Hey! Sorry for the slow update this time, I've been playing Wizard101 and trying to hatch a good pet and level up to 90... *lots of work* So yea, sorry for the sluggish updating O_o But here is my next chapter, back in Link's PoV. I hope you guys really like it :D
My eyelids flickered open, and I groaned. My entire body was stiff from sleeping in such a horribly awkward position, especially up against a stone wall. I let my body relax a little from the tension, and I stretched every bit of muscle that I possibly could. The feeling felt absolutely amazing and I sighed loudly and happily when I felt my back crack as well. No wonder it hurt so badly.
I scratched my head a bit and looked around, remembering that I wasn't alone. But, Dark was nowhere to be seen. I was absolutely confused as to where he had even gone. He had been pacing back and forth in deep thought when I had drifted into sleep, and now he was gone.
Could he be any more mysterious?
"I can be, if you really want me to."
I screamed and jumped straight up, managing to hit all of my gear and sent it toppling over into Dark's. I watched as it all fell with an earsplitting clang, and I cringed a bit. The noise echoed endlessly throughout the cavernous hall. I spun around with an enraged glare and my eyes rested upon Dark, who was innocently looking at me a few feet away.
He shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry. I managed to read your thoughts and I assumed you were speaking out loud rather than in your head."
I glared at him, quite baffled. "You can read my thoughts? What more can you do besides morph into my shadow and read my thoughts and all this other nonsense?"
He picked at his fingernails again, which was something I noticed he did quite often. "I'm not entirely sure Hero. I'm learning more and more about myself at the same time as you are learning things about me."
With an annoyed huff I spun around and began picking up the mess I made. I could hear his footsteps as he came up alongside me and began grabbing things as well. I had made quite the mess, and all of the contents of my bag had spilled all over the place. Dark was gazing at each item curiously, carefully inspecting each piece and slowly setting it all into a pile. His demeanor was completely different from the day before; it was like he actually cared.
"Well, of course I care. You spared my life, did you not? I should return the favor by helping you out." I gaped at him again, and I noticed that he didn't realize that I hadn't spoken out loud again. I let a long sigh escape between my lips, and I began placing up a barrier to my mind so that he wouldn't become confused again.
He paused in the middle of picking up my gear at that point and glanced over at me. "You're blocking me out? And don't say no, I can tell." He simply gazed at me for the longest time, and it was almost impossible to read any of his emotions. It was like he had become a calm and sure statue.
I opened my mouth to reply, but at that moment a thunderous roar echoed throughout the entire temple. The walls shook, and bits of it began to fall apart. It was as if a huge earthquake was ripping through all of Hyrule at that very moment. Dark and I both struggled to grab ahold of something before both of us collapsed on top of each other and the gear surrounding us. The swords clanged against the stone, the shields clinked against each other and all of my items. I let out a wail of sheer panic and terror, while Dark's expression was one of complete and utter dread and shock. His face had gone from that characteristic dark tone to a paler shade, and it looked like he had seen a ghost.
Or something much, much worse.
The shaking began to subside, and immediately Dark began grabbing at anything he could reach and thrust it at me. I was too shocked to respond and simply sat there staring at him. He angrily grabbed my shoulders and jerked me awake.
"THIS IS NO TIME TO SIT AND STARE! THIS ENTIRE TEMPLE IS GOING TO COLLAPSE ON US IF YOU DON'T OPEN THAT DOOR!"
I shook my head to clear it of the fuzz that had covered my mind after the initial shock of the strange earthquake that had occurred. "The what is going to what?"
He raged at me at that point. "I JUST TOLD YOU, THIS TEMPLE IS GOING TO COLLAPSE! MOVE, HERO!"
With that, he grabbed my sword and jammed it into my hands and shoved me towards the door, dodging moving spikes that sliced across the floor at various speeds. I began to finally understand the entire situation and that if I didn't start moving on my own, we would both die a horrible and piteous death. I righted my gear and began to run after him, keeping up a steady pace as we raced down the hallway towards the final room of the entire temple.
The boss room.
