Finally finished this. Yey.
Chapter 3: Hyurile
The verdant orange light of the sun going down shined partially through the thick leaves of the towering trees in the canopy, giving beams of light that lit the dark and unwelcoming forest underneath. There was a terrifying and anxious feeling in the air that made it hard to breathe, and it felt like she was being watched.
On the edge of her vision, she saw one of the vines on the forest floor twitched.
She didn't think twice to leap to the side. Almost immediately after, something crashed on her previous position. A look behind after she righted herself proved her correct in her cautiousness and, in one smooth motion, she took out an arrow from her quiver and shot an arrow to the plant monster.
It didn't pierce the petal hide of its maw but it screeched in pain as the metal tip buried itself partially. It trashed for a moment to remove the buried tip before honing in on her, snarling in animalistic rage from the pain she caused. It opened its mouth wide, revealing a disturbing amount of sharpened teeth.
Saria took a deep breath to steady herself. She slung her bow and took out her knife.
—Then the monster launched towards her while screeching, intent on devouring her.
Any lesser warrior would've flinched at the sudden movement—it was incredibly fast and traveled the space between them quick enough to get caught off guard, but she can perceive it clearly. She didn't flinch and her eyes hardened.
She timed herself to jump up wide just a few moments, barely missing her within an inch. Then, she maneuvered herself mid air to turn upside down and sliced the vulnerable stem behind the maw with her knife. She flipped midair, before landing on the ground gracefully—with the decapitated head of the plant monster landing beside her.
"Saria! More from behind!" her companion, Navi, called out.
The bow was unslung from her back again and she notched an arrow as she jumped away immediately. She turned around and saw more and more monsters coming out of the ground as it drooled and screeched, with a couple even cannibalizing on the one she had killed.
Saria blinked as a green glow covered her arrow as it was imbued with what felt like wind magic. She thanked the fairy mentally before taking aim, letting her long-sharpened instincts from constant practice guide her shot. She took a deep breath, then exhaled.
The monsters attacked and she dodged them all expertly. A slide under a stem there, and jumping over the maw on the other—none of the monsters were able to even touch her. Then, running up to the stem of one, she jumped. And in that moment she lined up her shot.
The arrow was released from its hold and unleashed a gale of force that blew the leaves and shrubbery away in the forest floor. Aided by the wind magic, it pierced through the monsters easily as they were all lined up in the angle Saria shot from. The arrow went through, then beyond, and pierced itself on the bark of a tree with a mighty 'thunk!'.
As she landed back on the ground the bodies of the monsters wilted as they died. Saria watched her surroundings cautiously for a few moments, thinking that there may be more monsters attacking. But after a few moments of nothing happening she let out a relieved sigh.
Finally… I think those were the last ones.
"Saria, are you okay? Did you get hurt?" Navi asked as she flew around her, inspecting for any damage.
She shook her head. "No. Your magic really helped. It saved me a lot of trouble from trying to waste more arrows." she said, smiling. Then she blinked as she looked around. "Umm, where is…?"
A pained screech of a monster interrupted her, making Saria and Navi tense. Almost immediately a small spider-like creature slammed against a tree near them, cracking the trunk and uprooting it slightly. It was a small Gohma offspring, the weaker ones that managed to survive the death of the queen and responsible for the corruption still persisting in the forest. Saria notched another arrow while Navi positioned herself behind her, the residual mana of half-readied spells waning off her.
She observed it carefully and… she blinked.
Wait, it looks…
The Gohma stood up, exuding an aura of extreme malice and corruption that could've caused her heart to freeze in terror, if it wasn't for the fact that she noticed that its legs were bent in all sorts of angles and the carapace that covered its body was shattered, making it look mangled beyond belief.
Then, a hulking figure wearing knightly armor walked silently from where the monster was thrown from, this time exuding a feeling of danger and rage. Between the two, Saria couldn't help but think that their companion was the monster in the situation. The Gohma screeched as it tried to intimidate him, but it was to no avail.
Cornered, Saria didn't expect the sudden burst of movement that caught her off guard with how fast it was. She barely got her senses on time to aim her bow and point it at the monster before saying 'Get back!' to her companion—but it turns out, she never should've bothered to.
