DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, or its lovely characters. It belongs to Nintendo.
Chapter 3: A Fresh Taste of Peril
The sun had set considerably in the sky by the time Link had reached the ground, his hours of daylight left were waning. Before Link could make a decision on what to do next, he heard a shout from behind him. Link turned to see the old man gliding down towards him, using some sort of sail.
"My, my" started the old man as he landed directly in front of Link. "It would seem we have quite the enigma here. This tower and others just like it have erupted across the land, one after another. It's almost as though.. a long-dormant power has awoken quite suddenly" he continued.
"If you don't mind me asking… did anything… odd, occur while you were atop that tower? The old man asked
Link pondered for a moment how he should respond to the man. The last time he was brutally honest with him, the old man did the opposite of being helpful. Link decided to play it safer and answer simply.
"I heard a voice" he said
"Well now! A voice, you say? And did you happen to recognize this mysterious voice" the old man questioned.
Yes was Link's gut reaction, but a part of him knew he didn't totally recognize the lady's voice, even if it was a bit familiar. He just… felt something, when he heard her speak, and he didn't know if that meant he recognized it or not.
"No" Link responded shortly.
"I see. Well, that is unfortunate" stated the old man. He turned to face the castle in the distance. "I take it you caught sight of the atrocity enshrouding the castle" he asked, to which Link nodded in response. "That.. is Calamity Ganon. One hundred years ago, that vile entity brought the kingdom of Hyrule to ruin. It appeared suddenly and destroyed everything in its path. So many innocent lives were lost in its wake" he said, with a somber look.
"I hundred years" Link thought for a moment. "The voice I've been hearing told me that's how long I was asleep in that cavern. Could it have something to do with the Calamity? Probably just a coincidence. I still don't believe that I was actually asleep for that long, right?" He asked himself, but decided to drop it and continue listening to the old man.
"For a century, the very symbol of our kingdom, Hyrule Castle, has managed to contain that evil. But just barely. There it festers, building its strength for the moment it will unleash its blight upon the land once again. It would appear that moment is fast approaching…" the old man finished.
The old man did something Link wasn't expecting. He turned to look Link directly in his eyes, and held his gaze steady before speaking.
"I must ask you, courageous one… Do you intend to make your way to the castle?" he said.
Link's mind raced wild for a moment. Did he plan to go to the castle? Especially with the evil entity that made its home there? Who has he, a mere boy, to embark on a journey to, essentially, his doom. The voice of the woman floated around his head, You are the light… have been asleep 100 years…the beast…this world will meet its end… All the things she told him seemed so...wrong. It couldn't be true, not if she was talking about him, right? Yet despite all this, he knew that he would travel to the castle. The more he looked at the castle, the more drawn to it he felt. "She's in there, and she needs help" Link thought suddenly. She's been calling out to me for help this entire time…"
"I do," Link said to the old man, determined.
The old man smiled slightly. "I had a feeling you would say that," he said.
"Here, on this isolated plateau, we are surrounded on all sides by steep cliffs, with no way down. If you were to try to jump off, well… no death would be more certain. Or more foolish" he continued.
Link almost laughed at that comment, as he had considered the thought of climbing down the side of the plateau for a brief moment.
"Of course, if you had a paraglider like mine, that would be quite another story" the old man stated.
Link's ears perked up at the sound of this. "Paraglider?" He asked.
"Oho! Piqued your interest, have I? I didn't come soaring down here on my own feathery wings, you know!" Jeered the old man
Link's face fell in annoyance. " No shit, I knew that" Link thought, nearly voicing it aloud.
The old man chuckled, sensing Link's annoyance. "Worry not–I will happily agree to give you my paraglider. But not for nothing" he remarked. "Let's see now… How about I trade it for a bit of treasure that slumbers nearby? Come, boy, let me show you something".
Link followed the old man up the small cliff until he stopped, and pointed towards a strange glowing structure in the distance.
"Do you see that structure there? The one shining with a strange light? It began glowing at the exact moment those towers rose up from the ground. I would think such a place might house some sort of treasure, wouldn't you? Treasure for the paraglider. A fair exchange, I believe" he said.
