Chapter one of Taco Stand Love

The large domed room contained the graduates of the finest military academy in the land of Deskota, The Emperor’s Sentinels. 400 graduates stood together rigid and tight as though one mind control them all. In a voice that echoed into the street, they repeated the oath of the Imperial Republic, swearing to uphold it to their dying breath. Within the 400, Balin stood proud and tall, for the feeling of accomplishment and patriotic fever swelling within his soul. Balin wasn’t the head of the class, wasn’t the strongest, fastest, or the luckiest. He was simply the one who was friendly and cared enough to get through with enough credits to join the elite group. Balin was around 24 at the time of graduation, having spent his first 3 years out of secondary school doing basic training and certification necessary to apply to the academy. Roughly six feet tall, Balin was fairly muscly but not to any extreme. He had short slightly ragged light brown hair that often came close to violating the dress code. On his left shoulder and arm were several tattoos, the most prominent one being a yellow chickfly bird. His aqua blue eyes often were the first feature that many people noticed about him. The Emperor Sentinels were in charge of certain battalions of troops and more often than not those battalions could swing the balance of a battle in favor Deskota. They were hardened and taught to lead by example. A member of the sentinels could be spotted on the battlefield from their unique armor and the confidence in the soldiers around them. Sentinels could influence battles; however, they weren’t invincible or able to hold back the Host pressing down upon the empire.
The war had raged on for 11 years when Balin graduated. He remembered as a young boy hearing the new stories of the large barbaric reptilian creatures invading from the south. The recently united empire was surprised by the fearsome and terrifying creatures that bore no resemblance to them. The first news reports came in as sightings and the sudden destruction of towns and villages on the coasts. It was not until New Gildeon was under siege and the Imperial Legions arrived that Balin fully understood as a child the world around him. The videos of the battles were terrifying to watch as the 8 and ½ feet tall creatures tearing limbs and snapping spears with ease. The ill-prepared Imperial Legion at New Gildeon was crushed. Those who survived and managed to make it back to the nearest settlement told stories of the horrors inflicted upon them by the invaders, stories that made an 11-year-old Balin suffer nightmares and sleepless nights.Balin's situation was transformed overnight when he was 12, the town where he lived was on the edge of the frontier. The army evacuated the whole town of 5,000 overnight. Later he heard that the town was destroyed as the horde of the Skepnan passed through. Balin's brother later would be recruited by the army to be a scout and chart the movements and other information of the Host.
The graduates of the Sentinel program stood and marched in a single file line up to the stage. Balin stood in the middle of the 400. His ranking based on his academic prowess and credit. As each name was called, one their uniform and one to go over each graduate's armor, a piece of clothe with the Imperial Republic insignia was strapped on. The insignia consisted of two trees with a ring of stars with tower between the trees. He waited as best as he could. Patience wasn't one of Balin's stronger attributes. The line continued crawling as the Praetor Tamp called out each name in slow succession. He would strap the clothe over their shoulder and hand them another one. All followed by a firm handshake, or a hug. Members in the crowd would whoop and yell as a name was called out and again when the congratulations by the officials was over. Balin's mother and and younger sister were there to support him. Balin's friend and constant partner throughout the trials Vai stood behind him. Every couple names Vai would chuckle at the unfortunate soul the name belong too.Vai and Balin's exploits at the school were less than stellar and generally regarded as annoying. They met the second week of the program when forced together to solve a difficult situation managing a battle simulation.It wasn't their solution that made them friends but the enjoyment of causing difficulties for the other recruits.
The line grew shorter as the the dark blue uniforms disappeared one by one across the stage and reappeared back in the seats. Balin rocked back and forth in his shoes. The wait had dragged on enough for him. Soon the girl standing in front of him stepped onto stage and shook hands with the Praetor. Over the P.A system, Balin heard his name called. Walking calmly from the hard floors to the stage, he could see in the middle his sister and mother waving at him proudly. The school had been tough on all of them. With graduation, his family moved up a caste. They were in the low merchant class. With the graduation comes new honor and power to his family. Balin walked to the Praetor, saluted him and then shook his hand. The Praetor knew Balin well, often having chats with him and Vai after something had gone wrong at the school. None of the pranks ever were his idea, most originated with Vai and his idiotic roommate, whom didn't make it to the graduation. The Praetor strapped the leather across his chest and handed Balin the version for his armor. Balin waved calmly to his family as he walked off stage. One of the instructors, looked at him with a glare that normally would have frozen Balin's blood and a head shake to let him know that it was out of order.
