Thankfully for Link, the trip back to the stable was very uneventful. The Sheikah watched him go, some seeming surprised at his very existence while others seemed curious. Notably, as he went through the small valley, he didn't feel any eyes on him. Apparently the unseen Sheikah scouts felt no need to monitor his departure. The young man took note that as he passed by the area where he met Hestu, the large Korok was gone. Hopefully he'd be able to find his way back to his home in one piece.
After that, he saw little of note or interest on his way back to the stable. The only thing was he encountered a single traveler, though the two men didn't exchange words, just a simple nod of acknowledgement. Link figured people were generally too busy trying to survive to always stop and chat with every person they encountered on the way. Maybe the stranger was going to Kakariko Village for shelter or to do some trading. Thinking of it, Link didn't see any Hylians there, maybe only Sheikah were actually allowed to live within the village walls.
The hours ticked by, but there was still sunlight by the time Link saw the stables again, the area as busy as when he left it. There were people tending to the horses, guards keeping a lookout for the far off Bokoblins in the nearby field, kids at play, and he noticed that same merchant with the beetle-shaped pack. Link had to wonder if it'd be possible for a true community to form from a place like this. Not just a stable with some tents propped up, but a small village, maybe. He was no expert on resource management for a village, but maybe they could do some trading with Kakariko.
Of course, this was just wishful thinking. Link wanted to see more emerge from the remnants of Hyrule. While he had nothing to back up such a thought, he imagined the roads were busy back when the kingdom was thriving, countless people traveling back and forth to trade or just to visit a friend or relative. He remembered the carcass of that small village near the Great Plateau, and he had to wonder how many places like that dotted Hyrule. At the very least, it seemed a handful of communities were left like Kakariko and Hateno, hopefully the four races he was going to visit had thriving communities too…
As Link reached the stable proper, Tasseren noticed him and gave a wave. "Hey, back already? Didn't think I'd see you again so soon!"
Link was actually a bit surprised at the warm greeting. Tasseren was practically talking to him like he was an old friend. "You remember me?" He couldn't help but ask.
Tasseren laughed, more amused than offended. "I try to remember everyone that passes through here. We don't get as much foot traffic as you think, especially for those that spend the night."
"That makes sense, just didn't expect to be remembered so easily." Link remarked, supposing it had only been a few hours since he was even here. Not even a full day. He just figured he was another face that came and went and Tasseren wouldn't bother to recall seeing him.
"I try my best." The stable owner said with a shrug. "Seems like your trip to Kakariko was bountiful, I won't ask for details though, that's your business." He said as he nodded at Link's new tunic and weapons. "Are you going to stay the night again?"
Link nodded as he got out his wallet, which raised Tasseren's brow. It probably seemed strange he left with rags and horrible weapons and then came back armed to the teeth with money. "I want a room; how much is it?"
"Twenty for a night, double for dinner and breakfast." The stable owner said automatically, like he said the exact same phrase hundreds of times. "I see you won't be working it off this time."
"Not this time. I got some help from Kakariko." That's all Link felt needed to be said on that. He contemplated if he should splurge for the food. Impa gave him some things to eat, yes, but he'd need to save as much as possible and would probably have to scrounge for more on the way to Hateno. Since he had the money, he supposed he may as well use it. "I want the full treatment." He declared, looking into the wallet. Impa and the Sheikah had provided him with a fair amount it seemed, and like with many things, a part of his subconscious kicked in and he recalled how Rupees work. A green Rupee was worth one, a blue was worth five and so on.
After getting his proper payment, and checking it over quickly, Tasseren nodded with a grin as he pocketed the Rupees. "It's all squared away. You'll have the second bed from the entrance tonight, and dinner will be around seven."
Link nodded as he went inside the stable and over to his bed. He didn't feel comfortable leaving his things behind, so he wouldn't just drop off his things and go for a walk or something. After the trip he had just had, that was about the last thing he wanted to do. He was pretty tired! While he knew Tasseren ran a fair establishment, he couldn't trust every random stranger to leave his things be. Still, he removed everything and put it by his bed as he laid down and sighed through his nose. The soft mattress felt like heaven on his exhausted body!
There was a bit of guilt in his stomach as he enjoyed this luxury, it felt like something he shouldn't be allowed to have. All of what was happening was because he was unable to fulfill his duties and save Hyrule, if he had been able to fight off Calamity Ganon…well, he'd be dead of old age by this point, but the kingdom would be in a better state. That, and it almost seemed like…cheating for him to get to sleep in a nice cozy bed, some childish part of his brain told him someone on a quest like this had to rough it, but he knew that was silly thinking.
Still, his health was important, if he didn't take care of himself, the chances of something bad happening to him on the journey would just increase. The absolute last thing he wanted was to fail Hyrule again. On the other hand, he knew at that moment that Zelda was fighting hard and suffering to keep Calamity Ganon at bay, yet there he was lounging on a bed and waiting for dinner to come around…
Sighing, he shut his eyes and just tried to keep the negative thoughts away.
