Part Three

Kor Hawkeye leaned his head back, his hands whizzing over the brailed text before him. It was the thousandth time he had gone through this particular volume of the Madra Chronicles, a collection of books that he and Tobias had owned for years, longer than they could remember. For years, he had left them idle, having read through them once. But now, they were his lifeline, the only keys he had to explain the circumstances that had led to Tobias being in Hyrule, and Ne Ella and Hailey arriving in his world, and living in the small apartment he had once shared with Tobias. Ne Ella wasn’t a problem, aside the ears, which were apparently pointed at the tops. To solve this, Ne Ella needed to wear a hat everywhere. Hailey was another story.

Kor was a middle sized man, taller than both the women that lived with him. His black hair was short-cropped, and the black glasses he wore were of a decent size, even though they kept slipping down his nose if he leaned too far. His eyebrows were thin, and so was the rest of him, unlike the bulging biceps of Tobias’ body. Ne Ella was a Hylian, with flowing blond hair and azure eyes, and a muscular build. Though Kor only had her word on that, as he had never seen her before in his life. Still, he thought absentmindedly, she had a beautiful voice.

Hailey was propped opposite him, staring at the books with absolutely no idea what they said. They were written in ancient Madra, which only Kor could read. Kor didn’t see, but rather heard, as she lifted her leg behind her head, and began to scratch the ears that grew out from the top of her head. She called herself a Catling, thought she was more human-like than some, she had said. Catlings ranged from pointed ears to all-out furry bodies. Hailey was a mixture, with fuzzy honey-blond hair and long ears that extended from the height her eyebrows were on both sides. Her hands and feet had claws, which were fortunately retractable, and her eyes were yellow, and catlike, with slits rather than round irises. She was short, little more than five feet in height, so she had to pass as an otaku when she went out, wearing a giant beret to hide her cat ears, and Kor’s spare glasses to hide her eyes. She used to wear gloves, but stopped when she started shredding them.

“I think you should relax more, nyaa,” Hailey said, looking through the barely lit room, which had light only because Ne Ella needed it to find her way around. “You’re gonna burn out.”

“I know.” Kor sighed, his hands continuing to move. “But we’re close, I can feel it.”

“That’s what you said two years ago,” Ne Ella pointed out, setting down two cups of coffee on the table Kor was working at. She took Kor’s left hand, and guided it to the warm liquid. “I think Tobias can wait a day or two more. You have needs as well, remember?” Kor thanked her, and she rose again to continue her cleaning. Out of all three roommates, Ne Ella was the only one who could not live in clutter. Hailey normally caused a lot of it, and Kor’s books sometimes got in the way, but she got by, earning a little money in a maid service. Hailey worked as a delivery girl, and Kor didn’t do anything, because of his blindness.

Kor raised the boiling cup to his lips, taking in the bitter taste of the liquid. Ne Ella’s was good though, he enjoyed it. It soothed him, calmed him. Under the politeness he exhibited for their sakes, he was almost ready to snap in frustration.

Two years before, a strange medallion had been found around Tobias’ neck after a drinking binge, he had sent his one and only friend through the Teleport Dome, never to return again. No sooner had he done so Tobias contacted him through a strange Aurias Charm that had formed one day out of his beer mug, identical to the one Tobias had taken with him. Kor, with his wisdom, had aided Tobias in his mission across the foreign land of Hyrule, obtaining the Crests of Aurias, the Night Ranger. But when they had found three, they had been unable to locate the fourth. And when Shadows One found them, and Tobias defeated the body the shadow lord had possessed, Tobias had transported Ne Ella and Hailey to the relatively safer world of Earth, until the last Crest could be found. He had then ordered Kor to not contact him until a solution was found.

That had been two years ago, and now, he had no idea if Tobias was even alive in New Hyrule, no way of knowing without using the Aurias Charms. Kor rested his head in his shoulders. “Where is that Crest? It’s nowhere, not a single mentioning of it even being in Hyrule!” He slammed a fist weakly against the book before him. “If it isn’t in Hyrule, where could it…”

Kor mentally slapped himself. “Ne Ella,” he said, turning to where he had heard her making noise last, “would you please bring me the Madra Chronicle on the far right of my collection, the one which talks about Earth?”

Ne Ella nodded. “Of course, Kor.” She walked back into the small bedroom that she and Hailey now shared, and grabbed the last volume of the Madra Chronicle. Treating the old book with care, she handed it to Kor, taking the other book away from him.

Kor started instantly, his hands skimming the surface. The imprints on the surface of the books made it a simple matter to read, and it wasn’t long before he discovered the answer he had been seeking. His face lit up when his fingers found the passage, read the words.

“Tobias, you’re coming home,” he breathed. With a start, he bolted up, feeling his way to the bedroom. He dropped to the floorboards, prying them open to locate the Aurias Charm. He felt a small tear come to his eye. “You’re coming home.”

Word Count- 1032

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Signature by the Sinfully Delicious Lady Knives