Back at his seat, Balin congratulated the girl next to him quietly. She looked him in the eyes and smile and whisper back a congrats to him. The rest of the graduates proceeded without disruption through the ceremony. The Praetor, after awarding the last of the sashes, congratulated them all as group. Lauding them for being the future leaders and for making sacrifices unknown to others. Concluding his remarks, he reminded all the new members that it is the 11th year of the war, many have died as Sentinels, Legionaries, and as civilians but they will find a way to win the war. The crowd rose to its feet cheering and scream like a roar of a lion. The new Sentinels stood and saluted the Praetor. Following the salute, the 400 screamed to life and jumped up and congratulated one another. Balin found Vai quickly and exchanged a hug with him.
"You did it. I really doubted that you would stay in man!"
"Ha! I could have sworn you would have been the first to get kicked out for the shit you did!"
"Vai, you bastard. You were the ones always getting me into that shit. Either way, we made it through it. Ready to get some revenge?"
"Balin, you know how much I can't wait to kill me some of those tri-jaws. I'm gonna hang one up on my wall."
"I'm gonna get one of their dual swords for my apartment to hang up on my first leave."
Right then another Sentinel, a girl named Nami, grabbed Vai and hugged and kissed him. The two had been in a relationship for about six months. She was a fit girl who worked out constantly and regularly took parts in the sparring tournaments. Once she managed to win the entire tournament. Her medium length blond hair fell into her face as she jumped on his back and mushed to ran away.
Balin chuckled to himself as the two ran away. He pushed his way through the mass of armored sentinels, well-wishers and family of the graduates looking for his family. He smiled as he walked past friends and acquaintances, squeezing past groups of people. Balin saw his younger sister, Rital, standing on a chair looking for him in the sea of humanity. Raising his hand, he caught her attention making her jump up and down waving frantically in his direction. Balin increased his pace and hugged his sister. Looking into her purple eyes, Balin saw the excited she had for her future now and the pride she had from her brother being one of the elite.
"You gonna kill some of the Skepnans now Balin?"
Balin laughed and hugged her again. "We'll see I get my assignment tomorrow. I hope there still some fighting left to be down in Torra. Be nice to push the Host back some."
His mother came and gave him a kiss on the check. "We're proud of you getting through it. You are going to make a difference in the war without a doubt son."
Balin felt a hand fall on his shoulder and pull. Turning around, he faced the Praetor who was wearing his ceremonial armor, a steel plated suit with a gold embroidery and the Imperial Legion's symbol on the chest. Balin saluted quickly.
"At ease Balin. No need for formalities here, it's a time to celebrate your accomplishment. I must say I didn't think you had it in you with how much trouble you got yourself into." He threw in a wink at the end so Balin knew he was kidding.
"Any clue my assignment Praetor? Or at least which Legion I am to be to in?
"Sorry Balin, you'll find out tomorrow. I, myself, don't find out until later tonight." The Praetor gently put his hand on Balin's shoulder as he said this.
A legionnaire appeared next to the Praetor and saluted him and proceeded to hand him an electronic tablet. The Praetor's smile disappeared and was reformed as a frown. Looking at the tablet more, the Praetor nodded towards to the legionnaire, dismissing him.
"Excuse me, there is some urgent news I need to attend to. I'll be back shortly however."
Leaving them, Balin turned toward his family and gave them a hug again. "I'm really glad you two could make it out here. Was it difficult finding someone to cover the shop? Anyone heard about father?" Looking at his mother and sister, Balin's eyes glistened at the thought of his father. It was his father that had inspired him as a young boy to become a Sentinel. His father at a young age was recruited by the Legions to fight in the first offense of the Skepnan Host. His father was eventually promoted and moved into the Fourth Legion defending . As a sergeant, he lead a small platoon to attack a fortified position on the Torran front. Despite the heavy causalities, Balin's father broke through the position allowing the Fourth Legion to break the lines on their offensive. It had been over 3 lunar cycles since they had received a video message from him.
"Still nothing. I was hoping to hear something from him. We've been hearing that there has been a media blackout on any operation in the Torran province. Can you believe people actually believe there are humans assisting the Skepnans?"
