A/N: I do not, in general, write kid stories. My adult ratings are for a reason. My stories feature: violence (often graphic), Sexuality (almost always graphic), and worse. The villains in my stories are typically very villainous. The heroes are not always heroic- even if most of the time they are. Readers should expect a blanket trigger warning on everything I write. Themes of dubious- or non-consenting sex, domination, violence, gore, and character death- including major characters- exist in many of them. I do not condone such activities in real life, but unfortunately they are real in our world, and I don't feel that I could write fiction fairly without including them.

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Ch. 12:

Steps of the Wind

Of course, jumping off the plateau with the glider made her want to scream with terror, but it was not what made her actually do so. The paraglider, for all its cloth and wood construction, had been crafted by the ghost of her father. It would, she thought, hold up even in a storm, and somehow it carried her weight easily enough.

No... it was landing, unable to properly steer, in the middle of a skirmish. Right in the middle of one, as it turned out. Not so far beyond the plateau's lower reaches was the ruin of a small town or way-village, little more than an inn and a few outbuildings, Zelda suspected. It was then she saw the first two people since waking, aside from the old man, who she now knew was the ghost of her father. They were being assaulted by two red Bokoblins, both wielding clubs, though one had a shield, too.

The others, the humans, were at least armed and able to fight back. Both wore leather armors and sturdy-looking traveling clothes, and each had a round, wooden shield much like her own in basic design, and carried simple blades for defense. As she neared, she heard the Bokoblins shrieking in rage and anger, the humans crying out warnings to each other, "Look out," or "Take that!"

Unfortunately, they seemed evenly matched. The humans, while armed, were clearly self-taught or completely untrained, their footwork sloppy.

The Bokoblins had less in the way of good weaponry, but were physically stronger than the dark-haired man and faster than the white-haired woman.

Zelda realized all that in moments as she tried to adjust course for a more advantageous landing spot. It didn't really work, which was why she was unable to do more than drop in the middle of the fight, the Paraglider, without her grip to hold it, falling in a clatter a few feet away.

Of course, even as her feet hit the ground, the princess was moving.

Her spear slashed out and down twice, three times, gouging into the unshielded Bokoblin's left flank and thigh, then its shoulder. The last blow dug deep, driving it to a knee. Zelda twisted the spear inside it as she yanked it free, then spun to face the last opponent.

"Yaaaagh!"

It shrieked in surprise and rage, gaping at her, but Zelda didn't give it a chance to take a swing before she thrust out madly with both hands.

Somehow, she slipped beneath the guard of the shield, tearing it upward and slammed the deep boar-head leaf spear into its throat where it met the Bokoblin's jaw. It struggled to howl again, dull nails scrabbling against the steel as it let go of its weapons.

Her arms already tired from holding onto the paraglider, Zelda gave it a last thrust, pushing her spear deeper into its skull. The Bokoblin gave another final twitch, then went still. A moment later, it vanished.

Zelda exhaled in relief, lifting the spear vertical as she turned to the two people, before bringing herself up short.

Both of them still had their weapons drawn. Rather than looking at her with respect, kindness, or gratitude for helping to save them, both watched her with wary suspicion. "Who're you? How did- how did you just appear? I warn you, we don't go down easy!"

Zelda lifted her free hand, "Peace, peace. I don't want any trouble either."

"How do we know that," the woman scowled. Zelda realized she was the older of the two, yes, but despite her white hair the girl couldn't have been older than her mid-twenties. Maybe a little older than Zelda herself, but not much. The suspicion and wariness in both their stances and expressions startled the princess, but she supposed it shouldn't have.

Her father's ghost had made it clear bandits still roamed, and the world was an unkind place.

"I just saved you from two Bokoblins," she reminded them, fighting to stay cool, "and I haven't threatened you, first of all."

"Could be a diversion. For all we know, you just used the Bokoblins to get our guard down."

Zelda shot the man a skeptical look, "I don't think I have that much control over them. I am Zelda."

She thought about using her full name. Maybe that would convince the pair she meant no harm? But no... she didn't know these people, either. If they were bandits, then naming herself Princess of Hyrule was likely a one-way trip to the Castle in hopes of mercy or a reward from the Calamity.

"Mina," the white-haired, taller of the pair, said eventually, lowering her blade a fraction, "My brother and I don't want trouble either, but if you try and rob us, you'll regret it."

"Min, you can't just-"

"Stow it, bro," the woman muttered, still keeping a wary eye on the princess even as her weapon dropped further, "She's right. Did you see how she took those things out? We could've handled it, but you know we both would've walked away bruised or worse. But she dropped both Bokoblins like it was nothing. If she wanted us dead, we would be."

"At the very least," Zelda reasoned, trying to sound amicable, "I would've let the four of you finish each other off before jumping in. It would've been the least work for me."

"That's a good point," the white-haired girl said, shooting her a grin. Then she slid her sword into the sheath across the back of her rump, "Thanks for the assist. We had it, but less bruising when we head back is always nice. I like your style, kid."

"Kid? I think I'm an adult..."

If the comment was strange, neither thought much of it, though the man kept his weapon out. It did drop to his side, for which Zelda was grateful. After a few seconds, the woman, Mina, just laughed, "Eh, whatever. You might be, I don't know. Like I said, I'm Mina, that's Mils."

"A pleasure to meet you both," Zelda said with a smile, doing her best to seem non-threatening. She even reached back to the satchel and tied her spear off again, if as much to free her hands as remove the threat. "Why did the Bokoblins attack you?"

"Besides the obvious?"

The man's hair was not black, as she'd thought at first glance, but a dark, dark green. His clothing was functional, but it was clear by the style of his sister that Mils was not in charge of their little duo by any means. Her clothing was of better make, cleaner, more cut and fitted to her curvy (surprisingly curvy, Zelda realized) body. It actually made her look rather good, while Mils was dressed plainly, for function more than anything else.

Zelda nodded.

Mina answered, trying to sound casual, "We're treasure hunters. Ruins have treasure. Usually they have Bokoblins too, so we come armed."

Zelda's eyes widened. "Treasure hunters? Is that... is that something people do?"

"Not everyone," Mina chuckled, "But we do. Where'd you come from, anyway? Your accent is a bit weird. No offense."

She blinked. What could she say? Somehow, Zelda doubted anyone would believe who she actually was, and if they did... well, she really didn't want to get carted to Calamity Ganon in chains. "I... from the north," she eventually said.

"Across the Field? That's a rough trek," Mils whistled, impressed, "Even the roads are dangerous. Well... alright, I guess you can get my thanks for making quick work of the Bokoblins, but don't try nothin'. I got my eye on you."

