Honor and Dignity

It is late at night at Batrea Lake near Riverside City, Hatsotan is stomping on an unfortunate traveler that happened to cross his path.

A few minutes before.

The man is a fisherman and was coming home late that night on his wagon from Batrea Lake. Hatsotan saw the tracks formed by the wagon and followed them, they led him to his fun. Hatsotan was enlightened, begging Ganon to summon a stalhorse, Hatsotan quickly caught up with the fisherman.

The fisherman heard hoofs approaching from behind.

"What's this?!" (Fisherman)

The man was surprised, to his right was a skeletal horse. Hatsotan was invisible so the man couldn't see him, he kept the stalhorse visible.

Hatsotan jumped from the stalhorse and onto the wagon of the fisherman, Hatsotan grabbed the man and threw him off the wagon. The wagon drove off leaving the man behind.

To the man, it felt like a mysterious force picked him up and threw him.

"Who's there?!" (Fisherman)

Hatsotan jumped off the wagon and decided to reveal himself.

"How do you do? My name is Hatsotan, you are?" (Hatsotan)

Hatsotan liked to toy with his prey before killing them.

"Where did you come from?" (Fisherman)

"A city called Dueling Peaks, you?" (Hatsotan)

"That's not what I mean. How did you appear like that?" (Fisherman)

"Do you mean like this?" (Hatsotan)

Hatsotan disappeared.

The man was scared and scanned his surroundings.

"What is your name? I told you mine" (Hatsotan)

"Do you think of me as a fool who would reveal my name to a demon?" (Fisherman)

This man wasn't going to give Hatsotan the satisfaction he wanted. Hatsotan had hoped he would sell his friends and family for the slim chance that he would live.

Suddenly a large wound formed on the man's right eye.

"Ahhhh" (Fisherman)

Then he was kicked to the ground. Hatsotan started laughing. He started stomping on the poor man.

"Help, someone help!" (Man)

The man cried out to no avail. The man died shortly after and Hatsotan had a sad look on his face.

"He died" (Hatsotan)

"I can see that" (Rat Ganon)

"I want another plaything" (Hatsotan)

Just then a shadow loomed over them, they looked up to see something giant flying around. It looked like a hot air balloon.

"Kilton, I wonder what news he'll bring us" (Rat Ganon)

Kilton landed in a clearing, shortly after Hatsotan and Ganon met up with him.

Once Ganon arrived, Kilton bowed showing his respect for his lord.

"Lord, I have troubling news" (Kilton)

"What is it?" (Rat Ganon)

"I saw Link in the Sheikah village" (Kilton)

"Sheikah village? Link?!" (Rat Ganon)

"Yes, as I was flying towards Rah Ruta I happened across the village. A week passed and then Link arrived" (Kilton)

"This is troubling" (Rat Ganon)

"How? We know where our target is. Let's go kill him" (Hatsotan)

"Kilton, did he have the master sword on him?" (Rat Ganon)

"I do not know, he wasn't carrying a single weapon. Only a small object dangled from his waist" (Kilton)

"We shouldn't provoke him, I'd rather not fight Link head-on" (Rat Ganon)

Ganon sighed.

"Is he moving north?" (Rat Ganon)

"I do not know" (Kilton)

"What's this Rah Ruta?" (Hatsotan)

"Rah Ruta is one of the Divine Beasts, there are 4 in total. Rah Ruta, Vah Medoh, Vah Rudania and Vah Naboris. Rah Ruta looks like this" (Rat Ganon)

Ganon turned himself into a miniature version of Rah Ruta.

It looked like an elephant.

"What is so important about these Divine Beasts?" (Hatsotan)

"They are powerful weapons if tamed. I am currently fighting a battle with the spirits of the fallen champions. I had hoped that Link would head southwest and try to free the Divine Beast Vah Naboris first" (Rat Ganon)

"Why would it matter if Link freed Vah Naboris first?" (Hatsotan)

"Each of the champions were strong, however Urbosa has the strongest will. It would take another 40 or 50 years before her will is weak enough for me to overcome. The Zora Champion's will is dwindling, it should take a few more months before I can take over. After her will is no more I can control the Divine Beast, which will be a turning point in this long war. If Link were to free Rah Ruta first, my plans would be delayed" (Rat Ganon)

"What shall we do then?" (Hatsotan)

"Kilton, continue to monitor Link. If you find any weaknesses, report them to us" (Rat Ganon)

"I understand my lord" (Kilton)

Kilton flew back to Kakariko.

