A/N: Great news! I spent the entire week making this chapter, and as a result of my gross negligence, I get to spend the next two days working my ass off on seven homework assignments and two projects. Isn't life grand?
Sorry, had to get that out of my system. Anyway, school's out in two weeks, so once summer vacation starts on the 22nd, I should be started to halfway done with chapter three.
As the calm, wise one would say, patience is a virtue.
Disclaimer:I do not, never did, and probably never will own The Legend of Zelda.
A gentle gust blew through Link's green tunic as he ran out into the field of Hyrule, full of energy and spirit. He performed back flips, front flips, cartwheels and somersaults, once again knowing the joy of freedom. But he only allowed himself this gratification for a few moments, getting back on track was the real focus.
Knowing that he'd never make it to the castle before dark on foot, Link extracted his ocarina and hit just the right notes. He was rewarded with the neigh of an old friend who trotted down the field at a rapid pace.
"That's my girl," Link said, stroking Epona's coat before pulling himself up onto the magnificent animal. It had been a few weeks since Link had ridden a horse, so he spent the next few minutes getting used to riding, then decided to pay Malon a visit at Lon Lon Ranch, knowing that it would make her happy.
As he galloped towards a place that was full of fond memories, Link looked out to the slowly descending afternoon sun and sighed. Such beauty, he thought, knowing first hand how much of a shame it would be to lose this precious land to the forces of evil. He had, in any case, been there to see it, which made him appreciate life even more as Epona slowed to a steady trot up the small slant onto Lon Lon property.
Link followed the heartwarming voice to the center of the field upon his trusty steed. Malon loved to sing, Link loved to hear her sing, in the end, everybody won. Right before he could call her name, however, he heard the barn door slam behind him, followed by unfamiliar voices. Link quickly dismounted Epona, dove around the wall to make sure he remained unnoticed and beckoned Epona over, stroking her gently to make certain she didn't call out at the wrong time. Cautiously peeking his head around the barn in order to get a closer look, Link saw something that brought him a great deal of surprise.
"So, do we have a deal?" Ingo's voice, he knew.
"Yes, five hundred rupees, as promised." Link watched Ingo hand a small bottle containing a fairy to a violet-cloaked figure with a large red eye, the only thing visible underneath its dark hood. He saw the figure nod, turn and fade away. Puzzled, Link figured his visit would need to wait; this was serious.
"Hi, Link!" Link was so startled, he jumped and landed on the ground, face first. He stood up, made himself presentable and turned to face Malon.
"Great Triforce, don't scare me like that!" he said, wiping the dirt off his person.
Malon stood there, fiddling silently and looking up at him timidly. This, Link thought, would certainly be a terrible moment to pass up, but he knew there were more important things at hand.
"Sorry, Malon. Something just came up, so I have to go..." Link said sadly, scratching his head.
"Oh..." she responded quietly, looking towards the ground and shuffling her feet. Link, realizing her disappointment, took her hand and spoke in a convincing voice, "I'll be back in a few days, alright?" She gave Link a smile that melted his heart. He reluctantly returned the gesture and took off towards the town of Hyrule. Just seeing Malon's smile was certainly a sufficient motivation.
Link crossed the drawbridge just as the sun sank below the horizon, hearing it slam behind him. Sitting in the middle of Hyrule Square after dark wasn't the most inviting of settings, but Link knew that he needed answers. He saw five people, a young couple slowly making their way down the street, two conspicuous men standing near an alley in a conversation, and a peddler who sat behind a stand, smiling.
"You, boy..." Link turned to face the peddler, granting him his attention.
"You look like a strong young fellow, perhaps you'd be interested in some of my merchandise?" he said, waving his hand over the counter.
Link nodded and glanced over the selection. He saw a cracked glass bottle, sheets and wires of metals, broken Deku sticks and cracked Deku nuts. He saw nothing of real interest.
But as he glanced over it again, something caught his eye.
"What's this?" he questioned.
"Ah, you have exceptionally sharp eyes, kid. Especially for one so young," The peddler held up the item, a shimmering golden cloth.
"This is one of the finest of wares I have seen in my day. Those who hold it seem to feel their spirits rise. Would you care to test its capabilities?" Link took the cloth from the peddler and wrapped it around his arm. He felt somehow energized, as if he could go on for days on end.
"What kind of magic is this?" he asked.
"Magic that of which I do not know, good child," the peddler smiled, not intimidating Link in the least, but making him contemplate the reliability of the man in front of which he stood. He could think of nothing that he couldn't fix or change in order to make foolproof, so he was sure it would be okay to spend a little money.
"I see…how much?"
The peddler tapped his cane on the ground, which Link took as a sign of contemplation.
Scratching his chin and staring into space, he spoke, "Hmm, I could let it go for 500 rupees, but then again there was that incident-" He smacked himself in the forehead as he saw the smile on Link's face.
"My goodness, thinking out loud again! Okay kid, how about…200 rupees?" he grinned.
"…Maybe not…" even for one with such valor and integrity, Link certainly knew how to beguile someone.
