Chapter Text
The people of the Lakeside stable see a lot of different people. Mainly, they tend to get a lot of travellers who wish to see the beautiful lakeside or speak of ancient ruins.
That's why no one batted an eye when Link walked in, dirty and ready to smack the next person that looked at him funny. He had just come back from fighting a Hinox at Herin Lake, after getting lost in the thick woods looking for the Faron Tower.
With boots caked in mud, he walked over to the nearest bed and plopped down, ready for sleep. Tired eyes fluttering closed as his head hit the soft pillows.
Everything was almost perfect. But unfortunately, the other patrons in the stable didn't mind or care to keep their mouths shut. Which just soured Link's terrible mood even more.
"So he's not at Tobio's hollow like we thought?" A feminine voice questioned.
"Seems so, I say we look more near the Zoni ruins, we may have missed something." A much deeper voice answered. Link just buried his face deeper into the pillows, trying to block out the other loud guests, failing miserably.
"I swear I saw some smoke coming from Costa Lake, maybe we should check there?" A third voice piped in.
The feminine one spat back," And why would we do that? You heard the rumors about not only a strong Hinox near there but also a Lynal?!"
*Yeah, Hinox smell bad*, was all Link could tiredly think. Now rolled over to his side, trying to get more comfortable.
The third voice piped again, slightly scared,
"Well… of course I know about the monsters there, but what if he's like, you know, using that to his advantage."
"I doubt anyone would want to live so close to those things. Though…." The first voice paused, " It wouldn't be out of the question for a dead man to hide his treasure there…" And with that, Link became interested in the conversation.
His head shot up to the small group of people sitting at one of the tables. They were all hylian, but they weren't dressed like any other traveller he had seen so far. They had much more armor, as if ready to fight.
Luckily none of them noticed Link's sudden spring to life before he realized his own
mistake, putting his head back down. He faced the three others this time, getting a good look at them.
The Hylian woman leaned in," Who's to say he's dead? I heard he's like 30 something, and if that's the case, we would have heard about his death by now." An older man crossed his arms as he spoke up.
"Cause he would be over 100 years old by now, and you know those are just rumours and myths Kassy." Kassy huffed back at the older man,
"Well, either way, it's a good spot to hide some treasure. But by Scout's account, someone may have already beaten us to it."
"That's true, if they can avoid the monster's like we can! And if the Hinox did smash them into jelly, then we can finish them off!" All three of them laughed at their inside joke, it sounded like a bunch of mobilns fighting over scraps. It irritated Link's sensitive ears. It takes a few minutes, but after their laughing fit, the smaller boy, Scout, yawned.
"So we will be going up there tomorrow then?"
"Yep, that means you two should be prepared for a lot of climbing and fighting tomorrow." As their interesting conversation died down, Link was mentally checking his supply. Whatever treasure they spoke about, Link was going to be sure he was the first one to get it. Wherever there was rumored to be treasure, he was always on top of it, curious and hopeful for something cool and useful.
Link was also praying this "treasure" did not involve some shrine, as most of them did. The treasures then would just be a slap on the back and maybe a new weapon. He always hated that particular type of treasure.
Without realizing it, Link slipped into sleep while reminiscing all the times he was disappointed by such discoveries.
****
The sun rose on a new day, and Link was wide awake for his next adventure. The three hunters were still asleep in their own beds. Now would be the best time for him to leave for Corta Lake.
The young adventurer got to his feet and put on his muddy boots. He strolled out to the edge of the cliff. To his left, Floria Bridge spanned the massive chasm, roaring waves washing away dirt and debris.
Link knew better than to swim through such powerful currents. Said currents were being fueled by multiple massive waterfalls. They decorated each tier of the mountain like a delicious cake.
“Damn, I’m thinking of food once again.” Link muttered, remembering that he had forgotten to eat dinner last night. He quickly checked his stock. Apples, roasted nuts, salted mutton, a half eaten leg of cuckoo, and one honey candy.
