Chapter Text
“That looks like trouble,” Four said, eyes wide.
Wild drew his bow immediately. “Aim for the eye,” he directed the others, “and stay out of its range!”
The hinox lumbered towards the party, the chain of weapons around its neck rattling and jangling as it did. Its steps sent tremors through the ground, causing the marshes to ripple.
Wars drew his sword. “Rangers!” he barked, commanding them to the front first.
Hyrule readied his hands, electricity crackling between his fingers as he prepared thunder. Legend drew his fire rod, preparing its charge as the stone at its end began to glow bright and hot. Wild knocked an arrow, aiming carefully with steady hands.
“It’ll fall when we stun it,” the champion explained quickly, “but we might not have much of a window.”
Wars nodded. “Melee, ready!” he ordered.
The others drew their swords, waiting at the back. The hinox came within range–Hyrule struck it first, seizing its body with an electric shock. The thunder which followed blasted leaves from the trees, and the heroes ducked against the shockwave. Legend raised a wall of fire to keep the beast from moving forward and Wild loosed an arrow.
The hinox roared, clutching its eye as it staggered back. It fell backwards on its rear, sending a rumble through the ground which threatened to knock the heroes off balance. But in an instant, Wars, Time, and Sky were upon it, slashing into its feet at Wars’ direction to keep it down.
“Twi!” Four barked. “C’mon–”
The smith paused, following Twilight’s gaze to a hunting party of mounted blue bokoblins, led by a silver bokoblin at the front. Wind readed his sword, he and Four taking position to cover one another.
“Five o’clock!” Twilight yelled to Wars in warning.
The captain glanced back, a swear passing his lips. “Time, handle this.”
Time nodded. “On it,” he said roughly, pulling his sword from the hinox’s leg. He nodded to Legend. “Can you get up to its eye?”
Legend gave a nod, using his feather to jump high enough to land on the hinox’s belly. He switched his fire rod for his sword, using the blade to climb up the monster’s chest to its face. Wild fired arrows in rapid succession, Hyrule fell back to take on the bokoblins.
“Shields,” War barked at the others.
Four and Wind braced theirs. Twilight pulled his out in time to block an arrow to the face, Wars used his to cover Hyrule.
“I can take them out,” Hyrule offered, “but it needs to charge.”
Wars nodded. “Buy the traveler time,” the captain ordered. “And fall back when he’s ready to go!”
“Yes sir!” Wind and Four yelled in unison.
The bokoblins came near before splitting from one another, circling the heroes with whoops and hollers. Those in the inner ring had swords, clubs and spears while those on the outside used bows.
Twilight and Wars wasted no time. Twilight stabbed his sword out, clotheslining a bokoblin in the gut. The monster fell from its unsaddled horse and before the mount behind could stop, the bokoblin was trampled under its hooves. With one monster down, the ring broke apart into a more frantic swarm, opening room for the others.
Twilight grabbed the dismounted horse, squeezing his knees in to keep himself steady. The rancher gripped the blonde horse’s mane in one hand, wielding his blade in the other as he charged the bokoblins directly.
“Bows,” Wars ordered the other two.
Wind and Four nodded, switching their weapons. The captain defended them, using his sword and shield to block and cut down arrows. Four grinned as he fired true, knocking another bokoblin from its horse. The horse reared and darted away in a hurry, leaving the monster open for Wars to cleave right through it.
“Good shot!” Wars called out.
Wind aimed his arrows towards the ground. It was a trick the champion taught him–wild horses frightened easily so if he couldn’t hit a moving target, he should change its conditions. An arrow nearly missed the hooves of a blue spotted horse. The horse whinnied in fright and bucked its monstrous rider to the ground, which Wars saw too in short order.
The other heroes were making quick work of the hinox between their combined forces. But Hyrule’s thunder was wearing off the monster. It roared, shaking Legend off its face as the hero moved to slash its eye again. Legend yelped, thrown to the ground. Sky rolled forward, catching the veteran, wincing as Legend’s sword nearly came down on his shoulder, but instead, stuck in the ground.