"C'mon!…I mean…" he coughed, then continued, "Are you sure you want to let this amazing deal pass you by?"
"Yep," said Link, sounding to the peddler like a real smart-alec by now.
"Humph, fine…how about 100 rupees?"
"Fifty."
"Ninety."
"Sixty."
"Eighty."
"Seventy-five."
"Seventy."
"Deal."
"I meant seventy-seven."
"Too late."
"Damn."
Link tied his new possession around ankle, pulling the sock up over it just in case he ever needed to go by stealth, which he felt would be a situation he would find himself in very soon.
"Thank you kind sir." Link bowed his head and dropped seventy rupees onto the counter. The figure made quick sweep of the stand, removing his merchandise instantly, and turned to leave.
"Wait," The figure turned to face Link again, "Have you heard anything about a black market on stolen fairies?" Link asked.
The two men in the corner raised their heads at the mention of his words, and turned into an alley with haste.
"Hold that thought," said Link, hoisting up his gear and making a mad dash after them.
"Stop!" The pair did no such thing. Thinking quickly, Link withdrew his hookshot and fired, tugging back sharply on the chain once the hook passed one's ankle, creating a lasso effect that bound the men's legs together.
Link crouched down in front of one of them and grabbed him by the collar.
"Talk, what do you know about this 'fairy' business?"
"I ain't telling you nothing, punk," he spat.
"Herman, maybe you should just tell him. I mean, if this kid could catch us, he's probably pretty dangerous," said the other.
"You idiot! Don't tell him our names!"
Herman took a swipe at Link with a concealed knife. Link simply knocked the weapon from his hands and tightened his grip on the man's shirt.
Link had an idea. He carefully removed the Black skulltula from his back and waved it in Herman's face.
"You see this? Unless you tell me what I want to know, I'm going to let this thing loose." The skulltula wriggled violently in his hands, as if thirsty for blood. Or maybe it was just playing the part. Link hoped it was the first one.
The thief smirked, "You little punk, you don't have the guts."
Much as Link hated it, he was right. But they didn't know that, and Link knew a thing or two about knowing how the mind works.
He knelt down in front of the mugger's face, waving the skulltula in his face and holding a stern expression, "Try me."
The skulltula began twitching its limbs violently and clicking its teeth, Link still hoping it was just an act, a very good one at that.
Sweat began pouring down the thieves' faces.
"Alright! The Gerudos to the west have started a black market, paying people for bringing them fairies, dead Deku scrubs and some other stuff, that's all I-oof!"
Link couldn't believe what he was hearing; the pure shock of it compelled him to lose his grip. The Gerudos? Sure, they might be vicious thieves, but at least they had some integrity, this seemed too unlikely. But sure that we wasn't going to get anything else from these two jokers, he grabbed them both by then ankles and dragged them up the path to Hyrule castle.
"Hey! What're you doing?"
"Be quiet! There's only one place for crooks like you. And there are people trying to sleep, haven't you two ever heard of consideration?"
"Yes, and it would be considerate of you to stop dragging us through the dirt!" Herman grunted, agitated.
Sighing, Link stopped, Link retracted the hookshot just enough to keep his prisoners tied, than lifted them up by the chain.
"Wow, he's pretty tough for a kid, Herman."
"Shut up…" said Herman, now truly aggravated.
…
"Halt! Who goes there?" called one of the guards from the castle gate, polished armor shimmering in the moonlight.
"I found these two wretches discussing something along the lines of a black market being operated by the Gerudos to the west. Would you know something of it?"
"Unfortunately not, but we shall castigate and question them. Good work, young citizen," the soldier responded, saluting crisply.
Sick of being called young, kid, punk, child or whatever else adults referred to adolescents as these days, Link circled around to head out to Gerudo Valley, fully aware that he was disobeying the Great Deku Sprout. But he could consider it a "side quest", he thought; there certainly was no harm in looking into some trouble. Who knew? Maybe he'd find a certain long lost friend of his.
"Halt! None may pass!"
Link slowly approached the guard by the drawbridge, flashing his permission card from princess Zelda herself. Being considered a hero by somebody so high in power certainly had its perks.
The guard straightened and saluted, "My mistake, sir. Open the gates!" He cried, banging the end of his spear against the tarmac. Link didn't have time to wait; he simply scuttled up the wood, jumped into the moat, climbed out and broke into a sprint. The more Link thought about it, the faster he ran. Really, he knew that these stakes were high, but with her help, he might just be able to turn the tide of things.
The guard, flabbergasted, banged his spear again, "Close the gate."
Dumb kid, he thought.
…
Somewhere in the Gerudo desert, three mysterious figures walked in from the furthest of wests, glistening in the eternal sun like mirages from an oasis. Two of them stood just under six feet, holding rather unconventional weapons.
One wore a dark shade of red, and from the looks of it, was a woman. Her long black hair flowed in the heat, resembling something along the lines of black crystal thread. She wiped sweat from her brow and flicked it to the sand, evaporating before it could touch the golden earth. Her figure was trim, a very beautiful woman, she knew. But that could have been considered a mask for what lay underneath, an undying fire that could never be doused, even after death, that flame would rise.