Naturally, the rest of the day went by uneventfully. Link focused on just getting rest for the journey ahead and only left the bed to take a small walk around the area to stretch his legs. For the most part, he just partook in people watching, seeing the type of people that came through the area. One thing he noticed was they always came along the path that went by in front of the stable, never from the field to the east. He knew about the Bokoblins of course, but he figured there'd be at least one person that could get past them. Maybe he should take the monsters out, clear the area for potential travel, assuming more monsters didn't just take their place.
While he had his explicit quest, there was no reason he couldn't stop to help smaller issues on the way, right? It'd take time, but who could say if stopping Calamity Ganon would just make all the monsters poof away automatically? He had his new gear, and fighting that Guardian Scout helped shake some more of the rust off…so he decided that tomorrow morning, he'd take out all the nearby Bokoblins. It was the least he could do for how the stable owner let him work for a bed and food the other day.
As evening rolled around, Link wolfed down the dinner presented to him. Cooked mushrooms, a bit of meat, and some hearty vegetables. Something about it being made by someone else just enhanced how good it was. That being said, it was just genuinely made well. Afterward he just laid in bed, staring at the ceiling as the activity around the stable started to slow down. Maybe the last time he'd get to sleep comfortably for four days, so he had to make the most of it. Link did his best to empty his mind and just let himself sleep. His body must have been more desperate for a bed than he thought because it worked, and he passed out within minutes.
The next morning was lovely, Link waking up to some eggs and a roll of bread with some sort of herbs on it to give it a delicious flavor. He knew he couldn't waste any more time, though, there was a long journey ahead and he already had a detour to take. Link thanked Tasseren and his wife for the room and food and then went off towards the field.
"Hold on!" One of the guards, an older man with greying hair, exclaimed as Link passed by. "What are you doing? Don't you see the Bokoblins, kid?"
Link paused to look back at the man and gave a nod. "I see them. I'll take them out for you, since people have been so nice here." And just to try and be helpful, but he didn't want to say that out loud. He ignored the shocked response from the guard and kept going, trying to ignore the Guardian carcasses, looking at them gave him an uneasy feeling.
As before, there was a group of Bokoblin running around in the field, seven of them from Link's count. All of them red, and all of them wielding wooden and shabby weapons. Link got his new sword and shield ready, the new gear feeling far better than the scraps he dealt with beforehand. Glancing back, he saw the guards and other people at the stable conversing with themselves, as if debating on whether or not they should stop Link.
Turning back, the young man then saw that the Bokoblins took notice of him. They also looked a bit surprised, but eager at the same time. Chances were this was the first time someone came through this field alone in some time given the shock on the monsters' faces. Still, they got their weapons ready, making disgusting sounds that almost seemed like laughter as they spread out, forming a wide circle around Link.
He knew he could use his various runes to make this easier, but he wanted to see how he'd hold up with just his sword and shield…a small part of him perhaps just wanting to see how it felt with the new gear. Thankfully, none of the Bokoblins had arrows, so there wouldn't be any ranged attacks to impede him, just clubs with the exception of one creature with a rusty sword.
The Bokoblins snarled and snapped their jaws at Link, like they wanted to intimidate him into running so they could chase him. One even bucked at the young man, leaping a bit at him, but still maintaining his distance. When he didn't take the bait, they got increasingly rowdy until one simply charged at him, club held high above its head as it prepared to strike Link down. Or so it planned. As soon as the red monster got close, Link struck out first, aiming a horizontal swing at its torso.
The result surprised even him! As the blade hit the Bokoblin's chest, it simply went right through! The flesh, the muscle, and even the bone was all severed in a single slash, with little actual effort from Link! In the blink of an eye, the monster was bisected right below its pectorals and was killed instantly, its pieces collapsing to the ground.
Apparently, the Bokoblins weren't expecting that, all of them practically frozen in place as their comrade was taken down so easily. Link figured they never faced a swordsman as fast as him or with a weapon as well-maintained. He had yet to see a weapon that wasn't in shambles to some extent, even the guards at the stable wielding spears and swords that looked ready to fall apart.
It seemed like some of the Bokoblins were ready to flee, but the one with the rusted sword, apparently the leader, howled at them. Link could only guess it was egging on its cohorts in whatever primitive tongue the monsters used, as two of them rushed him, clubs at the ready. Link waited until they got close, one of them swinging down at his head! He did a quick shield parry, nearly knocking the weapon out of the Bokoblin's hand, before he thrust his blade through its skull, right between the eyes! Link found the attack was smooth and he had no issues pulling the blade out.
