Legend of Zelda: Champions of Chronos

~ Chapter 02: The Monster Horde and the Demon King ~

I rode on the Master Cycle as I dashed across the wide and vast landscapes of greater Hyrule upon leaving Hateno behind. It later came to my attention that Tulin had followed behind me, telling he wished to fight alongside me. I only gave a nod, too focused on my destination for much else. But that would have to be on pause for a moment when, on the road towards Hyrule Field, I witnessed another Hylian being attacked. Tulin and I saw the traveling salesman, Beedle, under attack by a swarm of Keese encircling him and screeching loudly. Beedle himself was cowering on the ground with his arms covering his head and bag of goods having been thrown off earlier. I loudly whistled, getting the attention of the Keese who then came rushing my way. But their attack met with a direct bomb arrow from my bow, the explosion nearly wiping out the entire swarm. Some managed to avoid the blast but were quickly sniped out of the sky by Tulin using his bow. Their multiple parts laid in the grass by the time Beedle realized what had happened. He then thanked us greatly for stepping in and gifted us with a pair of health potions from his wares before we left, him staying behind to wave us goodbye.

Hyrule Field - Hyrule Restoration Square | Central Hyrule

We later came upon the lush green fields of Hyrule Field in about an hour's time. The sight that greeted us was about on par with what Tulin had told me, my eyes widening from shock and a gasp leaving my lips. I could see a massive horde of Bokoblin of different colors alongside an ensemble of Lizalfos and Moblins either engaging with the knights or attempting to break down the wooden gates into the square. I even spotted what appeared to be at least two Hinox attempting to reach over the fencing to attack, repelled back by the archers stationed inside. I could never imagine a horde this large or this sudden appearing around the fields since we were usually informed ahead of time by committee members and the Monster Hunting branches of the knights. However, I knew that I had to help as I increased the output of the Master Cycle and headed straight for the towering Hinox. Amidst the mob of Bokoblin, one of the knights was first to spot me.

"Captain! Look! I-Is that who I think it is?!" he called. The acting captain turned his gaze my direction, riding atop his horse with spear in hand, before gasping.

"It IS! It's Link! Ha ha! Looks like Miss Purah's message reached the princess!" he proclaimed. Those words quickly tipped off the monsters, Bokoblins suddenly shifting their attention towards me. I did not stop and eventually came screeching sideways into the horde, tires grating against the ground, sending Bokoblins flying upright before leaping into the air and pulled out my bow. One of the Hinox spotted me and let out a roar as I drew a fire arrow out of my quiver. It lit with a fiery red glow before I launched it straight into the beast's eye, roaring in agony before tumbling down backwards. Of the Bokoblin still airborne, Tulin fired his own barrage of arrows and struck each one inbetween their eyes. While some still crashed back to the ground, he did well to thin the crowd. As for the Hinox I just downed, I then quickly switched to the Master Sword and, with a single swing, left a gash of a slash in the beast's neck. The Master Cycle slid to a stop as I landed on my feet.

"All right! NOW we're talking!" knights cheered. I turned back towards the captain and we silently nodded to one another.

"Men! Keep the pressure on these vile beasts! With the Master Sword's Champion at our side, we CANNOT lose! Don't let a SINGLE one inside the square!" he bellowed, empowering the knights with a burst of confidence. They started to push back the Bokoblins as I made a dash towards the Lizalfos in the back. I soon came under attack from two lightning bolts being shot my way from their horns.

"Link! Watch out!" Tulin cried. But I was not phased, quickly grabbing a metal blade lost by a Bokoblin and threw it their way. Upon hitting their horns, their electric bolts evaporated and wound up turning on themselves, leaving them stunned in a bubble of lightning. That gave me enough time to close in and strike them both down with a spinning slash. Soon after, I sensed something and turned back in time to shield myself from a Moblin attempting to strike me with its large hammer. The beast roared with anger.

"Archers! Open fire on the Moblin!" the captain cried. A flurry of arrows rained down upon the monster, piercing its skin, from the walls of the square. It quickly turned back towards the soldiers and let out a blood curdling roar. This gave me an opening to push back its weapon with my shield and swing my sword. The light shot from my blade forced the behemoth back and onto the ground.

"We have your back, Link!" the archers yelled. Just then, I heard a loud shriek coming from within the square. The voice was an exact match for Purah's, leading me to believe she was under attack. I turned my attention towards her and dashed for the gates, plowing through the Bokoblins attempting to stop me. Tulin helped me by firing arrows from above. One of the knights saw my mad dash and extended out their large shield, allowing me to use it as a launch pad as they catapulted me up and over the wooden fence. My leap was successful as I landed on the scaffolding, giving me a clear view of Hyrule Castle in the distance. Tulin followed as I hopped to the ground. But upon entering, I quickly realized that monsters had managed to break in without needing the front gates. I saw Stalkoblins skeletons starting to emerge from the soil, reanimated bodies of beasts I slain prior to now.

"W-What?! Where did THEY come from?!" Tulin gasped. I quickly surveyed the area looking for Purah before I saw her by the base of the Sheikah Tower. She was being surrounded by a group of Blue Bokoblins, most likely having scaled over the fence from behind to ambush everyone inside. Purah pressed herself up against the tower, eyeing the drooling mouths of the monsters armed with crude spears and wooden shields.

"L-Look! I don't know what your monster friends have said about Hylian flesh…but I'm NOT on the menu! I-I-I'll give you a horrible case of indigestion!" she screamed. The sight was all the motivation I needed to arm myself and rush in. I leapt up the stairs, yelling loudly, as I slashed down a Bokoblin from behind. It disintegrated to ash while the others turned my way. Upon seeing me, Purah gasped.