In her hands lay a coiled chain, exceptionally sharp at a glance, three knives obtruding from the edges. Across her back was an unusually elongated bow and ruby quiver.
A small serpent rose from the sand, looking for a snack. What it received was an arrow through its skull, the head of the projectile resembling an animal's tooth.
The other, shorter figure made his way over to the deceased animal and yanked out its four teeth, withdrew a cylindrical piece of wood, injected the snake's venom into the reserve which he fed through the tip of the bone, making an arrow in one fluid motion.
The man's speed was truly incredible, as well as his skill. However, the first thing that truly caught the eye was the man's rather impressively sized scythe hanging from the back of his dark blue uniform. This was the only weapon he carried, but it had been stained a dark red, presumably from blood.
The third figure stood over six feet, fully clad in black, a long, narrow cape flowing from behind. As the wind blew in the opposite direction, as wind tends to do, the cape flew backwards, revealing three sheaths lined along the man's back. He wore little armor, but perhaps the most distinguishing feature was the pair of sunglasses, which shrouded the only part of his body uncovered by fabric.
The tallest man took a step forward, the other two following closely behind.
"How much longer?" questioned the shorter male.
"All due things in time, Kyou. Remember that patience is invaluable." Spoke the taller.
"C'mon, why can't we pick up the pace?" questioned the female.
"Because, Hebi, if we were to move any faster, you would faint from exhaustion. Hell, I can last longer in the heat than you." Underneath her almost entirely concealed face, Kyou swore he saw Hebi's face turn red with anger, which came to him as absolutely no surprise.
"You'd better watch it you little son of a-"
"In my presence, Hebi, swearing portrays the speaker as the fool, although it is generally the fool who speaks out in the first place."
"So you're saying that you're a fool?" Hebi inquired, quite amused with her response.
"Am I human?" he asked, calmly.
"What?"
"Just answer the damned question…" Kyou muttered impatiently.
"Yes," spoke Hebi, directing her agitation towards Kyou.
"Then I do suppose I am quite foolish, perhaps to the point of brilliance," the two couldn't see it, but Kyou and Hebi almost knew that their leader was smirking.
"Huh?" said Hebi, puzzled.
"Geez, Hebi, try using your brain for once!"
Kyou's outburst was answered by a sharp clang of metals as Hebi's metal claw-like weapon struck out against the flat of Kyou's scythe. The taller figure simply pushed through the duo's argument and continued forward.
Hebi retracted her weapon, placed a hand on her brow and shook her head, "Why did I join up with you two in the first place?"
"Because you said, 'I need your assistance in acquiring some hidden treasures.' You also hold a great deal of respect for him, and, if I'm not mistaken, you're quite attracted to him as well."
Hebi sighed, "I suppose a deal is a deal, then." She wiped the sweat from her brow and continued after the man she so well respected, followed by the one whom there was no one she held in greater animosity.
…
As the sun rose from over the horizon, Link yawned lazily while Epona continued to gallop towards the edge of the field to the Gerudo hideout. He had been moving for a day straight without sleep for the first time in a long while. Link knew that unless he got some rest, he would be in absolutely no shape worthy of fighting massive hordes of bandits. He pulled on Epona's reins to make her stop, dismounted and found a nice place to relax underneath a large tree.
He opened his pack and withdrew a handful of Deku nuts. Hard as they were, Link always found them to be quite tasty, so he popped a few into his mouth and confirmed that he had enough left for ammunition. Fluffing up his extra tunics as a pillow and pulling down his cap to provide a bit of shade from the sunlight, Link lied back and thought that life couldn't get any better. He supposed that this was something that adults lost, the ability to simply lie back and enjoy the things that surrounded them, too busy with "adult matters" to think about things like that, he'd heard them say.
He shrugged, their loss, he thought, and drifted off to dream land.
…
Link!
Whoa, am I hearing things?
Link, it's me, the Great Deku Sprout!
Um, how did you get inside my head?
Link, I have the power of telepathy, and the ability to determine your exact location and situation.
Um…
Calm down, I know that you left Hyrule Castle in order to figure out the issue of stolen fairies. That's where I sent Mido.
But, what about Navi?
Link, you need to do as you were instructed, and-
Great Deku Spirit, I'm sorry, but I need to search for Navi.
Link, I was going to say that in order to complete your instructions, you might require some assistance. Some friends of yours might require your assistance as well.
…Thank you, Great Deku Spirit.
Within his dreams, Link saw the smiling faces of his friends, something that would carry on in his memory for the duration allowed to the system of time.
…
Link awoke rather relaxed underneath his shaded spot below the bright, noon, Hylian sun. Reluctantly, he rose, yawned, stretched, and the usual routine of things people tend to do when they rise from slumber.
Link withdrew a bottle of fresh water and gulped down the last of it. Knowing that he'd probably need more, he untied Epona's harnesses, climbed upon her saddle and aimed straight for the gates that had always blocked the entrance to Lake Hylia.