To Dark, it was just another one of Ganon's creations. But to me, it was something much more. And much worse. And with the entire temple falling down around us, it was a no brainer that I had to fight this thing as fast as I could. I had no idea what I was going up against, but it seemed like Dark had a slight idea, and so I was going to have to rely on him to know and understand what was happening during the fight. He seemed to know a lot about the entire temple itself, from every sticky puzzle we had gotten into to how to defeat any of the strange creatures we came across in here. He was my lifeline at the moment, and I was incredibly thankful that I hadn't attacked him when he had told me to sit and talk with him in the Room of Illusions.
Another thunderous roar echoed throughout the temple, but Dark and I were prepared. We grabbed ahold of whatever we could and, with much struggling, managed to crawl our way across the rest of the hallway to the Boss Door. I quickly slipped in the key and Dark thrust open the door ahead of me, already charging inside before I could blink. I raced in after him and was greeted with quite a sight.
In the center of the room was more water, with four platforms placed symmetrically about the pool. Every side of the room was littered with huge spikes, all the way up to the door that we had just opened. The water was a strange color, and instead of being a crystal clear blue like the rest of the dungeon had been, the water was an odd shade of a lighter blue, and was slightly murky. The door shut tight behind both of us as Dark and I walked closer towards the water, and he held up a hand to signal me to stop. I had learned after a while to simply do what Dark told me to do when it came to whatever we came across in the temple, because arguing was useless.
Simply put, if I ignored his orders, I would die.
Dark unsheathed his sword and slowly stalked forward, standing just at the water's edge. He then began to speak.
"Oh great and powerful guardian of the water temple, I come to you once again to ask you of a favor. Please arise and greet me so that we may engage in a friendly conversation."
At first, I thought Dark was crazy for talking to an obviously empty room with just a pool of water. But then, the water began to ripple, and I immediately grabbed my sword in preparation for an attack. Dark calmly glanced back at me and motioned for me to remain calm.
"Do not fret, Hero. Morpha will not attack you unless it wishes to disobey me, the Shadow Prince. After all, I am one of Ganon's most highly respected creations."
I nodded and sheathed my sword, but I still stared straight ahead at the rippling and swirling water, prepared for whatever was about to emerge. I had no idea what this Morpha creature looked like, but I knew that it wasn't going to be very pretty, especially with my prior knowledge of the rest of the bosses I had already faced.
Another earthquake shook the temple, and the water rippled even more. It quivered and quaked, and it took enough energy to try and stay upright. However, Dark didn't seem to be struggling. He was standing quite calmly, his body only shaking slightly. That's when I realized that a giant tentacle-like object was grabbing him and keeping him still. A strange orb floated around inside the tentacle, and it seemed to be almost staring me down, despite it having no eyes.
I shivered. Was this thing holding Dark Morpha? The name would make sense. It was in a sense water, but at the same time it was its own being that could contort in different ways and shapes. As the tremor subsided, the tentacle like object let go of Dark, but seemed to be hovering closer and closer to me. I backed away slowly, not really knowing what to do. Dark had ordered me to not attack, but if this thing got any closer…
"Morpha, that's enough. Please, leave him be for now. Your affairs are with me at the moment."
It seemed almost reluctant to leave me be, but the small orb quickly bounced its way back into the rippling water and created yet another tentacle, this one swirling about Dark, while the original tentacle kept a close watch on me. I was a little unnerved by this being, and I was ready to hack and slash my way out of here like I did the rest of the bosses. But I stayed calm for Dark to do his business- whatever that was.
He cleared his throat and began murmuring in hushed tones. I pricked my ears slightly to try and understand what he was saying, but it was gibberish to me. It wasn't Hylian, or any of the other languages I had heard throughout Hyrule; in fact, it was a completely different language altogether. I had no idea what Dark was saying, but Morpha seemed to be understanding, because the little orb would flit about every time Dark would stop speaking. I had no idea how Dark could even possibly communicate with this being since it had no body and no way of making any sounds except occasional splashes.
