Norrbotten Publishing The Game Ulrika Fjellborg
disclaimer
I (the author) does not own rights to any of the people,
places or references mentioned in the text.
This is an exercise, since I just started with English texts
It is a fanfic. I earn nothing on it.
Briefly: I own nothing except the pleasure of putting the words together.
and it is my honor to say thank you to all mentioned in the text for the inspiration.
If you want to use the text in any way, please let me know so I can look it up and wave.
So have fun! (I had)
/ Ulrika Fjellborg
The Game
Why am I doing this to myself?
The question cut like a knife through her body as she gazed out the window in the small timbered cottage. The rain was beating against the glass and the damp had begun to penetrate her green uniform. The girl slept on a blanket in front of the fire; a green diode was lighting up on the web camera above the fireplace. Someone was watching them. She had promised not to look straight into it, as if they did not exist. But it was difficult, especially when she was so close to giving up. This was so far from the fine cosplay scenes she was used to show up at, damn far away. She had run mountain races before, but then she had had the right equipment. Tent, camping stove, food, so she could cope with potential disasters. Not a goddamn slingshot, a bow and a bundle of arrows...
She pulled off her woolen tunic and cap and hung them by the fire. They would finish the race last, there was no doubt. But they would finish it, they had promised that to each other. The small Japanese elite sportsmen boys were probably already done. She sighed deeply, pulled off her boots and splayed her toes to get some heat. A camera buzzed somewhere, but the camera above the fire pit was still. She pulled off her chain mail, threw it demonstratively on the floor and looked around. The cabin looked as if newly built.. What if it had been erected just for this purpose? She cast a brief glance at the camera and smiled.
She walked around the floor and stomped, opened the clay pots that were lined up on the wall shelves and peered through of the junk that was tossed in the cabin corners. Nothing of value. Then she looked at the carpet lying on the floor. With a quick jerk, she pulled it aside. There was a cellar-plate under it. She grabbed the handle and opened the plate. It was pitch-dark. Quickly, she lit one of the candles that stood on the fireplace and climbed down to the simple ladder. She found it hard to keep from laughing; in the candlelight, she saw an old treasure chest. She had almost managed to forget, this was a Zelda game.
The sweet and synthetic fragrances struck her when she got off the plane at Tokyo International Airport. "Hold my hand," she mumbled and took a firm hold of Kristoffer's hand. The fear that he would be lost in the crowd of people was already unpleasant. Before they had time to pick out their bags, a well-dressed little man approached them and introduced himself. "Are you Andersson, Liv?", he asked in broken English. Liv nodded silently. "I'm Akemi Murakami, and I am your guide during your stay with us. You do not have to think about your luggage, it will arrive at your hotel. Let's make sure that you and your son get something to eat. "She glanced at the wrinkled old face and discovered the Nintendo logo on his tie. She nodded silently and the little man showed them to a black car. "It is a great honor to show you around in our lovely town.", mumbled Akemi..
Liv smiled, "We are grateful to be here."
"In Japan, this is the big thing, you will then see.", he said and smiled broadly.
Liv smiled strained and sighed; why did she get into this? Kristoffer seemed very amused by all the neon signs and beautiful people who passed on the streets. She had thought he would be dead tired, but it seemed to have gone to some sort of fatigue.
"How long have you been a professional cosplayer?", Akemi asked politely.
"Since ten years.", she replied quietly.
"And this is the first time you portray a Nintendo character?", he asked, nodding.
"Yes, I have always thought they were a bit flat and oncharacteristic (stereotyped?). But I liked playing Zelda since 1986.", she replied politely.
"Ah, the 8-bit version, a classic."
A large poster about the competition swished past on one of the tower blocks. It was 30 years ago now.
"Nervous?", he asked smiling, when he saw how she followed the poster with her eyes.
She shook her head. "This will be an adventure, Mr. Murakami."
"Yes, fifty different countries have bought the rights on the television version of the contest, and more than twice as many will follow you online."
Her stomach clenched, she was too old for this.
The banquet was the same evening. Liv hung up her red dress and wondered if it needed to be ironed. When ordered, a small Japanese girl appeared in the door and asked if she needed help with something. Liv happily handed over her dress to the maid and helped Kristoffer with his suit instead.
Kristoffer cheerfully offered his mother his arm when the black limousine stopped outside the hotel, where the banquet was to be held. Camera flashes pattering in the air blinded them both. The banner hung proudly above the opening door: The image of Link with drawn sword and shield ready, that would haunt them as long as they remained in Japan. A young Japanese stopped right in front of them and bowed when they entered through the doors. "Good evening, ma'am.", he said politely. "May I have the honor of showing you to your table?" She nodded and followed him.
