Chapter 2: The Ancient Kingdom
If Termina had been dying, Hallownest was dead.
That fact was immediately obvious when Link reached the bottom of the well. He had dropped onto an old road, its stones cracked and its surface broken by the weight of centuries. Husks and broken pieces of wagons sat beside the road, long since relieved of any valuables, and the way was dimly lit by bent lamp posts. A signpost stood nearby, but it only pointed back up to Dirtmouth, so Link went right for no reason in particular.
The road led into an immense cavern with an almost equally immense inhabitant: the corpse of a giant bug, repurposed for use as a building. Its mouth served as a doorway, and windows had been placed where its eyes once were. Carved above the doorway were three images of masks, shaped like inverted teardrops. One had a single hole in the middle, another had two holes near the bottom and two smaller holes above those, and the third had six holes of roughly equal size in three pairs arranged vertically.
The inside was lit by dozens of lanterns hanging on chains from the ceiling. Its expansive space contained nothing except for a huge, impossibly smooth sphere of inky black stone. On the side of the sphere facing the door, part of its surface was cracked away, giving way to a layer of lighter stone laden with grooves and markings. In this layer was an oval-shaped doorway blocked by another large stone. The same three masks that were carved into the outside of the building were also set into this stone.
A bug was standing in front of the sphere, looking up at it. Its gray body was like a pillbug, and similar in size to Link, but it had two arms and two legs which were black and chitinous, and its face was white with two large eyes. A white mask, shaped like an inverted teardrop, was sitting on the top of its head like a hat, secured by a gray piece of fabric wrapped around its head. At its side it was holding a weapon similar to the one the red-cloaked warrior had used, but much closer in both form and size to a conventional one-handed sword.
The bug turned around when it noticed Link enter. "Hello there! How delightful to meet other travelers on these forgotten roads. Not too long ago another fellow came through here. They were short, but they had an air of strength about them. I daresay you have a similar air, but of course one must be either strong, clever, or lucky even to make it this far. My name is Quirrel."
"Mine's Link. I guess you're here to explore Hallownest's ruins?"
"Yes, indeed. I have something of an obsession with uncharted places. This old kingdom holds many fascinating mysteries, and one of the most intriguing is standing right before us." He turned back to look at the sphere, and Link stepped forward to stand beside him. "A great stone egg, lying in the corpse of an ancient civilization."
"An egg?"
"Well, perhaps it is presumptuous on my part to call it that. It resembles an egg in passing, but what its true nature is, I can only guess. I do so love a mystery... And who knows what other marvels lie even deeper below us?"
Link smirked, then shook his head, at himself rather than at Quirrel. "You know, at first I just wanted to get home, but you've almost got me excited for another adventure."
"I'm glad to hear it! But I must say you are unlike any bug I've seen before. What kind of place is it that you hail from?"
"A kingdom called Hyrule. Do you know about it?"
"No, I'm afraid not, but my time in the sands beyond this land has clouded my mind. Perhaps the bugs of Hallownest knew of such a place, back when their kingdom still thrived."
"That was my thought too," said Link, ponderously. "So you came from the wasteland? Did you run into someone in a red cloak when you arrived?"
"Indeed I did. She gave me an awful fright! I thought for a moment that my time in this world was over."
"We're in the same boat, then."
Quirrel nodded. "Seems she's taken it upon herself to protect these ruins from being desecrated; quite the undertaking for just one bug. She has nothing to worry about from me, though. I have just come to explore, not to profit. It is a good reminder, though, of the danger that still lurks in this kingdom. Plenty have come before us and met their grisly end. That shining nail you carry is much finer than my own, but remember to be careful. I should quite like to meet again."
"Of course."
"Well, then. I have stared at this egg for long enough, I think. I will be on my way now."
Link watched Quirrel leave, then did the same. Continuing down the road brought the sound of footsteps to his ears, and as he passed through a narrowing of the cavern he saw a group of three bugs ahead. They resembled Quirrel, though with rounder bodies, and one of them—the largest—had a single long horn emerging from its forehead. They were shambling back and forth through the area for seemingly no reason.
"Hello? Are you alright?" Link asked, approaching them cautiously.
As soon as he did, they turned toward him. The horned one lowered its head and charged, while the other two chased after with flailing arms. He sidestepped the horned one, which continued past him, then pushed another away with his shield and struck the third with his sword's pommel. It staggered back, but only for a moment, then blindly threw itself back at him. He slashed at it, cutting its torso wide open, then dealt with the other two in a similar manner. An orange mist escaped from their wounds when they died, accompanied by a sickly-sweet smell.