"Seems fair enough," Link told the man. "It may be dark once I return, where can I find you, if that is the case?" he asked.
"Oho, I will be back where we first met for a while longer. I shall wait for you there"
The old man stated.
Link gave him a small nod and set off towards the glowing structure, traversing around rubble and ruined stone as he went. When he reached the structure, he noticed it had a pedestal similar to the ones he encountered before, and held up his Sheikah slate to it. Upon removing his slate, the screen read
Sheikah slate confirmed. Travel Gate registered to map. Access granted.
Suddenly the structure started rumbling, and doors opened up to reveal a small space, with nothing but a circular dias on the floor, bearing the same Sheikah eye that was on the back of his slate. Examining his map, Link noted that the shrine had a name. Oman Au Shrine: Magnesis Trial.
"Magnesis? Wonder what that means.." Link said to himself.
Link moved forward to examine the peculiar dias on the floor. When he placed two feet upon it, it slowly started to sink down. Link initially was startled and started to panic a little, unsure of what he would encounter as he continued to sink further beneath the ground, with the only light coming from the Sheikah eye beneath his feet. When he finally reached the bottom of the shrine he let out a sigh of relief. Nothing he could see so far posed a threat, and in actuality, the shrine seemed very… tranquil. There were high ceilings and glowing light everywhere, some in the shape of constellations, and others in the form of light sconces, glowing orange and blue. Link took one step forward only to be stopped, and jolted slightly as the sound of an ancient voice filled his mind.
To you who sets foot in this shrine… I am Oman Au. In the name of the Goddess Hylia, I offer this trial.
"The Goddess…" Link mused. "That is familiar, like the woman's voice… Maybe they are one in the same? Maybe that's who's been calling to me from the castle…"
Not wanting to fall down the rabbit hole of endless questions again, Link focused himself on the task at hand; What the hell was his next move supposed to be in this so-called shrine. He gave the room one more scan and saw yet again, a pedestal in the corner. He was starting to sense a theme. Link walked towards the pedestal and placed his slate on it.
Sheikah slate authenticated. Distilling rune…
"That's new" Link said to no one, as he watched a familiar blue tear start to form above his slate, taking a step back. A new menu opened up on his screen, and revealed to Link the rune of Magnesis.
"Manipulate metal objects using magnetism" Link read aloud
Noticing the large metal rectangles on the floor, Link knew it was time to give this new function of the slate a try. He switched on the rune, and held his slate out in front of him. Before his eyes appeared a transparent magnet, and within seconds he was able to point it at the metal shape and lift it into the air, as if it weighed no more than a feather. As he moved it, a ladder that went downwards appeared.
"Alright!" Link cheered to himself quietly, as he climbed down the ladder.
Link walked through the hall and into the next room of the shrine. This time, there are large stone blocks stacked against the entrance to the next room, with only one of the blocks being metal. Knowing what to do, Link moved the large blocks with the single metal one.
"Too easy, Oman Au, what else have you got for me?" Link goaded as he moved the last of the stone blocks.
When Link entered the next room to be greeted by a small three legged robotic creature, he knew he should've kept his big mouth shut. It was as if his words were truly heard by the shrine keeper, and he could've sworn he heard a faint laugh inside his head, but probably not. Link sprung into action as the first laser beam shot past him, and gave the automaton a good swing from his axe, sending it flying back into the shallow waters behind it.
With luck apparently still on his side, the automaton sparked a few times before shutting down, defeated.
Choosing to be wise and not utter a word after his victory, Link continued through the rest of the shrine. He moved another metal rectangle to act as a bridge, discovered a metal chest high up that he grabbed which contained a travelers bow, and pushed through two large metallic doors.
Finally in this last room, Link was astonished by what he was seeing. The new room housed a large cage which glowed blue, and inside it sat the mummified remains of who Link deduced to be Oman Au himself. Link walked as close as he could to where the shrine keeper was. He hesitantly placed his fingers on the glowing blue bars of the cage, and in an instant it shattered into a million fragments.
