The Great Old Lights (Doc Genz, Eternis)

(Quest Bureau)

Dust devils twisted over the surface of the vast sand plain. With entrances to the Western Caves dotting the landscape of Southern Hyrule, finding just the right spot shouldn't have been easy. But the boy responding to the quest summons had spotted Eve leaving the town. She was in absolutely no hurry. She may have just been very used to wandering around for long periods of time.

At a second glance, it seemed she was dragging something heavy. In the harsh light of the desert sun, there was a bright golden gleam coming off of a polished metallic object in her arm. Eve dragged this delicately crafted warhammer with ease as she ambled along, with no more than a stumble here or there. Her methods were unorthodox, but with purpose all the same. In the blazing light of the sun there were fewer monsters and obstacles than there would be in the dark.

After countless other notices and quest letters sent to the bureau without any response, she was sure this time she would have to go alone. Nobody in their right mind would read a notice like that and actually do what it asked. This time was different, however. Someone spotted her steering off into the desert and wished to find out where she was going. It made no difference to her, since she was not strapped for time.

The long path stopped at a small ledge. Eve tugged at her cowl. The faded green cloth fell around her neck, letting her deep brown hair rustle out into the powerful winds. Her face was caked in the desert clay left behind by the constantly twisting sands. Her brow furrowed neatly as she peered down the ledge.

​

Five or so Aruroda scouted the cracked and scorched earth. The only way forward would be to alert one or more of them. Eve knew a fight was imminent. She hopped the ledge and slid to the ground with a thud. She dove to the left, one of the creatures noticed her right away and launched a fireball right in her direction. The fight had begun.

Eve picked herself up and dusted herself off. The dust already on her dress didn't seem to budge from the fibers. "I really need a new outfit."
She looked 'round at the adolescent, then watched his movements. This is the guy, she thought. The two Aruroda he mentioned began to crawl toward her, confidently.
"You're actually exactly what I needed, boy. Mind coming with me to the caves? By your fashion sense I can sense that you're familiar with them."

A sound resembling the cry of a hungry hawk resounded over the flats. It was her, the Kokiri. With her hammer lifted high above her head, she screamed as two piercing eyes from under her shaggy bangs gleamed. Using the split seconds of fear she bought, then struck one of the creatures. The tough but flexible chitin of the monster was not enough to stop the blunt metal from cracking it. The second monster approached hungrily.

Before she could turn around, it leapt and sunk a stinger into her flesh. From the looks of things, the girl had done this a million times before. She sighed heavily and turned around to flatten the second one.
"I'm coming. . . just hold on there."
She broke into a run, dropping her weapon. She gritted her teeth and tackled the monster with Holle still on it. She clasped both hands around its tail as if to choke a small animal. It was faint and brief, but a black flame appeared as she crushed the tail between her hands.
"My name is Eve. Just by the way."

"Glad you asked, actually. I did get a hint to which entrance to take. But we're taking a short detour first." the girl vaguely motioned in a commanding tone. "I hope you don't mind."
She strode over and retrieved her weapon casually. Either she was taking a moment to think or wasn't aware of the awkward pause. A glint of gold shimmered from through her gloves. Of course, they were power bracelets. With the power boost, such a clumsy weapon could be carried with ease. Is that why she didn't put her weaponry away?
"Oh, I got distracted. First, we're actually going to sort things out with some of the refugees. They should recognize us as friendly. It's said that if you help a person in dire need, their gratitude can crystallize into a potent and valuable material. We can do this any way we want and it shouldn't take very long. If the rumors are right on the mark, the artifact I'm looking for can only be restored by bringing fresh gratitude crystals to it."
She seemed to have planned this very carefully. All of her pausing however, was not very convincing of her confidence. A stroke of the chin or a slight roll of the eyes showed that even she wasn't sure what was going on. What she was saying made sense though. If a treasure made of gratitude was left alone that long, it would probably need some rekindling.
"I was going to go to a special meeting place to meet my partner but you're already here so we can skip that. Trust me, this is going to be way simple. Tee-hee!"
She reached back for Holle's hand and grabbed tightly as if to pull him into a bustling festival.

With the sun still high in the air, the path began to lead into the mountains. Before even a single cave entrance could be seen, a battalion of Hylian Guards stood before a thin and rugged path. They were all tightly packed together, always on edge in case of a monster attack. Even the slightest hint of a monster could set them into attack mode.

