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Zelda Art The Legend of Zelda: Urban Legacy (fanfiction, PG-13)

Octo Rocked

Dr. Octorokapus BLAAAAAH!
Joined
Dec 8, 2009
Location
The American Midwest
Am I updating again already? Yes. Yes I am. And you can expect the final Chapter of Act 1 to go up soon.


Chapter 9: Bottom of the Well​

The ninja stopped outside of a well. He looked up at Link and Navi, then nodded down the stone shaft.

“You’re kidding, right?” Link said.

The ninja shook his head, taking Link’s hand and pressing a small object into it. It looked like a small magnifying glass.

“How do we know we can trust you?” He asked. “You’ve helped us, yeah, but how do we know you’re on our side?” The ninja just stood there, glaring at him with those steely red eyes. “I mean, you don’t even talk. Can you even talk?”

He nodded slowly.

“Well, then, say something! Tell us who the hell you are! Seriously, at least tell me your name.”

The ninja thought a moment before shaking his head. He pointed down the well once more, then bounded off into the night.

“Wait, you’re not going to stick around to help us?” The retreating figure didn’t even look back.

Navi shrugged. “Guess not,” she said. “Think we can trust him?”

“We have no choice,” Link said, examining the lens the ninja had handed him. “He seems to have some sense of what’s going on. I just really hope he’s on our side.”

He started down the well ladder, Navi following him. The well was surprisingly well-lit. He wouldn’t have expected the small electrical lights lining the wall. He reached the bottom and turned to look down the long hallway at the bottom.

Something dawned on him. The lights and hallway wouldn’t be here if it was just a mere well. Wells didn’t have the stone structure anymore, and they had never been designed with electrical lights or hallways. This was no well. This was something far more important.

“I think this is a sealing chamber,” Navi said quietly. “Someone locked something down here.” She looked at Link. “By the way, what exactly was that that he gave you?”

Link pulled out the lens and looked through it. “Not sure. I dunno, it just makes everything look a different color. Sort of a purple tint.” He stuffed it back into his pocket. “I have no clue why he gave it to me.”

They approached a door at the end of the hallway, a tattered scrap of paper attached to it. “Yeah,” Navi said, examining the paper, “that’s definitely a seal. I really don’t think we should trust this guy, Link. I mean, it looks like he’s telling you to break the seal.”

Link looked back down the hallway. There was nothing else there. Just the well, the hall, and the door. “Yeah, looks that way.”

“So now what?”

Link thought a moment. “Well, he helped us against Dodongo. I think I’m going to take a chance with this one.” He drew his sword and kicked the door open. Navi swore and jumped back.

He slowly started into the room, looking around carefully. They were in a large, dimly lit chamber. The door behind them was the only portal in or out. Navi pushed out from behind him, stepping forward in confusion. “There’s nothing here,” she said.

“Yeah, guess the seal was old or something. It was probably some sort of test of loyalty.”

“I just don’t get it,” she said. A moment later, she screamed as she was lifted into the air by some unseen force.

“Navi!” Link yelled in shock. He darted forward before freezing. How could he face an enemy he couldn’t see?

“Link, something’s got me!” she called, struggling against invisible bonds of some sort. “It’s like a giant hand is squeezing me!”

“Just calm down, Navi!” he called to her. Even as he yelled it, though, he knew he was being hypocritical. It was impossible for either of them to be calm. The mysterious ninja had betrayed them and led them straight into a trap.

He stepped towards Navi cautiously, sword raised before him. He couldn’t see what had her, but he at least knew the general direction.

That’s when something slammed into him from behind. He swore. Whatever was down here, there was more than one of them. He turned and swung wildly at whatever had knocked him to the ground, his sword meeting no resistance. He was hitting nothing.

The force hit him from the side this time, sending him sprawling. His sword flew from his hand, clattering on the ground. He groaned and reached out for it, his hand landing on something. He grasped it instinctively, and found that it was the small lens the ninja had given him. Wait, is this the key? he thought, picking up his sword with his left hand. Maybe the ninja gave him the lens for a reason.