In a flash, he turned around and swung at the other Bokoblin, it desperately using its club to try and block the attack. There was a crack as the sword splintered through the wood of the club, its speed barely hindered as it hit the creature's neck and beheaded it in a single stroke! As the two monsters fell, the other four seemed even more nervous, one of them seeming like it wanted to run.
The leader of the small group roared at the others, and the three club-wielding Bokoblin rushed him at the same time. Even three against one, it wasn't much of a challenge. With some basic attacks, two of the monsters fell to the ground in pieces, a pile of parts starting to surround Link. The third one backed away as the leader finally entered the fray itself.
Link watched as it approached, wanting to try something, wanting to recreate a part of his fight with the Guardian Scout. As the sword-wielding Bokoblin got close, Link didn't move, block, or attack, at least not yet. Like with his fight in the shrine, he wanted to wait until the last possible second to get his adrenaline really pumping! When the blade came down, Link deftly leapt to the side, dodging it entirely. At that moment, it was as if time itself began to slow down, but not for Link himself. It was surely just in his mind, but he felt like he was far faster than usual, and he took advantage of this by slicing through the Bokoblin's torso not once, but twice in an X shape. Shockingly, he was able to get in both swings before the monster fell apart.
After a moment, Link's adrenaline returned to how it always was during a fight, and things seemed to move at their normal speed. The Bokoblin leader fell into a pile of meat on the ground, the remaining monster looking on in clear horror. With no one to boss it around, it turned and started to run towards the east. Link didn't hesitate to put his sword and shield away and ready his bow, notching an arrow and aiming carefully. After a slight adjustment, he let the arrow fly, it whizzing through the air with more power and speed than with the dingy bow he used before. In an instant, the projectile went right through the Bokoblin's brain, dropping it in an instant.
From the stable, he heard some excited yelling. He figured the group of Bokoblins had been a pain in their side for a long while. It sort of felt good for his deed to be appreciated, but he knew he shouldn't revel in it. This was a part of his penance, after all, and it felt better just to do a good deed like this. With that in mind, he didn't look back at all and simply moved forward, only stopping to take the arrow from the Bokoblin's head. It was still usable, but he knew he wouldn't get so lucky every time. The fight went better than he expected, but he had to remind himself it was just some Bokoblins. He doubted a Moblin would be so easy, and who knew what other nightmares were out there even more powerful than Moblins?
As Link walked on, he noticed the field was a lot more massive than he realized, his focus having been on the Bokoblins and wild horses before, as well as the Guardian corpses. Speaking of the horses, a few of them gave Link the side eye from nearby, clearly ready to flee from him at a moment's notice. He had the sudden urge to offer one of them an apple or a carrot or something. Trying to get close to one of them wouldn't be a very good idea, though.
When it came to the Guardian corpses, they were everywhere! It seemed like there was one every five feet in all directions. Some of them were whole, some were missing limbs, and a few were half-buried in the ground. However, none of them seemed to be active like the one on the Great Plateau. Of course he kept his wits about him, anticipating that one of them would suddenly come to life and ready a laser beam. Thankfully, no such thing happened, but he still felt uneasy being in this area. It wasn't just because of the many, many Guardian corpses, no, it was something else. There was an itch at the back of his subconscious that just wouldn't go away.
What Link assumed was that a shadow of a memory was picking away at him, he just couldn't bring it to the surface. Something must have happened here, but what could it be? Did he do this to all the Guardians? How strong was he in the past? Not strong enough to save Hyrule, so it must have been something else that did this…but what? Maybe he'd ask Impa on the return visit if he remembered, she'd probably know.
Something Link realized as he saw a group of horses near one of the Guardians was that he could use the animals to tell what areas were safe or not. He recalled how dead quiet things were around the active ones back on the Great Plateau. Since the horses, and other smaller animals like squirrels and birds, seemed comfortable in the field, it was most likely safe. Still…he'd keep his wits about him, just in case.
As it happened, there truly were no active Guardians amongst the corpses scattered amongst the field. To help pass the time a bit, he tried counting all the robotic monstrosities he saw but quit after a few dozen. It really made him wonder just how many of these things existed back then. Hundreds? Thousands? What if he encountered one that could actually move? Were there any like that? If other pieces of Sheikah technology like the Sheikah Slate, Guardian Scouts, and the shrines could still work…why not some Guardians? The thought made him uneasy, and he even looked over his shoulder for a moment, as if one would come scuttling from behind…
The field was rather large, it taking a few hours before Link finally saw the other side of it. Interestingly, a massive stone wall was on the horizon. An abandoned, desolate fort that stretched far in both directions until reaching cliff faces. Some parts of it were crumbling away, with others having trees growing through missing chunks. Thankfully, the large iron gate was opened up more than enough for Link to comfortably pass through. His eyes scanned the top of the wall, looking for any signs someone might be there watching him. Bokoblins could easily use it as a fortified area, or perhaps humans that weren't so trustful of strangers. He imagined Impa would warn him of such things, but it wasn't like she knew everything going on outside of Kakariko.