“Vet!” Time called, backing up as the hinox stood again.
“I’m fine!” Legend answered as Sky helped him to his feet.
The veteran tugged his sword out of the ground, scowling as the hinox covered its eye and made a berth around them.
“What’s it doing?” Time asked Wild.
Wild shook his head. “It’s looking for a weapon. Stay out of its range!” he warned.
The hinox pulled an entire tree from the ground with a roar, swinging it in a sudden arc. Sky barely dodged, dropping to the ground. Legend jumped back unsteadily, getting away with a graze across his cheek. Time clicked his tongue.
“We have to hit its eye again,” Wild said. “It’ll be tricker this time around.”
Time nodded. “Sky! Ledge! Get Wild an opening! Don’t let up!”
Time rolled out of the way as the hinox hurled a rock at him.
Twilight’s horse reared as the rancher met eyes with the silver bokoblin. It rode a jet black horse, one hand gripping its mane and the other holding a spiked club. Twilight held his blade out as the silver bokoblin charged straight at him.
“You’re not as fast as the king!” Twilight snapped, charging at the silver bokoblin.
They traded blows, the attacks glancing off one another. Twilight noticed the silver bokoblin had less control over his horse. Wild explained to Twilight the solid colored horses had a ferocious temperament and with enough time, would buck their riders if not properly calmed. Twilight spun his sword on his hand, watching the black horse try and throw the silver monster from its back.
The two fighters made another pass. The club caught Twilight’s arm, its spikes ripping into his skin in two thick scratches. But Twilight swung backwards as the bokoblin ran past him, hacking his sword into the monster’s back. The monster screamed, nearly bucked off its horse as the deep gouge spilled black blood.
The silver bokoblin screeched some burbling noises out to the others. One of its blue counterparts raised a warhorn and bellowed. The heroes watched in surprise as the hinox lifted its gaze, focusing on the silver bokoblin. The ringleader screamed and pointed its club at Twilight.
“They’re coordinated ?!” Legend balked.
Wild shook his head. “I’ve never seen that before!” he cried. He raised his bow to shoot the hinox again, but the blue bokoblins swarmed at Wars, Four, Wind, and Hyrule. Wild redirected his shot, knocking a bokoblin from its mount with a shock arrow.
“Support!” Wars yelled, seeing the sudden attack.
They were at a disadvantage on the ground. Hyrule’s hands twitched, ready to release another spell. Four and Wind couldn’t draw their bows quickly enough. Wind barely blocked an attack to his head, the spear tip slicing open his arm instead.
Four let out a cry as he was hoisted up by a blue monster as a hostage. He fought and struggled with the bokoblin, but it quickly knocked the hero across the head with the hilt of its blade, knocking him out cold.
“Four!” Wars cried.
“I’m on it!” Legend yelled, anger darkening his face.
Hyrule curled his fists. “I’m ready but I can’t use it with Four there!”
Legend ran at the kidnapper with his sword raised, but his anger blinded him from the hinox.
“No!” Wild yelled.
The tree met Legend in the stomach, pitching him back through the air. Legend gasped, all the breath stolen from him as he tumbled head over heels. He came to rest in the long grass with a soft groan, but didn’t get up. Time swore, running through options in his head. The hinox was after Twilight who still jousted with the silver bokoblin. The two of them were both getting ripped up as the charges went on, and there was no clear winner.
Wind swept out his grappling hook, lassoing a blue bokoblin by the neck and yanking it to the ground for Sky to plunge his blade into its back.
Wars glanced at Time. The two shared a nod and both ran in after Four. The blue bokoblin reared the horse and charged at them. Time grunted as an arrow bit into his back, but he pressed on, raising the Biggoron blade. Wars took the monster at the front and Time at the back. Between the two of them, they skewered the bokoblin and pulled it from the horse. The horse whinnied in a cry of fear and Sky caught Four as he slipped from its back.
“Now!” Wars yelled at Hyrule.