Once he jumped the bars, Link beckoned for Epona to speed up towards the mirror surface of the lake, truly a mesmerizing sight. Pulling back on Epona's reins, he jumped off and walked towards the surface of the water, extracting five or six empty bottles.
Once when Link had visited the town of Hyrule's bazaar, Link had opened his rucksack to store his supplies when the customer to his left noticed the vast variety and quantity of provisions that resided within his bag.
"My goodness, young sir. You must be quite a traveler to have such a great amount of supplies with you. More than I've ever seen, in fact! Please, tell me where you came upon such a expedient device!" the man had exclaimed, his excitement and forward nature somewhat irritating to Link. Nevertheless, he explained to him that several years prior to this story, Link resided within the Kokiri forest, and that all children there had been blessed with magic, being allowed to carry great amounts of whatever they required.
He had also warned him that adults were exempt from these blessings, and that those who went in search for them were often doomed to be forever lost.
The man, flabbergasted that one as young as Link could ever be so dishonest (although his words were true), stomped off towards the south in search of magical abilities.
Link and the store manager never saw him again…
Thinking of this always made Link feel uncomfortable, he had never wanted to send somebody to eternal dismay, or happen to kill any that had become a stalfos, but as the Great Deku Sprout had once told him, sometimes the right thing to do is the wrong thing to do in disguise.
Plugging the last bottle closed, Link returned all of his bottles to his pack and climbed upon Epona once again and beckoned her to gallop straight for the desert.
Once he passed the red rocks and the amount of time it took to become accustomed to the blazing heat, Link pulled Epona to a complete stop, falling off in the process. He stood up, rubbed the back of his head, and wondered why the bridge had been cut. He pulled out his hookshot to try and grapple his way across, but the target that had gotten him there before was gone.
He stood puzzled for a few minutes before innovation struck him. After carefully removing it from his back, Link threw his prized black skulltula to the other side. It crawled up and spun a web around the two posts, giving Link a clear shot. Before he crossed the crevice, he pet Epona on the head and shooed her off, he'd call her again later.
Link took aim and fired the hookshot, heard a satisfying click, hit the trigger again and flew across the narrow, yet deep chasm. As soon as he landed on the dirt, he recollected his tool, watching it slowly crawl upon his back underneath his shield.
Link started slowly started forward, then felt his legs cease their movements, a sickening crack the last sound he heard before falling to the ground unconscious.
…
"Throw her in the dungeon with that punk."
They threw another kid down here? Probably just some joker who thought he'd make a good Gerudo, thought Nabooru as she hit the warm tile floor of the single room prison cell. She looked up, sucking in the pain to see a familiar kid sprawled out across the flooring.
"Link!"
Link stirred from his slumber and slowly opened his eyes.
"…Nabooru? Ow…" Link sat up and rubbed his head, an immense amount of pain pulsating from behind.
"What's going on? Why is the boss of the Gerudos inside her own cell?"
"It seems that some rogues from the west broke in and put my entire crew in our own dungeons."
"No joke? I'd assume you'd know how to escape your own prison?"
Nabooru shook her head, "Can't get out, they blocked all of the secret exits and scrambled the locks, we're stuck here."
"We'll see about-" Link fell silent as he stood without the burden of extra weight, knowing without looking that all of his items were gone, "These guys were really thinking ahead."
"That's just it, they were men."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"No man has broken into the Gerudo fortress since, well, you did four years ago."
"Has anyone ever broken in besides me?"
"That's not the point."
Frustrated, Link glanced around for some clue as to how he'd be able to escape his rather spacious cell. And then it hit him.
Reaching frantically into his pockets, he silently cheered within his head as he pulled the bag of herbs given to him by Saria.
"Ha! They didn't think to take these from me!"
Nabooru was confused, "How are those going to help us?"
Link pulled three leaves from the bag and dropped three into his mouth, chewed and waited. Nabooru watched in astonishment as Link almost instantly shrunk to the size of a small child.
Slowly and carefully, Link squeezed himself through the bars. But about halfway through, he got stuck. "Uh-oh."
Nabooru stood up and pushed him the rest of the way through. Link turned to Nabooru and asked, "Where should I go first?"
She pointed to the right, "All of the cells are in the other direction so you're going to need to find your stuff first. And if you're lucky, you might find something that will come in handy."
Link nodded and headed off while Nabooru sat back and twiddled her thumbs, gathering strength. She knew that she would need it.
…
As soon as Link entered the first chamber, he noticed a cell to his right that had a good deal of his supplies. Figuring that it was probably a trap, Link carefully slipped his hands through the bars to recover his sword and rucksack, knowing that those were the two most important things among his bottles, Deku sticks and Eye of Truth. As soon as he removed the weapon and bag from their places, however, the floor within the cell collapsed, sending the remainder of Link's items down into darkness.
Relieved that he hadn't fallen down too, Link turned around, much to his surprised, to see that the entire chamber's floor was giving way. Before he could act, Link was sent tumbling below.
Luckily, he landed on his feet, but the shock from the fall was too great, Link felt his legs shake from the plummet for a few moments before recovering his bearings and recuperating from the feeling.