All of a sudden Dark thrust out his sword towards Morpha, and scraped the tiny orb that was residing within the tentacle. Immediately, the two tentacles shrunk back into the water and dissipated, while a strange screeching noise echoed throughout the room. Dark ran over to me, signaling me to unsheathe my sword and prepare for a fight.
I grabbed the sword and stared at the water, watching for the ripples to see where the orb was headed. I turned my attention to Dark and proceeded to question him.
"What were you speaking to Morpha? That language, I don't know it."
Dark grunted. "Its Shadow tongue. It has no name, it was created by Shadows for Shadows. You shouldn't have even heard it."
I began to ask yet another question when a tentacle shot up out of the water, straight for me. Dark dashed in front of me and raised his shield, blocking the tentacle and keeping it away from me. However, it managed to snag him up and lifted him high into the air. He struggled for a moment before shouting at me.
"Look out!" Dark used his free hand to point at another tentacle that was coming for me. As it came after me, I dived out of the way, watching as the appendage snagged itself on the spikes along the walls. However, being mostly comprised out of water, the spikes did nothing to it. Instead, it seemed to be stuck there, while the tiny orb dealt with Dark in its other tentacle. I took the opportunity and made a mad dash for it, slicing my sword straight down through it.
The orb shrieked again, just as it had when Dark sliced it. It immediately dropped Dark onto the hard stone floor, and I heard a loud grunt escape between his lips. The strange Shadow tongue that he was using earlier emitted from his lips again, and it was much louder and more intimidating than before. The orb floated up into a tentacle and seemed to be staring directly at Dark as he spoke.
I stared directly at it, seeing if Dark would flash me a look to attack. He began walking away from me, around the outside edges of the pool. He continued to speak to Morpha, and the small orb would respond, sometimes lashing out at him. He would always deflect the attack, keeping a close eye on me. I knew what he was planning- keep Morpha's attention off of me while we both prepared a plan to attack.
Another tremor shook the temple, jiggling Morpha around quite a bit. Dark and I had finally gotten used to the shakes and were able to remain standing, but we were still fairly clumsy. However, poor Morpha had no choice but to jiggle helplessly in its jello-like goo. That was when Dark gave me a simple nod of the head.
The signal to attack.
I began to charge at Morpha, my sword raised and pointed directly at the orb. Dark still spoke in his Shadow tongue, but as he saw me coming, he immediately changed his stance to one that was prepared to strike. Morpha seemed to take notice and tried to maneuver around, but with the tremor, it had become disoriented. I leapt high into the air, using one of the platforms in the water for a boosting pad, and sliced directly through the tentacle. Morpha shrieked again, and as I landed, Dark attacked it as well. With the two attacks one after the other, Morpha shrank into the water once again.
We both leapt onto the main outer platform and began plotting our next attack. Dark looked over at me for a moment and seemed to be lost in his own thoughts.
"What?" I questioned, curiosity gnawing away at me when he didn't deter his gaze.
"Nothing." He replied, and he finally turned his attention back to the battle.
I sat there for a moment wondering why on Earth he had been staring at me. It was really out of character for him, and it unnerved me a bit. Was he wondering if I was really a good ally, one to be trusted? Or could he still be wondering how to kill me…
"HERO!"
With that quick distraction, I hadn't been paying attention to Morpha. Dark tried leaping in front of me, but it was too late. Morpha grabbed me and squeezed me tightly, gripping me with so much force I thought I was going to be squeezed to death. It raised the tentacle I was trapped in high into the air. The tiny orb floated around in the goo, far away from where Dark could try and attack. He glared up at us helplessly, unable to do anything but wait for whatever was about to happen. I clenched my jaw shut tight, trying not to emit a scream of pain.
If Morpha had a face, I'm sure it would have been grinning at that moment. It shook me around, the orb floating back into the depths of the water. Dark dived in, seeking the small orb out. Morpha shook me harder, and it felt like my brain was being stuck into a blender set on high. With one more shake, it released me towards the wall, aimed right at the spikes. I desperately grabbed for my shield and was able to wrap it around me. However, the spike still dented into the shield, and I could feel it pierce into my stomach. I let out a scream as I fell onto the ground. I threw my sword and shield to the side and rolled over onto my side, grabbing at the gash in my abdomen.
