There were few things better than a late night walk through the woods long after the sun had set. At least in the mind of Del. The Lurelin resident was finally free of the Yiga Clan and back among family and friends. And this evening, he was adventuring again with a torch in hand, just like the old days. The days when everything was simple, and he hadn't tasted the bloodied training and radical teachings of the clan.
And he wasn't alone. No, Del was joined by his longtime best friend, Zufali. His fellow Lurelin villager had changed and blossomed from young teen into quite the young woman while he was away– but her tongue and sharp wit that made bantering with her so far remained the same.
"Y'know, when I agreed to 'venturing through Lanayru on our way to Kakariko', I didn't think you meant we'd be walking all night," she complained from several paces behind him. "Did your time with the Yiga turn you into a Keese as well; more active at night?"
"Sure did. Keese at night, flying into your nightmares," Del replied cheerfully. He turned in time to block the punch she was aiming for his shoulder. "Oh, c'mon, Zu-zu. You can do better than that. You still hit like a girl."
Zufali scowled at him, her orange eyes flashing with frustration. "Are you always going to lord that over me? I'll have you know I've been training too while you were gone! There's nobody who can beat me with a spear this side of Central Hyrule!"
"Long as you're not counting the Zora warriors. Or the Hylian guards at the stables. Or the–" Del cut himself off when she landed the hit on his shoulder this time. "You should really get that ego of yours checked."
"Oh, screw you. Wanna talk about ego? How about that attitude that you can do whatever you want, whenever you want?" She huffed.
Their sandaled feet made very little noise in the grass as they climbed up the slopes towards the top of the Lanayru Heights. The cool air was pleasant but not enough to make either of them cold, even with their sleeveless tunics and shorts. The goal was to reach somewhere they could make camp, preferably with a view where they wouldn't be caught off guard by monsters. From there, they would head to Zora's Domain to offer Zufali a change of scenario– and a lesson that she wasn't the only one proficient at wielding the spear strapped to her back.
"Nah, not whatever. Or whenever. Just sometimes, when the mood strikes," he cheerfully countered. "What do you think? Top of the ridge here? Get a good dose of moonlight with a view of the stars, and it'll be just like old times camping overlooking the village." Del pointed at the grassy plateau a hundred paces further up the hill.
"Sure. Seems like as good a place as any. Just need to do a scout for monsters, as usual."
A strange shiver ran down his spine as they approached their destination, bringing his hand automatically to the hilt of the sword on his back. A sense of apprehension, even, foreign as the concept felt. Del did his best to shake it off. They were just spending the night camping in the open again. Like so many nights He had spent with the clan while they ventured across Hyrule on their incessant hunt for the Hero of Hyrule... That was what it must be. Nothing more than mild trepidation due to bad memories of the worst mistakes of his life.
"Top is clear. I haven't done the sweep of the sides yet." Zufali glanced at him. "You alright? You look a little pale. You need to relieve yourself or something?"
"No." He immediately denied it. "Just a momentary shiver."
His best friend scrutinized his face for a long moment before giving a slight nod. "Alright. You can check the far side. I'll set up the tent."
"You mean tents," Del emphasized. "We've got two, right?"
"Nope! Just the one. I knew you'd have one, so why bother adding the extra weight to my pack?" She flashed a wide grin. "Thanks, Del!"
He shook his head fondly. "The 'lazy merchant' strikes again. If you can avoid hauling it, or find an easier way, you will."
"Oy! I'm not that bad! I've gotten better!" Zufali protested. "At least I didn't trick you into carrying my bag like I used to do."
"Yet. I was expecting you to save that for the morning when you're 'tired from lack of sleep' or some sort of excuse."
She growled but didn't deny it. "You can be such an insufferable jackass!"
"No, I just know you." He handed her his pack, and smirked in satisfaction when she grunted and nearly dropped it. "Have fun setting up the tent."
"What in Hyrule did you pack in here, boulders?!"
"Yup! Enjoy sifting through them in search of the tentpoles." Del ignored the frustrated cry from Zufali and jogged up to the top of the plateau.
