LoZ: Rings of Dualty Ch.2a

Dawn came to the village of semi-tame lizafos. A ray of it shone down onto the house of Samba and Vardi. Samba, off work that day, gladly lazed in bed until he woke up, completely refreshed, around noon. He lazilly got his clothes on and walked out, enjoying the nice weather. He then went back in the house and grabbed his buckler and practice sword, intending to practice after breakfast/lunch.

After having some delicious cooked fish for brunch, the blue lizafos walked out again and saw the group around the sign again. They were pretty agitated, it appeared. Ko was there, trying to talk to the others, who were too busy blabbing for him to get a chance. Drejsk and Thyu were there, as were a few of the fishermen.

"...ing on? Why did they dange the chate?" the rotund scaly asked, crossing his wide arms across his chest.

Thyu put his face in his paw. "'Change the date,' fat-for-brains," he corrected. "And I haven't a clue as to why, nor does anyone else here."

"I hear it's because there's something wrong with the weapons stock," said one of the fishermen. "I think they said there's been something strange going on and a lot of the workers are afraid to go to the area."

"And where are they located?" Drejsk asked.

"Finally, a clear sentance," Thyu rolled his eyes. He got a dark look from his enormous companion.

"Somewhere in the Empty Cavern," replied another fisherman.

"Then I suppose it's because of the Leviathan of Stone," Ko quickly put in, at last getting attention. He adjusted his glasses. "My books say it dwells somewhere deep in the long, twisting, confusing corridor that we call the Empty Cavern. If anyone gets close, it starts moving and shaking, causing them to run for fear of a cave-in."

Many of the others scoffed. "Ko, you know that's stuff's mothing but a nyth," Drejsk told him condescendingly.

"'Nothing but a myth,'" corrected the fishermen and Thyu.

"Do you realize how RUDE that is?!"

"It's not a MYTH," corrected Ko, holding up a claw, "but a LEGEND. Myths are complete fantasy--legends are things that have a chance of having truth to them."

Thyu shook his head. "No, no, you old bookworm, it's the same thing. At least, nobody really cares about the difference." He shrugged. "The fact of the matter is that your words have not a single one."

Ko opened his jaw to protest, but shut it, realizing he was fighting a lost battle. "Fine, whatever," he huffed, then turned around to leave. He saw Samba standing there right as he did and jumped a little. "RAH!...Oh! Sorry, Samba! You surprised me!" He put a paw to his chest, then smiled softly. "You heard me, right?...Well, I believe something else..." He motioned for him to follow, and Samba followed him. He made his way around the crowd to his home, which was a ways away up a slope. Inside, bookshelves carved from the stone walls were filled to the brim with books and scrolls. Ko walked over to the net hammock he slept in and sat in it. "I've got a feeling I know what's going on," he told Samba.

Samba tilted his head in curiosity. "What were they all looking at?" he asked. His voice was deep, gruff, and naturally inquisitive. "What's this about the date being moved up?...That WAS the poster for the recrution countdown, right?"

Ko nodded. "Yes, it was," he replied glumly. "It appears that the day we're all to leave the village is the day after tomorrow."

Samba blanched, his face's scales turning the color of a pale sky. "Wh-WHAT?!" he screeched. "But...I have to keep an eye on Vardi still!" He spread his arms apart to emphisize this.

Ko cringed and then stuck his pinky in his ear. "Ow."

Samba snapped his mouth shut and drooped his head a bit. "Sorry," he softly said. "But..."

Ko chuckled and shook his head. "I know, I know," he said. "But it's just you're worried about your sister." He smiled. "Don't worry, she'll be able to take care of herself, I'm sure. I'm going to TRY and make it so that I'm able to stay behind. Being the most literate person in the village, there actually might be a good chance of me being able to accomplish that," he added, taking off his glasses and wiping the lenses with a cloth. "That way, if I can stay behind, I could not only stay out of an ill-suited field of battle to stay within my much more well-suited field of studies, but I could look after Vardi, too."

Samba gasped and smiled. "Really?" he asked breathlessly, hope filling his chest. "You'd do that for me?"

Ko smiled and put his glasses on again. "I'd do a great deal of things for you, Samba," he answered. He chuckled. "I mean, after all, we're friends, right?"

