Ah, Dark Link! Easily one of my favorite Zelda bosses ever! And hey, this time he can see through the fourth wall!
Dark Link: I can see eeevvveeerrryyyttthhhiiinnnggg. And oh, Goddesses, do you people do some fucked up shit.
Wait, you use Goddesses in place of God too?
Dark Link: Yes? They're the reigning gods, so why the fuck not?
Fair enough. But, enough of Dark Link for now. Chapter 5!
Chapter 5
Dawn of an Adventure
"Hey... Hey, wake up! Wake up, buddy!"
Link finally woke to the sound of a voice nagging at him. He tried to sit up, but a powerful headache forced him to merely roll over in order to get his face off of the floor.
"Ugh... What happened...?" Link asked groggily, still unsure about anything that had happened earlier.
"You met Dark Link," said Marze, the one who had woken Link. "He was one of the generals I told you about. He, if you didn't already figure it out, was the interesting swordsman."
"Dark Link... Oh, no, he took Ryla!"
Link wasted no time in grabbing his best sword and shield from above the fireplace and grabbing his Demon clothing. Donning it all quickly, he ran outside, only to stop and fall to knees after witnessing what had just happened to his village.
The entirety of Ordon was engulfed in an unholy blaze of black flames.
"It's gone... It's all gone... My home, my friends, my sister, he took it all away by himself."
Link went back to his feet and donned his mask, basically growling at this point.
"I don't care what the odds are anymore, Marze. I'm taking up your offer to to this, but only to save my sister," stated Link, glaring angrily at what was left of his hometown.
The little dragon nodded, landing on Link's hood.
"I understand. My family was taken away by the Tyrannical God of the Stars. It looks like we both have something to fight for."
Link cracked his knuckles, whistling loudly. Epona made her way to him, as she had fled when the Fang Syndicate attacked.
"Let's go, girl. We need to get my sister back."
As Epona neighed, Marze blinked at the green-clad bounty hunter.
"B-But you can't try to match them now!"
"Watch me," replied Link before mounting his trusty mare, urging her into a gallop, the little Stardrake flying closely after.
"You'll die!"
Link merely grunted and kept riding.
"Link, you couldn't stop Dark Link, and he was alone. What makes you think you can beat all six of them at once?"
"I know I can because they took Ryla. I need to protect her, I live to protect her."
Marze, sighed, then thought of another point he could make.
"Weren't you protecting her before when you failed?"
Link slowed Epona, turning to Marze as she stopped, his pupils contracted threateningly.
"Repeat that?"
Marze knew he was getting somewhere, so he continued. "Yes, against just one of them with a driving force, you failed to save your sister. Against all five generals and a god, you have no chance."
Link turned back around and unmounted, walking a few meters from Epona before yelling violently and punching the ground in rage.
"You think I care how much of a chance I have?! My sister is all that I have left! I want her back, I need her back!"
"And if you go and get yourself killed before you can, what then?" replied the dragon.
"I-!" I..." stuttered Link, realizing what Marze was saying. Dark Link did beat him at his best, and was both toying with him, and alone. What hope would he have against six god-like beings if they were going all-out?
"You're right, I'm sorry. I've just been protecting her for so long that it was the first thing I could think of doing."
Marze nodded in understanding. "Don't worry, I get it. When my family was taken, revenge was the first thing on my mind as well."
Link straightened his back out and mounted Epona again. "Anyway, what do you suggest we do first?" asked Link. "We can't just sit back and wait around for what they plan to do next. If Dark Link found it necessary to come all the way out here to kidnap Ryla, then they must have plans for Hyrule."
"I'd say we should first find out what they plan on doing. Whatever it is, it can't be good. Maybe try to find out where Dark Link was heading next?"
"Sounds good," said Link, who was looking around for any clue as to where the dark doppelganger was heading. Morbidly enough, he found a trail of blood.
"Goddesses, is that man subtle or what?"
He urged Epona to a gallop, following the trail of blood. He needed leads to where this man was heading, and the path of blood seemed pretty solid at this point.