The buzz in the banquet hall was dampened somewhat when they stepped through the door. "Your table, ma'am.", said the smiling young man and pulled out the chair so Liv could settle. Kristoffer sat down in his chair, grabbed it and jumped closer to her.
"Can you explain what they are saying?", he asked quietly. Liv nodded and showed him to be quiet. A couple of more guests arrived before the light in the hall was subdued and focused on the stage. A middle-aged Japanese man got up on stage and everyone started clapping. "My name is Shigeru Miyamoto. And this is a great day." This notice pulled down yet another round of thundering applause. He raised his hand to silence the crowd. "This year is big for us. Legend of Zelda celebrates thirty years of games, and for the first time, we at Nintendo host a contest of this kind. Finding a living legend, a legend I myself created so many years ago, is like a dream. With the contest gaining so much attention, it feels even greater. Cosplayers from all corners of the world have flocked to Japan and it gives me great pleasure to see that my game is so appreciated. Those of you who enjoy this night with me and my colleagues are those we have selected, those who won the most prizes, those who distinguished themselves. We hope that you will see this with as much pleasure as us."
A young Japanese, who sat at the same table as Liv and Kristoffer, leaned against Kristoffer. "You resemble Link in Ocarina of Time?", he asked politely. Kristoffer shook his head. "No, my mom will be in, Skyward Sword."
The young Japanese laughed a short sprung laughter. "She must be thirty years old."
"Soon forty.", said Kristoffer proud.
The Japanese held out his hand against Kristoffer. "I'm Chico Tomita. And your mother is very brave. I have seen the obstacle track they prepared outside of Nintendo's headquarters. It is verging on homicid. She'll break her legs off."
Kristoffer glared back at Chico while the young Japanese leaned back and pulled his hands through his black hair with satisfaction. He looked at Liv, who sat by his side and pulled his chair a little closer to her.
The next morning, it was time for the physical pull. Liv dressed in her workout clothes, went down in the lobby and waited for the man who would take them to the training rooms. She had been offered to leave Kristoffer at an activity center while she did the tests, but she would rather have him with her. Being separated from her son in the foreign country was not to think about. They had been together since his father left them for another man many years ago, so why should it be different now? When Liv won CosplaySM and the offer to participate in "The Legend Lives" landed in the mailbox, they had made a fast decision to go. It would be tough through... most of the other participants looked like young athletic men, some young woman, a little girl no older than Kristoffer, but Liv was guaranteed to be the oldest.
When the list came up on the wall after a full day of physical tests, it was Kristoffer who pressed forward thorough the crowd to search for his mother's name. There it stood in the midst of many he did not even knew how to pronounce. "You are deemed healthy enough!", he said happily and threw himself around Liv's neck.
"Before osteoporosis sets in..." muttered a voice at their side. "Being Link involves more than a goofy haircut ... you insult one of our national treasures." Liv looked wonderingly after Chico. He smelled of trouble, but had the highest test scores in the entire selection process. At the bottom, the lowest ranking participant was Leonora Bergoni. The girl was only ten years old and was deemed healthy enough to compete, but not much more. Liv looked at the little girl; her father stood beside her and praised her. They spoke in a language Liv did not understand, she guessed Italian. How could it be moral to let someone so young compete with men like Chico? The thought puzzled her. But this was Japan, the young were trained early.
The other morning, it was time for the first ranking. Liv and Kristoffer were picked up early in the morning by Mr. Murakami and his assistant. In the car on the way to the arena, the assistant handed over a gray bag to Liv. "Your uniform," Akemi explained smiling. Liv zipped up and peered into the bag. The green tunic with drawstring neckline low on top, "Stitched according to your measurements. Best quality! And here is a gift to my favorite." Akemi nodded approvingly and handed over a brown paper package to Liv. She opened it slowly and saw a slingshot with ammunition and a triforce pin.
"From Twilight Princess" explained Kristoffer wide-eyed. "I cannot let my girl play unarmed." murmured the little Japanese, nodding his head. She thanked him and felt her pulse increasing. Soon, it was time.
The starting field was ready an hour later. Green tunics and glittering chain mail as far as the eye could see. She looked down at the little brooch and adjusted the slingshot she had attached to the belt behind her back. She was not sure if she could have it, but nobody had said anything so it was coming along. Chico had been right, the obstacle track that opened up in front of the contestants was no game. It would be extremely easy to do badly on the swinging logs, large trees that spun with sandbags on their branches, slippery slides, uphill treadmills and everything else misery cod conjure.
