Alright, latest updated chapter! I'm sorry this one took a while to come out, but I've been busy with life in general ^^; Anyway, this should help clear up any discrepancies new readers might still have and make the story readable again. As always, feel free to point out any mistakes I've made-grammar, spelling, reference, etc.

Thanks for reading, faving both me and my story and leaving me sweet, delicious comments that boost my ego! XD

-Jack Knights

They reached the thick wood on the other side of town quickly and without incident. Link was intrigued, he had to admit. The first eighteen years of his life were spent in Ordon and not once had anyone mentioned a haunted house. It was possible that the villagers, wherever they might be now since they mysteriously vanished, simply hadn't discovered it. The village—town, he corrected himself—hadn't been as big as it was now and it could have remained hidden for years.

Truth be told, he was wary, on some level, of their excursion into the woods. Dagg had warned him not to go too far, and if what Sid was true, going deep into the trees was the very thing the Gerudo had told him not to do. He paused at the edge of the wood, contemplating this. Sid trotted ahead, turning back when he didn't follow.

"Did you change your mind?" he asked, eerie shadows thrown across his face by the sun setting through the trees. "It's alright if you want to go back to the inn instead."

"No," Link muttered, staring defiantly at the other Hylian who was not. He knew that Sid wasn't goading him into going into the forest and he hadn't been called a Cucco, but he bristled anyway, feeling as those he needed to protect his pride. "No, let's go before it gets dark."

"Alright then," Sid sighed when Link pushed past him, his expression stony. "Hey, do you know the story of the haunted house of Ordon?" Link shook his head and his companion smiled to himself.

"No, I don't."

"Well, you did leave Ordona when you were young. I guess your parents never told you the story then. I'll have to pass on the legend then. Many years ago, and I mean something like seventy years ago, a man used to live in the old house. He was supposedly a war hero, a man of distinction who met with royalty. But he died an uncharacteristically ordinary death some seventy years ago. They say the ghost of the man who lived there will challenge any who dare to enter his abode, looking for the one person who could best him and give him the honourable death he desires."

Could it be the house of the Hero's Shade? Link wondered, eyes widening. Sid saw this and shrugged apologetically, grasping him on the shoulder.

"It's just a story, no need to be so frightened," he mistakenly read his fellow Hylian's face. "Parents' tell their children that story so that they keep away. The house is old and the floor is rotting in some places and if someone was foolish enough to go in, they could get injured."

"I'm not scared of some old house," Link frowned, causing his friend to laugh. The road ahead began to become steadily rockier and when they reached a cliff too high to scale, Sid began looking up and down the rock.

"There, that's the path to the house," Sid pointed, drawing Link's attention to a cut-out in the surrounding rock. "Just on the other side is the house."

It looked like a tunnel from afar, but the rock had been cut away, leaving a winding path with a pressing rock face on both sides. Link couldn't help but feel as though he knew the winding path as they traversed it. As they neared the exit, but long vines blocked their way. Sid stepped forward, drawing his sword as his eyes narrowed. Link look at the plants, recognizing the weed-like leaves that grew in small patches across the floor. His eyes narrowed when he understood his friend's caution.

"Deku Baba," he muttered the name of the accursed plant. As if summoned by his uttering their name, several of the vicious bulbs burst from the ground, slobbering green liquid from their teethed mouths. He stepped aside as Sid darted forward, quickly slashing at the stalks connecting the vile heads to the rest of the plant. He watched as their heads hit the ground, already turning brown as they rapidly decayed.

"Let's go," Sid said calmly, stepping forward, brushing aside vines as he went. Link watched from behind as one of them, deep red in colour, shifted and retracted when Sid brushed up against opened his mouth to warn the knight, but more of the wicked plants descended from above. The knight reacted instantly, slicing through their stalks. He sheathed his sword as the last bulb fell to the dirt, frowning at the plants.

"Damn accursed plants," he muttered, kicking a red bulb aside. Wait a minute, red Deku Babas? Link noticed their grave error. Oh no, that means—

"No, stop! Don't go any further!" he warned, but it was already too late. Mutant variations of Deku Baba's—Baba Serpents—jumped at the unsuspecting knight, snapping at his limbs. One of them managed to get a hold of his sword arm, preventing him from drawing his sword. He cried out in pain when another latched around his waist, trickles of blood appearing wherever the plants had bitten into his flesh.