Alas, he spotted no signs of life on top of the wall as he got closer. He supposed it made sense if no one lived in it, the outside looked pretty rough, even though it was fortified. The inside was probably pretty bad too, the missing chunks exposing open air, and it was probably very uncomfortable. Heck, he'd probably at least stay in it for a night if it was that late. It wasn't even noon yet, but he figured he could at least stop inside for a quick rest.
Upon going through the gate, Link stopped and stared at the sight before him. It was a pathed forest on the other side, but that's not what caught his attention. A few dozen feet from the other side of the wall…was a house. A quaint, cozy little one-story wooden house. Notably, it was in good condition, not a hollowed-out ruin like so many other buildings he had seen. With Kakariko Village, he was expecting it to be all normal, so he didn't feel surprised then. Yet this house was in the middle of nowhere, basically, so he was shocked to see it so well maintained. It looked clean too, no dust on the windows or leaves in the yard, so someone was clearly living in it…
There was a strong temptation for Link to go up to the door and knock on it. Seeing such a well-kept home in the middle of nowhere was surreal and his curiosity begged him to investigate. However, he knew it wasn't the best idea. If he lived in such a place, he wouldn't want random strangers coming up to his door and knocking without warning. Link was just surprised that no Bokoblins or other monsters deemed fit to attack the small abode, it didn't look like it was brand new or anything.
Link had to tear his eyes away from the comfy looking house as he turned and went into the fortress. As he expected, it was stripped clean of just about anything helpful. Nothing to even sleep on or a way to keep the cold out, it'd make for a rather miserable permanent residence. Aside from rubble and trash, the sole object Link spotted was a wooden crate with nothing in it. At the very least, it was sturdy enough for Link to sit on as he took a breather. He couldn't help but position himself so he was watching the house, waiting to see if there was any sign of activity inside. It wasn't lost on him that it was creepy to just stare at someone's house, but his curiosity got the better of him.
As he stared, he got lost in thought a bit. He wondered what Hateno Village would be like. Impa mentioned that because it was so far away, it escaped the brunt of Calamity Ganon's attack. Yet Kakariko Village was days closer and got out okay, though it seemed the Sheikah were capable of defending themselves, if the stealth of their scouts was anything to go by. Glancing at the incomplete map of his Sheikah Slate, he saw the four points with the Divine Beasts were about as far away from Hyrule Castle as Hateno was. Did they mean those areas were in decent shape too? The Divine Beasts have been active for a century, though, yet Impa didn't seem to have any notion that these areas were wiped out by the massive weapons. What were they doing all this time, then? If they wanted to finish what Calamity Ganon started, surely they would've accomplished it by now.
It could be that the four races that Impa mentioned were simply able to hold the Divine Beasts back, but…for a hundred years? That just seemed so unlikely. How would they manage that? Not that he had any idea about the true size and powers of the weapons, but if they were as strong as Impa made them out to be, a single town or village wouldn't be enough to push them back for very long. At least all he had to do was infiltrate one and stop it from the inside, which he figured had to involve the Sheikah Slate somehow, or someone else would've done it by now. The slate seemed to be the key to a lot of Sheikah technology, so the Divine Beasts were probably the same. Wasn't the case for the various Guardians, though, didn't seem to be anywhere on them to use the slate, which was unfortunate. How nice it'd be to find a working Guardian and make it do his bidding through the use of the slate, the monsters wouldn't have a chance at that point…
Getting back to reality, Link realized he had been sitting there for a good twenty minutes, no signs of life coming from the house unfortunately. He figured he could travel a bit more until it was noon and then stop to eat again. His breakfast was so filling he still wasn't even that hungry! Sighing through his nose, he got up and started moving on again. As he passed by the house, he glanced at the house again, starting to wonder if its owner had seen him and hid away. He started to feel kind of stupid obsessing over it so much, it just astounded him so much that his curiosity was inflated. Unfortunately, he saw no signs of life as he gave the abode one last look.
The forest was quiet, which Link appreciated. Thinking back on it, the stable was a pretty noisy place, which made sense. People constantly talking, the neighs and grunts of the horses, children at play, the sounds of cooking and the snores at night. It wasn't until he was in the forest that he realized just how loud it had been and how peaceful things were now. Being in a forest like this gave him a sense of ease, helping with a bit of anxiety he hadn't even realized he had.
He figured he just wasn't used to people yet. Aside from the King of Hyrule, he had almost no contact with people on the Great Plateau. The monks and Princess Zelda speaking in his mind as well as a brief encounter with a Korok. Aside from that, he spent a majority of his time there lost in his own head. Link was sure as he spent more time with more people, it'd be less of a hassle. In the meantime, he could at least enjoy how things were at the moment, the loudest noise that reached his ears was the sound of bird calls.
