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Fantasy The Ghost of the Wilds

Hero of the Wilds

From Courage comes Wisdom and Power.
Link hummed lightly as he stretched some, stiff bones popping back into place as he did as he moved his neck side to side a little to fully make sure that his body wasn’t stiff. Not that it mattered anyway, he was dead and had been for as long as he could remember.

“Ugh…it’s so boring here…” He muttered to himself, his soft voice not even echoing off the stone walls of the hallway he had sat down to rest in, one could only wander the ancient castle so many times or go through its walls before even that got boring.

It hadn’t been really a shock to find out that he had passed, he still could remember the blade of the sword going through his chest before nothing. Only to wake up sometime later that time had moved on without him, and the castle empty once more, left to rot like many of the other ruins he had seen on his journey.

However, just as he thought about getting up and finish his millionth trip around the castle, his long ears soon twitched at a sound, at first he had thought it was just the rubble settling once more, as it did after any storm or another part of it was about to collapse, his ear twitched again, this time picking up on what sounded like voices which struck him as odd.

Getting up, he grabbed the lit lantern by his foot, using the low blueish-green light it gave off to guide him to where the voice or voices? He wasn’t sure, were coming from, never knowing that this was an encounter that would be the start of a new adventure for him.
 
The previous rains left him damp, blankets surely soaked and ready for an uncomfortable rest. Though at least this place seemed dry on the inside. He'd been wandering for awhile, just looking around for a place to sit after his trifle trying get past the crumbling castle forces. The slow clack of his cane was all he could hear; bouncing away off of the old mossy walls. Breezes crept through the halls, and Worm was sure that whatever was here...walked here alone. An abandoned castle. Probably beautiful in it's prime, now lost to age and neglect. 'It's crumbling from the inside out.' he thought, hands running over the neatly laid bricks. 'I hope it wouldn't fall in while I slept- but with my luck...'

Wormwood was a tall, strange like fellow. He had a mess of straw coloured hair, and dark, tired eyes. He walked slowly, using a large, polished hickory cane. The ruins surrounded by the moat were so...intruiging. Only tempting someone to try and explore. The whispers of monsters, or of a great spirit only tempted him further. He had spent weeks planning to get across, and was greatly pleased that he hadn't been maimed in the process. So far, nothing else seemed to wander here. Until he thought he saw a funny glow at the end of one of the halls.

"Hello...?" He called, neck bobbing to try and get a better view of what must be in front of him "Is anyone...there?"
 
Link slightly blinked when he soon heard the voice before he had rounded the corner of the hallway, it was strange to hear another voice after so long in the once humble halls. Once fully around the corner, he blinked once more, coming face to face with Worm.

"A-ah...Hi? I didn't realize that someone else was here." He said softly, a gloved hand coming up to rub the back of his neck slightly as if nervous. The young man in front of Worm was scarred, the scars were old, given how faded they were, splashed out across his left cheek, before disappearing underneath the slightly raised dark hood he was wearing.

In his other gloved hand, an old fashion lantern hung, the bronze tarnished with age and the glass littered with spider-webs as if the young man had dropped it once or twice before, and was the source of the odd looking light.
 
Wormwood scratched at the scruff of his chin, squinting to try and see this stranger better "Hallo there!" His voice seemed to cautious, but friendly. "Do you live here?" He wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to approach; he didn't want to come across as any kind of threat. He tried an introduction instead "My name is Wormwood White, I'm just passing through..." He stared long into the mesmerizing glow of the lantern. It almost reminded him of the blue flamed lanterns in Hateno; though nearly more...spectral. Then it hit him.

"Are you...The Great Spirit of the Castle?" His hands clung to his cane, eyes wide with anticipation. Could this be it? Could it really be so easy? In all his years of travel, he hadn't found a ghost just by mere chance.
 
Link looked at Wormwood as he introduced himself, after asking a couple of questions with soon drew a soft chuckle from Link, for some strange reason, it reminded Link about the kids that he met in his travels, being wide-eyed and very curious about a strange young elf with scars on his face, and old looking eyes who seemed like he could never rest and always on the go.

Shaking his head mentally, he opened his mouth to answer when Wormwood asked Link if he was the great spirit of the castle, which caused his eyebrow to raise a little bit in question, considering that Link had never heard that before, but then again, he never really left the castle in all his years, he had tried too sure, but ever time he had made it to where the drawbridge used to be, something would come over him, causing him to just turn around and head back into the castle to start the cycle all over again like he forgot why he had wandered out there in the first place.

