By: The Dark Marauder
 
Chapter One: The Tyfirian Rebellion

“Dig you worthless slaves!” the taskmaster shouted as he whipped one of the less productive men. As he was struck, the slave let out a pathetic groan and collapsed on the ground.
“Water,” he whispered to the taskmaster, stretching out his hand. His remaining strength then gave out and his face fell into the sand.
“Worthless slaves like you don’t deserve water. Now get back to work!” the taskmaster commanded, as he kicked the fallen old man in the ribs as hard as he could. The man did not move. “Take him away,” the slave driver ordered to two nearby soldiers. The soldiers rushed over, threw the withered man's arms over their shoulders, and carried him off.
The sun was setting in the west, but its blistering rays were still beating down upon the bare backs of the slaves laboring in the Dibrrian Desert. They were all working tirelessly. The intense heat caused all the slaves to thirst for water. Water, which could only be provided by one twelve year-old slave boy, who carried a pail full of water to all the dehydrated slaves.
These particular slaves had a simple task, which was to dig. Dig, that was it, dig until they bleed and then dig some more. Actually, their job was a little more complicated than that. They were in fact excavating what was thought to be an ancient city, which had been buried underneath the sands of the desert.
It had all begun, when a wandering hylian, accidentally discovered a spire with odd markings on it, sticking out of the sand in the middle of nowhere. He reported this strange find to the king of the land of Cyntir, who ordered the spire to be dug up immediately. As the excavation progressed, it became apparent that the wandering hylian had found much more than a simple spire, rather he found the tip of an ancient temple. This discovery intrigued the king. He loved studying the ancients and their magic. He thought, that by mimicking their ways a nation would become more prolific.
After the temple was uncovered, the Cyntirian king ordered an excavation of the land around the temple, for he thought if there was a temple, there must have been a settlement near by it. Hundreds of slaves were brought to the site and were forced to dig; many of which died during the tremendous physical strain. The excavation had been going on for three months, but not so much as a piece of pottery had been found. Yet, the king of Cyntir ordered the slaves to continue digging.
The king could not believe a temple of such fine workmanship, would be built more than two hundred miles away from the nearest settlement. This caused the king to hold on to the belief that there was a settlement buried close by, despite the fact that most of his advisors thought that the temple was not a temple at all, but a safe, built far way from any settlement to protect some treasure. They believed that was the reason the temple doors would not open. Even when bombs were used to blast the doors, nothing happened. In either case, the king was determined to find the purpose of this mysterious building.
The soldiers carried the fallen slave to a pile of other presumed dead slaves and flung him on top. They then hurried off to resume their duties. As soon as they were gone the old man’s eyes shot open. He scanned his surroundings to make sure no one was watching him, and then he hopped off the hill of dead men once he saw that he was clear. He walked over to where the other slaves were working, ducking behind boulders, mounds of sand, and a few tents on the way.
At last the man came to the slave pit where the young water boy was handing out the rejuvenating liquid. The boy was very tall for his age; he had short blonde hair and icy grey eyes. The old slave looked around again, to make sure no one could see him. Once he was confident he was out of sight he made a strange bird call. The water boy looked up dropping the pail on the ground, causing the water to dump out. The boy picked up the pail and started to run off.
“Where do you think you’re going kid?” asked a soldier as he grabbed the water boy’s arm.
“I need to refill the bucket,” the boy replied, showing the soldier the empty pail. The soldier gave the boy an odd look and then released him. “Be quick about it,” the soldier called out as the boy ran off.
The boy ran half way to the water well, then dashed behind a near by sand mound. He carefully worked his way back to where he had heard the bird call and found the old man hiding behind a boulder.
“What took you so long?” inquired the old man, but the boy did not have a chance to reply before the old man started talking again. “Follow me,” the man instructed, “I have something to show you.” The man and the boy made their way to the back of the temple in a stealthy manner. When they arrived at the temple’s rear the old man asked the boy, “Ormek, what do you see here?”
“Just the back wall of the temple, Gramps,” he answered.
The old man snickered and said, “Watch closely.” The old slave began feeling the bricks of the wall and applying a bit of pressure to several of them, as if he was looking for something. Finally both his hands stopped on the same brick. He pushed on the brick and it moved back into the wall and a small passage opened at the base of the wall, just large enough for an adult to crawl through. “Follow me Ormek,” the old man said as he dropped to his knees and began crawling through the passage. Ormek nodded and did the same.
The inside of the temple was full of cobwebs and everything was covered in dust. It was quite evident that no one had entered the temple in many years. The old man was busy clearing out a bunch of cobwebs when Ormek asked, “How did you find the way in here Gramps?”
“I was working back here yesterday,” Ormek’s grandfather replied, “when I leaned on the side of the temple to take a little rest. I accidentally pushed in the key brick and the passage opened. I didn’t dare enter it then, cause I was scared the slave driver or one of the soldiers would see me go in. So I pushed the brick again and it popped out and closed the door.”
Ormek’s grandfather lit a torch using a tinderbox he kept with him at all times and began examining the inscriptions on the walls. “Wow,” Ormek whispered still in amazement as the torch lit up the walls and revealed that the walls were covered with inscriptions. “Gramps,” he said ecstatically, “everyone has been looking for a way into the temple for months.”
“That’s right my boy,” his grandfather confirmed, “but remember, you must not tell anyone. Only you and I may know about this. If anyone else found out about it, they’d take credit for finding it themselves.” Upon hearing this Ormek sighed. “Come now,” his grandfather said, “let us explore.
The chamber was shaped like a giant cube. Each wall was covered in ancient writings and hieroglyphs, including the ceiling. The floor was made of granite and was for the most part unremarkable. There was however a small pedestal in the exact middle of the room. On top of the pedestal there was a small hole about as wide as the shaft of a spear.
The old man stroked his snowy white beard as he contemplated the inscriptions and hieroglyphs. “Well this is rather odd,” said the old man.
“Do you understand what these markings mean?” asked Ormek eagerly.
“No,” the old man replied, “I’ve never seen this type of writing. It must be in some ancient text. However, the hieroglyphs are quite clear. They all seem to be focused around three large triangles.” The old man paused for a second and then said, “I wonder if this has to do with the legend of the Triforce passed down in Hyrule. No, that can’t be right. This hieroglyph here shows some sort of bird carrying a fourth triangle. It’s carrying it away from the other triangles. What is that supposed to mean.”
The old man started walking around the room some more and stopped by another set of hieroglyphics and held his torch up to them. “This set shows a man placing an odd looking staff in a pedestal.”
“I wonder if it’s referring to the pedestal in the middle of the room.” commented Ormek, but his grandfather was too interested in the pictographs to hear him.
Ormek sat on the floor waiting for more interpretations about the hieroglyphs, when suddenly his grandfather cried out, “Ah ha! Here are some writings in Hyrulian. It says, ‘this is the Temple of Knowledge, wherein lies a gate to a secluded part of the Sacred Realm. Proceed with caution, for the essence of evil waits the one who will claim the lost piece on the other side.’ Hmm, this is rather odd indeed.”
The old man picked up a piece of parchment lying on the ground and copied the markings below the Hyrulian inscription using a soft rock. When he was finished he folded up the parchment and handed it to Ormek. He turned back to the inscriptions and asked, “Ormek, do you realize what this means?”
“It means we shall be rewarded greatly by the king,” chimed in an unfamiliar voice. Ormek and his grandfather turned around to see three Cyntirian soldiers by the entrance. “Thanks a lot slave,” one of the soldiers said as he approached the old man and the boy.
“The reward is ours!” shouted Ormek.
“Don’t worry little brat,” the soldier said cruelly as he approached Ormek, “I have a reward for you, right here.” With that the soldier pulled out his sword and with two quick cuts, he sliced off the tips of Ormek’s ears. The cuts left one ear only about as long as a gerudo’s, the other only about half an inch longer. The soldier raised his sword to slay the boy, upon seeing this the old man went out of control and rushed the soldier. Already on his guard, the soldier ran his sword through the old slave’s stomach. Ormek watched in terror as blood began to steam from his grandfather’s mouth.
“Run boy!” the dying man uttered as he fell on top of the soldier who stabbed him.