She was right, of course, that the near side was free of enemies. The clearing gave a perfect view of the canyon, and Mount Lanayru. And to the White-Maned Lynel casually wandering on the flattened area halfway down the mountainside.
"Hey, Zu-zu? We got a problem down the hill. It's a–" The rest of the sentence died in his throat. The strange sensation was back, crawling up his spine towards his brain. He turned his face towards the skies as it darkened. The ominous glow of a purple-red moon rose above him, climbing into the stars at an alarming speed.
His mind and vision blurred, rimmed with dark hues. His sense of hearing and smell heightened, yet one sense. No, one emotion overwhelmed all others. Anger. Must. Destroy. ALL!
His feet moved on their own, and the Eightfold Blade from his back was now in his hands. The Lynel was facing away from him, but whirled when Del slashed his haunch open with a swift blow.
Flames erupted from the monster's mouth, threatening to surround the former Yiga. A dark laugh escaped from Del's lips as he leaped sideways and dodged both the fire and the giant claymore being swung at his face. This was what it meant to be alive!
"DEL! What the hell are you doing!?"
The screamed words barely reached his ears. He was lost in the adrenaline rush and bloodlust that came with facing a monster head-on. He dodged the claymore a second time when the Lynel rushed him and laughed even louder. His blade slashed the pounding hooves when the creature came by again, dropping the monster to its front knees. Del leaped onto the Lynel's back and hacked away at the muscle and sinew on its shoulder, fighting to get it to drop the giant sword it carried.
The beast roared, rearing up and throwing him backwards as hard as it could. Del tumbled off and rolled to the side with the grace of a cat, still nicking his own leg with the tip of his Eightfold Blade thanks to his swift motion. He didn't even register the pain as he leaped backwards to avoid another fiery breath attack. His very blood sang with the need to attack. To draw blood. To kill. Nothing would stand in his way! And when he had cleaved the monster's very head from his shoulders, he would seek out the Hero. He would stop at nothing to destroy the man who would openly oppose their lord, Ganon!
Slash. Roll to dodge. Flying leap to hack away at the monster. Register a woman's scream–
"Look out, Del!"
A spear plunged into the shoulder of the brute, but not before his companion was kicked in the leg by the Lynel's powerful hoof. Del didn't bother to remove the spear. He simply avoided it and the fallen woman to continue his assault on the Lynel. If he stayed in melee range, he would render the monster's bow useless…
The haze in his mind cleared just enough for him to recognize and plan to seize an opportunity. But he was slow on jumping aside to escape from its attack. He caught the brunt of the Lynel's shield swing across his back, sending him tumbling towards the edge of the plateau. His feet slid off the edge, and his sword landed a dozen paces closer to where the woman sat curled around her injured leg.
"Watch your back, you jackass! It's going to kill you!"
A feral growl rumbled from his throat. The monster wouldn't defeat him! He was Del of the Yiga Clan, empowered by the Blood Moon and his loyalty to Lord Ganon! He WOULD be victorious, by any means necessary!
He activated his teleportation runes, aiming squarely for the Lynel's back. He landed with enough force to send pain shooting up through his groin, temporarily stunning him. Pure tenacity and sheer leg strength kept him from being thrown off until he had the wits to snatch the bow strapped in front of him. He nocked an arrow and fired it at the Lynel's head– just as the monster violently thrashed. The arrow flew wild, landing in the grass a half dozen paces away from Zufali. Del slipped the bowstring over his forearm and clung to the wounded neck of the beast to keep from being tossed again, coating his tunic in its blood. The heavy, coppery scent combined with sweat filled his nostrils. His vision was clouded, senses overload. Kill the beast. KILL ALL WHO STOOD IN HIS WAY!
He whooped in victory when the Lynel failed to throw him. Running on adrenaline and the fire surging through his veins, he yanked the bow and wrenched it around the beast's neck. He grabbed the wood of the bow and pulled it back towards him with all the brute force he could muster. It struggled, clawing at the string tightening around its wounded neck. The roar of anger turned into a choked snarl, then a gasp and gurgle as the Lynel's fight weakened then stopped altogether.
