A Couple of Trials (ZeLink)

Chapter 92: Until the Next Venture

"Free the divine beasts... Go to all the places these pictures show... And go to Hateno to see this Purah lady," Link thought out loud, tapping the words he spoke into the ancient slate he held in his hands. He thought it best to keep notes of all he had to do—a journal of sorts. After finishing his current entry, he tapped on the edge of the slate's body. "Well, I might as well knock out the easiest of them first: head to Hateno and meet Purah so she can fix this thing."

He tapped on the Hateno entry he had entered, where an orange dot had appeared on the Slate's map, signaling where he needed to go.

"And it looks like I'm already on the right path," he said, placing the slate on his hip as he looked up.

While he had been typing, the mahogany horse he'd captured a few days ago had continued dutifully following the path, carrying Link through the fields of Hyrule without ever veering off. Proudly, Link reached out and stroked its mane.

"A good boy at heart, just like I thought," he said gently before looking up at the scenery.

It had been changing as they progressed—from thick, healthy wilderness to desolate wasteland of dead shrubbery and decayed logs. Destroyed and defunct machines—similar to the ones he had encountered on the Great Plateau— scattered the ground in different areas of the landscape, increasing in number as he continued on.

"I hope none of these are active," Link thought.

He furrowed his brow as he passed one of the machines near the path, carefully watching it as he passed, all the while hoping its gray eye wouldn't suddenly brighten and turn blue. Thankfully, it remained inactive, permitting him to pass without incident. Continuing his journey through the fields, he diligently took note of just how many machines there were, until eventually, he saw the remains of a wall in the distance.

Most of it had been destroyed, with massive holes and even whole sections missing from its build. There appeared to have been an attempt to repair it, based on the wooden logs that had been used to reinforce the open areas, though Link couldn't imagine they would do much against one of the still-functioning machines. The landscape around the wall was even more destroyed than the path leading up to it, with armies of the machines laying around, some appearing frozen in time as though they were still trying to climb up the wall's surface.

It was all a sight Link couldn't help but find strange, and even...familiar?

Before he could reach the wall, he brought his horse to a stop, making the admittedly-poor decision to climb down from the saddle. He walked around, inspecting the machines that littered the area, the still-clear divots in the ground, and the ruins scattered throughout the fields. They were almost unnoticeable, for they were nearly completely obscured by the overgrowth. Had there once been a village here? Or perhaps a barracks for the fort?

He moved on to explore the area near the wall itself, rooting around its base and the defunct guardians, picking up any salvageable parts he could find, until suddenly, he heard that dreaded hum. Gritting his teeth, Link looked over to see one of the machine's cylindrical heads beginning to shudder, its lights flickering before its eye started to glow. It looked at Link and turned red, aiming its laser reticle toward his chest.

Link reached back for his shield, but before he could ready himself, he felt someone grab him by the back of the collar.

"What are you doing? Hide!"

He felt himself being tugged behind one of the lifeless machines, and after a few seconds, the whirring of the active one's head swiveling around went away. With a sigh, Link replaced the shield onto his back and turned around to see who had dragged him behind cover. He was a darker-skinned man, with a shaved head and a dark brown beard. His clothes were thick and sturdy, and on his back was a large, stuffed backpack with a shield and other necessities. Clearly, he was a proper traveler.