"Relax, Mils," the taller girl said, rolling her eyes, "Hey, you helped out, so you get half the Bokoblin's loot. Fair?"

Zelda raised an eyebrow. That didn't actually sound that fair given how they were struggling, but it was true that both Bokoblins were bleeding before she touched down, so... she could let it slide. Besides, it looked like these two were barely scraping by. Curvy or not, both were too skinny by half. She could afford to let them have a bit of loot. At least she was eating better lately. "Sounds fair enough, sure. How would you like to divide it?"

In the end, Zelda got a shield to replace her half-chewed one, but it was the same low-quality garbage made of bark that it was taking the place of, so Zelda wasn't too happy with it. The weapons she left to them, and the horns and teeth were split evenly down the middle. Soon, the white-haired woman perked up, "Hey, uh... you said your name was Zelda, right?"

The princess nodded, "Yes. You are Mina and Mils?"

"Right. Listen, uh... we were about to have lunch when we were attacked. We have a little to spare if you'd like to share."

Her stomach chose that exact moment to grumble, so even though she suspected they needed it far more than she did, Zelda agreed with some reluctance to join them. Mils, predictably, kept a careful eye on her, but the older sister, Mina, sat down casually next to Zelda and chatted as if they had been friends for their whole life while she shared her meal of veggie-filled rice balls.

They weren't the greatest thing ever, Zelda decided, not least because the little bits of meat had been described as cooked river snail, and that sounded disgusting. But the vegetables and rice themselves were quite tasty, and Zelda had eaten two of the things before she realized it.

It was only then that she realized the food was gone, and both siblings' stomachs still growled. Mina tried to ignore it, hopping to her feet, "Come on, Mils, break's over. Time to scavenge once more! We need to get a good haul soon. Haven't had a decent payday in weeks."

"We keep scavenging the same place," he muttered, "it's already cleaned out."

"Yeah, well, until you can handle your end of a fight better, we can't go to more dangerous territory," she shot back. "Heading into the deeper ruins is deadly. You wanna see what happens when we get attacked by four Bokoblins? Or worse, a Moblin?"

Zelda blinked. "Wh- What's a Moblin?"

The two siblings looked up from the bricks they were digging through, remnants of a collapsed wall, then shared a glance with each other. Mina, of course, was the one who answered. "Imagine a creature as tall as both of us put together. Long snout, long horn, lanky, but more or less like us. Or Bokoblins. They come in red and blue, too. Mean. Lots stronger and bigger. Dad said he killed one once when I was little, but not many people have that kinda strength anymore. Few years later, a Moblin got him, instead."

Zelda whistled. Even a week after being revived, Bokoblins still scared her a little, even if dispatching them in small groups was getting easy. A Moblin, on the other hand, sounded terrifying.

"Yeah," Mina agreed, "you see something that big, you run. And keep running till you've lost it. Best way to survive."

"Only way," Mils added darkly.

Zelda nodded, even as she heard Mina's stomach rumble again over the clatter of bricks the siblings shifted. "Listen... I feel bad I ate so much of your food. Here, I... have a little extra."

"Wha? No, you don't have to- Holy Hylia!"

Both brother and sister gaped at the bounty Zelda pulled by the miniaturized handful from her satchel. Ten red mushroom caps, ten peppers, fifteen apples, and a half-dozen eggs were quickly arranged on the ground. "Please. I insist. You... you look like you could use it. I mean no offense, but with two mouths to my one..."

Mils licked his lips.

Mina stared, then whispered, "Well, this location has been picked pretty clean... and... that's a week's worth of food and more."

"Take it."

"Who are you?" Mina asked quietly, looking up in amazement, "No one helps people like you did, and then gives them food, too! Most people would ask for payment."

Zelda could only shrug, "Well, if you must pay me, I could use some directions. Where, exactly, are we? I'm trying to find Kakariko Village. I know it's east, past the Dueling Peaks, then north, but not exactly where I am now."

Mina perked up quickly and stood tall, turning almost fully around. "This here's the Gatepost Town Ruins, at least that's what people call it. Down the road there, south and east of the plateau, you can follow the road when it turns east to the Outpost Ruins and then East Post Ruins. Used to be, in Dad's day, you could get good scavenge at either place, but both are pretty infested with Bokoblins and Moblins both. Best to steer clear if you can. But that's your route. It's safer on the south side of the road, away from the Forest of Time. But eventually you'll have to go back on the road again. There's a bridge over a river. Can't recall the name."

"Proxim Bridge," Mils offered, glancing up as he shoved a greenish gem into his pockets and resumed digging.

"Right, that's the one," Mina continued, "That road goes all the way east, between the Peaks. Once it does, you find two rivers. They call 'em the Little Twin and the Big Twin. The road splits a few ways there. Take the north-"

Zelda nodded, "That's what my guide said, but I wasn't sure if there was a road."

"It's actually not a bad one, aside from the monsters all over the place," Mils said again, this time without looking up, "seems like the closer to the towns and villages, the rougher things get, but it's kind of the other way around. This part of old Hyrule is probably the safest, which is why Mina keeps us around here."

"Like I said, if you could hold your own..."

"Not saying you're wrong to," the younger man grumbled, "Just that it is. From there, you can find a stable. Bit of a waystation, like the old inns Pa always used to talk about. Sorta like what this place was, I imagine, only newer and still up. Maybe rent a horse, if you've got the money. Rest a night, get some decent grub."

Mina snorted.

Mils continued on, rolling his eyes at her, "Anyway, your guide spoke true. Just keep on that road north. It goes up into some mountains, and it's definitely dangerous after crossing the lake- there's another bridge- but it's the only way to Kakariko without going way off the roads, up into the wilds."

"And best to stay clear of the Sahasra Slope," Mina shuddered, "those things roam up there. The giant spiders."

Zelda felt herself shudder, too. "G-Giant spiders?"

Both looked at each other darkly, "The big ones, from... before. They're all around the Castle. You must've at least seen one at a distance. If you'd seen one up close, you wouldn't be here."

Suddenly she understood. They were talking about Guardians. The domed terrors.

Only still functional, walking around. The thought alone made her hands start to tremble, so Zelda kept them moving, re-attaching her satchel and weapon belt.

"R- Right. I'll be careful of going up there then. But the road is safe?"

"Mostly. The Sheikah run patrols, and there's a few mercenaries the stables hire to try and keep the routes safe, too. Better for business if people can travel. Never fully safe, though, no. Just safe-er."

Zelda found herself nodding along with Mina's explanation. That made sense.