Ormek took off toward the entrance at full speed. Just before the first guard grabbed him, Ormek dived in between his legs. His momentum carried him to the passage. Ormek started crawling through the hole just as the second guard grabbed his ankle.
“I got him!” called out the soldier as laid on the floor. Ormek thrashed about, trying to break free, but the soldier’s grip was too strong. The soldier started pulling him back into the temple, but Ormek reached out and grabbed a fist full of sand. Once he had been pulled back in the temple, he flung the sand into the soldier’s eyes. He howled in pain and instinctively let go of Ormek’s leg and covered his eyes. Now free, the boy shot through the passage. Once he was out, he found the brick that had been pressed in and pulled it out again. The small passage closed, locking the three soldiers and the old man inside. They were all trapped in there, for they did not know how to open the passage from within the temple.
Still in shock, Ormek kept running, he ran past the well and past a group of soldiers. They ran after him, yelling at him to stop, but Ormek did not listen to them. He used the darkness of the night to hide himself from them, but their torches uncovered him. Still, he kept running. The fastest soldier had almost caught Ormek, when something grabbed the soldier’s leg and pulled him under the sand. He let out a scream just as his head was pulled under. Ormek heard the soldier’s cry, but he did not look back. The other soldiers stopped upon seeing this and started to run back to camp. “It’s a veriok,” one of them cried as he saw a long scaly tail wrap up another one of his companions. Ormek continued on into the cold desert night. Despite all the screams of terror coming from the soldiers, he never once looked back.
Ormek ran until he could no longer see the fires burning at the excavation site. He slowed to a jog then a walk. A gust of wind blew on Ormek. It chilled his bones and threw sand in his face. A piece of sand lodged itself in his eye, causing it to water. A tear rolled down Ormek’s cheek and dropped into the sand. That single tear triggered a reaction in Ormek. Soon not one but many tears were steaming down his face. Ormek dropped to his knees and let out a little groan. He could not imagine how he could go on with out his grandfather. Ormek now no longer had any living family. He was completely alone in the world. Not only that, he had nowhere to go. He was a renegade slave and no one would be willing to help him. Plus he was in the middle of the desert, with no food and no water. Still with these thoughts dominating his mind, a laugh, small and soft escaped his mouth. Some how during all the commotion, Ormek had forgotten that he was no longer a slave. He was free. All his life he dreamt about being free. Now he was. No one knew he was a slave, so at least he had anonymity on his side. All he had to do is find his way out of the desert.
Ormek got up and started walking in the direction he had previously been moving. He walked through the desert all night in the icy cold. His fingers were almost like ice when the sun arose that morning. Soon the cold changed to heat as the sun beat down on the already exhausted straggler. He continued on for many hours in the sun. As the day grew hot, Ormek’s throat became dry and he began to feel dizzy. Ormek was desperate to find a water source, for he knew he could only last a few more hours in the desert with absolutely no water. Luckily, Ormek came to an oasis after another two hours of traipsing through the desert.
Ormek made his way to the oasis’s water hole and knelt down by it. He cupped his hands and plunged them into the water and splashed his face with some. He then scooped up some more water in his hands and quickly drank it all. Ormek decided he would relax at the oasis for a while. There where small animals there that he could kill and eat, using rocks scattered around the oasis, the water supply was plentiful, and there were many palm trees which provided shade.
Even with all the necessities of survival at this oasis, Ormek was still uneasy. He did not want to spend the rest of his life at the oasis. He couldn’t risk trying to cross the desert though, he would most likely die, and he certainly couldn’t go back to the temple. It seemed that his only chance was to stay put and hope some opportunity would present itself.
At this point Ormek was very tired from walking all night and morning, so he decided to take a nap underneath the shade of a palm tree. He sat down, with his back propped up against the trunk of the tree. He shut his eyes and tried to forget the events of the previous day. He had just about dosed off when he heard a quiet voice. He jumped right up and looked around to see if he could find where the voice was coming from. As he searched the oasis frantically, he spotted three fairies.
The first two fairies he saw emitted green and blue light, common colors for fairies to be, but the third was a quite rare. Its center was black, but it emitted a dim blue light. “Just leave us alone Shriek,” the green fairy said.
“C’mon, why I can’t play with you guys?” inquired the black fairy.
“Because you’re weird.” The blue fairy said scornfully. The two normal fairies began to laugh and fly away. With that the black fairy began to shake. It then let out a high pitched scream. The scream caused Ormek to feel a little pain in his left ear. The shriek had a different effect on the fairies. They howled in pain for a while, but soon dropped to the ground.
“Jerks,” mumbled the black fairy as he began to fly away. Ormek was intrigued by what the black fairy had done, but more importantly he hoped the fairy could help him out.
“Excuse me!” Ormek called out. The fairy turned around startled. Upon seeing that it was a hylian that had approached him, the black fairy let out another shrill cry. “You know that’s really annoying,” Ormek said rubbing his left ear. The black fairy stopped and looked at Ormek strangely.
“What’s up with you?” asked the fairy, “Normally a cry like that puts a hylian clean out.”
“Why is that?” questioned Ormek.
“Well,” the fairy replied “It’s at a sound that causes most hylians to pass out.”
“It must be the high-pitch that does it,” Ormek commented, “I can barely hear it out of my left ear and with my right I can’t hear it at all.”
“Oh I see,” said the fairy looking at Ormek’s ears. “Your ears are very short for a hylian.” With that comment, Ormek remembered the tips of his ears had been cut off. “That’s why it doesn’t affect you,” he continued. “Your ears aren’t long enough to pick up that high of a frequency. So, um, what’s with your ears anyway?”
“Some greedy Cyntirian cut the tips of them off,” Ormek answered angrily.
“Oh that’s too bad,” the fairy sympathized “Um, anyway, my name is Shriek, what’s yours?” Ormek looked at Shriek, smiled and told him his name. “Nice to meet ya.” Shriek replied.
“Soooo, I was wondering,” Ormek said after he made the fairy’s acquaintance, “do you know of any nearby settlements, preferably slave free ones?”
“There’s a camp about five miles north of here.” Ormek looked in the direction Shriek motioned towards, to make sure he was not talking about the excavation site.
“Can you guide me there? That is if it’s not too much trouble.” Ormek asked.
“Sure thing, follow me.” Shriek replied.
The two hurried off towards the camp. At first Ormek ran, but slowed down after a short while. He had almost forgotten how tired he was. The camp came into view, just as the sun was beginning to set. The camp was immense to say the least. Hundreds of small one-man tents were scattered all through out the sands of the desert.
“Thank you Shriek,” Ormek said, “I’m so glad you were willing to help me.”
As they approached the camp they began to see how large it was. There were enough tents to provide shelter for one thousand people. “Whoa!” Ormek exclaimed as his jaw dropped, “this camp is huge.... Well thanks for the help Shriek. You can go home now.”
“Oh, right,” Shriek said as his wings drooped. He began to fly away, when Ormek called out.
“You can stick around if you want to.”
“Really?” Shriek asked in an excited tone. He flew back to Ormek and sat on his shoulder.
While walking through the camp, Ormek realized most the people were men, all of them armed with all sorts of weapons. “This must be a military camp,” said Ormek. Just then, a man tossed him a sword and said, "Hey boy, clean my blade for me will ya.”
“Clean it yourself,” Ormek snapped throwing the sword back at the man.
“You’ve got some nerve kid,” the man said angrily, “we take you little squires in-training along with us after you told us how useful you’d be, and then you refuse to do your chores.
“I’m no squire.” Ormek shot back.
“Just what are you then?” the man asked.
Ormek paused and then asked Shriek in a whisper, “Are you absolutely certain the guys are anti-slavery?” Shriek nodded.
“Well?” the man said waiting for an answer.
“I’m an escaped slave,” replied Ormek.
“Big deal we all are,” laughed the man.
“You are, that’s great, because I just escaped last night.” Ormek said with relief.
“You did? How’d you find us so quickly?” inquired the man.
“Luck, I guess,” Ormek said.
“Where’d you escape from?” asked the man.
“The temple excavation site,” answered Ormek.
“Really? Come with me then, I want you to meet some one,” The man said as if lost in thought.
