When Bato woke up, he opened his eyes to the bright sun in the sky. Blinking slowly, he got up and walked around. He was already dressed. He wore a light brown ubiquitous tunic, with a dark brown belt. Not only that, but he had plaid trousers on him and was wearing some nice brown boots.
"Least I'm not naked," Bato thought to himself. He took in his surroundings. And what a view it was! There were many farms dotted on the beautiful green landscape. He could even see some farmers working in their fields. He could see a giant castle on the horizon. Bordering it were wooden and stone buildings; great and small. He made his way down to a nearby stream and looked at his reflection. He was young. Maybe, in his twenties. Black short curly hair with blue eyes staring back at him. He stumbled back and fell on his bottom.
There were many emotions going through Bato's head right now. Excitement, anxiety, confusion, but most of all. Ecstasy.
Not to celebrate how he's in the Kingdom of Hyrule. But how he completely got through with his interactions with his benefactors! He clenched his head with his hands and began to think aloud. "I can't believe I got away with that! Three primordial goddesses and the Goddess of Light? Holy Shit, I thought I was toast!"
It was a good thing that in Bato's past life, he was an avid gamer. The Legend of Zelda made him a slave at an early age. Ocarina of Time on the Game Cube was his first-ever game. Then Majora's Mask. Twilight Princess. So on and so forth. The lore was especially juicy with the timelines and the incarnation of characters making their unique print in the game. From defeating Ganon on top of the tower to stopping the moon from smashing into Termina. Link's Awakening, Wind Waker, Hourglass, Four Swords, Minish Cap and Spirit Tracks, he knew his Zelda lore. That was one of the very few good things he had in that life. A love of an adventure that he would never experience.
Until now.
Bato's thoughts continued to race. "I got isekai'd into a realm and shot the shit with three nice-looking ladies. But their names. To find out that they were the same golden goddesses of Hyrule? At first, when they introduced themselves, it was like 'nah, it couldn't be.' But when the entire void transformed into the freaking Sacred Realm? The Goddesses go nuts because I know all about them when I shouldn't have any business knowing them! Din shaking me was the last straw. In her firm hands, there was fury. So, I suggested to them to just dip me out of existence and hope that the remnants of my soul reconstitute themselves somehow. Nope, they took me on a whim! Should have known these Goddesses were just as fickle as all the other ones. Not only that, but I also think I got some blessings! Not only from Hylia but from the three Golden Girls themselves!"
"I'm going to need a drink." Bato got down and scooped his hand in the water while scanning with his eyes. The water was clear and refreshing. "I'm living in a fantasy world. In Hyrule, no less. The question is: when?" Bato asked this question with Din not being forthcoming. He scanned the horizon again. From the hill, he spotted a crossroads with a directional sign. "Guess I better get my bearings."
Approaching the sign, he took a good look at it. It was written in Hylian. However, he could read it as if it were English. "Lon Lon Ranch. Hyrule Castle Town. Lost Woods." This place was massive. "So, safe to say, Child or Adult Era. Or….it could be the start of the Hyrulian Civil War. Jeez, being in the thick of that would be a nightmare. I hope that's not the case."
Bato suddenly felt something in his pocket. Looking at it, it was a green stone tied on with a simple rope. He could use it as a necklace. "This better not be the Emerald because I am going to lose it!" The stone started to shine. "Wonder what this means." Taking the stone, he began to hold it out in different directions before stopping on the road towards Lost Woods. "Are you taking me there?" As the stone shone brightly, Bato's apprehension crept slowly. He pushed it out of his mind and began to walk towards the Lost Woods.
After an hour, Bato had a good closer look at Hylian farms. The same as the farms from Earth but with Hylians working the field. He gently flicked his left ear. Yes, they are pointy. The number of houses and farms started to dwindle. It was another forty-five-minute walk before he arrived at his supposed destination. An empty plot of land. There were some trees dotted on the property and some remnants of a wooden fence. There was also evidence of open strips being there. The ditches outlined the plot, although most of them were overgrown with weeds now. Bato wondered what happened there, but that thought was pushed by the sight of a building, near the middle.
