Welcome back, friends, to Corrupted Hero. I hope you enjoyed the last chapter - I can't wait to present this one! Link finally makes his journey out into Hyrule. What awaits him there? Read and find out!
Thanks for reading! :)
As Link secured the last strap of his bulging travel bag, he paused and took a final look around the cabin. Though he hadn't been there for long, he was a bit sad to be leaving so soon; the lingering memory of King Rhoam still clung to cabin's walls, the familiarity there making Link feel at home.
Those walls were mostly barren, now — a sight that left him with an odd mix of security and loneliness. Now that he had cleaned the place out, it seemed as though Rhoam had gone with it, leaving the cabin as nothing more than an abandoned, lifeless structure in the woods.
All the same, Link appreciated his new belongings. The food was a blessing; he couldn't wait to dig into his smoked fish that night for dinner. And he certainly felt more prepared to face the dangers of the wild with his new axe, the rusted swords, and his extra pot lid "shields." Though he had gone, the ghost of King Rhoam had generously given him the first steps he needed to set out into Hyrule, and for that, he was deeply grateful.
Seated on a tree stump by the dining table, Link took one last stock of his bags, three in total, laid at his feet. In spite of the anxiety swirling in his gut, he felt ready to journey off of the plateau with everything he had. What he'd find out there, he wasn't sure. All he had left to do was shoulder his supplies and find out.
Fastening the clasp on his new hood, he set to work hoisting his bags up by their weathered leather straps. The weight of it all on his back was decent, yet workable — he knew he wouldn't have trouble traveling. Before he left the cabin altogether, he rinsed out the ceramic bowl and spoon in the courtyard and tucked them in with his rations. Paraglider in-hand, Link left the empty cabin at his back and walked through the grass to the rugged edge of the plateau.
It was time.
A kickup of wind cleaved around him as he stood on the edge, looking out over the mist below to the mainland. It was so close, and yet, felt so far. He bunkered himself against the wind whipping at his hair, his jaw glued together and his heart fluttering at the imposing height he was about to leap from. Even with the paraglider, he felt unstable, teetering on slipping.
But the sooner he jumped, the sooner he'd feel better — at least, that was what he kept telling himself. He wasn't looking forward to doing this, but it had to be done if he was to help Zelda.
The thought of her inspirited him with courage from nowhere. Swallowing his fear, Link took a few steps back, gripping the paraglider above his head with white-knuckled fists, sucking in a breath and holding it. After hesitating for only a moment, he took off at a sprint toward the ledge, kicking off of it before dropping like a boulder into the mist clinging to the cliffside.
A scream lodged itself inside him as his stomach rocketed into his throat. He fell, wind howling around him, for several breakneck seconds before his arms tightened, bending the paraglider into position — the wind snagged in the sail, slowing Link's rapid descent with a firm thwack that whiplashed his head into his pack.
Though still falling, his head spun at the realization that he was now safely adrift on the air. A nice alternative to plummeting to his death, yes, but even so, a wheezy groan of panic squeaked out of him, his face frozen in terror. It was a miracle he hadn't passed out. Heart galloping in his chest, he clung to the paraglider for dear life, watching his feet dangle above the scenery growing closer and closer below. Even if he had the fortitude to steer his descent, he wouldn't have wanted to, for fear he would lose his grip. Thankfully, there were no trees in his flight path to crash into. He simply held on, praying a rogue gust of wind wouldn't send him careening back into the plateau.
When he finally glided down to an open field on the mainland, his legs buckled worthlessly beneath him, and he tumbled to the ground in a heap. Solid ground! He was glad that was over. He let himself lie there, smashed beneath his packs — over the course of a minute or two, he slowly regained his lucidity, taking in the smell of the grass and listening to the crickets chorusing nearby. Breathing deeply in and out, he finally got ahold of his resolve and shakily eased himself up, looking around.
At last — Hyrule. He felt abruptly insignificant amidst the vast, overgrown landscape spreading endlessly around him in all directions. Far across the flowing hills crowned with small forests and the low clouds hugging the horizon lay the silhouettes of Hyrule Castle and the volcano, as well as his destination: the twin peaks. Standing, he gauged the distance by eye — the walk over to them wouldn't prove terribly long. He definitely wanted to make it there before the day was out.
Casting a glance to the sky, he noted that the hour was sometime in the late afternoon, the sun a halfway down from of its apex. He didn't want to risk traveling around at night with the little bearings that he had — he needed to get moving. Shaking off some residual adrenaline from the glide down, he folded up the paraglider and slid it onto his back. After pulling his hood over his head, he turned toward a dirt road a short walk down a hill, and set off following it north toward the peaks.