The knight caught the body in one hand, and it trashed against his iron grip. Then slowly she could see his grip got stronger and stronger, making the monster screech more in pain. There was a sense of morbid fascination when Saria watched it suffer—in any other day, she would be stopping this in a heartbeat and mercy-killing it. In the end though, she watched dumbfounded as the grip slowly crushed the monster as it trashed, before abruptly going limp as a 'crack!' echoed throughout the woods.
The knight dropped the body on the ground with his hand covered in monster ichor. It disappeared soon after along the body, and with that, the corruption around the area of the forest they were in as well. The darkness just seemed to recede and everything got a little brighter. Soon, the woods turned normal and the constant dread she felt in her spine had disappeared.
"...Woah." Navi uttered, eyes still wide at the brutal display.
The knight walked, before settling to stand at a distance near them. It was something she observed that he always did. When he passed by her though, she shook herself from her daze and approached him. She gave him a smile.
"Great job defeating the monster! That was impressive."
He looked at her, pausing for several seconds. Saria can't help but feel uncomfortable underneath his gaze, but she held strong and gave him her most sincere smile.
Then, almost imperceptible to her trained senses, the knight made a short movement that can barely be considered as a nod and walked a short distance away from them to… keep an eye out, it looks like. She could feel his intense gaze scanning the area for more enemies. She turned to Navi, who looked like she recovered from what she had seen, and was now looking at the knight with cautiousness.
She sighed.
It was a day since they had started their journey, traveling north to reach the outskirts of the forest. Just as expected, the forest was still crawling with monsters even with the death of the Queen—plenty of the Gohma offspring survived and escaped, still continuing to spread the pestilence and corruption of the Queen but at a much lesser rate.
The place they were in was an example of one managing to corrupt a part of the forest. So far they had encountered five along the way, filled with plant monsters and one of the offspring who was responsible for the corruption in the first place. It's fortunate that the corruption disappears once the source was defeated or else it would've been a great cause of concern.
Despite the amount of encounters they stumbled into, it never delayed them. In fact, they were moving so fast that they were already halfway in the forest despite it only being a single day. The fights would only stretch out into ten minutes at best with the monsters being swiftly killed, and during those moments she never fails to appreciate the skill of her companions.
Navi was a great mage. As a fairy, she has higher aptitude in nature and higher amount of mana reserves than the kokiri. With her large repertoire of spells combined with her great intellect, she was a terrifying foe that dishes out damaging magics while also assisting Saria with support ones during the times she needed it. And adding that, just a single day and they work together seamlessly like they fought beside one another for years.
Then… there's her mysterious third companion, the human. He was exceptionally good at fighting. Her friend Mido didn't do any justice to just how good he was—monsters were disposed of easily with the use of a strange style of sword, fist, and grapple in a short amount of time. It was so efficient that it was almost mesmerizing to look at, if one were to ignore the sheer brutality of his moves that made her wince in sympathy even for the enemies. But he was incredible enough at fighting that she felt that she wasn't needed at times.
Saria was fortunate to have very capable companions to her journey, but she could see that their cohesion wasn't… ideal. Understandable given that this is their first day traveling together, but the tension was still uncomfortable than anything else. Saria and Navi get along well, and the human she doesn't have a problem with. But Navi seems to think that the human was dangerous and is always cautious around him—and it certainly doesn't help given how silent and intimidating he is.
Saria can see it, but she has the feeling that it's not an active thing on his part. In fact, she only thinks that he's acting… a bit distant. Like he doesn't want to interact with others. He seems reasonable underneath the silent and intimidating demeanor.
She tears away her gaze from her companions to look at the sky. She can make out the imminent dusk from the sunset she could not see from being so deep in the woods. She weighed her decisions carefully, humming in thought, before deciding on something.
She turns to her companions. "Hey guys, should we start to make camp? I think it's getting dark."
Soon, evening had settled in the woods. They had set up a camp in a small clearing a short walk away from where they were earlier. After gathering some wood and a quick application of fire magic, they were able to make a campfire that illuminated their small place for the night.
Dinner was a quiet affair, with them eating the rations supplied to them by the elders and only interrupted by the soft peaceful noises of crackling fire and the surrounding chirps of cicadas. It was almost relaxing in a way, like she had never left the grove—although, she would've appreciated it more if the atmosphere wasn't so… tense.