"If you finish among the first ten I eat my hat." Liv glared at Chico who stood by her side and took the starting position. If she tried to hold even steps with him, maybe she would be able to push down his insolence in his throat. The starting signal sounded and a whole army of green-clad figures rushed off to the cheers of the audience. Liv ran as fast as her legs carried her, but the Japanese elite athletes quickly put a good distance between them and her. She managed to get past the swinging logs, swam across the icy moats and climbed slippery climbing walls. But when the spinning trees with sandbags appeared before her as a dense forest, she stood indecisively and saw how even the lightweight Japanese athletes seemed to have difficulties in meeting the obstacle without being knocked down on the padded arena floor and get to start over.
She tried to see a pattern but found none. Eventually, she threw herself off and was hit almost immediately by a sandbag that came flying and pushed her down on the arena floor. Irritated, she punched her fist on the floor and ran back to the obstacle's start to make another attempt. There stood Leonora and hesitated. The girl would never make it.
Liv raised her eyes and tried to solve the problem. She would be unable to crawl under the lowest branches, forcing those in the standing height was nearly impossible. The large trees had flat top sides ... if she squinted there seemed to be something on top of them... she picked up the slingshot and pulled back to get better angle. Now she was glad she sulked together and learned to use a slingshot and throw the boomerang before CosplaySM. If only the toy could be used for real... she shot and heard a metallic sound. The first tree stayed. Quickly, she rushed to Leonora and showed the girl to climb onto her back. Liv began to climb the tree with the girl on the back, as it slowly took off again. They reached the top just as the tree regained normal speed. There was a metal tray sticking up on the tree in front of them too. Liv shot with the slingshot again and jumped to the next stationary trees, and the next, and the next, and the next, until she landed on the platform that marked the obstacle ending and the goal. The crowd cheered. Liv showed a victorious smile to Chico, who was already waiting at the finish line. She had come into the goal as eight. "Your hat can wait until after dinner." he replied with a smile.
The legs ached with lactic acid when she sat in the covered bus on the way to the next event of the competition. She used to run with Kristoffer on her back up the slopes around their house to cope with ascents in the last mountain race. Now she was glad of it. Leonora sat next to her and leaned her head against her shoulder. Liv still could not understand how her parents could accept this. Kristoffer would stay with Mr. Murakami at Nintendo HQ during the last challenge. The same was for the girl's father... she was ten years old and completely abandoned.
The ranking was virtually unchanged, except that she has risen a bit on the betting lists. The "Japanese spider trolls" lead remained. Any one of them would win, that's just how it was. When they got off the bus and saw the idyllic landscape, it all immediately felt a little easier. Small farms and lush hillsides as far as the eye could see.
"I welcome you to my Hyrule!", exclaimed Mr. Miyamoto from a small stage a few meters from the busses. All applauded and looked around wide-eyed. "Now it shall be settled! The exercises in the stadium were to prepare you for this hardship. An intro, as we usually say. A way for you to practice your skills before n putting them into good use. You all get a bow with 20 arrows and your mission is to make your way from this place and back to Tokyo. Once you have returned, we will celebrate the true hero of Hyrule! " He raised his hand and fired a shot from a signal gun straight up in the air, after which all contestants rushed forward against the functionaries and took their equipment. Liv saw how Chico and his friends took the lead up the first hill. She grabbed Leonora's shoulders and sat down on her knees in front of her. She tried to ask the girl if she really was sure not to cancel. But the young lady seemed very determined, ran up to the officials and took her weapons. Liv shook her head. It would be a long race.
Liv put down the candle on the floor and opened the chest. A camera buzzed in the lid. She had hoped for food, but there were 10 bottles with a small headset in each. "Fairy in a Bottle" was written on the label. Liv pulled out the wide cap and shook out the headset. She put the shell behind the ear and turned on the power. A long-awaited "Mom?" made her fall over in the middle of the floor. "Mom, do you hear me?" Kristoffer's voice filled her head.
"Yes, I hear you."
"Good..." she could hear him smiling on the other side. "Try to sleep now, Mom. You're not that far behind, we take it in tomorrow, you are not supposed to do it in a day."
"How are our Japanese friends?"
"If I glance at his screen he seems to be freezing under a tree somewhere in a forest... are you hungry?"
"Like a wolf."
"It seemed to be lots of clay pots in the cottage. See if you can find something there. It will soon be radio silence, but I can open the link again when the sun rises. Be awake then."
"I found nothing in the pots... and how do you think I should know when it is morning, I don't have my phone with me..."
Kristoffer sighed. "This is Zelda. Smash the pots and something will pop up. Add the cochlea of the ear, so I scream until you wake up tomorrow. I have a mobile with activators. Ask Leonora to fetch a bottle too, it's just in the coffin available here for the top ten. Do not know if they are anywhere else. "
"All right, over and out ..."
