Anything Guest: Good job! You get a gold sticker! XD
notaname: Oh, don't worry too much about it... not yet, anyways ;) ~ Hello! Oof, I know the feeling. Ah, yes - homework can go die in a hole. Woah, you socialized?! Brave soul! I will never compare to your courage and might in human interaction! Smash Bros Brawl tournament, huh? Sounds like fun! I remember doing something like that a couple years ago... I totally kicked everybody's butts (with Link of course XD)! Life... can be boring, can be exciting, can be terrifying... it's just one big roller coaster, right? Have a nice week yourself! :)
notaname (2.0): Glad to hear it! Hope it stays that way!
Belgian Guest: I'm glad that it is good for you!
SomeGuest: Nonononono, don't go near that monstrosity! You might catch the craziness and insanity of it! Heh, just kidding. You can read it whenever you want (NO DON'T YOU HAVE SO MUCH TO LIVE FOR!). It really doesn't have a ton of similarities to the rewrite - I changed a lot of things, and I think that everything I'm keeping the same has already been revealed in here. Could be wrong though. What? No, you shouldn't worry about Kitten. (*does the evil villain hand thing* not yet at least...) About the speech guy... HMMMM... I'll give you a slight hint. It may or may not have something to do with the side story Weapon that I've been writing. That's all I can say right now. ;)
Whew! Lots of guest reviewers last chapter! Since there were a few without nicknames assigned, I created my own for you for the sake of differentiation. Make sure you find yours, because I replied to all of them here!
Chapter 32: Rain
The halls of the castle were cold and creepy, filled with shadows and the creaking of old, rusted hinges. Rain beat upon the windows, filling the air with the sound of pattering and distant thunder.
The furry shape was barely visible in the night as it slinked silently through the cover of darkness. Its black fur made it nearly appear as a shadow itself, if not for the golden eyes that gleamed eerily in the gloom of the witching hour.
The feline turned into the library, lit by nothing but the few remaining candles. It was empty of people, nothing to hear except the pounding of rain that continued to beat on the windows, unrelenting in pace.
The cat's ears pricked as the beast heard something. The light tap of tiny paws was easy for it to catch, accompanied by a sniveling squeak that made the origin all the more obvious.
It crouched low to the ground, the fur on its stomach brushing the floor of the sanctuary of literature. It stalked up on its prey - a plump grey mouse, oblivious to its hunter.
It was when the cat pounced, trapping the mouse in its jaws, that whispered words flooded down from the upper sections of the library.
"Did you get the information we need?"
"Not all of it," admitted a different voice. "The princess is rather difficult to spy on, what with her being constantly on the move. My post is here, so I can't do much about that."
"And her knight?"
"We think he might be the same kid the master was after four or five years back. Not much to confirm it other than appearance - he and that foolish woman were awfully good at escaping. They came up with lots of cover names in that time, so we can't be entirely sure. He could still be using one."
"Why was the good master so interested in that boy? I wasn't apart of that particular investigation - too busy at my post here, you know."
There was a momentary silence before the other voice responded. "If I remember right, the master sensed a high energy signature in him - strange aura, the like. He suspected that he was the hero because of it. If the knight and the boy are one and the same…"
"I wouldn't be too surprised. The master is rarely wrong… and if the knight is truly as resourceful as they say, then there's little doubt. That little brat slipped from our fingers far too many times… too smart for his own good."
"Well, whether the knight is the kid or not, we've got little info on him. He's very good at hiding things - I don't think anyone in this castle has so much as witnessed him twitch an eyebrow. I did some digging, and there's little to no intel on his past, weaknesses, family… nothing at all. Its as if he really isn't even human! Just a weapon."
A chuckle came from the other voice. "Ah, that makes this all the more enjoyable. We'll find his weakness - don't worry. In even the strongest of blades, there's always a crack."
"Crap!" hissed Purah.
"What is it?" Liari asked, looking up from the diagrams she was copying down.