Their human companion remained at a distance from them, keeping watch for any threats like he usually is as he leaned against a tree. Navi, who was uncharacteristically quiet from as far as she knew the fairy, was still on guard with him while she sat down in front of the fire. And then there was her, sitting quietly beside the fairy as she tries to think of a way to lighten up the mood while tending to the fire wood.
She cleared her throat, gaining the attention of her other companions. "S-So, this day was pretty productive, wasn't it? I can't believe we're halfway out of the forest already!" she said cheerfully.
Their human companion was unreadable behind the helm, and Navi just looked at her confused.
After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Navi decided to take pity at her. "Yes… it does seem that way." she said uncertainly. "Though there's still a lot more distance to cover if we want to go to the Hylian capital like what the elders told us to do."
She was grateful at Navi's response, before humming thoughtfully. "Hmm, do you know how far exactly? I admit I'm unaware of most things outside the forest. How long do you think we can reach the capital?"
The fairy tapped a finger on her chin. "It's far up north so… I think it would take about two months of travel for us to get there."
She digested that information. "Our supplies wouldn't last that long. I suppose we should start saving it as much as we can."
Navi nodded. "If it's any consolation there are plenty of villages on the way that we could stock up on… but we don't really know what is going on outside the forest yet, so there's a chance that they might be having a similar situation like we did." she said morosely. "Or that they were wiped out. They don't have the same natural defenses like we have at the Sacred Grove." she muttered.
The reminder of the monsters made her frown. It was a plausible assumption, as there was a chance that they weren't the only targets of the monsters—there could be any number of reasons that other places in Hyrule experienced an attack like they did. But if that were the case…
She shook her head. No, that train of thought wouldn't help us at all.
She tapped a finger on the forehead of the fairy, making her yelp. "Don't get caught up in the possibilities, we don't know that yet! Besides, the Great Deku Tree prophesied that we're doing this quest to unite all the people in Hyrule. There wouldn't be people to unite if they were gone, would they?"
Navi looked like she was about to protest, before sighing. "I guess I can't argue that worrying is counterproductive."
Saria gave her a smile, one that Navi returned. "Still, I think we should decide what we're going to do out of the forest. Uniting Hyrule… that really isn't something we can do without a plan."
Navi sat up and nodded. "I actually had the same thought. The elders helped us out and told us to go to the Hylian capital first, but I'd like to have a more clear goal."
From the corner of her eye, Saria noticed that their human companion had turned his head to their direction slightly. It looks like he thought the same too. Saria observed.
She turned to the fairy beside her. "So Navi, do you have any suggestions on what we should do?"
The fairy hummed. "To be honest, I really think that the word of the Great Deku Tree is enough to convince most leaders to unite, but there are… worrying things that I've heard from the high fairy when I was studying under her."
Saria was curious. "Things you've heard? What is it?"
"Well firstly, you are aware of the Hyrule civil war, correct?"
She nodded. The civil war was a conflict that happened a decade ago when she was still a young kokiri. It was a war that the forest largely remained neutral to, but it was mostly because at that time they hadn't formed a single community like they had in the present. She's not familiar with the specifics, but from what she had heard, it was a very bloody conflict for all those involved.
"Well you see, even after all these years the war is still affecting people. Many lives were lost in the war and grudges formed in return. Though there were people that were clamoring for peace, there were just as many people who are still out of blood for what happened." Navi explained. "From what I've heard from the high fairy, the tension between each faction is reaching new heights—enough that it might set off another conflict."
Saria's eyes widened as she realized what the fairy was saying. "And if we want to unite Hyrule, we need to deal with that."
Navi nodded with a concerned frown on her face. "It's going to be difficult, and just saying that the Great Deku Tree wills for unity might not be enough. Though from what I know… there are some leaders who might be willing to assist our endeavors."
She blinked. "What do you mean?"
"The King of Hyrule, the King of Zoras, and the Goron Chieftain have fought together during the civil war and ended the conflict. They succeeded in attaining peace, and I believe they are doing what they can to keep it that way." she explained. "If there are people that we need to start with, it should be them."
Saria beamed. "You're incredible, Navi! This is a great plan!" her praise made the fairy puff out her chest with pride. She turned to their human companion. "So, what do you think?"