I guess that's what Elderbug meant about bugs losing their minds down here, Link thought. He wondered idly if there was a way he could have saved them, but a second look at their bodies revealed that their insides were rotting away. They had been animated by some strange force, and Link decided it was probably a mercy to kill them.
Further into the caverns, the single road became a confusing mess of intersecting passageways and broken terrain. Link wandered without direction, fighting off more shambling animated bugs, until he happened upon one particular passage containing an overturned cart and a bent set of rails. The supports lining the tunnel were made of wood—or something similar—and the tunnel itself was uneven, without even a remnant of a paved path. A pink light was shining in the distance, and the sound of a woman singing echoed down the corridor.
Link entered, and soon saw small patches of pink crystal growing from the edges of the tunnel, which became larger as he went further in. Each glowed with some internal light, but at the end of the tunnel Link found that the majority of the light was coming from a particularly large crystal embedded in a wall of the chamber. A bug, much like the ones he had been encountering, was striking the wall with a pickaxe. She wore a helmet with a small lantern attached to the front, and was the source of the singing.
"Bury my mother, pale and slight. Bury my father with his eyes shut tight! Bury my sisters, two by two. And when you're done, let's bury me toooo!"
She noticed Link enter and stopped her mining. "Ha ha ha, do you know that one? It's one of my f-favorites! My n-name is Myla!"
"It's catchy," Link said, then introduced himself. "What are you mining these crystals for?"
"Riches! These crystals are worth a fair b-b-bit, but I have a feeling that there's something even more valuable hidden just a bit deeper in! I can almost smell it! Ha ha ha! So, what are you down here for? If you came to g-get wealthy, there's enough for both of us, just grab a pick and join in! Or if you don't feel like d-d-d-digging, you can just sit and sing with me! Ha ha ha!"
"I might take you up on that," Link said. He sat down against one of the walls of the chamber and listened as Myla continued her song. The rest, like the first four lines, was quite grim in its subject matter, perhaps as a way of confronting such thoughts without being overcome by them. After listening for a while, Link retrieved his ocarina and accompanied her singing, quickly committing the song to memory. While playing, he noticed that someone was watching them, but he couldn't make out who, and they soon left.
"That's a b-b-beautiful sound," Myla said. "I'm glad... ha ha... I'm glad you like the sound of my voice! You can c-come visit me again if you like!"
"Take care of yourself," was all Link gave for an answer.
"Oh, don't w-w-worry about me! This is hard work, but I don't mind. Down here, I can k-keep working without even sleeping. It's fun!"
Link frowned a little. "Don't work yourself to death," he said, before leaving.
The mining tunnels didn't extend much farther, so Link returned to the crossroads, trying to navigate the twisting passageways. Eventually, he wandered into a sort of gatehouse. Through the opposite doorway he could see a small village, but the way was blocked by a large sleeping creature. It was not humanoid like the bugs Link had encountered so far, but instead looked something like an enormous fat fly with tiny wings. Its tube-shaped mouth retracted and extended as it breathed.
Link tried both to squeeze around the creature and to push it out of the way, but it was simply too big and heavy. He remembered the giant horns that his deku scrub form had had, and thought of how easy it would have been to wake the creature by playing them.
As he was considering simply turning back, the creature awoke on its own. Its tiny wings started beating lazily, but were nevertheless enough to lift it off the ground. Link hoped he could just pass by the creature, but as soon as it saw him it charged. He jumped out of the way, and the creature bounced off the floor, then continued on, slamming into the walls and floors as its momentum carried it forward.
Link stayed light on his feet to avoid the blundering monster, which seemed barely able to control its own movement. Eventually it did manage to bring itself to a stop, but all it did was reset itself to charge again. Link stepped aside and drove his sword into the beast as it passed. It still continued bouncing briefly, though it was no longer flapping its wings, and the movement wrenched the sword from Link's grip before the creature collapsed, dead. The same orange mist escaped from its wound.
Link went to retrieve his sword, but before he could, the creature's belly rumbled and seven smaller versions of it burst out. Link braced himself for an attack, but it never came. The flying creatures just buzzed haphazardly about, paying no mind to him.
I guess it was pregnant, Link realized. He checked the monster's remains and found that its innards were not rotting like the humanoid bugs he had been running into. So this stuff can affect the living and the dead.
He went on into the village, and found it deserted, except for a few walking husks. There were a lot of little round huts, but they had all been abandoned for a long time; some of the roofs had collapsed. Having found nothing, Link was about to leave when he noticed a small bug sitting in one of the huts. It had huge round eyes, antennae on the top of its head, and wore a dark blue cape over its black body. It appeared to be in a sort of daze, staring ahead without even noticing Link's arrival. The sickly-sweet smell of the orange mist lingered weakly around it.