Samba raised his eyeridges a bit, but then softened his look and smiled. "Yeah...you're right." He then looked serious again. "But what about what you brought me up here for?"

Ko nodded and looked serious again. "Well, I forget if I told you about this the other day, but the Leviathans of Material all possess a powerful artifact that they are not meant to hold, which is what causes their misshapen forms," he began, rummaging in his bag breifly before bringing out the book with the map he had the other day. "Namely, the Leviathan of Stone contains within its rocky mass a piece of the item I was talking about. The Empty Cavern is a treacherous place from which barely an adventurer from our village has returned from alive, and it is the home of this fierce beast. You remember I had a feeling that the cheif wants that item, right?" he asked. Samba nodded. "Well, I think he moved the date up to get it faster..." He looked left and right, then motioned for Samba to lean in closer.

In a low voice, he continued, "A good friend I have in Kochyrae just this morning told me that one of the pieces was obtained by someone who's opposed to us monsters, and had even gotten it themselves without help from anyone else. This means that the score is very imblanced, with the Hylians in possession of two of the three. Therefore, the chief is probably under great pressure to get the third item before the one who got the first one comes here to get it."

Samba raised his eyeridges. "I'll bet," he muttered.

Ko nodded. "Yes, and I have a bad feeling that if anyone tries to get it, even if they're successful, disaster is the only thing that's going to happen," he added. "Too bad that our chief is so foolish..." Ko sighed and shook his head.

A knock on the door startled both lizafos into jumping. "Excuse me, Ko?" a voice from the other side asked. "Samba was said to be seen with you last. Is he there now?"

"Yes, he is," Ko answered, face falling. "Talk with you later, Samba," he whispered to the blue scalie before shutting his book and rising. "Coming, just a second," he called. He put the book away and walked to the door. He opened it and found the skinny Thyu along with the rotund Drejsk. Thyu looked a little bored, but Drejsk looked pretty happy, for some reason. Ko raised an eyeridge. "Yes, you two?" he asked.

Drejsk grinned toothilly. "Well, we just wanted to Salk to Tamba," he said confidently, before hastilly correcting, "Er! I mean TALK to SAMBA!!" He grumbled about how he couldn't ralk tight--TALK RIGHT!! See? So Thyu took over.

"We've heard that he's an excellent stone-thrower, able to throw a pebble so that it becomes like an arrow," he said. "Could we come and ask him for a demonstration?"

Ko raised his eyeridges, then turned to Samba. "Well, Samba? Did you hear all that?" he asked.

Samba nodded. "Sure, I'd love to show off my talent," he said, getting up. "After I'm done, I'll come back here so we can talk some more."

Ko smiled and nodded. "Specifically, teaching you as much Hylian as possible so that you're at least aquainted with the essentials before you leave," he said, and Samba groaned. Ko laughed. "Sorry, but I don't want you going off underprepared."

Samba sighed and shook his head. "Alright, Ko," he said, getting out and waving behind him, "see you!"

"Don't kill anyone who doesn't try the same to you!" Ko called after him, and Samba chuckled.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Thyu and Drejsk sighed heavilly and rolled their eyes. "How on Hyrule can you be friends with that loony?" Drejsk asked, thumbing behind him.

Samba bared his teeth. "You want me to aim for your head? Because trust me, it hurts," he threatened.

"Actually," Thyu said from behind Samba, holding a claw up, "that's sort of the idea. We want to see how actually lethal it is. Drejsk's got a front so thick that it can make arrows stick inside. Add to the fact he's a masichist, and we've got ourselves a perfect guage of pain."

Samba blinked, wide-eyed, at him. "You're joking," he said. "I find that hard to believe about Drejsk, personally."

Drejsk laughed and thumped his big front as the trio, now on the main level of the village, turned towards the area they knew Samba practiced at. "It's true! Though I'm not really a chasi--er, MASICHIST! I just don't give a damn about pain. For some reason, I can get over it fast if I know it was coming for me, at least." He grinned and thumped his gut again. "That makes me a wonderful warrior!!"

Samba grinned. "Great, that means I can go ahead and ask you to be a punching bag for me to take out my rage on once in a while," he joked. To his surprise, Drejsk said sure.

"Toldja he's a masichist," whispered Thyu, and Samba chuckled.

