Chapter Text
It was supposed to be a scouting “mission”. Investigate the rumours about the black-blooded monsters, observe them for a bit when found, and assess how much of a threat they were. Simple in theory! Just a check, to calm down the people of Hyrule and ease the Zeldas’ minds, all while fulfilling the role he had accepted to take as the hero of this land. In hindsight, it should have been obvious this would happen, because really, when were things ever straightforward for Link? Never, the answer was never.
There hadn’t been much to his plan anyway, just wander around, an ear to the floor to try and deduce where to move to next. Merchants and masseuses were great at collecting information from all across the kingdom, being them the ones to share with him the places were the monsters were mostly sighted. It seemed East Hyrule had the biggest concentration for now, so there he went. He had been walking towards Darunia when a roar sounded behind his back, swiftly followed by another before he could fully turn around to come face to face with two round, hairy beasts, charging right at him at full throttle. With a yelp, he ran.
Which is how be found himself hiding from some… pigs. He didn’t know what these things were, but he was certain he had never seen anything quite like them before. In all honesty, when he had first seem them, his mind had jumped to Ganon, the tusks and nose too similar for him to ignore. Whatever they were, it was clear they weren’t normal animals, perhaps another threat summoned from the Underworld? Or maybe these were it, the so called monsters with liquid hatred running through their veins…
Whatever the case, he couldn’t remain crouched between the roots of this trees for long, he could hear their sniffles coming closer and closer as they pinpointed his location. He didn’t yet know these things weaknesses so he’d start the classic way with a frontal assault and learn as he went. Taking a deep breath, he raised his sword and listened. The hoof stomping on a dry leaf, the grumbles filling the silence of the forest, a snort on his left—
There! With a grunt, he leaped forwards, sword pointing upwards. The blade connected with the flesh, making a thick black liquid spring as Link’s eyes widened. The hide was thick though, and he couldn’t pierce deep before the other one was charging at him. With a grunt, he dislodged his sword and rolled sideways, narrowly avoiding having his leg being trampled.
Fast and durable, he was at a disadvantage at close range, but arrows would do nothing on them, not in this situation. Thunder would be a last resort. For now, he set his sword on Fire and attacked while the second pig had its back on him, mindful of the still recovering first one. The monster roared in pain, but again it wasn’t enough before he had to move as it twisted around. They were both about to get him and instinct kicked in. He Jumped. Far above them, he prepared a downward thrust as he fell, black blood covering his sword as the beast let out a final shriek of pain, it’s skull impaled.
Big mistake.
One of them was down, but the other certainly wasn’t. Before Link could fully react again, it grabbed his leg with its teeth, viciously tearing into it. His vision went white for a second as a scream teared through his throat. No time for anything else. Somehow, he managed to gather his thoughts, just enough to call upon that familiar well of magic inside of him. Shaping it was almost second nature, the smell of ozone vaguely registering through the pain.
Lightning fell down, vicious, burning the monster all the way through. Link was fine, his own magic wouldn’t hurt him. He took deep breaths, adrenaline dulling the worst of it as he looked down. The fangs were still embedded deep into his calf, but removing them was easy enough. A Life spell would take care of it.
The issue was the blood. “Fuck,” he cursed lowly. No doubt the altercation would attract even more monsters soon, he couldn’t allow for his blood to stay there when they arrived.
After Life had healed his injury enough (he had to save magic now), he grabbed the water he kept for emergencies like this, berating himself. Reckless, he had been unnecessarily reckless just now. Using Thunder from the start would have been more effective, and saved more magic too. He had known these things were more dangerous than the average monster, why hadn’t he listened? He needed to survive above all else, there wasn’t space for mistakes.
He burned the blood away, pouring oil over it so it may be unusable to anyone who finds it. Afterwards if there was any left he could mix it with blood from the non-burnt boar, maybe. Not a bad plan, but he should grab his sword first…
Nearby bushes rustled. Link froze, ears straining.