"I hope he doing well. The video I've seen of the carnage the Skepnan cause are horrifying to say the least. Vai throw up after seeing one them."
"The media rarely show anything besides the results of battles. They tend to only show the corpses of the Skepnan warriors. They are ugly fuckers." His sister chimed at this point.
Balin knew only the carnage from the videos they watched. They had to watch videos from the commander's post of one battle and predict the battle shifts and movements. In the videos they watched as the commander failed, and the forward lines of the Legions were slaughtered. Body parts flew into the camera at one point from the brutality when one legionnaire is torn apart. Arms, legs, and heads ripped or cut off. After the three years of academy, every sentinel had become accustomed to the carnage, unfazed by any anything the battlefield may throw at them. Many of the past Sentinels spoke to the future group about the effectiveness about this model as it allowed them to block out the battle's horrors and atrocities. Often though, many other legionnaires reported that this created less compassion and sympathy in some Sentinels for the soldiers in their unit. The videos and simulations the Sentinels were put through focused on molding them into effective killers in combat, which they did with some unfortunate side effects for many of the participants.
Balin asked his family if they wanted anything to drink and his mother requested a water. Walking over to the table with the refreshments on it, he overheard some other graduates talking.
"I heard one of the teachers talking about how they plan to move the Last Legion away from the city. It has only been once moved in its entire history!' A short stout bearded one shouted.
"Calm down. There is still the Second Command and the Fourth is made of entirely of the warrior caste of Torra. I've seen some of them fight, complete maniacs but effective." a taller girl with brown hair responded.
Balin finished making his way to the table. It was a standard refreshment table for these sorts of gathering, different types of fruits and vegetables on platters, breads and cheeses combined in some fashion, and the occasional meat slices. Picking up a small cup for his mother, he filled it with some ice in a nearby bowl while keeping his ears on the nearby conversations.
"I'm telling you man. The best girls were in Zoziah! You ever seen some of those refugees? Sexy."
"No way man. Deskota girls are the cutest. We've been to Yah'nom Beach and you've seen it with your own eyes."
Balin chuckled to himself. He had a fair share of girl friends during his training and his years at the academy. A couple of these friends he had grown close to and with one had a relationship with. Balin wasn't one of the types that ran around trying to get physical with every woman he possibly could. He wasn't either the type a guy who was above checking girls out and flirting with them. His luck typically stayed on the side of trying but not successful. He currently had the hots for a girl in her second year at the academy named Nalar'sha. He had met the petite yet ferocious girl during a time at the gym practicing his sparring. She had been watching him from the side and ever so flirting with him; it was a trick as he had been sparring with her friend. With her flirting, it allowed her friend to get the edge on a distracted Balin and win. Balin ever since then tried his best to talk with her but his nerves with girls always fell a little short of his wishes.
Returning back to his family, he handed his mother the water. She thanked him as she took a sip. The air was full of shouting, laughing and talking as the graduates and families rejoiced with each other.
"Attention everyone. I want to share this with you before the media broadcasts it in ten minutes," Praetor Tamp's voice boomed over the P.A. "We just received this video from a field outpost stationed on the far side of Torra, in regards to the Fourth Legions attempts at protecting Tor from the Skepnan Host. What you are about to see for some is a common sight and one that will become more common in the days to come, others, I strongly urge you to not watch the video."
The lights in the room dimmed as the screen lit up, on the screen showed three Sentinels their armor broken and blood stained. A female voice came over, "This is Lieutenant Commander Li'Bet reporting from the gate's of Tor." The camera swung up to show the gates of the city cracked and ripped open as parks flew from wires. Bodies of both the Imperial Legion and Skepnan lay strewed across the ground, the camera continued to pan around before coming back to focus on the Li'Bet with Tor a conflagration in the background. "As you can see sir, the Fourth Legion has been completely destroyed as well as Tor. We haven't received any word on survivors. However, we do believe it was a 100% fatal casualty battle. We don't have any idea when the battle actually took place, estimates range at around one lunar cycle." A yell came for them to move out of the way. The camera swung around to catch a large concrete and stone piece of the wall's defenses crashing down as dust and rubble fly in every direction. Two Skepnan warriors appear in the camera's view, as their mouth hiss and click their weird language. The two humans not with the camera charged the beasts as the transmission faded out.