You possess the resolve of a true hero. I am Oman Au, the creator of this shrine. I am a humble monk, blessed with the sight of the Goddess Hylia and dedicated to helping those who seek to defeat Ganon. With your arrival, my duty is now fulfilled. In the name of the Goddess Hylia, allow me to bestow this gift upon you… Please accept this Spirit Orb
Suddenly a glowing orb with a symbol similar to the ones outside the Temple of Time appeared out of the monk's chest and flew straight towards Link. The spirit orb passed through Link and enveloped him in light, and gave him a new profound sense of.. well, spirit.
May the Goddess smile upon you the monk voiced inside Link's head as his remains turned into blue specs and disappeared. Link voiced a quiet thank you and made his way out of the shrine to get his new paraglider.
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"What do you mean I need more now! That wasn't the deal!" Link yelled in exasperation.
Link had made the trek all the way back to the old man's little camp from the shrine in the dark. He hid from packs of bokoblins and took down the ones he couldn't avoid, gaining himself a few bruises. He had listened to him ramble on about his Sheikah slate being tied to both the shrines and towers (which he already knew of course). He listened when the old man told him the stories of the Sheikah of old and their tech, and not once did the thought of complaining cross his mind, because it would all be worth it when he could get his hands on the paraglider and get off this Goddess-forsaken plateau. But he was now finding out that no, he was not getting the paraglider and he was not going to leave the plateau as he foolishly expected.
"I said treasure, but I never said there would be only one treasure," the old man teased. "Whether it's one treasure or four, what's the difference for a young go-getter like yourself?" He asked.
"It's all the difference old man" Link groaned as he put his face in his hands. "I don't even know where the other three are.." he said quietly.
"Since I'm feeling generous, tomorrow I will teach you a trick for finding shrines" said the old man. "It's always best to survey the area by looking around from a high point. I will meet you atop the Plateau Tower at high noon"
"Are you joking, Sir? Because I don't find it very funny" Link deadpanned.
"Oho ho! I am afraid not. But do not worry! I have another little trick to share with you for your effort." remarked the old man.
"Save it. I made it up there on my own the first time, I can do it again" Link huffed.
"Oh? Still tired of my wisdom, I see? Well then, be my guest, boy" the old man said.
The two were silent for a moment as the fire crackled on. Link relished its warmth and scooted a bit closer to it, his tattered clothes not doing much to keep the nights chill at bay. Despite the knowledge he now processed after entering the shrine and listening to the old man's story of the Sheikah, Link still had numerous unanswered questions. Trying his luck for the last time today, Link asked the old man another question.
"Sir, what do you know about the Goddess Hylia? Could you tell me about her?"he asked.
The old man looked up at him, wearing an emotion he had not seen on his face before. He looked shocked, like actually shocked, that Link had asked him that. Link raised a brow in question of him, but upon his reaction the old man's face changed back to its normal expression.
The old man cleared his throat. "Er- Yes, I can tell you about the White Goddess. But in order to properly tell her story, I need to tell you a different one first… he stated.
So beside the firelight, the old man ragalled Link with the tale of the origin of Hyrule, and the three Golden Goddesses. He told him their names; Din, Farore, and Nayru, along with their coinciding powers and how they each contributed to the salvation of Hyrule. He told him how as quickly as the Goddesses came, they left, only leaving behind a symbol of their remarkable gifts, which together formed the Triforce. Link's eyes started to feel heavy as he continued to listen to how only those who came to possess the marks of the three virtues, Power, Wisdom, and Courage, could have their strongest desires granted by the Triforce. His eyes finally gave into rest, and he only heard bits of how the Triforce was given to the Goddess Hylia, and how she perished to the Demon King Demise protecting its power and her people as he fell asleep. That night his dreams were peaceful, only filled with calm voices, and a shining golden light.
