Day One: Part 1

[Strazio Rockwell]

I’ve died before.

Dying feels a hell of a lot like falling, the difference with death is you don’t stop falling.

The forest canopy did a wonderful job of breaking my rapid descent, catching me with thick branches and vines. Dull pain wracked my body as each branch crashed into me and gave way. After what must have been an eternity I hit solid ground, hard. A dry hollow snap rang out and a dull roaring pain exploded through my left arm.

“Fuck, fuck.... ohhh” I whimpered and looked over at my twisted limb, bent at an ungodly angle. Pain. Unbearable pulsing pain came crashing like waves from my busted arm. Every movement was agony. I ground my teeth to dust and bit my lip until blood oozed forth, but nothing stopped the symphony of pain. The burns on my body raged at my foolhardiness, how could I have been so careless?

How long did I lie there? Longer than I would like to admit, pain and fear mixed together into a paralyzing sense of vulnerability which pinned me in place. After all, Ganondorf had shrugged off my strongest attack as if it was nothing, how was I to defeat an island of gods? I felt like giving up, throwing in the towel and dying in that forest. But lying there broken and hopeless seemed all too familiar, I’ve been in this situation before. Battered and defeated, about to give up hope and perish beneath the weight of adversity. Yes, I’ve been here before. Buried beneath the rumble of my home and surrounded by the corpses of my family and friends. Yes, I’ve been here before.

Valerie once told me that diamonds are made when coal is put into a crucible under an obscene amount of heat and pressure. He had said “the strongest and most beautiful things came from strife and adversity.” So is this what the abyss was then? Just a crucible for me to be tested in?

Well then, I will not break.

This was nothing. This pain? This pain was galvanizing, this defeat stoked a fire. No, it stoked a raging inferno that would consume this whole damn island. I don’t need my goddamned arm to win. I don’t need anything but this fury and rage and hatred boiling in my chest. That red-haired bastard better be careful because I will find him and grind him into dust.

With new resolve I forced my body to move. Every muscles was sore and stiff and the burns stung like hell, but I pushed forward. My arm hung uselessly at my side as I climbed to my feet. It screamed at me in defiance. Every movement sent shards of pain climbing up my shoulder. With my good arm I ripped away my burned shirt and flung it over my shoulder. Using the scraps from my shirt I fashioned a makeshift sling for my mangled arm. The damn thing would be less of a hindrance tied to my shoulder this way. My athletic body was covered in scars and fresh burns; I figured I must have looked like a horror-show.

My damn duffel bag had been left on the side of the road and I had no supplies left except for my compass and that severed arm. The arm was the only thing I managed to hold onto when that dragon took me for a ride. As fate would have it I dropped it during my descent and the damn thing landed nearby. There was no way I could use it with one arm and in frustration I kicked the rotted limb away. No food, no water, and no weapon even with my new-found resolve I would have a hard time surviving.

"How we all doing down there? You are all doing just wonderful, and while no one has yet to die, the bloodshed so far has been positively fabulous. In fact, people are so impressed that I'm going to reward you all by dropping a little package for whoever wants to live a little. The chopper will drop it off at 0600 hours near the school. Toodles."

Karl Jak’s voice rang out across the island and I froze in my tracks to listen. A smile must have creeped across my face because that message filled me with joy. This was what I needed, something -- anything would be better than nothing. There was no choice in the matter I had to make a try for this care package. Hopefully the red-haired bastard would try for it as well and I would get some much needed payback. Either way I would pummel anyone who stood before me, I couldn't lose I had a promise to keep.

At this point I wanted to hurt someone, especially Ganondorf. I wasn’t mad or even angry at him.

No.

I was fucking pissed off.