The Evermean Experiment

The moonlight from above illuminated the serene landscape of Akkala, the soft voices of crickets and owls occasionally stirred in the air. Rust-coloured rock formations peppered the landscape and tall green grass spread everywhere. Vegetation was abundant as trees and bushes decorated the landscape. The finest demonstrators of Akkalan beauty showed off their leaves, green, red, and golden swaths hoisted from mere inches to meters off the ground, dressing the grounds with a pleasing and cozy atmosphere. A wolf’s howl, a flying flamingo, and leaves dancing in the wind added to the natural beauty of Akkala. The distant halos of smoke from the nearby stable provided comfort. 

The path was marked by an uneven spread of dirt. A region of thickness, then a region of thinness, then so on. A beige horse trotted on it, its footsteps releasing a constant series of clip-clops. A wooden carriage followed it, slowly rocking side to side, linked to the horse with a wooden plank chained to the saddle. On the saddle, a woman with gray hair, a lab coat, and glasses spurred the horse, proclaiming an enthusiastic “Hyah!”. The horse muttered as it went faster, the carriage quickening behind it. 

A blonde woman sitting on the carriage’s front end, dressed in blue and black, held on to her seat, not sharing that enthusiasm as the rider. 

“Purah, please. We already used a spare wheel!” she proclaimed. 

“Oh don't worry, Princess! We’re almost there!” Purah quipped before spurring the horse once more, further speeding up the pace… and the instability. 

“Purah, please, I’m begging you!” 

Princess Zelda was getting rocked in her seat by the undamped vibrations as the ride got more unstable. The buckle of crates from behind increased her anxiety, and her cursing signified her regret of letting her overly ambitious research partner take the reins.

Having already had to replace a wheel in this journey and slay a camp of monsters, Link had opted for the carriage interior to sleep on the hay. Instead, the master swordsman was kept awake, each jolt ruined any effort at getting rest. Just as he was about to ask Purah to slow down, a massive leap of the right side of the carriage sent him sprawling onto some not-so-comfortable crates. Zelda had to lean back so as to not fall off the carriage completely, and Purah woah’d the horse down with a profane remark upon realizing the splintering of wood from behind. 

“Purah!” Zelda exclaimed frustratingly as she got to her bearings, the ride already tossing her composure everywhere. 

“I told you to slow down!” 

“Sorry, your Highness,” Purah nervously chuckled, her right hand caressing her hair. “We’re already late and I didn’t want to worry Robbie too much” 

Zelda scoffed. Their goal to reach the Akkala Technology Lab before nightfall was missed and a spare wheel was more sorely missed. Purah hopped down from the horse, landing by its left-hand side. She approached the carriage behind the steed, stopping and squatting by the remains of the left rear wheel: The hub and several spokes had broken off and snapped some of the remaining spokes. The cracked felloes (the round part of the wheel where the spokes connect to from the hub) rendered the wheel out of commission. 

Meanwhile, Link slumped out of the carriage, clutching his head from all the banging thanks to Purah’s riding masterclass. He observed the damaged wheel, sighing. Zelda and her guard exchanged a glance, confirming the plan and mutual annoyance. Link climbed back into the carriage to retrieve the Master Sword, sheathed and resting on the

hay. He hopped back out with the unsheathed Master Sword and stalked a tree nearby, eyeing its wide trunk. He positioned himself a few feet away, readying himself to take a swing at it. 

Still by the wheel, Purah observed the tree Link was going to work on. Her eyes lit up, seeing something out of the ordinary. She was about to call out to Link before another idea came to her mind. Determined, she got up, readjusted her glasses, and dashed to the carriage’s interior. 

“Purah, what are you-” Zelda questioned before the sound of something getting uprooted struck her. Her eyes darted towards Link, caught off guard. Her guard fell backward, caught off by the surprise. The evermean was a master of disguise, its stationary appearance disguising it as one with the other trees. It scuttled to Link as he got up groggily, his pace was weakened by a lack of sleep. But behind him, Purah sprinted out of the carriage with a rope-like device, and flung one end of it towards the evermean, forming a streak of light. 

“Link, watch out!” Zelda shouted. Link ducked immediately, barely missing the flicker of light smashing into the midsection of the living tree. The light retracted and the bottom end of the tree faltered backward while its top half descended in Link’s direction. With a frantic leap, Link avoided the mess of wood and leaves by a small margin. 

Zelda, upset and requiring an explanation, marched to her research partner. The light retracted and was caught by Purah’s left hand, revealing itself as a claw-like object. It had a counterpart in her other hand. 

“Don’t worry Princess, this nifty thing is something Robbie and I are developing. I’d say we’re on the right track with how its first real test went!”

Link eyed her as he stood tall. He wasn’t angry, just disappointed. 

“Sorry, Linky,” she chuckled, “maybe it’ll be better in your hands once we get it up and running.” 

She placed the flail in the carriage and got her hands on a toolbox. She headed to the tree’s carcass to craft a replacement wheel. To her, this incident was a great demo of a potentially productive weapon. To Link and Zelda, as they looked at each other with wary looks… It was just another day with Purah, the brilliant and overly ambitious research scientist.