Chapter 11
Zelda's breath caught in her throat as her body hung in the air, weightless as the Sheikah technology defied the laws of nature. Gravity reasserted itself in the next beat as the blue tendrils of energy slipped through her fingers, her body hitting the ground hard. Un-ladylike words of frustration rattled behind pursed lips as she picked herself up off the ground once more, brushing dirt off her trousers. The glowing energy was already coalescing into her knight on the platform of the shrine a few feet away.
Link blinked as he became solid again, staggering slightly before finding his balance. He closed his eyes against the slowly spinning world around him, taking a deep breath as he waited for the dizziness to fade. "I don't think I can do this anymore, princess." He turned toward the sound of her footsteps through the grass, carefully opening his eyes. "Regardless of whether the slate can move two people or not, I can definitely say it's not meant to be used by one person so many times in such quick succession."
Zelda's baleful gaze shifted to concern. "Are you all right?"
"Just a bit lightheaded and dizzy," he said, raising a hand to his temple. "It's been fading on its own after a minute or two, but it gets a little worse each time and I'd rather not go 'til I pass out."
Zelda closed the distance between them, taking Link's arm and guiding him to the platform's edge. "You should have said something sooner," she chided.
Link followed her lead, letting her help him sit down. "It was only the last few times and it wasn't that bad," he said dismissively. "Besides figuring out how to use the travel gates with two people would be worth it. That would save us weeks of travel time."
Zelda just shook her head before gingerly seating herself on the raised platform. While she'd only fallen a couple times, the ground was unforgiving and her backside was rather sore. "I suppose all technology must have its limits. Given time Purah might be able to craft another slate with which I might travel, but for now we shall just have to journey on foot. Where are we headed that we might collect...well, I'm afraid I've forgotten what components are still needed to complete the elixir."
"A shard of Naydra's horn and a shard of Farosh's claw." Link brought up the map on the slate, turning it so the princess could see as well. "There isn't a direct road to either the Lanayru Promenade or Lake Floria from here- those are the two places it'll be easiest to shoot the dragons." He slid his finger along the screen, moving to the map to illustrate his point. "We'll have to head back to Dueling Peaks and then north to Kakariko before heading east to reach the promenade. To get to Lake Floria, we'll have to backtrack almost to the Great Plateau before heading south. The first trip should take a week or so and the other will likely take the better part of a month."
Zelda leaned over to peer at the map. "What if we came up here-" She broke off with an irritated huff as her finger brushed the screen, a box reading 'Unauthorized User' flashing across the display before the map turned black.
Link couldn't help smiling slightly as he tapped the slate, the map immediately coming back into view. "Yes?" he prompted, grin widening slightly as the princess glared at the device.
"I must figure out why it keeps doing that," Zelda muttered before continuing her previous thought. "You said Naydra is close enough to hit with an arrow anywhere along the promenade, yes?" she asked, moving her finger along that area on the map but being sure not to touch the screen.
Link hummed in agreement.
"We're here." She lowered to the blue icon representing the shrine on the map. "And the promenade is there, which means this mountain is the only thing separating us. If I'm reading this correctly, it should be that mountain right...there?" She pointed at the mountain range north of town, the tip of Mount Lanayru just visible beyond it.
Link pushed her hand a little more to the west. "That waterfall over there is part of this lake on the map," he explained, gesturing between the landmark and the slate.
"Oh. That doesn't look terribly difficult at all." Zelda glanced between the map and the mountain with an appraising eye. "How long would you estimate it would take to climb over it rather than go around?"
The knight blinked at her. "You realize we couldn't take the horses with us."
"Then we shall walk."
"Hike," he corrected, studying the mountain before doing the same on the map. "You should be able to climb up next to the waterfall here. As for how long...maybe a day or two? Depending on weather conditions." He glanced back at the princess. "You sure you're up for it?"
"Of course." Zelda tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I didn't ride on horseback everywhere we traveled back then. We had to walk to Goron City, as well as Gerudo Town."
"Walking on a path is far different from climbing over a mountain."
"I still think the time saved would be well worth the effort. Your episodes seem to be occurring with more frequency, which means we should hasten our efforts as well."
He couldn't argue with her there. "Alright, we'll climb over the mountain. If we leave now, we can probably make it to the top of the waterfall before dark and make camp there. If the weather holds, we can cross the mountain and be in place before Naydra reaches the promenade tomorrow night."
It didn't take long to get ready, Link already used to heading out at a moment's notice. They followed the road a little ways outside of town before cutting through the forest. The swordsman seemed more wary than usual as they passed through the trees, eyes constantly scanning the area around them.
"Is this area particularly dangerous?" Zelda asked, eyeing her companion.