Purah nursed her thumb with her free, not injured hand. "I dropped the stupid Sheikah artifact on my thumb!" she exclaimed, gesturing to the glowing Sheikah Tech ball that now rolled on the floor like it was nobody's business. Snap, Purah thought. I hope that didn't damage any of the internal structure… I still haven't managed to crack it open yet! And if hitting the ground wasn't enough… perhaps she'd have to chuck it out the window of the tallest tower in the castle.
"Purah, I know that face," Liari grumbled. "Don't tell me you're going to blow something up again. That's the third time this week!"
Purah shook her head with a grin. "Nope. Just gotta find a way to sneak my way into the sanctum to get to the top of the tallest tower in the castle!" Purah exclaimed, not even bothering to lie about what she was thinking about.
"Purah…" Liari said slowly. "The sanctum is only for incredibly important events! No one's allowed in there without an invite! To go in now is… is…"
"Insane?" Purah offered.
"A death sentence!" Liari growled. "Maybe if you were going to do something actually worthwhile…"
"Chucking a Sheikah heirloom counts as worthwhile!" Purah argued. "If it breaks open…"
"Purah…" Liari trailed off. "Great idea. Let's do it right now."
Purah sent Liari a very confused look. "Um, what? Who are you and what have you done with that stick in the mud, Liari?"
"Still me!" Liari said with exaggerated cheerfulness. "If you get sentenced to death, or better yet, 'accidentally' fall off a tower, I won't have to deal with you as a mentor anymore!"
"I am honored," Purah said, sniffling, "that you think so highly of me. Everyone's considered doing such things, but you are the first to imply that you are willing to shove me off the tower yourself!"
"Oh, no," Liari said brightly. "I'd get Kitten to trip you!"
Purah rolled her eyes as she pulled her goggles onto her face to examine the internal wiring of a shell stripped ancient core. "Well nonetheless, I'm touched. I'm sure that getting that vile beast to do anything you want it to would be more effort than actually shoving me off yourself."
Liari snorted. "I thought you liked cats more than Impa? You don't sound like it."
"Just because I'm not terrified of some nonsense myth doesn't mean I like cats," Purah said indignantly. Then she frowned. "That's strange."
"What is?" Purah saw Liari peek over her shoulder out of the corner of her eye.
"Some of the circuits on this core are missing," Purah explained. "Mostly the incomplete prototypes that register long distance command, which were, unfortunately, the only ones we've managed to make."
"Really?" Liari gasped. "Where could they have gone?"
"Might've been stolen," Purah said nonchalantly, poking at the wiring. "We might have to request guards to patrol the lab at night now. A shame, really," she continued. "Zelda hasn't even gotten back with the rest of the materials yet. I was so excited to finally be able to test it out..."
Thunder rumbled in the distance, drawing Purah's attention momentarily to the window. Rain had been pouring relentlessly as of late, not showing any sign of letting up soon. Autumn had finally come with all of its chill wind and rainy weather. It wouldn't be long before the leaves became crisp reds and golds.
Purah sighed and turned her eyes back to the ancient core. It really was disappointing - she had spent weeks working on the blueprints for those circuits and receivers. She had been really excited to finally test it out - nonverbal commands! Imagine that - being able to control the guardians from far away, and without speaking! It would've been revolutionary - but alas, they were gone and missing. Probably stolen by some common thief that doesn't even know what they do, she thought with a huff.
The rain continued to pound on the windows, Purah completely oblivious to the thoughtful, slightly confused expression that slipped onto Liari's face.
Link sat silently at the entrance of the stable, watching the rain that fell in buckets outside. It was a rather damp, dreary sort of day. The Princess Zelda had deemed it necessary to delay their return to the castle in the wake of the unsavory weather.
He inhaled deeply, breathing in the fresh, earthy scent of rain. Rain may have been an inconvenience for travel, but he had always been fond of it. It brought back memories of simpler days, days of playing in the puddles and rolling in the mud. No worries, no cares. Just a child doing what all young children did.
When had he last been a child? He couldn't remember. Certainly not after his mother had died. But he couldn't think of a time he had been innocent and oblivious to the things of the world. When had he last looked into the rain and simply enjoyed the smells, the refreshing feeling of being born anew, instead of being reminded of bittersweet memories?
