Oh boy, new characters! Those are always fun to have, right? (Of course they are) But yeah, good ol' Shaagos Ramil. The new King of the Gerudo... I wonder how he'll pan out?
Chapter 21
Desert King Shaagos
"The king?" Link asked again. "I thought all Gerudo were female."
"Female?" Shaagos said to himself. "Oh, you must mean you thought Gerudo are all vai. This is mostly the case, but every 100 years, a voe is born among us, and that voe is destined to be King. Evidently, I am a voe, hence my status as king."
"Voe and... Vai?" Link asked. He wasn't very well-versed in Gerudo language.
"Yes. You and I, we are voe. I believe you Hylians refer to us as... male? And most Gerudo are vai, what you called 'female,'" Shaagos explained, gesturing to them and his guards to clarify his point.
"Ah, I see," Link said, nodding. He more or less understood now.
"Good! Now that we have that out of the way, have you seen anything that has caught your eye?" Shaagos asked, smiling. "If so, we may be able to work out a good price for it!"
"Yes, actually," Link said as he grabbed a box from one of the shelves. The box had engravings upon it such as the Gerudo tribe symbol, as well as a handle wrapped with standard Gerudo wrapping.
"You've got quite the eye, Hylian Voe," Shaagos said, taking the box from Link. "This is a special item straight from Gerudo Town, a Pocket Apothecary. These are only capable of being properly made by master craftsmen, and can be used to create potions whenever you have the ingredients."
"That sounds useful," Link admitted, Shaagos handing Link back the box, opening it to examine its contents. There was a mortar and pestle, several vials, and a list at the top on how to make red potions.
"It is. It has saved many a life back in the desert when no treatment was available," Shaagos agreed.
"So, how much?" Link asked, closing the box.
Shaagos thought for a moment, snapping his fingers and smiling as he came to a decision. "Normally, I'd charge 1,000 rupees for such a rare item, but for you... Does 750 sound reasonable?"
"Yeah, actually," Link said as he grabbing his wallet, finding that there was far more than that in it. "That sounds great."
"Wonderful! So, I'll just need those rupees, and the Pocket Apothecary is yours!"
Link smiled and handed Shaagos the money, his charisma having rubbed off on him.
"Yes, yes, this is good! Sarqso! It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Hylian Voe," Shaagos said as he took the money, placing it into a small box to the side. "Will you be buying anything else, or is that all?"
"I think this alone should do fine," Link said as he placed the Pocket Apothecary into his pouch. "Thank you, this will come in handy."
"Yes, anytime, Hylian Voe! And on your travels, be sure to ask around for doctors. I'm sure they'll have potion and elixir recipes they're willing to share with you. Sav'orq, Hylian Voe, and may our paths cross again," Shaagos said, though right as Link was about to turn and leave, a Gerudo entered and brushed past Link and went to Shaagos, and she didn't look happy.
"Lord Shaagos, permission to speak, sir!"
"Speak, warrior," Shaagos said, his smile still present.
"We've received word that bandits have struck at Gerudo Town!"
At this moment, Shaagos' smile was lost.
"They broke into town and killed several guards, making hostages of everyone else."
"Then we have no time to waste," Shaagos said as he stood, Link only then gathering just how tall Shaagos was, maybe 7 feet tall. Gerudo were all exceedingly tall anyway, so males, who were naturally taller, were likely massive. "Varina, my weapons."
The guard to his right, the previously-named Varina, went into a back room and grabbed two short swords with forked blades, as well as a spear with a forked blade, handing them to her king.
"Fetch my horse, we need to hurry," he said as he sheathed the swords on his waist, both on his back facing his right, and placing the spear on his back, heading for the door. Link got out of the way, as Shaagos had that same look in his eyes as when he thought about Ryla, the look of a savage protector.
"He's like me," Link whispered as Shaagos exited the store, coming to what Link identified as a Shadowsteed, the same kind of horse that the King of Evil rode long agao, though this one was smaller. However, it was still a very large horse, and was black with a red mane, as well as armor that matched Shaagos'.