“I’m sure I can grab more on my way there.” He readied his belongings and started around the western bank of Lake Florie.
It takes a while for Link to get across the giant chasm. Mainly by backtracking and using his new map of the area on the sheikah slate.
But, once at the giant mountain, Link looked up, glad that it showed no signs of raining. " It's gonna be a long climb, but for good treasure I'll take it!" Steeled by the thought of actual treasure, He began the climb.
****
After a few hours of climbing, Dark grey clouds started to eat into the blue sky above. Link could smell the earthy scent of rain and soil on the breeze.
“Please Hylia let me get to the top of this cliff.” He prayed, his breath laboured. Link just needed to clear one more cliff and get to sheltered land before it could start raining.
“Almost there… just… a little..more..” He grunted. His callused hand firmly gripped a fern. Link slowly dragged his body up onto firm ground and sighed. A pungent smell ripped through his soft sinuses. There's only one thing that could smell so bad.
“Hinox, great…” Link grabbed his bladder flask and drank some water out of it, the cool drink providing some much-needed relief from the harsh climb. He poured some of the water down his back, letting out a relaxed sigh.
Checking his sword to make sure it wouldn't break anytime soon, Link devised a battle plan. As long as he had arrows and a decent amount of durability on his sword, he would be fine.
Now taking a second to scan the new area, Link noted the Hindox wasn’t too far away from him.Sleeping under a large tree, using the shade as protection from the sun. Just on the other side of the Hinox, is a steep hill that leads to Corta lake.
"Maybe if I'm quiet enough, I can sneak by it instead." Sneaking towards the Hinox should be easy as long as he stays a good distance away and doesn't make any noise. But just as Link's luck, he doesn't get far, as he immediately steps on a few branches, waking the creature from its slumber.
"Goddess damnit." Having a bad track record with giant monsters as well, Link knows he won't be able to outrun the Hinox without getting slammed by a tree.
"Looks like I gotta fight"
Its grotesque golden eye opened and looked at Link, he pulled out his Traveler’s sword. As the beast gets up from its napping spot, Link runs up and is already slashing away at whatever part of the body he can get to.
Before long, the Hinox is now on its feet, ready to start smashing it's tiny enemy into the ground. Realizing that the time for recklessness was over, Link expertly puts the sword back up and pulls out his bow.
Pulling an arrow out of his quiver and slotting it onto the bow, Link has just enough time to Shoot it before dodging a massive fist. The Arrow whizzes out of Link's hand, landing near the Beast's eye, but not close enough to stun it.
"FUCK!" Link dodges another attack, pulling out another arrow and shooting, this time landing a direct hit in the eye. The beast falls flat on its behind, covering its massive eye from more attacks. Unfortunately for the Hinox, that's not where Link wanted to attack at the moment.
He pulled out his sword once more and slashed at the creature's stomach, icky green blood now pouring out of the slash wounds.
Right before the Hinox got back up, Link was able to snag a nice looking bow off the beasts makeshift necklace. Now with the new, much more powerful bow, Link distanced himself from the beast, giving himself enough time to aim and shoot another arrow into its eye.
But this time, the Hinox seemed ready for that, as it covered its eye with one of its massive hands. Good thing Link had seen the other Hinox do the exact same thing, he just needed to change tactics.
Putting his bow back down, Link ran up to the Hinox, going under the beast's legs. The monster watched and tried to catch Link right before he went under, but missed, slamming its hand into the ground and catching air instead.
The Hinox, being the stupid creature it was, tried looking underneath its stumpy legs, giving Link the perfect opportunity to shoot at its eye. He didn't waste this chance, pulling his bow back up and shooting at the beast once more, landing another direct hit, piercing the eye and skewering the small brain behind it.
That seemed to do the trick, as the Hinox screeched in pain before falling face-first into the dirt with a loud thud... Dissolving into a viscous black sludge and then evaporating in quick succession. All that was left behind was a few giant Hinox teeth, guts, and the weapons that were once attached to its necklace.