Navi looked at him as well, eyes still guarded but curious. The human looked at the two of them silently as if pondering, then after a moment, he nodded.
"I guess it's decided then. We'll go to these three leaders and convince them about our cause."
"Actually, we might meet the three of them simultaneously." Navi piped up. "Every year, there is an annual diplomatic meaning between each faction in Hyrule. This year it's supposed to be hosted in the Hylian capital in the Hyrule Royal Family's Castle, and if I remember, it will happen sometime in… two months?" the fairy blinked. "Huh."
"Just in time for us to arrive there." Saria nods her head. "The Great Deku Tree and the elders must have known this. We should head there then."
At least knowing that now, she has a greater idea on what she can do to fulfill the quest given to her by the Great Deku Tree. Some anxiety that was inside her disappeared and was replaced with a determination now that there was a clear way to protect her home. She can't deny still being nervous though—after all, how do you go about convincing kings of powerful kingdoms in Hyrule?
A cute yawn interrupted her musings, and she turned to the Navi who flushed at her action.
Saria giggled. "I guess we should take a rest. We do have to get up early tomorrow."
The fairy nodded. "Who'll take the first watch, then?"
Saria turned to the human, who for all intents and purposes, was keeping watch ever since they settled down for camp. "I guess… he's going to be the one? I'll take the one after that."
Navi frowned, but reluctantly nodded. She flew up to disappear in the trees to sleep in one of the branches. Saria, on the other hand, went for her small tent. She called out to the human as she walked towards it.
"Please wake me up after a few hours or so!"
She didn't get any reply, but it's not like she was expecting one anyway.
As she lay down in her tent and closed her eyes, her mind was filled with thoughts of the future and what will happen from now. Sleep overtook her not too long after.
The morrow is now today, and the sun shined in clear skies as they walked under the canopy of the forest. It provided a lovely shade, and along with the pleasant sound of water flowing in a nearby stream, it made a pleasant walk in the woods.
Or at least, it would've been… Saria thought with exasperation.
"I can't believe that you won't wake us up like that! You could've put us in danger!" an angry voice of Navi shouted as she flew near the knight. "Do you even know why people take turns watching the camp!?"
The irate fairy was shouting at the knight as she continued to lecture him. With how he seems to continue walking even without looking at the direction of the fairy, it's clear that he doesn't seem to pay attention or care about it at all.
"We take turns so that the others get a chance to sleep! So that they don't pass out in the middle of keeping watch, or worse, miss something! Something that you, you didn't do!" the knight was still silent. "Hey, listen! Pay attention to me, you—!"
Saria sighed. She's been like this the whole morning. It's not like I don't agree with what she's saying, but there has to be some limit in persistence. She discreetly stared at the two of the fairy and the knight. Though, should I count this as an improvement? Navi is at least interacting with him…
They were now almost out of the forest, having traveled uninterrupted. It seems that beyond halfway through there were less corruptions or monsters to take care of—which was something that was welcome, as the presence of more monsters as they approached the outside of the forest might mean the attack on their forest wasn't an isolated case.
Stil, it was surprising to know that she opened her eyes to daylight, instead of being woken up by her human companion. At first she was worried, thinking there was something wrong. Navi had the same thought when she rushed outside as she saw her fly down the tree at about the same time. Imagine their surprise to see that the knight was still in the exact same place as last night, still watching vigilantly.
She turned her gaze to focus more on the silent human. He doesn't look even slightly tired after a night without sleep. Normally, she'd think the same way Navi did and say that he failed to take watch and just slept the whole night… but he's shown to be an extraordinary warrior. He probably knows how to sleep with one eye open at all times.
He took the responsibility for himself and gave us time to rest. She looked at the knight discreetly. …Is this his way of showing kindness?
She couldn't deny it—that sleep helped her a lot. Yesterday was spent preparing so much for the quest that she neglected to rest for a few hours before setting off. It must have shown somehow, if it managed to spur their human friend to do this. Anyhow she felt nice now, having relieved the stress a bit with that good night's sleep.
She let out a soft smile. She was fortunate to have some reliable companions.
"Mister human, thank you for doing our work for us and giving us a good night's sleep. Goddesses know I sure do needed it." Navi paused in her interruption, looking at her in bewilderment. The knight inclined his head slightly to her. "Though if you were going to do something like that again… can you at least tell us? Or give us a sign at least? I was very worried earlier."