"If you need me again, Hylian Voe, you know where to find me. Sav'orq, and may the Goddesses bring you luck in your travels."
And with that, the Gerudo guards unlocked the gates and let Shaagos through, his horse moving very quickly despite its size.
"Gerudo Deserst, the home of the Gerudo tribe... Maybe I should check it out," Link said as he head out of the Gerudo Variety Market, making his way over to the Twilit Tavern.
"Oh, hey, you're back," Elvira pointed out as Link walked.
"Yeah, I need to talk to the group, but it looks like I've got some time to kill," Link said as he sat at the bar, Elvira nodding.
"You know, I've got a few things that I could use some help with, maybe do that? It'll pass the time, that's for sure."
"Yeah, I can do that," Link said. "What do you need help with?"
"Well, first of all, I've got word from Meredith that she's been caught up with a group of researchers outside the western gate that need some help from someone more brawn that brain, as apparently a wheel came off of their carriage, and they can't get it moving," Elvira said, holding out a finger. "And second, I think Alphonse said something about making something in his shop on the East Thoroughfare, but he might want some help with that."
"Is that everything?" Link asked, making mental notes.
"Yeah, that should be about it," Elvira replied, holding up two fingers. "All right kid, get a move on. Even if it's just to kill time, it needs to get done."
"On it," Link said as he headed out, making his way towards the western gate. Looking outside, he wasn't surprised to see that the carriage that had been damaged was actually rather far from town, far enough away that the guards weren't too pressured to do anything about it, but still close enough where they'd defend the researchers from monsters.
Making his way over, Link was pleasantly surprised to see Meredith and another scrawny researcher trying to lift their cart, loaded with supplies such as food and water, as well as some digging tools. They gave one more try, but they could barely get it an inch off the ground before dropping it to the ground, clinking sounds being heard from within the cart.
"Would you need help, by any chance?" Link asked as he stepped forward, waving.
"Ah, Link!" Meredith called enthusiastically as she approached him. "How are you? I'm fine, and yes, please, help us."
"All right, so what do you need?" he asked, rubbing his hands together. "I've got plenty of time, so what can I help with?"
"Well, as you can see, we are in quite the pickle. Our wheel came off the axle, and none of us are strong enough to lift it to put it back on. Think you can help?" she said, holding her hands together.
"Likely. I may not be as strong as Kain, but I've still got some muscle to work with," Link said as he went to the cart, grabbing near the axle and lifting it from the ground a good three feet, giving the researchers plenty of room to put the wheel back on.
"Quick, while it's up!" Meredtih shouted as one of the less skinny researchers quickly grabbed the wheel and tried to carry it over, but couldn't and simply rolled it over, Meredith helping him lift it up and get it onto the axle. Nodding, Link set it down, rolling his shoulders for a moment.
"Goddesses, why is it so heavy?" Link asked.
"We just came from Faron Woods," Meredtih explained. "There were a LOT of samples."
Link smiled, rolled his eyes, and investigated the wheel, seeing how there was a slot through the axle for a pin that would hold the wheel on, though the pin wasn't there. Informing Meredith, she came up an checked it out, seeing the same thing Link saw.
"Maybe that's why the wheel came off. Gerard, weren't you the one in charge of making sure the cart was ready?" Meredith asked, turning to a very skinny researcher.
"Alas, I delegated that to you since you wanted it done so badly," the man, Gerard, said in a sassy tone.
"I wanted it done so badly because I'm the leader of the expedition, dumb-dumb!" Meredith replied, everyone present turning to Gerard with a look of, 'well... she has a point.'
"Ugh, very well," he said as he checked the wheel. "The pin is missing. There, happy?"
"Fix it," Link and Meredtih said at the same time, Gerard rolling his eyes.
"I don't see with what, exactly. And you, I don't see why you think you can boss me around," he said as he turned to Link.
