Impa took one last breath of the clean air before stepping into the smoke. Instantly, she felt her eyes sting. Blinking the tears from her eyes, she planted her new spear, blade first, into the ground, and knelt down, slowing her breath. The children were relying on her. She took the fruit in her hand and peeled away the skin. Somehow, the citric smell managed to find her nose through all the ash. She bit into it, tasting the acidity, surprised by how, in that instant, she felt a rush of energy course through her. She had never seen this fruit before, and it seemed completely alien to her, yet it did its job. She felt reinvigorated, refreshed.
Once she finished the fruit, Impa place the skin on the ground and closed her eyes, entering a meditative state. The time would come soon, and she was going to give herself every advantage she could get.
The world became a void around her, with her only reality being that of her mind.
"Where is she?!"
Link stared up at the Great Deku Tree, his mind blank. He couldn't think straight.
"Link." The Deku Tree spoke softly, trying to calm the boy. "Please listen-"
"Why isn't she here?!" Link cried out. "Why didn't you protect her?!"
"She was beyond my reach." He explained. "By the time they revealed themselves, I had to protect those within the village."
Link shook his head, stammering. "How- h-how did this happen."
"I sensed no danger. I allowed my children to do as they pleased." Link stumbled to the ground, too afraid to stand. The Deku Tree's face softened. "Do not fear, Link. She is alive, and unharmed."
Link instantly perked up. "She is?" His mind raced. "How do you know?"
"I still feel Esco. The fairies energy is unwavering…" The Guardian trailed off.
"Great Deku Tree?" Link blinked. "What is it? What aren't you telling me?"
"Link-"
"Please." Begged the Hero of Time.
After a moment of hesitation, the Deku Tree submitted. "Esco is afraid. She feels no pain, but I sense panic."
Link's eyes widened. "Saria's in danger." He stood up quickly. "Where is she? I can find her, get her here safely!"
"Link, it is too-"
"I don't care!" Link cried out franticly. "Saria is in danger, I need to help her!"
"Saria..?" Link spun to Mido, who was beginning to stir. "Where…"
"Mido," Link walked over to him. "Don't push yourself. You've been hurt badly."
He squinted, struggling to open his eyes. "Link? What are you… doing here?"
"I'm here to help." Link muttered. Like I always do. "Mido, do you know where Saria is?"
Mido whined in pain. "Lost Woods… she was chasing me through the lost woods, and I saw the monsters… I had to… warn everyone."
Link's voice was cold. "You left her? When you knew there was danger?!"
Mido whimpered. "I was scared…"
"Link." The Deku Tree interjected sternly. "If not for Mido, many more would have been lost."
Link closed his eyes and clenched his fist, just seething for a moment. "Ok. Fine, fine. Where did you lose her?"
"Lake…"
"Which one? The big one?"
Despite the pain he was feeling, Mido managed to give an irritated scowl. "No… The one with reeds."
Link ignored the jab, deep in thought. "I can get there, but the only safe entrance to the woods is through the village." He looked up to the Guardian. "Right?" The Deku nodded softly. "There has to be a way…" Slowly, something dawned on his face. "Deku Tree, if you lent me some power, how much time would it take away from the barrier?"
The Guardian was silent for a moment, before finally accepting that nothing would change the mind of the young boy. "What do you require?"
Link fumbled with his belt, pulling out one of his most treasured possessions; a ceramic instrument, coloured a wonderful ivory. The Fairy Ocarina.
The Deku Trees face was unreadable. "I can lend you the power to transport yourself, but you will have no way to return."
Link didn't hesitate, simply holding up the ocarina and saying "Do it."
Slowly, a root sprouted from the ground and reached towards the instrument. The root touched the ocarina, which filled with a brilliant light that seeped into the glassy clay.
Link looked at the ocarina, feeling the warmth of the forest magic in his hand, and looked up to the guardian. "Thank you." He clasped the ocarina in both hands. "I get her back safely. I promise."
"Do you know the song?"
Link nodded, sombre. "I could never forget."
The flow of time is always cruel. Words he would never forget.
He took a calming breath before bringing the instrument to his lips, and began to play a song. The music that floated from the ocarina was cheerful, tinged with the slightest sense of sorrow.
Link played the Minuet of the Forest.
Small flares of green light began to manifest around him, spiralling around his body and breaking it apart into similar energy, which faded into the wind.
"Be safe." The Deku Tree pleaded as Link was swept away.
And, with a smile, Link was dissolved into the air, carried away by the wind.
The Swordsman stood up.
He surveyed what was in front of him. His army was pointlessly attacking the barrier. All they were doing was wasting their energy. Energy that could be used for… other endeavours. They would never break through.
He would.
The Swordsman strolled over to the barrier, unsheathing his rapier as he did so. Sensing his intent, the monsters around him parted, fearful that they would be the subject of his frustration. But he wasn't frustrated. He was calm. The Swordsman stopped a few meters before the barrier, and took up a stance. With his left arm outstretched forwards, he aimed the blade between his forefinger and thumb, elbow pulled back, ready to stab. At the rapiers point, dark magic manifested, draining the light around him, its very presence promoting the barrier to reveal itself preemptively. The Swordsman tilted his head, almost predatorial, before lunging forward abruptly, piercing the barrier. Only the tip of the blade managed to pass through, but the dark magic began to seep into the barrier, corrupting it. With a sharp twist of the blade, the darkness turned volatile, shattering a large segment of the barrier with explosive force. Shards of energy flew everywhere, tearing at the monsters skin and piercing through their armour, and yet the Swordsman just stood there.