"Not really," he answered, his words at odds with his actions. "I cleared most of the bokoblins out last night, but there may be a few I missed still lurking around."
"Last night?"
Link started to nod before catching himself. "Well, technically this morning."
Zelda glanced sidelong at him, remembering him leaving to 'clear his head' as well as his comment about culling monsters at breakfast. "I see." While familiar with the concept of working out frustration through physical exertion, it seemed odd to apply that to monster extermination. Even against the weakest of the monster classes, a mistake could prove fatal. Then again, what could provide a better distraction than a battle for life or death?
It wasn't long before the trees gave way to an open field dotted with a few boulders jutting out the ground and a large lake sparkling in the sun on the other side. The waterfall was visible beyond it, the dull roar audible even at that distance as the water cascaded down from above.
Zelda let her gaze wander over the picturesque area, a smile touching her lips at the beauty of the land. Although she knew it hadn't played a part in Link's decision to purchase the house, she could see the appeal of living in such a place. Thus distracted by the scenery, she didn't notice the swordsman had stopped until his arm physically blocked her path. She blinked at him, noting his sharp gaze focused on the open field before them. "What it is?"
Link narrowed his eyes in slight annoyance, gesturing toward the group of boulders in the center of the field. "I forgot that was here."
Zelda glanced between the rocks and her knight. "What do you mean?" The rocks weren't overly large and it would be a simple enough matter to walk around them.
"That's a stone talus."
Zelda blinked in surprise, looking more closely at the monster. Although she'd never seen one in person, the rocks were far smaller than what her books had indicated. These particular boulders seemed no different from the other rocks scattered about the area. "Are you certain?"
Link nodded distractedly, pulling the slate from his hip and tapping quickly on the screen. "Take cover behind those rocks," he said, motioning to an outcrop a little behind and to the right of them. "This won't take long."
Zelda nodded hesitantly, leaving the swordsman to his battle preparations as she followed his directions. The rocks weren't quite as tall as she was, affording her a clear view of the field. She watched as the arrows in the quiver at Link's waist disappeared in a swirl of blue only to be replaced by...more arrows? It stood to reason that there was some difference between feathered shafts, but Zelda could not tell what it was. Either way, she wasn't sure how well mere arrows would fare against solid stone.
Link replaced the slate on its hook, taking his bow in one hand and knocking an arrow with a small bag of black powder tied around its tip. A quick glance confirmed Zelda was safely out of harm's way as he strode purposefully toward his foe.
The ground began to rumble when the swordsman got within twenty feet of his quarry, dust clouds rising as the stone talus pulled itself up out of the ground. It looked like a series of different sized boulders held together by some invisible force and vaguely resembling a Goron. Two circular boulders larger than Link was tall served as 'fists,' connected to the main body by rocks about a quarter of the size. The 'feet' and 'legs' were smaller still, the combine height about equal to that of the swordsman. It seemed that the monster had some mobility, but not much in the way of speed. The main body was the largest piece by far, the rough rectangle a little wider than both its fists side-by-side and maybe a fist and a half tall. A small ore deposit of the different color was perched atop its body like a small, off-center crown. All in all, the massive creature dwarfed the tiny swordsman approaching it.
Zelda had never before noticed how small and squish-able Link seemed as the talus reared back and threw one boulder-fist at him. The swordsman darted to the side, disappearing in the rain of rocks and dirt as the fist literally shattered upon impact. Zelda didn't even have time to cry out before there was an explosion on the ore deposit, making the talus stagger back a step or two before falling forward on its front.
The monster pushed itself back to its feet after a moment, Link's sandy head of hair coming into view as he climbed to the top of the creature. The talus itself didn't move, either not realizing its opponent was now on top of it or perhaps not sure how to get him off.
Link's hand dropped to his waist, hitting a few buttons on the slate as the scimitar disappeared from his back. Zelda recognized the large slab of metal that replaced the sword as being a weapon of Goron make, though she couldn't fathom why Link had it.
The stone smasher lived up to its name as Link gripped the long hilt with both hands and swung it at the ore deposit, visible chunks flying off with every strike. The talus began to shake as it geared up for a counter attack. Feeling the vibrations through his feet, Link returned the heavy weapon to the slate and grabbed his bow as he took a running leap from the talus' back. A parting bomb arrow as he fell shattered the cracked ore deposit completely.
Zelda watched as the stone monster cracked and fell forward again in a huge cloud of purplish-black smoke, obscuring her knight from view. It didn't take long to dissipate, revealing Link already digging through the rubble left behind. She snapped her mouth shut, shaking herself out of her stupor before heading over to join him. With the growing number of monsters leading up to the Calamity's return a century ago, she'd seen him fight more battles than she could count. This had been unlike any she had witnessed before.