OOO
As he rode, Link couldn't help but think back to the black-clad swordsman. Beneath the rather intricate robe he wore to obscure his features, he wore what could be best described as a short, open tunic that revealed his reasonably muscular chest, white pants, and many straps holding up an intricate scabbard on his back that held a silver-bladed sword with a black handle that gave off a powerful red aura... It was a powerful weapon indeed, capable of reducing other blades to mere handles. Link didn't know, but the blade seemed very dark, very evil. His gauntlets were black and clawed, and they bore rubies on the back of his hands. But in terms of physical appearance... Dark Link was near identical to himself, aside from the red eyes and black hair. But he was, to say the least, absolutely psychotic. While Link himself was calm and collected, Dark Link was erratic and unpredictable. And on top of that, he was an absurdly skilled swordsman, being able to best over 1,000 men in rapid succession, the elite guard of Esteban Fang no less, afterwards beating Link and then laying waste to Ordon. He was a very dangerous opponent indeed, and there were four others with similar amounts of skill and power as well...
Link finished his mental analysis of his dark counterpart before returning his focus to the path ahead of him. The trail had run dry a short time ago, ending with the severed arm of someone who Link could safely say wasn't Ryla, as well as a few scraps of torn cloth with slight blood stains on them. This left Link and Marze with only one other option.
Faron Woods.
Faron Woods was long since abandoned by Hyrulians, forgotten by them centuries ago. Aside from Ordon which only has a single clearing made as a path to and from Hyrule proper, the entire area is densely covered in many types of flora. To the duo, it seemed like a good spot as a base of operations. It was secluded from the rest of the land by the heavy amounts of greenery, and other Hylians almost never tried to set foot within its territories. In truth, that left little of Faron Province to be settled, with the Capitol of Hyrule Castle being within Lanayru Province being where most of the population lived. Of course, Eldin Province was reasonably heavily populated, but due to larger amounts of heat and the nearby Death Mountain, it wasn't the favored land to settle. Cultures between the areas even varied between the Provinces slightly, Eldin Province having heavier accents than Lanayru, as well as different types of celebrations.
Back on topic, before Link was to head off to Faron Woods of all places, he needed to stock up on his supplies. For this, he usually headed to the Bounty Office on the west side of Hyrule Castle Town. It was set up many years ago, anywhere from 120 to 130 years, and has been a great asset to the Kingdom. Thanks to several civilians like Link, crime has been brought down greatly. However, monsters are still a threat, and only the most skilled hunters take monster jobs.
Pulling into Castle Town, he donned his mask and raised his hood, remaining extremely cautious. Someone working for Dark Link could be anywhere, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He left Epona at the gate and began walking towards west street where the Bounty Office was. Fun fact, the Bounty Office was buit over an old carnival game run by a man who decided to make it so hard that only the Hero of Twilight himself could even hope to complete it. Everyone grew so angry that they run the man out of town and tore down his business. Walking into the building, Link relaxed a little. Despite the rumors surrounding bounty hunters, most were actually very nice people, and it was very unlikely that he would be attacked here.
"Well, Hood's back! I'll be damned. How're you doin'?" shouted the man at the counter, a rather large man who Link knew well.
"I'm fine," Link replied. "How are you these days, Gerome? You weren't here when I dropped off Atlas."
The man, Gerome, rubbed the back of his neck and laughed. "Even those who work at the Bounty Office have to take days off every once in a while. So, what can I do for you? Do you have another criminal for us to hand over to the Military?"
"No, nothing like that," said Link, shaking his head. "I need some things for a trip."
"Oh, what kind of trip?" asked Gerome.
"Faron Woods," said the bounty hunter, his eyes never leaving Gerome's.
The large man was noticeably surprised. "Faron Woods? Don't you know what happens to people out there?"
"Yeah, yeah, most are never seen again, and those that are often are seen missing limbs upon return. Do you really think I care about that though?" Link replied, rolling his eyes.
Gerome sighed, as that kind of reaction from the Hooded Demon usually meant there was no telling him otherwise.
"Ugh, fine. What do you need?"
"I'm going to need maybe two or three red potions, a few hundred feet of my metal wiring, and my quiver topped off," replied the bounty hunter. "How much will it cost me?"