"Maybe because I'm a good friend of Meredith's, and you seem to be annoying her right now," he said.
"You people are insufferable. I couldn't fix it if I wanted to," Gerard said, scoffing.
Link rolled his eyes and looked him over, seeing how the man had a pencil behind his ear.
"You could use that pencil, you know," Link said, gesturing to the object behind his ear.
"My pencil? Goddesses man, are you daft? This pencil is more important than anything you could even imagine! This is a tool that inspires intelligence and ambition, not something as barbaric as a sword or an ax. I'm afraid to use my pencil, you'd have to pry it from my cold, dead hands," Gerard finished, turning away from Link and crossing his arms.
"From your cold, dead hands? I could arrange that, you know..." Link trailed off, reaching for the handle of his sword.
"Wait wait wait!" he said quickly. "I believe I can fix this! Look on, as I will be selfless enough to use my own pencil to replace the pin so cruelly lost to nature!"
"I'm glad you had such a sudden change of heart," Link said as Gerard went over to the cart and slid his pencil into the spot where the pin should have been, Link checking the wheel to see that it wouldn't fall off anytime soon.
"Ok, it's good. You guys are free to head back," Link said as he backed away.
"Oh, thank yooouuu!" Meredith said as she hugged Link, the bounty hunter patting her on the back.
"Um, sir," Gerard asked as Meredith released Link, putting her hands on her hips as he approached. "I was wondering how I'd be reimbursed for my pencil."
"Let's just say..." said Link as he narrowed his eyes, drawing his sword, "you can have it back if you pay me with one of your ribs. I'd imagine they're small enough to take its place."
"My word!" Gerard said as he fled into the safety of the cart, peering out at Link as he shook his head.
"Why do you put up with that guy?" Link asked as he sheathed his sword, Meredith shrugging.
"I'm not sure. He's smart though, sooo maybe for that? He's super annoying though..."
"I can tell," Link said as he glared at Gerard, who quickly retreated further into the cart. "Anyway, I should get going. I hear that Alphonse needs some help in his shop."
"Okay, see yooouu!" Meredith called as Link walked back to Castle Town, making his way to the east thoroughfare to where he believed Alphonse's shop to be. Remembering Elvira's words, he recalled that it was on the east thoroughfare. Checking the signs, he was satisfied to see a sign that read 'Erickson's Machinations,' meaning Link had found the place.
Walking in, he was greeted by the sounds of a bell ringing above his head, as it was attached to the door to warn of customers.
"I'll be there in a moment," called a voice from a room in the back, followed by Alphonse, now wearing less casual clothing in favor of clothes that were filthy and covered in grease. "Ah, Link. To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Elvira told me that you could use some help, so here I am," Link said, a smile on his face.
"Wonderful!" Alphonse replied. "I haven't had proper help in a while. Here, come around back, I'll get you started."
And with that, Link followed Alphonse into the shop in the back room, a reasonably large room with many tools, work stations, and molds and casts. Link also saw many mechanical weapons, if such a thing existed.
"Might I ask what these are?" Link asked, gesturing to a table where several of the weapons were lain out alongside some tools.
"Those are a special side project I don't tell many people about. It all started when Meredith brought me a piece of ancient technology, a sword of some kind. However, it didn't have a cutting edge. And it had several... lights of some kind, though they didn't work. I broke the piece down, and I've been trying to replicate it ever since. The only problem is..." Alphonse said as he grabbed one of the pieces, folding some sort of blade out, though it had no edge, "...The original weapon had a dried power source, and I can't replicate it. I've copied every connection, even using some ancient parts that Meredith had brought me in order to mimic their astounding durability, and yet without some way to power them... They're just taking up space."
"I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually," Link said, grabbing one of the weapons. "Wow, these are very light..."
"The metal they're made from can float," he revealed, setting down the one he grabbed earlier. "Whoever designed these weapons was a genius, and it took something beyond today's science to create materials like that."