When Link awoke the next morning, the old man was gone, and he was keenly aware of the ache he felt through his entire body. He was sore from yesterday's climb and bokoblin run-ins, and sleeping on the dirt didn't do much to help that. He also remembered the promise he had made to the old man, to his dismay, and decided he needed to get moving, as it would be nearing high noon soon judging by where the sun was in the sky. Link grabbed his pack, axe, and his traveler's bow, setting his sights on the distant Forest of Time. Link was surprisingly a natural at hunting. He instinctively knew how to quiet his steps to approach an unsuspecting boar, and knew where to aim to kill it and also protect the meat. He also found himself not having to think twice when it came to butchering the meat, cutting away with his small dagger with ease. By the time Link had made his way back to the Plateau Tower, his stomach was full of charred meat, with the remainder wrapped up in Korok leaf in his pack.
His full stomach didn't ease the soreness he felt all over, though. Link gave a small groan as he stared up at the tower, its height taunting him.
"Okay Link, you can do this. You've done it once, you can do it again. It's go time!" Link said, hyping himself up. He started to climb, and was doing alright until he reached the middle platform of the tower, feeling absolutely winded.
"Goddesses above, sleeping for a hundred years did nothing to improve my stamina" Link said with gasping breaths.
"Oho! Tired now are we, young one? These old bones managed to get up here, this should be a breeze for you, now shouldn't it? Hm?" Someone shouted above him
Flabbergasted, Link looked up to see the old man peering down at him from atop the tower, with a slight grin on his face
"What the! How did you-"
"Oho ho boy, a wise man never reveals all of his secrets. I can, however, relay to you the trick I mentioned yesterday, if you're not too hell bent on continuing on without it" the old man said.
Link let out a loud sigh, utterly defeated. "Yes, please," Link answered.
"I thought as much," the old man chortled. "Take a look at the map on your Sheikah slate. See those blue icons? You should recognize the cave where you woke, the shrine you came from, and the tower. You can travel instantly to any of those places with the Sheikah slate." he shouted.
Link opened up his map and found the blue icon for the Plateau Tower. When he hovered over it, he noticed that underneath the icon it now said Travel.
"Are you sure about this, old man?" Link shouted back
"Quite some time ago I heard about this feature… I do not know if it actually works as such" the old man stated.
"Well, there's only one way to find out," Link said to himself.
He tapped the travel button on his slate, and initially, nothing happened.
"Sir" he started. "I think this feature is a dud-
But he was cut off as he felt himself fall into nothingness, only a faint blue swimming past his eyes. In an instant he felt himself touch ground again, only this time now he was atop the tower. Link felt himself up and down. He was all there; he was alright, if only a little disoriented and his legs a bit wobbly.
"What was that you were saying? The old man asked, now next to him. "I couldn't quite hear that last bit" he said.
"Nevermind" Link breathed out.
"Alright, let's get to it then, yeah? I wanted you to join me up here so you could use this as a vantage point to search for shrines" stated the old man. "Did you know about the scope on your Sheikah slate? Look through it, and you can stick a pin anywhere you'd like to mark on the map. The pins on your map serve as reference points or your travels. Just stick a pin anywhere you're interested in!" He exclaimed.
"How do you know all this about my Sheikah slate?" Link asked.
"Experience, wisdom… instinct? Call it what you will, believe it only if you so please" the old man answered. "Go ahead and take a look if you feel inclined to do so".
Link took out his Sheikah slate and turned on the scope feature. With this function of the slate, he was able to look into the screen as if it were a magnifying glass, and survey the surrounding area. Link scanned the area all around him, and discovered three more shrines from atop the tower; one tucked away in Eastern Abbey to the southeast, another southwest behind the Temple of Time, and the final one to the west, past the River of the Dead. He pinned each location, and set off immediately, waving the old man goodbye.
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Link hastily made his way over to Eastern Abbey, eager to see what the next shrine would have in store for him. He would never admit it, and especially not to the old man, but he kind of enjoyed the sense of accomplishment he felt after completing the last shrine, and having to do it three more times was starting to sound less like a chore. In the distance, Link could see the top of the shrine poking up from behind a cobbled wall. He headed that way, rounding the corner of the rest of the ruined wall. He was a few meters away from where the shrine hid when he heard a mechanical whirring sound behind him. Link turned around to investigate, and noticed something he had ignored on his initial walkthrough; it was a husk of a long dormant automaton, similar to the one he encountered in his first shrine, but still very different. He only knew it was dormant because there were a bunch of them scattered across the Great Plateau, lifeless. Link had previously thought them to be statues, but after he completed Oman Au's shrine, he knew that wasn't the case. Yet now it seems that he was still wrong after all, although only partially, because one of the automatons that he had assumed would never turn on, was in fact back to life, and was pointing a red tracking laser right between his eyes.