While his archery was just as impressive as it had been the previous week, there was a distinct lack of finesse in his handling of the Goron-made hammer. Swinging it around like a cudgel was probably the correct way to use it, given what she remembered of Daruk's fighting style, but Link's sword skills were obvious even to those with no training whatsoever. Watching his usual battle prowess reduced to little more than wild flailing just seemed wrong.
Link was storing the ore the talus left behind in the slate when Zelda rejoined him. "What is that?" she asked, motioning to the orange-colored rock in his hand.
"Amber. Taluses leave behind different types of ores depending on the region they're in." The ore disappeared in a swirl of blue as Link bent and picked up another one. "Amber doesn't sell for as much as much as other types, but you can still get a fair price for it."
Zelda nodded, distractedly realizing she'd solved the mystery of where Link had gotten the money to purchase all her clothes and daily necessities. She huffed out a quiet laugh as she helped him gather the remaining pieces.
It wasn't long before they were on their way once more, reaching the base of the waterfall shortly thereafter. Link led Zelda over to a rather steep incline that didn't require much in the way of actual climbing, although he did lend her his climbing gloves and shoes to make the ascent as easy as possible.
The remaining hours of daylight were spent scaling the wall, both finally reaching the top of the waterfall just after sunset. They made camp and headed out again the following morning, Link leading them around the base of the peak rather than climbing over it directly. Although he tried to choose paths easier to tread for Zelda's sake, their progress was far slower than he had anticipated.
Link's eyes flicked between the sun dipping below the horizon and the empty sky above Mt. Lanayru's peak in the distance as Zelda fished another rock out of her shoe. "We probably can't stop again if we want to reach the promenade in time."
Zelda nodded her understanding, pulling her boot back on her foot. "Let us continue."
Link lit a torch as the shadows deepened into night, holding it high so both he and the princess could see where to step. It wasn't long before Naydra appeared, the ethereal glow of her horns and the ridges along her back easily visible circling the distant mountain peak before beginning her nightly descent. Although he knew it would take the dragon a little over an hour to reach the promenade, Link chaffed at the sedate pace they were forced to keep due to the rough terrain and poor light. Zelda's panting breaths behind him contested his assessment of their speed, though she voiced no complaint.
The next hour felt like slowest race Link had ever taken part in. He walked as fast as he dared, ever mindful of the princess behind him while keeping an eye on the distant dragon as it seemingly swam through night sky. The broken stone walls of the promenade in the crevice between the two mountain ranges came into view at last as the terrain sloped sharply downward. The Hylians carefully made their way to a rocky outcrop a bit above the dilapidated arch that served as the east gate, reaching their destination with minutes to spare.
"We should be able to reach the dragon from here," Link said, gauging the distance between them and Naydra's nightly path with an appraising eye.
Zelda wearily glanced around the outcrop at Link's words, never lifting her eyes as she found a place to sit and took a moment to catch her breath. She hadn't initially thought much about hiking across the mountain range, but her sore legs and aching feet clearly showed just how unprepared for the venture she had been. "How long...before the dragon shows?" she asked, forearms resting on her knees as she slumped forward.
Link pulled his bow from his back and set an arrow to the string, his body going through the familiar motions without a thought. "Hm, maybe ten to fifteen minutes? She's not far now."
Zelda glanced toward the swordsman, startled to see the dragon beyond him. Naydra was already over the forest that stretched from the promenade to Mount Lanayru's base.
A crown of horns jutted out of the top of the dragon's head, pulsing with a bright blue energy. A mane of lighter green circled her throat, seeming to softly glow with its own inner light. Moonlight glittered off scales of the same color, shimmering along the length of the sinuous form as it undulated through the night sky. Large, jagged ridges jutted out every few feet along her spine, pulsing with the same energy as the horns. The dragon had three sets of feet spread along her serpentine body though they never came close to the ground. The enormous talons glowed the same color as the horns, clawing at the air as if they found purchase in the firmament to propel the creature onward.
Zelda couldn't help but stare in awe at the colossal being drawing nearer every second. Link had told her before that Naydra began her nightly decent at the top of Mount Lanayru, which meant the dragon had appeared some time ago. Zelda had been so focused on where she was walking that she completely missed it.
Her attention was drawn to a white light that suddenly appeared within the trees, some distance from the east gate. The light sudden shot toward them, splitting into three and breaking with the sound of ice shattering as it hit the rocks somewhere below Link where he stood near the edge of the outcrop. Link uttered an oath beneath his breath as a second light appeared within the trees.
"What was that?" Zelda pushed herself back to her feet, trying to see through the trees blocking their attacker from view.