"These are definitely interesting..." Link said as he set the weapon down, an ancient sword. "You know, if you ever figured out the power supply, I wouldn't mind buying one of these off of you."
"I doubt I'll figure it out, but I've been thinking; the parts Meredith brought me were in pristine condition, so maybe she could find a battery of sorts to power these. Or you, if you so happen to find one on your travels. Find some, and I'll design you any kind of weapon you'd like, free of charge."
Link smiled and nodded. "That sounds like a plan to me."
"So, how about we get started?" Alphonse said, smiling. "Oh, but first..."
"What?" Link asked, noting how Alphonse was looking at him strangely.
"You might wanna get changed. These machines in here are unforgiving, and they might tear away at your armor. I've got some work clothes in my room upstairs, so give me a moment to grab those for you," Alphonse said before exiting the room via a ladder near the door to the main room. After a minute or two, he came back down, carrying some clothes that were covered in grease.
"They're dirty, but it's better than tearing apart such a fine armor," Alphonse said as he handed Link the clothes, Link nodding and heading into a small side room, changing out of his armor and into the clothes Alphonse brought him. To his relief, they fit him despite Alphonse being more than a head taller. They consisted of a pair of heavy black boots with steel toes, black pants with straps like overalls, yet lacking the front piece of fabric, a white shirt with long sleeves, though Link knew he was going to roll them up to his elbows, as he didn't want to get caught in the machine, black leather gloves that fit rather well, and a red bandanna to keep his hair back such that it wouldn't get caught in anything, as that would be extremely painful.
Putting everything on, he wasn't satisfied with the way the pants straps felt, as as such simply rolled them off of his shoulders, allowing the straps to hang freely by his legs. This took a belt or two to keep from falling to the floor, however, courtesy of a table in the room. Checking the bandanna and making sure none of his hair was poking out the front, he exited the room, Alphonse looking him over and nodding.
"There's not too many who could pull of that look, you know."
"You heard Meredith, I've got style," Link said jokingly as he rubbed his hands together. "So, what's the deal, what am I doing?"
"While I'm waiting for Meredith to get me the energy sources I need for those weapons, I've been busy making the Knights of Hyrule cannons for use on the castle. They offered a good amount of rupees, so I figured why not? Anyway, I have 3 out of 4 done, and the last one's nearly done. I'm going to have you help me finish it and carry it to the castle," he explained, gesturing to a large cylinder of metal with one open end and covered in golden overlays.
"Always with the heavy lifting..." Link said as he put his hands on his hips. "What do we have to do to finish it?"
"I need to finish the sights, the part that lets you aim it, as well as the mount that the knights will use to move it around and aim it," he said as they walked over to the cannon.
"Ok..." Link said as he thought about it. "I don't understand why they need cannons though... They should be skilled enough with a bow to the point where they shouldn't need these. A bow is fast, easy to make, easy to maintain. What's a cannon good for?"
"One word, Link; Firepower. A cannon uses gunpowder to shoot huge balls of metal, a cannonball, with the force of an explosion. A single shot from one of my cannons can blow a hole through castle walls. That'd be pretty nice to have when you're fighting something like a Talus."
"A Talus?" Link asked. He wasn't familiar with those.
"Yea, Taluses. Those were only discovered recently. They're huge monsters made entirely of rock. Without the right weapons, you're not getting through one of those things. That's where my cannons come in," Alphonse explained, laying a hand on the cannon. "A blast from one of these can break through their bodies, maybe even kill them. And we can't risk sending a few squads of well-equipped knights in to try and take one down, no; the beast might get close enough to the castle to cause damage or kill civilians, and there's no guarantee that the knights would even be able to kill them without getting killed themselves, so these cannons of mine could potentially save lives... That's what we all want at the Resistance, you know; to save lives. That's why we all joined."
"I know," Link said, nodding.
"Plus, if the cannons work out, I was told they'd be willing to pay more for more cannons, even mobilize some in the field to combat monster threats and even expand our borders," Alphonse said, smiling. "We could make Hyrule even greater..."