"Stop it mother ... the whole world hears you ..."
She climbed up the ladder and brought Leonora. The girl soon understood what she should do and disappeared down the hole in the floor. "They have made contact, kudos mother." she heard Kristoffer's comment.
"Brilliant, now let's find something to eat." She took a clay pot and lifted the lid. It was empty. She juggled it between his hands for a moment before she threw it to the floor. A grateful laugh battered over her lips, surprised when a protein bar appeared on the floor. The pot had a double bottom. She shouted at Leonora and together they smashed pots until they filled their measuring case. Someo plastic bottles of water also appeared in the jumble of shattered pottery. She nodded with satisfaction when she realized that they could manage the walk to Tokyo without any problems with the supplies they had. Let the games begin.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh ! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH !"
Liv sat up and shook her head as she dropped the earpiece. With fumbling hands, she put it in again. "Good morning!" she exclaimed yawning. It was cold in the cabin, the fire had died out. She stood on stiff legs and tried to get some blood flowing. "Sleep well?" she asked.
"Not at all ..." said Kristoffer. "... I saw that Chico had made it to the finish during the night only to realize that he had only 8% of the game and did not face the final boss. So he turned around to try to get better numbers. I was terrified that he would find you. I've kept an eye on the screens all night. "
She was touched by his care while an irritation smoldered within her. Mr. Murakami should have made sure that he slept at least a couple of hours. Then fell the clarity of her as a cold shower. "Did you say last boss?"
"Yes."
She took his forehead. "Have you seen any other boss battles, or monsters?"
"This is supposed to be Hyrule, Mom."
"Does it look like I should check things?"
"Well, you seem to need a map and compass in all cases. There may be side quests, otherwise it is as usual. Defeat Ganon, save Hyrule."
"Do you get any indications?"
He paused for a moment. "Wait, I'll change the picture. I think the world could see what I see and I can change the camera and camera angle. The pin you got has a camera, for example."
"Oh, good to know! So I turn in the right direction when I pee ..."
"Mom ..."
She giggled, brought Leonora up and pulled on chain mail and tunic. When they had eaten a little, they left the cottage. The rising sun colored the sky red and the scenery was trembling beautifully. "So, where should we go?" she asked and listened for answers.
"Go east. It is the closest red dot. Hopefully, map and compass are there."
Liv began to walk. "Mom! Your other east!"
She nodded and turned around completely. "Shouldn't Link get to have a sword first? Isn't it so?"
Kristoffer fell silent. "I do not think you want one. Then you must probably use it."
"I see a small opening in the hill before us. It may be the red dot you see?"
"It can't be."
Leonora's father must have said something in her earpiece, for the girl sat suddenly at full speed towards the hill. Liv sighed and ran after, just before this pocket Link (? would rush into the cave, Liv put her hand on her shoulder. She lifted her finger to her mouth and showed that they would be quiet. She took the bow and put an arrow on the string before they sneaked in. "Do you receive a picture?", Liv wondered quietly. "It is pitch black in here."
"I can switch to IR" said Kristoffer. "It is freely straight ahead, beware of your feet."
They crept further into the cave when Kristoffer suddenly shouted out. "Something creeps on the wall! Shoot!"
"Where?!"
"At 11 o'clock!"
Liv turned and fired blindly. The arrow bounced off the wall. "Did I hit?"
"Yes, they seem to be computer animated. For it just disappeared when you hit." He fell silent, and she could hear how he swallowed. "You have three hearts."
Liv was pulling her hair. "Can you see what happens when I consumed them?"
"I try to look at the other screens. I say when I see one. It seems that there are fairy bottles here and there. Most of the others have found one. You should be at the red dot now."
Liv stretched her hand for Leonora and soon felt the girl behind her. When they had gone some steps, they could see how the wall in front of them was shining, lit by a dim light. In front of them appeared a large stone, with a sword in a wood scabbard driven into it, and a shield stood in a niche below. Liv sighed and walked over to the stone; she pulled out the sword with a definite jerk and soon lashed it to. A new sword rose from the chimney interior. She took the shield and the empty spot was filled by another shield. Laughing, she realized that the equipment was manufactured for a left-handed person.
Leonora took her equipment and then they started to sneak out of the room. "Wait!", cried Kristoffer. "It looks like there should be something more here."
Liv looked around and discovered a small tunnel hidden in the shadow of the stone altar with the swords. "I never take me through there ..." she murmured. She took all the equipment and wriggled into the darkness. The tunnel was long and winding, she scraped both knees and elbows but fought her way soon into another dimly lit cave. There, on a stone altar, stood a candle in a candlestick.
