The Silent Beast | The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Chapter Eighteen: Trust

"I thought it was about time for you to arrive... Master Link and ___, is it?" The man before us pulled his hood down, and we saw an aged man standing tall. Link and I nodded at his words, panting slightly from the ladder we had just climbed. "You do know Telma, don't you? I am Auru. I am part of a group that Telma kindly allows to meet at her bar." I crossed my arms and raised a brow, nodding once again. "We do know her, she's a good friend of mine, actually," I sighed, peering at Link momentarily. Auru only smiled, bobbing his head. "I have heard all about your deeds from her. Now..." He began, crossing his arms. "You being courageous youths... You have likely heard of the strange events in the desert and come to investigate, no? Or am I mistaken?" I thought Link would respond with his own nod, but we were only met with silence in the air. "You do know, don't you, Master Link?" Auru lidded his eyes and let out a fatherly chuckle while peeking off behind him towards a large building in the distance.

"The Gerudo Desert once held a prison built to hold the worst criminals this land has ever known..." Woah woah woah... I was immediately met with confusion, and my head tilted in response. However, instead of explaining further, the aged one continued. "The criminals who were sentenced to death were sent directly to the underworld by a cursed mirror that was kept in the prison..." Our eyes glittered in excitement, and I could tell that Link realized that this could very well be the Mirror of Twilight that Midna wanted to find! "Now that prison is condemned, and even the road leading to the desert is impassable. This desert at world's end... It still holds the cursed mirror and malice of the doomed inmates... These old bones know that the evil currently plaguing Hyrule is related to this wicked place. So I have come to learn the truth..." The taller man glanced back at us, uncrossing his arms. "Master Link, Mistress ___... What will you do now? Don't tell me you plan to enter the desert and confirm my suspicions with your own eyes?!" I turned my head to find Link already looking my way, and at the sight, I let out a huff. "Of course we are. That's why we're here after all."

"Ah, is that so... Then let good old Auru help you out..." He pointed off towards Lake Hylia, where we were, momentarily. "You see Lake Hylia below us? A man named Fyer runs an amusement ride of sorts there. Give him this." He reached into his pocket, tussled with it, and then handed a folded memo off to Link with a hum. While I leaned over to investigate the note, Auru resumed. "See, long ago, I saved this man Fyer's life, and now he cannot refuse me if I ask a favor. If you leave the rest up to Fyer, all should go well." And with that in mind, I raised my head, and Link turned to head down that ladder from before.

Once we both climbed back down, Link and I made our way to the man himself. Little did I know, we'd be in for a ride of a lifetime! "Hey... You're back!" Our local clown friend exclaimed, a smile forming on his face. "Heh heh... So, fellas... I guess you liked the ride, huh? Not a bad bit of fantastication!" I blinked in complete dismay. How in the world did he recognize our faces? "The height of excitement, the thrill of launching to the heavens, the very peak of flying fantastication... It can be yours, fellas! For a limited time only, and without waiting in line, it's a paltry ten Rupees! Whaddaya say, buddies of mine? Wanna give it a shot?" My head tilted, and my right eye twitched at the small man's words. This poor guy... Link didn't let my dismay deter him though, as he pulled Auru's note from his pocket and handed it to Fyer. A moment of silence passed as he read through it with squinted eyes.

"Hrrrm... From old Auru, huh..." He sighed and waved us off, "Ah, well, I guess I oughta do what the old coot says..." Fyer dropped his head and put the letter away as he closed his eyes. "Oasis flight... right?" We nodded, and the stocky man before us snapped his fingers and ushered us inside. "So here you go, one of our secret options not available to the general public... This time's all paid for... so whaddaya say? You wanna go?" With a soft sigh, Link stepped up and headed inside the building, and I followed along. "Alrighty then... But remember, next time, you gotta pay!" The male let out a small chuckle, heading off to the right. "Sweet sailing, buddy of mine. Two for oasis... fire in the hole!"