Link awoke to a chill breeze sweeping across his face. He opened his eyes to find he was in a dim, dank cave. He rubbed his head trying to remember how he had gotten here.
"I see you have awoken," a small and gentle voice spoke. A small creature with a narrow face and pointed ears stared at him. "Would be a pity if you left us that quickly," it said with silk in its voice, "Although I'm sure the Divines wouldn't allow it."
"Wha-What are you?" Link asked nervously. The little creature chuckled and moved to show its full body. It had the head of a fox, yet the body was serpentine with golden fur covering every inch of its body, except for the tip of its ears, nose, and tail which were black.
"Me? Well… I am nothing more than a servant to the Divines. My name is Dirige. And you must be?" it said with a bit of mirth.
"L-Link… and where is Kael?" said Link with a newfound urgency. Dirige frowned and slithered over to Link's side.
"Unfortunately, I am not the one who can best explain that. You have someone you need to meet, and we need to report what just happened," Dirige explained, "We should get moving as soon as possible, his agents have probably already begun pursuing us. First, you will need something to defend yourself. Luckily, I was able to transport us just outside Kakariko Village, you should be able to obtain a weapon there."
"Wait, wait, first I need to find Kael and make sure she is okay!" Link insisted. The fox turned on him with a concerned expression.
"The person I am taking you to meet will more than likely know where your friend is, so we need to get going. The more time we spend here the greater the danger we are in, understand?" Dirige urged. Realizing he wasn't going to persuade the creature, Link stood and made his way out of the cave.
Link shielded his eyes as they emerged from the dim, dank cave. As his eyes adjusted, he looked out across fields of green that seemed to stretch for miles. Off in the distance, the sounds of children laughing and people going about their daily lives rang through his ears, and so Link and Dirige began walking towards the village.
"Hey, how did you move me to that cave if I am ten times your size?" Link inquired Dirige.
"I am a servant of the Divines, you think I do not have a few tricks?" the creature chuckled as it clung to the boy's hat.
"Then why are we walking? Why don't you just use that to get us to Kakariko?" Link said with a bit of bitterness.
"I would, although it seems that, when saving you, the blast has sapped me of my abilities," Dirige sighed, "It is truly an irksome thing! How do you mortals cope with this?" Link merely scoffed and smirked at his new companion as they arrived at their destination.
The town was bustling with its usual racket. Vendors of all sorts clamoring to buy your interest, children running up and down the streets, and the sound of horses pulling carts down the cobblestone pathways.
"My, my, this place has changed since I have been here!" Dirige commented.
"So where am I supposed to find a weapon in all of this?" Link asked.
"How about there?" Dirige pointed to the end of the street at a weathered red brick building. A big, circular sign above the door read, "Gaeldus Smithy" and depicted an anvil being struck with a hammer.
"Seems like good a place as any to me," Link sighed and pushed the door in. a small bell rang as they entered the musty, smoke-filled shop. A guttural grunt came from somewhere in the back, followed by a deep gruff voice bellowing "Hold on a second!" A giant man stepped through a doorway behind the counter. He ran his eyes across Link as though he were sizing up his next meal.
"Can I help you?" he muttered in a deep tone. Taken aback, Link approached the counter.
"I was hoping you could help me find a weapon," Link asked tentatively. The man let out a howl of laughter, then looked back at Link.
"Oh, you're serious," he said trying to hold back another roll of laughter. "Well, if you can swing this, then I will let you have it for free," he said as he pulled a blade out from under the counter. "This is the Blacksteel Blade. It's the lightest blade I have. Most of the weapons I make are for the military." Link grabbed the hilt and slid it off the countertop. The blade fell to the floor and Link heaved it back into the air. The sword was heavy, but something about holding it seemed right. Then, a deafening scream came from outside.
"Help! Help! Monsters are attacking the front gates!" a frantic woman screamed as she ran down the cobble way.
"What? Where are the guards?" the gruff man asked with a sense dread.
"They're all gathered at the castle! Please, Gaeldus! We need your help!" the woman pleaded. Gaeldus turned around and took down a giant great axe hanging from the wall.
"Well? Come on boy! This is the perfect chance for you to earn that blade," he said as he lumbered out the door.
When they reached the gates, they were greeted by a dozen or so strange creatures. "Octorocks," Dirige growled.
"Ok, boy, let's show 'em what we're made of!" Gaeldus roared as he ran off to confront the beasts.
"Careful, Link," Dirige warned "These creatures can shoot projectiles at dangerous speeds!" As though it understood him, one of them fired a rock and struck Link in the chest, lifting him off his feet. Link stood and readied his sword. Another fired a rock, but Link dodged to the left and pushed the blade deep into the beast's hide. It squealed and slumped to the ground as more rocks soared towards Link's head. With a quick step, he slashed through another. He moved as though he had experienced this before, although he had no prior training. Link let his body move on its own, dodging the rocks and cutting through the enemies numbers.
"Watch out! Reinforcements!" Gaeldus bellowed as another dozen octorocks joined the fray. As Link fought, out of the corner of his eye he watched as Gaeldus fell, and soon Link was surrounded.
"Link, listen! Concentrate! Pour all your energy into your sword! Then release it!" Dirige said quickly. Link closed his eyes and felt every last bit of energy flow into his sword. Then he felt a snap.
"Kaitengiri!" Link shouted as he released all his energy in a spinning slash, cutting through the encircling foes. The creatures slumped over as he ran to Gaeldus's side, who had a deep gash in the side of his head. "Someone! Come help! He's been hurt!" Link shouted before slipping from consciousness.
Link awoke on a cot in a shack with the smell of iron. Stoking a nearby fire, a massive lumbering figure looked toward him.
"You must really like sleeping, it is really quite irksome, young man" a small voice came from his pocket. Dirige slithered out from his hiding place, and coiled himself on top of Link's chest. "We lost valuable time thanks to this, although I can't really blame you, that's the blood of the Hero in you," He said with a yawn.
"You've been out for a few days," Gaeldus said, "But I have to say, you've impressed me, kid! The sword's yours!"
"Thanks," Link said with a smile, "Now, Dirige, where are we going now?"
"We need to head to the capital, Castle Town," Dirige said sternly.
"Castle Town, huh? Then you will have to head through Kakariko Gorge," Gaeldus muttered with a pipe in his mouth, "I don't envy you that trip, a lot of monsters have been spotted down there lately."
"But it's not like we have a choice," Link said.
"No, there isn't… unless you cut through the graveyard," Gaeldus offered.
"The graveyard?" Link asked intrigued.
"Yes, but people have been going missing around there," the massive man added. "Some say it's a monster, other say it's a band of bandits, others still say it's a spirit," Gaeldus mulled over the idea in his head, "Although, I would brave it over the Gorge."
"Graveyard, it is," Link said as he sat up. "Thank you for your help."
"No, thank you, and the name is Gaeldus," the man said proudly thrusting his hand forward.
"My name is Link," He said as he gripped the other's hand and smiled. He stood up and exited the small shop. The sun was beginning to set as the two set out for Kakariko Graveyard.