Ormek was taken to a large tent, inside there were many maps, and men looking at each of them. Ormek was taken to a man suited in tattered, slightly rusty armor. “General Talrid,” the man who was guiding Ormek said, “I’ve just found a boy who wandered into to our camp who claims he recently escaped from the excavation site.”
“Is that so?” Talrid questioned.
“Yes sir,” Ormek replied.
Talrid looked at Ormek very carefully for a few seconds then asked, “Can you tell me how heavily guarded the slaves there are?”
“It wasn’t very hard for me to escape,” Ormek said. “Though, that’s probably because not many slaves try to escape in a desert this size.
“Are there many soldiers stationed there?” Talrid continued.
“Just enough to keep the slaves in line, about five hundred or so,” replied Ormek.
“Excellent!” Talrid said under his breath.
“Why do you care so much?” Ormek questioned.
“Because we are of the infamous Tyfirian Rebellion. It is our job to care about these slaves,” Talrid said authoritatively.
“Excuse me, who?” Ormek asked shaking his head.
Talrid gave Ormek a look of utter shock. “You’ve never heard of us,” he asked.
“Why? Should I have?” Ormek asked.
“Yes, we’re the group of free slaves, who travel all around Cyntir, freeing our brethren.” Talrid said.
“You mean to say, you are going to liberate all the slaves at the excavation site? Right?” Ormek inquired with great excitement. Talrid simply nodded his head.
“Is there anyway I can help?” asked Ormek eagerly.
“You already have son,” said Talrid, “You’ve given us some valuable information about that excavation site. Now we know we have enough men to take it.”
“No, I mean can I help with the fighting?” Ormek asked clenching his fists.
“Aren’t you a little young for that?” Talrid asked.
“No sir, I am ready to fight for my people at any age,” Ormek said bravely.
“You’ve got guts kid,” said Talrid, “I like that. Tell me, what is your name?”
“Ormek sir,” replied the boy.
“How old are you?” asked Talrid.
“Twelve sir,” young Ormek answered.
“Tell, you what Ormek,” Talrid said, “usually we don’t let our boys start training till they’re at least fourteen, but I can tell you have the spirit of a warrior in you. We will start you training today, and I will be you teacher.
Ormek grinned and at that moment he resolved he would be the greatest warrior of all the Tyfirian forces. He vowed to liberate all the slaves of Cyntir and help them create their own nation. But above all, he resolved he would avenge his grandfather’s death and make Cyntir pay for what they did to his people.

Chapter Two: Pirates of the Karab
Link looked out over the vast ocean. He could see nothing but water for miles in any direction. Looking at the scenery was the only thing that kept Link from dying of boredom on his many travels throughout the world. Unfortunately, looking at plain water gets old fast.                                                                                                                     Link wore a light long sleeved green coat with a pair of green pants as well as a long cap of the same color to cover is golden hair. Underneath his tunic, Link wore a shirt of chain mail; underneath the steel rings he wore a white shirt. On his back, Link carried a Hylian shield along with his trusty sword that he had owned since he was sixteen. He also wore a pair of brown leather boots that rose almost to his knees and also a pair of brown leather gauntlets. Link was a handsome man, but he never cared much about his looks, he was first and foremost a warrior and everything about him seemed to testify of that. Link no longer had a real home. He had not had one since he left the Kokiri Forest at the age of ten in order to follow his destiny as the Hero of Time. Soon after he left, Link found himself on a quest to save his homeland, Hyrule, from the clutches of the evil Ganondorf, the gerudo king of thieves. In an attempt to prevent Ganondorf from obtaining the sacred Triforce he went after the golden triangles himself, but fell into a deep slumber that lasted for seven years. When he awoke he discovered that he led Ganondorf right to the Triforce and that the king of thieves had conquered Hyrule as well as many other lands by using its power. Link felt responsible for what happened so he embarked on a quest to save Hyrule. Link eventually learned that Ganondorf only captured one part of the Triforce, the Triforce of Power, and that it was himself, Link, who held the Triforce of Courage. Using the power of his Triforce piece along with some help from the princess of Hyrule, Zelda, and the sages he had awoken in order to defeat the gerudo king, Link managed to seal Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm. After he defeated Ganondorf he traveled seven years into the past, back to his original time. Things were never the same for Link after that. He had fully matured as an adult, but he was still technically only ten years of age. However, it was not this that bothered him. It was the fact that it was his fault Hyrule had been plunged into the darkness. He always blamed himself for what had happened. After all he was the one who led Ganondorf to the Sacred Realm. Another thing that troubled Link was that he remembered the alternate history of Hyrule in away only one other person in the world did. Most people thought Link’s adventure to be a mere legend and those that did believe never fully comprehended what Ganondorf did to the world using the Triforce of Power, not even the king of Hyrule understood Link’s tale completely. Other than those who held a piece of the Triforce and the sages who had imprisoned Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm, no one remembered Hyrule’s alternate history. Still, those who did remember it only remembered it as if it was a dream and it did not seem entirely real to them. It did not seem wholly real even to the princess Zelda, who held the Triforce of Wisdom. Link on the other hand remembered it perfectly, for he had actually experienced both the alternate future and the real one. Both histories were a part of his life. This caused Link to have trouble relating to others. He always felt he was an outcast, no matter where he was or whom he was with. Deep in his mind he always knew he had seen and done things no one would ever understand. Link was constantly haunted by the memories of the alternate future, but there was no one he could talk to who could understand his waking nightmare, save one little fairy. Eventually Link could no longer stand being around others. He could feel alone in a room full of people. It always seemed to him that he was different and everyone else knew it. He longed for someone who could comprehend his journey through time the way he did, so he left Hyrule and went in search of the only other being in the world that had been with him through the entire ordeal. It was his guardian fairy, Navi, who he sought. She had been with him during his entire quest to save Hyrule, but she left when his mission was complete. Unfortunately during his search for Navi, a masked Skull Kid stole his horse, Epona, and led Link to a parallel dimension and a land called Termina. As Link soon found out a suicidal moon was threatening to collide with Termina and destroy the entire world and it was the Skull Kid who was using the power of Majora’s Mask to bring the moon down (or rather the Mask was using the Skull Kid). Unwilling to let all the innocent people around him die, Link set out on another quest to stop the reckless moon and defeat the evil spirit trapped within Majora’s Mask. Link was successful in his efforts to stop the moon, but when Link returned to his own world he felt that he was an even greater outcast than before. Not even the Terminians could comprehend what Link had done. In order to stop the moon from colliding with the Earth, Link had been forced to relive the same three days over and over again. Everyone else feared the moon would fall for only a few days and it seemed it had stopped just before it struck the Earth, but Link knew about the impending end of the world for about a month as he desperately tried to change Termina’s fate. He watched the moon day after day as it crept closer to the Earth. He witnessed the end of the world over and over again and every time Link failed to stop the moon, the importance of his quest grew heavier in his mind. When Link finally left Termina he knew he would never be able to function as a normal person. The plaguing memories of his quests would haunt him forever. Link never returned to Hyrule, and he had no intention of doing so either. Link wandered in the wild for many years, taking no permanent residence. Once Link turned sixteen he joined a band of mercenaries. He quickly rose to a position of high esteem among the legionaries. Link was eventually given the job of employment scout. It was his duty to travel the world in search of work for his companions. Link was currently twenty years of age, meaning it had now been ten years since Link first left the confines of the Kokiri Forest. He now only had one friend left from his childhood, Epona. Still Link did not get to spend very much time with her when he was searching for employment for his clan. Epona did not like being stuck in the stables of a rocking ship. Whenever she found herself in such a situation, she became very unruly and even Link had a difficult time getting her to calm down again. Thus Link left Epona at the mercenary headquarters in the west until someone hired him. He then sent for Epona and the amount of troops his employer ordered. Because Link was on a scouting mission at the time, Epona was not on the ship with her owner. Now, Link was on his way to Nicrosia, to offer the services of his band of mercenaries. Tensions were rising in the nations to the north of Nicrosia and Link thought the Nicrosians may feel the need to build up their forces in case war broke out. Nicrosia often traded with Cyntir, its nearest northern neighbor. Two wide bodies of water separated the two lands. At points, the Sea of Gidd and the Karab Sea separated the two landmasses by more than four hundred miles. The closest point between the two