Ukyo swung the spatula over her head and slammed it down on the cracked pavement of the marketplace, knocking all of the zombies that surrounded her to their feet.
Link used that chance to raise the sacred Master Sword and rammed it down into the Redead's bodies, one after another.
He pulled the blade out of one of the no-longer-walking corpse and wiped the stained blade clean on a withered bush that was growing from beneath the sidewalk. He then looked around the ruined buildings that surrounded them and sighed.
"Just what did that madman do to Hyrule?" he asked. "All of this destruction... Do you... do you suppose all of those zombies are in fact the... the townspeople?"
"I hope not," Ukyo replied, sheathing her weapon. She still wasn't used to her grownup body, but at least she was taller and stronger than before their seven-year-break.
"I don't see anyone," Navi explained as she zipped down from above them. "I looked into every single back alley and yard, but could not even see any stray dogs... those Redeads you defeated were the only... moving creatures around here." She had wanted to say 'living creatures', but that would not have been too accurate in case of the animated corpses.
For a while, Link contemplated heading over to Hyrule Castle, to see if there would be any survivors back there, but Ganondorf would most likely be residing in there, and why should they take any risks?
"So Kakariko it is," he grumbled. "I really hope that we don't find another bad surprise waiting for us at the village."
Ukyo nodded. She also was worried about Akari, the only villager she got to know personally.
Just then, a deep groan startled them. Surprised, they turned around, expecting another Zombie that snuck up on them from behind.
But it was no Redead... it was a human figure, clothed in tattered rags, that crawled towards them. The figure raised its head, took a look at the two green-clothed warriors and whispered in a raspy voice: "Please... help me..."
----
Some time later, they were all sitting in a small shack at the edge of town. The tall man they met at the marketplace was feeling much better now, thanks to some Red Potion that Link still had with him.
Tatl smirked as she sat down on a shelf at the wall. "Lucky thing those potions stay fresh for years, eh?"
The stranger cleaned his face with a piece of cloth. "Thanks again," he muttered. "Those creepy zombies totally surprised me. Had I been in top condition, I could have wiped the floor with them, but..." He sighed. "I haven't eaten for three days by now. I was just so weak... and I had to stay hidden all the time."
"For three days?" Ukyo gasped. "Why didn't you say so earlier?" And she offered the man a piece of her own rations, which surprisingly stayed fresh for those seven years as well, along with a bottle of milk.
The stranger took the bottle and drank greedily. He then put it down with a deep breath and hungrily bit into the bread. "Wow, I almost forgot how good bread tastes. And that milk... it almost tastes as good as the milk I always drank when I worked on the ranch." He shook his head. "Actually, if I didn't knew any better, I could've sworn that it was original LonLon Milk."
"Well, it is," Ukyo said. "We got it as a present from Malon."
"Really?" the man asked. "Hard to believe... I mean, it's hard to gather enough rupees for a single bottle of milk these days. Since Ingo took over the ranch..." He sighed and looked down at the floor. "Never mind..." he muttered.
Link looked closely at his face. "Say, didn't we meet before? You look kinda familiar..."
Surprised, Navi looked up as well. "Oh yes. Aren't you that handsome stable-boy we saw the last time we came for a visit?"
The other guy laughed dryly. "If your milk is that fresh, you couldn't have possibly met me the last time you've been at the ranch. I've been a fugitive for two years now. My name's Taro, by the way."
Ukyo and Link exchanged a quick look. Of course Taro wouldn't know that their milk stayed fresh for a total of seven years.
"Wait a minute..." Taro suddenly spoke up. "Now that I think about it, you do look familiar. Those green clothes..."
He then grinned. "Of course! You're those forest kids! You've been at our ranch with your Sheikah and Goron buddies. Man, and here they say the people of the forest never grow up... How long was it, seven years? Man, to meet you here, of all places..."
"Nice to see you again," Ukyo smiled. "So how's Malon these days?"
"How's she supposed to be?" Taru grumbled darkly. "Her father had to leave the ranch, Ingo makes her work overtime and threatens to hurt the animals if she doesn't obey..."
"WHAT?" Link and Ukyo shouted at the same time. Link even jumped up in his agitation.
"How did that happen?" Link asked. "Wasn't Ingo just another helper on the ranch? I thought Malon's dad was the owner."
"He was," Taro nodded. "But after Ganondorf assumed power, everything changed. He chased away old Talon and made Ingo the new head of the farm. Some say that Ingo had promised him one of the farm's prize horses in exchange, but who knows the true background behind all of this?"
Taro made his hands into fists. "Malon would have run after her father, but... as I said, Ingo threatened to hurt the animals, so she stayed behind to work for him."
"Didn't you try anything to stop that jerk?" Ukyo wondered.
"Of course I did!" Taro snapped back. "As soon as Ganondorf showed up on the ranch, I wanted to punch his noggin. But..." He gritted his teeth. "He... he used it against me... I... I couldn't do anything..."
"Excuse me," Tatl spoke up. "But WHAT did he use against you?"
Taro muttered something unintelligible.
"What did you say?" Link asked. "Speak loudly!"
Taro stared right back at him. "I said he used my CURSE against me. Got it? My Jusenkyo Curse that turns me into... into..." He looked down at his hands. "A monster..." he whispered.
"Jusenkyo?" Link muttered. "Now where did I hear that before...?"
"Ryoga!" Ukyo suddenly shouted. "He has a Jusenkyo curse which turns him into a small Cucco."
"Well, then your friend is lucky," Taro grumbled. "I fell into the Spring of Drowned Yeti-riding-Bull-while-holding-Eel-and-Crane."
"Um..." Link scratched his head. "And what does that mean?"
"I turn into a winged Minotaur with an eel tail, okay?" Taro snapped. "But... that's not the worst thing about it... I mean... I'm pretty strong like that, and to tell the truth, I always liked my cursed form, but..."
Navi gasped when suddenly, she realized the truth. "But Ganondorf can control monsters..." she whispered.
Taro just nodded in response.
"Man, that's right," Ukyo groaned. "I mean, we all saw it, didn't we? Just think about Gohma, and the Dodongos..."
"That's right," Taro said. "And every time I now get hit with cold water... I change into a rampaging beast, without any control over my own body."
Concerned, Link, Ukyo and the fairies looked at the muscular man, his face a grimace of pain.
"That's why I'm hiding here, in the ruins of town," he muttered. "Away from the people... so no one would get hurt as soon as I lose control. Because... I can't avoid getting wet for the rest of my life."
"But is your cursed form really that strong?" Link wondered. "I mean, sure, it has wings, and a humanoid bull sounds like it has to be very powerful, but... it can't be much stronger than a Moblin, right?"
"That's what you think," Taro whispered. "But I know better. I might not remember what happens to me while I'm out of control, but... after all, we can all see the results of my very first rampage all around us.
"You mean to tell us...?" Ukyo mumbled.
Taro nodded. "Yes. Hyrule Town... the one who destroyed it... was me!"
(Posted Tue, 01 May 2007 19:28)
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