"Then let's stop talking about it, and let's get to work!" Link said, pumping his fist. Cannons didn't seem like too bad of an idea anymore...
"Just what I was thinking!" Alphonse replied. "Anyway, I'll need your help to properly set the sights. I'm gonna give you a bar, and you're going to shove it down the barrel and make sure it remains as straight as possible so that the sights are properly lined up, all right?"
"Got it," Link said as Alphonse gave him the bar, Link doing as he was told and sliding it into the cannon barrel. It was much slimmer than the cannon, however, so he had to be very careful to ensure that it was straight. He held it in that position for a good few minutes as Alphonse drilled a hole into the cannon, but not all the way to the blast chamber. Grabbing a circle with a cross shape in it, he put a part that just out from it into the hold he had made, grabbing a small crucible filled with molten metal and poured a small amount into the hole to seal it off and lock the piece in place. As it cooled, he occasionally looked through it and moved it ever so slightly with a tap from a small hammer, the metal eventually loosing its white color, as well as its red, as it slowly turned to black. Alphonse nodded to Link, Link pulling the rod out as Alphonse got a file to smooth out the spot he had just formed.
"...And that should do it. Now, all we need is the mount," he explained, looking to the bar in Link's hand. "I think that will do just fine."
Link looked to the bar as well, nodding and handing it to Alphonse. Alphonse then took it over to a forge, burying the middle in coal and gesturing for Link to move to the bellows and pump air into the forge to raise the heat. After a few minutes, Alphonse nodded and pulled it from the flames and dropped it to and anvil, having Link hold a wedge over the glowing center, and the other end to stabilize it as Alphonse struck the wedge with a hammer, eventually cutting it in two. Submerging both glowing ends into water to cool them. Taking one bar, he repeated the same heating process, but this time he moved it to a vise, locking one end in place as he pushed on the other, bending it into a U shape. Once he had the rough shape correct, he took it to an anvil and hammered it into the proper shape, quenching it when he was finished.
"On more heat should do it..." Alphonse said as he heated the ends of his U before moving to an anvil, Link now holding a spike over the glowing tip as Alphonse hammered it, punching a hole into it and widening the overall shape, doing the same to the other side before quenching it.
"Now we put these together," Alphonse said as Link grabbed the previously cut bar, sticking it into the forge and heating in to a glowing white. Pulling it back out, he grabbed a hammer as Alphonse set the U bar onto the glowing bar, Link bending the glowing portion over the U and fusing them together, Link quickly quenching it to keep them together.
"...And there we go. Now I just need to screw this onto the cannon itself and we'll be good to go," he finished as he took the heavy piece over to the cannon, having Link hold it in place as he grabbed two large, ornate bolts and screwed the mount onto the piece, completing it.
"There we go," Alphonse said, wiping his hands off. "You did some good work today, Link."
"I sure did," Link replied as he set down the hammer. "I'd do this more often if I had the time..."
"If you ever have some free time, feel free to stop on by and give ol' Alphonse here a hand."
"Can do," Link said as he put a hand on the cannon. "So... how are we getting it to the castle?"
"You're carrying it," Alphonse said.
"Like, in a cart?" Link asked.
"Don't have one," Alphonse replied.
"Oh... Oh boy..." Link said as he looked at the cannon, which easily weighed several hundred pounds. "Well, I said I'd help..."
Reaching toward the cannon, Link lifted with all of him might, putting the hefty weapon on his back, his face red with effort.
"It's even heavier than it... looks!" Link shouted as he took a few steps, the cannon rattling on his back.
"Then you'd better hurry to the castle then, huh?" Alphonse asked as they walked toward the gate, Link moving rather slowly due to his load. They passed by several people while on the way, each looking to Link in wonder. Despite how thin Link looked, he was actually exceedingly strong, many thanks to his time as a bounty hunter.
"Why can't you... carry this thing?!" Link shouted in between heavy steps.