Link walked over to pick up each item. Putting the monster parts respectively in the dubbed "other" bag. As for the shiny gold weapons, Link simply attached the three-pointed spear, bow, and sword to his back, leaving behind the old weapons that seemed very much ready to break on him in the next fight.
"No use carrying those around if they served their purpose." He tossed them into a nearby bush. Now with his adrenaline slowing down, Link headed over to the aforementioned slope down to the lake.
Once there, Link spotted a run-down hut. It seemed to be built out of different woods and stone as if the person didn't know what they were doing when building it. The rocks were covered in moss and the wood overgrown with vines. Clearly little thought was given to the hut’s upkeep. There's smoke coming out of the chimney, someone is clearly there.
"Hmm, didn't those treasure hunters say something about someone?.... Maybe they have a few clues about the treasure!" Link excitedly ran down the hill, happy to get any information about treasure.
Without thinking, the Young man slammed the door open, not even knocking first.
There was one person inside, a man, covered in what looked to be like disheveled robes and a giant blanket. The man, once facing away from the door, now looked at Link with pure terror on his face.
It only got worse once he recognizes who he's seeing.
"No…." Is all the stranger said his voice quivering.
Link, blissfully unaware, santured up to the strange man.The stranger, in turn, does his best to back away from Link, to the point he's on a counter, back on the wall.
All he could see was the man's face. What looked to be gnarled black burns on the man's right side. The burns, in question, seemed to have eaten up most of his ear and claimed an eye, leaving the eyelid sagging and ragged. It draped down over a hollow, leaking socket. The man was also wearing some sort of makeup, or was just dangerously emaciated, as Link could see the outline of his skull. His skin almost seemed translucent…. It’s pallor unnatural and sickly. Link decided not to give much thought on it. Finding good treasure is more important right now than a stranger's facial features.
With practiced ease, Link introduced himself,
"Hello! I'm Link! I heard you know about some treasure?" The man just blankly stared back, as if he wasn’t absorbing a word Link said.
Link, seeing this, waved his hand in front of the gaunt face,
"Hellooo, got any treasure to talk aboouut?" That seems to snap the man out of it whatever state he was in. The man frantically tried backing away again, only to be stopped by the wall. He honestly seemed like a poor animal being cornered by a feral predator.
"Y-y-yes just take all of it, le-leave me alone, now!" He stammered out, his voice low and dry, as if not used much. The man ducks his head down hurriedly. The giant hood he wears hiding most of his face.
"Ok…. But where?" Link just assumed the other was really skittish. The man wouldn't budge nor speak any more. Now Link was getting annoyed at the other's behavior. Sure he just barged into another person's home, but when he usually does that they just say hi or mind their own business!
"Oh come on! I can't get out of your hair unless you tell me!" The small man looks around the room; books, papers, and bits of sheikah tech played strewn across the floor. It was all dishevelled, clearly the skittish fellow didn't have a knack for cleaning any more than he did for manners.
There was one thing that stood out among the mess, a strange orb, it sat atop a very clean desk, cracked in the center. Link curiously looked at the strange object, it looked almost familiar.
Without realizing what he was doing, Link cautiously moved toward the strange object, like one wrong move would completely destroy it. The orb almost seemed to glow a dark purple as he approached, the same color the rouge Guardians displayed when they spotted him.
Before Link could get a chance to examine the strange object, the Gaudy man blurted out," Its up the mountain!"
Link jumped at the sudden voice, coming back from whatever trance he was in. Still it did the trick and caught Link's attention, so the man continued, " T-the treasure, I mean. Climb the cliff behind this shack and the treasure is yours." The man puts himself into a huddled position on top of the counter.
"Just... Leave and don't come back!" Now Link may have a hard time understanding the mood of a room, but even he realized the Gaudy man did not want him sticking around.
So with that, and the location of this hidden treasure, Link made a beeline for the door giving the man a wave and,
"Thank you", before slamming it behind him.
The other just stared at the door Link just left out of, it felt like an intently before he allowed himself to relax a little.