"Now, the blood moon is in a few months, during then my power will be heightened and I will summon an army. If we can keep Link occupied until Mipha is weak enough to be defeated, then our victory is guaranteed" (Rat Ganon)

***************

It was a new morning, quickly dressing, I started my day.

Today a few more faces joined us for training.

Janeson and Nashi are accompanying us from now on. Previously they were testing the products that they purchased from Kilton. From their experiments, they concluded that the products are harmless and Janeson says the spring-loaded hammers are a lot of fun.

Ossio was still suspicious of Kilton, but again he had no proof to say otherwise.

We did the chores for the village, but with Janeson and Nashi we finished sooner than usual.

It wasn't even 9 A.M. when we finished the chores.

Shronia joined us at the obstacle course. She was very nimble and quick on her feet and would always finish first. After her was me, then Ossio. Janeson and Nashi would compete for 4th.

Today would be the day I face off against Ossio in sword combat.

I took the stance he taught me for the past week and prepared my wooden sword.

On the other side was Ossio, with Janeson's signal we began.

Ossio rushed in, taking the first strike. I could've used my powers and instantly taken him out, but then I wouldn't learn anything.

Using his training I blocked the strike perfectly. After that, I countered and gave an upward slash, again still not using my power.

Ossio was able to defend against that and left an opening, seeing an opportunity I tried to land a hit on him. However that was my downfall, he left the opening on purpose and struck me when I went in for the kill.

Ossio was the victor, we bowed.

Thinking back, this would be my second duel. The duel with Alexander was much easier, then again I did use my power on him.

Wait, he is an elementalist with the ice affinity. Why didn't he use his breath attack when we started the duel. Was he overconfident in his abilities? If so why did he use his frost blade and not a regular blade if he knew he was going to win. Now that I think about it, he didn't use his powers.

Most elementalist would fire projectiles of their element from their weapon before engaging, Alexander didn't do that. But why?

Then it hit me, Alexander fought without using his powers because he knew I wasn't an elementalist. He didn't know I possessed a power of my own, not did he know I was the Hylian Champion. He wanted to give me an even fight and see which one of us was the better swordsman.

I dishonored the battle by using my powers.

I sat down contemplating my actions.

"Link, what's the matter?" (Ossio)

Ossio came over and kneeled beside me.

"Did I strike you too hard?" (Ossio)

"Ossio, would you ever cheat in a duel?" (Link)

"You think I cheated right now?" (Ossio)

He got a little offended.

"No, a while back I dishonored myself in a duel. I didn't realize it till now, ever since I defeated that lynel I've been getting a bit arrogant. The incident at Dueling Peaks City opened my eyes" (Link)

I spoke the honest truth just now.

When I defeated the golden lynel on the Great Plateau I truly believed that I was the strongest being of them all. Fighting the elementalists at Dueling Peaks City showed me that I may possess a great power, however I am not immortal.

The duel with Alexander showed me that I relied on my power too much.

Robert Downey Jr. once said," If you're nothing without this suit then you shouldn't have it"

On the Great Plateau, I was always running away from monsters, once I honed my power my fear went away. If you take away my power, I am nothing.

Ossio looked at me.

"I believe that you should always fight with pride and dignity. Only the weak would resort to underhanded tactics" (Ossio)

I heard him well, weak me is no more. From this day onward I shall train hard and prove to myself that I deserve to possess this amazing power.

After losing to Ossio, Shronia said she wanted to practice with me.

I took my stance, Shronia was using a wooden sword as well.

On Ossio's signal, I rushed in hoping to finish this quickly. I lunged, she dodged to the side. She attacked, I blocked it well. However she didn't let up, after the first strike she sent another, then another. There wasn't much power behind the strikes but she attacked so fast that it didn't really matter.

After a few seconds of relentless attacking, she slipped through my defenses and struck me.