"A lynel with ice arrows." Link glanced between the fast approaching dragon and the archer that would soon switch to a deadlier attack. With a growl of frustration, he turned the thrust the bow and arrow into Zelda's startled arms. "I'm going to need you to shoot the dragon's horn."
Zelda couldn't help but blink in shock as Link added his quiver to her pile. She'd never so much as held a bow in her life, and he expected her to shoot at a moving target? "Link, I can't-"
"Pull the string back, site along the arrow and release. The dragon comes low enough to almost touch the east gate, so your target will be large and very close." The ice arrows continued pelting the mountain below them with unerring accuracy as Link pulled out his paraglider and stepped to the edge. "If you miss or hit something other than the horns, we'll just try again tomorrow night."
Zelda's response was cut off as there was a pause in the barrage, the light in the trees moving slightly before seeming to fire straight in the air. This seemed to be what Link was waiting for, pushing Zelda back before jumping off the ledge and gliding toward the lynel. Three ice arrows struck the ground where they had been standing, chunks of ice forming as the magic at the tips was released before shattering a second later. Zelda stared at the near miss for a couple of seconds before taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out as she willed her hands to stop shaking. Link was counting on her while he was busy and she was determined not to let him down.
She took a minute to collect the arrows that had fallen from the quiver, struggling with the straps before just setting the quiver on the ground beside her. The bow felt surprisingly comfortable in her hand, as if she had always been meant to wield it. She knocked an arrow as she had seen Link do before, lightly testing the string. It moved easily enough, raising Zelda's confidence in fulfilling the task her knight had set before her.
The dragon wasn't quite close enough to shoot, so she glanced over to see how the swordsman was faring. It was difficult to tell what was happening within the trees, but the monster came charging out of the trees after a minute or two, skidding to a stop on the road that led to Mount Lanayru. It reared up on its hind legs and spun around as Link followed it out of the trees, allowing Zelda a clear view of the beast in the moonlight.
A dark mane of hair wreathed a lion-like face; glowing red eyes on either side of a wide nose that was set above a mouth full of sharp teeth. The heavily muscled torso resembled a Hylian's, though each arm seemed to be about as thick as Link himself. The lynel's body looked like that of a sturdy horse, dark hooves attached to powerful legs that could kick or trample an opponent to death. White fur seemed almost luminescent in the moonlight, accentuating the darker stripes along its entire body. It looked like the colors had been flipped from the lynels Zelda had seen a century past, which meant it was likely a more powerful variation.
Everything about the lynel, from his overly-muscled body to his wickedly curved sword and shield combo, seemed to scream dangerous. The beast reeled back from a blow she couldn't make out, stunned, and she watched her knight clamber up onto its back as if it were a horse. Zelda couldn't help but stare as the lynel started bucking and thrashing, wondering if Link had suffered more brain damage than just memory loss during his extended period in the Shrine of Resurrection.
A sudden drop in temperature pulled her attention back to the dragon, who was just reaching the east gate, and she hurriedly drew back the arrow. She was unprepared for the tension of the string to increase exponentially the further she drew it back, causing the string to slip from her fingers and sent the shaft skittering down the mountainside. She fumbled for another arrow, panic making her movements clumsy as the dragon continued on.
The second arrow was set to the string and Zelda kept a firm grip on it this time, but found she could only draw the bow about halfway. Several precious seconds slipped away as she struggled with the weapon before pointing it in the general direction of the horns and releasing the string. The arrow barely managed to reach the horns, bouncing off and rolling down the scales. It was obvious more force would be needed to break off a shard.
A third arrow was sent flying at the back of the horns in sheer desperation as Naydra continued down the promenade. It too fell short of the mark, not even reaching the dragon before falling to the ground below. It was obvious Zelda had no hope of hitting the horns from a distance and she mentally cursing the dragon for not staying still. An idea struck her and she threw out her hand without a second thought, calling on the sacred power of her bloodline. If she was able to contain the Calamity for one hundred years, there was no reason she couldn't hold a dragon still for a few moments.
The golden light shot out of her hand, colliding with the ice spirit. Naydra jerked as if startled, coming to a stop and turning her head around as if to see what had happened. The air grew even colder as the giant head moved toward the outcrop, glowing eyes peering down at the tiny princess in consternation.
The dragon was closer than even and Zelda knew she wouldn't get a better chance than this, knocking her final arrow and pulling back with all her strength. She still couldn't draw the bow more than about halfway, but the dragon was close enough now that her skin was rapidly going numb and the air was so cold it hurt to breathe.
The large yellow eyes narrowed in annoyance as Naydra opened her mouth. Murmuring a fervent prayer, Zelda loosed her arrow just before a breath that was beyond freezing enveloped her, swallowing up her consciousness along with everything else in its path.
To Be Continued
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