A bubble flew into the space. For a second, he was relieved, they weren’t that big of a threat. Then he noticed the colour. The red flames surrounding it flickered black at the edges. Link’s eyes widened, leaping for his sword as he raised his shield to try and stop the oncoming enemy—
It wasn’t enough.
The jinx took hold, the foreign magic acting up but something about it was wrong. He had been touched by their hexes numerous times along the years, and this wasn’t how it was supposed to feel. It felt more encompassing, more powerful, more like a curse as it twisted its way around his entire body.
He was simultaneously hot and cold, an excruciating pain so unlike anything he had gone through before reaching his very bones. His muscles burned, his limbs throbbed, as yet another, more guttural, scream tore away from this throat. It twisted, he could identify it now, a forced transformation spell consuming his very self. Trying to combat it didn’t work, his attempts to fight it meaningless. The hex tore through his own magic like a rampaging beast.
Slowly, it receded. The pain ebbed away, leaving him sore and breathing heavily, twitching on the floor. Short spasms ran through his arms, sweat dripped through his forehead, and he could feel the mother of all headaches starting. Yet none of that mattered now, he thought as he forced his head up. No sign of the bubble, nothing else that he could hear through the ringing in his ears. He didn’t seem to be in immediate danger. Whatever had happened, he was still alive.
Worry settled in his gut, what had changed? His magic reserves felt dangerously low, but they were still there. Other than a general exhaustion he didn’t feel any different either, maybe that had been it? A jinx meant to physically weaken him, one that would hopefully go away on its own. He’d find out soon enough, he had to move out after all, now with more urgency than before. First things first, he stood up, shield in hand.
It was then that he noticed. Was his shield… bigger than before? His sleeves too, they felt uncomfortably large. Dread dawned on him along with realisation as he lifted his hands to inspect them. Still scarred and calloused, and yet different, his fingers now smaller and chubbier. His arms too, and his legs, the tunic now comfortably reaching way past his knees. Without thinking, he went to grab his sword, pulling it free from the corpse with more effort than he would have thought necessary.
It had been many years since it felt this big on his hands, heavier than it had felt mere minutes ago. There was no doubt about it now, the spell had reduced his height.
A cold pit formed in his stomach. Shorter limbs meant a slower speed, not to mention the probably diminished strength and stamina. Now more than ever, he realised as his heart-rate spiked, he’d be an easy picking for Ganon’s Eyes to do as they wished.
But no, he told himself taking a deep breath, attempting to calm down. He had gone through this before, killed Ganon with this same body. It would be a challenge, that’s it, nothing insurmountable. Plus, it was only temporary. Once he found a solution, he’d be back on top of his game and this would remain as a learning experience, a reminder of how to deal with such situations.
It would be alright, he reassured himself. It had to.
As if the universe wanted to contradict him, at that moment he heard voices, many, accompanied by quick footsteps and the clang of armour.
“It has to be over here!”
“—elling you, it was lightning!”
“That was some scream, I don’t—!”
“—okay.”
No, no, no. These many?! There was no way he could deal with that number of enemies, much less at that moment. What were they? Dairas? Gerus? Iron Knuckles?! Each thought was more unsettling than the last, anxiety powering him as he attempted to run away anew.
His body didn’t get the memo though, the bite and fatigue catching up, this body not as used to taking the abuse. He tried to flee, cursing, but his legs felt like jelly. They wouldn’t listen to him. Brusquely, he fell down face first onto the dirt. Get up, he kept trying, you have to get up.
Too late. “What the— shit, kid, you alright?”
He turned around. Staring at him was a Hylian, dressed in fine red clothes and glittering jewellery. Some sort of noble, all the way here? Whatever the case, they were coming closer.
“S-stay back!” Even his voice felt weak, raspy. He scowled, hoping that pointing his sword at the stranger was enough deterrent.
It must have done the trick, the other one stopped, merely raising an eyebrow, as if he was some sort of misbehaving bit and not a threat. “Kid, I can see you’re injured from here. You either treat that before it gets infected or I do.”