"I'm not that good at talking, how about you address them to let us by. I'm originally not from here so I don't know the routine." Eve winced and motioned for Holle to go in front of her.

"Great work, mister. You really are a natural at this." Eve scratched the back of her head. With one last smirk she finally dropped the act and quit squinting her eyes. Such a hearty conversation made her forget about the quest. When they made it halfway up the thinning path cleft from massive stones, Eve regained her composure.
"The settlement is this way, as you already know. We'll need to be on the lookout for any outstanding problems the villagers have. If they don't we'll just have to make one." she explained lightly.
She seemed pretty intent on helping people, though she mumbled something inaudible at the end. The two strolled down the crevice, to the beginning of the caves. Eve reached into her cowl and pulled out a glowing orb. It was a tiny shimmering person, a fairy. The fairy glowed brightly in a deep color that unmistakably was the same color as cooked bologna.
"I still need you to be in charge, mister. This cave system leads to the settlements that are out of Ganon's field of vision. As such, a non-Hylian like myself can't easily find the entrance either. My fairy should brighten things up a bit. Her name is Alicia- Alice? Lucy? What was your name again. . .?"
". . ." the fairy didn't respond at all. Alice flew around crookedly like a confused moth.
"Oh, dear. They get so difficult when they age. Tee-hee!"

"Well that sure makes this trip easier! I was just gonna scare someone's pet away so you could rescue it or something like that. The legend of Gratitude Crystals states even something like that can invoke a grateful Hylian to crystallize. You're telling me these poor villagers practically make their own problems?"
Eve was still somewhat surprised, despite knowing full well how mad seclusion can drive a person. The light of her fairy led them down the tunnel, to the little nook. Eve extended her arm to stop Holle for a moment.
"Now remember, we want as much Gratitude as possible. So lay the acting on really thick, make it real dramatic. Watch this."

Elizabeth sat coldly next to her hearth. In the fireplace stood a wooden carving that looked just like a fire, even painted like one. There was no easy way to get a chimney that deep into the rock. Eve slowly pushed open the creaky wooden door and whimpered. In her arms, a pile of spools.
"W-when we heard about your spools. . ." Eve began, stifling as a tear dripped down her face. ". . . we just couldn't help but feel terrible. A lonely and fair miss like yourself, all without her favorite hobby during refuge. We scoured the entire cave system, told the thief what a miserable fiend he is and gave him what for. The heroic Holle roughed him up a bit before we brought him to justice. Here are your spools, Ma'am."

Goodwife Elizabeth was at a loss for words. "M-my thread." she paused, holding back tears. "You're the one responsible for all these threads? My savior!" she snatched a few spools to be sure. Once she knew they were surely her own spools, a bright light appeared above her head as she wept in joy. A wicked smile grew on Eve's face in the darkness. The Gratitude overflowed and crystallized above the woman's head into a plump and spiky candy-like shape. Eve snatched it up and stuffed it into her cowl.
"Oh my, Holle, how can I ever repay you? One day you will be a local hero and will earn the village treasure! That pouch that makes everything small and light. . . My dear boy, my angel!"
"You heard the fair miss, you'll be a Local Hero in no time at all!" Eve nudged and winked at the rising star.
She grabbed his hand once more so that they could move on to the next delusional refugee.

So he's a trickster. . . Eve wondered to herself. She was usually good at picking between the goodie two-shoes and the pick-a-pockets. When dealing with the Quest Bureau it's usually naturally one or the other.
"Like with fruits or pine cones." she accidentally said aloud.
Those bad pine cones. Always causing trouble. But Holle seemed to mean well. After all, they really could have scared a pet away instead of doing the right thing by giving the old madam her spools back. Were there any pets in the cave settlement? Eve resolved to stay aware in case anyone they met next had a pet roach or Rope.

John noticed the knock at the door. He shuffled over and slipped down the peep-hole cover.
"Watch your steps on the way in y' wee rugrats. My pet Rope, Darleen. She's a bit feisty." he blabbered deliriously.
"I knew it!" Eve remarked.
The two adventurers exploded into the room. The fairy light magnified the surroundings between the candle glow. The suspenseful gloom of the darkness was a constant reminder that it really was dangerous to go alone. They forced their way into the back as Mr. Barrow began to worry.
"What in the Sahasrahla do you bludgers need?!" the old man barked.
"We're conducting an investigation, you old dunderhead. You see, we suspect that Darleen has been hiding your lumber. You've been trusting this horrible creature this whole time when she's been embezzling your only valuables right under your nose!" Eve began, trying to sound as official as possible. The little girl voice did not help.