(Author's note: I am aware of the possiblity of mistakes, should you find any let me know or any feedback would be great too.)

Life. Love. Works in Progress.

"Hello blog"
"Hello Chris."
"Umm. Its been a while."
"Yeah it has. Where have you been? With another blog probably!"
"I promise it wasn't like that at all Blog!"
"Go Fuck yourself Chris! I know you and your blog changing ways!"
"Blog, I promise you are the only blog for me ever. I was busy with things. I promise it won't happen again."
"You better not otherwise there won't be a blog to come back to."

I'm back writing on the blog after a month or so hiatus. A fun month it was. I moved, I worked, Emmy got a job. Busy busy busy. Life life life. I'm very happy about Emmy getting a job. A great one at that. She earned it without a doubt. She's doing graphic work for the AFL-CIO. So feel free to call me a socialist or a liberal. It has been a tough week for her, finding a car and getting all the paper work for the jobs and other related items. I wish I was there to take some of the pressure off her. But with the job, come December I should be able to drive out there and we can start living together.

Summer has been anti-climatic with little happening; I've been forced to play lots of games and do a lot of writing when I haven't been working or other such activities. I have been hoping my teachers will contact me with something to do but nothing so far. Blerg.

In my own writing realm, as much I liked my Zelda/Link story, it wasn't a Chris original. It was original in the sense I wrote it and was part of the creator of the whole idea. However, it still remained someone else's world and ideas that I had to shape my story around. It was a fun exercise and I learned a lot by practicing it. Maybe someday I'll return and finish it, I don't think now is the time for me to work on a story I haven't created.

It is on that note that I announce on my blog my new story currently lacking a name at the moment. So I will refer to it as a code name, Taco Stand Love. In this new, completely original piece I will be sticking to a realm I feel comfortable in, Sci Fi and Fantasy. Though my story is what some "experts" would call Science Fantasy, which I respond with a nice "FUCK YOU!" The theme of the story exploring the relationship between justice vs mercy in context of revenge with the backdrop of a war. For your reading pleasure, I will now provide a short synopsis of my story.

So a lot of my story breaks out a traditional format so it takes a bit more explanation than most stories of it type. It is a set in the continent of the Rokeeter. It is the first civilization to appear on continent and after 500 years the land is united under one government: The Imperial Republic of Deskota. The civilization is advanced with technologies and such that surpass our current levels, in ways. Several technologies were never invented/discovered such as cars and guns, so they continue to use other forms. Travel to other cities is made possible through Mag trains and such since combustion isn't necessary.
As in most fantasy there is a mix of magic, in Taco Stand Love there is no exception. However, I have a strong dislike for magic so this has impacted how magic is used in the story. Magical people are known as mana wielders and since it has only been in the past 50 years in story that magic has appeared (think if somehow magic appeared in our world) most are treated with suspicion and as terrorists.  Mana wielders are between sorcerers and benders from Avatar: The Last Airbender.
In the time before the story starts the Imperial Republic has been at war for years with the Skepnan Host. The war has been going slowly for the humans against the creatures but have managed to prevent them from taking  3 of the provinces.
The story focuses on a special type of Imperial Legionnaire known a Republic Crusader named Balin. It is at the beginning of his graduation and start of his military service that the story begins. His first assignment is to be the commander of a garrison of the city of Thyro which is soon to be assualted by the Skepnan forces. It is here that Balin comes to the crossroads of his destiny.

My story in a nutshell so far. I'm on chapter four and pretty excited. If I could have a dream come true I'd see it as a one book or a two book series. Followed by a video game, an rpg, set 200-300 later and finally a movie.

And to dork everyone out this is the character inspiration I'm using for the armor for Balin.

Act 1 Scene 5 "Hero of Time"