He saw a chest in the corner, prayed to the goddesses that it was his hookshot, and slowly opened it. Carefully, Link removed his bomb bag from the trunk. In a fit of rage, the sack flew across the room against the wall.
Link had fallen into more traps than he ever had before. Whoever he was dealing with, they had predicted his moves, laid traps he hadn't predicted and whenever he seemed to find something that could help him, he was getting stuck somewhere.
Muttering curses to himself, Link gathered up the scattered bombs and stuck them within his pack. He looked upwards and saw a hookshot target, seemingly there only to mock him.
Then it hit him. Link still had the herbs in his mouth, and he was traveling exceptionally light. Maybe he could wall jump his way to the top. The room looked narrow enough, and he could probably break the door open with a solid kick.
Backing up and rubbing his boots against the floor for traction, Link took a running start and jumped towards the wall. As soon as his foot struck the brick, he launched himself upwards towards the other side, and continued this movement fluidly like water. As soon as he reached the top, he pushed exceptionally hard, extended his free leg and aimed for the cell door. As if by magic, a stone block appeared in front of his exit.
Link felt his ankle shatter, then fell to the floor in a crashing heap just as before. Grabbing his leg and grimacing in pain, Link pulled another herb from his pocket and began chewing again, the pain disappearing as soon as it began.
Link waited a few minutes, returned to standing position and performed the wall jumps again. This time, however, he jumped over the door and grabbed onto the bars. Climbing to the upwards corner in a safe distance, Link removed a bomb from his bag and quickly slid the fuse against the wall, creating enough friction to light the explosive.
Link tossed it towards the door, and sure enough, it landed on the stone slab that impeded his progress and watched it explode into rubble.
Making his way back, Link kicked the door open and stood on the floor again. Stomping it a few times to be sure it didn't give way, Link made his way forward.
Inside his current hall, Link saw a big chest in the distance. Looking around to be certain that there were no traps or anything else that might surprise him, Link felt around the walls and rolled a few non-ignited bombs down the ground to make sure that he didn't trigger anything.
Nothing out of the ordinary occurred, which in this case happened to be the quiet roar of the sand that pierced through the thick dungeon walls.
Cautiously making his way through anyway, Link recovered his supplies and made it to the chest in one piece.
Kicking the chest to see if it would explode first, Link waited, and nothing happened. Carefully opening the chest, Link looked down and saw darkness. This was unusual, chests usually had visible bases.
Link reached down into the wooden chest and felt around. He touched something soft, tightened his grip and pulled. Out of the chest came a jet-black tunic, just small enough for Link in his current size.
I wonder what this does? Guess I'll just have to try it out, he thought. Link turned around to make sure that nobody was watching, ran behind the chest and pulled off his sweaty green tunic. He pulled his new clothes over his head, they slid on perfectly, soft as Hylian silk. Link stretched and walked around, then placed on his perhaps favorite feature, a jet black cap to match. They were comfortable, flexible and pretty good-looking. Wondering just what they could do that was so special, Link stuffed his Kokiri tunic into his pack and jumped forward a few times. As soon as he did, arrows shot out from the walls.
Bracing for the pain, Link felt a sharp stinging in his left arm. He had expected more, though. Slowly opening his eyes, willing to expect whatever fate he had encountered, Link was surprised to see only one arrow in his arm. He turned to his right and saw approximately twenty-seven other projectiles jutting from the right side of his torso, yet he felt no pain. He turned around to see them stuck in the wall behind him.
Completely puzzled, Link stuck his left hand through his body and pulled an arrow out from the wall. Neither his person nor his hand felt anything.
Looking downwards, Link noticed that the right half of his body stood within a shadow, seemingly invisible.
"…Nice." Link stuttered aloud, completely in shock that he had come so close to death, and that death had literally flown right through him.
Link stepped back from the shade and saw his body return to normal, pulling the arrow from his arm, throwing it to the floor and observing the cut heal itself within a matter of seconds, thanks to the leaves in his mouth.
So this tunic allows me to become invulnerable when I step into the shadows? Maybe it only works against certain things, but maybe I become invisible too, or at least difficult to see.
Link sprinted back towards the end of the room and took the remaining door to his left.
As soon as he entered, he heard footsteps from the room beyond. Quickly, he dived into the shadows to his side to avoid being caught.
From the doorway emerged a slender woman dressed from neck to toe in dark red. Her face was young and beautiful, her hair flowing back like the waves of the ocean. This was not what caught Link's attention, however. What captured his focus was the rather intimidating weapon hanging from her waist.
Link covered his mouth to keep himself from making any sounds; invisibility does not impair someone's hearing.
As soon as she reached the doorway, she hesitated and looked straight in Link's direction. Link held his breath and reached for his sword. After a few moments, the woman shrugged and headed through the door, thankfully not the one that Link had just left from.
After he was certain that the woman was gone, Link headed straight through the door that she had just entered and went up a flight of stairs to the roof of fortress. Looking around frantically, Link did not see what he expected; no guards patrolled the grounds of the stronghold. He looked around for another entrance and saw a drop into another room to his right. Link made his way over and dropped down.