"What are you talking about Saria? You want this person to shirk his duties again?" Navi whispered to her ear when she quickly left the knight's side and flew beside her.
The knight, as always, remained silent and offered no reaction at what she had said and opted to just continue walking, while still keeping an eye on the surroundings.
Saria shook her head at the fairy. "I think that we should have more faith in our friend's capabilities, Navi. He's shown to be capable in many things, and you've seen how he hates those monsters. He wouldn't let that happen."
"But, look at him! He doesn't even look tired! Any normal person couldn't pull an all-nighter without consequence, so he must have slept!"
Saria raised a brow.
Navi crossed her arms. "Okay, so he may not be normal. But he can't be doing that every time we camp at night! No matter how much the sleep helped!"
Saria blinked.
Then, she let out a teasing smile. "Oh? So you did like what he did!"
The fairy glowed bright as she was caught off-guard by what she said. "N-No, I—" Saria smirked. "I didn't mean it that way! I mean, it's a normal biological reaction to feel refreshed after a rest! Not whatever you were thinking." the fairy was about to say more, but she stopped and pointed somewhere forward. "W-Wait, look at that!"
"I'm not falling for that you know~ It's not like it's that big of a deal to be thankful about it." Saria teased, though she still turned to see where the fairy was pointing at—and stopped in her steps immediately. A portion of the forest where the trees ended, where she could see a field of grass just beyond it. All other thoughts halted as she felt a jolt of excitement at the sight.
"We're here!" she beamed.
Saria quickly ran with Navi following beside her. They both crossed the edge of the forest together, one that they realized had led to a cliff—and saw a sight that left them breathless.
The sun shined brightly in the vast clear sky as it cast a light in the majestic topside-view of Hyrule's plains; an incredible sight where the grass that rolled against the wind are accompanied by beautiful flower beds whose petals swayed along. A vast expanse of space that gave off a feeling of peacefulness, almost welcoming even, that invited anyone to simply bask in the atmosphere of the place.
And in the distance, the grand silhouettes of great cities and landmarks. A tall mountain, a stretching river, and from the very limits of Saria's vision, the almost barely visible dot in the horizon that was… probably the Hyrule capital.
"Wow." Saria breathed out.
"Yeah." the fairy nodded dumbly in reply as she stared as much as she did.
They both recovered from their reverie when the sound of plate armor as their human companion settled beside them, also overlooking the cliffside view of the plain of Hyrule.
"So we're really about to undergo a journey around Hyrule, huh…" Saria muttered after a while. "It never really registered to me until now… I never realized that the world would be so big." she said in wonder.
Compared to this, the forest felt small. It was her first time truly being out in the world like this. She may have felt sad leaving her home behind, but seeing what she was seeing right now, with the world having so much to offer… she felt as if it wasn't so bad.
All three of them, even their human companion, simply stood together on that cliff and marveled at the sight. Saria brushed her hair behind her ears when a gentle breeze tuzzled her hair, and she smiled peacefully all the while.
"..."
"..."
A movement from the corner of her eye. Her gaze turns to the side.
Hm? What is… is that a plant?
"Uh… hey, Navi?" Saria asked, making the fairy turn with a questioning expression. "What is that?"
"Oh! It's a type of plant common in Hyrule's plains. I think they're called 'Peahats'?" Saria flinched when the plant twitched. "That one looks quite big, and usually at that size they get these sharp blade-like thorns growing near their roots. And I think they're also… classified as… a monster…" Navi trailed as she slowly paled.
The peahat unrooted itself from the ground, blasting away debris as incredibly intimidating spiky blades sprouted out from the bottom of its bulbous body. Then the blades began to spin, with Saria and Navi watching in horror as it hovered off the ground as the blades sliced the air.
Then Saria felt something grab her waist. "Wha—!"
She didn't get to finish her question as they began falling off the cliff.
""AAAAAAAAHH!"" Saria and Navi screamed together while being held by the knight—with her hoisted off his shoulder and Navi in his hand—when he jumped off. Saria felt the weightlessness in falling off a great height and she reflexively held tighter on the human's grip while Navi just cursed at the knight in such a way that would've left her in shock if she wasn't so busy screaming in panic.