"'Course, we should probably take a trip up there too once we find our next big haul," Mina added thoughtfully, "We haven't visited grandma in a while."

"True," Mils agreed thoughtfully, still with his head down.

Zelda was starting to wonder, in addition to being the more cautious of the two, if he wasn't far more shy, too. Mina, at least, was chatting animatedly with her over their meager lunch. "So your grandmother lives in Kakariko? Is that where the Sheikah live?"

Mina nodded rapidly, her face breaking into a wide smile, "Yeah, she's a Sheikah, but mom and dad were both from Hateno Village. That's where we're from too, but as you can see, I got grandma's hair."

"It's pretty," Zelda said, meaning it, "I had been wondering... I thought mostly older people had white hair."

"But all Sheikah do," Mina informed her, "and half of Dad's family did. I'm the only one of our generation, though. Anyway, we should get back to work. Um... thank you for the food. It's very generous."

"It was the least I could do," Zelda told her seriously, "and it isn't cooked, so... at least you can restock some of your supplies."

Mina shook her head, rejoining Zelda to take her hand and shake it vigorously, "You fed us for a week, Zelda, both of us. It's far more than the half a meal we missed to give you some. Thank you. And... for the Bokoblins too, of course."

"That I was happy to help with. I'll let you-"

"Min! Min! Mina, I- I found something!"

Excited, it took all three of them several minutes to dig the emblazoned shield off the corpse of one of the old waystation's defender's arm. The design wasn't one Zelda recognized, a deer in yellow with antlers high on a faded red background, with... mountains, maybe, represented by a trio of thin triangles in a line, with the peaks of each radiating outward from the center, three on each side and one above, between the antlers.

With a glance, a very reluctant one, at Zelda's recently-gained shield, she offered with a grimace, "Trade? It's worth about forty rupees I think, but... frankly, you did save both of us, and after being so generous..."

Of course, Zelda had no idea what a rupee was, or what one could buy her. But the shield was at least as sturdy as the two the pair had, and the simply-painted traveler's shield she had picked up on the Great Plateau. "No, I- I wouldn't feel right. You two found it, I only helped shift off some rocks."

"But we're alive to find it thanks to you," Mils reminded her seriously, "Take it. If you're going all the way to Kakariko, you might well need it. The road's plagued with Bokoblins and worse these days."

Finally, the two convinced her after another fifteen minutes of going back and forth. She now had two of the sturdier round shields, one crappy bark-shield from the Bokoblins and one of their stronger, bone-reinforced ones that was the thickest of the four, if barely better made than the bark version.

Maybe they were right, and it would be worth her taking it. She couldn't afford to fail, after all, or even these two would have put themselves in more danger for nothing.

Some time after separating from the siblings, Zelda saw her first Moblin at the same time she saw a six-point buck, a fluffy-maned deer that stood several inches higher than her at the shoulder. She had been skirting the northern parts of what Mina had called the Outpost Ruins, and had already discarded a halberd she had found for being too rusty to be of real use.

The Moblin was chasing the stag, taking great swipes with a heavy club that looked much like the Bokoblins might use, only far larger. It was about as long as she was tall, Zelda suspected, and only a few pounds lighter. She watched, in mix part horrified at how the deer must have felt, and at what the Moblin could do to her. But the deer wasn't quite defenseless, either.

It reared up suddenly, spinning on its hind legs, and dashed both sharp fore-hooves against the Moblin's stomach and thighs. It recoiled, howling deeply with a sound that reminded Zelda of a cow, perhaps, and again as the deer's weight bore it to the ground. Then it dashed forward, goring the taller creature with its antlers.

A fatal mistake, unfortunately. While the Moblin roared again, it was far too powerful for even that to bring it down. The Moblin had staggered back with the blow, but now its left hand closed around the stag's antlers, holding it in place while the deer panicked. Too late, it tried to backpedal. It didn't even get free before the telegraphed, but inescapable, blow hit it. Swinging wide and to the right, the Moblin let the heavy club drive into the deer's ribcage with bone-shattering force. The deer itself staggered to the right, almost torn from even the Moblin's grip with the blow, and a follow-up swing cracked its back just as easily, sending the creature tumbling to the ground.

Zelda couldn't look away, though she wanted to. The Moblin was strong, brutal, and three-of-her tall.

It was also hurt, clutching at its bleeding stomach while it stomped twice on the deer's head, making sure it was very, very dead.

She stared. It had not noticed her... its horn was as long as her arm, twisted and sharp like a ram's but more straight. It could probably crush her in a single hand, or gore her viciously.

Zelda fired her first arrow without further thought.

It thunked into the meaty flesh of the Bokoblin's left forearm, pinning it to the stomach where it was trying to staunch the bleeding. Again, the Moblin howled in pain, but Zelda didn't stop. Another arrow flew... and missed, striking a nearby tree with another thud.

Then it was up, moving, charging straight at her. Zelda abandoned her bow for the moment, tossing it to the ground behind her and pulling out her hunting spear. The boar tip might just stop it again, if she planted just right...

Zelda set the back end into the ground and stepped on it, hoping her weight would be enough as the Moblin kept charging, heedless of the danger. A small tree was ripped out of the ground by a careless swipe of the giant thing's arm, and it leaped a stump without breaking stride. She could see its muscles heaving in each lanky leg, feel its fetid breath hitting her with every bellowing breath.

It was too big, huge, on her. The spear wasn't enough, it would not hold-

The princess felt her foot skid back a full three feet into the earth, her body shaking and trembling. The shaft cracked, twisted as the Moblin tore itself in, shredding its internal organs with the boar-tip trying to get at her.

Its free hand slashed through the air close enough to cause a twinge of pain at the very tip of her nose, but Zelda yanked back her head just enough to prevent worse injury. She lurched back again, the spear digging further into the ground, and she heard it snap just past her hands.

Then she was holding only the lower half of the weapon.

The top wavered for a moment, buried through the chest of the Moblin by its own careless charge, before it fell to the ground as the monster, like the Bokoblins had, vanished into a mass of roiling black smoke that dissipated into the wind.

"Take... take that," Zelda heard herself exhale quietly before hitting the torn-up ground on her knees.

She had just killed a Moblin. Not single-handedly, but with the help of a stag. It was dead, and she was not. She hadn't even really been hurt. Zelda grinned madly. She was lucky, perhaps, but that had hardly been playing to her strengths of cunning and guile, so even with the deer doing some of the work, softening the huge beast up for her, Zelda could convince herself easily enough that if she did, they would die before her, too, for all Mina and Mils thought even Bokoblins dangerous.

They were, she knew. She couldn't afford to be careless. But if she wasn't, they weren't that dangerous. More like pests with sharp claws and teeth.