Before Link could say he had it handled and he didn’t need the interference, a short person walked into view. This one too wearing colourful and carefully embroidered clothes, just what he gotten himself involved in?
“Woah! Guess we didn’t need to worry that much, huh.” They said, looking around before setting their eyes on him. “Seems the situation was handled already. Did you do this?”
“Not now Four, we can interrogate him later. Got a potion? I used my last with that thrice damned moblin.”
“Yeah, yeah, though I’m running low too, we should restock soon.” They smiled apologetically at Link for a second and then started sorting through his backpack.
This was… confusing. He was very lost now, but at least it seemed they weren’t trying to actively attack him. Slowly, more people appeared, each of them dressed way too fancily for a trek through the woods. That armour was more intricate than any he had seen before, the pelt looked new and expensive, their boots, while worn, all seemed made of sturdy materials, and even the tunics were obviously fit to measure. All of that without mentioning the weaponry and accessories, the magical signatures almost overwhelming, even without him actively sensing for them.
Not as overwhelming as the way all their attention was pinned on him, staring with wide eyes as they whispered among themselves, making him self conscious. In comparison, he knew he looked unkempt, with a patched tunic and dirty hair, his sword and shield out of place with the rest of him.
The colourful one took a step forward, a handkerchief on their hand. “Here, I poured some red potion on it. Think I can come closer to clean that wound?” They gestured towards his leg.
An actual potion for an already closing wound? Well, he didn’t want to risk bleeding more than necessary. “… I can do it myself.” They handed over the handkerchief, with just a nod and no protest. “Thank you.”
Effectively, the wound closed completely the moment he started rubbing it. He handed the item back, calmer now.
“Are you hungry?” The sudden question came from the one with long hair and lots of scarring. How they had survived that, Link didn’t know.
“Um…” He didn’t think there would be anything wrong with the food itself, if that’s what the question was for, it wouldn’t make any sense to waste resources just to poison him later. What he didn’t know was the meaning behind this. Could it be that they actually were doing it out of kindness, or were they expecting payment later? Link didn’t have much to give in the first place.
“How about we see about that later?” Suggested the one with a blue scarf, laying a hand on the long-haired one’s shoulder. “For now, let’s see about finding somewhere safe to set camp, it’s gonna get dark soon and we don’t know the layout of this land.” Huh, they were foreigners then? Tourists? “Do you know somewhere we could lay down for the night, kid?”
It took him a moment to register the question was directed at him. “Ah, yeah, sure.” Get your bearings together Link! This situation was unusual but now more than ever he needed to stay sharp. “There’s a cave nearby, it’s out of the way and well hidden. I don’t think any monster will bother you there.”
“Is your home nearby? We can take you there first.” Offered the one with a white cape and ridiculously powerful sword. Again, he didn’t think there was any malice in the suggestion, though that didn’t mean he was willing to risk it.
“No thanks. I can take care of myself.” He said, finally getting up. His legs were a tad unsteady but it was nothing he couldn’t deal with, even if exhaustion was creeping at the edges.
The silence was a second too long for his liking, broken by the tall one with pretty armour. “Even so, we couldn’t leave you here alone and injured. Why don’t you show us the way and we can spend the night all together? We’re not familiar with these parts and we promise to repay you.” Repay him? “As Wild said, we do have food to spare and no problem with sharing.”
That was a tempting offer. Rations weren’t an issue, he did save some for cases such as these, but whether he could protect himself properly in these conditions was another matter. He was tired and cursed, still ignorant to just how this spell would affect him fully. It’d be risky to spend the night alone in these conditions for now and these people probably had some idea of what they were doing, even if they were lost.
“Alright, deal.” He agreed with a nod as he turned around, starting the trek. “Try to be quiet though, boons are starting to take over this area.” The only reason why they hadn’t swarmed them yet was probably because the thunder had scared them away.
Just like that, they started walking, introducing themselves in hushed tones as he requested. They had some unusual names, though Link supposed things were just different from wherever they came from. When he asked where that was, he got mixed answers however.
“Labrynna.”