was at the strait of Cyntir, where the two countries were just over a mile apart. This made trade easy, between Cyntir and Nicrosia. The strait was also used by the two nations to make vast amounts of money. Both countries forced ships passing through the strait to pay a heavy toll. Most ships paid the toll, for there was no other way to pass from the sea of Gidd to the Karab Sea, or vice-versa without losing months traveling the long way around Nicrosia. Access to the channel was crucial too many other nations because of the many wealthy countries that were located on the east side of the Sea of Gidd as well as on the west side of the Karab Sea (One of these countries was Hyrule). This allowed Cyntir and Nicrosia to make a large profit from the strait. On his many journeys, Link often traveled with a fellow mercenary named Calrith. Calrith was forty-five years old and one of the most experienced mercenaries in the clan, he was regarded by many of the legionnaires as the wisest of the mercenaries, he was also an excellent employment scout. Between Calrith and Link, the two were able to find more work for the mercenaries than any other scouting team. “Link,” Calrith said sternly, “Why are you wasting time staring at the ocean?” “What else is there to do on this ship?” Link retorted with out taking his eyes from the sea. “You could always be studying,” Calrith answered. Link turned back to Calrith and questioned him, “What is there to study on this vessel of infinite boredom?” “Anything you want,” Calrith said, “You could always study the structure of the ship or how the sailors do their jobs. Perhaps you could find out what the cook puts in the food.” Link turned and gave Calrith a look of disgust and said, “I think it would be better if that were to remain secret. Besides, what am I supposed to use that worthless information for?” “What may seem useless now may prove be a valuable asset later.” Calrith said, “Like I always say, never waste a chance to learn something new. Knowledge is one of the most valuable things you can have. For example, in a battle of skilled warriors, the warrior with the lesser skill may emerge victorious, if he knows how his adversary fights or his opponent’s weaknesses. You of all people should understand that Link. Many of our most powerful enemies you’ve faced while working for the Calrigan mercenaries, you defeated simply because you knew their weaknesses and were able to exploit them. “If you do not wish to explore the ship take this book on the history of Nicrosia. Knowing the history and culture of Nicrosia may help us find work for our friends. ” Calrith handed over a book, which he had brought to read on the long voyage. Link took the book and muttered to himself, “What friends?” he then retired to his quarters for the night to study. Link walked to his room rather slowly. He was not very excited to read the book Calrith gave him. He had already been briefed on the history of Nicrosia and did not care to read about it again. As soon as Link opened the door to his room he plopped down on his bed. He began reading the book, but soon found that his eyelids were growing heavy. Link slowly drifted of into a deep sleep. “How much longer, until we reach Nicrosia?” Calrith asked of the ship’s captain. “Oh, I figure, some time tomorrow or the day after at the latest,” the captain answered. “Excellent,” Calrith said, “I’m anxious to begin negotiating with Nicrosia. With tension once again rising in the north, Nicrosia may be growing nervous and in all likelihood will feel a need for my clan’s services.” Calrith then let out a big yawn and said, “Well, I better get off to bed now.” With that Calrith left the captain’s cabin and set off for his own. As he walked across the main deck, Calrith heard a soft metallic noise. He turned his head to the left and spotted some sort of grappling hook, latched on to the ship’s railing. Another hook soon attached itself, then another and another. Soon there were more than twenty. Then he saw them. One by one, pirates dressed in blue started hopping over the rails, all their faces covered by grey cloth masks. Calrith ducked behind a crate to hide himself. One of the men, a zora, who was apparently the leader, stepped in front and said, “Okay men, you know the drill, get all the valuable cargo you can, then burn the ship.” “Oh no,” Calrith mumbled to himself, “I’ve got to find Link!” Calrith drew his sword and took off to Link’s room. Unfortunately, the zora spotted Calrith as he started running and went after him. Calrith tried to lose the zora as best he could, by knocking things over as he ran, to make the zora slow down, but to no avail. Calrith made it all the way to Link’s door, but as he started to open it, the zora grabbed the knob and pulled the door shut. “Very well,” said Calrith pointing his sword towards the zora and lunging at him, “we’ll do this the hard way.”
Link awoke to the sound of his door slamming. “Calrith?” Link said still half asleep. He got up slowly and sluggishly opened the door. To his shock, he found Calrith lying dead on the floor. He was covered in blood and part his small intestine was hanging out of his abdomen, “No,” Link gasped. Just then he caught a glimpse of a zora fleeing up the stairs. Link drew his sword in anger and took off after him. When Link got up to the main deck he saw the mast of the ship engulfed by flame. He also saw many men dressed in blue and grey diving off the ship and into the ocean. Link ran to the edge of the boat to see where the men were headed. He saw them all swimming towards a small group of lifeboats, loaded with the recently raided ship’s cargo. Link did not know whether he should chase after the men in blue and grey or try to save the people still on board the ship. Link ended up having to make his decision in haste, for just then the base the mast buckled and the pole fell over. Link was forced to jump off the edge of the ship and into the water to avoid getting hit. Link swam back up to the surface and found a wooden plank floating on the water. He grabbed on to it and began looking around for the men in blue and grey, but they were nowhere to be seen. The last thing Link remembered seeing that night was the ship sinking while still aflame.
Link awoke on a beach that he did not recognize. It took him a few seconds to recall the events of the previous night. He was full of confusion and despair. Calrith was dead, his ship was destroyed, and he was stranded in a land he had never seen before. Link wasn’t sure what to do in his current state; eventually he began thinking clearly again. Then a thought occurred to him. Could he possibly be in Nicrosia? Or had he landed on some uninhabited island? Link decided to find out if there were other people around. He started off heading away from the sea. Link watched the landscape as the sandy beaches slowly transformed to grassy plains. A few hours after he entered the plains he came across two men dressed in blue and grey, mounted on horses. They were obviously part of the group of pirates that raided Link’s ship. They were looking down at another young man, who was dressed in plain farming clothes. Upon seeing this Link began running towards them. “Give it to us!” demanded one of the men on the horses. “I don’t have it,” the young man replied. “Don’t give us that, we know you have it,” the other man commented, “Our commander told us you have it.” “Well, your commander is mistaken,” The young man said boldly. “Wrong?” both the men in blue laughed, “General Ormek is never wrong. But, if you refuse to give it to us, we’ll just have to take it.” The two men in blue drew their swords, as did the young man. The young man fought his best, but he could not defeat two men on horses. His sword was quickly knocked away and then he fell on his back. One of the men in blue and grey jumped off his horse, stood over the young man and raised his sword up over his head with the tip pointed towards the young man. A large grin came over the man’s face, but it swiftly turned to a look of to of pain. He dropped his sword and suddenly fell over. The young man scrambled to his feet and noticed an arrow sticking out of his foe’s back. The young man got up turned his head to find Link with bow in hand and an outstretched arm. Link reached for another arrow to take care of the other man in blue, but he was already riding away. Link ran over to the young man to offer his assistance. “Are you injured?” Link instinctively asked. “I don’t think so, hey thanks!” The young man answered. “No problem,” Link said calmly. “You really saved my neck there,” the young man said. “Think nothing of it.” Link said, trying not to make a big deal of his own heroism. He had never liked drawing attention to himself. That was one of the reasons Link never went back to Hyrule, he was too well known there. One of the main reasons Link had left Hyrule in the first place was to find anonymity, he was know by few people outside of Hyrule. However, Link had many other reasons for keeping away from his childhood home, though he never told anyone what they were. “I owe you everything, and I don't even know your name?” the young man continued. “It is Link,” answered the hero. “Nice to meet ya, Link. You can call me Chiron,” the young man said. “I’m glad I found you, Chiron,” Link said, “For a while, I was beginning to think this place was uninhabited. Which reminds me, where am I?” “You my friend are in the great land of Cyntir,” Chiron said. “Well, that’s not to far from my intended destination,” Link stated. “And where’s that?” asked Chiron. “Nicrosia,” Link answered. “If you go to South Port Town, you could catch a transport and be there in minutes,” Chiron said, “I’m headed to South Port Town tomorrow morning. If you’re interested, you could come and stay at my ranch tonight and I’ll take you there tomorrow.” Link agreed to go with Chiron. “Great,” said Chiron, “Let’s get going. My ranch isn’t far from here. We can be there in half an hour. With that Link continued on with his new companion. He was extremely relieved at this point. He would be able to notify his fellow mercenaries of what happened to his ship in no time.