He peered through it, seeing immediately what he had not been able to before. A giant, wormlike body with a face consisting entirely of an eye looked back at him. A giant disembodied hand clutched Navi. The other….

He turned, lashing out at the hand approaching behind him. His blade slashed it across the palm. The appendage started writing in pain. He looked back at the main body of the creature. It looked back, suddenly nervous.

“Link!” Navi gasped. “Link, it’s squeezing me!”

Link felt the heat of the two pendants around his neck as he charged forward. With a yell, he threw the sword as hard as he could. Through sheer luck, or perhaps divine providence, the tip pierced the giant eye perfectly. The body tossed its neck back, and the giant hand clutching Navi released its grip. Link was prepared, and managed to catch her now-unconscious body. He set her on the ground, waited for the creature to stop writhing, and yanked his sword out the body.

He wiped his sword off and turned back to check on Navi. The blue-clad ninja had materialized beside her. Dangling from his fist, at the end of his outstretched arm, was a small, blue orb.

The ninja tossed the Pendant of Wisdom to him, and he caught it. He slipped it around his neck, careful not to let his eyes off the masked figure. “Thanks, I guess,” he said, slipping around to the chamber’s door. “But seriously, who the hell are you? I’m really starting to wonder if I can trust you.”

The mysterious man, in a quick motion, cast another deku nut at Link’s feet. A second later, he felt a strong wind inside the chamber, and when his vision cleared, the ninja was gone. There was no way he could have gotten past Link with him blocking the door. He would have noticed. It was like he had simply vanished into thin air. Link groaned and hurried over to Navi. Wedged in the ground by the unconscious girl was a flechette, pinning a scrap of paper to the floor. Link ripped it off and read it.

Link,

I am Sheik, the last of the Sheikah ninjas. I know that you feel you cannot trust me. That is understandable. You wonder how I keep finding you. That is also understandable. Let’s just say that I have access to information from Senator Zelda, and that’s really all I can say at this moment.

You have all the pendants now, so the obvious next step is to visit the Temple of Time. I know you have maps there, and your guide could probably find it easily anyway. However, after you finish there, it is essential that you visit a place called the Happy Mask Shop. The owner will explain.

On the back was scrawled a crude map from the Temple of Time to the Happy Mask Shop. Link stared at the note, even less sure that he should trust Sheik.

At his feet, Navi stirred. “By Farore!” she gasped as she sat up. “Thanks, Link, I was sure I was a goner. Man, I just wish I could have seen how you beat that thing.”

“Well, I could see it using that lens the ninja gave me. And then I threw my sword into its face.” He grinned. “It was pretty cool.”

“Sounds pretty cool, yeah. Did you get the Pendant of Wisdom?”

Link held it up. “That ninja gave it to me. Here, check this out.” He showed her the note.

“Whoa!” she yelped in glee. “He’s a Sheikah? That’s awesome! I’ve only ever read about them! I didn’t know they were still around!”

“Yeah, well, it sounds like he’s the last one. For now, at least.”

She shook her head. “Man, that’s just so cool! So, Temple of Time?”

He nodded. “Temple of Time. I think I’m finally ready for the Master Sword.”

***

A phone rang. The bald man who owned it sighed in annoyance, picking up the receiver with a gloved hand. “Yes?”

“I was just calling to check on your progress,” came the voice on the other end. “Senator Zelda really must be taken care of quickly, before she catches on to me.”

Sakon smiled. His employer. “Of course, Senator Ganondorf. I believe you will be happy to learn that I have set up a…shall we say a ‘date’ with the senator tonight.”

Ganondorf chuckled. “Cole certainly did well to stumble across you.”

“I’m happy with him. He finds fun games for me to play.”

“Games, huh? Well, I certainly hope you beat the senator tonight,” the man said.