As soon as Link touched the floor, he leaned against a partition to catch some air, realizing that it felt somewhat brittle. Link pulled out his sword and struck the brick, hearing that familiar sound that told him what to do. Link pulled a bomb from his pack, ignited the fuse and stood back.
Sure enough, the wall crumbled to reveal a large chest. Link ran over and opened the crate, finding his shield and hookshot. Just as he turned around to leave, however, iron bars dropped from the ceiling and locked him inside. The walls around him began to move inwards, telling Link that if he didn't move fast enough, he'd be as flat as a leaf if he didn't move. He looked upwards to see a hookshot target, frantically removed his hookshot and fired. He felt himself being jerked upwards, but at a speed slower than he was accustomed to. Link looked upwards to see the ceiling falling at the same time.
Thinking quickly, Link swung backwards, then forwards and dived through a window, his hookshot retracting just before it was crushed to dust.
As soon as Link hit the floor, however, bombchu began crawling in from the walls of the narrow hallway. Link removed his shield and stood on top of it, bracing for the explosion. The bombchu detonated, launching Link straight towards the ceiling at least sixty feet high. More bombchu crawled along the walls, but these moved in different directions, like they were moving towards Link.
Knowing not what else to do, Link unsheathed the Kokiri dagger and began slashing wildly, watching several remote bombs fall to the floor and set off a chain reaction. Link watched in a horror as a light sped along a fuse attached to the walls and the ceiling.
Several powder kegs dropped from the ceiling. Link didn't know what to do, especially when he noticed that the rather impressively sized explosives were being dragged along by two or more bombchu each.
Link looked downwards, seeing no exit, but he did happen to notice a crack in the floor. He pulled out a bomb and threw it toward the split in the ground, saw it explode and watched in dismay as the smoke cleared to see that his bomb had done nothing.
Then it snapped into his head. Link pulled his shield out from under his feet and extended his legs to gain speed as he plummeted back towards the floor. He turned his head to see the powder keg-dragging bombchu following behind him.
Right before he hit the floor, Link jammed his shield underneath his feet and braced for impact. The shock quickly shot up his legs, but the herbs that remained in his mouth quickly rid him of the uncomfortable sensation.
Link picked up his shield and made a desperate sprint for the end of the room. As soon as the bombchu and powder kegs caught up with him, he ran straight for the wall and directly up it, seemingly defying gravity, flipped off backwards while simultaneously removing a bomb, igniting it and throwing it straight downwards.
The bombchu, as Link predicted, could not turn around quickly enough to escape the explosion.
A blinding flash of light enveloped the dank room as Link ran for the other side of the hall. He felt the floor fall to a slant, so Link jumped upon his shield once again and slid down the ramp. To his left, Link saw a deep chasm with the faint twinkle of spike tips at the bottom. Behind him, Link heard a crash. He turned his head to see a boulder literally covered with bombs.
He looked forward, seeing jets of water shooting from the walls, which would launch him straight to hell if he wasn't careful. Link ducked, weaved and jumped to avoid being knocked off the straightaway as the boulder began to gain ground on him
As soon as he passed the wall with the jets, the path turned to an upward slant, a second chasm on his right as well. Knowing that he'd lose a significant deal of speed just by sliding, Link dismounted his shield and began sprinting up the slope, the boulder just falling behind.
Link looked back to see the floor collapsing behind him. Without hesitating a heartbeat, Link sped up and ran straight for the doorway.
Just before he could dive through it, the door shut itself tight as Link saw the last bit of support disappear from beneath his feet.
…
This place was way too easy, Hebi Suterutu thought to herself as she wandered through the confines of her new palace.
This is my kind of place, though. Spacious, unique, filled with prison cells, Hebi smiled as she made her way from room to room.
But seriously, what a bunch of amateurs! I made it through all of their traps, scrambled their locks and laid traps of my own in a matter of hours! She picked up a ruby encrusted statue from her new throne and examined it from different angles. Still smiling, she fell back onto the chair of her palace and threw her money into the air in pure delight.
A dark figure emerged from the doorway, interrupting her fun, "He wants you to take care of that Link kid, now."
Hebi's smile faded, "Relax you worm, my traps have probably finished him off by now."
"He can still sense Link's presence."
Hebi sighed as she stood up and headed for the doorway.
"Excuse me," she said sarcastically, pushing Kyou out of the way.
He grumbled to himself before disappearing in a shroud of smoke.
…
Link hung from a vine growing from the wall, panting as he stared into the darkness below.
That was way too close, he thought. Carefully, he pulled himself up and stared upwards, seeing nothing beyond the impenetrable darkness.
For crying out-, haven't these guys ever heard of torches? Knowing not what else to do, Link began to climb, the worn spaces between the bricks making excellent hand/footholds. As soon as Link began his ascent, however, he was it in the head by something small and hard.
"Ow! What the-?" Link caught the small projectile in his hand, revealing a Deku nut, and a dud at that.
Link looked up and his eyes widened, Deku nuts began pouring down like rain in a storm. Knowing that climbing was going to get him killed, Link jumped from wall to wall, aware of the fact that his life depended on it.