The moonless night sky gave Link little inclination of knowing where to go. Secretly, he had hoped for the old man to offer him a place to stay. However, Link understood the fear for one's safety all too well, often in the past ten years forcing him to adopt uncanny sleeping arrangements. Link hoisted his belongings onto his shoulders, looking inland. The destruction and remains of the buildings looked monstrous with only the star light defining their thick hideious shells. Link cautious stepped forward and examined around the corner. Observing only the darkness, Link crouched as he calculated his plan.
"I can't see anything. I could get a torch or camp here for the night but that may attract unwanted attention. Not only to myself but to the old man's presence. I need to be careful. Who knows what creatures and monsters Ganon has."
Link peered over more time around the corner. He spotted what he assumed was the edge of another building. He took a deep breathe and ran breaking the cover of the corner. In Link's mind the distance counted down until his body collided with thud against the crumbling bricks of the building. The impact stunned Link for a little bit. His eyes darted back and forth searching for the next location. He spotted a large broken brick section of a roof that slid off. It was a fair distance away presenting Link a dilemma.
"I can run but that will create a lot of noise or I can approach slowly but quietly."
He lowered himself down and venturing his head around to do a quick scan. Nothing. He braced himself and sprinted towards the decaying roof section.
The sound of his boots echoed through the streets. His shield and sword clinked rattled and smacked into each other and himself. The debris under his boots snapped and crumbled. Link focused on the roof section and his breathing as body sprinted closer. He slowed down as he came within a few meters of the rumble. Link breathed deep and looked around the corner, he could barely make out the forest outline that lay out in front of him. Scanning around both behind  him and above, he checked for any  of Ganon's monsters or other creatures that pose a threat.
"Nothing I can see. Not that there is much to see without any light. I should be safe in the forest a little off the road. I just need to remain quiet. I'll need to get all my old equipment before I continue any further. I need to find someone who can told me more of the current situation. Better move out while I can be reasonable sure it is safe."
Link stepped out quietly and headed for the forest's edge. The distance from the ruins to the forest left Link open; however, The dark night masked any sight of Link once he stepped inside the forest. He removed the Master sword from its scabbard, Link kept to the tree line barely in sight of the road. The forest's thick mossy underbrush muffled each step as Link gracefully sneaked through the trees. A salty sea wind blew through the trees, Link stopped short of a tree, taking in a deep breathe. This would be the last time he would breath in fresh clean air. The air when Ganon took over was always a bitter sour air that stuck to his tongue and stunk of decay. Fatigue quickly set into Link with the fresh air reminding him that he had been awake since early in the morning. His stiff back ached with the weight of the shield and his other supplies. Link slipped his pack off and stretched out his back. Link's body slide down to the ground, the soft moss cushioning his back and head. Staring up at the shifting leaves in the wind, Link closed his eyes to drift off into sleep.
"I wonder how many more nights like this I will have before the horror and strain of fighting Ganon again."
Slowly Link's sense became oblivious to the world as sleep crept upon him.
A sudden crash broke sleep's hold over Link. He jumped up with his sword in the hand. Quickly scanning around he didn't see an immediate threat. Another crash  gave him a direction to look. Glancing, he caught a tree falling onto the path. He rolled behind a tree to catch in his sight several human figures running and leaping over the tree. Muffled voices appeared within seconds. Link hoisted his shield to his arm and followed the figures over the trees. Link followed the sounds of the voices into a clear opening. Link stopped at the sight before him.  
A dozen lizalfos fought against about 10 humans. The battle appeared to be going poorly for the humans with about 10 more on the ground dead or wounded. The shrill cries of lizalfos pierced the screams of the dying humans, their bodies staining the ground. Link took a second to steady himself before charging into the fray with the sword raised high and shield close to his chest. By the time he reached the battle, the ten had been reduced to four, three men and one woman. Link took the closest lizalfo to the woman coming behind it. It was caught completely unaware of Link's presence until the blade of the Master Sword eviscerated it. The woman was startled by the quick appearance of a new man and his quick kill of the lizalfo. Link tumbled past the woman and leapt into the air slicing another one's head in half before the others could register Link's quick entrance into the battle.
The remaining lizalfos concentrated on the new assailant in the fray. Two moved from behind Link to flank as another two approached from the front. One cared two small swords and the other carried a large mace. Unaware of the flanking lizalfos, Link crouched down and shielded himself from the advancing lizalfos. One lizalfos stepped forward and swung its swords at Link. He threw his shield up, blocking one of the swords and using his swords to parry the other blade. With in a second, the other lizalfo in front attempted to pummel Link the head. Tumbling to the side, Link dodged the mace blew intended for him. As he recovered, Link focused all as energy into his sword. The blade began to glow and reverberated in his hands. The lizalfos unsure of the blade and the magic being used approached quickly to strike down an easy target in their mind.