Chapter Three: General Ormek

King Talrid shifted uneasily on his throne while waiting for the arrival of his chief general with his report. It had now been fourteen years since the Tyfirians had begun their campaign for freedom. Back then Talrid had been the leader of a small group of liberated slaves. Now he was king of an entire nation made up of the former slaves.
The general which Talrid was waiting for was none other than Ormek, the young boy he found wandering in the desert towards the beginning of the war. From the time Ormek joined the Tyfirian army at the age of twelve, he demonstrated a remarkable skill for commanding troops in battle. He was accredited with coming up with some of the Tyfirian’s most effective battle strategies. He was also responsible for many of the war’s key victories towards its conclusion, even at times when the Cyntirians horrendously outnumbered the Tyfirians. With these skills already mastered at such a young age, Ormek had no problem becoming the highest-ranking military official in Tyfiria. The thing that was truly amazing though, is that this boy had reached this rank at the age of twenty-three. Talrid took a lot of grief for putting someone so young, in charge of the all the armed forces of Tyfiria. Many of the simple soldiers were older than Ormek was. Still, Ormek put to rest any qualms about his ability to command the army. Two months after being appointed to his new position, Talrid was able to declare to the Tyfirian people, that all the slaves in Cyntir had been released and the Tyfirians had been granted the entire northern half of Cyntir, to make their own country, all because of Ormek’s ingenious strategies.
Three years had gone by since the end of the war, which brought the Tyfirians out of bondage. However, peace did not last long. Another war between the Cyntirians and Tyfirians erupted, just under a year after the previous one had concluded.
King Talrid was almost ready to go in search of Ormek himself, when the general walked in followed by his fairy companion Shriek. Ormek was dressed primarily in blue. His sleeves were a tattered grey and his boots and gauntlets were made of grey leather, which was standard uniform for all Tyfirian military personnel. Ormek also wore steel shoulder plates engraved with ancient Hylian text to indicate his rank. On his back, Ormek carried two swords of strange workmanship. They were ancient blades that Ormek took from a Cyntirian sorcerer after he defeated the magician.
Ormek had changed much since he escaped from the Cyntirians; he had grown considerably and was among the tallest hylians in Tyfiria. Ormek looked a bit lanky compared to a few other soldiers, but he was deceptively strong. He was a man of plain face, he was not particularly handsome, but he was by no means hideous. His most noticeable feature remained his unusually short ears.
“General Ormek,” Talrid said with a disgruntled voice as soon as his general entered the room, “I’m anxious to hear your report on our current situation with Cyntir.”
“Our invasion is on schedule,” Ormek began.
“Oh really?” the king interrupted, “My advisors inform me that our troops have been blindly running around Cyntir, terrorizing random peasants. That’s hardly worth our time, don’t you think, general?”
“I assure you, your highness” Ormek rebutted, “these so called ‘random’ attacks are actually strategic strikes, which are slowly causing the Cyntirians to lose control of the area in conflict. With our troops scattered the Cyntirians are having a difficult time defending all of our targets.”
“That may be,” Talrid said, “but this war is taking to long. We need that port as soon as possible. Our people won’t last much longer without the resources coming in from the strait. We need more supplies than your troops are stealing for us.... I’ve made a command decision; we’re going to pull our troops in desert out.”
“What, but you can’t. I...” Ormek pleaded.
“We aren’t gaining any ground by holding our troops up so far north, dozens of miles away from the nearest settlement,” Talrid continued. “You could easily move your troops southwest, out of the desert and into the Antarian plains.”
“That would be a huge mistake!” Ormek burst out, “I promise you, your majesty; I will have gained significant ground by the end of the month. From my current position, that is. It will take four times as long to gain ground from the southwest. You see, out in the Antarian plains, we are vulnerable to attack. It would be too easy for the Cyntirians to march their troops over there and wipe us out. We have no natural barriers there. Up north, in the desert, we remain untouchable. The desert is far too vast for the Cyntirians to find our bases.”
“However, stationing our troops in the desert makes it difficult to keep them alive. We have too ship in all their food and water,” Talrid interjected.
“It will be ten times as difficult, to survive while under the constant attack of our enemies!” Ormek roared. The general stood in silence for awhile after the outburst trying to get control of his anger. “Talrid,” he continued, “you must trust my judgment. After all, I was the one who was responsible all those crucial victories during the last war. Didn’t my strategies seem odd then? Yet, did they not always work flawlessly? Trust me. I know what I am doing.”
Talrid sighed and said, “Very well, my friend. I will allow the troops to remain in the desert for one more month. If your troops fail to make any significant progress by then....”
“I understand,” Ormek replied, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must prepare myself for my trip to join the ranks.”
Talrid nodded his head and said, “You may take your leave.” Ormek turned and headed out of the room. As he left, he struggled to suppress a grin of triumph.
As soon as the guards could no longer hear Ormek’s footsteps, Shriek began to speak, “Wow, you’ve got that guy eating out of the palm of your hand. I can’t believe he bought that bull about trusting your judgment. If only he knew what you are really planning.”
“Shriek! Silence!” Ormek hollered, startling the fairy.
“What?” Shriek said in confusion. “No one is around to hear us.” Ormek gave Shriek a scowl upon hearing this.
“Even the walls have ears,” he said, “never forget that.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Shriek mumbled.
“Now go fetch Syrus for me.” Ormek ordered.
“Yes sir,” Shriek replied and flew off down the hall.
Ormek walked over to a near by window and scanned the rocky terrain. He pulled out a piece of paper from his gauntlet and began to carefully unfold it. He studied the ancient symbols written on the paper thoughtfully and began to chuckle. “Soon,” He thought to himself, “soon all those barbaric Cyntirians will pay for what they did to my people. They’ll pay for what they did to my grandfather. Yes, soon the Cyntirians will know what it’s like to be the scum of the earth. They’ll never harm my people again.” After thinking about his vengeance a bit longer, Ormek folded the paper again, and replaced it in his gauntlet.
Ormek left the window and headed for his quarters. Once he entered his chamber, he shut and locked the door. He pulled a book of his bookshelf and began flipping through the pages. Once he found the page he wanted he reached up and pulled down a candlestick, which was mounted on the wall. His bookcase slid to the left, revealing a hidden staircase. Ormek began descending the stairs without ever looking up from the book. Once he had gone down seven eighths of the stairs, Ormek stopped and shut the book. He pushed on the wall to his right. It gave way and revealed another secret passage.
Ormek walked down the passage till he came to a locked door. He unhooked a key from his belt and unlocked it and continued on through. Ormek continued down a few more flights of stairs, till he came to a small room with a long table surrounded by several chairs. Sitting in one of the chairs was a large man, with Shriek floating above his head. Once Ormek arrived, Shriek flew over to him and rested on his shoulder. The man stood up upon Ormek’s arrival. This man was one of the largest in Tyfiria. He towered over nearly everyone, including General Ormek, whose height was also imposing. His build was quite impressive as well. He was not as strong as he looked, but he still had more muscle than most. His blonde hair was long and pulled back in a ponytail, which was odd, for Ormek ordered most of the military to have short hair. Even Ormek kept his hair fairly short, but in this man’s case, he made an exception. He was also dressed in the standard Tyfirian blue and grey, with the deviation of two silver armbands engraved with many symbols, which he wore to indicate his rank.
“Colonel Syrus,” Ormek belted as soon as he arrived, “Do your men have it yet?”
“We are very close to retrieving it, sir,” Syrus replied.
“How close?” Ormek asked anxiously.
“We’ve already located the orb and have sent our men to capture it. It may already be in our possession.”
“We better have it,” Ormek snapped, “otherwise this operation may be dead. The king appears to be losing faith. We must accelerate our plans. Syrus, ride out to camp three. Make sure they have the orb; and if they do not have it, get it. I’ll come out to meet you after I have given my orders to General Reock. Also, I want you to dispatch scouts to search this area.” Ormek ripped out the page in the book he had been looking at and handed it to Syrus. “Have them search every area with in a twenty-five mile radius. When they locate the temple, they need to notify us immediately. Am I clear?”