The knight's foot touched the steep incline and they began sliding off downhill towards the plains. A whirring noise behind their back made the three of them look back, and they saw the peahat chasing them with its spinning blades closely behind.
Saria and Navi screamed again.
"Quick! Hurry, fall faster!" Navi shouted in panic after cursing the knight for jumping off earlier.
Saria, still in panic, quickly unslung her bow behind her back and began firing. The angle from where she fired had the arrows fight against gravity and made it weaker, and those that didn't miss in her panicked shooting and hit their mark were just blocked by the spinning blades.
"Navi! Magic!" she shouted at the fairy, cutting the fairy off from her panic to turn to the monster with a glower.
"Hiyahh!" the fairy glowed and brought her arms out. Suddenly, a tree and small bushes grew sideways from the steep wall of the cliff and blocked the peahat's path. It was quickly cut down without mercy.
"I can't do much right now!" Navi shouted out against the wind.
"What else do you know about it!?" she shouted back.
"The roots are its weakness! The body is covered with a tough hide but underneath it's completely exposed! A single hit can drive it away!"
The angle of the cliff's wall sloped, and the knight immediately shifted to a sprint and made use of their momentum to not get sliced into pieces and outrun the monster. Soon they were running across the plains as the peahat followed and cut through the grassy trails.
"But it's tilting its body forwards!" true to what Saria pointed out, the bulbous head of the monster was leaning forwards, keeping the roots angled away from them. "We can't hit it if it's like that! We'll be sliced up first!"
"We need to make the peahat reveal it!"
"But how!?"
"I-I—how about we hide!?"
"There's nothing here we can hide in! We're in a grassy plain!"
"U-Uhmm…!" Navi bit her lip as her face scrunched up in thought as she observed her surroundings manically. Then, her eyes widened. "Wait, what is that!?" she shouted, pointing at a figure in the distance.
Saria squinted. "I… it's too far away, I can't see it clearly!"
Navi slapped her arm at the knight's hand. "Hey! Go there, check it out!"
He quickly did so without a word, and the peahat followed sharply behind.
Saria stared at the rapidly nearing thing they were approaching, and her eyes widened. "Wait… is that a caravan!?"
It was, in fact, a caravan. Now that they were moving towards it, she could barely eke out the visage of a creature that had a fishtail as a head riding the horse pulling the caravan—A Zora. They seemed to register their ruckus and noticed their presence, then look at the one chasing them. They then began to panic.
"We shouldn't bring the monster to them! They might get hurt!" Saria shouted.
"B-But we can't stop now or it might catch up!" Navi shouted back.
What—what are we going to do!? Saria thought desperately.
The knight abruptly stopped running, and they paused. She opened her mouth to let out a question, then immediately closed it when Saria felt herself being hoisted up again, and then—"Wait, wait—AAAAAH!"
The knight threw her and Navi up in the air, over the bulbous body of the peahat. The peahat watched them approach with a decisive eye, angling itself to lean more forward as the blades from its behind met their trajectory, and Saria felt death approaching her as she went nearer and nearer to the spinning blades. She closed her eyes—
—Then the knight threw himself to the blades from below, masterfully catching the innermost part where the force was at its weakest. The spinning blades stopped abruptly as he held it in his grip, and both Saria and Navi passed through the stopped blades, landing behind the monster who was still angled forwards.
Where the roots were visible.
Saria's eyes hardened and she immediately unslung her bow and nocked an arrow.
"Navi! Wind magic!" she shouted.
Navi, who was still shaking from what happened, sat up in alert and casted the spell. The arrow on her bow glowed in a slight green hue as winds seemed to twist around its form, and she aimed the arrow at the monster's roots. The peahat realized this and began to desperately struggle.
"TAKE THIS!"
The arrow was released, and it pierced straight through the roots and its insides. The monster shrieked, trashing, then after a few moments it stopped struggling. The knight let go of his grip and it flopped in the ground bonelessly.
The monster's body disappeared as it dispersed into murky ash.
Her legs wobbled and she fell butt-first on the ground, letting out a shaky breath in relief. "It's, it's finally dead."