"...ugghh, Oro, you oaf... You wield your nail... like a club... Esmy... how much deeper do we have to go..." the bug said. His voice was high-pitched.
"Hey, are you alright?" Link asked.
The bug jerked out of his stupor. "Oh! What?! Who are you?!" He looked around him. "...I see. This old village. What a strange dream, to have led me down here! If you hadn't found me, I don't think I would've ever woken."
"A dream?"
"I'm Sly," the bug said, ignoring Link's question. "Usually, I live an uneventful life up in Dirtmouth. The air in these ruins doesn't agree with me, so I'd best be getting back.
If you return above, come and see me. I'm probably the friendliest face left there."
"If I end up there again."
"You're exploring, then? Very brave! Plenty of courageous wanderers have been lost to the hunger of these old caverns. You have your nail though, and I can tell just by looking that you know how to wield it," Sly said, referring to Link's sword. "Well, I'll be off then." He paced quickly out of the hut and disappeared around the corner.
He didn't even learn my name, Link thought. He took a cursory look around the village again, then left. Not long after, he happened upon a trail where the husks and other hostile bugs had mostly been defeated already. Wondering who else might be down in the ruins, he followed the trail for some time until he heard a humming sound from above. After finding a way up to the higher level, he found the source of the sound.
It was a round-bodied bug with a long mouth and even longer antennae which hung most of the way down his back. He wore glasses and had a pouch full of rolled-up papers strapped to his back. More papers were scattered on the floor around him, which he seemed not to care about. He was rolling up another paper to place in the pouch when Link arrived. He didn't seem like the fighting type, and didn't even carry a weapon, so he couldn't have been the one that left the trail of bodies Link had been following.
"Hmm? Ah, hello there. Come down to explore these beautiful old ruins? Don't mind me," he said. "I've a fondness for exploring myself. Getting lost and finding your way again is a pleasure like no other. We're exquisitely lucky, you and I."
"What are you working on?" Link asked.
"I'm a cartographer by trade, and I just finished mapping this area. Would you like to purchase a copy?"
"I would." Link produced a handful of lumpy silver coins, and some shaped like shells, that he had found with some of the husks. "Do I pay with these?" he asked.
"That will do nicely. Geo is what it's called, I believe," said the bug, taking the money and handing over a rolled-up map. "Just imagine how these highways must have looked during the kingdom's height, thick with traffic and bustling with life! I wish I could have seen it."
"I'm sure it was quite the sight," Link replied. "I'm Link, by the way."
"Oh, yes, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? I should apologize for that. Spending a lot of time alone has made me forget the niceties of conversation. My name is Cornifer. My wife Iselda and I just moved to Dirtmouth. She's just now opening up a shop there. Stop by sometime and she may have something useful for you. Anyway, I'll let you return to your travels. With a little luck, we'll meet again." He finished packing up his supplies and left down one of the roads.
Link watched him go, then opened up the map. It was a confusing mess of criss-crossing roads, but by tracing his steps from the well in Dirtmouth, he was able to find his current location. He then noticed that, not far away, there was a passage leading somewhere else, outside of the crossroads.
He set off in that direction, soon reaching a road where a few bushes lined the edges of the path. Ahead, a large sign loomed, topped by a metal crest depicting a shell with wings; the same crest that had been over the well in Dirtmouth. Link approached the sign to read it:
'The Pilgrim's Way
'Travelers of Hallownest, descend through verdant wilds and fungal groves to the city at this kingdom's heart. There all wishes shall be granted, all truths revealed.'
Just as he finished reading, a ball of bright orange liquid hit the ground beside him.
Standing in the path ahead was a large bug with bulky forelimbs and a long, thick neck. It had shiny, dark plates on the outside of its body, while its belly and face were made of a softer white material. It was spitting the orange liquid in Link's direction, and where it hit the ground, it bubbled and smoked, leaving a shallow dent in the stone.
Link took cover behind the sign, then drew his bow and readied an arrow, but as he was about to fire, another bug arrived from behind him. It was short, with a black body under a gray cloak, and its head was bony white, shaped something like a rounded cylinder. Two horns emerged from the top of its head on either side, curving inward as if to form an incomplete ring. A cracked and worn nail was attached to its back. It reminded Link of the red-cloaked bug, except that as it neared, he saw that it had no eyes; only a deep and unsettling blackness where they should have been.
The strange bug turned its gaze toward Link. "Uh, hi," he said, not knowing whether it was going to attack him or not.
The bug gave no answer. It moved forward, avoiding the larger bug's spitting attacks, then a blast of white-hot energy shot out of its chest, slamming into the beast before it could react and knocking it back some distance. The bug continued down the path, and Link decided to follow.