"Winner, Shronia" (Ossio)

"Can we go again?" (Shronia)

Shronia seemed unsatisfied with the recent duel.

"I don't see why not" (Ossio)

After winning her 3rd match, she became angry at me.

"Link, do you not see me as a worthy opponent?!" (Shronia)

What?! She beat me every single time, of course I think of her as a worthy fighter.

"No, I think you're a great fighter" (Link)

"Then why are you letting me win every round. You beat Alexander like nothing when we were leaving Outskirt" (Shronia)

She must be referring to that time when I attacked Alexander and knocked him out in one blow. At that time I was depending on my power for everything. Also, I attacked without warning so it was more of a cheap shot.

"I am actually an amateur when it comes to swordplay" (Link)

She huffed and walked away.

I knew better than to follow her.

I have to talk to her later and explain myself, I showed her my power but I don't think I explained it to her.

I continued my long losing streak, I only won once and that was because Janeson sneezed. Though I was constantly losing I was learning something from every match, my battles would last longer, I no longer took baits, and sometimes I would bait the other person in.

After 10 minutes of training, I felt the need to talk with Shronia.

"Ossio, can I leave?" (Link)

"I don't know what you said to her, but she must've cooled down by now. Go clear up whatever misunderstanding you both had" (Ossio)

I thanked Ossio and left.

The first place I checked was her parent's shop, she wasn't there.

"Shronia hasn't come home. She said she was training with you" (Alical)

They didn't know where she could be either.

I waved goodbye and went searching for her.

I had no way of tracking her, I tried asking around. Thankfully someone said they saw her running towards her favorite tree as a child. They pointed to a path that would lead me to the tree.

I ran there, sure enough, Shronia was sitting on a branch overlooking the village. She didn't hear me coming, she had a sad look on her face.

"Shornia" (Link)

She looked down at me then turned away.

"Why are you here? I might as well not exist in your eyes, oh Mr. Hero" (Shronia)

"Shronia, my sword skills are as amateurish as they could get. I defeated Alexander because I cheated" (Link)

"Cheated?" (Shronia)

"I showed you that I can move very fast, that's not because I trained hard. That is the power I possess" (Link)

"Power? Is that like all the other Champions?" (Shronia)

I nodded.

"When Lord Hinamaru Gontrio called me to his estate, Alexander challenged me to a duel. Before we started, he asked where my sword was, I said I didn't need one. When the fight began I instantly used my power, he could've made his icy soldiers and the battle would've been a 4 on 1, but Alexander isn't that type of man. He knew I wasn't an elementalist, so he chose to fight without his powers. I dishonored him by winning the match with my powers and not my talent, he worked hard to become what he is today, I'm just lucky" (Link)

Shronia remained silent for a bit. Then she looked at me.

"Do you honestly think I am a worthy opponent for you?" (Shronia)

"Yes, you are a very talented fighter. You may even surpass Alexander one day" (Link)

She jumped down from the tree, I caught her. She hugged me tightly.

"I'm sorry for being angry at you earlier" (Shronia)

"I forgive you" (Link)

After our talk, we went back to the sparring grounds. I continued to get my ass kicked, but I knew this wouldn't last for long.

By late afternoon it was time to go home.

"Link, you look all beat up!" (Paya)

Paya rushed to me the moment I entered the house.

"Are you okay? Is training too harsh?" (Paya)

I did get steam rolled by everyone today.

"I'm fine, I just need a bath" (Link)

After dinner, I went straight to my room.

After a long day, I slept like a baby that night.

After a few more days of sparring, I finally achieved more victories than losses. Ossio was surprised, saying that I was a fast learner.

Eventually, I would win every single match. My swordsmanship improved greatly in just 2 weeks. Starting the 3rd week, Ossio made everyone attack me at once. I was once again driven to my losing streak, but I didn't give up. By the end of that week, I was able to fend off 3 assailants at once.

Not only did my swordplay improve but my strength and speed also increased.

Yesterday I asked Ossio to test me, using the water from the Great Fairy Fountain my blood color is as follows. On the west side, the blood was bright orange, on the east side, the blood was yellow. With my power activated the blood was still a green color.

Ossio still questions how my speed parameter can suddenly change.