“Of course,” Sakon replied. “After all, I have never lost.”

***

Link and Navi stood staring up at the cathedral before them. “So this is the Temple of Time, huh?” Link said.

“You bet,” Navi responded. “The largest and oldest temple to Nayru, and the rumored resting place of the Master Sword.”

Link nodded and pulled open one of the giant double doors, slipping quietly inside. He had no idea what to expect anymore.

He had no sooner entered than a large man near the front of the temple turned. “Link!” he called out. Link looked around. There was no one else in the temple, so the man had to be talking to him. “Link, we’ve been waiting for you! My name is Rauru, Sage of Light. Follow me. I’ll lead you to the others.”

“How do you know my name,” Link asked.

Rauru chuckled. “I’m a sage. I have almost unlimited knowledge and wisdom.”

Link felt like that wasn’t the only answer. He looked at the man more closely. Something about him seemed strangely familiar. “Do I know you?” Link asked. “I feel like we’ve met before.”

Rauru nodded. “We have indeed.”

“When? I don’t quite remember.”

Rauru shook his head. “No, of course you don’t. I’m sorry, Link. That’s my fault. I know you don’t remember anything beyond waking up with that sword you have there, on the streets, left to fend for yourself. I really wish it didn’t have to be that way, but abandoning you was the only way to keep Ganon from finding you. I had hoped all your memories would have been gone, but it seems you can still recognize those closest to you.”

Link stopped walking. This man knew his past. He knew why Link had come from, and how he had ended up on the streets. More importantly, it seemed like he was the cause for at least some of it. “Who are you?” he asked.

Rauru sighed. “Part of me had hoped to avoid this question. Another part has been waiting for you to ask it for years.” The sage took a deep breath, turned to face him, and spread his arms wide. “Link…I’m your father.”
 

February Eve

ZD District Attorney
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Location
USA
I find it funny that Link is the one pushing for another silent character to speak. *grin*

I'd ask a question, but you've been kind enough to answer most of the ones that come to mind as I've commented previously, heh. I'm definitely still following this story even though I may occasionally have to catch up with two chapters at once.

Also, I know it's early, but good luck with NaNo WriMo. Still deciding if I want to do that this year myself! :)
 

Octo Rocked

Dr. Octorokapus BLAAAAAH!
Joined
Dec 8, 2009
Location
The American Midwest
I find it funny that Link is the one pushing for another silent character to speak. *grin*

I'd ask a question, but you've been kind enough to answer most of the ones that come to mind as I've commented previously, heh. I'm definitely still following this story even though I may occasionally have to catch up with two chapters at once.

Also, I know it's early, but good luck with NaNo WriMo. Still deciding if I want to do that this year myself! :)

Yeah, the irony is not lost on me.

Anyway, while I am doing NaNo, It's not for another two weeks...plenty of time for me to write up an update I've been planning for for a while. It may not be all that long, but it's pretty important.

Anyway, a few notes. First of all, Rauru being Link's father is something that I may change, just because the whole "character is offspring of something important" thing is so overdone. On the other hand, I really like the idea of it, and if a LoZ character is secretly Link's father, I think Rauru would probably be a good bet. Second, as has been hinted over the last few chapters, and very strongly hinted at in this chapter, Act 2 will be more focused around Majora's Mask. All you fans of MM can look forward to seeing more of the Skull Kid and Tatl and Tael, as well as the appearance of the Happy Mask Salesman and Anju and Kafei. Third, I'd love to hear some theories on Sheik. Male or female? Friend or foe? What is his/her identity? I'm sure you've all got a guess, and some of you probably have it right. Sheik fun fact: look back at the types of magic he/she uses. See if you can catch anything.

Finally, I've got a few notes that I'd love to put in an Act 1 interlude, hopefully that give a bit more background. I'll post it here, and it'll answer some questions you may or may not have, give some fun facts about Link's quest so far, and include more info on the Gorons, Zoras, and Hyrule's political system.
 