Moblins were more-so, of course, with that bulk and strength, but she could kill them. They were not invincible.

Zelda smiled then, dropping the remains of her spear to head for where she had seen the deer drop. She might be able to carve a few flanks of venison before the meat is hit by disease, too, but the thing's club was her true prize. If she could even lift it.

The Moblin's huge club, charred to harden it a little, was carved from a massive tree, as far as Zelda could tell, with a stone. But it was indeed something she could lift now, lighter by a few pounds than the old man's axe she had been forced to abandon. Definitely something she would have to wield in both hands, but at least she could swing and stop it with a bit of effort. Like the Bokoblins, too, the Moblin left behind a few parts. A long, curved tooth, and its twisted, spiked horn. Interesting. I wonder if these can be used for elixirs, too?

Having been warned of the danger and now seeing it first-hand, Zelda roamed both the western Forest of Time and the Outpost Ruins looking for treasure, whether that was food, the mysterious rupees, weapons, or other useful things. She found two more Moblins, each alone, but Zelda avoided both in favor of snagging a few apples quickly and sneaking away before they noticed her. Or she thought she had. As she retreated, a whuff of hot hair and an angry snort hit the back of her neck, making her golden hair swirl.

Before she could second-guess herself, Zelda's hands closed around the long grip of the charred club. It smashed into the creature's knee as she whirled, making it stagger. The second blow, trying to build momentum rather than lose it as she spun, hit just a little higher. The Moblin howled in pain now, the club flying from its grip as it fell backward. Zelda put everything she had into her feet, trying to turn faster, harder, her arms shaking as she shifted the momentum from a spin to a downward smash.

Somehow, barely able to aim through the dizziness, she'd landed right on the creature's groin.

Its body lurched, its tiny, beady eyes (larger than hers, still, she knew) bulged madly, and it gave a little whimper before it puffed into smoke, too.

"And in a straight-up fight," she murmured, "though that was close... if he'd hit me..."

It didn't bear thinking about. It would have destroyed her, and painfully, no doubt about it. But she was alive, and it was not. If anything, the fact that she had prevailed told Zelda that she definitely preferred her usual approach of sneak attacks and overwhelming aggression before the enemy could strike back rather than trading blows... but if push came to shove, her instinct was to fight rather than surrender or escape.

"And that's worth knowing too," the princess murmured to herself, looking at her worn, fresh-skinned hands. They hurt, worse than any other part of her body, and had almost since she had woken up in the Shrine. She was clearly comfortable, trained in some way, with violence and combat... but her body was not used to it at all. At least, not with the makeshift weapons the Bokoblins and Moblins used. A sword felt alright in her hands, a spear better, the bows best... but the rough wood abraded and scratched at her thin, sensitive skin something awful.

She was already bleeding and scratched in a thousand places, it felt like, but her hands were by far the worst. "Maybe... Maybe I can find some extra cloth and form a pair of bandages or something, at least until I build callouses? The dress wouldn't be suitable, but anything else thin and flexible. What was it called... Linen? That might be ideal."

Knowledge from her past, Zelda was sure. Basic first aid, used in a different way. How she knew, she still didn't know, but the girl was sure she was right. Still, this forest was dangerous. It practically swarmed with the huge, red creatures, easily twice her height. She needed to be watchful, wary, or avoid the place altogether.

Maybe that'll be best for now. I can always come back later if I need to.

Zelda spent a few more minutes looking around. A small structure of brick with a tilted but still sturdy-looking flagpole fixed at the center rose high above her head a little to the south, at the center of what must have been a major crossroads once. Now, it was mostly dirt, with occasional flag or cobble stones peeking through the earth, and patches of scratchy, dry grass, even more sparsely growing between aged ruts that were worn by time but still existed. She was below and almost directly east of the Tower on the plateau, and just below that the great, very jammed gates that now held back a small pond. From here, the battlements looked even more damaged, and much of the edifice itself was fallen to ruin, only the great weight above it holding the earth in place where the bricks had fallen. Two similar pennant-poles on smaller stands framed the old doors, and from all three a long, very tattered pennant still hung. Slowly, keeping a weather eye out for Moblins or worse, Zelda made her way to the nearest, larger stand at the crossroads, and crept up the short stairs to the top.

"Watch post, maybe," she mused out loud, if only to hear a voice again. It hadn't been that long since she saw Mina and Mils, a couple of hours maybe, but it was already after noon. The silence was starting to get to her, though. Knowing, now, that the only person she'd really been able to talk to until meeting the siblings was the ghost of her father made Zelda feel that much more alone. Koroks were not great conversationalists, either, not least because once spotted they almost always disappeared immediately.

And talking to a Bokoblin would result in threats, and little else, if it was smart enough to converse at all.

She had no better guess as to what the structure was meant to be, though, since there were the weathered, worn remains of stools and a small desk at the top. Maybe it was used to tally or log people passing up or down the roads? Collect tolls, perhaps?

From the higher vantage point, Zelda could see the road moving in three directions. The first and shortest moved toward the gate of the plateau. The next was back the way she came, one she now realized she could have followed rather than venture into the Forest of Time. That road, after the pennant-post, continued south-southeast. The last branch, the one both her father and Mina had suggested, moved from here almost straight east.

As the pair had said, it clearly moved through the ruins of an outpost or town, because many of the structures, while in disrepair and falling apart, were built of stone and at least somewhat intact. A few wagons, newer in one case and ancient in the rest, were arranged in a loose circle on the nearer side, a few hundred yards distant and down the rise from the forest. Crates, barrels, and other containers lay scattered nearby, along with the bones of a horse and what Zelda thought, in the distance, was a human. Why Mina and Mils hadn't raided that, she didn't know. Was it too close to the Moblins?

The hill the forest's southern end stood upon rose higher to the east too, and Zelda could see some kind of wooden watchtower, far higher than any she'd seen the Bokoblins on the plateau make, rising from near the peak. It would be, she thought, almost as good a vantage as from the plateau's edge, only a couple of miles further east. If she dared trek back into the forest and up the hill in plain sight of anything nearby, it could be useful... but risky. Beyond that, too, she thought perhaps one of the strange, stone towers with the flat tops. That Zelda wasn't sure of, since it was neither as tall nor as close. In fact, if Zelda was right, it was on the far side of the hill, perhaps another half-mile off.

And another of those towers, far off in the distance and several miles away, stood on the other side of a ridge of hills beyond the ruins. South of that, a hill rose quite high indeed, nearly to the level of the plateau, and by squinting, the princess made out the ruins of a partially-intact watch post of a larger design. A small fortress, or watch-tower of military make, she guessed, crafted from the stone of the large hill or small mountain itself.