"Well..." He started to say, rubbing his scar covered cheek lightly with his finger some. "Well, I don't know anything about a Great Spirt of the Castle, but it's a pleasure to meet you Wormwood, my name is Link, and I guess I kind of live here?" He said with a bit of a shrug. "I mean, I don't really have anywhere else to stay and it keeps the elements out as long as you know what areas stay dry and stuff."
 
Wormwood listens intently, his cane clacking as he decides hes going to get closer. Link doesn't seem like he wants to harm anyone "I see. Well, it's nice to meet you, Link. It's quite an amazing place you have here." Wormwood is chipper, studying his new found friend a bit as he thinks of where to do. He's too polite to ask about the scar, but he does note it "Would you mind showing me somewhere I could start a nice fire? It's awfully chilly today." He can't wait for the chance to rest his legs, or hang up his blankets to dry so he might not have to sleep on them while they're damp and miserable.

"...So how does someone like you spend all his time in such a big place? Are you all alone?" He cant help but ask, whether he's guided somewhere or not. "It was quite the trip to get across the moat- I can't imagine any regular visitors. I guess that's what moats are for, huh?" Wormwoods really just trying to make casual conversation. The energy he gets from Link...it's strange. That lanterns glow is unlike anything he'd ever seen before- but the little hylian said he hadn't even heard of the Great Spirit. Surely if Link was- he'd be much more fearsome, right? A great hero dying in battle probably wouldn't want to idly wander around halls and make small talk with strangers like Worm.
 
Link laughed slightly, turning now to lead Wormwood down the hallway now to lead the other to his small camp, taking it slow due to the rubble on the floor as the lantern-lit the area around them enough so that they wouldn't lose their footing when Link rose it high above his head.

"Thank you, though it was a lot more beautiful back when it was still standing though." He had paused midway down the hallway, his hand touching the stone some as a wistful look crossed his face for a brief moment. "But...time hasn't been kind to her, but her people still survive."

It was an odd statement from the young Hylian who didn't look like a day over twenty, considering the castle and the hero told about in the story had been abandon for thousands of years up until that point, before Link shook his head, coming out of whatever had taken ahold of him as he turned to glance back at the other man to see how he was holding up before smiling a bit before launching in to answer the other questions asked.

"Ah, it can get lonely sometimes, but I really don't mind it, it's not the first time I've been alone for a long period of time, and I'm always discovering a new place that I haven't seen or didn't remember, so it's always a big discovery every day, and it's not so bad getting in, when I came in, I had to go through the old dungeon because of the Guardians patrolling the area and had to sneak past a stone talus and hordes of other monsters."

Once at the end of the hall, a small camp was already made up, a small hole in one of the wall provided space where smoke from a campfire could easily escape and not threaten to build-up in the crumbling hall, a bedroll and a small cooking pot were already laid as if Link already had been in the middle of preparing lunch when he heard Wormwood in the hall before turning to his new friend and smiled. "It's not much, but it's home for now."
 
Wormwood listened patiently, nodding as he imagined how grand a place like this would be in its prime. Tall walls, elegant banners, polished floors. He could almost see it. The destruction of the castle happened long before he was born, though. "Did you see it standing? Like pictures?" he asked, but he really didn't mean to pry. He couldn't imagine a hylian surviving long enough to see the castle before the calamity. At least- he'd never heard of such a thing.

Wormwood seemed elated at the sight of the camp, immediately putting his bag down to unroll his blankets and hang them near the fire. "Thank you kindly, I really appreciate this. I've been waiting weeks to try and get across. I've always wanted to explore this place- with your permission now, of course." Once he's done a little bit of unpacking, he sits down with a huff. It's slow, and awkward, making his damaged leg more obvious. "Though now with the talk of those guardians...I'm a little concerned. I barely managed to float past the ones to get here. They sure are something. Freak me out, with those long, crawly legs."
 
Link hummed a little, more as if he knew something that the other man didn't know but in turn, would just offer him a bit of a secret smile.

"Something like that."

Watching Wormwood soon make himself comfortable by the camp and had noticed the damaged leg but didn't pry, Link hung the lantern upon an old wall scone, more to keep it out of harm's way and to free up his hands as he soon lit a small fire that spread warmth in the small confined of the camp now, warming up old bones and wet clothing and the like before Link sat the pot on top of it before rummaging through his bag.

"I have no problem with you looking around, just...be careful if you go into the Sanctum. The floor in there must have given way years ago, so there isn't really much left to stand on, and the hole looks deep."