Eve flew off the handle immediately. A glittering golden fire ignited in her eyes as she violently kicked the flour bags to the side of the room.
"RIGHT UNDER YOUR NOOOOOOOOSE!"
Flour exploded everywhere, covering every surface of the small room as if to antique it. Behind the bags lay the pile of stones, just as Holle mentioned. Eve let out a blood-curdling scream and dropped her hammer right onto Darleen, sending little demon-snake bits all over the room. The walls looked like a fancy pie.
"THIS HORRIBLE MONSTER WILL PAAAAAAAAAAY!" she bellowed as she mashed little bits of Rope finely into the stone floor.

"You've saved me!" John Barrow delighted. "She's been eating all my food for the past five months."
"That's not important. What's important is that your logs are safe and your home can be warm again." Eve patted his shoulder with pieces of Darleen sliding off her face.

The warm smile on John Barrow's face grew ten times larger that day. A sparkling Gratitude Crystal, while not very large, fell gently into Eve's hand from John's balding scalp.
"Why, they should make you Town Hero, Holle. Figuring out the mystery like that. . . I'll be."
With two crystals safe in her cowl, Eve led Holle out quickly. She knew what crazy was, but that man was something else. The next home awaited their influence as they hurried down the tunnel.
"C'mon boy we need to go. . . skin Rachel for Dave or whatever we were doing next."

The situation was looking frightful. If the entire settlement found out Holle was pulling the wool over their eyes with sleights of hand, he would never be named a Local Hero. I can't let that happen! Eve thought quickly, brewing up a counter-plan.

As Holle turned to run, Eve crept by. She turned to face the teenaged girl! While not very large, all Eve had to do to stop her was hold out her arm as the larger girl went to sprint.
"Oof!"
Stopped in her tracks, Eve began to glare into her eyes.
"Idiot kid, stop that! What are you doing in my way!"
The fury of the Old Gods converged into her eyes. Lights from beyond the mortal plane flashed in Eve's gaze. This was her ability! The previously furious teenager became paralyzed with fear! Her will was weak, it was the will of a complacent Hylian. The light itself arraigned her eyes, the eyes of a girl who was rarely exposed to bright lights.
"Don't you speak a word against Holle. . . ever again!"
With a strike from the long handle of her hammer, she had the girl knocked out.
"Don't worry I have a plan." Eve assured Holle, dragging the limp Hylian down the corridor.
She slid the person down the tunnel to get face-to-face with Holle. He needed to know her plan immediately.
"Listen up, I know how to fix this. But I need your help. We need either one of those stuffed animals or a costume from one of the residents. We're going to dress this girl up as a monster. These delusional refugees won't know the difference. When you point out the monster to the villagers and the guards, they'll tear her apart and you'll be a Local Hero for sure!"

Words like "nuts" and "evil" fluttered over Eve's head. Did he even read the summons? Honestly. The girl thought to herself. But he had a very good point. If they killed a person, this would all come back to haunt them really quickly. Eve needed Holle, or the way deeper into the caves would never be found.
"You're right, I got carried away! If we bring her to the doctor she won't have time to go around giving people the wrong ideas. But maybe it's about time I told you why I'm here."

Eve was a scoundrel, a fiend, and a psychotic killer. But she still wouldn't lie to people, that would be dishonest and cowardly. It was time to tell him her story.
"It started a long time ago! Wooo~ooo~!" Eve began to wave her hands as if to create atmosphere. "I was once captured by a group of bandits and forced to defend their territory. . . or something. Actually that may have happened twice. Anyway the point is, some things happened. I think one of my houses burned down once? I can barely remember anything that happened to me or even my motives." She kept babbling sarcastically about some dark past as she dragged the unconscious teen down the tunnel.
"What I'm trying to say is. . . I'm not a very good person. But what we have here is special. I'm gonna clear your name, you get the town treasure. . . hold on I have the rest written down somewhere."
She reached into her dress and pulled out a long parchment. Bringing her fairy to light the paper, she showed what was written to Holle.

