#wild shooting the lizalfos between the eyes: just like shootin womp rats eh kid?

[jinxedruby]

Ambush at the Bridge: Chapter Two

In which Wild has a bad time. (Heads up for violence and blood in this chapter.)

AO3

First part | Next part ->

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Wild breathed silently through his mouth, first two fingertips rested lightly against the bowstring. Four monsters lumbered past beneath him, unaware of his presence. He leaned forward slightly, the bark of the thick branch he sat on digging into his legs. He took a breath and drew the bow back, arrowhead following the lizalfos in the back of the group. He held his breath as he aimed, keeping his arms steady. He pulled his fingers back and the arrow flew, burying into the lizalfos’s skull. Before its body hit the ground, Wild nocked and let loose a second arrow, killing the next lizalfos. The remaining two whipped around, searching for their assailant. Wild put an arrow through the third lizalfos before the fourth finally spotted him. It screeched and dashed toward the tree, zig-zagging and making it harder for Wild to hit it. It stopped in place for a moment, readying to spit water at the hero. A moment was all he needed to steady his aim and hit the monster right between the eyes.

Wild exhaled as the monster fell, slumping back against the tree trunk. He shook the cramp out of his hand from holding the bow and looked around. Still no sign of the others. He had gotten separated almost as soon as the monsters ambushed them at the bridge. In hindsight, bouncing off the top of a bokoblin’s head with his shield to try and flank the monsters may not have been the best idea. In his defense, he didn’t know that bokoblins’ heads were like trampolines and would send him hurtling into the nearby woods. At least his display had led several of the monsters after him and away from the others. He’d managed to pick off quite a few from his position in the trees.

The sound of clashing metal grabbed his attention. He stood up, nimbly moving from branch to branch, trying to see where the sound came from. A flash of color moved in the distance. Wild headed toward it, hopping quietly to a different tree. He skirted around the trunk, holding a branch over his head for support. Swords clanged again and Four stumbled into view. The little hero leapt to the side, breathing hard as a massive spear whistled through the air where he’d been moments earlier. Wild scurried forward along the branch, trying to get a view of the monster Four was fighting. Four whipped his sword up just in time to block another blow, redirecting the spearhead to the ground beside him. Wild’s eyes widened at the size of the weapon as it was yanked back out of the dirt, clumps of grass uprooting from the motion. The spearhead alone was at least double Four’s height, if not more.

Four darted out of Wild’s view and Wild jumped to a nearby tree. Four had shifted so the monster was between him and Wild. Wild caught a flash of pink flesh and heard a low growl. He could just see the monster’s brown boots and most of the beast’s legs. But no matter where he moved in the tree, he couldn’t see the monster’s head. He glanced frantically at the ground. Probably too far to jump without hurting himself. He could use his paraglider but he needed his hands free to use his bow. He heard a loud thwack followed by a strangled shout from Four. Wild gritted his teeth. He fell into a crouch, hooked his legs around the branch and fell backwards. Hanging upside down from his knees around the branch, he got a full view of the fattest, ugliest moblin he’d ever seen. It was at least twice Time’s height and it absolutely dwarfed Four. Four, who lay flat on his back, blood streaming from his nose and looking dazedly up at the moblin as it raised its spear over its head. Wild yanked an arrow out of his quiver, nocked, and fired it in less than a second. The arrow slammed into the back of the moblin’s neck, sinking deep into its skin. But the monster didn’t fall. It slowly turned around, blue eyes fixing on Wild with a hunger he really didn’t like.

He fired another arrow but the creature brought up its shield, the arrow pinging harmlessly off of the metal. With a roar, the moblin charged, spear lowered and poised to skewer Wild. He grunted as he curled upwards, pulling himself out of the way just in time. He drew his bow as the monster rushed by, shooting its neck again. The moblin stumbled but didn’t fall. It turned, reaching up, fingers stretching for Wild. He darted out of the way, preparing to fire again. Then the moblin grabbed the branch he stood on and pulled, snapping it off the tree like a twig. Wild gasped as he plummeted, the ground quickly rising to meet him. But he still had his arrow ready. He drew back the string and it was as if time slowed. He fired an arrow into the moblin’s face, then another, and another, and another until the monster’s head resembled a pincushion. The ground abruptly met Wild’s back, pain flaring in his ribs. He bit his lip against the pain and drew another arrow, aiming up at the monster. It swayed in place for a moment, black blood dripping from the numerous arrow wounds. Then, with a groan like a falling tree, it tipped over backwards, crashing to the ground. Wild let out a breath, flopping onto his back. His whole body ached from the fall and his arm burned from firing so many arrows in quick succession.