"Thrice damned," Sid cried out, pummelling the head of the plant

Link dodged to the side as a Baba Serpent launched itself at him. He dived for Sid's sword, spinning around in time to catch the red plant as it jumped at him again. Executing a spin attack with particular viciousness, Link sliced the deadly plant clean in half. Without missing a beat, Link turned to free Sid. With deft slashes, he killed the noxious plant latched onto his friend. Suddenly free of the bulbs, he fell to his knees, gripping his side.

"Are you alright?" Link knelt before his companion, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said through gritted teeth. "I cannot believe that those damned plants go the drop on me. Such a beginner's mistake… if only Commander Varne could see me now."

He began to help Sid to his feet, but the taller Hylian, raised a hand to stop him, standing with little effort. "I'm alright, really. Baba Serpents aren't poisonous, thank Nayru. And they didn't get their teeth that deep into me."

"We should head back," Link said, handing him his sword. "There could be other creatures less easily defeated further up ahead. And I don't have a weapon with which to defend myself."

"Oh come now, don't be such a sourpuss," Sid teased, rolling his eyes. "I suffered little more than scratches from those fiends and the only things that might jump out at us next are Pygmy Skulltulas and Stallhounds."

"That's not too reassuring," he muttered.

"There's still some light left; they don't come out 'til nightfall, so don't worry."

"Alright, let's get this over with," he agreed grudgingly, pushing aside the last of the vines that covered the path.

"Dagg! Dagg, wait up!" Sheik called after the Gerudo. The dark man jumped at the sound of his name and turned, tense. When he noticed the pale blonde, soaking wet and huffing, running towards him, he relaxed noticeably.

"Sheik, what in the name of Farore have you been doing?" he asked, confused. Sheik didn't immediately answer, having braced himself on his knees, breathing deeply through his mouth, utterly exhausted. "If you wanted to go for a swim, you should have taken your clothes off."

"No time for jokes," he huffed, looking up at his friend through the locks of his hair that stuck to his face. "We've got serious trouble."

Link stood stunned when he saw the "haunted house" in the center of the small clearing they'd entered. It was a typical house of the Ordon he'd once know; a wooden structure set into a living tree, the latter of which had completely overgrown the abode. The house was old and decrepit, parts of its roof gone. The wood was barely visible beneath years' growth of plants. A sign—made out of goat horns—that lay broken against the rotting ladder leading up to the space where the door had once been.

"There it is," Sid announced with a sigh. "It's become even more overgrown since the last time I was here."

Heart thumping wildly in his chest, Link all but ran for the sign that lay against the trunk of the massive tree. What in Din's name? What is this? he nearly swore aloud when he read the faded letters upon the wood. Despite the messy handwriting, despite the years of weathering, the letters confirmed his suspicions.

"This is… my house," he murmured, eyes wide. But… how? It's only been five years! It couldn't have become so ruined!

"How long did you say this house has been like this?" he demanded.

"It was first found about twenty years ago, more or less," Sid explained, scratching his head. "But the weathering suggests something closer to sixty years, I believe.

Link swore, cursing himself. It can't be… It can't! I have to see for myself! He walked over to the ladder, and upon testing the first few rungs, he ascended, his expression void of emotion.

"Hey! Link, be careful! You could get hurt!" Sid called after him, but the Hylian ignored his warnings. He reached the top of the ladder and walked in through the doorway, devoid of its usual barrier. Inside, patches of sunlight streamed in through holes in the ceiling. The place smelt of decomposing pants and earth. Once his eyes adjust to the light, he sagged to his knees, tears threatening to spill down his cheeks.

"It's true… this is my home," he grieved, pounding his fist against the floor. The evidence was all pointed towards the truth. The sets of ladders leading up to his "bedroom", the cold black stones of the hearth he'd cooked upon, everything was as he remembered it, merely aged beyond belief.

"Link!" someone called to him, but he ignored them, lost in his incredulity. There was a crash behind him and someone swore, but he could care less. Everything… everything I own, everything that mattered to me… all the people I knew, the friends I made… it's all gone. I truly have nothing left…

The tears fell, thick and heavy.