****
The sun was setting when Link finally reached the top of the cliff, sprinkles of rain fell from the sky, its icy droplets cooling Link down from the trek up. Just like before, Link scanned the area and deemed it safe to walk out in the open. There were no immediate threats… until, of course, there was.
As Link got closer to the open field, His sensitive ears picked up on giant hooves quickly approaching from behind. He's able to quickly dodge out of the way, right before a massive Lynal ran right through the spot Link was previously standing in.
The centaur stopped itself from running any further and stood up to its impressive height. Its white and silver fur glistening in the setting sun. It stomped down, the mud from the rain splashing all over its hoof.
Link had never encountered a beast like this, he was both nervous and excited to say the least. The young hero pulls out his new sword, glad to have a chance to use it, the blade glistening in the drizzle.
The beast had turned to face Link, as the silent standoff became more suffocating by the second. They both stared at each other, sizing the other up, Until the Lynal moved first.
It grabbed it's weapons from behind and galloped toward Link, preparing to smash him into the ground with a giant Lynel crusher. Link in turn, barely rolls out of the way, forced to go on the defensive.
Once Link gains his composure, the Lynal is right up on Link again, landing a strike right on the young man's torso. Sending the boy flying across the dirt, smudging much of his clothes.
Link sucks in through his teeth, feeling the most unbearable pain. Something may have broken. With sheer willpower, he gets up once more, trying desperately to land his own attack, but the Lynal is just too fast for Link to handle.
It easily dodged all of Link's advances, swinging at him a second time and landing, this time hitting Link's left arm alongside his torso. The hit easily threw the man off his feet again, this time tossing him clear off the cliff.
The drop wasn’t that long thankfully, but it did still hurt when Link hit the ground. Mud caking the boy even more, his ribs rattle from all the abuse. It takes a minute for him to catch his breath, the pain was like nothing he felt before. Each breath he took was like inhaling a thousand needles.
"But hey... (wheeze).. at least I made it out alive…" Now raining, whatever wasn't soaked in mud, is now soaked in general. Link tried moving his left hand, finding it difficult but not impossible.
"Nasty...little… sewage boy." Link blurted out, delirious. He was just about ready to lay there and get even more soaked, letting himself bask in the rain until the pain subsided. Then a loud crash came from inside the little shack. Link had somehow ended up landing right behind it and could hear a terrible scuffle inside.
Link slowly tried to up, the pain in his torso screaming at him to stop and rest. He wouldn't hear it though, screaming could also be heard inside the little shack. Whatever was going on in there wasn't good, and whatever wasn't good, Link was typically expected to fix.
It seemed everyone was always too frightened or didn't have the time to fix their own problems. He expected something similar with the weird stranger. And Link would be damned if he didn't try fixing whatever was going on in there.
Picking up the Golden sword, which had fallen not too far from his landing point, Link hobbled around the shack and into the front door.
Inside was The strange man, who was being pinned down by one of the treasure hunters from earlier. Seems they had finally made it up the mountain as well, and with no Hinox to scare them away, they were able to infiltrate the shack. The tall woman garbed in silver quickly jabbed the downed man with her foot, eliciting a low grunt.
The much bigger, older, hunter spotted Link first.
"Well it looks like our little Mage here has a friend, Scout, have you found anything yet?" The younger boy, Scout, was further in the back throwing different books and objects around, as if looking for something.
"Not yet sir!" Scout continued trashing the place. The other one, Kassy, kept the owner of the house pinned down with her weight, a cold sword right against his back. She lands another blow with her boot, this time aimed at his chest.
"Well we can't let the kid see this, can we? Can't let a witness escape. Right Danni?" Kassy nonchalantly asked, staring at Link as well. Her icy blue eyes bore experience in the arts of killing and death. It sent a chill down Link's spine, as he pulled up his sword, getting ready for a fight if need be.
"Of course. Can't let the little bugger run off with any information or loot. Don't want a bounty over our own heads for this shit." And with that, the older gentleman, Danni, unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Link.