Octo Rocked

Dr. Octorokapus BLAAAAAH!
Joined
Dec 8, 2009
Location
The American Midwest
Hohohoho, time for Chapter 10, and the end of Act 1! This took a lot longer than I had hoped to write, because life got in the way.

Anyway, after this, there'll be a brief interlude and a hiatus as I partake in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I'm TheNerdyNinja on there if any of you are doing that and want to add me as a writing buddy. Thanks to everyone who stuck with this through the first part, especially the first few chapters that sucked so badly.

Chapter 10: Link's Legacy

“…My father?”


“That’s right, Link,” Rauru said.


Link grasped for words. “You’re not my father!” he finally managed to furiously spit. “I don’t have a father! If you really are my father, where have you been these past seven years?”


Navi looked around awkwardly. “You know, I think I’m, um…gonna check out this temple a bit more. Alone. Call for me when you’re done with…erm…whatever it is….” She shuffled away, looking everywhere but at them.


Rauru hung his head. “You’re right. I have no right to call myself your father, or to call you my son. All you’ve accomplished, you’ve accomplished on your own.”


“Yeah, you’re damn right I have.”


“But hear me out, Link. I had no choice. I wish,” he said, wrinkled eyes starting to tear up, “that I had been able to be there for you. I wish I hadn’t had to abandon you. But I had no choice.”


“There’s always a choice.”


“There is,” Rauru agreed. “However, in this case, as much as it pains me to say it, the choice that would have made you happy would have been the wrong one.” He turned, motioning for Link to follow. “I am a sage. I recognized who you were instantly. I knew what your destiny would be. And I tried everything I could to avoid it. I tried to raise you like a normal child. But it was inevitable. If I kept you as my son, Ganondorf would have eventually found you. And so, to hide you, I took your past from you and bound myself to the Temple of Time.”


Link was quiet for a few seconds. “What’s my real name?” he finally asked.


“It’s Link. As much as I wanted it to be otherwise, it is who you are.”


“No, I mean the name you gave me.”


Rauru chuckled. “Kasuto. A dumb name, really. You don’t really look like a Kasuto at all. But I guess I was hoping that, if you were named something else, you would actually grow up to be Kasuto instead of Link. An idiotic idea.”


“That’s not true,” Link said. “I think I would have been perfectly happy as a Kasuto.”


Rauru stopped again to face him. “Would you?” he asked. “Face it, my boy, you have the heart of a warrior. You never would have been satisfied living a normal life. You’re a fighter, Link.”


Link shook his head. “That’s not true,” he said. “It’s not true.”


“Just answer one question for me,” the wizened sage said. “If you want to be normal so bad, why are you here?”


“Because Senator Zelda asked for my help.”


“And why did you accept?” Link stood dumb. “As I thought,” he said. “Come on. I know that there is one more question you’re dying to ask. I’ll take you to the Master Sword’s pedestal.”


Link followed him in silence. The man looked back. “Aren’t you going to ask it?”


“No. I already know. You gave me the sword so that I would be ready to wield the Master Sword when the time came.”


Rauru nodded. “Very good. Of course, there’s a bit more to it.” He halted in front of a giant stone door marked with the same symbol that was on the back of Link’s hand. “Present the three pendants.”


Link looked at the old man, who nodded towards the door. He cautiously removed the three orbs from around his neck and held them out. The hall around them seemed to shake, and a brilliant light burst from the symbol on the door. Slowly, the stone doors slid inward, revealing the room inside.


Atop a set of steps was a white stone pedestal, engraved with the same symbol. The pedestal stood out partially because of the engraved symbol, and partially because of something else.


It was empty.


“The…the sword’s gone,” he murmured.


“Not quite,” Rauru said. “Show me your sword, Link.”