To the south, a great lake with a bridge some two miles or more in length, with one of the mysterious Sheikah towers on the far side. Zelda was almost excited to head there because if it worked as the one on the plateau had, her Slate would be far more useful as far as telling her where she was. But that was not the direction she needed to go.

East, across the ruins, or around them, and then to the Dueling Peaks beyond was her route.

It just remained to decide: Peril in the ruins, with a possible rich reward like the siblings had been hunting; South over the hills for a rougher climb but a safer route, or north into the forest for a better idea of what was around her, and quite possibly death.

Zelda sighed. "North it is, then. I hate being lost. It seems the me from a century ago and the me now have that in common. Not knowing things is irritating to the point of foolhardiness. I'll just have to be extra careful and not be afraid to turn and run if I need to. If I can manage it anyway, because those Moblins could be quite fast.

"First, though... those crates and barrels are too inviting to pass up."

Zelda approached carefully, wary because there were indeed Moblin tracks- at least they looked like it to her untrained eye- in the grass and dirt nearby. But there were none of the creatures in sight, and carefully prying open the barrels and crates revealed nothing until she got to the last of each. In the barrel, which wasn't even tight, were five apples at the very bottom. It was deep enough that she had to tip it open and almost crawl inside to reach them, but they were relatively fresh, too. Was a Moblin using the barrel to store food it picked from a tree?

The final crate was half-open too, but inside she found about seventy arrows, broken and shattered as if someone had clubbed them to pieces inside the crate. There were a few, she spotted right away, that were still intact. Those, seven in all, she carefully added to her collection. For a moment, she debated taking the arrowheads and feathers too, but decided against it. She was neither a skilled fletcher nor someone who had the patience to spend hours making a few arrows. Better to pay someone else to do it... if she could find someone who could.

The Bokoblins, even if their bows were slipshod, at least made half-decent arrows.

Zelda spent another hour, maybe an hour and a half, poking through the building ruins at the edges of the Outpost Town, but found little of value. All she saw reminded her of what a great place the Hyrule she could no longer remember must have been. Shelves full of disintegrated books, comfortable beds gone to ruin and seed, rat and lice infested, and defaced, weather-ruined artworks littered even what must have once been a very utilitarian place. There were some things that might have had value, like a rusty halberd here, a shattered shield there, a broken handaxe, but her belt and straps were already full of weapons in better condition, so Zelda wasn't tempted by any of them. Maybe she could direct Mils and Mina here, if she ever saw them again. There didn't seem to be too much in the way of threat, despite what they had said.

Of course, then she spotted the Guardians. Two of them, one without legs, and one with. Both made her tremble. But neither reacted to her presence, possibly because she was still quite far off, more than two hundred yards from the nearest. Deciding caution was the better part of valor, Zelda ducked down below the nearest wall, and swiftly made her way to the north, heading for the edge of the ruins.

Even if she only had the vaguest of memories, more emotion than anything, from before... witnessing the might and destructive power of even the ancient, worn and derelict Guardians on the plateau that were still partially functional made it very clear how a mighty nation like Hyrule must have once been fell so quickly and easily.

The Guardians were simply overwhelming, even just one of them. Given what she had seen around the Temple, and here too in this relatively small area, there must have been hundreds, maybe thousands of them. Maybe even more.

Hyrule hadn't stood a chance.

As she crept out of the ruins to the north, doing her best to stay in the lowest regions of the steep bluff to stay out of sight of any Moblins on the higher ground to the north, in the forest, Zelda soon realized her hands were not just shaking from fear... but from anger.

It was the Calamity's fault. He, It, had turned the Guardians against them. That's what her father had said. They should have protected Hyrule, been a mighty force to bring the Calamity down. Instead, he had manipulated them somehow, turned them against their rightful masters. Somehow, even though her mind rebelled against the idea, she knew... it was what the Calamity did. It corrupted everything it touched.

It had corrupted the Guardians, too.

It had corrupted Hyrule.

She could not let that stand.

Zelda swallowed, forced her hands to be still, and stood up straight. Let a Moblin come. If it did, it would die. Let Bokoblins come. If they did, the same fate would befall them. She could handle both, she'd already proven that. Now, angry, furious beyond all reason, Zelda found herself relishing the idea of a fight, though she knew she was no great warrior.

Mina and Mils might have been right that she could have destroyed both, but they were untrained. Her talents did not lie in combat, she had been taught out of necessity. Hadn't she?

Once again, Zelda cursed the lack of memory. It felt right, but was it?

Wouldn't royalty need to know how to defend themselves in a crisis? It had to be so.

But such thoughts were a distraction. In the end, the princess decided it didn't really matter. What mattered was reaching the top of that hill safely, and getting a good vantage point.

She was nearly there, about to climb up the short bluffs on the eastern side of the woods, when a chance glance backward made Zelda sigh and lower her hands.

From just a few feet higher up the slope, she could see atop another of the larger pennant-watch posts. This one, clearly, was a toll-station. Hidden beneath a desk, partially intact, was a footlocker.

Footlockers held valuables.

Shaking her head at being forced to backtrack, Zelda hurried now, sure the way was clear, until she was atop the stone structure. She was far too close to the more intact Guardian from here. She could see a leg through the open arched window on the south side, but it still wasn't reacting. The smell of must and moths struck Zelda's nose the moment she opened the lid, and she recoiled at once from the pungent odor. Several of the little insects flew out, too, and a few spiders hurried out of the box as well. Inside, after giving the insects a chance to escape or burrow deeper, she found the mouldering remains of an officer's uniform and a hunter's bow similar to the several she already had on her baldric. "Nice," she whispered, reaching back for the one she had used most recently. It wasn't in terrible condition. It was, in fact, nearly new. But even though the clothes were in bad shape, the bow had been oiled and was nearly perfectly preserved. At least, it was a little better than what she had. It was an easy decision to swap it out.

Skirting the noise of a small camp of Bokoblins as she climbed higher a little later, Zelda was startled by a red-winged dragonfly landing on her arm mid-motion. She stared at it for several seconds, mesmerized by the strange, alien shape of the insect. It moved its wings slowly, as if to cool itself despite the breeze that seemed ever-present in central Hyrule, but otherwise didn't move. Finally, just as it took off, Zelda found her hand reaching out to form a cage. With a grin, she maneuvered the creature, still moving, into her ingredient pouch. That one, she actually recognized. A darner, they called it. Warm, or Sun, or Fire Darner depending on the locale... and it could be used to make an elixir that protected against the flu, the cold, and cold itself.