Now that he was on the ground, Link took the time to fully appreciate just how colossal the great plateau was. It loomed above him a distance off, an impenetrable titan dominating the local terrain. Through the halo of haze surrounding it, he ran his eyes over the crumbling stone bastions dripping from its ridged faces, dissolving into piles of rubble at the plateau's base. He could barely make out the church at the top; it was smudgy at that distance, yet its steeples were recognizable. He wondered if he'd ever see it again.
Part of him wanted to. The peace he had felt there had taken his breath away. However, the church had also been the place where he had first witnessed his new face. He'd give anything to forget the all-encompassing horror that had overcome him at that moment.
Oh, the thought of his face… His wicked, shocking face. It made his stomach twist. As his shoes scratched against the dirt road, he brought a hand up to feel his bony mask, running a finger over the fangs lining it. He remembered King Rhoam's reaction to it in stark detail — judging by his reaction, Link wasn't looking forward to facing other people. He figured the hood would disguise him well enough from a distance, but up close was another story. He prayed he wouldn't send the people of Kakariko screaming before he had the chance to ask for their help.
But he supposed he'd burn that bridge when he came to it.
Link was so lost in thought that, before long, the trail around him began to change without him noticing. His brows crinkled — he felt as though he were shrinking, the banks of grass at either side of the road sloping up drastically. The rightmost bank crescendoed into a broad, lofty hill with a dilapidated building at its crest, and up ahead, the road cut off and split into two. He wasn't sure what awaited him at the juncture, and he didn't want to get himself lost — he thought it best to climb the hill to get a better view of the area.
Taking a detour, Link scaled the lumpy hill, coming to face the sagging brick building at the top. It appeared to have once been a lookout point, but it had since fallen into disarray. The shredded remnants of a tarp and a long-forgotten campfire lay strewn in the foundation, overlooking an impressive view of the surrounding landscape. His quick search of the place yielded nothing of value, however.
Link took a brief moment to survey the area. To his left sat the remains of an outpost of some sort, its various structures deteriorated to mere walls. A lone flagpole with a long, shredded flag watched over the ruins, flowing eerily in the breeze, almost waving at him.
The dirt road ran through the outpost before curling along the perimeter of the plateau, disappearing into the distance. He followed the eastern stretch of the trail as it snaked its way through the hills, across a bridge over a river, and further along, where it proceeded into the gap between the towering twin peaks.
Nearly there already. He was making great time. Eager to see more of Hyrule, he quickly skidded down the hill and back onto the road, his equipment bouncing against his back.
His confidence in his progress didn't last long, utterly dissolving when he climbed the steps to the bridge. He had gotten so used to being alone that the sight of another human being shocked him more than it should have. All things considered, the only other person he had met that day was, in fact, a spirit, so he felt that his reaction wasn't completely abnormal. Still, he wanted to jump off the bridge and swim across the river below if it meant avoiding the person patrolling it.
He didn't look threatening by any means — just an average man in travel clothes with a wooden spear in-hand. No, Link was simply terrified of meeting anyone face-to-face in his current state; the last thing he wanted was to unintentionally terrorize someone. Maybe if he just kept his head down and passed by quietly, the man wouldn't notice his face? That seemed like a good plan. It was all he had at the minute. His hands tightening into fists, Link ducked his head, speed-walking across the bridge, already breaking out into a nervous sweat.
Please, don't look any closer than you have to… Link plead internally.
The only bits of the stranger Link saw were his shoes and the shaft of the spear he carried as they passed by each other. The stranger's gait slowed however slightly as Link sped by, tugging his hood over his face and holding his breath. The bridge seemed to go on forever.
"Afternoon, stranger!" the man greeted sunnily.
All Link could respond with was, "A-afternoon!" his voice cracking.
With that friendly interaction behind him, he practically sprinted off of the bridge, barely catching himself on the stairs as he nearly plunged his face into the ground. If the stranger hadn't been watching him before, he definitely was then. All Link could do was hold tight to his whatever pride he had left and press on along the road, forgetting he ever crossed the bridge.
He made it a good distance away before he risked a glance over his shoulder. The stranger didn't seem to care much for him and his antics, continuing his march across the bridge and back again, whistling a jaunty tune. Link breathed a sigh of relief. He hoped all of his interactions with strangers in the wild went as smoothly as that.
Link spent the next leg of his journey following the curvature of the river flowing alongside the road. It was a rather wide river, too deep to trudge through and quick enough to sweep you away. He caught a few glimpses of fish leaping out of the water as he walked. The road followed the river at a respectable distance — close enough to hear it rush along and watch the midafternoon sunlight glitter off of its currents.