Link twirled as the magic and blade cut through the air and the reckless lizalfos. The four attackers had their stomachs split open, the blood gushing out as they clutched their wounds before collapsing to the ground dead. The last of the lizalfos quickly reevaluated the new opponent.
Letting out their sharp piercing cry, the four lizalfos bounded back away from the remains of their group mates and the powerful fighter. Link recovered from the attack and threw his shield up to protect his torso. He quickly sided stepped around. The remaining humans backed away and gathered together as they watched in silence the new man slay the lizalfos with ease.
Two lizalfos felt brave and lucky strode near Link with their swords ready. With their swagger, they leaped towards Link thrusting their swords at him, forcing Link to dunk and tumble. They continued to swing and flourish their swords at Link as he blocked each attempt. Link continued to use his shield as a cover as he waited for the right moment to make his move. The blades of the lizalfos clashed against the shield, clanging and banging. Link shift to the side bit by bit as he tightened the muscles in his legs from his anticipated jump. The lizalfo's relentless assault began to wear themselves thin. Fatigue set in on their attack as they slowed down. As one swung its sword, its footing slipped enough that it missed Link's shield completely. Seizing the opportunity, Link tumbled out and around leaping into the air. His sword slit the back of the lizalfo and severed the spinal cord. The body crumpled with a thud to the ground in a heap as blood soaked into the ground.  The two lizalfo staying out of the fray bull-rushed Link knocking him prone on the ground.
The three lizalfos circled Link as he gathered himself together and righted himself. Standing tall, he tumbled towards the nearest one and slammed his shield into its face. Blood poured down its face from the broken nose, the lizalfo screamed. Link grabbed onto the leather strap on its chest, and plunged the Master Sword deep into the gut. He twisted the sword and pulled it out kicking the lizalfo into the other two. The force of the impact bulled the remaining two over. Seizing the opportunity to end the battle quickly Link pounced on the two. The blade cut off the heads with ease.
Link wiped the blade off on a piece of cloth and sheathed the sword. Turning around, the four humans stood frozen from in the rapid and daring display of bravery and sword prowess. The girl human approached cautiously.
"Thank you sir. May I ask to whom I am speaking to?"
"Link."
"LINK! You are alive. I thought you were dead after all these years. You saved us from Ganon all those years ago.I know you can do it again."
"Thanks. How do you know though?"
"Its me, Link. Malon. Remember I taught you my mom's song Epona loves. Lon Lon Ranch?You do remember don't you?"
Link's face lowered at the sound of Epona's name.His eyes started to swell as he lowered himself to the ground. His body weak from the battle and the mention of his horse destroyed his mental resolve.
Malon crouched beside him and hugged him close to her chest. His tears streamed down his cheeks.
"I'm so sorry Link," she said holding his head and kissing the top.
Link wiped his tears away, and mustered a "it's ok." He hoisted himself up from the ground within minutes of the emotion breakdown saying nothing to Malon as he did. Link harnessed his shield back on his shield ignoring all those around him. Malon sat on the ground staring at Link wondering what happened to him to make him so hardened.
She thought back to the memory of the young boy she met seventeen years ago. On the outskirts of Hyrule castle as she waited for her father to delivery some milk. He had fallen asleep and Link came to the castle just in time. She found out latter that he had a cucco and used that to wake her napping father. Later, Link appeared at her father's ranch. The look in Link's eyes was one of determination and caring for the world he sought to save. Years later, she would recognize that look in the eyes of a young man who saved her father's ranch from Ingo and rode Epona out. This man, while sharing the looks and physical characteristics of the boy and young man, was different. Hardened and grizzled, Link had lost that part that made him seem incredible.
"Thank you for showing up and helping us when you did Link. We would have died without you. It was incredible what you did. Thank you so much."
She gave him a hug. Link stood emotionless, making no attempt to reciprocate the gesture. He turned away after she let go of him.
"Where is your camp? I'll escort you there make sure nothing happens to you." Link asked her.
"It is about a mile to the west from here. I'll lead you there."
She turned without a sound and began to stroll westward. Link followed her close behind.
"How have you been Malon?"
"Life was going well until a while ago. I'm sure you know all too well what has happened here. Where you have been?"
Link stopped and brow furrowed. "I've been away. Much longer than I planned for."
"Where did you go? You must have some interesting tales to tell; How long have you been fighting Ganon? Are you going to fight him now?" Malon bounced as she finished.
Link looked her directly in her eyes, "I just arrived today. I barely learned about Ganon today. I'm not ready for Ganon. Let the shock settle first!"
He glared hard at her as she turned around and stormed west as she thought to herself.
"What happened to him. He was so nice all those years ago. Now he is rude and emotionally a wreck. He did a complete turn from sad to angry."
The rest of the walk continued in silence except for the private thoughts of everyone walking. They reached the camp within minutes of the battle. A small remains of a fire smoldered quietly with the red glow of the embers providing the only indication that a camp existed.