Pride and bloodlust swelled in Del's chest when the Lynel's body collapsed to the grass. He leaped off its back and snatched the heavy sword. It would be a fine replacement for the Eightfold Blade that was nowhere in sight.
A sniffle and the scent of salty tears mixed with blood caught his nose and he whirled from the corpse. Wild eyes landed on the figure sitting in the grass and clutching her leg. He snarled and snatched the spear from the Lynel's chest. It would make a far better weapon against a weak opponent than the sword. Though if they put up a fight, he would have a backup.
He stalked towards her, taking in her appearance from head to toe. Her black hair was a tangled mess, her orange eyes wide with fear. Dust and grass stains covered her sleeveless sea green tunic. Blood trickled down her tanned shin from a gash on her right leg, but it was her left that bent unnaturally, revealing the break.
He twirled the spear and gripped the hilt tighter. "Tell me. For whom do you fight? Whom do you serve?"
"What?" Her mouth fell open at his deep growl.
"Don't make me repeat myself!" He pointed the spear towards her throat. "Answer me!"
"C'mon, Del! This isn't funny! You know me. We've been friends since we were tiny. You know who I'm loyal to. Snap out of it already!" Her voice shook though he could tell she was trying to downplay her fear.
His jaw tightened. A faint voice in the back of his head nagged at him. She knew his name. Maybe she wasn't lying. Maybe she did know who he was. "I will give you one final chance to come clean before you meet the same fate as the beast behind me. Be glad I'm feeling generous enough to allow you to answer!"
"Del… Please. It's me. Zufali! Your best friend. Don't do this… Please, Del! You don't know what you're saying. Or doing! You're not in the Yiga Clan anymore. You left all that behind! Don't do this… Please, don't do this." Tears streamed down her face, renewing the scent of salt combining with blood filling his nostrils.
"Sniveling and lies won't save you. Farewell, Zu–" Del drew the spear back, then froze. Her name formed on his lips. Zufali. He was facing…
A shadow fell over the two, breaking his concentration. He clutched his head and shook it hard, trying to clear the haze. Something wasn't right. He barely registered when the spear fell from his hand. Or the cry of relief from the woman next to him. Pain shot through his leg when he crumpled to the grass, fighting for breath.
"Del. Del, talk to me. Please." Her voice cracked and broke, creeping in through the muddled thoughts and sensations.
The fog around his mind lifted as the shadow passed. He watched the inky hue over the grass before him shift and fade. Only then did he turn to gaze at the sky. The ominous dark glow over the moon had faded, leaving only a red halo outlining the full orb.
"Del?" Zufali's voice got through this time.
He lifted his head and blinked at her. Her orange eyes were red rimmed with tears still flowing down her cheeks. And hurt wasn't the only thing written across her face. She wore an expression he had only seen twice in his life from the typically unflappable merchant – pure, unadulterated fear.
"Zu-zu?" His throat felt like he'd been gargling rocks, and his tongue felt heavy and thick.
"Are you… you?"
He blinked and swallowed hard before nodding. "I think so? What happened?"
A new wave of tears streamed down her face. "Y-you almost– I…" Words failed her and she buried her head in her hands, weeping harder than anything he'd seen in years.
Flashes of memory burst through his head in tendrils of light and pain. The Lynel. His ferocity. His blatant ignoring of his best friend… and the spear. HER spear.
"No. No… tell me I'm wrong," he whispered. He shook his head vehemently. "Zu-zu… I'm sorry. I–"
"I know," she cut him off, dragging a hand over her eyes to wipe away the tears while she fought to recollect her composure. "It wasn't you. It was that horrible Blood Moon!"
"I don't remember any of the Blood Moons from when I was in the clan," he admitted. One glance down at his tunic and hands told him that was probably for the best.