“Duck!” Hyrule commanded.
A sudden blade of air shot out from the traveler, its edge spreading with distance. The force knocked the final three blue bokoblins from their horses, the silver leader, and Twilight. One blue bokoblin fell gasping, the slice nearly beheading it.
The hinox roared as a gash open in its thigh and it swung in anger. Twilight was pushing himself up to his knees, lifting his eyes just to see the tree coming at him.
“Twi!” Wild yelled, dashing after the rancher.
Twilight rolled across the ground, landing face down in one of the marshes' many muddy pools. Sky, Time, and Wars made quick work of the downed bokoblins. Wind grappled the hinox around the ankles, the hook landing in the gash by a stroke of luck. Hyrule grabbed onto Wind and together, the two pulled back with all their weight, bringing the monster to the ground and opening the wound. Wars ran at it, sinking his sword in its eyes up to the hilt, killing the thing with a sharp twist of the blade.
Wild rolled Twilight over, patting the rancher’s muddy face. “Twi! Twi! C’mon–get up!”
The silver bokoblin approached Wild from behind, sword raised. Wild braced for the strike, bringing Twilight to his chest to protect the rancher. Suddenly an arrow pierced through the back of its throat and it collapsed, dying. Behind it, Legend spit out a mouthful of blood.
Wars hurried to Legend, checking him over. “Are you alright, vet?”
Legend nodded, using his sword as a cane. “Sore,” he managed, “but I’ll live.”
Wind clutched his bloody arm, meeting Hyrule as the traveler trotted towards him.
“It’s not that bad,” Wind said, pulling away his fingers to reveal a clean cut.
Hyrule shook his head. “It’s bleeding a lot–here,” he handed the sailor a bottle of potion.
Wind took two sips to heal his cut, passing it back so Hyrule could look after Four next. Four groaned, slowly coming too. There was a dark bruise on his forehead surrounding a thick bump.
“You alright there, smith?” Sky asked, helping him sit.
Four managed a soft burp, holding his stomach. “I’m gonna be sick,” he mumbled.
“How many fingers?” Hyrule asked, raising his hand.
Four tried to count, but the focus made his head hurt. Instead, the smith simply shook his head. “Can’t see much,” he answered. “It’s all starry…”
“Here,” Hyrule offered, tipping the smith’s head back to feed him potion.
Four swallowed down the thick tonic, nodding as his pain faded. “Better,” he said gratefully.
Wild cleared Twilight’s face of the swampy muck. “Twi!” he barked urgently.
Time joined them in a kneel, supporting the rancher’s back. “C’mon Pup,” he hissed. “Wake up.”
Twilight drew in raspy gurgling breaths. Wars opened a bottle of water, dumping it on the rancher’s face. Twilight’s eyes opened suddenly and he gasped, lurching forward to cough up vomit, blood, and mud from his throat and mouth. Wild held him tightly, holding him up as he cleared the muck and water from his lungs.
Finally, the rancher sat up. He wiped at his face, but his muddy hands only smeared his skin further. He closed his nostrils in turn to clear the mud from them. His gaze was hazy and crackling coughs left him. One of his arms was slack and his cheek swollen.
“You took a heavy hit,” Time said as Twilight searched him faintly. “Does it hurt?”
The rancher wheezed, coughing again. “I’m fine,” he croaked. “Jus’ my arm and– coughcough –my chest…”
The others joined them. Hyrule examined Twilight, glancing at Wars unsurely.
“What do you think?” the traveler asked the captain.
Wars shook his head. “This is beyond my skill. I’ll leave it to you.”
Hyrule nodded. “Potion for now–I’ll check everyone more thoroughly when we regroup. I have a feeling Legend’s in bad shape under his clothes too.”
Twilight grimaced as he swallowed some potion. He moved his arm experimentally, still wincing when he did, but the fracture was healed. Time and Wild took him over their shoulders, helping him to his feet. He coughed up more mud from his lungs as they found somewhere clear and dry to set up a camp.