Bitter of taste, yes, but she knew how to make it.

Higher up the bluff, once she finished the steep part of the climb, Zelda crouched low, eventually even laying down in the grass to stay out of sight while she crept nearer to the camp, from which a ruckus could be heard. She saw no watchers in this group, but two red Bokoblins and a blue holding a great woodsman's axe over its head as it cheered on the two lesser beasts, who were wrestling near the fire and making most of the noise. They were distracted. She could get the drop on them, too.

But Blue Bokoblins were dangerous, and she didn't want to fight them. At least, not that close to any Moblins- they were literally at the edge of the Forest of Time, and it was dark enough inside, this late in the day, that she couldn't be sure there were none in hearing range.

"Besides," she told herself as she moved away, "I didn't see anything worth scavenging, either. No chests, just that one axe, and I already have one in better shape."

The humongous watchtower that Zelda had suspected was crafted after the Calamity from a distance proved at least a century old still. There was no way, she thought, Bokoblins or Moblins could have cut such huge timbers out of trees, for each of the sturdy main legs, four in all, was formed from the trunk of a tree some fifty or more feet long. And that was just what was above the ground. They must have been at least ten deep, too, for it to be stable after this long, she decided.

The ladder was a bit rickety, and she could see some of the boards at the top were damaged. But it looked sturdy enough, and most were intact.

Dreading her arms and the ache they'd have, Zelda started to climb, carefully testing each rung as she went, terrified that one would give out.

They did not, though, and so, trembling once again, but this time from exertion, she finally reached the top... and found herself rewarded for her hard work.

For one, it would likely be a safe, if cold and windy, place to rest. There was even a mattress of sorts, a bundle of reeds that someone had lugged up here some time ago. But that wasn't all. Three barrels, one full of rain-water with only a few leaves floating on top, and two with the red-painted symbol of an explosive barrel. The last item held her interest the most, though.

A steel chest, banded in brass, was tucked in the corner beneath a moth-eaten blanket.

Of course, it was locked. But Zelda knew how to cheat. By carefully maneuvering the Sheikah Slate, she was able to pop the rivets around the hinges in the back. It took her a few minutes, but she suspected it would have taken just as long for a decently-trained thief to pick the lock on it, too. And her way required no training, only a little knowledge of engineering and a willingness to work around the problem. Even better, for her little bit of work, Zelda was rewarded with a bit of salted pork in a sealed container, perhaps a week or two old, and a bundle of Fire arrows. "Sorry," she whispered to the unknown person who was probably hoping this was a safe storage space, "but I'm afraid my need is greater."

It didn't assuage her guilt in taking it, but it helped take the edge off, at least.

Equally great a treasure, she decided soon after, was the view. It wasn't that majestic, but she was indeed only about twenty or thirty feet below the edge of the plateau, which was easily visible from here. She could see over the entire Forest of Time and even thought she spotted the bug-sized Mils and Mina, miles away now, still picking through the ruins.

Most of what she saw confirmed what she already knew: The hill to the southeast with the fortress or watchtower ruin on the top, the lake and the tower beyond that, and the road leading to the Dueling Peaks. But in the distance, down that same course, she could now see the bridge Mils had named for his forgetful sister. "Proxim, I think he said," Zelda mused aloud, "and yes, I can see the road still. It's blurry at this distance, but it does seem to go straight into the mountain's cleft. Oh!"

The reason for her explanation was that she had spotted, or more accurately been reminded of, another Sheikah Tower near the base of the mountain itself. "That one I will head for if I can; it's not too far off the road. And I could use a lay of the land. It's not bad from up here at all, but having it on the Slate would be better than relying on my memory."

Far, far to the northwest, she could see the distant glow of another Shrine, and perhaps two more towers, days away, one even further than the other. No... three, all in that direction. She wouldn't want to hazard a guess on the terrain or weather, but if the nearest, which was the furthest to the right (assuming they were the same size) from here, was three days away... The next closest, on the left, would be five or six. But it was high up the side of the colossal volcano, and it would likely be a tough, rough climb. The third, the last one she had spotted, was in the middle... and atop a mountain that seemed almost tower-like in its proportions, as if a god had made it to be the greatest watch-tower in Hyrule. The Sheikah tower, of course, was at its peak, even higher, she thought, than the one on the volcano.

Zelda shook her head. They were so far... and she knew how dangerous the world was.

The task before her, no matter how much she wished it done, seemed impossible. She was... weak. Scared. Afraid. Alone.

Very alone.

She didn't even have herself, because she could not remember who she was.

Of course, she was starting to get bits and pieces, and what the ghost had said rang true. She might well be the Princess of Hyrule.

But who was she? Who was she? A title, lineage, didn't make a person.

She just... knew so little. The world was so big.

It was... daunting.

Zelda felt a panic attack coming on quickly and did her best to shove it aside. This, high over a tall, steep hill surrounded by danger below, was not a good place to start panicking. No... no. Calm. I am calm. I can be calm. Emotions are for later. For now, I must think. For now, I must act. Acting calms emotion. Decisions calm emotion. You are scared because you have no plan. You needed information to make that plan... now you have more. Don't panic because you don't like the information you have. Focus. Calm. Change... change what you can. The rest... the rest can wait.

Words she remembered. Almost a litany.

A voice.

One she knew but could not place or name. Not the whole thing, of course, but most of it was... his. It was a male voice, deeper than her own, soft, gentle, but commanding. Not as deep as the ghost of her father's, and she could only assume he still sounded the same as when he'd been alive.

That realization, that someone else had talked her out of a panic attack in her previous life, both shocked Zelda to the core and yet made it easier to distract herself from the currently-building one. Was she always... prone to them? Was it a rare thing, common? There was so much about herself she didn't know.

As her breathing returned to normal, Zelda had another realization. The advice, the instruction... no, the command, for that's what it had been at the time, gentle or not, was almost the exact same as what the Sheikah Slate had told her shortly after waking. For now, act. Even with no plan, action is better than inaction. Goals and paths to them become apparent over time and are rarely obvious from the start. Even if they are, they will almost certainly change.

She could... act. She could do things. Even if it frightened her (where just a week ago the thought would have terrified her), she could go destroy the three Bokoblins below and see what she might have missed in her more distant observation of their camp. It wasn't much, but it was something.

Anything would do, really, the princess knew. "It's really too bad I've no way to get these barrels down safely. I couldn't throw them that far, but if I could roll one into the camp and blow it up there, it would certainly soften any resistance they might put up."