"Light it!" Kristoffer cried with excitement
"Yes, yes, yes ..." she picked up the candle and lit it with the help of the torch on the wall. Torches along the walls flared up and the whole room was lit. She could hear Leonora shout something through the tunnel. "There is light in the entire cave system!", Kristoffer cried happily. Leonora's cries turned to screams. "There are monsters in the whole sword cave, too; you must back now! Leonora's father showed them to me at her screen, she is terrified!"
Liv could hear the rustling of the cave, and flashing figures of wall-climbing red spiders with spines on their back appeared on the walls around her. She came down the aisle and was soon face to face with one of them. She screamed and tried to dismiss the hologram, she had all the weapons in the cave with the swords. She had to take a few small knocks, but then the hologram stood up and she managed to crawl by. She rolled out of the aisle, grabbed the slingshot and bow and began shooting at everything that moved. Once she was able to stand back to back with Leonora, the girl gasped for breath but seemed more courageous when she felt Liv behind her. The cave was emptied slowly of the crawling creatures. They collapsed on the floor of fatigue when the cave was secured again. "What's the status" murmured Liv when she turned on the headset again. She had had to turn it off in order to concentrate on anything else than Kristoffer´s nervous chatting.
"You have one and a half heart left. Leonora is in bad shape. She has a quartz heart and flashes. She can't take a slap to."
"Do you see if there is medicine anywhere?"
Kristoffer fell silent. "I try to read the rules of the game ..."
"You do have rules in this game!?"
"They are constantly changing and updating, as you discover things. It'll work out to buy medicine in the village, but I do not know where it is."
"No map within sight?"
"There are red spots here and there in the cave system, if you want to explore more."
"We need to get hold of medicine..."
"Maybe right there, in the cave. There may be another exciting surprise, since this is the First Temple."
A few silent steps interrupted them. Liv raised her hand in a tired greeting, when three other participants stepped into the cave. One of them had a roll of paper dangling at his belt. After taking a closer look, she asked where he got hold of it. He replied winding and reluctantly.
"Good!", Liv exclaimed annoyed when she realized he was not going to tell you. "When I leave, the whole cave light system will go out. Good luck to you in the dark when it starts crawling with monsters again! Come Leonora, we are going." And just as she had said, the torches began to go out when Liv left the room. She soon learned what she wanted from the group, and told them where they could get hold of the light in return. Then they went to find the red dot laying west of their starting position.
The map was found in a small barn not far from the starting line; she smashed the third pot from the left and a neat roll of paper rolled out. She heard Kristoffer´s rejoicing when the playing field became visible. "Your followers increased just by five hundred people!" he cried happily.
Liv stopped in the middle of the stage. "Followers?"
"Those who follow the game on the network can choose to skip between participants, they can clearly see the things I see on my screen."
"So you are the player?"
"And you my avatar! Ha, ha!"
"Did Leonora heal in the meantime?"
"No."
"Where do I have to go to find the village?"
"Straight ahead, Mom, straight ahead."
The village was absolutely wonderful, small cute farm houses with animals, and people at work in rice fields. It looked as if it had lain there since the beginning of time. Liv began to ask around for medicine and soon she found the little store. Three products were to choose from. A Hylian Shield, medicine, and a boomerang.
"We would need them all", muttered Kristoffer in the background. "Are you ready to chase chickens, smash pumpkins and cut the grass?"
Liv laughed, it was just to get started. The farmer in the yard next door needed help to find twelve chickens that escaped from his henhouse and were hiding in the village. It took a while for Liv and Leonora to find them. The woman in the schoolhouse needed milk for her cat. Liv had never milked a cow by hand before, but Leonora seemed to have full control. They herded sheep, searched out a lost puppy and helped some children to access the apples in a very tall tree. Of course, they had to chop down tufts of grass here and there. Leonora seemed to enjoy it to the fullest. Eventually, they had enough rupees to buy medicine, shield and boomerang. Liv took the guns and gave the medicine to Leonora. She pulled the plug off the glass bottle and smelled its content suspiciously. Eventually, she managed to force herself to drink the sweet syrup, a nearly equal mixture of unknown ingredients. "It seems to work. Buy a bottle for when you might need to, you can afford one. Save the bottles, you never know.", advised Kristoffer.
"Where do you think I should put them?"
"If you don't have room in your belt bag, ask Leonora to take them. Do not leave your slingshot. It is much cheaper to buy ammunition for it than new arrows. Now you have to get up, you have to go back finally."
"Jahap, where should we go?"
"I think it's smarter to sneek in at the end of the race, try to take back some time for now. There are many who have had to cancel. They are dead."
"Dead?!"