It was a small hut. Weeds and grass were everywhere. Bato gave a long sigh. "A plot of land and a healthy body. Thank you, Goddess of Light." As he was walking towards the shack, the stone immediately stopped glowing. "Guess I'm here now."
The sun was lowering. He saw an outline of a campfire, with a discarded fire striker. Inspired by this, he decides to start a fire. He starts by clearing the space and making a circle out of rocks. Gathering the dry wood and grass littered around the property, he uses the fire starter to start the fire. He had never started a fire before. However, for some reason, he just knew how to. After making the fire, he took a torch and headed towards the shack. Wood and earth filled the air. Walking slowly, he used the light to see if there was anything of value. Soon, he came across a skeleton of a man, sprawled out on the floor. He still had his clothes on and a satchel.
"Rest in peace," Bato said, as he took the satchel. Sitting down on a ruined bench, he went through the contents. "Got plenty of seeds. A bit of bone meal. Some red potions." Hoisting the satchel over his shoulder, he then spotted something interesting. It was a sword. It had a scabbard attached to the skeleton. "I guess he won't be needing this anymore." Taking the sword, he examined it under the torch. It was a sturdy sword. A little sharp. There was no sign of rust. No doubt this was taken care of. Coming out from the hut, he reached for the door leading to the small shed.
Opening it, Bato's eyes grew wide. "Pay dirt."
An axe, a husker, a harrow, a small plow, a sickle, a hoe, and a scythe. "Nice starting tools." He shut the shed up. The sun's rays were disappearing slowly. "I better do an inventory tomorrow." It was time for Bato to return to the campfire. But just as he was about to leave, he heard a sound that stood his hair on end.
"Awwooooo!"
"Crap."
Suddenly, three pairs of yellow eyes came from the forest. Closer and closer until he could see their snouts, the black and white fur and sharp teeth. Wolfos. It had to be wolfos. Despite not using a sword before, Bato took it out and stood in an attacking stance. "Strange. I remember not ever holding a sword before in my life. How do I know-"
There was no time to finish that train of thought. At once, all three of the wolfos charged right for him. It was then something peculiar happened. The wolfos started to slow down. They were moving very slowly. Bato had no time to question this. At once, he slashed the first wolfos down into two. The second one attempted to block Bato's strike, but the sword cleanly cut the claws and the head off. The last wolfos growled, barked loudly and lunged at him.
He rammed his sword right through the mouth and slashed it down. All three wolfos were dead in a total of two minutes. He started to shake from the adrenaline and was breathing loudly. "Holy shit. How the hell did I do that?" Grabbing three of the wolfos by the scruff, he dragged them to the campfire. There was a stream nearby, so he washed his face. After skinning and cutting some Wolfos' meat and skewering them on a stick, he roasted two in a fire. "When did I learn survival skills? How did I know to do all that?" When finished, he took a bite. "Bloody, but edible."
It would have to serve. Bato was grateful that he found some shelter, at least for the night. Making space in the cluttered hut, he found what looked like a bed. With a full stomach and some water, he took his sword out and slept through the night.
Early the next morning, before sunrise, Bato woke up. Stepping outside, he noticed that the fire he had set up had already gone out. "Need to remember to put out the fire before bed," Bato said sheepishly. He realized that had the conditions been right, a single spark would have set the forest ablaze.
Taking a deep breath, he knelt and prayed. "Goddesses of Light, Fire, Water, and Wind. I offer unto you this day. Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things that I can. And to have the wisdom to know the difference."
"The words seem to flow right through me." This gave Bato pause. There were many things that he hadn't done in his old life, but he now had the knowledge to do them. Setting up a campfire, swordplay, survival instinct. "Must be some blessings the goddesses gave me." He began to look closely in the hut to see if there were any other things he missed yesterday.