When they got to Samba's private practice area, Thyu threw Samba a Dodongo hide bag. "Alright, Samba, here's about 30 good pebbles," he said. "Take aim and let them fly at Drejsk's stomach, would you? And you can keep the bag afterwards, if you want," he added.

Samba, after he recieved the bag(do-do-do-dooo), nodded. "Sure thing," he said.

Drejsk got into position. "Let's start right here! Fave hun!"

"'HAVE FUN!!'" corrected Thyu, and Drejsk laughed.

"I did that on purpose, sorry!"

Thyu groaned. "Has he been drinking...?"

Samba shrugged, then tied his bag to the side of his belt. Drawing a few, he asked if the tounge-twisted lizafos was ready, then aimed. He held his left index claw out as a crosshair and his right paw back, holding some stones in his pinky and ring claws and one in his other digits. Then, he fired. With a rapid motion, he threw the pebble he had ready straight forwards, the projectile sailing in a straight path like an arrow and about as fast. It hit Drejsk, who grunted.

"Stop!" Thyu immediately said. "Drejsk, how painful was that? Arrow-painful?"

Drejsk nodded. "Yeah, whereabouts," he said. Then he thought. "Naw, no, sorry, more like just a little bit less. But pretty clamn dose." He shrugged and dug into his front for the pebble, which he withdrew after a second. It, indeed, hadn't gone very far at all. Drejsk examined it, chuckling. "It's kind of crazy to think of a simple stone being at least close to an arrow in strength as a projectile." He flicked it into the lake, then turned to Samba again, making the "bring it" motion. "C'mon! Let's see if that was a fluke or not!"

Samba nodded. He then threw four stones in a row, one after the other, in almost the same spot. He waved his arm left and right, each single wave being a stone being thrown. He was rapid-quick when it came to flicking up another stone to throw from the ones he held. When he was out, he quickly dug and grabbed some more and then launched them again. After another break for Drejsk to dig out the primative bullets(Samba noticed the hide appeared unmarked with blood, though his pebbles each lodged themselves inside of the scalie enough that he had to dig them out.), Drejsk began strafing left and right surprisingly fast. Samba hit him each time he tossed. Every time he was hit, too, Drejsk instantly changed direction.

Then, Drejsk took a break, and Thyu stepped up. Samba raised his eyeridges. "You're a masichist, too?!" he asked.

Thyu laughed and shook his head. "No, I'm going to really test your aim," he said, and held up some old plates. "These things are brittle and old, barely able to stay together on me, and are really not suited for eating off of anymore. We'll use these as skeets. Ready?"

Samba nodded, then waited. Thyu soon expertly threw them with a perfect spin one by one, like frisbies, and, just as expertly, Samba shattered them with well-aimed shots. He was assisted a little by the fact they reflected the light just enough that he could keep his eyes on them easilly. But the next round, he had to try harder as these plates were darker. Regardless, he hit 18 out of 20 total, 10 light and 8 dark.

Thyu laughed and helped pick up the shards. "Pretty good, Samba," he said. "I guess those rumors were true."

Samba grinned as he picked up clay, placing the pieces into another, larger bag Thyu had with him. "Thanks. That was pretty fun," he said.

Thyu nodded. "I agree."

"Hey," Drejsk said, "that punching bag bit you talked about back there thot me ginking...GOT me THINKING, something I should do more before I flap my lips...how about a sparring bout with me after we're done here?"

Samba raised his eyeridges, then grinned. "Hey, while a willing live target is here..."

So, after the shards were picked up, Samba faced Drejsk. Drejsk, oddly, had brought his own practice sword with him, a stone one. "Made it myself," he boasted, swinging it. "It's invincible!" He patted his scaly left arm. The scales there seemed a bit...calloused. "And I've practically got a natural sheild, too!"

Samba nodded, drawing his weapon as well. He always had his sheild strapped on his left arm. After nodding to each other, the two began fighting. Samba was a bit shorter than Drejsk, so he had a bit of a disadvantage for strength. When they met in a clash, the blue lizard was bounced back with the power of the fighter. He barely recovered in time to block another attack with his sheild, which also knocked him back. Getting smart, he ducked the third blow and jumped. In the air, he aimed a kick to the weakest place on Drejsk's Goliathesque form.

