Heart of The Gerudo Pt. 2

Part 2

Heart of The Gerudo: Twilight Infiltration

Written by SilkenScribe

Original Story inspired by the Gerudo Link works of HeartGear

It was relaxing, almost truly peaceful sitting there beneath the palm trees. Watching the comings and goings of the citizens of the Gerudo city. It made more and more sense why he'd not been let in as he watched. Not a single male came or went from the city. They really were an all-women society. Something he was surprised he didn't know. Then again, his knowledge outside his little slice of Hyrule was fairly limited. He would admit his naivety.

As the day rolled on, he found his throat dry. Found himself envious as the two guardswomen at the nearby gate drank from waterskins. He knew they weren't doing it to spite him, but after refusing his entry and simply watching as he dried up atop the burning sand, it kind of felt like they were.

Eventually, though, the sun began to set on the horizon. Sinking slowly as its cotton candy rays playing across the clouds darkened and made way for the star-filled night. Avery cast his gaze upwards. He could only smile. Truly they were such insignificant specs in the universe. All his problems seemed so small when he considered just how vast the world truly was.

But that didn't mean he could simply forget himself. Already he could feel the tendrils of fever creeping out from his wounded arm. Could feel that slight nausea and dizziness beginning to build. The desert had sucked just about every drop of water it could out of him as he baked in the sun the last few days.

He looked down the road leading away from the front gates of the city. Even in the dark, he could not see the glow of the 'bazaar' they'd told him to go to. His decision to rest through the day seemed a smart one now. But it also cemented the fact that he wasn't going to make it far. Not without provisions of some sort. He had nothing to trade, nor could he enter the city through the gates.

So that left one alternative.

All day he'd watched their coming and going. Had traced the layout of their walls, the guard towers and even details down to the few bricks that had wiggled loose in their walls over the years. There was one particular section along their eastern wall where a dozen of these bricks had wiggled out enough that they could potentially be climbable. They were laid out in such a way that it was like the city was begging someone to sneak in.

~Too good to be true?~

Maybe. But his dry throat and injuries demanded he at least try. He had no interest in ending up another skeleton amongst the grains of sand. Or worse.

So as the night came into full swing, he waited. Watching the guards walk their rotations along the tops of the walls until the moment came when this stretch of wall was lost to darkness. With a pained grunt, he pushed himself to his feet and hurried to the wall, thankful that the sand did well to dampen his footsteps, it wasn't so far to get to the ladder of bricks sticking out of the wall.

However, as he stood there at the bottom, looking up at the easily fifteen-foot wall the task felt significantly more monumental. He had to make a fifteen-foot climb, on bricks offering no more than 2 inches of ledge to hold onto, with only one arm.

It was certainly no small task. Heck, he didn't even know if he had the energy to make the climb. But it was this, or die of thirst before he ever made it out of the damn desert. So after dropping his leather pack at his feet and adjusting the makeshift sling his arm was in he got to work on the task at hand.

"It's ok Avery. It's only fifteen feet straight up. You've got this. You've faced worse odds than this." He whispered, psyching himself up as best he could. For confidence was NOT something he had in spades. No, all he had in spades was his kind heart buried beneath a sea of misfortune and willingness to trust others at their word.

The first few steps went easily enough. It was a matter of getting his feet in place and then very quickly grabbing for the next brick with his good arm. Heck, he even made it up a quarter of the way on his first try before his grab at the next brick missed and he found himself tumbling down onto the sand with a slight wheeze escaping his lips as the air was driven from his lungs.

Undeterred though, Avery gritted his teeth and shook off the fall. He felt pain shooting through his injured arm already. His feet ached and his fingertips were numb. But he couldn't afford to dwell on it. With a renewed and perhaps bullheaded determination, he assessed the situation. He needed some sort of strategy if he was going to conquer this wall.

As he studied the wall, He noted that several of the bricks protruded out slightly more than the others, offering a more secure grip. Now that was something he might be able to make use of. So he adjusted his approach and moved to the wall yet again.

This time around, instead of relying so heavily on arm strength, he began to use his legs more, leveraging them on the right spots to push himself upwards while conserving the energy in his arm. Each movement was deliberate and considered as he found his rhythm and slowly but surely progressed upwards toward the top of the wall. He found himself glad for the darkness which enveloped his form like a protective cloak.