I am now able to pick up large stones with just one arm, before I had to use both arms. In my powered state, I didn't seem to get any faster, but my starting acceleration did increase.

In the 4th week, Ossio gave me a penalty. He said I could only use one arm, and it had to be my nondominant arm. Once more, my losing streak came back, but just like all the other times, I regained my position as the winner again.

Week 5, Ossio wanted to heighten my hearing in combat.

To improve my hearing Ossio tied a blindfold over my eyes and made me spar like that. It was hell at first, as I hit nothing but air. As the fights progressed I could differentiate the footsteps of everyone as well as have a rough idea of what they're doing.

At the end of that week, I was confident enough to fight with my left hand while being blindfolded.

I also developed new abilities in my powered state. When my power is activated I am able to leap great distances. Normally I would be able to leap a distance of about 6 to 9 feet. In the power state, I could leap an average of 25 feet.

I could also jump 10 to 15 feet into the air.

In the 6th week, Ossio saw that he had nothing more to teach me in the ways of the sword. He is now going to train me in the ways of stealth. He showed me how to be silent and sneaky, I practiced by sneaking up on cuccos. After I could pick a cuccos without it knowing, Ossio made a game.

"Link, you are to follow me every single day. If you tag me without me knowing, you win. If I do notice you, you lose" (Ossio)

I nod.

He also excused me from doing chores.

For the rest of the week, we played this silly game. Ossio being the master, would catch me following him instantly. There was no punishment, I just had to try again. And again. And again.

This was probably the most difficult part of my training.

I tried following him early in the morning, he saw me.

I tried following him after he completed his chores, he saw me.

I tried following him at night, he saw me.

I just couldn't do it.

I asked Shronia for help.

"How can I get better at stealth?" (Link)

"Just practice, that's how I got better" (Shronia)

"What do you think of when you sneak up on someone?" (Link)

"I just think to myself that I am not here, I am part of the environment" (Shronia)

Environment, I looked at my clothing. I may have quiet feet but I stick out like a sore thumb. No wonder Ossio kept spotting me.

"Shronia, where is the clothing shop?" (Link)

She led me to a store called Enchanted.

The store was filled with large selections of clothing. A well-dressed woman came to help us.

"Hello, my name is Claree. How may I assist the Hero?" (Claree)

I was glad to see that Claree hadn't changed much, she was an NPC from the game.

"Stealth Clothing?" (Link)

I know it exists in the game, I wonder if they have it here.

"I have just what you're looking for. Follow me" (Claree)

She showed us a full clothing set resembling Sheikah attire.

"May I?" (Link)

"Sure?" (Claree)

I took the headpiece and let the Sheikah Slate examine it. Sure enough, this gave a level 1 stealth boost.

I'm buying this clothing set for a couple of reasons. Not only will wearing the whole set give me a level 3 passive stealth bonus, but it will also help me blend in with the villagers.

Whenever I would try to follow Ossio, he would find me because I dressed differently from the others. With my new clothing, I can blend into the environment.

Paying for my new clothing I immediately went into a changing room. I looked into the mirror in the shop.

I look fantastic, the mask made me feel mysterious and when I walked around I made almost no noise. It was a nice fit.

We left the shop, it was time for me to tag Ossio.

I found him walking back to his place with a full load of groceries. We stood to the side until he passed us, without making so much as a sound we followed him back to his place. Every so often he surveys the area looking for me, but with Shronia to my side, we looked like a happy couple so he didn't suspect us.

Right when he was about to enter his house, he came over to us.

"Shronia, who's this?" (Ossio)

I held my hand out.

He took it without suspecting a thing.

"I win" (Link)

"Well done. I knew you'd figure it out eventually" (Ossio)

Huh, he knew it was me?

"Being stealthy isn't all it takes, sometimes you have to dress the part" (Ossio)

Oh, he wanted me to figure out that I had to blend in with my surroundings.

"This reminds me of the time I followed you back at Outskirt without you knowing" (Shronia)

I was being followed, I knew it. She must've dressed up like the rest of the citizens of Outskirt, the thought of me not noticing her made me shiver.

"Link, I have nothing more to teach you. You passed with flying marks, the Hero truly is a different breed" (Ossio)

I thanked him.