Despite the clear path, he didn't encounter anyone for the rest of the day, no travelers or monsters either. Lunch and dinner were quiet as he used some of his food sparingly, mostly going for the fruits and veggies, some juicy apples and some sturdy, crunchy carrots. He was tempted to divulge into the meats, but he needed to conserve himself, he still had three days to go so he couldn't use up all his supplies before reaching his destination. At the very least he had Rupees to buy food while he was in the village, so he had that to keep in mind. During the entire day, he hadn't left the forest despite only taking rests to eat after leaving the fort. Even though it was incomplete, he checked his map…but it didn't help much, all he saw was the dot that represented him was closer to the dot signifying his destination.
Link did recall seeing a Sheikah Tower at the stable, but he hadn't seen it after passing through the fort. It seemed like it was high up on something, but the trees and cliff face on either side of him blocked out the structure. If it wasn't too out of the way, he'd scale it. Both to get a part of his map filled in and to take advantage with his Paraglider. From how tall the towers were, paragliding down would surely save him at least a handful of hours on his trip!
Though there had been no danger on the road so far, Link took some precautions for his sleep. Or, rather, as much as he could. It mainly amounted to sleeping against the side of a tree not facing the path. He figured if any monsters, or some sort of bandit, went by, they wouldn't notice him. Link hoped no person would be trouble for him, he didn't want to hurt another human, but he figured some would be desperate enough to rob someone…or worse…to help themselves. Sleeping on a branch was when he just had no choice like in a forest where no side of the tree was really safe. It was murder on his body!
Thankfully, though, nothing happened to him as he slept. He had a good track record of that so far, though a part of him almost wanted someone, or something, to try something in his sleep. Something on the smaller scale of course, if only so he could find out if his body was tuned enough to even react to the danger. If something larger came at him like a Moblin or something intelligent like a person and he didn't react, he'd be dead.
After scarfing down another apple for a quick breakfast, he went on his way, no time for something large like he had at the stable. Maybe for lunch he'd cook up some meat to keep his protein intake up. He kept an eye out for nut trees, but had no luck spotting any, and he knew they couldn't replace meat, just a little bit of an addon. It wasn't until it was nearly lunch that anything of note happened, and it wasn't what Link expected.
By a tree larger than the ones around it was a young woman. Probably a year or two older than Link himself. She had short black hair, and her clothes were a bit dirty with a few tears in them. Nothing major, but it was clear she had been roughing it for a while. Honestly, the sight was almost as startling as that house was back by the fort wall. He hadn't expected to see someone out here and it threw him for a loop. Just when he was thinking about how he could get used to being with people again, meeting a stranger on the road startled him.
The plan was just to walk by and pretend like he hadn't seen her, she was fiddling with a fire and cooking pot by her tent anyway. Yet, as he was about to go right by her, she lifted her head and let out a startled yelp. That…made him feel obligated to stop. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. I'm just passing by." The young man explained, hoping she didn't think he was a robber or something.
For a moment, the young woman looked him over, particularly glancing at the weapons he had on him. Chances were she hadn't seen anything in such good condition, at least not very often. She seemed to hesitate for a moment, then she spoke. "No, it's fine, I just didn't expect to see anyone out here." She sounded a bit more at ease, yet seemed ready to run, just in case.
"I was thinking the same thing." Link admitted. "I haven't seen anyone camping out around in the wilderness like this." Maybe he should invest in a tent, it'd really stink to be out in the rain, he had lucked out in that regard so far. "That mean there's no monsters around?"
The young woman glanced around, as if she hadn't even considered that. "No, I don't think so…" She then looked back to Link and cleared her throat. "My name is Leekah, by the way. What's yours?"
Seemed like he was stuck in the conversation at this point. "Link. I'm just on my way to Hateno Village." He could just walk away, but he didn't want to be rude for no reason.
Leekah nodded, then pointed back where he came from. "Were you just at the Dueling Peaks Stable? Did they clear out the Bokoblins? I've been waiting ages for them to go away so I can move on."
Those Bokoblins were really that much of an issue? Were people truly unable to stop a small handful of suck weak monsters? Link supposed that wasn't fair, he figured he was just stronger than most people. Apparently someone deemed him worthy to be a Champion a century ago, even if it resulted in Hyrule's destruction. "They were taken out, someone killed them all the other day."
The woman's eyes lit up. "Really?! Thank Hylia for that! I'm nearly at the end of my rope!" Leekah declared as she began to hurriedly gather her things, apparently fully trusting in Link's words and intentions, even turning her back on him.
Link couldn't help but be a bit amused at her energy, watching as she got her tent down and used some water to put out the fire. "Are you going very far?" What was there to the west that was safe? Why travel away from Hateno Village?
"I'm not going anywhere in particular, I'm just traveling. From what I heard; people could do that a century ago without worry." Leekah responded, sounding sad and a bit bitter about a world she never got to see. "There were still monsters, but not nearly as many."