With a grunt, Drejsk stumbled back with a bloody nose. As soon as he landed, Samba went and swung vertically at the great gut. His sword contacted it with a very satisfying smack. Quickly, the young warrior followed up with a stab, a spinning horizontal(not as impressive as Link's, though, since it didn't have as much effective striking range), and a reverse hook kick that reached the jaw as Drejsk leaned down to guard. After recovering from the combo, both went at it again. The fight went on, with Samba discovering that, indeed, Drejsk's left forearm was tough as a shield.

After the bout, Drejsk and Thyu grinned and stepped up to Samba. They each put a palm on a shoulder. "You know, you used to look whimpy," Thyu said, "but you're pretty good."

"Yeah, you can old your hown pretty well, too!" Drejsk said, laughing. "I don't think a sumo match would be an acceptable request, despite that, though."

Samba laughed, then bowed. "Thank you both," he said. "But now, I've got to go..."

"That's right! You've got a date with that coot--er, Ko, don't you?" Thyu asked.

Samba pretended not to hear and nodded.

"Well, go on. At least -I- promise not to make fun of him while you're around," Drejsk said, giving Samba a gentle push with his pudgy tail.

Samba stepped forward from it, stopped, looked back, and smiled a bit at the two before running back to Ko's, ready to cram.

Thyu sighed and shook his head. "You make friends with anyone who can give you serious pain like that, don't you?" he asked Drejsk, who just laughed heartilly.

* * * * *

Link walked the road between his hometown and the next one, looking around. He'd decided to take this path for himself because of the fact it was right, and he always felt a need to do what was right. The road was wide, reasonably, and curved a bit. It was a bit rough in the stone walls of the shallow chasm, with myriad holes visable that he could potentially get inside. It was also pretty quiet that afternoon, which wasn't unusual, but after the night previous, Link was still a bit high-strung. He drew Betta's sword and looked at it. The blade was normal-looking and made of good, strong steel. The point was traingular, and the corner made by the starts of the base wedge shapes of the edges split into a Y there. The hilt was wrapped in leather, the pommel being a normal ring of metal--brass, or at least brass plated metal. The handguard was normal, straight barred, brass/plated, with upturned points at the ends. There was a Triforce symbol etched into the origin of the four angles of the sword. Link smiled and swung it a bit. 'Still heavy,' he thought, 'but I think I can handle it.' He sheathed it and continued onwards.

He finally got to the small field that was on either side of the road between Kochyrae and Betta's hometown. And, to his half surprise, there were a few beasts about that he had never seen before there. A few greenish, piglike creatures roamed around with a club, he saw, and big, not-very-friendly-looking birds were lurking around. 'Looks like I'm going to be able to try out my new sword,' Link thought grimly, drawing it. The ringing sound called attention to him, and the closest bird came swooping down. Link first tried slashing it as it came close, but, after being nipped painfully a couple times, said, "Screw it," and quickly put his sword and shield back to draw his bow and arrows. He shot the beast down quickly and then decided to take care of another one he saw flying towards him. After those two were down, he put his item away again to draw his sword and shield again. Two moblins came over and tried attacking. Link blocked, then slashed. The feeling of steel slicing flesh was indescribable to him, but he couldn't mull over it then. After shifting focus between the two enemies, he decided to just take them out with a spin attack.

After doing so, Link examined his sword. It was covered in green blood for a second before it, magically, evaporated with extreme speed. When he put it away, Link found that, like some of the enemies from the Forest of Peril, there were winnin's to be had from the enemies. He picked up the ruppees and put them in his wallet before continuing on. The sun was getting low already. He had to run if he wanted to reach the other side of the feild before nightfall. Ignoring all other attempted attacks, he barrelled down towards the ranch town.

He made it into the town before night fully set. It was twilight when he reached it. Torches had been lit by the time he got there, panting heavilly in his thick clothes and reasonably heavy pack. He shook his head and looked around, though, at what there was to be had here. He'd actually been here before, but not on his own. The first thing he saw was a sign.