“Cook!”

Wild rolled onto his side, looking up to see Four hurrying toward him, lips and chin coated with blood from his nose. Despite that, the little smith grinned widely as he approached, hand outstretched.

“That was something else!” he said as he helped Wild to his feet, voice sounding congested. “How many arrows was that? Ten? In two seconds?”

Wild half-grinned as he carefully got to his feet, prodding at his chest to make sure nothing was broken. “I guess adrenaline will do that to you.”

Four shook his head, laughing. “No way that was all adrenaline. Thanks for the save.”

“Anytime,” Wild responded. He glanced at Four’s bleeding nose. “Looks like you took quite the hit.”

Four gingerly touched his nose, wincing slightly. “Nothing a fairy can’t fix,” he said. “I don’t suppose you have any?”

Wild shook his head and Four sighed, wiping some of the blood away with his hand. “Well, we should find the others, anyway. Have you seen anyone?”

“No, not since the monsters attacked.”

“Great, neither have I.” Four sighed again, frowning as he tried to clean the blood from his hand. He turned and peered through some trees. “I think the bridge is back that way. Maybe some of us are still there.”

Wild nodded and he and Four set off in the direction Four indicated. They walked for a while, chatting idly as they passed by old trees and ferns that cluttered the forest floor. In the absence of monster noises and sounds of battle, everything seemed still and quiet. It was almost peaceful. Wild slowed, frowning as a strange feeling settled in his gut. Four paused, looking back at him.

“Cook?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”

Wild thought for a moment, looking around them. “It’s quiet,” he eventually said.

“Okay?”

“No, it’s just…” Wild pursed his lips, trying to place a finger on the unsettling feeling stirring in his chest. “There should be more sound. Animals, birds, leaves, but it’s…”

“Quiet,” Four finished, seeming to catch onto the strange air.

Leaves crunched.

Wild and Four whipped around, weapons drawn. They moved closer to each other on instinct, glancing into the trees where the sound had come from. Another crunch of leaves, a soft thud of a footstep. Wild narrowed his eyes, trying to make out any movement in the shade of the woods. More footsteps. A figure emerged from the shadows. Wild’s shoulders stiffened, grip tightening on his sword. Then he saw the dark green tunic and the gray fur wrapped around the figure’s shoulders. Wild sighed, letting the tip of his sword drop to the ground.

“It’s just you,” he breathed as Twilight stepped fully into the open. Twilight met his gaze, lips quirking upward. He walked towards them, brushing a stray leaf from his shoulder.

“Do you have a fairy? Our smith is…” Wild trailed off as he glanced at Four. Four stared at Twilight with wide eyes, sword still raised, knuckles white around the hilt.

“What’s wrong?” Wild asked. “It’s… it’s just the rancher.”

Four glanced at Wild out of the corner of his eye. “I don’t… I don’t kn-“

Silver flashed in Wild’s peripheral. He lunged to one side and Four dove to the other as a sword sliced the air between them. Twilight tsked, straightening up and turning to Wild with a cold gaze. Wild stiffened, eyes wide. Twilight lunged for him, sword gripped in both hands. Wild ducked under a swing and jumped back, fumbling to unhook the shield on his back. He barely managed to get the shield out in front of him before Twilight was on him again, attacking with all his might. His sword connected with Wild’s shield with a resounding crack, sending shockwaves through Wild’s arm. He stumbled back, gasping. Twilight gave him no time to recover, thrusting the sword toward Wild’s chest. Wild swung his shield out, parrying Twilight’s strike and throwing the rancher off balance.

“What are you doing?!” Wild cried in the brief moment it took Twilight to recover. Twilight didn’t answer. He planted a foot and darted around Wild, slashing at his side. Wild danced out of the way, the tip of the blade scraping his tunic. A shout from the side distracted Twilight from his next attack. He whipped around just in time to block Four’s strike, their swords crashing into each other. Twilight shoved against Four with his sword, pushing the smaller hero back. Four recovered quickly, staying low as he dodged Twilight’s attacks, searching for an opening. Wild watched in horror as his mentor and friend fought. Twilight spun and Four couldn’t dodge quite fast enough, blade grazing his arm. He clenched his teeth, ducking and diving forward. He swung his blade around, catching Twilight in the leg. Twilight hissed as blood soaked into his trousers, stumbling back. That snapped Wild out of his stupor enough to find his voice.