"I heard that too." Link lied, just going along with it like he actually belonged in this world. "There weren't any monsters on the way here, so you should be fine."
At that moment, the black-haired woman finished gathering her things, looking at Link curiously. "You know, you can take credit for helping people out." She said, her tone suddenly serious.
That took Link off guard, who blinked a few times before answering. "I don't know what you mean."
Leekah scoffed and gave a good-natured roll of the eyes. "Some guy comes with fancy weapons, just so happens to come from a place roadblocked by monsters? You'll have to wake up earlier in the morning to trick me so easily."
Was he that bad at lying? He thought he said it pretty casually, though he supposed she had a point at how convenient it was that he came strolling by with quality weapons right after the Bokoblins were cleared. It still annoyed Link, couldn't she just let his lie slip by? Did she even understand what he was trying to do? No, of course she couldn't, no one really understood a man out of time. "It doesn't really matter. The monsters are clear and that's that." Link replied with a shrug, trying to make it seem like a nonissue.
"Like I said, you can take credit for good things you've done, you know. We need more people like you out here." Leekah remarked in a bit more of a determined tone, but still friendly. "People are too tired and beat down to fight back, knowing one guy took out a group of Bokoblins alone can give people hope."
He hadn't thought of it that way, but that didn't mean he needed to go bragging about his accomplishments. It wasn't worth arguing though, so he'd just let the situation lie. "You got me, I just didn't want to draw attention that it was me." Link decided to admit. "Either way, the road is clear, so you can get to the stable without issue."
The young woman gave Link a small smile. "You know, I was feeling pretty stressed, now I'm feeling pretty at ease. Thanks for that, Link." She didn't wait for a response, and simply walked off towards the stable, a pep in her step and her head held high. Leekah didn't even turn back to look at Link, seeming satisfied with how their conversation ended.
Link sighed through his nose. It was nice he gave someone hope, but that childish part deep inside was annoyed she called out his lie. He knew he didn't deserve any gratitude, but he couldn't expect her to understand that. She had no idea her life was like this because of him. Shrugging the situation off, he went on ahead, his step a bit less energetic than Leekah's…
As expected, the rest of the day went well. If Leekah was so worried about a few Bokoblins, he doubted she'd have gotten this far if the rest of the way to Hateno Village was dangerous. Though he had no idea how long she was camping there, some more monsters may have migrated to the path ahead while she waited for the stable to become accessible. Either way, he encountered no such thing during that second day and slept against a tree facing away from the main path once more. On top of that, he had some cooked meat for dinner, a delicious treat.
It wasn't until after lunch on the third day that he finally exited the forest, no encounters with monsters or people during that time. Right away, though, something caught his eye. The Sheikah Tower he had spotted was relatively close to him, only about a forty minute walk. It was positioned on top of a small mountain, a spiraling path on the outside of it leading upward. On top of that, he spotted movement even from where he stood and saw there were Bokoblins about the area.
He couldn't tell how many there were from such a distance, but he saw a few blues amongst the reds. Since the tower was somewhat along the way to Hateno, he figured it wouldn't be a total waste to activate it. As he went along the path and approached the tower, he saw unusual thorns surrounding it, as if some nasty plan was trying to keep people away from the structure. Given all he had seen so far, it wouldn't shock him if some dark magic from Calamity Ganon was at play. It just seemed so very convenient that a helpful piece of Sheikah technology was surrounded by monsters and thorns.
As he neared the base of the small mountain, Link saw it was an area connected by a small land bridge. Carefully crossing it, he started up the spiral, there being no Bokoblins right at the bottom. Still, his sword and shield were at the ready, knowing one could pop up at any moment. Moving up some more, he spotted two Red Bokoblins snoozing at what seemed like their post. There was an unlit fire pit near them with bones stripped of all flesh next to them. Link chose not to examine them closer to see if they were all animals…
He could try and just sneak by…but he'd cause a ruckus up ahead and didn't want any Bokoblins sneaking up on him. Sooner or later, he was going to alert all the monsters to his presence. Might as well do it in a way where he only had to fight in one direction!
After a moment of consideration, he got out the Sheikah Slate and produced a square bomb. Slowly, he crept closer, trying to be as quiet as he could. Once he got within range, he lobbed the explosive behind the monsters and detonated it as it landed behind them. The two Bokoblins only had time to yelp out in pain and surprise as they were sent flying forward, right off the side of the spiraled mountain to the lower lair, dying on impact. As that happened, Link wasted no time charging up further towards the tower. The bomb was noisy, but he knew he couldn't sneak up on the Bokoblins properly, not with those large ears of theirs, it would've been tough. And no need to waste his arrows on targets like that, they were too finite for him to waste!