Link got another idea and raised his shield above his head. That way, he could climb at his own pace and block the effects of paralysis. However, he only had one hand free, so he removed the Kokiri sword from his sheath and jammed it into a foothold.
Making a risky jump, Link pushed himself upwards and grabbed the handle with his teeth, pulling his body up with his arm and legs with the assistance of his abdomen. He did this three more times before he became fatigued again, knowing that it would certainly take a long time to reach the top at his current pace, so he took a moment to gain his bearings.
It wasn't long, though, before Link started to hear cracks along with the constant patter of Deku nuts against metal.
Link pondered for a few moments before realizing that his shield was the object making the noise. Withdrawing his hookshot and praying to the Triforce that he'd make it, Link pulled back his shield and began to jump upwards again.
Five minutes later, Link was almost out of breath. He had slipped and fallen several feet twice already, and the ceiling still wasn't visible. He had no choice; Link fired his hookshot and closed his eyes.
He released a heavy sigh when he felt the familiar feeling of being pulled straight upwards again.
As soon as he escaped from the column, Link felt solid ground once again and collapsed from exhaustion.
…
"Link? Link, wake up!"
Link slowly opened his eyes to see Mido standing over his head.
"Mido, what're you-? Oh, right. You were finding out information on the fairy black market," he said quietly, gently sitting up.
"And you were supposed to go speak with Princess Zelda about the other two spiritual stones you lazy nut-head!"
Link steadily rose to his feet and stretched to relieve some of the soreness he felt in his joints and muscles. Useful as Saria's plants were, they could only relieve him from the pain of serious injury, muscle tension could help itself.
"Link, I don't know whether or not we're going to find Navi here. I've already searched the entire complex, and it seems that one woman has the whole place running by herself. It's almost like she can be in two places at once."
Link was silent for a second.
"But I did find out some information on the black market. We need to save that for later, though. I recovered a bit of your stuff for you."
From his pockets Mido removed Link's Deku Shield, four bottles, his red and blue tunics, slingshot and boomerang.
"Here you go. Hurry up, we need to move."
Link sat in silence for several moments, refusing to look up.
"Link, c'mon," said Mido impatiently.
"Just shut up, would you?" Link muttered.
"What's your problem?"
Link stood up and grabbed Mido by the collar.
"What's the problem? I'll tell you what the problem is! I traveled through dense forests, fire, floods, sand, even through time and death with only one person with me. And now that one person who literally stood by me for years of my life is gone! Don't you tell me to calm down!" he yelled, tears building up within his tired eyes. Mido was silent.
"I traveled the world to find her! I fought evil sprits, saved countless worlds and stared death in the face more times than I have the capacity to remember! I searched for years on end and ended up in more dead ends than anyone should ever have to bear! I've taken more damage than you could comprehend, suffered through more hardships than the gods would understand, shouldered burdens of people who have no troubles, received not a single amount of sympathy or decency in my lifetime, and people look down upon me like I'm a speck of dirt! You show me how to deal with it, and then maybe I'll calm down!"
Link's hands were trembling with rage, Mido did not speak.
"I'm just a kid for crying out loud."
Link finally released Mido and fell to the floor in tears of rage and sorrow.
Mido rubbed his throat and turned for the door, giving Link time to think alone.
Several minutes later, Link rose from his sulking and went through the door on the opposite side of the room.
Inside the room where Link currently stood, he saw a single chest placed dead center. Warily making his way to the chest, Link opened it quickly to find his Lens of Truth. As soon as he pulled it from its place, however, areas in the walls opened up to reveal several arrows: fire, ice and light, and some other varieties that Link didn't want to become accustomed to anytime soon. Link turned around to see the doorway blocked by iron bars, and with absolutely no window, other exits or even cracks, Link pulled up the Lens of Truth and frantically searched for an opening, the only one he saw was a drop through the floor.
Knowing that he had no other choice, Link jumped down and landed on a rather large platform.
Surrounding the stage were several brightly lit torches and no ground.
"Well, well, well, it seems like the handsome kid finally made it."
Link looked around and brandished his sword, ready for a fight.
"Ooh, feisty, aren't we? I like that!" he could not find the voice, but Link stood at ready, or so he thought, at least until he felt a sharp pain in his backside that sent him skidding along the asphalt.
"But not too bright." He heard the woman giggle softly.
As quickly as possible, Link spun around and lunged at the figure, slicing through nothing but air.
"You're going to have to do better than that, kid!" This time the voice came resonated from the walls.
"Show yourself!" he yelled.
"Demanding! Very well." A shroud of smoke popped up at Link's feet, forcing him to jump backwards.
The woman who appeared from behind the smolder was none other than the one Link had seen before, but she wore a mask over her face this time, obstructing Link's view. She stepped backwards and bowed.
"Hebi Suterusu, I don't suppose you've heard of me?"
Link stared in reticence.
"I'll take that silence as a no. That's exactly what I was expecting!"
Her voice suddenly changed from warm and playful to cold and harsh, "Very well, shall we begin?"
