4th installment of the VGNU.
In a time of peace and prosperity in the Hyrule Kingdom, a new evil awakens.
The fate of the future rests on the shoulders of a young boy, as history begins to repeat itself.
(Originally published 2018-2019)
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The fields to the west of Castletown were wide open plains, broken up by a few rivers and the occasional grouping of trees. Just a few days ago there would have been carriages traveling the roads out here, making the journey to the western shores. Everyone from knights of the Kingdom, carpenters contracted to build new villages or cities further from home, or just travelers looking for a new start somewhere else. It should have been active, these plains, but instead Link only found monsters.
Small creatures at first like more of those strange octorocks; mole-like things that crawled underground before jumping up beneath him; and now foxes that stood upright and carried swords. Regardless of what they were, they all hid just out of sight until they were close enough to strike. Underground, up in the trees, behind the cliffs that overlooked the rivers, or even lurking beneath the water. Mt. Crenel wasn't close to Castletown, but Link barely had a moment to rest as he moved from one fight to the next.
When at last night had fallen, Link was thankful the beasts weren't all nocturnal. As active as they were in the day, Link found that they too slept when the sun went down. Just so long as he found a place far enough away from where the monsters made camp, it was easy enough to start a fire and a soft patch of ground. He did wish he'd brought any kind of camping equipment, even just something more comfortable to lay on, but this kind of thing was second nature to Hyrulians-- just laying under the stars on a patch of dirt during times of travel.
Then morning came, and the trek continued. Night came again, and by midday on his third day of walking westward, Link finally arrived at the base of Mt. Crenel. It may have been a long walk getting here, but as he looked up to the peak of the red mountain so very, very, far away...
"Getting here was the easy part, wasn't it?" Link sighed.
"It makes me tired just looking at it," Ezlo agreed.
"Hey! How much walking have you done this whole time!?"
"Easy kid!" Ezlo warned. "Regardless, that Minish we have to talk to is up there, Melari. So there's no point in arguing, it'll only waste time!"
"I guess you're right," Link grumbled. "But still..." He looked around for a way up, a path or something, but there wasn't much but dead ends and steep cliffs.
"Now, the way up," Ezlo wondered. "Is, where? Exactly?"
There were thin vines draped over the rocky surface, growing out of pools of green water, but they didn't look particularly strong. The water itself was boiling, bubbling and steaming. Link tested the vines, tugging on them a little. It didn't snap, and he didn't really have many other options... "They might not lead all the way to the top," he said. "But it's a start."
Link stepped over the water, pulling himself up the vines and told himself not to look down. The rocks crumbled a bit, and the thinner vines snapped easily, but eventually he was able to pull himself over the edge at the top. While the cliff may have leveled out enough to stand on, the sharp stones along the edge cut Link's palms as he climbed up. He also realized how many thorns the vines had as he started pulling them out. After wiping the blood off his hands, he took another look around for a path again.