Unfortunately, the only ropes available were the short pieces holding the platform itself together, and those were completely unsuitable: old, too short, and too thick. Both recent experience and knowledge hidden in the depths of Zelda's mind told her she would struggle to do more than tip one over and roll it anyway. Lowering it down from this height would strain her to the limits, and she didn't want to contemplate what might happen if she dropped it, causing the barrel to go off while she was high above the explosion. "No... I'll just leave them here for now," she murmured contemplatively. "I wouldn't even be able to throw them over the edge without breaking my back anywhere except that hole in the siding, and that's too close to the base of the tower anyway."

It took her a few more minutes to climb down after simply enjoying the view while she ate a pair of apples as a pre-dinner snack (she didn't want to be distracted by hunger while attacking Bokoblins, after all). That proved fortunate, though, because the delay caused a ray of the early sunset light to glint just so off a spark of metal high atop the strange, stone watchtower she had seen the top of from the ruins.

Straining her eyes as the light changed, making the shine disappear, she thought, from half-way down the ladder, that there was indeed something up there, at the top.

"Like the one on the Plateau," she whispered, "people must climb those and put chests up there for safekeeping. They'd be out of sight from up close, and very few would be willing to climb them. But I also have a paraglider and could simply go up the ladder... hm. Well, after the Bokoblins. I want to destroy something and weaken the Calamity's hold over Hyrule first."

Decision made, Zelda returned to the blind she had made earlier, rudimentary as it was. The grasses on the hillside at least mostly covered her, and the color of the doublet coat the old man had made for her would be harder to see than the white dress she had worn before. A few minutes of thought gave her a decent plan. As usual, weaken the enemy with stealth. Remove their ability to fight back before engaging in open conflict.

Rules to live by, she decided. It sounded better in her head, at least, than rules to die by.

A pair of bombs, round and bright, rolled into the camp. They detonated nearly simultaneously, only the time it took Zelda to move her finger from one button to the other separated them. On either side, both blasts hit one of the red Bokoblins. One went flying, striking its head against a nearby tree and spun, whirling like a pinwheel held sideways, to land on its back. The other, nearer the edge, was knocked to its stomach instead, and, howling, kipped to its feet with a broken wrist. Their more dangerous cousin, however, was unaffected.

It cast those dark, malevolent orange eyes about, but could see neither the source of the explosion nor Zelda, for it didn't point or charge at her.

Unfortunately, even the Bokoblin she'd blasted first slowly climbed to its feet, wincing and clutching it ribs. It didn't howl, but instead snarled in pain as it stalked toward the camp. Once it joined its fellows, Zelda called up another bomb, but waited. They were talking. Low, guttural... but it was speech she understood. "Chief Death say Plateau Boss dead. He say blue lights kill Plateau Boss. Blue lights hurt you."

"Roknok no care," the most injured Bokoblin snarled in the blue's direction, "Roknok want to kill!"

"No," the blue commanded, slashing a hand through the air, though it kept a firm grip on the great axe, "Chief Death say no kill Lady-cheat. Ruin lady cheat, no kill. We capture. We have fun. She here... she listening. No see, but she here. Snakdop know it."

The injured creature growled, but nodded once, before it, too, started casting its eyes about.

Neither seemed to see her, still.

Then the third, the one with the broken wrist, turned its head to look almost exactly in her direction, "Hill," it hissed, "Snorble smell! Hyli-human!"

"It her," the blue growled, looking a little to her left, "Go! Find! You left, Snorble, Roknok right! No, other- baah! Idiots!"

The two had clearly never learned their directions, for both had gone the opposite way, crossing paths between she and the fire. The blue Bokoblin lifted the heavy woodsman's axe it carried in both hands, "We coming for you, Hyli-human! We gonna have fun with you before take to Chief Death!"

Well. That plan was going south quickly.

Zelda dropped the bomb where it was, but quickly summoned up a square one, too. The first rolled down the hill, slowly gathering speed as it passed through the grass, while the other flopped onto its side and stayed in place. She hurried backward, almost crab-walking to stay low through the grass, as the two red Bokoblins did their best to circle and flank her.

Soon, somehow, through luck as much as anything, the least wounded, Snorble, she thought, poked its head out of the grass just a foot or so from where she'd been. Its big, pig-like snout ruffled, "Snorble smell you, Lady-cheat! We find you! No... Snorble smell you now! Ha, hah, you right!"

It was lifting an arm when the bomb went off, sending its half-mulched upper skull, the largest intact piece of it, soaring into the air over the camp. The round one went off a moment later, but she didn't hear any screams, only the slightly muffled blast as it echoed over the curve of the hill.

Which meant the blue was unaffected. She knew one bomb wouldn't kill one, even at point blank range, but two might. If they struck close enough, which that one clearly hadn't. It must be moving, too.

Luck was on her side again as Zelda turned and rose to half-stand, crouching as she ran back up the hill. There, the most wounded one, Roknok, was still holding its ribs with a pot-lid protected arm and a dirty, filthy soup ladle in the other as a makeshift club. It would serve, she knew, for it was heavy and wooden, but no better- and probably even more fragile- than the usual clubs they used. The best part for her, though, was that Roknok was facing away from her, focused more on climbing the steep hill without hurting itself.

The heavy Moblin's club, useless in some ways because of its weight and slow swing, was excellent for a proper sneak attack, and the already damaged Bokoblin had no chance of surviving the blow that shortened its spine by at least ten inches.

Unfortunately, that luck wore out quickly as the too-close cry of Snakdop, the blue, from only a dozen or so feet away.

Zelda burst into a run, heading for the closest safety, marginal though it was, she could find.

Up the ladder she went, her already tired arms straining, her boots slipping once, and she felt the scrabble of claws around her foot. Zelda kicked out, and felt sudden resistance, but it only deterred the thing for a moment. Up, higher and higher, the rickety ladder groaned and strained, even swayed precariously, under the weight of both of them.

Zelda was still in the lead when she hurled herself up onto the platform, fingers already on the Slate's command buttons. The red barrels of powder were too strong, but the concussive force of the Shiekah bombs wasn't quite as high. Maybe, just maybe, it would be enough.

The princess even had time to get to her feet at the edge of the platform and look down, holding the bomb in one hand.

Snakdop was about eight feet down. She'd still be in range, but just barely, and could probably duck out of the way as it went off. She controlled the timing, after all.

Its beady, flaming orange eyes widened as it realized she was holding the 'blue-trap' that had killed the earlier boss... and further as it realized its position.

"Say hello to Chief Death for me when you see him," Zelda told it, then let the bomb fall.