Act 1 Scene 4 "Hero of Time"

 Link started to breathe and gain an awareness of his current location. The man with the deformed leg was still there but his face looked less fearful and more concerned.
"I don't think you are with Ganon at all; you have a bad reaction to the name. Are you alright son?"
Link opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He continued to stare at the man for another minute before tell him that he'd be alright. Link struggled to get up before the man gave Link his hand to help him. Link smiled softly at him, his lips cracking by the movement. The man stood by Link, dwarfed by the size of Link no longer afraid told him to follow him where they can talk if Link wanted to. Link sheathed his sword and holstered his shield on his back. Link stared at the man before starting to follow him. It took ten minutes before the two arrived at a small building with one side collapsed forming a small overhang. The old man crawled underneath the overhang into the darkness. Link followed suite and crawled underneath the rubble of the building. In the cramped confines of the tunnel, Link managed to make out the figure of the man dragging himself along. The tunnel wasn't made for Link's frame, which encompassed much of the tunnel forcing him to suck in his gut. This didn't save him from the scrapes and cuts from roots and old debris in the tunnel. Link emerged from the tunnel bleeding from his hands, knees and faces covered in dirt.
The man sat on a small ratty brown mat around a small fire. The smoke escaped from a small opening in the short hut's ceiling. The man motioned for Link to join him around the fire, which he did. He set his pack on the ground yet keep the shield and sword close. The interior was small and dirty with small clay pots strewn around the the dirt floor. The walls consisted of roughly hewed rock burned from whatever catastrophe had befallen the port town. The in the corner was a dripping noise, Link surmised it was the man's source of water for his house.
"Sorry to have surprised you son. It seems like you really lost yourself when I said that name. You have the look of a foreigner. I think if you were from Hyrule you would know better than to be out by yourself even if you are armed.You must have been in Hyrule before 10 years ago. Weren't you?"
Link just nodded his head taking in the rest of the room. There were some pots on a shelf nearby and some  crates. Behind the crates, straw was laid down for the man's bed. Link looked at the worn master sword; taking the scabbard off his back, he stretched out a bit. The old man continued talking.
"I think 10 years ago when Ganon was defeated, some young boy did it. And I think the Princess Zelda was there too. He left shortly after that. Kinda wish he stuck around. Ganon came back only a couple years ago. His wraith was pretty terrible. He has people searching far and wide for the boy. I think the boy's name was Link."
Link's mind flashed back to the final battle. 10 years ago in the ruins of Ganon's castle. Link thought Ganon was already dead after the first fight. The heat from the wall of fire caused Link's clothes to stick to his skin; the difficulty breathing he had from the heat and dust.After what seemed like hours, Zelda channeled the power of the Sages allowing Link to kill Ganondorf. Well, he had thought that. Apparently, Ganon, the King of Gerudos had come back while he was away in other countries fighting evil there. Link had assumed that Ganon was dead. He would haven't left Hyrule if he knew that was the case. He imaged himself possibly having a family.
Link's mind slowly came back to the present. The old man remained there across the fire smiling a toothless grin. The old man stood up quietly and went to the back of his home and opened a pot. Pulling out a pale crusty piece of bread, he walked back to Link. He softly set the bread in Link's lap and walked back to his ragged mat across the fire. Link quietly stared at the bread before picking it up and taking a bit, his teeth scrapping against the crust knocking crumbs onto his tunic. The bread tasted sour and made Link gag slightly when he swallowed it. After eating the rest of the sour bread, Link looked across the small fire flitting around the wood.
"My name is Link. I used to live in the Kokiri Village a long time ago about 17 years ago."
 The man sat undisturbed by Link's comment. The old man's lips curled up.
"Nice to meet you Link. I thought the Kokiri people stayed young. Or they did when they were still alive. Slaughtered by Ganon when he was resurrected. Tell me Link, where have you been?"
Link stood up and dusted off his ripped, stained tunic. He took a deep breathe exhaling slowly before commenting,   "I've been travelling around the world. I fought cartels, bandit leaders, and all other types of people.After leaving Hyrule 10 years ago I swore I would always fight injustice where ever I could find it. Or so I thought."
The old man didn't seemed phased by Link's comment. "I see. Well you certainly look the part of a warrior. You've been gone for a long time. Let me let you in on what's occurred over the past couple of years."