Bitterness dripped off her words as she regained her composure, replacing the tears with anger– a righteous anger. "Not surprised. Y'know the village stories they told us as kids? About the monsters and Yiga going mad under the influence of the Blood Moons? My parents made it seem like they were folktales. Made-up stories. But they're not, are they?"
"No… I guess they're not…" Del stared unseeing at his bloodstained fingers. If the Blood Moon hadn't ended when it did, he would've–
"Don't just sit there, jackass. I can't walk like this! Tell me you've at least got some potions in that oversized bag of yours." Zufali scowled at him when their eyes met. "Or if you don't, you can get a couple out of my bag. Two should get the leg set and pain under control til we can see one of the Zora healers tomorrow."
"Right." Del moved on autopilot, rolling to his feet to climb back up to where their bags had been abandoned. His shin ached, and he looked down at the sizeable gash leaking blood down his leg. It'd need another potion, or a wrap bandage at the very least. But that was a low priority. Zufali urgently needed healing.
Every time he blinked for more than a couple of seconds, he could see her face streaked with tears. Her pleading for her life filled his ears. Del couldn't speak. He didn't want to, even when he carried the potion bottles back down to where she sat.
"Thanks." She uncorked the bottles and guzzled them down without second thought. Her head dropped to her chest and she let out a long sigh. "Do you have something we can use as a splint?"
"I'll find something." He refused to meet her eyes, leaving her on the grass not far from the corpse once more.
"And Del? Hand me my spear. I need to clean it."
He picked up the handle and passed it to her with the sharpened end pointed towards himself. If she had attacked him at that moment, he wouldn't have stopped her. Or even flinched. He deserved the worst punishment for his actions– whether intentional or not. He threatened his best friend, and their relationship wouldn't be the same for a long time, if ever. Even if she was forgiving for most things, there was no way she would be when her very life was threatened. And all because of his accursed time with the Yiga.
An awkward silence fell between the two of them when Del returned with the makings for a makeshift splint. He mumbled an apology under his breath when he had to pick up her leg to bandage it and attach it to the stiff plank.
Zufali blew out her breath and finally looked at him. "I know it's not your fault."
"Doesn't matter."
"Yes, it does! You might be a pain in my ass, and a reckless fool, but never once have you attacked me with any intention of hurting me. You weren't in control of yourself, and I know that." She looked down at her hands, then pulled her spear sideways across her lap. "It's not going to be something I can just forget. It'll haunt me, like anything awful that's happened to me. But, I'm not gonna hold it against you."
Del's jaw tightened. "Why not? It was still me holding that spear to your throat. Ready to kill you, over nothing. You have every right to hate me."
"You really think I want to hate my best friend?!" Her head snapped up, and her orange eyes flashed in anger. "Do you know how few friends I have!? I'm trying to tell you that I'm going to work through this and let it go, and instead you're asking me to hate you! You're such a– a self-centered asshole!"
Her words stung, but he could do little more than shrug. Her frustrated growl barely registered as he helped her to her feet and supported her so she could hobble back up the hill. Silence reigned when he sat her on the grass a short distance away from where he set up their tent. Her choice to have them share a tent had him tensing up until he decided to forego coverage for himself.
The moon was halfway down to the horizon before either of them spoke.
"You may not hate me, but I hate myself, and it's going to take a lot for me to let this go. I don't ever want to forget it. To forget what a monster I can become. I promise you, Zu-zu, that I'm going to do everything in my power to make it up to you. To figure out a way to make sure this never happens again. To you, or anyone else I might be around during a Blood Moon."
There was a pregnant pause before she replied. "So be it then. Just don't kill yourself trying to do those things. I… I don't want to lose my best friend."
"I'll do my best."
The stars were fading from the sky and Zufali had been snoring for several hours when Del crept out of the tent. He laid back on the grass and stared up at the sky. It was only by the grace of Hylia that both of them had made it through the night. His stomach rolled as he again remembered the bloodied Lynel he killed, and the frightened look on Zufali's face. He would have to make amends. Make recompense for all the hurt and trouble he caused. Maybe then, and only then, he would be able to put this wretched night behind him. The night of the Blood Moon.