily, but his sister blindly punched him in the arm three times in retaliation for his little joke.

"You're the worst," Linkle asserted.

Not long after, they could see light from torches flickering at the bottom of the stairs.

Good. I was beginning to think this was some weird shadow-themed test of faith or something.

When they reached the last step, they entered a circular room. The walls were cavernous rock, but they were lined with stone pillars, and there were wooden support beams criss-crossing the ceiling above them. There was a small circular dais sticking up from the ground in the center of the room. At the other end of the room was a large, rectangular stone door with the Sheikah eye carved into it. Two lit torches stood by the door, but as the siblings approached the dais, two concentric circles of unlit torches surrounding them began to light themselves one by one.

"Oooh," Linkle said, watching the flames ignite with amusement.

Link shrugged. "Just some simple pyromancy. I'm sure a sage can handle that easily." Neither he nor Linkle had ever been particularly proficient with magic, knowing only what little was needed to help with their respective former professions. But, for most Hylians like them, seeing utility magic like self-lighting torches was nothing out of the ordinary.

"It's still pretty," Linkle said. "Wouldn't it be cool to be able to do that? Ooh, maybe the sage will teach us some umbramancy as a reward for this quest."

Link chuckled. "You suck with magic."

"I can talk to animals," she argued.

"Anyone can talk to animals. The impressive part would be getting them to talk to you."

"I am so telling Arion to kick you in the balls when we get back."

Before Link could retort, the large stone slab blocking further access to the temple began to slide upwards. Link instinctively reached for his sword, but chose not to draw it. As creepy as this place was, the sage was not their enemy.

Out of the darkness that was revealed came an elegant palanquin that had the appearance of a miniature, Sheikah-style wooden temple. The platform was being carried by four shadowy phantoms that had the shape of people, but lacked any visible features. Link and Linkle took a step back as the shadows carried the palanquin forward and lowered it onto the dais in the center of the room. Their job complete, all four of them melted into clouds of black smoke before dissipating into nothingness.

After a moment, the door of the palanquin slid open. Sitting inside was a short, squat, elderly Sheikah woman. She sat cross-legged atop a pile of red pillows, wearing dark violet robes and a gigantic straw hat. The hat was emblazoned with the distinctive red Sheikah eye, as were the four metal pieces of jewelry hanging from chains around its brim. Her forehead bore a tattoo of the same symbol in a deep purple. Link was nervous at first, but then she regarded them with a warm smile across her wrinkled face. "Welcome, my children," she said in a kindly voice, as if they were her own grandchildren.

Link furrowed his brow, confused.

That's… not what I was expecting.

Then he remembered he was in the presence of a member of the Nine Sages. Putting his hand on the back of his sister's head, he knelt down while forcing Linkle to bow alongside him. "Thank you for allowing us an audience with you, great sage," he forced himself to say as sincerely as possible.

The old lady chuckled. "Such nice manners. Please, stand up." Link and Linkle did as she said. "I am Impa Ichika, Sage of Shadow. And who might you be?"

"I'm Link, of Hateno."

"And I'm Linkle," his sister said, stepping forward into a triumphant pose. "We're adventurers, and we've come to save your city."

Link groaned, but the sage seemed to find it amusing. "Ah, how wonderful. You remind me of my daughter's little Aya."

Hearing the sage mention her daughter reminded Link of the letter. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out. "Your daughter- er, the shogun sent us."

"Yes, I have been informed," Ichika said, waving off the letter as Link tried to hand it to her. "I do hope Sadashi and young Shiho were accommodating hosts."

"Uh… yes, they were," Link said.

Except for the whole 'throwing us in the dungeon' part.

"That is good to hear." The old woman turned her attention to Linkle. "Tell me, young heroes, are you aware of the task you wish to take upon yourselves?"

"Of course!" Linkle happily insisted, clearly appreciative of the sage referring to her as a hero. "Fear not, O wise sage. The monsters that lurk beneath the well are no match for me and my brother."

"Your service to the kingdom is most welcome," Sage Impa said. As she spoke, she tilted her head downwards in a slight bow, causing the chains hanging from her hat to jangle. "Undeath is a terrible curse. It is my sincerest wish to see my fallen countrymen returned to their eternal rest."

Link decided not to ask if cutting off their heads would be an acceptable method of laying them to rest. Instead, he needed to ask about payment, and he needed to do it delicately. "Sage Impa, we would be honored to carry out this task. But, I must ask, as we are putting ourselves in considerable danger, will we be rewarded for our service to the kingdom?"

Linkle rolled her eyes at him, but he ignored her.

The old woman smiled. "Why of course, my children." With a flick of her hand, a piece of parchment materialized out of the shadows. "Please, have a look," she said, handing the paper to Link.

"Thank you, Sage." Link took hold of the parchment and looked it over. The text was in Hylian, and it read almost like a contract. The offer was simple, including a monetary reward for each monster slain. They could also keep any unclaimed items they found beneath the well. Beyond that, they were promised a proper burial for themselves should they perish in the line of duty.

That's nice of them.

"How many adventurers have gone down there already?" Link asked, somewhat worried by the fact that she had this contract ready ahead of time. The sage's daughter had already informed them that numerous others had taken part in the effort already, but Link wanted to see how much information the sage would be willing to divulge.

"Many," Ichika said vaguely. "Most emerge unharmed, having slain many monsters. And yet, the living dead still do not cease. With the next Blood Moon right around the corner, I fear we may be overwhelmed if we do not curtail this threat now."

Link was not sure what to make of that, but he was satisfied with the offer. And if the bottom of the well proved to be more perilous than they could handle, they could always turn tail and run, just as they had done with the Hinox. "This is more than generous," Link said after looking over the offer. "We will gladly accept, Sage."

"Saving the people of this great kingdom is its own reward," Linkle said proudly.

But lucky us, we get to have both.

"Very well," Impa said. With a wave of her hand, the parchment in Link's hand disintegrated into black smoke, as if it hadn't even been there to begin with. "I wish you both the best of luck, brave heroes. I shall pray for your safe return."

"May the gods smile upon you as well, Sage Impa," Linkle said. She and Link bowed, and the sage returned the gesture. The door to her palanquin slid closed and the shadowy phantoms rematerialized to lift it, carrying her back into the temple proper. Their business completed, the siblings turned around and headed back up the staircase.

When they returned above ground, it was dark outside. The cemetery finally seemed as creepy as it should've as they walked back through it on the way back into town.

"This is so exciting!" Linkle said, smiling broadly. "So we're all set to go now, right? She said she'd pay us, so let's head to the well and get slashin'." As she spoke, she drew her blade and began swinging it through the air.

"Are you kidding?" Link asked. "We've been awake and traveling since dawn. I'm bloody tired, and you are too. We go down into that hellhole now, we won't be coming back up."

"But I'm not tired!" Linkle whined. From the way she sounded like such a little girl, she very clearly was tired, although Link figured that taunting her too much while she had her weapon drawn might be a bad idea. "Come on, Brother. I've been waiting for this since forever."

"You were only made aware of its existence less than a week ago."

"Yeah, but, what if another hero swoops in and kills all the monsters before we do?"

"Oh? I thought all you cared about was protecting the kingdom?" Link pointed out, his face making a smug expression. "Why should it matter who does the deed in that case?"

"You shut up," Linkle said. "I wanna be famous, you know that."

Link laughed. "You can be famous tomorrow after a good night's sleep."

His sister groaned, then pouted with a sour look on her face. "Fine. But I'm still telling Arion to kick you when we get back."