As expected, Bokoblins began to meet Link on the way up, investigating what the noise was. With his new sword and shield, though, the young warrior made quick work of them. It never took more than a single stroke of the blade to bisect or decapitate the oncoming monsters. Their weapons were too inferior to damage the shield whenever Link blocked their blows or parried an attack. The only exceptions were the occasional Blue Bokoblin. They were faster, stronger, and even a bit smarter than their usual counterparts.
These Blue Bokoblins even had better weapons, but not by much. Instead of plain clubs, they had clubs with sharp rocks tied to them, for instance. They even had ragged spears and near-broken swords they probably scavenged off some unfortunate person. It took some more trouble to take them out, but not by much, their hides were still unable to take more than a strong swing of the sword, though Link did notice more resistance as he sliced through them.
Up he went, at least a good twenty Bokoblins meeting a grizzly end when they tried to fight him. He took a few hits along the way, some nasty hits with a club and an arrow that hit him in the chest. The tunic did wonders to prevent his flesh from being pierced, but the impact still left a nasty bruise. Seems the blessing wasn't absolute invincibility, it just stopped anything that'd go deeper than his skin…
After an exhausting climb, Link made it to the top and his heart skipped a bit. Right at the base of the tower, near the wreath of thorns that surrounded it, was a lone Moblin. It was red, at the very least, but awake and very alert to Link's presence. In one hand, it held a club as large as Link's body, studded with bits of metal. How a monster got such a weapon, the Hylian could only guess, but it wasn't exactly the first thing on his mind!
The Moblin glared down at Link, as if it was actually angry that he killed all the Bokoblins on the way up. That, or he just interrupted the thing's nap with his rampage up the mountain. Either way, the Moblin looked the Hylian over, as if sizing him up to see if he was worth cooking. Since it licked its lips, apparently deeming Link as a proper meal! It began to approach, dragging its club along the ground before swiftly swinging it upwards at Link as it got close. Thanks to its lengthy arms, it didn't even have to get near him for the attack to be deadly!
Thankfully, Link was faster, hopping to the side to avoid the blow. He didn't think he should parry or block the Moblin's attacks, he wasn't sure he was strong enough for it. Just the trip up the mountain got a few dents into his shield, after all. As nice as it was, his new equipment wouldn't last forever. As soon as Link got his feet on the ground, the Moblin snorted angrily and lifted its leg, jabbing its foot at him. He decided to counterattack, slashing the beast along the bottom of its foot before the kick could land.
As the slice formed on the Moblin's sole, Link could already feel a difference between it and the Bokoblins. The hide of a Moblin was a lot thicker and resilient than their smaller compatriots and this wasn't going to be as easy as just bisecting the larger monster or chopping his head off. Not that he had any easy way to reach its neck, of course. Even cutting off a part of its foot wasn't an option, not in one swing. All he was able to do was give the sole a nasty gash.
The Moblin roared out in pain, putting its foot down…which just hurt it again and caused it to howl out in rage. Before it could strike out at Link, he quickly took out the Sheikah Slate and used the time stopping rune on the Moblin! As it froze, he went in for a stab, thinking if he could just strike one of its organs, he could end the fight before it really had a chance to begin. He didn't know why, but as Link went in for the strike, the Stasis Rune seemed to just…end early!
In almost an instant, the Moblin broke free from its stasis and backhanded Link, who had no time to change course and dodge mid-charge. A meaty hand smacked the warrior across the face, rattling his teeth as he was sent sprawling to the ground. What happened?! Was this Moblin just stronger than the one from before? Did its rage help it break free from stasis? Or perhaps Link just remembered incorrectly how long the rune could freeze a Moblin…
Link had no time to think, rolling to the side as the monster stomped toward him (snarling each time its injured foot hit the ground) and slammed where he just was with its club. He knew a single good impact with that weapon would leave him with broken bones at the very least. Probably not if it hit his tunic-covered areas, but he didn't want to test it.
Feeling a nasty bruise forming on his face, Link swiftly got up in the middle of his roll and stabbed at the Moblin's club arm. He got it right above the elbow, but the weapon didn't pierce as deeply as he hoped. It broke the skin and cut into the muscle, but he was hoping to hit bone, but it just didn't reach that far! The Moblin howled and swung its club at Link, who only had time to use his shield, unable to actually dodge. Once more, he was knocked off his feet, slamming harshly into the ground and sliding right near the edge of the mountain tier they were on! The shield had a large dent in it, and he knew it couldn't take many more hits like that before it just broke down entirely.
Wincing, he sat up as the Moblin charged him, club raised as it glared daggers at him. As it swung down, Link rolled out of the way yet again, circling behind the monster and stabbing it right in the back! He pushed with all his might, the pain the creature felt letting Link shove it just enough for it to shift forward. With its size and weight, it couldn't stop itself easily, falling forward as Link's blade slid out of its flesh. The Moblin tumbled forward and right over the edge of the small cliff, roaring as it landed headfirst onto the mountain layer below, a sickening crack as its neck snapped!