Link had never moved so fast in his life as he barrel rolled to the side, avoiding the white hot beam of light shot by the automaton. He got to his feet, sprinted, and hoisted himself over the cobbled wall with so much speed that he forgot to catch himself when he fell over the otherside. Ignoring the pain, Link held his breath, awaiting the sound of another shot, only for it never to come. He breathed a sigh of relief, and headed over to activate the shrine, mentally reminding himself to find a different way to exit when he was finished. With the shrine ready, Link stood on the platform and entered Ja Baij Shrine : Bomb Trial.
When Ja Baij was finished reciting his decree in Link's head, he made a beeline for the pedestal, knowing he would be receiving a new rune for his Sheikah slate. With the rune distilled, Link now had the power to summon remote bombs from his slate, and detonate them from a distance. He was curious as to how powerful the explosion of the small bombs would be, carefully distancing himselt as he set his first one down on the floor next to the cracking stone blocking his entrance to the next room. Link continued through the next few rooms, exploding any cracked stone he saw, and discovered a chest for his efforts, earning himself a traveler's claymore. He then entered a room with a moving platform, with more cracked stone on the other side of it. Knowing what to do, Link place a square bomb on the platform, and waited until just before the platform reached the other side where the stone was before he detonated it, exploding the stone into small pieces.
When Link entered the final room, this one was a bit peculiar. It housed large rectangular pillars that were placed at an angle, and every few moments the pillars would shift back and forth quickly. To his left, a set of the moving pillars were launching a glowing orb back and forth, causing Link to infer that it was a clue to how to use his bomb. Getting closer to the pillar on his side, he noticed a funnel shape that reached from the platform where he was standing to the base of the pillar. A light turned on in Link's head and he realized that it was meant for his bomb, and quickly placed one inside. It rolled onto the base of the pillar, and in an instant the bomb was launched over to the cracking stone on the other side. Link detonated the bomb at the perfect time, the blast clearing the ledge and ladder of all the stone. He was about to head down the steps towards the ladder on the other side when he got a clever idea. Link walked over to the pillar and crouched on its base, preparing himself for sudden movement. In a split second he was soaring in the air of the shrine, the force of the pillars shifting was enough to send over not only a bomb, but a whole Hylian as well.
He landed on the other side with a big grin on his face, and stepped toward the remains of Ja Baij, awaiting his words and gift of a spirit orb. With a new rune, attitude, and sense of spirit, Link excited the shrine.
When Link returned to the surface, it was raining, sending shivers through his body with each cool droplet that landed on him. He hoped that he would find more suitable clothing in the future, if the weather continued on like this. Despite the rain, Link still set his course towards the next shrine, not wanting to waste a moment. He headed southwest from Eastern Abbey, and luckily there were no automatons waiting to blast him into smithereens. As he neared the grassy plain dotted with birch trees, the rain started to come down harder, causing Link to quicken his steps.
Link heard something snap to his left, and when he turned to look, his body was sent flying into the air, tumbling to the ground a few meters away, hard. He tried to sit up and gather what in Hylia's name had happened, but the wind was knocked out of him; he couldn't breath. Link sputtered out a few gasps and finally got to his feet, only to be face first with the largest creature he had ever encountered. It had the large body of a horse and the menacing face of a lion. It bared its sharp fangs and reared its hooves as it readied itself to charge Link once more. Still in utter shock, Link forced himself to move. He ran to a nearby birch tree and crouched behind it, hoping to deter the beast. Link mentally scolded himself. He was stupid, so so stupid. How did he not think that something could sneak up on him through the cover of rain? He should've been more cautious heading this way. If he had known such a beast would be waiting for him, he would have avoided passing through this plain completely, and figured out another route.
"Now is not the time to dwell on past mistakes" Link thought. He had to figure out how he was going to escape this thing alive.