"No way! Linky! You made it!" she proclaimed. The pack of monsters growled, turning their attention on me now. I quickly shifted my gaze at each one. Suddenly, to my surprise, Tulin flew high into the sky and had his bow and arrow pointed straight for us.

"Link! Look out!" he exclaimed. Purah and I gasped and rushed to get out of the way. That was all the Rito needed to fire a barrage of lightning arrows at once, enveloping the Bolkoblins in lightning. The after effect left them paralyzed in place, giving me time to swoop in and slice them each down with one strike. Looking back at their remains, Purah sighed.

"T-Thanks for the save. I was worried you wouldn't get my message in time." she said "Then again, leave it to ME to underestimate the potential of the Rito." But the battle was not yet over as, while the guards were thinning the weakened forces outside, the Stalkoblins were still inside and growing in numbers. I readied my sword and shield while Tulin took note of the remaining Hinox attempting to break down the gates.

"I'll back up the soldiers outside, okay Link?" he asked before taking off. As the Stalkoblins begun closing in around me, I slowly reached for my waist. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that I was not currently equipped with the Sheikah Slate, the device that helped me greatly when quelling the Calamity. I had even forgot about it the entire fight thus far. Seeing my stunned look made the skeletons grin before, coming from above, an extra large blue bomb headed their way. It came crashing down inbetween me and the monsters before Purah gave a whistle.

"I'd get out of there if I were you!" she yelled. I quickly nodded before withdrawing my weapons and dashed to her side. Once on the scaffolding, the massive bomb let off a violent blast. The explosion reduced the horde of skeletons to black ash. I was somewhat puzzled before Purah passed something oddly familiar to me, the Sheikah Slate. I questionably eyed her while pointing to the slate.

"Yeah…oopsie. I forgot to have someone bring the Sheikah Slate back to Zelda in the last couple days. She said I could borrow it to benefit my work. Sorry about that. B-But…hey! What can you do when you're neck deep in your research?!" she asked, hoping to pity me out of being angry. Instead, I groaned heavily before reattaching the slate to the fashioned hook on my belt.

"I still can't wrap my head around where these monsters came from or HOW they came upon the Restoration Committee base without alerting the knights first. They normally aren't THIS smart….which means someone coaxed them into attacking." she said. I nodded, saying it made no sense either. To my knowledge, the only time I saw Bokoblins and other monsters acting in such teams was during the time Calamity Ganon had its claws on Hyrule. Even years after the final battle, I could still clearly picture both the heinous forms Ganon took in order to defeat me and break free of Zelda's prison. Suddenly, we both noticed my Master Sword giving off a faint glow, directing our eyes to it.

"Hey…what's up with your sword, Link?" Purah asked. What followed next was a heavy sense of dread, unease and overwhelming evil pressing itself down upon my shoulders, causing my eyes to shrink and let out a quick gasp. Fearing the worst, I quickly spun around and looked towards Hyrule Castle just beyond the walls. But the moment I did, that feeling of dread was gone. I ended up surprising Purah at the same time.

"L-Linky? You okay?" she asked. I then heard a malevolent laugh coming from extremely close by, sounding once again from behind me. We both turned towards the square and gasped, seeing an imposing figure standing proudly before us. This strange person appeared Gerudo in build, boasting muscular arms hidden beneath a large black cloak with red outlines, glowing red tattoos decorating his body and chest. From his left elbow downward, his arm appeared to be dressed in a Sheikah like gauntlet except emitting a reddish glow. A hood covered up most of his face, me barely making out a slight ruby red goatee on his chin. Soon after, the same overwhelming sense of dread flooded back over me, radiating bright as a diamond from his body. His onyx scaled cape fluttered in the wind as it did. There was no mistaking this aura, the same I felt from Calamity Ganon when attacking the ruins of Hyrule Castle. But why it was booming from this individual left me speechless. This overwhelming power could even be felt outside, petrifying the soldiers with fear while also seemingly stopping the progress of the monster horde. He then laughed again but in a more mocking tone before pulling down his hood to reveal his face. Similar to his gauntlet, an eye similar to the Guardian mechs was embeded around his right eye, giving off the same glow.

"W-What…Who….ARE you? H-How did you just teleport here?" Purah asked. Rather than answer, the strange man's attention shifted towards me. He uncrossed his arms before surveying me from head to toe like he was eyeing his next challenger.

"I should have known I would run into you eventually. Fate ALWAYS has a way of bringing us together…chosen wielder of the Master Sword." he said. I gasped upon hearing the Master Sword's name.

"Tell me…where can I find the one you call "Princess Zelda"?" he continued, emitting a villainous chuckle. We remained silent until Purah casted her hand.

"Like we'd tell a creep like YOU! Answer US first! WHO are you and HOW did you get in without us noticing?!" she exclaimed. The man burst out in laughter, irking me as I readied my gear. He narrowed his gaze before putting his hand to his chest.

"If you wish to know….you may call me this world's future "King of Evil", the "Demon Lord" soon to conquer all of Hyrule." he said "My name…Ganondorf." He then quickly looked towards me.

"Though…I suppose the princess' "faithful knight" will know me by another title. The last time we met…you never got to know the REAL me. I…am the fully reincarnated form…of the "beast" you called….CALAMITY GANON." he said, growing a devilish smile. The news hit us both hard as my memories of the spiteful pig spirit, the rampaging corrupt Guardians, the lifeless bodies of the Hyrule Champions and Zelda weeping in my arms came surging back. Ganondorf burst into laughter again upon seeing my shocked expression.

TO BE CONTINUED…