"Link!" Sheik shouted for him again, growing impatient. Once he'd related his story to the Gerudo, they'd split up; while Dagg had begun asking for Link and Sid's whereabouts, he had gone back to the inn and grabbed their things. When he'd returned, they'd set off for the old house the duo had apparently gone to check out. They reached the house just as the sun disappeared behind the mountains, thrown into sudden twilight. Sid explained that Link had gone inside the house without explanation and Dagg cursed, going up the ladder after him. Before he could warn him, the ladder had fallen apart and the big man fell on his back, swearing colourfully. If their situation hadn't been so serious, he would have laughed.

"Who's Link?" Sid asked, confused. "And what's got you two worked up so badly?"

"We've been betrayed," Dagg explained, rubbing the back of his head and wincing, "by that girl at the inn, Penny. She's told a pack of Moblins, of all things, of our less-than-patriotic attempt to smuggle that idiotic Hylian out of harm's way."

"You mean Lee?"

"No, you dumba—" Sheik told him, his patience frayed. But he never finished his insult. The sound of a bowstring being drawn caught his attention and he dove at Sid, tackling the man to the ground as an arrow, black with red fletching, soared over their heads.

"We've got company!" he said unnecessarily as six Moblins dropped from the trees, wielding bows and clubs. Sid pushed him off, drawing his sword and charging at the nearest monster. Sheik tossed his short sword at Dagg, who surprised him by catching it. He's must have been training, he remarked as he unravelled his weighted chain. I didn't even have to give him a warning…

The sounds of battle finally broke through his reverie. Startled, Link got to his feet and dashed to the window. The sight of his three companion's fighting a swarm of monsters below caused him to gasp in surprise. What in Din's name? How did they find us? Either way, I'm of no use to them up here, he shook his head, going to the doorway. He paused, cursing when he realized his mistake. Of what use to them am I if I have no weapon? I can barely even…

Something occurred to him and he turned around, studying the interior of the ruined house. "If this really is my house, then that means…" he muttered to himself, stamping his foot. The sound of the wood beneath his feet was solid and he moved further to his left. Eventually, the sound of a false floorboard reached his ears and he smiled. Wiping way a scattering of leaves, he found what he was looking for; a handle set into the wood of the floor. It's a good thing I put a cover on the cellar before I left, he realized, grunting with effort as he attempted to lift the heavy door with one hand. With a groan, the wood lifted from the floor. Pulling it with him as he dashed along the edge of the newly opened hole, Link set the door against the wall, grinning despite himself when he saw that the ladder leading into the cellar was still intact.

Let's see if any of my stuff is still down here, he hoped as he descended into the darkness.

Dammit, there's just no end to it! We're being overwhelmed! Sheik thought angrily as he whipped his chain over his head, sending it flying at the nearest monster. It wrapped around the creature's leg, impeding its movements. Giving the chain a hard pull, he sent the Moblin crashing to the ground. He jumped at it, plunging a needle through its chest and piercing its heart. His victory was short lived when another he was forced to jump back as an arrow flew at him. Another monster stepped up to him, swinging its club and grunting madly.

"Watch out!" Sid ordered as a volley of flaming arrows soared towards them. They dove aside, the arrows lodging into several trees behind them. Within minutes the dry wood caught alight and the trees burned brightly, cutting them off. Another wave of arrows, this time with bombs attached to them, struck the ground, exploding the earth and causing chaos.

"Fall back!" Sid ordered, waving them away. "Go back to the town!"

"What about—" Dagg began, his words cut short as a club swung at his head. He ducked in time, plunging Sheik's sword into the gut of the Moblin and kicking it away.

"Just go!" the Hylian commanded. "He'll be fine, so long as—" he was cut off as he fended off a monster with a spear. Swearing, Sheik ran at Dagg, yanking on his collar. The Gerudo nodded, his eyes narrowed in disgust at the monsters slowly surrounding them. They dashed for the cut-out path in the hillside, battering away as many Moblins as they could. Sheik heard an arrow whistle through the air and he dived at Dagg, knocking the man to the ground as the rock face in front of them exploded. When the dust cleared, their escape was revealed to be blocked by rubble. He scrambled to his feet, dragging Dagg with him.

"Sid, plan B?" he shouted hopefully as a gang of Moblins stepped closer to him and Dagg. But the Hylian didn't answer. Scanning the area, he found no trace of the Hylian. "Sid's gone! What do we do now?"