Gerome, closed his eyes to think about it. "Well, 40 per potion, 50 per hundred feet of wire, and 5 per bundle of ten arrows, okay? So three potions makes 120, 300 feet of wire makes maybe 150, your quiver holds around 50 arrows, and that's another 25, so in total 295 rupees. But, hunters around here get a 10% discount, so that drops the cost down to about 265 rupees."
"Great," replied Link, who quickly gave Gerome the 265 and turned to leave, but the hunter was stopped by Gerome, who was clearing his throat.
"Just don't get yourself killed out there, alright? You may not think it, but the folks 'round here care for you."
Link sighed and turned back around. "Before I leave, there is something I need to tell you. I've had a bad omen recently, like something bad is going to happen soon. Tell all of the hunters that they should be more cautious than usual. The same goes for you, Huntress."
Link was then speaking to a female hunter who was standing in the shadows of the room, spinning a dagger between her fingers.
This was the Huntress, a female bounty hunter wearing a black, gilded bodysuit, golden armor on her chest, knees, and elbows, bandaging on her lower arms and calves, and a hooded cloak of a dark blue color casting a shadow over her face that obscured her features much like Link's. However, she did not wear a mask. On her back was a very well-crafted longbow, and on her left leg was strapped an ornate short sword.
The Huntress was an extremely skilled bounty hunter, with 93 captures and 34 confirmed monster kills.
Link himself had 104 captures and 75 confirmed monster kills.
Link was in truth one of the most successful bounty hunters there was, but he did have more than 9 years of experience on his side. Yes, he had been bounty hunting since the age of 8. He was once a petty thief, to be honest, trained when he was a child to be a bounty hunter. However, the man who had trained once had taken a job in Faron Woods, and had never been seen again.
"You care too much for others. Why waste your time with them when you can fight to make your life so much better?" asked the Huntress.
"Because the reason I fight is in order to make other's lives better. I've made this clear too many times. Anyway, I'm off. It may be a while before I see any of you again," said Link before turning to leave the bounty office, but he was stopped by Gerome.
"Hey kid, I have something for you if you're really headed for Faron Woods... It's a bounty from a long time ago."
Link went back and grabbed a tattered sheet of paper from Gerome. He began reading it, and was surprised at its contents.
"This is a bounty... to find my old master..."
"When Kain went in there to try and stop a large monster reported by survivors who ventured in, he never came back out. His family was devastated and issued a bounty of 1,000 Rupees to get him back, even if it was just a memento of his old bounty hunting days. Even five years later, he has never been seen since. But you... You might have what it takes to bring Kain back to us," finished Gerome.
Link nodded and placed the bounty in his pouch. "I'll see what I can do. If I find anything, you'll be the first to find out."
Gerome nodded and waved him off as Link headed out the door and down the back alleys. Rounding the corner, he saw a few thugs trying to climb into a window to steal whatever was inside, but he wasn't having any of that.
"You both realize you're about a block from the bounty office, right?"
The thug closest to the ground lept off the wall and drew a knife, aiming it with surprising confidence.
"Get out of here, kid. We don't want anyone getting hurt. Doesn't mean we won't let 'em, though."
Link sighed and shook his head as he drew his sword, walking out of the shadows of the alleyway. As he stood into the light, the confidence the man had faded into fear.
"We gotta run, Cassius! This guy's the Hooded Demon!"
The one still clinging to the wall, Cassius, looked at Link in fear and jumped off the wall, hitting his partner on the way down.
"Goddesses, I don't have time for this. Hurry up and follow me back to the bounty office and you'll keep all of your blood."
"Leave them to me, 'Hood," said a new voice. Link was familiar with the voice and grunted. Link watched as the Huntress scaled the wall down to the ground quickly and elegantly, aiming her longbow at the street thugs.
"I do have spare time. So get out of here, 'Hero.' I'll get them back to Gerome. No promises regarding condition, though," said the Huntress before letting fly an arrow into the knife-wielder's thy. Link nodded to her and she in return nodded back as he turned heel and began walking back to Epona. Once he arrived to his trusty mare, she neighed in greeting. Grabbing an apple from her pack, he fed it to her and saddled in.