She was rewarded, just as she turned and ducked, tucking her arms around her ears before tapping the detonation button, with seeing the Bokoblin let go with one hand, trying to let it go by. It still bounced off the thing's snout and was perhaps four inches from its face when it exploded.

As her ears stopped ringing a few minutes later, Zelda, who had been holding the club ready just in case it came up the ladder still, dared look down.

There it was, sprawled out on the ground, bleeding heavily with half its face gone and two broken legs. Helpless, she thought with a grin.

Zelda climbed down slowly, but dropped the last few feet. Snakdop didn't move or react, not even as she held the heavy, charred club overhead, "Last words, Snakdop?"

Nothing. She brought the club down.

And missed, for Snakdop was indeed quite alive. Only by inches. In fact she thought she might've clipped one of the Bokoblin's long ears, but even with broken legs and grievous head injuries, the thing hurled itself at her and caught Zelda in the midriff. They both went tumbling down, over and over, circling as they bit and clawed at each other, rolling down the hillside.

When at last they stopped, Snakdop was still alive, but beneath the princess, who had used its blindness at the last moment to outmaneuver it from the left side, and grabbed its wrist to make it punch itself in the gory remains of its own face. Straddling its short waist, Zelda tried to make Snakdop strike itself again, but, prepared now, even though she was sure she'd dazed it, it was strong enough to keep the strike at bay.

Snakdop squirmed and wailed, but even though it was clearly mightier than her in raw physical strength, Zelda still had the advantage of leverage and position, while it was half-blind.

She still almost lost the impromptu wrestling match when she felt it go still for a moment. Not because she would fall for such a lame trick as playing dead, but because as it had, she felt something else from the Bokoblin. Something directly between her legs. It was... it was erect! And its little Bokoblin-cock was between her legs!

"Hah, hwah," Snakdop chuckled, what was left of its mouth frothy with blood and spittle both, "if Lady-cheat want to play, only have to ask no need to fight. We play no-ghhrk."

Revolted, completely disgusted, Zelda had punched it right in the middle of the damaged area of its head. Her hand sank in wrist-deep, and came out covered in brilliant crimson blood and gray matter, along with several bone shards. A moment later, she dropped a half-inch or so as the creature's body disappeared into foul, black mist. But the blood remained.

With a shudder, Zelda stared at it for a moment, then forced herself onto shaky feet. She hurt once again, ached all over. Rolling down the hill while fighting that thing in a brawl had not been the plan. But, she had to admit, she was in better shape than before, after trying to kill herself with two bombs at once. She hurt, but it was proof she was alive. And nothing, so far as her ginger, tender flexing indicated, was broken.

Zelda let herself shudder again as she'd felt the thing's cock against her doe-skin pants. Disgusting. Not the idea of sex itself, but... with one of those things? A servant of the Calamity itself? And one so vile, so crude? Never. She truly would rather die.

That, of course, was when the arrow sank into her upper left arm, nearly pinning it to her torso. Zelda cried out in pain, spinning to identify the new threat.

Of course there was a watchtower with a single Bokoblin on it. And somehow she'd missed it, covered as it was by a large oak just outside the rest of the forest. And he'd shot her.

"Oh... you are not my friend," she growled angrily, "be glad I'm not using that arm against you, too!"

With it injured like it was, using any of her heavier weapons, or spear, or bows, was out of the question. But she had a club still, the one from the first Bokoblin she'd heard truly speaking. The one she had questioned about the Boss.

It would do.

She hurled herself forward, her whole body protesting, and janked to the left at the last second as another arrow sped through where she had just been. Then, one-armed, she almost leaped to the top of the tower's short ladder, and used the recoil of that bouncing landing on the rungs to jump up further. If she weren't so furious and in so much pain, Zelda might have been impressed by her own athleticism. If she were completely calm, she would have known that adrenaline does funny things to people, allowing them to perform nearly- or completely- superhuman feats. Always at a cost of course, but in the moment she didn't care.

The shocked Bokoblin took two steps back, nearly tottering off the platform as she lurched to her knees, keeping them wide for stability. She was just a little shorter than it this way, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that the spiked club was in her hand, and whistling through the air already.

It died without so much as a sound other than the meaty thud of its head caving in.

This time, Zelda scanned the area quickly, then again carefully, before she allowed herself to relax. She swayed, and if she had been fully standing, she would probably have collapsed, as she looked next to the arrow that pierced through her arm. There was a lot of blood... and pulling it out would be worse. But she had a few of the poultices made with medicinal herbs now. They would at least slow the bleeding, accelerate healing, and help prevent infection. They did nothing for pain, though.

While she was still on the platform, Zelda gathered the remains of the last, unnamed Bokoblin, then slowly lowered herself carefully to the ground. She swayed again once she was on her feet, another wave of dizziness, either blood loss or shock, making her vision narrow. After a moment, though, she was able to fight through it.

Carefully making her way around the camp and back up the hill, Zelda gathered what she could while fighting her arm free, then settled in to use the camp from the fire itself to sterilize the small knife that was the best tool she had for the job.

Most of it was useless, worn shields, cooking implements turned to weapons like one of the reds had, and another claymore likely scavenged from the ruins just to the south. But aside from the axe, there was another well-crafted, feathered javelin and a crop of twenty-five more arrows, and a few slightly fermented apples, there wasn't much of use for.

All in all, aside from the therapeutic violence- which was questionable considering the injuries Zelda had sustained- she rather regretted the decision. Even if she was nearing two hundred arrows, she'd hesitated at dropping the second round of bombs, which would have let her at least snipe most of them from a distance. That, in turn, would have let her approach the camp warily instead of in a knock-down, drag-out fight. "In other words," she grumbled as she looked at the glowing red blade of her knife some time later, poultice and bandage at the ready, "it would've saved me this!"

She'd already broken off the head, but pulling the arrow out still made her scream. Cauterizing the wound made it even worse. Zelda hurried as quickly as she could to tie off the dressing, then staggered to her feet, leaving the broken arrow there after cauterizing the wound too, sure she was going into full shock now.

But she had to move. There was no time to dawdle. The screaming would have called something to her location.

Zelda ran back up the hill and to the other side. There, unable to go further as exhaustion overwhelmed her, she staggered until she hit her knees. The nearest shelter was the meager protection of the stone watchtower, the one with... something, whatever it was, atop it. She wasn't even a half-mile away, but she could go no further.

If she died here, so be it.

The injured woman at least made herself sit upright, her back to the stone, and kept a hand on her now bloodied, spiked club.

Maybe, if she wasn't killed while she slept, she would... It was only her first full day off the plateau, and she was still alive, but so, so sore. Could she handle the res... rest...? What would she do if more...

Then Zelda knew no more.