Chap 17: Before the Collapse
(A/N) Hello everyone! It's been SO long since I've written anything involving this. I'm sorry that it's been so long since I've written for this story. I want to say, firstly, thanks to Norkix. I don't know who'll read this, and I really don't care. It doesn't matter to me anymore. What does matter is that I fulfill what I set out to fulfill. I've written a novel-length story so far, so I'm going to write more of it! I hope I haven't lost my edge. I hope I haven't dug myself a hole too big! Here's chapter 17!
Italics means thoughts, someone is speaking sharply, or someone has spoken Hylian. It can also mean a flashback. Bold means an author's note or some sort of text, which I will seldom use. Underlined text implies importance. I am unlikely to remember that. Have fun!
Oh, and I don't own any piece of The Legend of Zelda. I own, literally, more air than Zelda.
"…Please give me the Strength to fight, the Wisdom to win, and the Courage to get back up when I fall. Please, Nayru, Din, Farore, allow us our victory. In your name, amen."
Link arose from his kneeling position, followed by Rex, Isaac, and Dark Link. "Why must we do this every day?" Dark Link asked.
"Because we need all the help we can get," Isaac responded.
"Because we need to have faith," Rex added.
"Because I said so, and you're all under me," Link finished.
"Don't need to be an asshole, Link," Isaac said.
"It doesn't matter what I need to be. We need to go see Dom. More accurately, we need to bring some drinks to him. He deserves them."
"Don't we all know it," Rex said.
The quartet set out to Joseph's Pub, which was damaged in the last Moblin raid. Since they had seen Dimesia, it had been six weeks, four days, three hours and fifteen minutes. There had also been multiple breaches, all with negligible losses. Joseph himself lost two fingers, which were also his middle fingers. "Worth it," he'd always say when asked about it. The temperature had dropped considerably since they met with Dimesia. It had gone from 18 degrees Celsius to 8 degrees. In short, it was as if Hell had frozen over.
"Joseph! Where are you, you fucker?" Isaac called out when they entered the pub. It had seemed almost deserted, despite housing several dozen people in its basement.
"Maybe he's not here," Dark stated.
"Why's the sign say 'open', then?" Isaac replied.
"Are we just not going to talk about what happened to Reys?" Link asked the group. "He might as well have exploded."
"Link, we said we wouldn't speak about that," Dark whispered.
"Well I'm tired of silence! Reys shot spikes out of him and almost killed Dom!"
"It doesn't matter! It's in the-," just then, a scream could be heard from the cemetery, "past…"
The door kicked in and Dom limped forth. "It's Reys! He's not dead!"
"WHAT?!" everyone shouted.
"Dark, grab your bow and get to the roof. Isaac, get your sword. Rex, you make sure everyone stays safe. Dom, if you're up for it, get your axe. We need to contain him," Link ordered.
"Roger!" they all exclaimed in almost unison.
In the center of the three-man quarantine team that was Isaac, Dom, and Link was Reys. Or, at least, what was once Reys. In his place was a ReDead, one of Link's least-favorite enemies. Link was holding his Ocarina rather than his sword, fingers ready to play the first note to the Sun's Song.
"Link! Get your sword out!" Isaac exclaimed.
"When I play this song, charge for him and make sure he stays down. Make doubly sure."
Link played the song and the ReDead froze in place. Dom ran forward with his axe above his head, about to bring it down, when the ReDead unfroze and screamed. Dom stopped dead in his tracks and stayed there, too afraid to move. Dark shot his arrow at the ReDead, hitting it in the knee. It was immobilized for a moment, but it kept on shuffling to Dom.
"Shit!" Dark whispered as he shot the next, hitting the ReDead's arm. The ReDead was now in reaching distance of Dom when he unfroze and brought his mighty axe down, splitting the ReDead in two.
"Link!" Dark shouted.
"Yeah?" he responded.
"Remind me to never piss Dom off!"
Dark regrouped with everyone else in the pub, where Joseph could now be found. "How the hell did he even get out of his grave?" Link asked.
"Nobody knows, sir," Sergeant Ryder replied.
"Did he dig himself out or was he dug out? It's one or the other."
"We all believe that he dug himself out, sir. As ridiculous as it seems, it is the most popular opinion."
"Like some Stalchild? ReDeads don't dig themselves out; not even the ones that die unnaturally like Reys. No, it must be something else, something we missed. I want three squads patrolling the wall at all times. In two weeks, we're launching an assault against Dimesia. I hope the best for all of you, as it will be brutal and difficult. Dismissed!" All left except for Ryder.
"Sir, might I ask how you know so much about ReDeads?"
"I lived in an alternate timeline for seven years of my life, which was erased when I defeated the Demon King Ganon. Nobody remembers it except me and Dark Link."
Ryder immediately dropped to the floor holding his head. Upon hearing the story, everyone who wasn't a participant in it or a Sage develops a debilitating migraine.
"That's a shame. I'd write it down in a book if that didn't happen," Dark Link stated.
"Maybe one day you should write it down. Let people know the real story."
"Maybe I will at some point. C'mon, we're all meeting for drinks at Joseph's."
"You go on ahead. I have training to do and so do you, but I won't force you. Remember, if you die, I feel the same pain, so please don't die."
"You need to relax, Link. You're going to drop dead one of these days, and it'd be a shame if it was by training."
"Thanks for the words of encouragement, asshole."
"Whatever. Come to the bar when you feel like it."
"Where's Link?" Rex asked.
"He's not gonna come. Said he wanted to train."
"He must've forgotten his own birthday. Poor kid," Isaac said.
A little backstory to this story: it was written for the sole purpose of telling the story of Dark Link's and Link's life from age 14 to 16. It was written, originally, by Dark Link, and is now being adapted for . Please review, it lets me know whether or not I suck. It also lets me know if I rule, which I'd love to hear about. Until then, if there are no questions, I'm out. Peace.