Link watched as the monster crumpled into a heap on the ground, panting heavily as his face and shield arm throbbed. He hadn't even noticed his limb ached from blocking a club swing like that, but it didn't seem too terribly bad, certainly not broken at least. The Hylian considered himself lucky, if there wasn't a cliff to knock the Moblin off of, the fight could've easily swung in the monster's favor…
Wincing, Link put his gear away as he looked over at the tower. A lot of those nasty vined thorns surrounded it, but he saw a path he could snake through to reach the structure. When he did so, he braced himself and climbed up the Sheikah Tower, his injuries making the process a bit tougher than it'd normally be. When he reached the top, he took a second to catch his breath and look at the world around him.
Back the way he came, Link saw the Dueling Peaks, but the stable was little more than a vague blob near the mountains. He couldn't even single out any individuals, he was simply too far away. The large field he traversed, and its graveyard of Guardians was easier to make out, and of course the forest he just got out of. To the south and southeast, he saw a coastline and the ocean that stretched as far as the eye could see. One major thing that caught his eye was to the northeast, a snowcapped mountain that was at least three or four days away on foot.
Something about the mountain seemed foreboding to him, but he couldn't put his finger on why. It wasn't because of his nasty experience with the snowy mountain of the Great Plateau, no. Link got a similar feeling like when he looked at Hyrule Castle, but not as severe. Yet he saw nothing on the mountain that explained the sensation. Shrugging off the feeling, he approached the pedestal of the tower and placed the Sheikah Slate in it. As usual, a voice piped up when he did so.
Distilling local information...
And, as usual, the stone above the pedestal glowed as a drop of mysterious liquid formed and dropped onto the slate. The Sheikah Slate glowed, and more of the map was revealed to him.
Regional map extracted.
Link wished he could just reveal the entire thing at once as he took the Sheikah Slate back. Looking at the map, he saw that Hateno Village was revealed properly, as well as the shoreline and mountain he saw. Even though the map before wasn't of much help, he hadn't exactly been afraid of getting lost. Still, he appreciated having more detail to work with. Putting it away, he looked off towards the east.
With the rolling hills, some reaching quite high, he wasn't actually able to see Hateno Village, even from his vantage point. A part of him was disappointed, he was hoping to at least get a glimpse of his destination, it'd help make it seem not so far away. Speaking of which, he had a good stretch of road to use for his Paraglider. As he got it out, he figured he could save at least a few hours of walking from how high up he was! Bracing himself, he leapt off, the wind once more seeming to blow perfectly just for him. Some sort of ancient blessing that was still going strong…
Slowly he descended and went onward to the east. The rolling green hills and trees gradually got closer as he went, even the magical wind could only do so much, it couldn't keep him in the air forever! Eventually, he landed on the path, looking back to see he was quite far from the tower. He figured that saved him several hours of travel! Which was nice since his body really ached from the battle, so less walking was a plus. Letting out another small wince, he kept on going.
Two more full days passed, Impa's guess on how far Hateno Village was being a bit inaccurate. At the very least, little happened during those two days. No monsters or travelers crossed Link's path, and he was able to go on in peace and quiet and recover from his wounds. The longer he spent out in nature, the more comfortable with it he felt. Crickets and the hoots of unseen owls lulled him to sleep as birdsongs and chittering of squirrels welcomed him when he awoke. It almost made him forget how much the kingdom was ravaged…
On his fifth day of travel early in the morning, as he wondered how the trip would have gone without paragliding from the tower, he finally saw it: Hateno Village! It was still a good twenty minutes away or so, but he saw buildings up high on a hill ahead of him on the path, a village gate above the main entrance. Yet, though it felt good to finally reach his destination, a part of him dreaded actually entering the settlement, especially since it was bigger than the stable. Being around so many people…just made him feel uneasy.
Link shook his head a bit to get the negativity out of his head. Conversing with others would do him good, and he knew that! He just had to stop being such a wimp about it and march right to the village! After all, with any luck, he'd walk out with his memories restored. In the last few days, he did try fiddling with the Sheikah Slate to see if he could find some sort of hidden, unseen function, but with no luck. If he wanted his memories back, he'd have to suck it up and enter the village.
With a deep breath, he put one foot in front of the other and approached Hateno Village at last.
A/N: Not the most important of chapters, but I'll just about always make the first trip to a location written out in at least some detail. Not covering every single day, but the important things. Link still isn't quite ready to one-on-one a Moblin yet, so I gave him a bit of a crutch this time. And I feel I may have mentioned this, but to reiterate, trips back from a location, such as Hateno to Kakariko, won't be given in as much detail. It'd just be repetitive. Also, things will be getting harder for Link relatively soon, he's still in the less dangerous parts of Hyrule, after all.