**
Out of all the times Link wished he picked up some sort of shield during his adventure, this was one of them. Danni had viciously lunged into an attack, leaving no room for mistakes. Link tried backing away from the onslaught, out into the pouring rain.The waterfall nearby roaring as if cheering for the two fighters. Link tried to block the many slashes from the other's sword, But just like the Lynal, Danni gave no signs of letting up. His wounds were catching up to him. Link would have to try a different strategy soon.
"Guess I'll have to make my own opening." Link mindfully doged the next attack, then took the slight opening to bash Danni from over the head with the blunt of his sword. That seemed to do the trick as the older man stumbled, trying to catch his balance.
With easy succession, Link slashed at Danni's back. The fresh wound spilling blood, mixing with the rain. The man fell to the ground, groaning. Link, naively assuming the fight was already over, sheathed his sword, ready to head back into the shelter and help its owner.
Unfortunately Danni wouldn't go out that easy. He grabbed Link's ankle, pulled a small dagger, and stabbed it right into the boy's leg.
"AJHGGG!" Link fell face first into the dirt as well, pulled his leg up trying to clutch his own wound. Danni used this moment to stand up, the rain stinging his back as he looked down at Link. Looked at him as if he was nothing more than unwanted dirt on his shoe.
"This is the end of the line for you boy…" Danni violently ripped the dagger out of Link's leg, intent on slitting the boy's throat right then and there.
Then Link unexpectedly kicked Danni in the groin. Not even Link knows what caused him to do this, maybe a last ditch attempt. But it was enough for Danni to reel over again, giving Link the leverage he needed to grab his sword and swing it.
It sliced Danni's windpipe in half, causing him to grab at it before falling down to his knees. A fountain of blood gushed from the gaping wound. Danni gurgled and sputtered as he attempted to halt the blood. The older man's entire body fell and hit the ground for the last time.
Link sat there in shock, he just killed a man. And to go by how aggressive Danni was, his two friends won't be any nicer. Then he remembered the gaudy man was still in trouble. Link rushed to get up and back into the shack, finding the same scene before he left.
Kassy still has the Gaudy man pinned down, this time her silver rapier is to his neck, and Scout was attempting to topple down a heavy bookcase. By the looks of it, the scrawny boy was having a difficult time getting it to budge. He grunted and swore with the effort.
Kassy, noticing that it was Link who returned and not her friend, scowled,
“What the fuck?! Where's Danni!" She seemed ready to kill the man both below and in front of her.
"Dead…" was all Link could wheeze out, exhaustion from all the fighting was finally creeping up on him. He didn't know if he could handle fighting two more people, let alone kill them if it came down to it. Link was losing blood, most likely had a broken bone, and was freezing from the rain.
The atmosphere seemed to freeze up right then, as Scout stopped trying to pry the bookshelf down to look at the bloodied boy. His maroon red eyes widened to the size of saucers.
"What…" all everyone could hear was the rain pounding on the roof, you could hear a pin drop at how quiet it got. No one made a move, all too caught up in the realization of what Link did. That is, Until the strange man moved to yank the sword out of Kassy's hand.
Realizing her mistake, Kassy attempted to strengthen her hold on the rapier, ultimately losing her grip as it slipped away. The stranger threw it across the room and lunged at his attacker before getting a face full of fist. Blood sprayed across the filthy floor.
The woman seemed to be satisfied when the man's skull connected with her fists, making an awful crunching sound. Link, as of seeing this, tried to run up and strike down the maniac. He promptly got stopped by another dagger to his throat, cold steel brushing against his peach fuzz.
Scout had stepped in between the three, ready to protect his remaining partner in crime. Link, not having time for this, took a battle stance and rammed into the other boy with all his might. Despite his wounds, Link still was mostly muscle. Scout easily toppled over and in turn rammed into Kassy, both falling off the prone stranger.
The gaudy man wasted no time in sitting up to pull a much fancier dagger from his ragged robes. He flashed them a horrific grin, revealing his bloodied teeth and tattered cheek. The two hunters, stunned, didn't notice Link walking up to both of them.