After fishing out some things to make a stew, he then lightly chuckled, it was a nervous sounding one when the other man had mentioned the Spider Guardians as a hand came up to touch the scars some. "Y-yeah, kind of look like a giant spider eh? Best just to run away from them if you can, unless you got an ancient arrow or something you can hit them with, one hit with their beams and you're gone."
 
Wormwoods eyes narrow, before a smile appears and he tilts his head away "Fine then, stranger Link. Keep your secrets." it was playful, in no way intending to be rude. "I happen to be an expert on...uh..." He thinks for a second "...Picture finding...? If there is one, I'm most certainly going to uncover it. I couldn't imagine how amazing it must've been. Any of Hyrule, really. It's beautiful now, too! You know what I mean, though. I see all these mossy ruins, all the statues that are sinking, and I can't help but wonder. My ma and me were from way up in the mountains, so I really never started seeing it all until I was on my own." He seems nostalgic as he explains himself.

"Alright- The sanctum..." Wormwood immediately pulls a notebook out of his bag, adding it to the small list of troubles he had found on his way in. The book was lowered upon further mention of the guardians, and he seemed sympathetic "You sound like you know from experience. I could only imagine how painful those blasts are. I barely managed to dodge one myself. Not much of a runner, really." Theres a pause, and Wormwood seems to fluster himself a bit upon inspecting the situation further "I'm not a Rumor Mill- I'm not trying to just gather a bunch of personal information from you and run. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." He can only store the book afterwards, taking his boots off to let them dry better near the fireplace. "Do you want any help with that?" He gestures to the pot.
 
Laughing gently, Link rubbed the scars a little once more, coming out of old memories at the mention of experience at the other end of a guardian blast. "Something like that." He said, dropping his hand now and would shake his head some when the other man had apologize for making Link uncomfortable.

"Not at all, just some bad memories were brought up, had it not been for a good friend my mine, I'm certain that I would have died." However, Link did die the first time, or at least from what he could remember from hazy memories of a long-forgotten time, but would soon smile, when the other had started to talk about his home before he had left to see the world.

"You are lucky in that regard, I've been an orphan as for as long as I can remember, or well re-remember. I took a nasty blow to the head and couldn't remember a thing, still can't on most days." He said, taking Warwood up on his offer to help with the stew, changing things around if needed if the other was unable to eat certain things.

"So...what kind of picture finding things do you look for? Like, official paintings that were done or just things people drawl and had forgotten about?"
 
Wormwood nodded when Link talked of bad memories, the remnants of his leg coming to mind. "I'm glad you didn't." Worm stated, trying to be cheerful. "There's always a way and a reason for things. Sometimes it's just not your...time." he seemed hopeful as he spoke as he spoke, clutching his knee. He clicked his tongue when Link mentioned forgetting "That must be awful. I had a friend once who had the exact same thing. Forgot everything she knew- Even how to speak for a certain time. We took care of her for years before she ever spoke a word. I'm sorry for what happened to you, friend Link."

Wormwood found himself flushing a bit at the mention of pictures "Well...I'm not really here for pictures. I just. I see this ruin from so many angles- everywhere I travel and...a man just gets curious. What's it they say, about climbing every stone that sticks out..." Wormwood scratches the scruff on his chin "If a man finds a way up, he climbs. Or something like that. I walked around the edges for about a month before deciding I would finally do it. I just...had to see. Maybe I'd find something old, some little treasure that was forgotten and left behind. Sometimes things that need love and care get left behind, and I love finding them. Even the littlest things, y'know?" He thought about the old pendant he found that he wore now with pride. He had washed it and polished with so much care that it sparkled in the dimmest candles flame now.
 
Link lightly hummed some, both to what the other man had said about it not being one's time and could identify with the whole forgetting how to speak and forgetting simple things.

"I can sympathize with that." He said, stirring the stew that was now just starting to boil slightly. "From what I do remember from before my coma, I often didn't speak due to the stress of my station. It was just easier just not to speak and shoulder burdens in silence when I woke, it was because of this." With that, he had pulled down the collar of his tunic a little, showing the thick mass of scars across his throat before letting the tunic cover it back up as he leaned back against one of the stones as he listened to the other now.

Rubbing the back of his head in slight embarrassment, he 'ahhed' a little, having gotten the wrong idea about what the other man was looking for.

"Ah, I see now, my apologies." He then smiled a little. "I'm sure that there are still things left abandoned here, after all, I'm not sure of the tales told about this old place, but one of them is that the castle was where the Calamity years ago started and where the princess and her knight made their last stand."
 

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