"I'm old," Alphonse replied. "Old knees, old back, I'm just too old. But you're still young and spry, this should be no problem."
"It weighs like 1,000 pounds!" Link shouted, the weight of the cannon seriously taking its toll on him
"1,152 pounds, to be exact. I use a dense metal from Death Mountain to ensure the recoil doesn't throw the cannon back and off the mount," Alphonse explained, patting the cannon.
"Good to know!" Link said as he took another step, now in front of the gates leading to the castle.
"Halt! State your name and business," Said one of the guards, his spear held in two hands.
"Alphonse Erickson of Erickson's Machinations, here to fulfill your cannon order," Alphonse said as he pulled out a paper the possessed the seal of a high-ranking researcher from the Royal Court, the ones second in command to the King.
"...Very well. What of the boy?" he asked as he turned to Link.
"He's my apprentice," Alphonse said.
"He's stronger than he looks..." the other guard said as he eyed Link, holding a 1,152 pound cannon.
"I bet he's stronger than you," Alphonse said with a smirk as he walked through the gate, a red-faced Link following after.
"Where to... next?!" Link asked, Alphonse pointing to the southeast tower.
"There. It's got quite a bit of stairs though..." he trailed off.
"Just go, this thing is killing my back!" Link shouted.
"All right, let's get going," Alphonse said as he walked to the tower, Link following him up the stairs with the behemoth gun. Reaching the top, Alphonse led Link over to a mount made on-site to fit the cannon onto.
"And just put it in there, and you're done," he said as Link carefully set the cannon onto the mount, Alphonse nodding as he investigated it.
"...All right, it looks good," he said.
"Am I done now?" Link asked, cracking his back. It really hurt after all that...
"I suppose so," Alphonse said as he continued to check the cannon, making sure that it was ready.
"I'd imagine you'd want these clothes back, right?" Link asked.
"You know what? Keep them. They're too small for me anyway. They fit you just fine though, so I see no point in taking them back," Alphonse said, finishing his investigation of the cannon.
"Well... Thanks, I guess," Link said as he rolled his shoulders. "Anyway, it's getting late. It's about time we got to the Twilit Tavern, right?"
"Oh, you're right!" Alphonse said, standing. "I just need to head back to the shop to put on proper clothing, I'll be there shortly."
Link nodded and waved goodbye as Alphonse left, Link then undoing his bandanna and wrapping it around his neck, as it was decently warm out that day. Heading back through the gates, one of the guards stopped him, telling his to wait for a bit.
"Hey, you," he said, drawing Link's attention. "Come here for a bit, I'd like to talk with you."
"What do you need?" Link said as he approached the guard.
"You seem pretty strong, lugging a cannon around like that... You know, the knights are always accepting new recruits," he said. "I could put a good word in with my squad leader if you ever wanna join."
"Thank you very much, but I don't think that will be necessary," Link said, smiling.
"What?" the guard asked, confused. "Why's that?"
"General Sebastian had already offered me. You can't get a better word than him, right?" Link said, the guard thinking. "Other than the King Himself, of course."
"Well... You actually can," the guard said.
"What?" Link asked. "Who?"
"Her Majesty's personal bodyguard. Other than King Daphnes, her bodyguard is the one in charge of the Hyrulean Army. When the King has his kingly duties to do, he delegates control of the entire military to him or her, as well as General Sebastian," the knight explained.
"Him or her?" Link asked. "You mean to tell me you don't know?"
The knight nodded. "No one does. Other than the King and the princess, no one has ever met the princess's bodyguard. There's a rumor that her bodyguard isn't even Hylian, but that he or she is actually some kind of spirit, or even a demon."
"Really?" Link asked.
"Really," the guard said, nodding. "I once heard that the same day that Lord Raven, bless his soul, took an arrow for the princess, her bodyguard thwarted an entirely separate assassination attempt all on his or her lonesome."
"Raven..." Link said. "My father..."