Time was at the essence as he could hear the beast making its way closer; obviously it had seen him run behind the tree, but he guessed it decided to take its sweet time to frighten Link further. Thinking fast, Link bolted out from behind the tree with an arrow knocked in his bow, and shot it directly into the beast's eye. The creature howled, temporarily stunned, and Link made a mad dash around it, sprinting as hard as he could. Link thought he had outpaced it well enough, but was sorely mistaken when he looked over his shoulder to see the beast gaining on him, its large cleaver drawn. He rolled away from the beast, attempting to deter the beast's swipe from its weapon, but he was a bit too slow, and caught the edge of the creature's blade in the back of his calf. Link gave a loud cry as hot white pain seared through his left leg, now bleeding profusely. He fell to one knee, grimacing, knowing things weren't looking too good for him. In front of him, the beast raised its cleaver over Link's head, ready to give the final blow. Refusing to go down without a fight, Link gripped his travelers claymore and gave a yell, preparing for the worst. Link closed his eyes, waiting for his weapon to be knocked clean out of his hands. When he heard the clang of metal on metal, Link was confused; The beasts cleaver had not connected with his own claymore, and when he opened his eye's Link saw the beast's blade came crashing down only to be parried by a double-edged axe, wielded by none other than the old man himself.
"Go! Get to my cabin in the southwest part of this plain!" The old man yelled through a clenched jaw, holding back the brute of a beast with his axe.
"But sir I- Link started shakily
"GO LINK, NOW! I will be FINE, trust me! The old man barked as the beast gave a loud roar.
Link was in utter shock. How was he supposed to leave the old man with this beast? he would surely meet a terrible fate. Link was a fighter, even with his aching wound on his calf, he could help. He wanted to help; he didn't want to retreat and be useless.
"I won't let you do this alone sir! Link shouted. "You'll die!"
Link knocked another arrow and shot it in the beast's eye once more, giving the old man an opening to inflict a few more blows.
But the old man refused to make a move on the beast. He instead turned around and gripped Link by the shoulders.
"ARE YOU INSANE, BOY!" he bellowed. "For once in your goddess-damned life, DO AS YOU'RE TOLD and SAVE YOURSELF!"
With a final growl, the old man gave Link a hefty shove in the direction he needed to head, and turned to face the beast alone.
Reluctantly, Link did as he was told, and started to jog towards the old man's cabin. This action caused more pain to shoot up his leg, so once he had gotten far enough away from the scene of his failed battle, he opted to limp the rest of the way. Limping, however, did not prove to ease Link's pain, the throbbing in his calf was now worse. His vision was starting to darken, and his mouth tasted of metal. Link fought hard to keep moving forward, nearing the small cabin in the distance. His foot caught on a small stone, and he faltered. Link saw the now clear sky above, stars shining bright, before he faded into unconsciousness.
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Link awoke to the feeling of warmth surrounding him and the smell of something cooking. He rolled over onto his side, relishing in the comfortable blanket he was cocooned in. A thought then struck Link instantly; He didn't have a blanket in his pack, and had slept on the cold dirt the night before. Where was he? Link racked his brain trying to remember what had happened.
"I see you finally decided to wake up" said a voice
Link opened his eyes to see the old man standing a few paces in front of him; chopping up mushrooms on a small counter.
That was when everything came flooding back to him. The shrine. The rain. The beast. His near death experience, and how the old man had come to his rescue. He also remembered how he had made a fool of himself, and was told to come here, although he now realized he must have never made it, as the last thing he recalled were the stars in the night sky. Link sat up from the bed he was in and gave a groan, wincing as he reached towards his left calf to check his wound.
"I'll be honest, you gave me quite the scare when I found you face up on the ground near my cabin" started the old man. "But when I found you were in fact breathing, and still alive, I figured you wouldn't be in good shape if that nasty wound wasn't properly patched up, so I brought you here" he said.
Link cleared his throat and uttered a quiet thank you. It was all he was willing to say at the moment, with the real questions he wanted to ask being buried by his downtrodden feelings.