Blood began to pool around me, and I stared at it in pure horror. I hadn't been attacked this badly before; yes, I had been bloodied from battle, but never was an injury so deep. I closed my eyes and rolled onto my back again, praying to the Goddesses that I was dreaming and the blood was imagined. But when I opened my eyes again, the reality hit me harder than the spike had.
I was dying.
I screamed out for Dark, wondering where the hell he was. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him leap up out of the water, the orb grasped tightly in his palm. It was shrieking profusely, and with a look of sheer triumph, Dark slammed it into the ground and stuck his foot on top of it, pushing down on it with his own body weight.
Morpha continued to shriek pitifully, and I could only imagine how much Dark was going to torture it. I craned my head to watch as he began speaking to it in Hylian.
"Morpha, I told you, you couldn't defeat me. I am the Shadow Prince, and I rule over you. You obey me. But with this stunt, you have proven to be a traitor to King Ganon. With that, I banish you from the light realm- and of every other realm. Today, you die."
Dark raised his sword high into the air, pointed straight down at Morpha. Its shrieks increased as he screamed and stabbed the orb. As the sword pierced through, the shrieking finally stopped, and all that was left for noise was the strange water lapping at the edges of the pool.
The water soon began to dissolve away, and Dark and I watched as the pool drained. He looked down into the pool with triumph, swinging his sword high into the air and pointing it straight to the ceiling.
"Today, the Hero of Time shall triumph! And Ganon will be no more!" He laughed crazily, sheathing his sword right after he said that.
I stared at him. Dark was on my side! He was helping me! I couldn't believe it, I was so happy. I began to try and stand, but I remembered my injury and instead I screamed. Dark looked over at me and gasped in horror.
"Hero! Link!"
He ran over to me and crouched next to me, shoving my hands away and applying more pressure to the wound than I could have. The blood continued to flow, and Dark's face was shrouded in concern and worry. He bent over me and looked into my face, and breathed out slowly when he realized I was still alive.
"Link, Hero, where is that potion that you had earlier? Will that help?"
I shook my head, gritting my teeth in an effort to not scream out in pain again.
"No, Dark. That's for minor injuries. This…is too…major."
He continued to look around for anything, but I already knew there was nothing. I didn't have a fairy captured in a bottle like I should have, and I only had half a bottle of red potion left. There wasn't anything Dark could do.
I was doomed.
"Link, I'm getting us out of here. There is a portal in the pool. I'm carrying you there. Try not to scream, okay?"
I nodded and he picked up my gear, putting it away into my magic bag. They shrank into it and Dark tied it around his waist. He picked me up and carefully hoisted me over his shoulder so that he could still move around. I grunted and bit his tunic, gagging myself so I wouldn't scream into his ear.
He climbed down into the pool and began making his way towards the portal. I feebly pointed back at the heart container, remembering that it could restore any health that I lost. Too late, Dark and I were teleported away, and there was no way of us ever getting back into the temple. The entire place would probably collapse from all the tremors.
As we landed at the pedestal at Lake Hylia, I was able to see the damage done to the outside of the temple. The pedestal itself was cracked, along with the bridge leading away from the small island being completely destroyed. The tree that I remembered seeing on the island had been uprooted and toppled over. Everything was in ruins.
Dark laid me gently on the ground and began tearing bits of fabric off of his tunic, wrapping my wound. He was speaking to me, but I couldn't hear anything he was saying. It was as if he was in a far off place where I couldn't hear him. Soon, things began to get fuzzy and blurry, and I realized I was beginning to black out. I stretched out my hand towards him, but it was shaky and took too much effort. The last thing I remembered was seeing Dark's face clouded with worry, and his hands stained crimson red from my blood.
Again, sorry for the slow updating! I've updated and cleaned up my profile so its a bit more, idk, "professional looking" *I don't know what to call it really...*
In the next chapter we'll hopefully get to finally see Link and Dark's feeling emerge...*hint hint*
Hope you all enjoy the summer :D