"Wait, wha- Your father? You mean to tell me that you're Raven's son?!" the guard asked, surprised.
"Yeah..." Link said. "My name is Link Valion," he said, looking the guard straight in the eyes.
"Link Va- Wait... You look just like someone I know... By the Goddesses, you're the spitting image of Virtus... You must have it rough, kid, looking just like the Hero of Legend..."
"Yeah," Link said as he clenched his fist. "Yeah, I do. I have to go."
"Oh, right, sorry to keep you," the guard said, resuming a formal stance. "Have a good evening, and be safe."
"Yeah," Link said as he walked away.
OOO
Entering the Twilit Tavern, Link looked up to see that everyone, including Alphonse, was already there, meaning his conversation with the guard had taken more time than he had originally thought.
"I honestly thought you'd get here before me, but I guess not," Alphonse said, a smile on his face. "Oh well, it hasn't hurt anything. So, how'd everything turn out at the Emerald Grove?"
Pushing thoughts of 'False Hero Virtus' from his mind, he thought back to the Emerald Grove, but more specifically, the Emerald Grave.
"Let's see... Well, there's a large grave made of Rupee ore, and there was a puzzle in order to move it and enter the Emerald Grave," Link explained, Meredith getting out a notebook and writing things down.
"Keep talking!" she said as she finished her notes. "This could mean an all-new expedition!"
"While I was in there, I fought two guardians, specters known as 'The Ruby Master of Blades' and 'The Sapphire King of Shadows.' Once I defeated them, I claimed their weapons as such to delve deeper into the Emerald Grave."
"Nice, nice!" Meredith said, absorbing every word.
"At the end, I fought the man whose grave it was, a man named Dolan Arcturus. He had, in life, sold his soul to the devil for money, and ended up cursed to guard his grave for eternity, now under the name 'The Emerald God of Death: Stalicus.' He even summoned a large skeleton made of crystal... It hit really hard..."
"Sounds rough," Iris said. "It doesn't help that you weren't wearing full plate. You know, I could help you get your hands on a suit. All I'd need is a few Rupees, and I could take care of the rest. I've got plenty of friends who know what needs to be done for a good suit."
"I might have to take you up on that," Link said. His armor was tough, but only where it actually covered his body, as it was only really plated at his forearms, calves, and chest. Everywhere else was mildly exposed.
"I'll see what I can do about it."
"So," Meredith said, drawing attention back to the previous conversation, "did you find another coin?"
"I sure did," Link said as he pulled out his third Starlight Coin, sliding it across the table to Meredith, who picked it up and inspected it.
"That's a magical coin if I've ever seen one!" she said enthusiastically.
"So, where to next?" Link asked, looking at the map.
"That would be... Oh..." Meredith said as she looked at the map they had. "Oh, that's not good..."
"What?" Link asked, looking at the map. There were still four red marks on the map, but none really jumped out at him.
"Well..." Meredith said, pointing at one in the far west. You'll be heading to Desert Province to assist the Gerudo with... Oh, my..."
"Just tell me," Link said.
"You're going to be heading to the... To the Savage Pillar," Meredith said, pointing once again at the dot in Desert Province.
"Savage Pillar?" Link asked, having not heard of it before.
"The Savage Pillar..." Meredith said as she grabbed her research tome, "is a massive mechanical structure deep in Gerudo territory, meaning you'll need permission from the chief to even go there, but even worse is how bandits, thieves, and murderers have taken to that place as a sort of hideout. They're not really hiding though... Everyone knows they're there, no one is willing to go there and risk getting killed..."
"What about the pillar itself?" Link asked, not a hint of doubt in his voice.
"It's been a while since anyone has actually been there, but supposedly the entire structure can change its layout to prevent intruders from getting too deep, and even the entrance is guarded by Lynels... Three of them, no less..." Meredith explained.
"Lynels..." Link said, leaning back. "Lion men... I heard they've become more of a threat recently."