He stared down at them, his own cold expression showed no signs of weakness. It was almost like a switch had been flipped in the man's skull. What had just been the boy about to topple over from exhaustion, had been replaced with a warrior ready to kill anything on command. Link didn’t know nor realize what had come over him, but he did not care.
"Alright you heathens, I'll give you five seconds to get out of my home before I bleed both of you like a stuck pig!" The Gaudy man spoke up from behind Link. He spat some blood out from his dry lips and stared daggers into the hunters who had dared attack his treasure.
"Alright alright! We promise to never come back or speak of this! Just-just let us go, please we beg you!" The two hunters pleaded for their lives as they tried scrambling for the door, tails tucked between their legs.. Kassy gave one last scowl behind her before retreating with her partner. The entire house falling silent save for the pouring rain outside.
The man keeps his knife out, pointing it to Link.
"Why did you come back here?! I thought I told you to get out!" The skittish man was about ready to attack Link himself. The adventurer just dropped his sword and raised his hands the best he could. All adrenaline leaving the tiny man's body all at once as he slumped to the floor, exhausted from everything but still staying awake.
"Listen…. Don't need you to be so hostile anymore, it's just...me." He didn't know what to expect. Maybe the other calming down for once, or even a thank you? He did just save the other's life after all.
"Of course it's you, moron! You're supposed to be dead!" Tears pricked his mutilated and good eye.
" I-I... why you little-“ Before he could finish, Link intervened,
"So you lied to me about the treasure first of all. None up there, just a Lynal." He pointed his finger up in a childish manner, whining pitifully. Any sense of that calm killer attitude was gone.
"Also, if you wanted me gone that bad, could have just told me so. But now I'm badly hurt and need some help, could you please get me something for this stab wound?" Link nonchalantly pointed to his hurt leg.
"Why aren't you attacking me? Aren't you angry? Have you gone insane?” Link was puzzled by this question, why would he be angry at someone he just met?
"Nooo? Other than that cruel prank with the Lynal, I don't see a reason to be that angry." Link wasn't sure why he should be so angry, could it be that he knew this man 100 years ago? If that was the case, this young man should look a lot older. Maybe Link passed by him at some point in his adventure, but that also didn't make sense, seeing how recognizable the other is.
"Should I… Know you from somewhere?" That simple question relaxed the disfigured man greatly, as if an entire weight had been lifted off of him.
His bony shoulders sagged, "No, no you shouldn't." he sighed as he grabbed a battered rag from a makeshift kitchen. The gnarled man kept his distance as he threw it to the Adventurer. Link in turn, used it to lap up any remaining blood and pressed it hard against the stab wound. If that was all he's getting, then Link knew he would need to make sure to visit some sort of doctor tomorrow.
"It's the best I have for now, as soon as the sun rises tomorrow I want you gone,understood?" The gnarled man growled as he walked off to a particularly lavish bed in the far corner of the house. Carefully laying himself down, so as to not disturbed his right arm. It was covered in stitched together clothes and bandages.
" I must make preparations for something in the morning, so I do not wish to hear a peep out of you." If Link didn't think this man lacked manners, he certainly did now. Link had a few questions, and he was going to get some sort of answer before succumbing to sleep.
" And what would that be?" The man made no movement in acknowledgement. Nothing but the moonlight and a lit fireplace to illuminate them. Sleep catching up on Link quickly, The man answered his question.
" It's none of your concern brat! If anything I should throw you out for the midnight stal-monsters for what you've done." He spat venomously. Link became too tired to elaborate on that, but finding the atmosphere a bit hostile, Link asked one final question, planning on asking the rest tomorrow morning before leaving.
" Alright, I never got your name. Could you…" Link couldn't help but yawn," please tell me?" He could have sworn the other man already fell asleep, given how long it was taking for him to answer. So with that, Link finally closed his eyes and drifted off to dreamland. Right before going under the man finally spoke. His raspy voice like a cutting knife in the dark.
" It's…. Astor…."