“W-wait!” he called to Four, running towards the two. “Don’t hurt him! I think he’s corrupted!”

“No, he’s not!” Four yelled, jumping out of the way of a heavy blow. “It’s not him!” He yanked out his boomerang, hurling it at Twilight. Twilight dodged it easily, forcing Four to duck as he swung again. The boomerang returned and clocked him in the back of the head. He stumbled forward with a grunt. Four darted around him, retrieving his boomerang and slicing Twilight at the same time. Twilight twisted his sword over the back of his head, blocking Four’s attack from behind. He spun out of the block, swinging in a vicious arc that Four barely managed to dodge. Four backpedaled so he was beside Wild, breathing hard.

“How do you know he’s not-“

“Look at his blood,” Four interrupted Wild, gesturing with his sword to Twilight’s wounded leg. The fluid soaking into his pant leg was a deep color, almost black. No, Wild realized, eyes widening. It is black.

“Infected?” Wild suggested. “Like the monsters?”

Four didn’t have time to respond as Twilight dashed toward them again. He aimed for Four, bringing his sword down at his head. Four jumped back, returning the attack with one of his own before Twilight forced him away again with another swing. Wild forced himself to shake off his shock, unsheathing his own sword and rushing at Twilight. Should he just hit him with the flat of his blade? Knock him back to his senses? He aimed to do just that, turning the sword in his hand and swinging the flat at Twilight’s head while he was distracted with Four. Then Twilight’s head turned, eyeing Wild over his shoulder. He leaned over, simultaneously dodging Wild’s attack and sending a kick into the champion’s stomach. The kick knocked the air out of Wild’s lungs and he stumbled back, gasping for breath. He heard Four grunt and looked up to see him locking blades with Twilight, the taller hero pressing down on Four with all his strength. Four’s arms shook badly, face scrunched up in effort as his back arched from the force above him. Wild dashed forward, swinging at Twilight’s head again. Twilight saw him coming, shoved Four away and dodged to the side. The tip of Wild’s sword nicked Twilight’s face, slicing into his cheek. Wild gasped, recoiling. He wasn’t trying to hurt him. He hadn’t meant to cut him.

“Champion!” Four shouted, as if sensing Wild’s inner turmoil. “It’s not him! It’s a shadow!”

Wild glanced at him. “W-what?”

“A shadow. A shapeshifter,” Four said quickly. “Looks like him but it’s not. Not even his body. We can hurt it.”

“How do you-“

“You��re just going to have to trust me!”

Twilight paused before them, glancing between them as if contemplating something. Wild studied him, watching as black blood oozed from the cut in his cheek, dripping down the side of his face. He held his sword in both hands, neglecting the shield on his back. Wild had never seen Twilight fight two-handed. Now that he really looked, even the way Twilight stood seemed wrong. He leaned his weight onto one foot, almost casual in his stance. He kept his shoulders rolled back, not hunched in the battle stance Wild was used to.

“Okay,” Wild finally said. “It’s not him.”

It was as if that was some kind of trigger. Twilight laughed, a cold, broken sound with more than one layer in the voice. Blackness crept from the edges of his eyes, blotting out the white and filling around the irises. Then his irises turned from blue to red. He launched forward. Wild had almost no time to react before the shadow was upon them, Wild and Four scrambling to move. Shadow Twilight’s sword whistled through the air, grazing Four’s shoulder and nicking Wild’s collar in the same swing. They both jumped away as the shadow bore down on them with blinding speed. Wild blocked one blow with his sword, Four going in for an attack while Shadow Twilight was occupied. But he swept a leg out, knocking Wild off his feet and freeing his sword to spin around at Four. He forced Four to dodge, the smith unable to get close enough to attack. His sword streaked through the air, meeting Four’s blade and knocking the little hero off balance. Shadow Twilight attacked again, and again, and again, hitting Four’s sword so hard that it caused his arms to buckle.