Colonel Syrus saluted Ormek and said, “Yes sir, we’ll have your missing temple found with in the week.”
Ormek and Shriek began to leave, but Ormek stopped to say one last thing to Syrus, “This mission is of the highest priority. If you fail me... well, let’s just say your neck won’t have to hold up so much weight any longer.” Syrus was not frightened by Ormek’s threat; in fact he laughed at the notion. He knew Ormek was not serious. He knew it was simply Ormek’s method of motivating his troops.
“I understand,” Syrus said coldly. Ormek left through the same door he came in. Syrus exited through another door and headed straight for the castle stables to ready his horse for the trip south. “It’s a good thing this mission is so simple,” Syrus said to himself as he rode of on his horse, “otherwise, I might actually be worried.”
An hour after Syrus left, Ormek came to the stables to saddle his steed. “It’s only a matter of time till we have all the power we need to conquer all of Cyntir,” He said to Shriek as he mounted his horse. Ormek kicked the horse’s side and rode off to meet his troops, knowing his revenge would soon be complete.

Chapter Four: The Blue Orb

“You’re from Hyrule aren’t you?” Chiron asked, looking at Link’s shield, which bore the symbol of Hyrule’s royal family. Link looked at his shield and nodded. Despite the fact that Link had not been back to Hyrule in nearly ten years, he still used a Hylian shield to remind him of the land he gave so much up for.
“So, what is it that you do on your ranch, Chiron?” Link asked when the ranch first came into view.
“We raise animals for food, such as cows, pigs, and cuccos.” Chiron replied.
“Hmm, that place must reek,” Link jested.
“It does,” Chiron admitted, “but you get used to it after a while. Too bad you won’t be there long enough to adjust.” Link gave Chiron a weird look. Once Chiron saw it, he could not help laughing. “Don’t worry,” Chiron said, “it’s not that bad.”
The ranch was enormous. Most of the ranch consisted of large field, with many barns scattered through out it. A tall wooden fence, meant to keep the animals in, surrounded the field. Close to the southern most gate, through which Chiron and Link entered, was large house.
“By Nayru!” exclaimed Link upon seeing the building. “That house is almost as big as Hyrule Castle!” Chiron could only laugh at this, for he knew Link was joking.
“We need the large house for all my siblings.” Chiron explained.
“You must have ten kids in your family,” Link said.
“Actually there’re twelve, including me.”
“I bet you feel cramped in there,” said Link.”
“Sometimes,” Chiron replied, “What about you? Do you have many siblings?”
Link shook his head and said, “No, I was an only child. You see, my parents died when I was very young.” Chiron grew silent. He feared that he had hit a sore spot, with Link.
After a short period of awkward silence, the two arrived at the front door of the house. Chiron opened the door and motioned for Link to come inside. Once inside, Chiron walked to the other side of the room and sat in a wooden chair. Link followed him and took the seat next to his new acquaintance.
“By the way,” Chiron said in an attempt to break the silence, “thanks again for saving my butt back there. I owe you big time.”
“No problem,” Link replied, “Helping people is what I do. Which reminds me, I forgot to ask what those men wanted with you?”
“They were after this,” Chiron said, as he pulled a blue glass sphere, which was about as large as a doorknob, from his satchel. “I was out there trying to bury the thing when those guys got the jump on me.” “What is so special about that orb?” Link inquired.
“I don’t know,” Chiron answered. “It’s just a worthless family heirloom as far as I know, but it’s not the first time those Tyfirians tried to take it. I decided to get rid of it, cause I figure if Ormek wants it so much, I’m sure as heck am not going to be the one who gives it to him.”
“Ormek, who is that?” Link asked.
“General Ormek is the commander-in-chief of the entire Tyfirian army and navy. Those men, who attacked me, were from the Tyfirian army, under Ormek’s own orders.”
“Tyfiria, is that not that the country that borders Cyntir to the north?” Link asked. Chiron nodded in the affirmative. “That means, my ship wasn’t attacked by pirates at all,” Link continued, “My ship was attacked by the Tyfirian navy. The question is why.”
“I can answer that,” Chiron offered, “Cyntir and Tyfiria are currently at war. The Tyfirians have been trying to take out our resources, so we can’t support ourselves. By attacking ships in the Sea of Gidd and the Karab Sea, they’re discouraging ships from going through the strait of Cyntir. The tolls we collect from ships passing through that strait are extremely important to the Cyntirian economy.”
“Just one more question,” Link interrupted, “Why are Cyntir and Tyfiria at war in the first place?”
“It’s rather complicated,” Chiron started, “You see, the Tyfirians used to be our slaves up until about fourteen years ago, when some freed slaves led a campaign for the slaves’ freedom. After ten years of fighting, Cyntir finally gave in and released every last slave. The Tyfirians were given the northland to make their own country. There was then peace between the two nations for about a year, and then war broke out again. The Tyfirians decided the land we gave to them was insufficient to meet the needs of their growing population. I guess I can see where the Tyfirians were coming from. After all, the northland is very mountainous and arid. There isn’t much land suitable for growing crops up there. When the Tyfirians came to us with their dilemma, the Cyntirian king graciously offered them a large strip of land in the east. The strip contained quite a bit of fertile soil, plus it connected to the Karab Sea, which would allow the Tyfirians to begin trade with other countries. This would have been very beneficial for the Tyfirians, for there are a lot of valuable minerals in Tyfiria. In fact, Tyfiria has one of the largest iron mines in the world. Still, General Ormek convinced the Tyfirian King to settle for nothing less than South Port Town, which is the port we use to monitor the strait of Cyntir. But we could not afford to give up the strait. It’s the backbone for our entire economy. So, two years ago, the Tyfirians launched a campaign to acquire a three hundred by one hundred fifty-mile strip of land, which contained South Port Town. The thing I don’t understand is why the Tyfirians are attacking from directly north of South Port Town. North of the town is just a desert. It’s just worthless land.”
“This General Ormek seems to put a lot effort into acquiring seemingly worthless things doesn’t he?” Link commented eyeing the blue orb, “Which in my experience, usually means there is something here we can not see.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Chiron continued, “That’s why I think Ormek is planning to take over all of Cyntir. Although the Tyfirian king swears he won’t let Ormek do that.”
“Does Cyntir have any allies to help?” Link inquired.
“No,” Chiron answered, “Any potential allies are too scared to get involved. They think if the help us, they’ll come off as pro-slavery. In any case, I don’t think Cyntir wants to drag other countries into the war.” Chiron then sighed and stretched out his arms. “That’s enough politics for today. You’ve had a long day, Link. Why don’t I show you to the guest room, so you can rest a bit?”
Chiron took Link up to the second floor and led him to small room. Inside the room, there was a single cot set up. Chiron allowed Link to enter the room, he then shut the door behind his acquaintance and left. Link walked over to the cot and fell over into it. He fell asleep almost instantly.
A gentle knocking at the door awoke Link several hours later. Link got up and opened the door to find a young girl, no older than nine, looking up at him. “Chiron sent me to fetch you for supper,” the little girl said shyly. The girl then took Link by the hand and led him to the dinning room. All of Chiron’s family was in the dinning room and seated at the table. The table was long, surrounded by fifteen chairs. Chiron’s father sat at the front of the table and Chiron’s mother sat at the foot. There were only two empty seats around the table. The little girl who had retrieved Link filled one of them. The last remaining seat was next to Chiron’s father and across from Chiron. Link took the last remaining free seat and was delighted to find a full plate in front of him.
“So, Chiron tells me you’re from Hyrule.” Chiron’s father said trying to start a conversation.
“That’s correct,” Link replied.
“What are you doing so far away from home?” Chiron’s father asked.
“I would not exactly call Hyrule my home. You see I have not been back there in many years. I have spent the last few years of my life with a band of mercenaries.” Upon hearing that Link was a mercenary, Chiron’s father gave him a somewhat frightened look. “Do not get the wrong idea,” Link said, “My clan does not work for just anybody. We only fight for causes we believe in. I have heard the plight of Cyntir and I can assure you my companions will not be working for Tyfiria any time soon. Actually those Tyfirians are why I am here. I was on my way to Nicrosia in search of work for my associates when my ship was destroyed by Tyfirians.”