Link obliged, freezing as soon as he felt the handle. “My sword…it’s…it’s the…?” He pulled the sword out the rest of the way, examining it as he held it ahead of him. The entire hilt had changed, becoming a bit more ornate and changing to a shade of purple. The blade was no longer battle-scarred, but brilliant and shining, almost as if it had a holy glow around it. Before, the sword had felt comfortable, like it was made for him. Now, however, as he held the Master Sword in his hand, he realized that it was also the other way around—he was made for the sword.


“It’s…it’s beautiful,” he whispered. “I’ve had it the entire time?”


“Not in that form, no,” Rauru said. But it can recognize when a hero holds it. You’ve gathered the three pendants. You’ve passed its test. And now, the Master Sword has granted you its power.”


Link wiped away tears forming at the edges of his eyes. “You’re right. It’s…this is right. I understand who I am now.” He raised the sword, face steeled with determination. “I am a tool of the goddesses! I am the avatar of courage!” he declared. “I am the hero of legend!”


Rauru nodded. “There are few things to do now before you are ready to face Ganondorf.”


Link nodded, sheathing the Master Sword. “Yeah. I know what has to be done. I’m starting to remember.”


“There’s not much time.”


“I know. Navi and I have some things to do.” He turned back to Rauru. “Bye…Dad. I’ll come back when all this is over.”


Rauru nodded. “I’ll be waiting.”


*


Senator Zelda Hyrule walked through the alleyway, heels clacking on the pavement. Normally she would have avoided such a stupid move at all costs. But she had been working late, and the streets were empty. She knew someone had been following her, and now would be the perfect time for an ambush. At least in an alley, she had a better chance of preventing it.


She glanced back. No one. She looked back ahead, starting to walk again, throwing occasional glances over her shoulder.


A figure dropped down in front of her in the alley. Of course. She had forgotten about attacks from above.


“Hello, senator,” came the dark figure’s cheerful voice, his face masked by shadow. “Fancy meeting you in a place like this. Are you lost, by any chance?”


The senator fell into a fighting stance. She had learned some of the Sheikah martial arts from Impa, and knew how to defend herself. “This won’t be easy for you,” she said.


The man grinned, the moonlight glinting off his ebony teeth. “I hope you’re right,” he said. “It’s always boring when it’s easy. I’ve been very bored lately.”


*


“So this is the mask shop, huh?” Navi mused. “Really doesn’t look like much.”


“Look,” Link said, “let’s just get this over with.”


“You think that Sheik guy was telling the truth?”


“I really hope so.” He pushed through the door. “Hey,” he said, “I’m here about some sort of emergency.”


“Oh, thank the goddesses!” the man at the counter said. He looked up, a grin on his face that wasn’t quite right. Something about the grin just felt menacing. It made Link uneasy.


“Yeah, so, um…what’s going on?”


“Well, I’ve had a mask stolen from me—”


“Let’s go, Navi,” he said, turning to leave.


“Wait, you don’t understand,” he said. “This isn’t just some toy mask. It’s filled with incredible power!”


Link paused, turning back to the smiling man. “You’ve got one minute,” he said. “Make it worth my time.”


The salesman started explaining how his mask had been stolen. It was his eyes, Link decided. His emotion came through his eyes, even if the happy grin never left his face. The man was saying something about a talisman of evil or something. Link shuddered as he watched him. That grin. It just wasn’t natural to look that happy when talking about a theft. “And now,” the mask salesman continued, “it has been stolen…stolen by a boy in a skull mask….”


Link held up his hand, suddenly listening. “Wait, what did you say? A skull mask?”


“Yes, a young boy wearing a skull mask. He was about this tall….” As the man went on, Link turned to Navi.


“That’s the kid who swiped the Pendant of Wisdom earlier,” he said. “This could just turn out to be a dead end, but it could really be big.”


He turned back to the Happy Mask Salesman. “Okay, you’ve caught my attention. Why don’t you explain to me just what’s going on?”


