Legends Reborn (Loredas' Tale)

THE ROCKS IN THE TREES

Loredas felt warmth on his face. The sun was out but the sprites were nowhere to be seen. Not again, he thought to himself. Were people just going to keep disappearing from his side like this? He suddenly heard a scream in the distance. He caught a glimpse of color near the camp entrance and rushed down. A wooden pole jutted out from the ground near where he stood. He grabbed hold of it and slid down, then bolted towards the trail of pink and blue light. He could make out shapes further ahead. It was the sprites. He quickly caught up with them. "I heard a scream. Where is Zhel?" The sprites motioned for him to follow, dancing through the forest in a frenzy. Now he struggled to keep up. Upon closer inspection he saw that they actually had wings, albeit tiny ones. They arrived at a clearing where a giant stone temple stood. There. A band of creatures were dragging Zhel inside the temple. "ZHEL!" yelled Loredas. She turned her head and saw him, her eyes widened with fright. The creatures, which turned out to be like monkeys, heard his cry. Panicked and alert, they rushed to get her inside as the giant doors slammed shut behind them. "I have to save her," he whispered under his breath. He looked to the sword in his hand given to him by the mysterious figure. "I know I can."

It was no use, the doors were shut tight. He'd have to find another way inside. One of the sprites approached him. She blinked and pulled on the hem of his trousers. "What is it, little one?" said Loredas to the sprite. She pointed upward. He looked up and saw a small window high up, just above the giant doorway. "Oh I see. That's where I have to go. But how do I get there?" The sprite smiled at him. She did a little twirl and was suddenly bathed in a soft blue light light. The little sprite disappeared. He looked around but could not find her. "Where'd you go, little friend?" he called out. There was a small ringing in his ears. He snapped towards the sound and saw a tiny blue ball with wings. "Whoa! That's a cool trick. Is that you?" he exclaimed. "Yup, you bet~" replied the little ball of light. He stepped back in surprise. "Hey, I didn't know you could talk!" The tiny sprite whizzed around his head. "Of course I can, silly! We all can! Some of us just don't feel like talkin, simple as that he-he." The earlier shock was enough to make him sit so he got back up and dusted himself. "Well, that's a relief. It'd be much easier to understand stuff you're trying to tell me if you can talk." She shot past him and hovered over a fallen tree trunk. "The rest of you should head back. We'll get Zhel back real soon, don't you worry." The other sprites nodded and danced away into the forest. Now it was time for Loredas to be a hero.

They got to where the fallen tree trunk was but it was too thick to scale up the side. The little bubble of a sprite motioned for Loredas to move forward. They could walk inside the base of the tree like a tunnel, since apparently the tree trunk was hollow. It was an impressive size. The tree itself would've stood around 50ft tall if it were still standing. The dilapidated inside of the trunk made it difficult to traverse but it was the only way up. The whole thing was angled in a way that wasn't too steep, making it perfect for going through. "Hey little sprite, do you have a name? I'd like to be able to tell you from the other sprites," he said to the tiny ball. "My name is Navi," she replied. "Thanks Navi. Why are you helping me out anyway? It's no walk in the park, I'll tell you that. There's a chance that you could get hurt." Navi circled around his head. "It's dangerous to go alone. And besides, it's not like I haven't done this kind of thing before."

So she's done this before, thought Loredas to himself. What kind of adventures has she gone on? Loredas didn't have time to process the thought as the moment he paused, a giant plant with sharp teeth rose from under him. "What in Hyrule is THAT!?" exclaimed Loredas. "What, never seen a Deku Plant before?" replied Navi. Okay, it was just one plant. He knew he could take it on. He wasn't going to let things happen like the last time. He had a sword now. With a mighty swing he struck at the plant, but it dodged his movements. "You're gonna have to learn how to fight better if you want to win," observed Navi. "Aim for their tiny stems, that's where they're weak." The plant's maw barely missed Loredas' head. It was now or never. With a quick sidestep he sliced the toothy head from the skinny body and the creature evaporated in a cloud or black smoke. "In all my years I have never seen a creature such as that," said Loredas to Navi. "There is a darkness that shrouds these lands. It has not been around for a long time but for some reason it has returned," Navi answered. At least this small ordeal has passed. They finally made it to the top of the fallen log and were very close to where the small opening was. Without thinking, Loredas sliced a vine hanging next to him and swung himself across to the ledge where the window was. Navi was impressed. He didn't know what came over him but all of a sudden he just somehow knew what to do. Oh well, all that mattered was that he got across safely. The little fairy glided over to where he was and they headed inside.