Meredith nodded. "It's partially because people have been getting more careless, thinking that our advancements are too much for monsters to handle, but for bigger things like Lynels, nothing could ever prepare you enough. People have even claimed to seen one ravaged by a desert lightning storm and walk away with nothing but burn marks as if nothing had happened."
"I seem to recall something about a Molduga claiming the area between Gerudo Town and the Savage Pillar as its own territory," Iris said, pointing to a spot on the map. "Take extra caution when you're around there no monsters willing to fight a Molduga."
"A Molduga?" Link asked. "Aren't those the massive sand-worms?"
Iris nodded. "This one is even supposed to be extra big. I hear its got a name, something like Dawddat Aljahim. I think in Gerudo it means 'Hell Worm,' or something like that."
"I'll be extra careful then," Link said as he stood. "Oh, I should copy this down for future reference..."
Getting out his own map, Link copied down the four remaining trouble spots.
"The desert is hot," Tensa said, once again proving that he actually possesses the ability to speak. "Find proper clothing or die of heatstroke. I have read of a bazaar that could help you. Find it to survive the blazing heat."
"Oh, right, Tensa's here," Meredith said. "You never talk, so we sometimes forget about that, hehe..."
This was met by a glare from Tensa before he closed his eyes and stood.
"I have other things that I must attend to. Good luck, Valion," he said before leaving.
"Well, I should get going too. I'll see you guys later when I'm done with this Savage Pillar," Link said as he put his map away. "And Iris, I trust that a suit can be made by the time I get back?"
"Sure can. My friends are the best at what they do," she said, smiling. "And just worry about payment when you get back."
"All right," Link said as he waved goodbye, exiting the bar.
"You know," Marze said as he popped out of Link's hood, "with all of this armor you're getting switching to the set that you need might become annoying. I've got a spell that could help you with that, if you'd like."
"Ooh, another spell?" Link asked, intrigued. "What'll this one do?"
"Well, it basically lets you instantly change between armor and clothing sets. Of course, this will require for me to add to that marking..." Marze explained.
"Go for it," Link said as he sat down, taking his glove and gauntlet off, revealing his previously attained Flamebrand.
"This one isn't as big, so this should only take a second..." he set as he started branding Link with his claw on his upper forearm.
As Marze had said, the branding too only a moment, and he was now left with a four-pointed star with the bottom point being twice as long as the others. There were two perfect circles behind the star, a border being made between them. And finally, there were points at the Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, and Southwest directions.
"...And there you go. Here's your new brand, your Changebrand," Marze said, naming Link's new brand.
"So, this will help me change more quickly?" Link asked, as he looked at his new brand.
"Yep," Marze said as he flew up to Link's shoulder. "Just snap your fingers while thinking of the outfit you want to change into. Really, this is a very simple spell."
"Well, let's give it a try," he said as he thought about his armor from the Goron Mines, which he decided he needed to name. "Let's call it... The Flamebreaker Armor."
Snapping his fingers, he was suddenly clad in his flameproof armor, and thinking back to his engineer's clothes and snapping again, he was back into those.
"Oh, this is nice," he said as he stood, snapping back into his Flamebreaker Armor. "Anyway, we'd better get going. This Savage Pillar won't be going anywhere, but it sounded like Shaagos had some things he may have needed help with in regards to those bandits who invaded Gerudo Town. It wouldn't hurt to have an experienced bounty hunter with him, right?"
"I suppose," Marze said, heading back into Link's hood. "To the desert!"
"To the desert indeed," Link said as he headed to the western gate, the one that would eventually lead to Gerudo Desert, the land of the Gerudo people.
OH BOY, NEW CHAPTERS. Yes, I named Link's armor that he got from Death Mountain the Flamebreaker Armor. It was too good of a fit. Yes, he got another spell. He's getting more armor, and he needs to be able to change at a moment's notice. Yes, he has a portable potion maker. That's just extremely useful, and don't you lie to me, it would be in BotW too. Yes, that's about the end of this author's note.
OniHelix out!