*


Senator Zelda’s assailant took a step forward, a knife appearing in his hand. He was fast, she realized. She hadn’t even seen him reach for the blade. Nevertheless, she had to keep her cool.


“Let’s have some fun, senator,” the man said. “Do you want to play tag? I’ll give you a ten second head start.”


She leapt forward, throwing a punch at him. He swiftly sidestepped and clonked her on the back of the head with the dagger pommel as she passed. “So you want to fight, do you?” He clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “Not a very smart choice. But if you insist….” He reached down, lifting her by the neck. She kicked out at him, struggling for air, but he nimbly dodged every attack. “I like games like this,” he said. “Watching people on the border of life and death—you really get to learn a lot about them.” She grasped at his hands, trying to pry them from her neck. “Oh, don’t worry,” he said, throwing her to the ground. “I’m not going to kill you just yet. He leaned in close, grinning at her. “I don’t get to see you bleed if I strangle you to death. It’s always so fun to watch people bleed, don’t you think?”


Zelda brought her feet up and shoved him back hard, flipping up to her feet and whipping off her senatorial cloak. Underneath, she was dressed in a more tight-fitting outfit, a combat-ready one. She slipped quickly out of her heels, facing the grinning psychopathic assassin. “I’m not the frail woman you think I am,” she told him.


The assassin chuckled. “I never thought you were. But that doesn’t change the fact that you have no chance.”


She narrowed her eyes. “We’ll see.”


The man darted forward, thrusting the knife at her. Unrestricted by the robe, she managed to dodge it and knock his hand downward. She managed to parry most of his attacks, even if he was driving her backward. The alley had been a good choice; it was clear his motion was impeded.


The assassin stopped, taking a step back. She didn’t know what was going on, but she prepared for another attack. He charged at her, but instead of attacking, jumped at the narrow alley wall, jumping from wall to wall to propel himself over her head. The maneuver caught her off guard, and she turned just in time for the blade to graze her cheek.


He licked the blade as she fell backwards. “My, senator, your blood certainly does taste delicious. A very noble-tasting sort of blood. A pity I have to drain you of it.”


She didn’t have the time or balance to stand. All she could do was scurry backwards as he walked closer. “It was fun playing with you. But I don’t like it when games drag on for too long. Nothing personal, but I think it’s about time for me

to win.” He flicked out the knife again, preparing a final strike. “Goodbye, Senator Hy….”


Her name died into a strangled wheeze. The assassin staggered a bit, before toppling forward into the ground. As he struggled, she caught a glint of metal in the moonlight—a flechette lodged in his jugular.


Zelda slowly turned around as a figure stepped into a shaft of moonlight. The dark suit made the figure still barely visible, and Zelda could only make out a lock of blonde hair dangling from behind the ninja’s mask.


“Thank you,” she said, pulling herself to her feet. She touched her cheek gingerly where the knife has cut you. “I owe you my life. Is there any way I can repay you?”


The ninja shook his head.


“Well, thank you, either way. Who are you, exactly?”


The ninja stared at her for a moment. “I am Sheik,” a hoarse voice replied. Then the ninja sprung over her head, wall-jumping to the top of the building and disappearing from sight.




*


Well, that's the end of Part 1! What a shocking twist, right? Zelda not being Sheik? Who would have expected that? Of course, after this chapter, it's probably much more obvious who Sheik really is. Anyway, I'd love to hear opinions on this chapter. A lot happened. We've finally learned why Link is so attached to his sword. We've learned his real name (how many of you got the reference?). We've met the Happy Mask Salesman and more thoroughly met Sakon the Assassin. What do you think of their characters? I'm admitting I sort of boned on HMS, in that he's not well developed and he appeared in the same chapter as another grinning character.


Also, since I'm going to be rewriting this, I'd absolutely LOVE any critical comments you have. Anything that can be improved upon.


Probably going to get up a little "intermission behind-the-scenes" stuff up in the next day or two.

 

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