"Let's see. Water skin, grinding stone, some empty lamps…" Besides the broken plates and pots, there wasn't anything else of value there. Moving onto the shed, the sun had peaked over the horizon giving some of its light. It made it easier to see. "An axe, primitive saw, flail, draw knife, pitchfork, plow, scythe, shears, sickle, and shades." A heavy pouch caught his eye. "What's this?" Picking it up, he looked at it carefully. Bato's eyes shot up; if he was still asleep, he woke up. "This is a giant's wallet. A giant's wallet that's full!"
Inside was an assortment of rupees that equalled five hundred.
"My thanks, oh Goddess of Light." Leaving the tools in the shed for now, he filled up his water skin at the nearby creek. Eating some more wolfos meat, he stared at the castle town. "Guess I should see what's there. After a few things."
Heading towards the woods with an axe, he spotted a small tree. After looking to see if it was free of any obstruction, he slammed his axe onto the wood. He was expecting resistance, but the tree moved easily. It was even gliding a little on the forest floor. "Okay, this is getting stupid." Bato knew that he had the blessings of the goddesses. But if this, and last night, was any indication, he might as well be cheating. Not wanting to irk Providence, he dragged the tree out of the woods. He did these four more times before deciding that there would be enough wood to work with.
"Maybe I can get someone to build an outhouse for me. Until then, I'll have to dig a hole to get rid of the waste." He could have emptied the contents in the woods, but he figured the wood spirits wouldn't appreciate that much. After all, if goddesses and magic existed, most likely wood spirits existed as well. After cleaning up the hut a little, he took all the rubbish and put it in a neat pile behind the hut. He noticed that the sun was just about peaking on the horizon.
He took in the sights, once again. "Living in the Middle Ages," he grumbled. While wishing for the life of a farmer to start, like anything else, was difficult. He was starting to miss the modern conveniences of his old life. But that was his lot. Hyrule was his home now, and he couldn't magically create things out of thin air! "What I would give to use magic right now. Wait a minute."
Bato held out his hand. He spoke aloud. "Flame." At once, a bright fire came from his fingertips. He panicked. Yelling and screaming, he ran towards the stream, putting the flames out. Panting, he looked at his hand. "No. No, it couldn't be. This is Hyrule! That's not how magic is supposed to be!"
Pointing toward the ground, he yelled, "Fireball." At once, a bright orange orb appeared and slammed down onto the ground. Fire sparks splattered everywhere, and the ground scorched. Bato was beyond bewildered. Uneasy, he decided to experiment some more. Finding a clearing near the hut, he began.
"Ice spear!" Lances of ice appeared and launched themselves towards the targeted tree.
"Water bullet!" Water orbs appeared and hit the target.
"Stonewall!" Putting his hand on the ground, a tall wall of ground shot up.
What did the goddesses do to him? Any spell he imagined came into being right away. "This is completely broken! But this must be limited, somehow. Maybe I can only use primary elemental magic. Or say an incantation to use higher tier magic." He shook his head vigorously. "I refuse to believe that any spell that I think of comes true!" But, with a gnawing curiosity, he pictured the spell in his mind.
"Close wounds." Nothing happened. "Heal!" Again, nothing. "So, it's safe to say I don't know any healing magic. It would have been too broken if I did. What about conjugation?"
"Bound sword." At once, a blue, ghostly long sword appeared. Grabbing the hilt, he examined the blade. Making a few sword strikes, he released the grip, and it disappeared.
"Bound bow." A blue ghostly bow appeared. As if notching an imaginary arrow, he pulled on the string. An arrow suddenly appeared. Letting loose, he released it, hitting the target.
He felt cold. Stepping back slightly, he looked at his hands, in awe. And with this came the dawning of a horrid realization. It didn't even need to fit the world of Hyrule. So long as he could imagine it, it could happen.
From a simple fireball. To a devastating ice storm.
He never wished for power. Yet, the goddesses granted this and more. What other abilities and secrets have they given them on their whim? He felt he became an object of entertainment for them. Or rather. He had always been intended to be. Bato grinned, once again feeling the ecstasy of this revelation. He whispered out towards the sky, "You girls are crazy."