Link ran forwards, weapon raised, but Hebi simply sidestepped out of the way, grabbed Link's arm and threw him in the opposite direction, sending him skidding along the floor.
Now officially angry, Link got up once again and threw down a spare Deku nut. As soon as the flash faded, Hebi had disappeared.
Link looked eagerly from side to side, his hands shaking from lack of focus.
Before he could react, a chain brandished from his rear caught Link's legs, cut his ankles and flipped him backwards, causing him to land on his back and severely hurt himself.
Link quickly got up, now bleeding and frustrated.
Hebi appeared in front of him. He charged and began swinging wildly, but she dodged all of his attacks with effortless movements. Link lunged straight at her, only to miss. Hebi grabbed his wrist and snapped it.
Flinching in pain, Link ran towards the other end of the platform to catch his breath.
Before he could relax, Hebi's knuckles connected with his face, causing immeasurable amounts of pain.
Like if a goron were to step on your head.
Link grabbed his face and stumbled backwards, grimacing from the pain.
In a matter of seconds, Hebi flashed across the arena in a series of attacks, generating cuts through Link's tunic and into his skin.
When Link could no longer stand, Hebi revealed herself from the shadows.
"You're a tough kid, but you're no match for-" she was cut short by a powerful jab to her stomach. Link smiled, trickery really was a powerful asset.
Before Hebi hit the ground, she disappeared in a cloud of dust.
Link swung around and thrust his blade straight into his opponent, only to watch her disappear again.
Link stopped and looked around to see several versions of the same person surrounding him.
"How do you expect to fight me when you don't even know where your target is, hmm?" she spoke mockingly.
"He doesn't have to fight, we'll do it for him."
Both Hebi and Link looked up to see daggers raining from the ceiling.
"Crap!" Hebi muttered as she jumped into the shadows as three of the torches went out.
"Link, are you okay?" Nabooru jumped down next to Link and helped him up. Mido jumped down next to her and ran forward, brandishing his favorite black skulltula.
Link tried to stand up, but collapsed instead. Nabooru handed him a small black pill.
"Eat this," she said.
"Don't interfere!" Hebi yelled, shooting a great deal of flame from her palm. Nabooru made a beckoning motion with her hands from the floor. Instantly, bricks rose from the ground and dissolved into sand. The fire connected with the sand, instantly resulting in a wall of distorted glass. Nabooru closed her fist, compressing the glass into a focused, solid projectile and shot it straight in Hebi's direction. Hebi grabbed the missile and crushed it with one hand. Nabooru swept her hands along the ground, the shards cutting at Hebi's feet. She simply dodged the attack by running to the side.
Mido held four Deku nuts between his fingers in one hand, flicking all of them to the ground simultaneously. Even so, Hebi was too fast.
She rose from the ground behind him and threw her chain forward. Mido stepped out of the way just in time, grabbed the chain and cut it in half. Impatiently, Hebi responded by shoving him out of the way, melting down the metal and restoring it to its original shape in a matter of seconds.
Link waited for the pill to take effect, then stood up and cracked his knuckles while Mido continued to fend of his target. Nabooru saw this, "Link, here!" she yelled, throwing him a scimitar.
Link caught it in midair and brandished it rather well, spitting the herbs that were still in his mouth to the floor. In a few moments, he returned to normal height.
Hebi stood and chanted under her breath. Within moments, several clones of Hebi surrounded the trio.
"Let's see if you can actually hit the right one with some luck."
"I don't need luck," Link muttered as he withdrew the eye of truth and looked around the arena. He turned around 180 degrees to see his adversary charging straight at him. Quickly brandishing his sword, Link swung forwards, hitting nothing.
Mido was sent flying backwards. Before he could react, Link was struck down as well.
"Not this time," Nabooru muttered as she created more sand from the brick below, compressed all of them into the shapes of knives. As soon as she snapped her fingers, Nabooru's weapons flew in every direction. Link heard a mutter of pain, turned around and threw a Deku nut straight at his target, satisfied to see his rival fall to the ground in a paralyzed state.
He ran forward and jammed his sword straight downwards, only to hit solid brick. Link waited for another attack, but it did not come. After several minutes, Link dropped his weapon and let out a great sigh of relief. He rubbed his eyes and slowly made his way over to his teammates.
Nabooru placed a hand on his shoulder, "Good job kid."
Next to where Link
stood, a treasure chest appeared. Slowly, he turned to it and kicked
open the lock. Inside were Link's three Great Fairy Crystals: Din's
Fire, Farore's Wind and Nayru's Love and Link's black
skulltula. Attached to the back of Din's crystal was a note:
You fought pretty
well, kid. I suppose you've earned back your stuff, but don't
think that this is the last of it. There are at least two more
members that are much stronger than I am, so watch your back! That
fire crystal of yours really came in handy, I don't really need it
anymore, though, I can learn fire spells pretty easily. So keep
training yourself, I look forward to fighting you again someday!
Hebi Suterusu
Link folded up the letter, stuck it into his pocket and sighed again. Whoever these people were, they were tough. And the worst part of it was that they were only the least of his worries.