"Yes, when they burned their heartcontainers, it seems that their shoes got stuck in the ground and they can´t move anymore. Their screen disappears and officials will come and collect them."
"How is our Japanese friend?"
"I don't know, his screen is on but I do not know where he is. There are places to go astray, if you say so."
"Just take us to the finish line."
"We'll do it tomorrow. It looks as if there is a hut to stay in overnight, a short distance away., It will be dark soon and then, many monsters will crawl up.. I did not understand why many of the others had turned off their screens after the first night, but then I got it. They weren't all so lucky to find a roof over their head. "
"Luckily, we are two." Liv smiled when she heard Leonora's sparkling Italian, she had talked much with her dad for the last few hours.
They found the cottage without major problems. There was already a contestant from England there called Noel, but they managed to agree and could share the supplies. They examined the cottage in great detail but could not find any hidden cellar this time. In the flaming fire's glow, Leonora picked up a small blue ocarina from her bag and began to play. The tones flowed through the air, almost dreamy.
"She has certainly received it from her assistant, you got the slingshot." muttering Kristoffer in the background.
"How is it going to be with Mr. Murakami?"
"Its fine, he is kind and dedicated. He is very happy with what you overcame by now."
"Almost nothing, I guess. There must be many more temples, like, in the underworld."
"You haven't found an impressive percent, but you did better than many others. There will be radio silence soon. Add the cochlea of the ear, so I can wake you up tomorrow."
"Good night." She laid down and pulled the blanket over himself. The body ached after an exhausting day, with a little luck she would get to sleep in a soft hotel bed tomorrow. She breathed out a deep sigh. This trip really did not turn out the way that she had originally thought.
Morning came with a sudden howling howl in her ear. She woke up Leonora and Noel before she started a fire in the fireplace. The webcam buzzed above their heads. She hated to feel watched, she did not even know how many eyes followed her on the other side of the lens.. "Are you sure that you are not going to check the red dots around?", asked Kristoffer when they stepped out of the cabin.
"Just take us to the finish line."
"Go straight, I will tell when you need to change direction."
They started jogging and soon ran over the beautiful landscape. Noel went with them, he was equally filled up whit this. He was young and strong, but not used to sleep out in the woods and fields. He had a better sword than Liv and certainly better statistics, that was a little annoying, she had to admit. The monsters that appeared after the road were no major problem, they disappeared after one or two hits. In the end, they saw a dark tower manifest itself in the middle of the idyllic landscape.
"I guess that's where we're going ..." mumbled Liv a little tired.
"It should be right." said Kristoffer.
They went straight up to the big gates and looked in wonder at the building.
"How do we get in? Is it just tapping or what?"
"Try Mellon ..."
"Ha, ha, very funny..."
"I think we need a key..." murmured Noel and rooted in his bag. "I found this in a water temple yesterday." He picked up a big old-fashioned key, and looked thoughtfully at it. Liv could not help glancing a little extra. The young Englishman's blue eyes gleamed in the ginger pile. He looked like Link.
"Mom ... stop staring ... you're embarrassing ..." muttered Kristoffer irritably. "He swam through the water temple when chasing chickens yesterday. Who do you think had the better visitor statistics?" Liv cleared her throat, tried to turn those images out of her head and began searching for a keyhole. "Do you know if it took some puzzle solving to find the keyhole in any game?"
"No, I have not played all of them. Back away, so I see a little better." Liv backed off a few steps. "There are three circles at different places on the door. They have the games three goddess's symbols thereon. Try push them."
Liv went back and pressed the symbols. Stone plates slid in with a scraping squeaks. Nothing happened. After a while they sprang out again. They tried a different combination. Nothing happened. Noel's backer said something in his earpiece.
"We should try to press them simultaneously, we are three." Soon they each stood by a respective icon, and pressed it into tablets of stone. A loud scraping sound was heard and a keyhole appeared. Noel inserted the key and turned it around. The doors opened with a muffled, unpleasant metallic creaking. "Do you have anything light?" asked Liv when she heard Noel's weary sigh.
"No. It will be difficult to see in the dark.", he sighted.
"I have one. I'll go first, so it should be bright." Liv took Leonora's hand and went into the tower. Torches flared up after the hall's walls, while the door slammed behind them. The hall seemed much longer than it looked from the outside.
In the hall's end stood an altar with a sword driven into. "Wow, Master Sword ..." she heard Kristoffer gasp in the headset. Liv began to gently move forward when the floor plates suddenly disappeared under her feet. Noel threw himself forward, grabbed her tunic at the last second and pulled her back on solid ground again.
Where floor plates sat, there was now a gaping big black hole.
"You okay?" asked Kristoffer stressed.