The old man chuckled. "Yeah, that beast of a lynel cut you pretty good, but if you change the dressings properly when needed, it should fair alright, although it will probably scar" he continued. "I'm sorry I didn't mention the lynel sooner, I figured you would come to me with questions after you completed another shrine as per usual. That beast took up roots in that plain some time ago, and I have avoided confronting it directly for a while now, opting to skirt along the farthest trees to circumvent being spotted."
Link nodded in response, staring aimlessly at the ground for a moment. He knew what the old man was saying, albeit in a gentle manner; This could've been avoided, if he had been a bit less ambitious, and paid more attention. Link brows knitted together in frustration. First the guardian, now the lynel; Why was he constantly finding himself in danger that could've been avoided if he had just used his head. Link didn't want to dwell on it too long, as he did remind himself that he kind of had a lot on his mind as of late. So excuse him, the boy who awoke from a strange cave with no memories, if he wasn't always super focused.
"Sir, How did you know to, um, come help me?" Link questioned.
"Ah, yes, I was out moving firewood away from the rain when I saw the glow from your Sheikah slate not too far from me. I could tell from where you were and my knowledge of the lynel's usual path that you had unknowingly stumbled into its usual stomping grounds" said the old man. Link gave him another nod, not knowing how to continue.
The old man walked out of the cabin with a ladle in hand and returned with a steaming bowl of some sort of stew.
"Eat this" he said, handing Link the bowl. "I made it with a bit of Stamella shroom, it should help with your energy levels a bit, after what you faced today."
Link gingerly lifted the bowl to his mouth and started to eat the stew. He didn't waste a moment finishing it, having only eaten what he prepared for himself earlier that morning.
"Thank you" Link said in a small voice. "For saving me, I mean. And for the stew, also".
"Oho, twas no problem, my boy. It was about time this plateau rid itself of that nasty creature anyways" started the old man. "I do, however, advise that if you are to ever encounter another one of those beast's, that you do so with more than a claymore and a bow. It is also worth noting that in some cases when you feel you are in too much of a weakened state to fight, that it is perfectly alright to back down from a battle. In this case, running should've been your only option. It was the sanest one, at least" he jeered.
"I know," Link muttered downheartedly. "I just felt that.. I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I thought that maybe I could beat it, you know? I've been having great success with the shrines and fighting other beasts like the bokoblins, and when I hit it dead on in the eye with my bow, I guess I got a bit-
"Carried away? The old man finished for him. "Oho ho! Yes, I thought as much when you raised your claymore to it after it sliced your calf. As stubborn as you may be, that does not make you stronger, or more cunning than that menace of a lynel. You don't always have to play the part of the hero. Remember that" The old man said with a smile.
This time, Link returned his smile. He would refuse to ever tell him this, but he knew that the old man was right. He wasn't invincible. He was flesh and blood; living, and he wanted to keep it that way. If Link was going to continue on his goal of reaching the castle, he needed to get stronger, smarter, and level-headed. He needed to train, and he vowed to keep that promise to himself, even if he needed to seek additional help to honor it.
"Well then, I believe it is time to turn in for the night" said the old man. "You're free to use my bed while you recover, I have an itching to sleep under the stars tonight" he remarked.
Link gave him a nod and laid down under the large blanket once more. The old man blew out the lanterns in his little cabin, and headed out the door.
"Goodnight, Link" the old man said calmly before finding a tree to lean up against.
Link would've given him a response, if he hadn't fallen asleep almost immediately as his head hit the pillow; the exhaustion and full stomach hitting him all at once as his day of peril came to an end.
Hey Ya'll, Iris here, back with another chapter. Hope you all enjoy! On another note, I AM SO FREAKING EXCITED FOR TEARS OF THE KINGDOM AHHH! I originally intended for this story to be finished before the sequel came out, but seeing as I put it off for about 5 years, I don't think I'm going to be able to achieve that at this point, with the game coming out in eight short months. With that being said, I will try my hardest to get it at leastclose to the end before that point, so in light of this news I WILL be updating more frequently! hooray! I'm going to try to do about every week/ week and a half, and sometimes it may be closer to two weeks depending on my work load for school, but the updates will come! Thanks for reading!