"Alright, Epona, we're headed to Faron Woods. We might be able to find some clues to Dark Link's position out there."
Marze glided in from a nearby tree, landing on Link's shoulder. "Then let's get going. Any lead we get is a good one."
"And While we're out there, we may take a look into this," said Link as he held the bounty in front of Marze and urged Epona to a canter.
"Kain Borne, huh? 1,000 Rupees to bring him back it says. Do you need money or something?"
"No," Link said, pulling his hood down and his mask off. "I need closure. Kain Borne is the one who trained me to be a bounty hunter. A while ago, I was once a thief in order to provide for Ryla and myself, stealing things that wouldn't be missed like loaves of bread, a few misplaced Rupees. One day, while I was pick-pocketing a store owner who was on his way home, he caught on and pulled a knife. I had no weapons, so all I could do was try to run, but he got a solid grip on my tunic. When I thought I was about to die, Kain Borne came out of nowhere and knocked the guy out with a single solid punch to the back of the head. I later found out that the store owner was selling false pottery for way too much, earning himself a bounty. Kain collected him. And one day, I found him again, and I tried to get a few Rupees off of him, but he noticed. However, he didn't try to kill me like the other man. He offered to train me in order to pursue a career that was legal; Bounty Hunting. I agreed, and he trained my to be the hunter I am today, the Hooded Demon. But once, he took a job to kill a monster reported in Faron Woods and never returned. No one's ever seen him since."
Marze blinked a few times before Link took the request back from him, focusing on the road ahead. Surveying his surroundings, he saw the forest and thus steered Epona in its direction.
"I'll let you know now, Marze, Faron Woods is a very dangerous place. Monsters have considered it there home for many years, and Hylians have for even longer stayed out of the cursed place. And the brave few who have tried to brave its depths were either wounded or killed."
"Sounds... pleasant," said Marze.
"That's not the half of it," continued Link. "Many separate mages have claimed that dark energies have become associated with the area, which is probably why rumors about a strangely powerful monster have started."
"Wait, mages?" asked Marze in confusion. "And a strangely powerful monster?"
"You know about the Heroes of Hyrule, but you don't know that Hylians are adept with magic? Most of us are born with the ability to use basic spells. Even I have such an ability, but I've never really focused on the arcane arts... I've always envisioned myself more as a knight like my father," answered Link, remembering his childhood.
"Your father was a knight?" asked the Stardrake.
"Yes. Not only was my father a knight, but a Royal Guard. He was high enough rank to serve as one of the princess's personal guards. Raven Valion... Sadly, he gave his life to save hers when an assassin tried to shoot her with a crossbow when they took a trip through town. He jumped in front of the shot and was killed, giving the other Royal Guards enough time to subdue the man. He was hailed as a hero... I was left without a father. My mother died later of depression. Something I learned from my father is that the princess was a bit of a tomboy, and that I was born a few months before her. He said if the Goddesses allowed it, I could date the Princess of Hyrule, maybe be king... But who was he kidding. I wasn't a royal. But that doesn't matter to me. So long as I can protect my kingdom, I don't need to be king... Oh, it looks like we're here."
Link slowed Epona and told her to return home, but that he'd call her if he needed her, walking down a path that lead to Hyrule great southern forest.
"Marze, welcome to Faron Woods."
And with that, Link and his companion made their way into the very same spot that had claimed the lives of so many other bounty hunters.
"Don't worry, Kain. I'll figure out what happened to you."
Alright, that's another chapter up and running! Yeah, gotta apologize for how slow my updates have been lately. My schedule has been really tight for the past few months, so I didn't have much time at all to write. But I put those bits and pieces together and managed to make a chapter for you guys. But yeah, lots of interesting stuff going on here today. You learned a bit more about Link's past his last name (Valion is one I'm proud of, so I use it a lot. It's my personal favorite for his last name), his old mentor, his family, Hyrule's political system, the bounty office, some other hunters, and Faron Woods.
As always, I hope you guys like it, and OniHelix out!