"Oh, yes, only a little frightened. Any suggestion?"
"Leonora's ocarina must have some special function, ask her to play it, and see what happens."
Liv turned to the girl, but she already had the flute in her hand. She tried a couple of songs but nothing happened. But when she finally played "Song of Time", all the tiles fell from their seat and an obstacle course raised from the depth as legacy from the beautiful floor. Liv swallowed hard. She recognized the obstacles from the stadium, but this was different, this was advanced. As soon as Leonora stopped playing, the obstacle parts began to move. Noel rubbed his hands and offered to try first. Liv was happy to let him to do it. She quickly realized that she would never manage the obstacle course at the same graceful manner he could. But when he tried to get past an obstacle on which he had to swing between rings that hung from a wooden stand it suddenly began to spin and the wood caught fire.
He let go reflexively as his hands were burned and disappeared into the black abyss below the obstacle. She called after him, but no answer came. "Did you see what happened?" she asked Kristoffer. "His screen is black, mother. It seems you only have one try."
"I'm alive!" she heard Noel's voice shout back. "It's dark but soft! Good luck!"
She puffed out and stood ready to try. Leonora's hand landed on her arm. She began playing the ocarina and the obstacles tracks moving parts stayed where they were. Liv threw herself out among the dizzying balance aisles, high climbing walls, and slippery roll bands. Every time Leonora stopped playing to catch her breath, sandbags began to whiz around Liv's ears. Finally, she came up to the wooden stand where Noel had fallen. She took a deep breath and threw herself out. Leonora stopped playing, out of pure excitement, without thinking about it and soon the wood flamed up.
"Play!" Liv shouted as loud as she could. The fire stopped spreading just when it touched the ring where she kept her hands. She had to hurry. If she stopped to pendulum, she would lose the momentum and burn her hands. She took off and threw herself on to the platform on the other side. Puffing, she realized that it was only one last treadmill left.
She stood and looked at the sword that was driven into the altar in front of her. What would happen if she pulled it up? She looked at the superb craftsmanship. Kristoffer had a replica of the master sword on the wall at home, but this was many times finer. She took a definite hold of the hook and pulled out the beautiful sword that was almost as long as herself.
A whirring sound was heard, and two stone walls shot out behind her and blocked her way back. She was stuck in the small round altar room. "Kristoffer! Do you hear me?" Panic spread in her veins when she realized that the headset was dead. An even buzzing interrupted her panting breath. A wall between two pillars in front of her slid aside. A bright flash of light filled the altar room. A figure appeared in the middle of the light. A dark slim figure, wearing the same tunic as hers, but in solid black. A similar cap, a shield and sword stuck in tones of black and dark gray. His face was painted gray and red contact lenses glowed almost ultraviolet under the black hair.
"Chico ..." she murmured, shocked.
"I had hoped to meet you. You were inappropriate from the start, now I get the chance to put you out once and for all." He started walking towards her. Liv lifted the shield from her back and held the sword as hard as she could. Even though it was her wrong hand, the sword felt lighter than it looked. She heard the webcams buzz. The whole world was watching. He rushed towards her with a roar. She met his blow with her sword and was about to drop it at once. He was strong and ridiculously fast. In the next breath he had hit her on the leg.
"You have three heartcontainers. I take one every time I get a hit." he sneered. Liv did not bother to ask how many he had, she did not want know. She tried to remember what Kristoffer said about meeting Links shadow. When playing the games at home she had just crouched her avatar in a corner, and waved wildly with her sword, staying protected behind her shield. The probability that it would work in reality was minimal.
He attacked again and she managed to jump over his sword and hit him in the face with the shield. That must have counted... she thought to herself. She saw his anger exploding through the red lenses. He attacked again and got a hit on her arm. Laughing, he withdrew. She watched as he leaned his head slightly to the side. He listened to something ... She picked up the medicine bottle she bought in the village and quickly emptied the contents, threw the bottle against Chico and rushed towards him. When he blocked the bottle, she hit him over the ear with the sword broadside and a small earpiece fell out. She stomped demonstratively on it. "You should reflect my skills. Switch hands!" she cried irritably.
He smiled. To him, it didn't seemed to matter. Steel struck against steel in a symphony of different metallic sonorities, an almost balletic dance developed between them. As if they were finally able to predict the other's movements. As light and shadow. Liv felt that she was getting tired, but gritted. Suddenly, a high note sounded in the air. They both stopped and looked around. A small stone tablet slid sideways and into the altar hall climbed Leonora. Chico smiled, the girl was only half a step from him and almost immediately threw himself over her. He lifted her up in his arms and smirked at Liv while the girl struggled against his shoulder.