"It's a bit hammy, I know. It's hammier than a Windfall pig. But if those monsters awaken before we can fight them, it'll cause a national catastrophe! Probably." Eve twiddled her finger while her other arm still pulled the person. "Even shadow magic won't stand up to them, because they're already monsters from the other realm. I know there's like, at least twenty shadow-based adventures who would try to fight them. I go to the Quest Bureau and just watch people walk by sometimes it's fun you should try it with me one day. But these enemies are clever. They will use any biological or intellectual method they can in order for them leave the deeper caves and wipe out all of these very poor and downtrodden people! According to the notes I found about them, they are due to awaken any day now. They'll use the Lights of the Great Old Ones and exploit them to undermine society as we know it."
Eve took a gasp after explaining nearly everything very poorly. She was still sliding the girl deeper into the settlement, sure that it was the right direction. Eve almost bumped into the stone walls several times, more often striking herself or losing her balance. Knowing that Rachel was a sore subject already, she made sure to keep her from danger.

"Now let's bring this friend of yours to the beds, we have a lot to plan. Are you still with me?" The girl offered, holding out her free hand.

"F-fine. No more hammer whacks!" Eve responded childishly.
"I might've been a tidbit inefficient. But the part with the logs and the Rope? I killed two birds with one stone back there."

Eve shook hands with Rachel. The warm smile she gave was unlike anything she had seen in decades. Eve did what Holle had asked, and gently extended her arm to release Alice forward. Eve wondered if there was maybe more to this "gratitude" thing than she had ever before noticed. A warm thought occurred to her, and then abruptly disappeared amongst a wave of shrill screams and poison. Everything she had done up until now was for this very moment, to find the answers behind the mysteries and to solve the puzzles without the use of a large hammer. She may have left it back in the tunnels, actually. Time was running thin, they needed to make a plan.
"I'm glad you grabbed Leslie like that, I would have done the same thing." she pointed out briefly before returning to the topic at hand. "We really don't have much time though. We need to map out the cave so we can find the entrance to the place I'm looking for. After that we need to have a plan for those monsters. That thing you do with the fire? We're probably going to need that. Let's patch up Rachel and have some tea over the map, I brought plenty of cheap parchments rolled up in my belt. I like a Dark Earl with a little sugar, but no cream or milk. If my tea isn't right I'll twist a rag over it."

Eve was obviously the worst at making plans. But with her in charge of the situation, there wasn't much else to go on. Besides, the men in the pillar could wake up any moment now. With them defeated, the entire settlement would have to thank Holle and give him the pouch. The most valuable thing they have at the moment. . . is a pouch. Eve contemplated the strong foes ahead, and what it would really mean to defeat them.

"Well. Not everything is nailed down, Holle. You made a right and good example of that just by bringing me here. Don't fret over it though, you haven't even touched your tea. Drink up now we're going to be down there for a while."
Eve began to sweat. Usually her outings were a load less conversation-heavy. She felt like she had not needed to speak in months. Had it been a more stressful day, she would have responded to the two implying she could be a burglar by laughing awkwardly. Her line of work was more head-to-head combat based, spoils were never taken silently or from under the noses of sleeping individuals. But with her age she knew the man before her would not take kindly to his sneaky hobbies being descended upon. Besides, he said he was over it and they had even made an effort to un-sneak the sneakings.
"Rachel, my dear. We have made an effort today to un-sneak the sneakings. The map is not to be taken lightly, and if you want I can burn it myself. Un-sneak. . . sneakings. . . I think my grammar is off today."
With Rachel satisfied (or at least distracted,) they brought their focus back to the plans. This sort of map was exactly what was in mind when Eve had brought the papers. If she could skip the settlement and get straight to an accurate summation of the depths, then it would be simple. After all, what they were looking for were any possible hidden passages deep in the structure. Broadly speaking, what they were looking for could even be a large and gorgeous entrance too difficult for Hylians to open. All she needed was the full map to eliminate any doubt.

. . .

Hours passed, and they managed to narrow down several possible entrances. But the ultimate goal was yet to be completed.
"It's going to be hard, Holle. These enemies don't have many weaknesses. They're massive giants with humanoid bodies. Their only known weakness is bright lights, oldest reports even say their flesh can heal wounds unless. . . unless we can conduct a light or fire of some sort into their wounds. They were defeated once, and we can defeat them again. I can counter their hypnotic gaze but I need to depend on you. If we fight them and lose, the whole colony is at stake."
She paused, unsure of herself. The whole plan was pretty insane. But if it hadn't been for her soul-searching and paranormal research, not only would they not be doing this, but the monsters would probably have escaped. With Ganon blamed for the massacre, they would have gotten away with it completely. Settlements always took risk of invasion, and it was certainly always Ganon's fault.
"We need to hurry. We'll just have to check every spot that is suspect. Do anything you need to do first, and we'll go."