Navi flopped on the grass beside her. "Y-Yeah… I thought I was going to die… "
The both of them stopped speaking after that, simply basking at the simple fact that they were alive as the wind breezed through.
…The silence was broken as the sound of plate armor greaves approached towards them.
"…"
"..."
"Navi… I think I can understand why you were so annoyed earlier." Saria began sweetly.
"Yeah, you would. Wouldn't you?" Navi replied with a smile just as sweet as hers.
The sound abruptly stopped.
The both of them turned to their human companion with enraged faces and immediately hounded him.
"You idiot!" / "You… dummy!"
"What the hell is your problem!? You can't just throw us at the monster like that without saying, at least tell us what your plan is before doing that! What if your plan failed, huh!?" Navi shouted at his face. "It might've worked, but that was stupidly dangerous!"
Saria stared at him with a frown. "I agree with Navi. Mister human, I don't know why you try not to speak or go out of your way to not interact, and I won't pry either, but it would've been great if you tried to communicate with us first."
"Yeah, especially if your life wasn't on the line when you did that!"
She turned to Navi. "Uhh, that might not be true? He did throw himself to those blades to catch them after all. That was dangerous, if not more so…"
"Are you really defending him right now Saria? Look at him, he doesn't even look… hurt…"
Saria followed Navi's gaze and stiffened when she saw the mangled gauntlets, which were bleeding and spilling down to the grass plains. It… it looked very bad. Yet the knight stood straight like it didn't bother him.
Navi scrunched up, and immediately flew at the hand's level, flaring her magic. She closed her eyes and she brought a hand out towards the injury. "Heal."
A gentle green glow covered his hand and flesh stitched itself back together to form back the skin. It was a surreal sight—she'd seen healing magic in action in the field, but she never really saw firsthand a medic responding to a fatal injury. There was a few tense moments of Navi being silent as she administered her heal… before she finally floated away from the hand with a sigh of relief.
"It's done. I'm out of mana now though, so don't expect me to cast any spells for the next half of the day." she paused, before floating to the knight's head and staring him straight in the visor of his helm. She pointed at him. "Don't do that again."
The knight stared at the now-healed hand. The gauntlet's leathers were completely shredded revealing the skin underneath, but otherwise it was completely fine. He opened and closed his fist a few times.
Navi rapped her arm againts the helm, making a 'Gong!' sound. "And don't move your hands either! I'm going to check that again after I get the mana back. So keep that still!"
The knight slowly brought his hand down, the helm hiding his expression as he faced the fairy. She huffed, then floated away.
Saria let out an exasperated smile.
"U-Uhm… is this a bad time?" a voice meekly asked.
All three of them turned to the sudden interruption. Standing there was the Zora that Saria saw earlier, who was looking at them with a gaze of desperation as he looked like he was at the edge of panicking. She and Navi turned to each other, a wordless conversation passing between them as they decided who to talk to, before Navi inclined her head towards the Zora. Saria minutely nodded, then approached the new arrival.
"No, no it is not. We're very sorry for almost leading the monster towards you and your caravan." Saria bowed with a shamed face. "I hope you find it in your heart to forgive us."
"Ah, no no, it's fine. It's no big deal really. No harm done." he seemed to hesitate, before opening his mouth. "But, umm, you people are fighters right? If I'm seeing it right, that fairy just casted magic earlier?"
"Umm… yes?" Saria nodded, confused.
"Great! Oh how fortunate, the Great Jabu-Jabu smiles upon me!" the Zora said in happiness, then immediately bowed deeply, much to her and Navi's shock. "Please, warriors. I hope you can help me with a request!"
"Please, help me get my sick wife to the nearest town!"
The trio finally start the first leg of their journey. Of course, as the journey starts there will be some difficulties, and I hope I managed to make them believable and in-character as possible. It wouldn't do good if they magically become friends while being so different from each other; Navi isn't happy with how the Slayer is acting, and the Slayer couldn't care any less, with Saria being the mediator between the two. It's going to be the dynamic that will mostly occur between them, and I hope that people will at least enjoy it when they read it.
I was expecting this chapter to come out in a week and it ended up turning into 17 days instead. For a ~6K word chapter, I think that's a pretty long time. Many things came up, and there was this new story I was working on, but suffice to say I'll keep working still on the story eveb if chapter release rate might be slow.
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed.