Chapter 23: The Stalfos Forest Outpost
The night was uneventful for the rest, so on the following morning, Link and the Sages woke up, refreshed and getting reach for what could probably the greatest mission ever. After cleaning up their campsite and everything, the group made their way through the forest, heading for the outpost that was said to be around the area. It was then that Link spotted some movement ahead, moving to the west and let Epona slow down.
"What's the matter, Link?" Saria asked as the others also slowed down.
"I'm thinking to see some movements in the far distance…" He said, steering Epona towards where he believed the movement was heading for.
The movements were rather slow, as Link didn't want to raise any alarm yet. The Sages could understand this kind of caution from the hero, knowing that it would be too risky to charge ahead right away.
"Huh? Is that a clearing ahead?" Saria softly said to Link, seeing as the amount of trees began to lessen around them.
"Possibly. We should hide the horses and see where this clearing leads to." He said, stopping Epona amongst a group of bushes before he and Saria dismounted.
The Sages followed this example, while Link and Saria carefully approached a group of stones that were in the clearing, peeking over it. As the Sages joined them, they could see that there was a pathway leading to a curious structure that appeared to be set up to use as a storage facility, seeing as they saw a few Stalfos working to carry a few crates into the building.
"Could this be what we're looking for?" Zelda asked.
"Possibly, or this could be the vanguard of something bigger; this looks way too small to be set up out here…" Impa replied.
"Looks like we have the right opportunity to mess 'em up for what they did to us." Nabooru said.
"Right. Let's find a way in the area and see what we can find in this place." Darunia said.
Nodding, the group prepared themselves to find a way into the area, with Link already having clocked two Stalfos who were working to deliver chests into the area. Link himself was being nervous, as he also had a mask with him that he hoped he would never use until they would return to the Temple of Time, but he hid this under his usual serious and determined expression.
Managing to find a safe path over the hill that allowed them to climb over the rocks that formed like a barrier over the area, the group of eight valiant heroes arrived into the area to where the building was, the two Stalfos having remained outside to guard it.
"So far, so good; these Stalfos haven't seen us yet." Zelda said as she readied her own Gilded Sword, while the rest also prepared their weapons.
"Right. Get ready." Impa said.
When Link drew his own blade, the Sages could feel the power emanating from it, allowing them to take a good look at it, which was aptly named the Gilded Master Sword. The Gilded Master Sword itself looked like a complete fusion between the swords that Link used during his adventures in Termina, being the upgraded Kokiri Sword and the sword that he frequently used in the Future That Almost Was, the Master Sword. It retained the blue/purple colored hilt with the golden diamond with the long blade itself, which contained the mark of the Triforce from the Master Sword, but the blade itself had a pattern of diamond-shaped figures made out of pure gold in the center part of the blade, with ruby-red patches in the hilt below where it connected with the blade and the parts that stood out from the hilt were longer and made out of silver while extending more outward, like the Gilded Sword. The very bottom part of the hilt was now sporting a white-colored sphere, which in turn would give Link a greater grip on the blade itself. It was as if both of the swords had been reforged into a single blade, with TWICE the evil-smiting power from the Original Master Sword. Whether this upgrade was permanent or temporary remains to be seen. Link noticed the Sages looking at his sword, making him smile.
"Venus the Fairy Queen gave me this to deal extra pain to our enemies." He said.
"And now we can see it in action, let's go." Zelda said.
As soon as the group moved towards the building, the Stalfos clocked them and went on the offensive, although initially stopping when they saw the group of Link and the four Sages being back alive. This momentum allowed the group to deliver the first strike before the Stalfos regained their vigor to retaliate. The Stalfos fought with their might, but they were each outnumbered four to one, so the two skeletal warriors soon were defeated, disintegrating in sheets of green flame after being downed. This in turn gave the group access to the building.
"This looks recently set up..." Link said as he entered the building.
"Yeah. I wonder what we can find here." Saria said.
"There is some security out here because of the poisonous water that flows at the bottom, watch your step." Impa said as the group walked over a safe path to a room containing a cage.
"Another cage?" Link asked.
"I wonder who has been held here..." Ruto said.
Zelda took an arrow and shot the cage down, breaking it and releasing another Deku Scrub!
"What on Hyrule do they have against Dekus?" Saria asked.
"Wait, this one looks different…" Rauru deducted as the Deku looked around in fright, before collapsing and started so shake… as if it was crying.
Getting sad himself, Link approached the Deku Scrub, having put his weapons away to show he wasn't having any malicious intents towards it. As the Deku Scrub looked up, it saw Link crouching down at eye level.
"What's wrong?" Link asked.
"I… I have been cursed into this form by a masked figure…" The Deku said.
Link already had a hunch of who it was.
"What did the masked figure look like?" He asked, just to be sure.
"It… had so many colors… and those spikes made it look like having horns all over… but those eyes… those fiery, soul-piercing eyes…" The Deku said, shivering.
"Majora…" Link said, his hands clenching into fists.
"Yeah, that's his name; I heard some of his troops naming him!" The Deku said.
Right thereafter, Link grabbed his Ocarina and without hesitation began to play the Song of Healing for the Deku, instantly making it sway and glow… before the Deku face came off like a mask and the Deku itself became a child… causing Navi to gasp out.
"What is it, Navi?" Saria asked.
"That kid looks like the one Link gave the Spooky Mask to in the Graveyard of Kakariko Village!" She said.
This information caused Link to do a serious double-take, before looking at the child. It was indeed the Graveyard Boy, with the lock of red hair on the front, wearing his plain white shirt, blue shorts and brown shoes while carrying a Deku Stick.
"How did you get here?!" Link asked.
"I… I was captured during a surprise attack on our new village elsewhere… since Kakariko was destroyed due to Death Mountain erupting, the villagers of Kakariko as well as Goron City fled into this area. Some of us sought refuge within the Goron Village in Snowhead and Clock Town respectively, while others tried to settle in a more remote part until they could return to their homes. Sadly, this unknown location was also the spot for an attack, during which the villagers, including myself, were captured and/or killed. Only a very few people remained here as prisoners, some of them even cursed like I was, but others have been taken away, probably towards Hyrule itself…" The Graveyard Boy replied.
Link growled in actual anger while Saria went to comfort the boy, while seeing the rather angry expression on Link's face. Eventually he spoke.
"I know how you feel, kid," Link began, "Majora did the exact same thing to me when we met back in Termina after he stole my horse Epona as well something else…"
Zelda knew he was talking about the Ocarina of Time, but decided against naming it to prevent others from listening in, which she found wise to do so.
"You have met Majora before?" The Graveyard boy asked.
"Yes and after I got my normal body back myself and went through several hardships taught him a lesson he wouldn't forget back then. It appears however that Majora is now back and get revenge on me and my friends, partially due to making an alliance with Ganondorf of all people." He said.
The boy gasped at this, evidently getting scared now.
"Look, you're a good kid, but this place is not safe for you. My friends and I will take care of things here, you should go towards Clock Town as soon as you can, or otherwise hide until the area's safe enough for you to make your escape." He said.
The boy nodded.
"They've been storing a lot of ammunition in this area however, I overheard them saying that they're preparing some kind of massive attack or something. This could be the vanguard of an assault that will probably spearhead their total rule over Hyrule and Termina and perhaps the whole world later on." He then said.
"Thank you, kid. You've given us exactly the information we need." Impa said, patting the boy on his head.
"You can go and hide somewhere until we get back. Things are going downhill here very soon and we wouldn't want you to get caught in the crossfire." Darunia said.
The boy nodded, before moving off to a place to hide, showing the group the way out of the building in turn as well as showing them where to access the storage area. Seeing another platform with a screwed tilt, Princess Ruto brought it down with her Magical Boomerang, allowing the group to climb up into the area, entering a room which had crates stacked all over along the walls.
"Geez, that boy sure wasn't kidding!" Princess Zelda said.
"I'll say." Impa said.
Link on his turn looked around the area and saw a bridge leading toward what appeared to be a hollowed tree, but it was blocked by a barrier that looked brittle, but solid.
"So much for progress..." He said as he looked at the barrier.
But before the others could respond, a couple of more Stalfos came from a room behind the group and began to attack. Thankfully Darunia clocked them and using his new Fire Punch Barrage he punched the Stalfos' head clean off, while two more went on the offensive. One of them was dealt with by Rauru and Impa with the aid of Zelda and Ruto, putting pressure on it before dealing the deathblow, while Link and Saria kept the last one occupied so it couldn't come to the aid of its comrade. Darunia aided the two forest children in kind by shielding them from an incoming attack, the Stalfos' sword ricocheting off of Darunia's solid, rock-hard back without doing actual damage. Link and Saria made use of that momentum by striking back at the Stalfos, eventually killing it before Saria spotted yet another cage, which this time looked more like a prison cell.
"Our nemeses really have taken a liking into prisoners..." She said as she located a switch nearby that she and Link stepped on, opening the cage.
Darunia blinked as he saw a Goron in the cage, whom got up and was elated at seeing his leader.
"Are you releasing me? Am I free to go?" He asked.
"Of course," Darunia said, "how did you end up here anyway?"
"I was one of the Gorons they captured and brought here in this prison. I have something to tell you in gratitude for releasing me." He said.
"And what would that be?"
"You see that barrier over there? There's multiple of these around these area, but regular bombs won't affect them. You need an explosive of a greater force to break these down." The Goron said.
"Come to think of it, I still have a powder keg with me..." Darunia said, nodding.
"That's great! You should try it on the barrier at the far side of this room first; that is a place that holds ammunition that you can use, including additional powder kegs. I've seen them being stored in here before being locked inside this cell." The Goron said as he stepped out of his prison.
"Alright, let's make it work then." Darunia said as he took his powder keg and lit its fuse, causing the others to give him a wide berth as Darunia took it to the other side of the room and laid it in front of the barrier before getting some distance himself as the powder keg began to tick faster.
It wasn't too long before the powder keg exploded with a loud explosion, destroying the barrier in the process, giving the group access to the room where several chests were present. Looking into the room, Link and the Sages didn't hesitate to move in the room to see what the chests contained. Darunia discovered another powder keg in one of the bigger chests, which he immediately put to use to demolish the other barrier. At the same moment, Link discovered a supply of bombs, Zelda found some bundles of arrows, Saria gained a new, fresh set of Deku Seeds, Impa revealed a supply of Deku Nuts, Ruto found a bundle of Deku Sticks, Nabooru found a set of Bombchus and Rauru found a couple of Empty Bottles which could be filled with things like medicines and everything. A second loud explosion then sounded in the area as Darunia used his new powder keg to break the barrier to the hollowed tree down, before rejoining the others and finding another new powder keg in the remaining chest, keeping it for the time being. The freed Goron went ahead to make his own way out of the area and hide, while Link and the Sages went down into the hollowed tree, ending up at an area that had a small brook at one side, but had a waterfall at its end. A bridge spanned over one side of the area, which had several Stalfos and Dinolfos working together to move supplies about, one of them even loading a crate onto one of their airships before it flew on its own accord towards its destination.
"Looks like we came here just in time." Zelda said.
"I agree, let's crash this little party of theirs. They deserve it." Link said.
This time, it was Link and the Sages who attacked first, catching the Dinolfos and Stalfos by surprise, several of them already being taken out in the first couple of swings, while the others did what they could to fight back. Thankfully, the new Red Shields that Rauru gave the children of the group renewed their protection and defense power in turn after that fateful attack destroyed the first shields, so the group was able to maintain pressure on their enemies.
"Wow, it sure feels great to get back in the swing of this." Link said, downing a Dinolfos before assisting Zelda against a Stalfos.
"You said it, Link." The princess said in agreement, while Nabooru sliced two more Dinolfos to bits, while Darunia had no troubles with tearing another Stalfos apart.
Impa came to the aid of Saria and Ruto against the last Dinolfos, while Rauru used his Light Magic to smite the last Stalfos into oblivion, leaving the group eventually alone in the area, save for the chests that contained some additional supplies.
With that battle over, Link sheathed his weapons and took out one of his own bottles and put it into the water, filling it up before he brought it to his mouth to take a sip of it.
"Wow, the water tastes fresh here, reminds me of Spring Water." He said as he began to drink from the bottle to lessen his thirst.
The Sages didn't hesitate to follow this example, lessening their thirst, before Link and Saria both went to stand underneath the waterfall to get themselves washed up. It was a common practice they did during their time in the Kokiri Forest after all. Finding it amusing, Zelda followed this example, as did Ruto, although it was logical for the latter after all.
"Link, are my eyes deceiving me or do I see a set of ladders hidden here behind this waterfall?" Saria then said.
"They're not deceiving you, Saria, there are ladders around here. Apparently they tried to use the waterfall to hinder us in our progress. Too bad for them that it didn't work." Link said as he went to climb up the ladder, with Saria and Zelda moving on the ladders flanking the one Link was climbing on.
The other Sages also followed, being cautious but feeling that this was the only way to continue.
It took the group a few minutes before they finally reached the top of the Waterfall, finding a path that led into a cavern, which the group passed through without incidents, ending up in a clearing further into the forest. They stopped for a moment to rest up a bit and letting their clothes dry up.
"Wow, those ladders were the longest ones I've ever climbed up on." Link said.
"I'll say, it seemed a lot higher than trying to get from the bottom to the ground floor of the Deku Tree..." Saria said as she sat down next to Link after he sat against the trunk of a tree, with Zelda joining his other side. Ruto sat next to Saria and Nabooru went to sit next to Zelda, with Rauru, Darunia and Impa sitting down in front of them.
"Well, at least we made it through this safely so far..." Impa said.
"So far, so good," Saria said, "but we mustn't grow careless now. Any mistake on our part will cost us dearly in the end."
"True, especially with what has happened to us not too long ago..." Ruto said, shuddering.
"Link, what's that in your bag?" Zelda then asked, spotting what appeared to have the contours of a mask.
Link looked into his bag, seeing what Zelda meant. He saw that she was looking at a mask that appeared to have white hair and facial markings on it, coupled with what appeared to be a cyan-colored cap. He sighed deeply.
"That is the Fierce Deity's Mask I mentioned. I had it purposefully buried underneath all my other stuff, so I wouldn't be able to look at it until we had the mask purified." Link said, showing his distaste for the mask itself, which the Sages could understand.
They could sense the energy and power coming from it, as well as Link's own distaste of the mask.
"I can see why you dislike the mask. It's indeed better to keep it away until we've returned at the Temple of Time." Rauru said, nodding at Link, feeling that they should have done this sooner instead of wanting to wait until Ganondorf and Majora had been defeated according to his initial idea.
Link nodded, burying the mask underneath his other items in his bag before putting it away, shuddering visibly as he resisted the mask's attempt to put it on successfully.
"Don't worry, Link. We'll make sure the mask will be safe to use in the future." Zelda said, putting a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.
"Thank you, Zelda." He said with a smile on his face, which made Zelda smile in turn.
After a few minutes of rest, Link and the Sages got back up and readjusted their gear, after which they went on their way again. Hopping down a small cliff which was only about a very few meters high, the group made their way further into a clearing, where they encountered what appeared to be a construction site, complete with constructed bridges to form as pathways and parts of trees and rocks having been hollowed out to sport rooms for storage, as well as one cell which was blocked by another barrier which required the Powder Keg to break, being located on the higher part of the area. Darunia spotted a second barrier on ground level which would hide either treasure or another supply of ammunition in kind. For the rest, the group could see a large contingent of enemies around. On the upper area there were two Moblins looking around, standing guard, their spears ready and poised to charge at any intruder in direct sight and range. Several Corrupted Sword Soldiers were present as well, standing on guard while a group of Dinolfos were present to look after the barriers set up. The group already saw one of the Sword Soldiers leaving with an airship, which went out of sight rapidly. Another thing to note was that a camp fire had been set up at one side of the area, while close by there was a table and a couple of chairs, obviously belonging to the Corrupted Sword Soldiers.
"Looks like you called it right, Impa; this camp looks bigger than the one we saw when entering this area." Zelda said.
"There's no Stalfos around here, but perhaps they're further back?" Saria asked.
"That's very likely; the Stalfos are known to appear on multiple places overall… I've seen and fought them in most of the temples, if not all of them and then there were those in ambush for us back in Termina when Majora sent the five of us there." Link said.
Zelda, Saria, Ruto and Nabooru visibly shuddered, knowing how relentless the Stalfos can be…
"So, what's the plan here?" Ruto asked.
"Those Moblins are definitely going to be a bother, but their size is at our advantage to take them out from a safe distance…" Link said.
"Right. We should be able to catch the others off-guard if we sneak up on them." Zelda said.
Sneaking carefully closer until they were behind one Dinolfos standing on guard, with the other soldiers being elsewhere on guard on patrol, making sure they weren't seen, Link and the Sages used a tactic to surprise their enemies. With Darunia forming up to become like a rock, Link, Saria, Zelda and Ruto hid behind him, while Nabooru, Impa and Rauru kept their distance while Link readied an arrow, aiming for one of the Moblins in the far distance. Letting an arrow fly, it struck the Moblin right in the forehead, killing him instantly. Zelda did the same with the second Moblin.
"Wow, look like your training at the Shooting Galleries has paid off, Zel." Link said.
Zelda giggled, finding the nickname amusing.
"That's two major pests out of the way." Saria said.
"Indeed. Now we can focus on the others without worries." Ruto added.
Link and Zelda sneaked closer to the Dinolfos, before both used a jump attack to cleave the Dinolfos in three, causing it to howl which in turn alerted the other troops. This in turn allowed the others, who had taken their positions, in action, with Saria and Ruto both crossing blades with Corrupted Sword Soldiers, while Darunia took pleasure in making mincemeat of the remaining Dinolfos. Impa aided Saria and Ruto, while Nabooru, Link, Zelda and Ruto charged at the remaining Sword Soldiers, which in turn triggered quite a sword fight as the sound of blades clashing against each other were heard. Fortunately, Link and the Sages gained the upper hand as the Stalfos were soon decimated and the Dinolfos were made a head shorter. Still, the group didn't come out of the battle unscathed with the few cuts and bruises here and there, but there was nothing too serious…
"Whew, at least those mooks have been dealt with now." Link said.
"Yep. Now we can continue and see what we can find here." Zelda said, nodding as the group moved on in the area as Darunia destroyed the ground level barrier, locating some more ammunition for the group as well as Hookshots for most of the others and another powder keg to be taken with him.
"Definitely signs for an invasion considering the weaponry here…" Darunia said, handing the weapons that the others could take or need to the others along the way, just as Ruto brought another screw-stilted platform down to the level the group could climb on to reach the higher area.
"And we're pretty much putting a stop to it… at least in this part." Impa said.
"That's right and I am certain that we will reach the other areas soon enough to cleanse them from the evil that has infested it." Rauru said.
Darunia used the powder keg on the barrier that had a prisoner inside it, which turned out to be another Goron, causing him to blink and wake up at this, seeing Darunia.
"D… Darunia!" He said, blinking.
"Yep, you're free to go, my friend." Darunia said with a smile.
"Thank you. I have some information before I go; there is one being here which looks like a Stalfos, but looks taller and is much stronger than the average Stalfos. On top of that, he commands a legion of Stalfos himself." The Goron said.
"So the Stalfos have someone higher in rank among them too?" Darunia asked.
"Yes. He takes orders directly from Ganondorf and Majora." The Goron said.
"I see, so he could be quite troublesome then." He said.
"Indeed. You need someone of equal strength to take him on properly." The Goron said, before he left.
Darunia nodded, before waving him good-bye and moving towards where the others were, discovering another Powder Keg inside a tent, using it to destroy the barrier which allows the group to proceed.
"What's with all the Powder kegs here?" Zelda asked.
"They could be used to demolish city walls so the enemy can flock in from directions other than the main gates or something." Link said.
"True, couple that with the power that these Powder Kegs are stronger than regular bombs…" Darunia said as the group moved on through a cavern and upon exit arrived at a smaller set of waterfalls and another small brook moving over the bottom.
"Well, at least a change of scenery…" Ruto said.
"Yeah, is this still even part of the forest?" Nabooru asked.
"It sure is, but this is definitely unknown territory." Link said as the group made their way across the brook area to reach another higher ground which had another cage on it, which Zelda broke open, freeing a Zora!
"What the-?! What are you doing all the way out here?!" Princess Ruto asked the Zora.
"Ah, your Highness, am I glad to see you here. I was one of the soldiers whom participated in the initial battle to defend Hyrule from the invading evil forces, but had to make my escape once the battle was turning against us. I managed to divert troops away from the Zora River and the forest by leading my pursuers to Lake Hylia and managed to best several of them before I was captured and taken here." The Zora replied.
Princess Ruto nodded in understanding.
"Is there anything you have noticed around here?" Zelda then asked.
"Yes. There are platforms that have to be lowered like bridges in order to cross this area towards another enemy camp at the far side of the area, its entrance located on a high floor. Should you fall down here into the small brook, a ladder will allow you to climb back up here so you can try it again. But be careful; some of the enemies may be stronger than before." He said.
"We'll keep an eye out, but thanks for the heads up." Zelda said.
"You're relieved of your duties in order to find a place to hide or otherwise make your way back to our domain if you deem it necessary. You've served well, but now is not the time to stay here. Things are about to go down big time and we will see to it that this entire encampment will be liberated from enemy forces. You can even choose to rally whoever you can find on surviving soldiers and take them here if you so desire." Princess Ruto said.
"As you wish, my Princess. Your wish is my command." The Zora said, bowing to the princess before moving off.
Seeing several switches at a distance, Link, Saria, Zelda and Ruto went to strike them from a distance in order to lower the bridges so everyone could cross the upper part of the new brook area safely. After crossing the area itself to enter the encampment made by more troops, they indeed encountered more Stalfos, as well as several Wolfos and a few Big Skulltulas along the way. Zelda easily shot down the Skulltulas using her bow, Ruto and Saria dealt with the Wolfos after Link instructed them to strike at their back with the tails as it was the Wolfos' most vulnerable spot. Link, Nabooru, Darunia, Impa and Rauru on their turn kept the Stalfos at bay, defeating them quicker than their last encounters. The Gilded Master Sword that Link had in his possession, coupled with Darunia's newfound strength in abilities helped big time in this, as soon the initial enemies were defeated, only for two more Dinolfos and one Lizalfos to appear in the camp after a doorway to a different prison area opened up, the Dinolfos having acted as guards for the prisoner, whom was a Hylian Soldier whom was captured during the evacuation of Kakariko Village.
"Thank you for saving me, Your Highness." The Soldier said, bowing before saluting.
"At ease, soldier. How did you get here?" Zelda asked.
"When Death Mountain erupted and both Kakariko Village and Goron City in danger of being overrun by the lava, I saw to it that I bought as much time for the civilians to escape to safer areas as I could. I've managed to defeat several of those lizard creatures before a Stalfos knocked me out and captured me." He said.
Zelda nodded, concluding that the soldiers within the Hyrulean Army had indeed fought with honor.
"I have to tell you this; I have seen a Stalfos whom appears to be in a higher level of command than the normal Stalfos entering the building to the right from here, past the campfire and straight behind the barrier that's currently blocking it. Apparently he is on an inspection tour of some sort, checking the troops and see if everything is ready for any subsequent attack launched from their outposts into the Forest areas and Termina." The Soldier said.
Link and Zelda turned to each other.
"Looks like Ganondorf and Majora are putting some more organization into their troops than I thought." Link said.
"I agree. Look, we'll take care of things here. You better make sure you get out of here and see if you can find any survivors. There may be captured children around here too, so free them in any way you can." Zelda said.
"I won't disappoint you, your Highness." The soldier said before leaving, while Darunia used another Powder Keg to blow the barrier away, presenting the group with a small area that had a block at one side of the area, with the entrance to the building the soldier talked about on the other side.
Link, Saria and Zelda worked together to push the block into its proper place so the group as a whole could climb onto it and enter the building. Climbing over the crates along the way, the group proceeded onwards.
"Things won't be easy anymore now that we know of the presence of this Stalfos Commander…" Saria said.
"Indeed, but I feel certain that we will overcome him too. It will serve as a major blow to Ganondorf and Majora as a whole." Darunia said as the group moved into a long hallway.