“Those blasted Tyfirians have to ruin everything don’t they?” Chiron’s father blurted out, pounding his fist on the table. He quickly calmed himself again and continued to question Link. “Were you sent on this mission alone?” He asked. Link did not answer. Thoughts of Calrith and the zora who murdered him came back, flooding his mind with thoughts of revenge. Despite his desire to bring Calrith’s killer to justice, Link knew he would probably never see that zora again. This filled Link with even more rage. Link was about ready to go into a rampage until he remembered something Calrith taught him once.
“Anger can be one’s greatest weakness,” Calrith had told Link long ago, “Anger impairs judgment and clouds one’s thoughts.” Link was often counseled by Calrith to control his anger, mainly because ever since Link left Hyrule, he had developed somewhat of a short fuse. By remembering Calrith’s instruction Link was calmed, but he still did not speak for the rest of the meal. Not that he needed to, seeing that his question upset Link, Chiron’s father ceased with his inquiry.

“Captain Lucrus,” a Tyfirian soldier said to his commanding officer just outside the ranch, “all of our troops are in position. We will attack the ranch on your command.”
“Good work, lieutenant,” Lucrus said, “Remember, don’t burn the ranch till we have the orb.” The lieutenant nodded and made a motion with his hand to his troops, signaling them to move in on the ranch. There were around twenty men under Lucrus’s command. They were all dressed in the standard blue and grey uniform of the Tyfirians, but they were not wearing much if any armor and the only weapons they carried were light-weight swords and shields. Many men were also carrying torches. However they still would have been considered terribly under equipped had they been preparing for a real battle. The Tyfirians were not worried though, they did not think the ranchers would pose much of a challenge and were quite confident they would be victorious.

Link’s meal was disturbed by the ranch animals all acting up at once, as if a predator was on the loose. “Why are those animals getting upset all of a sudden?” Chiron’s mother asked.
“They’ve probably spotted a pack of wolfos,” Chiron’s father answered. He got up from his seat and got his bow and a quiver of arrows, which were leaning against the door. Chiron’s father opened the door and was immediately grabbed by his shirt and pulled out of the house.
“Dad!” Chiron cried out.
Three men in blue then charged in with their swords drawn. “Chiron, go get my equipment quick!” Link commanded. Chiron dashed for the stairs. One of the men in blue tried to follow him, but Link stepped in his way and grabbed him by the wrist. Link twisted the man’s arm, till he began howling in pain and dropped his sword. Link then elbowed the Tyfirian in the face, knocking him back towards his companions.
Link picked up the Tyfirian’s sword and turned to Chiron’s family ordering them to get out of the house if they could. While Link was turned, one of the Tyfirians charged Link holding his sword above his head. Link heard him coming and slashed the man in blue and grey across the stomach. The Tyfirian stumbled back and fell on top of the other Tyfirian already on the ground. The last soldier stood back, not sure whether he should attack or not. Eventually he began to circle around Link with his sword and shield both raised. They both circled each other until the Tyfirian’s back was facing the stairs and Link’s back was facing Chiron’s family. The man in blue and grey started his attack with three quick slashes with his sword. All three volleys were blocked by Link’s sword. Link then attacked himself, but his attack was blocked by the Tyfirian’s shield.
The Tyfirian was unable to get another attack off, for a soon as he tried, Chiron returned with Link’s equipment. He jumped down from the top of the stairs and knocked over the Tyfirian. He tried to get back on his feet, but as he was getting up, Link knocked the sword out of the man in blue’s hand. Link then brought his leg around and swept the Tyfirian’s feet out from under him.
Link dropped the Tyfirian sword he was holding and picked up his own sword and shield, both of which had been dropped by Chiron when he tackled the Tyfirian. Chiron handed Link the rest of his gear and then armed himself with the fallen Tyfirians’ weaponry, as did one of Chiron’s brothers.
“Stay here and protect your family,” Link said to Chiron in a very authoritative voice, “I’ll go find your father.”
Link bolted out the door and began searching for Chiron’s father. It did not take Link long to find him, Chiron’s father was only a few dozen feet away from the house. Link ran over to his host and knelt down beside him. “Are you wounded?” Link asked once that he saw that the man was conscious.
“I think my leg is broken, but other than that, I’m okay,” Chiron’s father answered.
Link began looking around and saw many more Tyfirian soldiers running around the fields of the ranch. Many of the soldiers were making off with livestock and other supplies. Upon seeing this, Link ran after some of the Tyfirian soldiers, in an attempt to stop them from getting more of the livestock.
Chiron was shaking with fear; his eyes were dead set on the Tyfirians lying on the floor. If any of the Tyfirians woke up, Chiron would be ready. Little did Chiron realize though, one of the soldiers was already waking up. This particular Tyfirian was wise enough not to make any quick movements. Instead, he slowly reached for a sword lying nearby. Once the soldier had a firm grip on his sword he sprang to his feet and charged Chiron. Chiron’s mother let out a scream. Chiron was able to get his shield up before the Tyfirian swung; however Chiron was not ready for the impact. The blow caused him to fall on his back. The blue orb then popped out of the satchel Chiron kept it in.
The orb rolled over to the Tyfirian who snatched it up off the ground once he realized what it was. A large smile came over the Tyfirian as he darted out the door. “Captain,” the soldier cried out at the top of his lungs, “I have it, I have the orb!” Captain Lucrus made a motion with his hands to some of his soldiers. The Tyfirians began setting the barns, fences, and even the grass on fire. “Let’s get out of here,” Lucrus ordered to his troops. Despite this order, Lucrus remained stationary. Lucrus did not move until the soldier with the orb tossed the blue glass sphere to him. With the prize now secure, Lucrus rode off after his men.
Chiron and his family had already vacated their house and gathered around the family patriarch when Link returned, after he was unable to stop the cattle-snatchers. Luckily a heavy rain had begun to fall, putting out the flames that were consuming the ranch.
Chiron stood away from the rest of his family, still holding the Tyfirian sword. “I’ll get those monsters,” Chiron mumbled to himself. Link walked up behind Chiron and put his hand on Chiron’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry,” Link said calmly, “It will be okay.”
“How is it going to be okay?” Chiron yelled.
“The damage done by the fire wasn’t to serious and no one in your family was hurt too badly,” Link said with a soothing voice. Chiron nodded his head, but remained silent. “Do not worry” Link continued. “I’ll get your cattle back for you.”
“Thanks,” said Chiron still trying to calm down, “but don’t think you’re going after those murderous Tyfirians alone, I’m coming with you.”
“I’ll go see if there are any horses left,” Chiron’s mother said as she ran off to the stables.
“I’m coming too,” said Chiron’s father.
“Oh no, you’re not,” said Chiron’s mother as she rushed off, “not in your condition.”
She returned with two horses already saddled and a sword and shield. She gave the weapons to Chiron and told him they once belonged to his great grandfather. Link mounted a dark brown horse, and Chiron mounted a light brown horse. “Chiron,” Chiron’s father started, but fell silent for a while, “make me proud,” he finally said.
“I will,” Chiron replied.
“Do not fear,” Link said to Chiron’s family, “I will bring Chiron back safely,” Link wiped the rain off his brow and nodded to Chiron. Once Chiron nodded back, Link kicked his horse’s side and dashed of into the night. Chiron lingered a second longer, getting one last glance of his family before he sped off after Link.
“Good luck!” Chiron’s mother cried out as her son’s horse disappeared into stormy night.

Chapter Five: Hot on the Trail
Captain Lucrus’s horse sped as fast as it was able, but its top speed was not enough for its rider. The Tyfirian’s brown hair blew in the wind as he sped towards his base. Lucrus could now see the light of a fire burning, coming from his camp. It had had been four days since he sacked the Cyntirian ranch and he was only returning just now. “Promotion City, here I come,” Lucrus said to himself as he pulled on the reigns of his horse causing it to slow to a light trot.
