[center][h1][color=00aeef]Hyrule[/color] [color=darkgreen] Warriors[/color][/h1][/center]

[center][color=00aeef][b]Level 3[/b][/color] - (8/30) + 3[/center]

[center][color=darkgreen][b]Level 8[/b][/color] - (47/80) + 3[/center]


[center][color=00aeef]Word Count: 1675 [/color][/center]

[center][b]Location:[/b] Lumbridge--->Alchamoth[/center]

[hr]

The more Link listened to these kids talk the more unsettled he was by them, particularly the blonds self assured declaration that they could take any vehicle they wanted from the "shadows," a category in which they seemingly placed everyone but themselves. If you could steal from a shadow with impunity what else might you be allowed to do to them?

He was about to bring up this point, but was interrupted by the sudden appearance of his companions from the battle before which drowned his precious thought in sheer curiosity. By the looks of the Courier alone it was safe to say his previous assessment about the state of the battle had been correct, but how in the world had they gotten back so quickly from a point Shulk had described as the far end of this land? Maybe the dragon had some previously unused teleportation ability, just like the other creatures that lived in that inky darkness?

The locals, though, paid no mind to such questions and instantly switched into a celebratory mood and the Redhead leaped into the story of the dragon’s defeat while the Courier's guardian flipped a table in rage at this being the quests only reward. He felt for it, honestly. The warm fuzzy feeling that accompanied solving a problem was worth a lot, but receiving something practical in return was like getting dessert after a three course meal.

After the cheering wound down and the other the dark haired boy approached the Courier and helpfully asked the question Link had been thinking, the now draconic man beckoning them to follow, leading to the fast travel network that Koopa Prince had set up for their use. He watched them go through the strange mark, spotting their forms retreating into what looked like the hall of a castle. He took out his Sheikah Slate and took a picture of the portal, registering the mark in the Hyrule Compendium. He didn’t follow through, at least not yet. He still had to wait on his shield, after all. 

[hr]

Linkle had never ever seen anything even slightly like Alcamoth. Even her wildest dreams, when she imagined the floating city The Hero of Twilight was said to have navigated, she never came close to the sheer scale of this city nor the marvel of how it was suspended above the beautiful blue sea. 

[url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/xenoblade/images/8/87/Beatiful_view.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120515044030] She looked out over the vastness of the sea, drinking in the horizon laid out in front of her from her perch.[/url] She had spent a lot of time up here, just looking. Alcamoth was big but it was nothing compared to that body of water. She hadn’t had time to appreciate it on the way in, worrying more about how to escape their falling island or not getting distracted by monsters as they navigated the floating reefs. Up here though there were no distractions. Just her and the two biggest things she’d ever seen. 

Of course as the minutes trickled by and she could feel the appointed hour approaching, she found one flaw with this magnificent perch she’d discovered: she could not, for the life of her, remember how she had discovered it. She replayed the events that led her up here in her mind, trying to retrace her steps since the cute little dog had cut them loose to explore this cool city. Try as she might it was all just highlights, without the time walking between them. First she’d discovered the magic of the moving walkways, riding them up and down between the first and second floor, racing down the down walkway at double speed while laughing like a maniac and trying in vain to sprint back up the thing once she reached the bottom. She’d stopped that when a person with bird wings growing out of their head had come over and told her that it was against the rules to do that, so she had moved on.

Next she remembered a big mural with a pool of water in front of it in some sort of opulent hallway. She’d taken that opportunity to water her girls and scrub off some of the charred bits on their feathers, at least until she was informed that that was also against the rules. 

She had stumbled into one of the teleporters and had ended up at some kind of big fancy house surrounded by a field of flowers, the whole thing encased in the same sort of glass dome as the big atrium. She’d let herself in, like a real hero would, but hadn’t found anyone inside or anything that caught her eye. It was just a lonely little house, but at least the whole room smelled nice. She relaxed there for a little bit, but moved on before someone came along and told her this was the princesses room or something.

After that there might have been a hallway? A teleportation or two? A corridor, maybe?

She could feel it getting later and later. What if she got left behind?

As nice as this was, she decided, it was really time for her to be getting back. She broke her view of that sparkling sea and made her way back into Alcamoth itself. Five minutes later she walked right back out again and marveled at how the city had two great views like this.

Eventually, Linkle had a great idea. If everybody was going to the same place in an hour like the dog had said she just had to follow people and they’d show her where to go.
[hr]

Link listened intently to Peach speak, new heater shield attached firmly to his back, as he took the opportunity to snap a picture of the map of this strange new world. The full explanation of the world's state was helpful, and he found it a lot more understandable than whatever a “cognitive world” was supposed to be. 

“Hey, there you are!” came a familiar voice to his right as people began to disperse or make their way to the desk in order to register where they were headed. He looked down from the viewfinder to find Linkle standing there. “I knew you’d make it. Us heroes always seem to end up where we’re needed, huh?” She elbowed him jovially. “So, see anyone you recognize?” She asked, jerking her head eagerly in a certain direction. He followed her gaze and spotted Zelda. The other Zelda.

He shook his head sadly. “Yes, but not for the reasons you think.” Linkle looked confused, so he continued. “I met her on the cliff. She’s one of the Smash Brothers, not my Zelda.” His face twisted up as he thought about what Peach had said, about how Galeem had blown past them and proceeded to carve up all the worlds into this disjointed mess. He’d failed, and Zelda had stood alone in the face of annihilation. Again.

Even Linkle could see she’d somehow hit a sore spot. “Sorry.” She said quickly. “I’m sure we’ll find her. It’s what we’re made to do. It’s destiny.”

There she was, saying strange things again. Maybe now was the right moment to get some answers to the questions that hadn’t been answered by Peach. “Linkle?” He asked. “Who are you?”

“I’m you.” She answered confidently. “Maybe from a long time ago. Maybe from far in the future. Who knows.”

The revelation only gave him a moment's pause. After all, he’d already met other versions of himself among the fighters that had gathered on the cliff. She wasn’t even the strangest incarnation he’d met. At least she was a regular person and not some cat eyed drawing version of him.

“Can I ask a question now?” She asked. “Who are you? What was your adventure like? I’ve never heard a legend about a hero that wore blue, or had something like that.” She gestured to the slate hanging from his belt.

Link took a moment to consider, before shaking his head. “Sorry. No can do.”

“WHAT!?! Why?”

“If you’re from the past telling you stuff about the future might be bad.” He said. 

“Oh right. Good call. We could break time.” Linkle said. “I never even thought about that.”

Link was happy she accepted that explanation. It wasn’t entirely untrue, but a creeping fear gnawed at the back of his brain that if he gave away any details of his time to a Hylian from the past it would inadvertently influence the events leading to the fall of Hyrule. Maybe the only thing that gets passed down through history is the fear of Calamity Ganon or that the Hero fails the first time or the idea of the army of guardians without the catastrophic consequences of constructing them. Any one of these facts could result in the idea that what Hyrule really needed was an army of laser spitting octopus machines somewhere down the line. If he just kept his mouth shut than he knew that he wasn’t any more responsible for the fall of Hyrule than he already was.

[hr]

Before the two of them knew it, they were at the front of the line and ready to pick where they would be going. For Linkle this was a no brainer. One of these places was where evil lurked in great abundance and where even now their allies were still fighting. “Dead Zone please.” She said.

Link, meanwhile, weighed his options while staring at the map. “I’m not dressed for the desert heat, so that’s out.” He said. “I think I’ll head for the Edge of Blue. If we run into the Zora there I could have a in with them.”