Minutes felt like hours as he inched his way higher and higher. His muscles screamed in protest with every movement but being this high up he knew if he fell he probably wouldn't be getting back up. The urgency of this mission boiled in his gut like fuel on the fire.

So finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he reached the top. His arm trembled as it reached over the lip and with every inch of strength he could muster he pulled himself up and over, landing in a heap on the guard's walkway atop the sandstone wall. He sat there for a long moment, panting and trying to catch his breath as it came in ragged gasps. He knew he couldn't remain for long. He'd only just heard the guards pass by as he was nearing the lip.

As Avery's breathing steadied, a sudden clang echoed through the night air. His heart skipped a beat as he realized the guards had heard the noise. Panic surged through him, sending adrenaline coursing through his veins. Without a moment to spare, he scrambled to his feet, his eyes darting frantically in search of cover.

But it was too late. The harsh glare of torchlight illuminated the wall, casting long shadows that danced menacingly across the sandstone surface. In the flickering light, Avery caught sight of the guards converging on his position, their voices rising in alarm.

With a surge of desperation, Avery turned to flee, his feet slipping on the uneven surface of the wall. He stumbled, teetering dangerously close to the edge before regaining his balance. But it was a fleeting reprieve.

As the guards closed in, Avery's foot caught on a loose brick, sending him sprawling. His heart lurched as he felt himself hurtling toward the city below, the wind whistling past his ears in a deafening crescendo.

As he plummeted through the darkness, his heart pounding in his chest, he braced himself for the inevitable impact of the unforgiving ground below. Yet, just as he prepared for the worst, fate intervened in a surprising turn of events.

As he fell, his descent was broken by a series of canvas awnings that stretched between the buildings lining the streets below and the wall he'd just tumbled off of. With a series of sharp snaps, the fabric billowed outwards, catching Avery like a net and slowing his fall enough so that when he landed in a heap against the surprisingly fragile pile of crates below he wasn't dead.

For a moment he sat there, frozen in place with nothing but the sound of his ragged gasps filling his ears. More and more his decision to do this was becoming a little less appealing. But he was already in the city. It wasn't like he could simply back out at this point. No. He had to run, had to find water and then had to get himself out of the city before the Gerudo found him.

Already above he could hear shouts of organization as the guards rushed towards staircases to come down and pursue him. At the current moment, the height of the wall on his side. His express route to the ground had bought him a small window of time.

So ignoring the pain in his arm he climbed to his feet and ran headlong into the labyrinthine streets of the city. He took every random turn he could. Zigging and zagging his way through the streets, crashing unintentionally through a stall full of expensive-looking silk garments until he eventually ended up in a small darkened alleyway off the main plaza which was a huge plaza with dozens of merchants beneath canvas awnings lining its perimeter.

The shouts behind him had died down and for the moment, it would seem that he'd escaped his pursuers eyes and sharp spears. For now, it seemed the city was sleeping. Very few roamed the streets except for the occasional guard who looked a bit more alert than usual which made Avery stick to the shadowed alley for now, despite the huge fountain in the center of the plaza spitting crystal clear water into the air, being very tempting.

He leaned on a crate heavily. Already this night's events had taken their toll on him, leaving him even more battered and weary than he'd been before. Evidently, he was resolved to test his limits with this idiotic venture.

Despite the allure of the fountain in the plaza, Avery knew he couldn't risk exposing himself to further danger, not when his strength was waning and the risk of being caught loomed over him ever-present. But as he stood there, the heat of the desert night bearing down upon him like a suffocating blanket, the temptation became too great to resist.

With a shaky hand, he pushed himself away from the crate and staggered into the open after making sure the coast was clear. Each step felt like a struggle all of a sudden. Like he was walking through quicksand, his limbs were heavy. But the primal need for water and respite from the heat drove him to the fountain.

As he drew near to the fountain, the cool mist enveloped him in its comforting embrace. He'd made it to water at least. That was something. He looked down at the crystalline waters and reached out with his good arm.

But even as he reached out, he felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, his vision swimming slightly as the world began to spin and put him off balance.

~Is this..it?~

His injuries, combined with the exhaustion of his ordeal had finally proved to be too much for him to bear. He stumbled once and with a small groan, almost a whimper, Avery's strength gave out and he collapsed to the ground in a crumpled heap, half laying over the edge of the fountain as his consciousness slipped away and darkness closed in around him...