As he rode into camp, a boy greeted Lucrus and took the reigns of the horse. Lucrus dismounted and the boy took the horse away. Lucrus could not stop smiling. He was simply overjoyed with how well the operation went. It could not have gone better. They successfully stole much of the ranch’s best cattle, they nearly burnt the ranch to the ground, and most importantly they obtained the blue orb. All this with only a single casualty, accounts of other soldiers told Lucrus that some warrior in a green garb had killed the Tyfirian.
Lucrus took the orb from his satchel and studied is closely as he walked towards his commanding officer’s tent. Lucrus began to ponder about the strange glass sphere. He wondered why General Ormek wanted the little trinket so desperately. Lucrus did not know the answer, no one did, but he did know the orb must be of great worth considering the long months spent of tirelessly searching for thing. Whatever the reason, Lucrus knew he could expect some sort of a reward.
At last Lucrus reached the tent of his commanding officer, Colonel Syrus. Syrus was waiting by the door to his tent. “Well, did everything go according to plan?” he asked. Lucrus simply smiled and held the orb in front of Syrus. “Good work,” commented Syrus, “let’s have it then.” Syrus reached for the orb, but Lucrus jerked his hand back.
“I don’t think so,” said Lucrus, “not until I get my reward.”
Syrus gave Lucrus an angry look and said, “General Ormek is the one who wants that worthless bauble, not me.” Syrus then cracked a smile and let out a soft laugh. “Though, you may hold on to the orb till he arrives, if you wish. You could demand your reward then. I’m sure the General wouldn’t be too irritated by your disobedience. If you catch him in a good mood that is. Assuming he still has good moods.” Lucrus scowled at Syrus. He looked at the orb with discontent for awhile before he tossed it to Syrus.

“Don’t worry Captain,” Syrus said as he caught the small sphere, “you’ll get what you deserve. You’re dismissed” Syrus saluted Lucrus and Lucrus saluted back. They then both retired to their tents. Once Syrus was back in his tent, he climbed on top of a few covers lying on the ground with the blue orb clenched in his fist. “At last,” Syrus said to himself, “we have the final key. All we need to do now is find the temple. Then it will only be a matter of time till we can end this war and bring peace back to this land.
Syrus had just begun to dose off as he thought of the end of the war, when he heard a shrill voice. “For such a fit man, you sure to sleep a lot,” the voice said. Syrus opened his eyes to see Shriek floating above his head. “Seriously, it’s mid day and you’re taking a nap?”
“Shriek?” Syrus said with a startled tone, “Has Ormek arrived already? He was not supposed to arrive till tonight.”
“No, no,” Shriek replied, “He just sent me here early to tell you he’s been delayed and won’t be arriving till tomorrow night at the soonest.”
“What’s the hold up?” Syrus asked.
“You now his duties,” Shriek said, “he has to get General Reock’s troops started on preparing for the invasion.” Shriek then paused and cleared his throat. “So, um... do you have it?” the fairy inquired.
“Yeah, I have it,” answered Syrus.
“Let me see, let me see.” Shriek said excitedly.
“You’ll see it when I give it to Ormek,” Syrus said.
“Oh, c’mon,” Shriek pleaded, “We’ve been looking for it for so long. I just want to have a little peek at it.”
Syrus shook his head and said, “Forget it.” After a few more seconds of begging, the fairy became weary of Syrus’s lack of cooperation. Shriek began to shake, but Syrus saw what he was doing and smacked him with the back of his hand. “Oh no, you don’t,” Syrus said with a slight hint of anger in his words. “You wouldn’t want Ormek to find out you’ve been using your screech on me,” he warned.
“You’re no fun,” Shriek said under his breath as he flew out of the tent.
“Stupid, annoying fairy,” Syrus thought to himself as he crawled back on top of his covers.

The sun had just begun to rise as Link and Chiron continued their pursuit of the Tyfirians. Its hot rays warmed Link as he ran his fingers through the tracks left behind by the Tyfirians. “Did you find something?” Chiron asked eagerly.
“Yeah, it looks like those Tyfirians came right through here,” Link replied. “The tracks are fresh too. It looks like will be able to overtake them before the end of the day.”
“Let’s go then,” Chiron said. He mounted his horse and waited for Link to do the same before they set off.
Link and Chiron had been tracking the Tyfirians who attacked the ranch and stole the cattle for five days. They would have caught the Tyfirians in a matter of hours had the rainstorm not lasted so long. It rained for nearly a whole day, washing away the tracks of the thieves. Link and Chiron could only guess which way the Tyfirians went. Luckily they had guessed correctly and were able to discover which way they needed to go, but not before loosing a lot valuable time first. However, Link and Chiron were gaining considerable ground.
As the two young men followed the tracks, they noticed that the plants and grass were becoming scarce. Soon there was no vegetation to be found anywhere, with exception of the occasional cactus. The ground became a sea of rolling sand dunes. They would have seemed like ocean waves except for the gigantic rock formations, which rose out of the surface of the sand.
Chiron and Link rode through the scorching desert, using the trail of left by the Tyfirians and Chiron’s cattle to lead them to their destination. The two companions rode on until midday. They had just stopped to rest their horses a bit when Chiron thought he saw something in the distance.
“Link, come see this,” he called urgently. Link ran to Chiron’s side on cast his view out upon the endless sands of the desert. “It may just be a mirage that I’m seeing,” Chiron said, “but I think I see a settlement out there.”
Link shaded his eyes from the sun with his hand and began scanning the area. Off in the distance Link saw the tracks of the Tyfirians, which lead up to what appeared to be a camp made up of several tents set up in a desert oasis. Link took a big gulp of water from his canteen and wiped the sweat from his brow. “I think you are right, Chiron.” he said as he and Chiron jumped up on their horses.
Link and Chiron rode up to the camp slowly; making sure no one saw them. When they got to within two hundred yards of the camp, they dismounted their horses, and began to slowly walk to the camp. Link led the way, dashing behind various boulders and other rock formations. Chiron nervously followed Link’s example. They proceeded in this manner until they were within twenty yards of the camp.
Link surveyed the camp for a minute before he turned to Chiron and said. “This is certainly where the Tyfirians where headed. It is crawling with those Tyfirian soldiers.”
“What are we going to do?” Chiron asked with a hint of desperation in his tone. Before Link could answer, he was startled by a high pitched cry. Link and Chiron both covered their ears in an attempt to block out the sound, but to no avail. Link frantically tried to locate the source of the noise, but he could find nothing. Both Link and Chiron dropped to their knees, their heads felt as if someone had hit them with a hammer. The unceasing cry caused the two travelers to grow faint. Chiron was unable to handle the pressure and passed out. Link managed to fight it a few seconds longer, but he soon lost consciousness just as Chiron did.
After Link and Chiron had been overcome, the noise suddenly stopped, followed by dead silence. Soon after a black fairy flew over the bodies of his victims. “Ha, no one can withstand the amazing supersonic screech of Shriek.” Shriek cried triumphantly. He looked at the fallen Hylians and smiled. “Oh, Captain Lucrus,” he called out, zipping back toward the camp.
Link awoke to find his hands lashed to a sturdy wooden pole holding up the roof of a large tent. His feet were also bound. Chiron was tied up to the same pole in the same manner. Link fought to free his hands, but the rope was too tight. His struggling awoke Chiron. Once Chiron remembered what had happened, he let out a big sigh and let his chin drop to his chest. Link continued his attempt to break free, but it was no good.
A mere fifteen minutes after they awoke, Colonel Syrus entered the captives’ tent. “Well, well, look at what the dodongo dragged in, a pair of spies,” he said, “We don’t take too kindly to spies around here.” Syrus said as he pulled his sword from its sheath and pointed the tip of the blade at Link. Syrus looked at his prisoners coldly and said, “Let’s make this simple. Tell me who sent you and I’ll grant the two of you a quick and painless death. Withhold your information and I can promise you, you’ll wish you had never been born.” Link remained silent, he did not look at Syrus nor did he show any fear. Chiron however, did not remain so calm.
“We’re not spies,” Chiron blurted out, “We were following a group of men who stole our cattle. Their tracks led us here. I swear we only came to retrieve what’s ours.”
“Ah, so you guys are from that ranch we sacked,” Syrus interjected, “Well sorry kid, those cattle belong to Tyfiria now.”
“No, those cows are mine and I&rsq