''The Peaceful Ranch Hamlet of Ybayba Enapu welcomes you,'' he read. (The Y's aren't silent normally, but most people silence them for ease of speaking anyway.) 'I've always thought that was a funny name for a town, and couldn't help but think that it MEANS something...' Shrugging, Link walked on into Ybayba Enapu. Ybayba Enapu was a bit different than Kochyrae in structure. For one, the houses were all normal-looking by Hyrule standards, with wooden frames and flat, smooth walls between the posts of wood sticking out instead of completely wooden walls like at his home. The ground was dirt all around, even in front of the houses. Instead of a view of a forest, the town had a great ranch, full of horses, cows, and other farm and ranch animals. Link knew that there was an inn around there, and he was feeling hungry from the trek there, and wondered if he should stay here the night.

He walked around the vacating streets, looking for someone to point him in the right direction. He passed by a pair of women who came out of what appeared to be a bar of sorts and saw they were gossipping.

"--believe how many monsters there've been as of late!"

"I KNOW! It's dangerous to even step one toe outside the gates of town! How annoying!"

"You know what they say's been going on with that?"

"What, that silly rumor about a group of beasts getting together to plot overthrowing the kingdom? What ludicrousy!"

"Well, it SEEMS logical, to me," said the first woman, fading away as they went out of Link's earshot.

After a while, Link found another person, a man having a smoke outside his house as he watched the sunset. As Link approached, the man said, "Sunsets are so beautiful, huh?" Link nodded, glancing over his shoulder at it. Before he could speak, the man asked, "Hey, you're not from here, are ya?" Link shook his head. "Lemme guess: Kochyrae, right?...Thought as much," the man chuckled, smiling. He pointed his pipe at Link's outfit. "The green theme gives it away. Looks good on you, blondie!" he laughed. "Now, sorry, but what's it'cha want, now?"

"I've been here before, but I've forgotten where things are," Link began, but he was interrupted again.

"Oh, you say you've been here? Well, how in Hyrule could you've forgotten the town's layout!? It's so simple, since this place isn't that much larger than your town," the man scoffed, but he sounded like he was speaking good-humorously. "But, anyway, sorry...here, y'got something to write on and with? I can draw ya a great map real quick!"

Link smiled and took out a piece of parchment he had with him that he'd taken from home. He brought them to attach to the large map he'd found in the Forest of Peril. He also brought a fountain pen with special ink that didn't ever dry in the well of the pen, too. "Well, here's some," he said, and the man grinned and took them.

After a few moments of furiously sketching out a map, the man handed them. "Here ya go, blondie! And I'd air that out before you put it in your...er..." He leaned to the side as Link took the map and pen to look at his back. "Are you just carrying everything in your pockets?" he muttered.

Link didn't hear him, though, and he put the pen away. Holding the map up to look at it and to let the ink dry, he said thank you and left the man, who waved after him. Link then looked at the map. It was, indeed, great. Surprisingly, considering the speed and time the man took, there wasn't a blotch of ink or a monstrously un-straight line where there should be a straight one. Even the titles of certain establishments were clearly written. 'Impressive,' he thought, and held the map out to let it dry while he went towards the inn.

Once in, he put the map away after testing its dryness with his pinky. He'd put it on the master map later on. He found a woman at a counter nearly directly in front as he entered. She had brown hair and a pretty, natural face. He walked over, at first about to ask for directions to some food, then raised an eyebrow as he got closer to the woman. She looked familiar...

The woman was apparantly thinking the same thing, since she had the same thoughtful expression. "Can I...help you?" she asked.

"Yes...If you don't mind me asking, what's your name?" Link asked as politely as he could sound.

"My name? Oh, it's Tabitha," she answered. Then she and Link snapped their fingers simultaneously and pointed at each other.

"Link!"

"Betta's wife!"

The two laughed. "Oh, my, that was interesting," Tabitha said, smiling. She held her hand out. "How's it been, Link? The last time I saw you, it was about a year ago, when you and your father had come by our house to stay the night while you waited to talk to someone about a late shipment of materials."

Link nodded, smiling as well, and shook her hand. "I've been fine, up until a little while ago--yesterday, actually," he said. He was about to say more, but decided it wouldn't be prudent to tell Betta's wife, who loved the swordsman a great deal, that her husband had been hurt after stealing an enormous amount of rupees from his shop till. "I'm out on a self-assigned errand," Link half-lied.