Moving with the land, he watched the twin peaks grow bigger and bigger until they dominated the horizon, bearing down upon him like a pair of judges. Facing them directly, he was intrigued to find that their grey, uneven edges almost fit together like puzzle pieces.
For a moment, he seemed to recall a legend about a dragon splitting a single mountain into two identical halves. He cocked his head, confused — where had that thought come from? He wasn't entirely sure, but it was a rather fantastical idea to tease as he stood at the maw of the peaks, taking them in in their entirety before making his way inside.
Passing through their pointed shadows, Link felt as though he were being swallowed by some monumental beast. Perhaps the dragon that had crossed his mind? He shook his head at that, smiling. Dragon or not, he figured his trek through the peaks wouldn't last very long — the wide river had funneled itself into a flowing ribbon of water, flanked on either side by lush riverbanks that shot through the divide for less than half a mile. He could already see the other end.
As he walked by the riverside, Link grew curious as to where Kakariko was exactly, and how much further he had to go. King Rhoam hadn't specified an exact location, but just as Zelda had said, he too had mentioned that the Sheikah Slate would guide him. Link supposed now was a good enough time as any to get to know his Sheikah Slate. Pulling it off of his belt, he held it in both hands below his nose, giving it a look over.
When his gaze met the dark screen, it blinked to life, greeting him with the reddened eye symbol. It still unnerved him, but it didn't remain on the screen to stare him down, fading as quickly as it appeared. With a pleasant blip, the eye revealed an intricate topographical map that, incredibly, moved with Link as he strode down the road. He was portrayed as a tiny, glowing yellow marker on the interface, slowly drifting along the trail through the peaks.
He gave it a few tests, stopping and stepping again, amazed at its one-to-one accuracy and attention to detail in the environment it depicted. The map captured every ridge and basin and bend of the land with laser-like precision, offering him a bird's eye view of Hyrule at his fingertips.
Curious if he could interact with it more, Link tapped a finger on the screen and pulled the map away from his marker, exposing the trail ahead. As he did so, his eyes widened as words began to appear above the map, showcasing locations and landmarks. In the spanse of a few seconds, he learned exactly where he was and where he was going — he walked between the Dueling Peaks nestled in Western Necluda; just outside the peaks lay a stable, and up a curving road from there… Kakariko Village.
"Would you look at that…" Link breathed, admiring the Slate in a new light. Now that he knew just how useful it was, he would definitely keep it closer to him. Who knew what it could do in the wrong hands?
Now intrigued by his new tool, he was about to continue exploring the map when a strange sound emitted from the Slate — it resembled a deep, billowing groan of agony, mighty and thunderous, rolling along the walls of the Dueling Peaks around him. Without warning, the Slate's screen flickered, making Link slow to a stop, puzzled. He stared at the Slate, wondering again if he had broken it. That would have been just his luck.
But then the strange sound came again, followed by a violent gust of wind and a shadow that blocked out the sun entirely, deluging him in darkness. He rapidly realized that the sound hadn't issued from the Slate, but rather from somewhere above him. All at once, his hair shot straight up on the back of his neck — Link jerked his attention overhead, his body giving an involuntary jolt at what he found there.
It was so huge he couldn't make out what it actually was — an enormous shadow curled along the vein of sky between the peaks, easily as long as the peaks themselves, and barely wide enough to fit between them. Veins of deep violet glowed along its underside, painted with great swells of pitch-black mire, coating it like a disease. It undulated overhead in an almost serpentine fashion, the sound of its pained groans rattling Link's bones. Frozen beneath its great shadow, he only then noticed that the thing had legs and feet — three sets of each, bony and skinny, ending in honed talons. It swam through the air in a haste, its cries echoing off of the peaks hauntingly.
As it drifted by overhead, something thick and heavy dropped onto Link's hood with a slap, like an immense raindrop. He brought a hand up to investigate, pulling away to find his fingers completely coated in a familiar dark ooze, flecks of magenta light glowing within it; the sludge rained from the creature all along the trail in puddles, burning the grass and sending plumes of black smog into the air.
His shock at seeing more of Ganon's Malice kept him from wiping it off of his hand in time — he was powerless to do anything but stare as the sludge voraciously leaked through his skin and inside him, ice shooting into his veins.
He gasped, bordering on hyperventilating, jerking his gaze from his hand to the creature in the sky. Whatever-that-thing was… it had been corrupted by Ganon, just as he was. He looked on after it as it began to leave him behind — as pained as it sounded to be, it seemed to be in a rush to go somewhere. Its head had already left the Dueling Peaks, its long body following suit.
Nearly out of the divide himself, Link clenched his infected fist and hooked his Sheikah Slate on his belt, breaking into a mad sprint after the corrupted creature. He had to do something to help it.