An arrow buried itself in Shadow Twilight’s shoulder. He grunted, stumbling and throwing a glance behind him at Wild as the champion prepared to fire another arrow. The shadow was forced away from Four who nearly fell to his knees, panting. Wild let loose arrow after arrow and the shadow dodged all of them, moving with impossible speed. Wild growled in frustration as he struggled to land a single hit. He reached back to his quiver for another arrow. His fingers hit empty air. The shadow smirked and darted toward him. Wild backpedaled, quickly swapping his bow for his shield, unable to grab his sword fast enough. He brought up his shield as Shadow Twilight reached him, bracing for the hit. But the shadow rolled to the side. Wild whipped around. He wasn’t fast enough. Pain lit in his back as the blade carved through his flesh, the shadow springing out of the roll and spinning. Wild cried out and stumbled forward, the deep cut burning. The shadow gave him no time to breathe, rushing him and attacking again. Wild held up his shield as Shadow Twilight whipped his sword around. The blade cracked against the shield, splitting it in half. The blow knocked Wild flat on his back, yelping as his wound hit the ground. Shadow Twilight appeared above him, sword raised as Wild scrabbled for his own weapon. At the same time, he heard hurried footsteps as Four sprinted over to them. Shadow Twilight drove his sword through Wild’s shoulder, pinning him to the ground.

Wild’s mind blanked. The shadow moved to yank the sword out but Four got there first. With a cry, the smith attacked, slashing wildly with his sword and forcing Shadow Twilight away from Wild. The shadow dodged everything Four threw at him. Wild turned his head to watch them, feeling strangely disconnected from the situation. His shoulder felt hot, really hot, so much so that it almost felt cold. He watched through a sort of fog as Four struggled to land a single blow on the shadow. He paused for a moment. Wild thought it was to catch his breath but then the smith raised his sword high. There was a flash of light and suddenly there were three additional smiths. They all charged forward, attacking Shadow Twilight from different angles, much more successfully than before. Their swords sliced into the shadow as he was penned in from all sides with nowhere to dodge to. At that point, Wild figured he must be hallucinating. He tried to sit up and that’s when the pain finally registered in his mind. A fire lit in the space between his shoulder and chest where the sword was embedded. Waves of boiling pain burst through his arm and torso. A scream tore itself from his throat, tears springing to his eyes. He raised his free hand to the sword but even just touching it caused the pain to increase tenfold. He barely registered a yell to his right. He rolled his head to the side to see the Four in a purple tunic had stabbed his sword through Shadow Twilight’s chest. The shadow looked down at the sword, swaying in place. He lifted his head and locked eyes with Wild. A grin twisted onto his face.

Then he melted.

His entire body turned black and dissolved into a pool on the ground, dripping off of the purple Four’s sword. The purple Four grimaced, flicking the fluid from his sword and backing away. The black puddle soaked into the ground and disappeared like it was never there in the first place. After a moment, all four smiths raised their swords. There was another flash of light and there stood only one smith again. He turned toward Wild. All the color drained from his face. He sprinted over, falling to his knees beside him. Wild didn’t even realize the sword in him had melted as well until Four pressed his hands against the wound. Lucidity slammed back into Wild as a fresh wave of pain seared through the wound. He yelped, grabbing Four’s wrist and trying to push him away.

“-ry, I’m sorry!” Four was saying, though Wild wasn’t sure why he didn’t hear all of it. Four’s voice was muffled, Wild’s heart thumping uncomfortably in his chest. “I have to stop the bleeding, I’m-“

All at once, Wild felt like he was going to throw up. He groaned, shutting his eyes and pressing his head back against the ground. His torso moved weirdly from side to side and- oh, Four was shaking him, wasn’t he? The smith said something but Wild couldn’t hear past the cotton in his ears. His neck felt wet, tickling as something trailed along his collarbone and pooled in the base of his throat.

“-elp! Capta-“ Wild caught a little bit of Four’s voice. Another pair of hands pressed against his wound and all he could do was whimper at the burning pain. Someone pushed his bangs out of his face. He opened his eyes to see who it was – at least, he thought he did – but the majority of his vision was overtaken by blackness, leaving only a fuzzy pinprick of light in the center. He registered silver and gold gleaming overhead, a shock of blue and green somewhere in his left peripheral. The hand remained resting against his forehead.

“Stay- me, Ch- c’mo-“ A deeper voice reached through the cotton. Wild felt tired and panicky at the same time, heart fluttering as his vision flickered. His head spun, stomach twisting and begging for him to vomit. The darkness grabbed hold and dragged him down.

#linked universe #linked universe fic #linked universe fanfic #lu wild #lu four #whump #ruby writes #wild shooting the lizalfos between the eyes: just like shootin womp rats eh kid? #literally no one is going to get that very specific reference #time to put it in anyway!