"Stop talking," the Gerudo next to him said coldly as he eyed the monsters approaching them. "Take as many of these bastards out as you can before they completely overwhelm us."

Gritting his teeth, Sheik dived to the side as a club fell at him. The earth shattered, spraying sand into his face. Blinking away tears, he glanced up in time to see a Moblin looming above him, club raised high. The club dropped towards him, but before it could connect, something resembling a claw on a chain latched onto it, pulling it to the side and away from the pale blonde. He watched as the Moblin's weapon was pulled up and away. Following the claw's movement, he was amazed to see the device had been fired by Link, now standing in the doorway of the decrepit house, a bag slung over his shoulder.

Speechless, he watched as Link aimed the claw a second time; he fired it and the device latched onto a tree on the other side of the area. Yanked off his feet, the Hylian flew towards the tree as the claw retracted the chain. He put his feet out in front of him as he neared the tree, stopping himself from crashing against the wood. Releasing the catch on the claw, he fell to the ground, rolling as a Moblin dove at him. He kicked out at it, simultaneously firing the claw at its face. The result was one perfected through years of practise. Thrown off balance by the kick to its gut, the Moblin doubled over as the claw raked across its neck, snapping its head back and breaking the spine.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side," Sheik muttered as he got to his feet. "We need to take out those Moblins in the trees," the pale youth explained, hoping the Hylian's bag of tricks might have something to take them out. "They've got bomb arrows," he added unnecessarily as the tree behind them exploded, catching fire.

Link merely nodded once, replacing the Claw Shot in his bag and withdrawing a draw-string bomb. Scanning the trees, he ripped the string from the bomb and hurled it as far as he could. It fell amongst the trees, exploding a moment later. Moblins dashed out of the wood, trying to escape the fire that grew from the bomb's explosion and down into the clearing.

"Right," he muttered, withdrawing a sword from his bag. It was simple in design, yet still sharp despite its apparent age. "Who can use a bow?"

"Dagg; he's the best archer I've seen in years."

"Watch my back," he commanded as he raced towards the Gerudo. Quickly dispatching the monsters surrounding the man, he spoke to him, blocking an arrow as soared at him with his sword. "Take the bow from the side of my bag," he commanded as he sliced at a monster, causing it to jump back.

"Sheik!" Dagg shouted, tossing the sword back to the pale blonde. He notched an arrow to his bow and let fly. With astounding accuracy and speed, he hit target barely visible in the distance. Their bodies fell to the ground, feeding the flames below. Within minutes, the Moblin's numbers were down to a scant few and the group quickly took them out. By then, smoke had quickly filled the area and the three warriors began coughing, blinking back tears as they tried to find a way out amid the confusion.

Dammit… we'll end up suffocating if we don't find a way out of here now, Link realized, his vision hazy. Going through his bag, he took out the Claw Shot; he looked to the trees, searching for something it could grab onto. There, in the distance, beyond the ring of burning trees, was a cliff covered in vines.

"Dagg, Sheik, grab my belt!" he commanded, aiming the claw into the distance. They did as he asked without quarrel, too busy coughing to ask what he was doing. I hope it can take our weight, he prayed as he fired the device. A moment later it grabbed onto something and Link pressed the catch. "Don't let go!" he added as they were wrenched off their feet.

They flew through the air, unable to see what lay ahead because of the thickness of the smoke. The resounding crack of wood snapping caught his attention and Link squinted, trying to see. What he saw chilled him despite the heat of the flames below. A tree ahead and the right of them had grown weak, it's trunk scorched by the fire, causing it to snap. The massive lumber began falling, coming down directly over the path the chain of the Claw Shot outlined.

"We're going to get caught under!" Dagg shouted, voicing his fear. Unable to stop the winding of the Claw Shot, Link gritted his teeth, close his eyes and prayed for a swift end.

Link, being in the front, just barely managed to reach the other side of the falling tree, but Dagg and Sheik weren't so lucky. He felt the jerk as the weight on his belt was jarred; suddenly, it lifted by a margin. Eyes snapping open, he looked over his shoulder to see who had fallen. Dagg had a cut on his face and his shoulder was bleeding, but he hung on desperately. Sheik was less fortunate, falling to the ground, having been knocked unconscious by the falling tree.

"Sheik!" they both shouted simultaneously as he disappeared amidst the flames and smoke.