He took a deep breath and stood up from the place where he had been perched, taking in the scent again. He closed his eyes and longed for the simplicity of earlier years. For a moment, the smell of the air had become iron-like of blood, mixed with the rotten stench of burning flesh.
It was gone as soon as it had come.
He sighed and stepped out into the rain. It was a dark, colder night. The chill wind nipped at the skin on his face, but he couldn't bring himself to care.
Link glanced around momentarily, ensuring that yes, everyone was asleep. And with that, he drew his sword and circled his way towards the enclosure behind the stable. It had been awhile since he had a good, long training session - who knew what the captain'd do if he found out?
So Link started with the usual exercises. Quick, precise movements of the sword, flicks of the wrist, practiced leaps and dodges. Then he moved on to back handsprings, flips, and cartwheels - his Sheikah training had involved much more acrobatics than that of the usual knight, and it came in handy. Enemies never really expected it, so it took them by surprise and left them open.
An hour of flips and slashes later, he was panting, cold and wet as can be. But he knew it would still be a few hours before the sun rose. I can do more, he reasoned. This is nothing compared to some exercises Impa made me do. I can be stronger.
So he raised his sword again and prepared it for a maneuver-
"Link?"
He whirled around, hearing the voice amidst the now light pattering of rain, sword brandished defensively.
...He lowered it when he caught sight of the girl, dressed in more comfortable, casual clothing than usual, meeting his eyes with confusion.
"...Princess?" he questioned.
"What are you doing out here?!" she exclaimed. "It's the middle of the night! Not to mention that it was pouring rain mere minutes ago!"
Link was, yet again, confused by the princess's actions. "...I'm training, Your Highness," he stated bluntly.
"Yes, and that's great and all," Zelda said sarcastically, "but why in this weather? Are you trying to get yourself hypothermia?"
Link shook his head quickly. I was just training! Where did all this come from?
"Good," the princess huffed, marching over to him and looking him dead in the eye. "So how long have you been out here?"
"An hour, Princess," Link replied, holding back a gulp.
"An hour…" she looked him up and down. "That explains why you're soaking wet. What exactly made you so eager to train in a storm?"
"I have been behind on training recently," Link explained, the little emotion that had been in his voice gone. "This was... catching up, so to speak."
"So you've done this sort of thing before, then?" Zelda asked coolly.
Link nodded.
"When?"
Too many times to count, Link thought. "I've lost track, Your Highness," he said honestly.
The princess sighed. "Well, let's get out of the last of this rain, and you can explain to me why you thought this was a good idea. If you have no good answer, then I will see to it this does not happen again. Understood?"
Link nodded, skillfully keeping the dread and fear off of his face. "Yes, Princess."
So he followed her inside, the small and strange feeling of wantedness warming his soul.
Have you guys ever had that one moment when you are almost completely done with an author's note, and then you accidentally unplug your computer and erase all of it? Just me? NOT THAT I DID THAT (I totally did), I DIDN'T (I'm a liar), I PROMISE (Lol, fingers crossed)!
This chapter's kind of all over the place, just like my life has been recently! Ah, homework~ how I despise you! *Unplugs computer again* NO SHOOT - oh, just the monitor, phew. WAIT, I DIDN'T DO THAT, JUST... IGNORE THAT. (Secret review phrase is unplug ;)
Work on Weapon continues, but I currently have... 18 chapters of unread fan fiction that I need to get through (bladeofthebookworms, if you're reading this, prepare for a spam of reviews). Before (the one that doesn't suck) is going to be the priority, and I might have to publish a few chapters in here before I do certain parts of Weapon - can't spoil now, can I? (yeah, you'll probably need to be up to date with Before (the rewrite, the other one doesn't exist) to read Weapon.)
Insert "excuse about not doing a thorough enough job on looking through, as well as a plea to point out any obvious errors or just REVIEW PLEASE, I NEED MOTIVATION JUICE" here
Thanks y'all (Ari, no, stop. Don't... don't do that.) Hehe... y'all. (NO, STOP, DON'T DO THIS TO MEEEEEEE)
Sincerely (Define sincerity. Is it lacking in modern times? Why or why not? Explain your answer with textual evidence from insert article here),
Ari~