Somehow, he managed to keep decent pace with it. He and the creature's violet, crystal-encrusted tail emerged from the divide together. Try as he might, there was virtually no way of getting up to it. He didn't have wings. Even so, Link kept his eyes trained on it as it began to climb higher in the sky, gaining momentum.
It was then that he caught a brief glimpse of its face, finally identifying it: the mysterious creature was, in actuality, a dragon. But there was something disturbingly wrong with it: its mouth hung open in a perpetual scream, its eyes wide in fear and its long ears flopping as it tossed its crystalline mane around. It was his final look at it that had him digging his heels into the ground, his heart giving a weighty thud. Sprouting from the back of its skull was a grotesque, gigantic eyeball, its slitted, amber pupil focused directly on him.
Link choked. Ganon's eye. It hadn't shown itself by chance. It knew what it wrought; it had brought the dragon there to flaunt its achievements, and it relished in Link's slack-jawed reception of it.
Link was suddenly out of breath and doubled over as he was seized by sudden vertigo, swaying on his feet. He sunk to one knee, breathing heavily against his sprint, as well as Ganon's influence. As he watched the corrupted dragon shrink into the distant sky, he couldn't help but feel like it was bidding him follow it. But where was it going?
Raising the Slate, he aimed it at the dragon's retreating silhouette, hoping it could somehow help him. To his aid, the screen began to show him a zoomed-in, real-time image of it, almost like he were looking through a telescope. It appeared the dragon was headed for a tall, snow-covered mountaintop enshrouded in fog many miles away. He blinked when the Slate displayed more text against the image, labeling the distant mountain as Mt. Lanayru.
Lanayru… The name tugged at his brain, though he couldn't name why.
Link bit his lip. As much as his heart ached to help the dragon, the mountain was simply too far away. He had other engagements at the moment. Jotting down a mental note of Mt. Lanayru, and the poor creature that would retreat to it, he vowed he would find that mountain and do whatever he could to purge Ganon from its body.
Perhaps that would cleanse him, as well? He supposed he'd find out in time.
With the dragon well out of his reach, Link reverted to his original task: finding Kakariko. Judging from his map, it was close; he'd easily reach it before the low-hanging sun began to set.
Regaining his bearings, he laid eyes on the stable a stone's throw away. It was an interesting building in and of itself, surrounded by a paddock and topped with a giant, ramshackle sculpture of a horse's head. He could smell the hay and livestock from where he stood. He wasn't planning on introducing himself — thankfully for him, the four occupants of the stable had no interest in him, either, their gazes craned to the sky in search of something.
Faintly, Link overheard one of them gawking, "What on earth was that?! Did ya see anything?!"
"Nuh-uh!" another replied, flabbergasted. "Just a big ol' shadow… and no clouds in the sky to cast it!"
Strange, Link thought. How could they have missed the dragon?
Whether they had seen it or not didn't matter to him. Instead of lingering, he skirted around the stable, giving it a wide berth before rejoining the road as it proceeded north. He followed it up a hill that grew steeper and steeper the higher he climbed, eventually crossing another stone bridge that was, thankfully, unoccupied by a patrolman. He quickly ran across it and hiked up the rapidly-inclining hill leading into the embrace of a rocky mountain range.
Somewhere in the mountains lay Kakariko, and though he initially held anxiety in meeting the people there, the sight of the corrupted dragon snapped him out of it. He couldn't bear to watch anything else suffer at the beast's hand. He needed to kill Ganon's influence from Hyrule as soon as he could, and that meant overcoming his fears. If King Rhoam trusted the people in Kakariko, then he would, too.
Before long, Link's calves were burning after hiking up the steep incline, beads of sweat trailing down his neck. He was about to consult his map for Kakariko's location when he spotted several man-made structures ahead — tall, thin wooden gates, each engraved with a familiar, unblinking eye symbol. It appeared he was headed in the right direction.
Sure enough, his Slate read that Kakariko was merely around the next bend. Combating the fluttering anxiety in his stomach, he pressed forward, ready to meet whatever came his way face-on.
Unfortunately, with his face, first impressions weren't his strong suit. He was about to find that out the hard way.
Agh, so exciting! Raise your hand if you know which dragon Link just met! :) I know when I'm out chasing dragons, they appear out of nowhere and disappear just as fast. I hoped to capture that fleeting awe that I always feel in a dragon's presence.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed chapter 6. A bit of a shorter chapter... I tried to fill in Link's walk with interesting things so traveling wouldn't get boring. Hopefully it worked. :)
Thanks again for reading. If you're liking the story, I'd love to hear any feedback you may have. Predictions, questions, anything buzzing around in your head.
Thank you so much for joining me on this adventure. See you next chapter!