Impa opened her eyes.
Once the chaos had died down, the Swordsman fell to one knee, completely spent. He was exhausted, but he wasn't helpless. He could still think, meaning he could still command. Steadying himself with his blade, he rose once more, about to give the order, when he saw something moving in the smoke in front of him.
Impa emerging from the smoke, spear in hand, and stood firm, determined and ready to fight.
The Swordsman growled. "Step. Aside."
Impa slowly raised her head. "None shall pass."
"…What?" Droned the Swordsman, seething.
"None. Shall. Pass." Impa responded, clearly and calmly, refusing to be intimidated.
"I have no quarrel with you, dog." He spat. "But I will do what I must to get to that tree."
"Then you will die."
"I command you." He warned, his patience growing thin. "Stand. Aside."
"I move for no man or monster."
The Swordsman was silent for a moment, unmoving. Then, he shook his head. "So be it." He turned to his army. "Cut her arms and legs off, and make her watch as I destroy everything she is protecting. And once the princess is nothing more than a blubbering mannequin," He locked eyes with her, "she dies painfully."
Impa didn't have the chance to respond, as the monsters swarmed forward, weapons brandished.
Impa calmly readied her spear.
A Moblin charged forwards, spear aim for her heart. Impa waited until it was close, then hit the weapon with her own and, using her momentum to carry her, swept her leg under the Moblin, throwing it to the ground and quickly stabbing her spear at the base of its skull. A Bokoblin lunged at her, and she darted back, spinning her weapon to club her opponent in the face before slitting its throat with the shaft in one fluid motion. Now, the hoard was upon her, and she shifting into targeting multiple monsters at a time. A Bokoblin swung a claymore at her, which she ducked under and retaliated by stabbing it through the eye and throwing the still screaming monster into a moblin to her left. Another one, armoured completely from the front but leather at the back, began their attack, but Impa was faster, striking its head with hard wood between where her hands were, as if to guard against an attack, and flitting behind them, cutting an opening in its defences and skewering its heart. A moblin tried to grab her, with Impa jabbing her spear through its forearm in defence, and with her free hand, slamming its head into the ground, crushing it. She grabbed a crude knife from its armour and buried it in the skull of a monster that tried to take her from behind. A moblin threw a javelin at her, forcing her to release her other hand on the spear to catch it. A squad of monsters attempted to act on this opportunity, slashing and jabbing at Impa, forcing her deeper into the swarm, yet they never managed to touch her, as the javelin was always there to block their attacks. Not wanting to leave the opening unguarded or lose ground, retaliated, sidestepping a swipe from a bokoblin and shoving the javelin under the ribcage and out by the shoulder, grabbing its cleaver before it could hit the ground and swinging it into the face of another bokoblin and doing the same with it blade. With a blade in each hand, she carved a path back towards her spear, gutting and dismembering all that stood in her way. One foolhardy moblin attempted to behead her, but before it could swipe it's axe, Impa had already buried both blades in its side. Without so much as a grunt, she hurled the monster over her head and slammed into the ground, snapping its neck with a sickening crunch.
Another moblin attacked from behind, with Impa attacking instinctually, only for her weapons to bounce off its armour. Momentarily stunned, she barely avoided a stab for her neck. After getting to a safe distance, she assessed her opponent. While it was fully armoured, it appeared to be made of low quality materials, and though her reactionary attack had failed to harm the monster, it had damaged its armour, creating a weakness in the armour. Tightening her grip on the cleaver, she charged forwards, attacking the weak spot relentlessly, damaging the cleaver with each blow while avoiding the attacks of her target and blocking those of the monsters around her with the other blade. The moblin seemed blind to the fact that with each blow, each attack, their armour became more and more compromised, going from a dent to a hole, one that continued to grow. With a mighty slash, she shattered the cleaver against the armour, creating an opening that she needed. Acting quickly, she stabbed the other blade into the moblins knee, darting back to grab the spear and, just as the monster began to recover, lunged forward and drove the weapon through the hole and into its tough flesh, through the heart and lungs until it scraped the armour back of the monster. With a mighty kick, she removed the spear and sent the corpse flying back into the hoard. Cautious but not deterred, the hoard closes in slowly.
Impa brandished her weapon, her blazing red eyes being the thing that conveyed her rage. "Come on then." She hissed.
The hoard started to gain confidence, so Impa took the initiative and charged once more into the fray, to continue the bloodshed.
Hey guy!
Sorry I took so long with this chapter. A combination of exams, stress, food poisoning and lack of motivation can be blamed for this schedule slip. But it's over now!
I was originally going to do the Gandalf thing with Impa (you know what I mean, don't lie), but that's been done to death. So you know what I went with instead?
Monty Python. I'm a genius.
I hoped to show why the Sheikah are so badass in this chapter. Though she didn't use any magic, I focused on the physical power of the Sheikah, and effortlessly fighting a mini army (squadron? Battalion? I dunno) was a good was of proving why a single one can be trusted to protect the heir to the throne. Show don't tell, right? *cough* looking at you TLJ *cough*
A few other things happened. Like E3. Like Smash Ultimate. F*ck yeah. And Ridley. Fuck yeah! And Devil May Cry 5.
FUCK. YEAH.