“Outset Island.”
“Skyloft.”
The three of them looked at each other.
“They mean we live in… Labrynna.” Explained the blue scarfed one, Warriors, hurriedly. “On an island in that country, in a… loft coloured like the sky.”
That was the worst kind of lie he had heard in a while but it wasn’t really his business to pry. Still, Labrynna? He could have sworn he heard that name before, so maybe it wasn’t all fake.
“How about you?” Questioned Sky, smiling at him. “What should we call you?”
“Link.”
The moment the word was out of his mouth, he could feel the way the mood shifted. Most of them stopped walking altogether and Link got a perfect view of the way Sky’s expression froze.
A shame, he had started to like them. Yet there was no negotiating with aches, or whatever they were, and so before they could do anything else, he bolted. A couple of them called after him, but he paid them no mind. If he stopped running now, he wouldn’t be able to start again. He could feel the burn on his limbs, on his lungs, could see the black at the edges of his vision, but he pushed through; this wasn’t the most tired he’d been.
Then a rock fell next to him, accompanied by a familiar buzz, and he groaned. He really couldn’t catch a breath today, could he? There was just enough light filtering through the trees for Link to locate them— three boons, two of them holding rocks. Come on, he didn’t have time for this!
These things were erratic, but Link had experience and a sword that cut right through one of them when it swerved down to attack. He managed to dodge the other two rocks, then one of them bashed right into him. His head hits a tree trunk roughly. Through a growing headache, he managed to still stab it, leaving only one last enemy to be dealt with.
It flew from side to side, trying to buy time. Boons weren’t particularly dangerous by themselves, but they made for nice distractions for the more dangerous monsters to attack. Link had to end this soon, too spent to endure much more.
A hissing sound to his left and an arrow speared itself between its eyes, the creature dead. Confusion lasted for one moment only before he remembered just why he has been running in the fist place. Before he could test again the strength of his legs, one of the foreigners jogged nearby, bow in hand.
Link raised trembling arms and pointed his sword in his direction. To his credit, Wind seemed unfazed at the implied threat. “Fuck, you’re almost as bad Legend, I swear, and that’s saying something, trying to convince him almost ended with most of us being burnt a to a crisp.” He rolled his eyes. “Anyway, Link? Yeah, sorry about that shitty reaction back there, it just kinda reminded us of something but that ain’t on you.”
Against all logic, Link lowered his weapon. Wind hadn’t actually explained anything, and what little he had made no sense whatsoever, he would have been justified in booking it, surely. However, there was something, maybe the exhaustion, telling him the kid was being honest with him. Listening wouldn’t be harmful, surely.
He could pretend it was because Wind had shot that monster too.
“Reminded you of what?”
Wind grimaced. “Okay, I can explain but you have to promise to hear me out, cause I swear I ain’t crazy, deal?”
Not really selling his case here but Link nodded nonetheless. If anything, a moment to catch his breath would be useful.
“It all started a couple of weeks ago, Wild was having a normal day, lending a hand on a village when a statue spoke to him. Except no, it wasn’t just a statue, but the Goddess Hylia herself through it…” The tale was captivating if nothing else, Wind was a great storyteller, accompanying the narration with exaggerated gestures and special voices. The problem was how fantastical it sounded. Time travel, visions and gods were all things Link had merely heard about, he could see no reason as to how that involved him in any way however.
At some point, the rest of the group had found them, yet remained a distance away, silently listening to whatever story Wind was weaving without interrupting. “… and thus, our travels have lead us to our latest destination, this very land, in search of the newest member of our crew. Wanna know how we always have such an easy time identifying the hero?”
“…sure?”
The grin on Wind’s face was almost blinding for some reason. “It’s because each and every one of us shares the same name, which is why we go by nicknames to differentiate ourselves. I’m sure you must be able to put the pieces together now, right Link?”
A small group of people at the service of a deity, united for a common goal and willing to raise their swords for it, kidnapping people from their homes if necessary. Link looked between Wind and the rest of the… heroes.
“Is this a cult?”