"Let her go!" Liv growled outraged.
Chico barred Leonora in a small aside behind him and put her down on it. "The kid is not a problem when you are finished. I save dessert for last."
Liv felt the anger flared up inside her. She took her kit and rushed towards him. This time he backed away. Teasingly, he relocated around the stone altar in the center of the room, all the time just so she did not could come to him, throwing sharp comments to excite her anger further. A strategy to tire her out, as she realized when she was so tired that her knees were shaking. She had gone straight into his trap. Now he went to attack. Liv defended herself as best as she could, but soon she felt Chico's sword land on her shoulder. He held on to it with a triumphant smile. She lifted her sword and laid it on his shoulder in a gesture of resignation. She had to admit it, he was better. Suddenly, the air was filled with tones. Leonora had begun playing on her flute. Liv felt how her feet froze to the floor. Leonora jumped down from the ledge, went down to the altar and stood on her right side. She changed the melody, and Zelda's Theme rolled out from the ocarina. The whole room was set in motion. Liv took hold of the stone altar in order not to lose balance. The sound of the flute was greeted by a full orchestra played the famous melody. The huge stone gates that once closed behind her and locked her up with Chico, slid back and a huge audience appeared. She realized that they were standing in the Triforce formation and now the triangles light up beneath their feet. Chico on the red top, Leonora on the blue and Liv on her left side, on the green. She glanced toward Chico and saw a wide smile spread across his painted face. The paint had started to drop and ran with sweat after his chin.
"Smile ... and bow ..." he whispered. Flashlights pattered and confetti swirled in the air. She glanced at Leonora who answered the sour gaze with a cheerful smile and played a small tune again. The magnets in Livs boots released and she was able to move again.
Kristoffer came rushing and threw himself on her neck. "I knew that you could do it.", he murmured happily with her face in her tunic.
"But I haven't even done half of all challenges."
"It's not always the exploration that is important." Liv looked up and met Mr. Miyamoto's tricky gaze. "In the games I create, you explore worlds almost without limits. When you see a mountain on the horizon, you can probably go there, if you go long enough. Now we were not looking for the best explorer. What was important was this ".
Leonora came and stood at the smiling man's side. "You saved Zelda."
Liv burst into a hearty laugh. "I was not alone. If there is a hero among us it's him. She took off her cap and put it down on Kristoffer's head." Without him I would not have done it. Honor him as the winner, he was the best player."
Miyamoto smiled. "So speaks a true hero." He bowed honorable and Liv returned the greeting before she went down to the other contestants who were waiting at the front of the audience crowd. Miyamoto lifted Kristoffer on his shoulders and Chico lifted Leonora before the flashbulbs started raining again. Noel grabbed Liv and threw her onto the oncoming hands of the other participants. They threw her in the air until she whimpered about becoming down on the ground again.
"If you ever return to Japan, be so kind to let me know. Having you has been a great honor." Mr. Murakami said with a wide smile as he escorted Liv and Kristoffer to their table at the banquet later in the evening. "I promise" replied Liv and smiled. "You have been a great support, I'm glad to have had the honor to meet you."
She sat down on the chair he pulled out for her and took the discreet shoulders. She felt sore and really just wanted to go to bed. They showed footage recorded during the last few days while dinner was served. Liv smiled inwardly. It was fun to see what the others had been doing. Kristoffer seemed satisfied and went over to Leonora's table for a moment when the music started playing. A pale hand appeared in front of Liv's face. "May I?"
She looked up and met the laughter in the face that once caused fear to rise in her. Hesitantly, she put her hand in Chico's and let him lead her out onto the dance floor.
"When are you going back?" He asked politely.
"In about two days. I need some time to recover."
He laughed. "Me too, you are a strong woman, you strike hard. I could use a new sparring partner, why aren't you staying here? I am sure that my father could give you a job. He is very fond of you." he nodded toward the table where Liv had been sitting.
"Akemi is your father?"
"Yes, it is not obvious? Next year you can be the dark Zelda, we are an unbeatable duo."
She could see the prank call gleam in his black eyes. "So you work for Nintendo?"
"Yes, one game at a time."
"Yes, I must admit I was played from the beginning. I hated you. "
"It was part of the game."
The music stopped and Chico escorted Liv back into her chair. He leaned against his father and whispered something in his ear before he returned to his table.
My son has never been defeated before, he wants me to try to persuade you to stay in Tokyo."
"I thought it was a draw."
"In his eyes, he was defeated. He says you were clever. "
Liv leaned back and looked at Kristoffer who chatted and laughed along with Leonora. Could he have a future in Japan?
"No, Mr. Murakami. I think for the next holiday, we are going to Italy."
The End