Tabitha nodded. "That's nice. I hope it goes well. But, enough small talk, I'm at work, here..." She bowed. "Hello, and welcome to Enapu Nights, where weary wanderers wrestle worries away in sweet slumber! How may I help you?"

Link chuckled. "Cute," he complimented.

Tabitha beamed. "You like it? I made it up and have been trying to get the other ladies to do it, too, but they say it's stupid," she grumbled, but she smiled again. "At least my friend Elisa likes it!"

Link nodded. "Well, anyway, I'd like to know where I could grab a bite to eat?"

"Why, the tavern next door," Tabitha said, pointing to her right.

Link then smacked his forehead. "That's the one I passed by before!" he muttered. "I'm so clueless sometimes...Thank you, Tabitha," he said, before turning and leaving.

"Come again!" she called back.

Link exited that establishment and entered the next, the Ybayba Bar, "where weary wanderers wash worries away in delicious draughts!" as the woman who stood at the bar said as Link came to order something. She had red hair down do her shoulders and some makeup on.

Link chuckled. "I take it you're Elisa?" he asked.

She giggled. "Why, yes! I suppose you've met Tabitha, then?" she asked. Link nodded, and Elisa grinned. "I liked her catchy phrase so much, I modified it for here in the bar! Y'like it?"

"Yes, it's cute," Link agreed.

"Well," Elisa said, clapping her hands together, "what can I do y'for?"

"Ummmm..." Link's eyes lazed to the menues chalked up on the slates on the wall behind her. "Hold on for a second, this'll take a little...I don't do well when it comes to unimportant choices like this..." 'Funny, I can think on my feet rather well, but when it comes to ordering food...'

In the end, Link chose a pair of roast Cuccoo (that right?) legs and some "famous Ybayba Milk, being served for a limited time in a durable glass bottle that you can keep for yourself!" He ate and considered what he had to do and where he was. 'I've got to stay away from home, to keep them safe, and...well, I dunno WHAT I should do.' He thought for a moment, nibbling his Cuccoo leg.

Meanwhile, some people behind him, who were speaking, starting talking about something in a bit louder voice. "Speaking of the castle, you know what I heard a day an' a half ago?" asked one lazy-voiced man.

"Wha'?" said another man, this one with an old voice.

"Well, awright, y'know how they got this weird ring under heavy guard a couple weeks or so ago?"

"Yeah, I forget what it was called...had a triangular blue gemstone in it, I know."

"Well, turns out that they've gone and knocked the security up a notch around the entire town, as well, since monsters have been reported as roaming around a bit more lately."

"Yes, I think I heard about that...I havn't a clue as to why the beasts would become more restless now..." The man coughed.

"Well, I personally believe the rumor that it's some weird time that comes once every few thousand years, where monsters begin to instinctively roam around more as they wait for their bloodbath of all of Hyrule!!"

The old man scoffed at this. "Ha-ha, very funny," he said humorlessly.

"Sorry. But I think that somethin's up, really, I do. Not something as crazy as that, mind you, but still...I bet it has something to do with that weird ring the Royal Family guards so hard. I hear it's got a legendary ability to allow two people to share something...I dunno what could be so special that a magic ring's needed to let people share it, but go figure." The lazy-sounding man yawned.

"Well, sharing a body could be something that needs magic, for example," suggested the old man.

A pause and a grunt from the lazy man, then he said, "Speaking of rings, I've been wanting to ask this one girl to marry me, but I can't find a good place for an engagement ring."

"Don't go to Kessler's House of Diamonds," warned the old man instantly. "I believe any store that advertizes that annoyingly often is bad."

"Too true, too true..."

The conversation went on to ring stores from there, and Link lost interest in eavesdropping on it. 'Well, thanks, guys,' he mused, smiling as he finished off his milk. 'I think I know where to go next, now...'

After he was finished, Link, taking the offer and keeping the bottle, stood and went out to the inn. It was now dark enough that Link couldn't see well without the torches lit all around. He went on into the inn, said hello to Tabitha, and requested a room for the night. He paid, then went to his room. It was a bit Spartan, with a plain bed, sink, and a chamber pot behind a screen, but it was cheap. Link knew to be thrifty, living with his grandfather all his life. He undressed, putting his stuff in a chair, and then went to sleep on his bed.