The old man's face took a grave look as he began the long winding tale of Link's past adventures as a boy and older when he defeated Ganon. Link smile to himself at certain points knowing of the old man's version were incorrect. The boy in the story didn't disappear for seven years to study martial arts in the desert with a hermit. Nor did his horse, Epona, have the magic ability to fly. After the events that he participated in, Link leaned forward and sought to understand every word coming out of the old man's toothless mouth.
"The boy disappeared shortly after Ganon laid dead on the ground. The only other person who knew what exactly happened to him was Princess Zelda. She hasn't told a soul however. Some said he went back to the desert to continue to train but never made it. Regardless of his fate, the story continues. The kingdom began to  rebuild and the people returned. Castle Town was cleared of all the zombies things, redeads I think they were called by people. It was really close to being back to normal, although it would never be the same as a giant hole was there rather than the beautiful castle. I miss the castle."
The man paused a second and closed his eyes tight. Link could see the man's eyes water up as tears began to travel down his dirty cheek. The man steadied himself and took a deep breath, resuming the story with his voice shaky.
"2 years ago, I heard rumors that Ganon had returned. Hyrule was on the verge of being back to normal. I, people, no one took the rumors seriously. We figured the boy who saved us last time would be there to save us again. We were wrong. Ganon's revenge was brutal. He annihilated populations without remorse.My family was in Castle Town where he first appeared. Now, it, is..."
The old man sobs froze Link. He was clueless what to do and how to help this old man. Years of fighting had detached Link emotionally; he didn't know what to do. He stared at the old man sobbing profusely.Remember seeing something on a travel five years ago where a father comforted a boy, Link stood up without a noise, pulled out a small clothe piece from a pouch. He squatted next to the man while putting his hand on the man's shoulder handed the piece to him to wipe his tears.
"Thank. You." was said between deep breaths.
Link crossed back to his spot. The man wiped his eyes and blew his nose. After a minute of breathing he resume the tale.
"Ganon next attacked the Gorons and the Zoras. Few have survived, many people have been forced into work camps to make monuments to him. I was in a camp for six months before I managed to escape. This port town has hidden me since. In the last year and a half I have seen three people and hundreds of Ganon's minions. Yet all of them came from inland. Which brings me to you. You are the only person in all the time I've been here to get off a boat. Why did you come here?"
The man's face looked grave. Link knew he needed to answer the man who had been kind to him. Yet he knew he didn't want to give away who he was or more accurately, who he had been. Link opened his mouth to speak but paused before a word was formed in his mouth. He paused a bit. Staring at the fire, he spoke.
"I came home to rest after leaving ten years ago. I had fought long and hard here and wanted to help others in distance lands. I did so but at a price."
The man nodded quietly. The man wobbled to his feet and approached Link.
"I will give you some food and water. But son, its best you not stay here. I fear you are needed somewhere besides the ruins here. Somewhere you might do some good."
With that the man, gathered some small scraps of food and a waterskin for Link and sent him back through the hole to the outside where it had grown dark.

Wizards/Sorcerers/Mages/Spellcasters... Screw you.

As a frequent player of games, I have become accustomed to certain character archtypes. For those who read my blog I'm going to do a quick plug in for this site:

Tv Tropes

To get back from my tangent, when I play video games, notably ones where you can be classes, they tend to be along the same type of classes: You have your warrior/strength dude, your rogue/stealthy skilled dude, and your wizard/spellcaster dude. Now I am glad they give me choices. I like choices. You need choices in game. Who wants their character in an RPG like D&D or some other game to be the same as everyone else's (this excludes Eastern RPGs such as Final Fantasy). You want to make your character yours. It is gonna be a reflection of your personality. You can have your character wield a big huge axe or a tiny sword which you skewer baddies with, or you can have a staff and shoot lightening.
I typically play a more warrior based character. I like to balance out my defense and my offensive. Two handed weapons tend to optimize too much the offensive and I worry. I instead try to get a weapon that is strong yet one handed, so I can use a shield. I like shields. I don't like a bulky meathead looking guy. I prefer someone who is closer to me.
Wizards, however, I never play. The idea of magic I have never been to keen on. First issue is you are squishy. A single poke from a twig can break your bones. Second, I always felt like magic users were big on the "Ha! look at how many I took out! I must be more important than you." I don't like standing back and throwing lightening bolts at people. Seems a bit unfair to me.

Now, if I offend anyone with this rant, boo fucking hoo. I don't care.I don't like wizards. I don't like sorcerers. I don't like mages. Harry Potter can go play with his wand for all I care. When I play a character, its not gonna be a muscle head but  it sure as isn't going to be an old man with a bad back and a orthopedic hip with a wand.

Dragon Age (amended)

As of now, I have a copy of Dragon Age: Origins coming, all thanks to my wonderful amazing fiancee :D

Dragon Age

Taking a brief sabbatical from my story writing, I'm going to write about some other random things. One is the next game I'm excited for.



I've played the game before and really enjoyed the plot. Bioware does a great job on all their games; this one being now exceptions. The previous time I played it I had rented it. I'm pretty excited. Right now I'm using it as motivation to get through and finish school. I think it reminds me of D&D which always makes me excited.

Right now I'm working on several super cool awesome things for school. My portfolio and several units. The portfolio is pretty intense. The units are nice because they are both the same unit except focusing on different things. I've heard it said that the best way to learn is to teach, which is remarkably true. I really feel like I understand so much more about federalism now after making a whole unit about it. I'm pretty set on finishing all my homework in time. Pretty sure about getting As too.

Music wise I think I'm just in a rut. Not that its bad. I think I've just kinda plateaued with my tastes. I've been listening to mostly the same things for a while. Its hard to get on my computer one to change my iPod cause my computer is broken. Lame. I know.

Emmy got me a super awesome comic book. I just want to share it with you all. She's pretty much the coolest girl ever. I love her :D