AN: Hello my dears. It's been a long time. How have you been? I've been really busy. There was people dying and my furnace went out, got a new car etc. Not that any of that explains or excuses my horrible negligence. I really have felt horrible for how long I've made everyone wait but... The important thing is I'm back, and there's nothing to stop us from testing for the rest of my life. (I hope someone gets this reference) I also hope that all my wonderful readers are still out there and waiting for me. You guys make it worthwhile. Let me know what you think. Hope I haven't lost my touch.
Wandering though the wide empty fields, Link was struck with a sudden, immense sense of nostalgia. This was just like how it'd been at first. Perhaps the years spent as the messenger for the Royal Family had spoiled the Hero with fancy things like a regular paycheck and a castle to sleep in. It took him away from the environment that made him into a true Hero; the days when he needed nothing but the blade on his back and the partner walking at his side.
A pang of sadness hit him in the gut when he remembered that he'd also had a horse. But Epona was… No, he wouldn't think about that. Unable to deal with it at the moment, Link locked the pain away in his chest to settle when he had time to grieve.
Still early in the morning, it wasn't too hot but the sun was up enough for the Hero to judge his direction and keep their path more or less straight towards the south.
"Just like the good old days huh?" Dark asked lightly, spinning in a quick circle to survey the terrain.
Long flowing fields of ankle-high grass stretched far off into the distance towards some high cliffs that circled around as far as the eye could see.
Clock Town was situated at the crest of a hill so the walking was downhill. A large hollowed-out log, big enough for the boys to walk through and still have plenty of space overhead, sat out in the middle of nowhere. The undisturbed dirt by the base as well as the moss growing in the dark insides attested that the log had been in the same spot for quite some time. It made Link wonder just where it had come from, though. There was no tree stump anywhere from where such a large log could have come.
"Hey, are you even listening?" Dark's irritated mutter snapped Link back to the fact that he was being spoken to.
"Huh? I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention."
Indeed, the Hero's mind was floating off in the clouds and observing small meaningless details like the log in the field.
"The Goddesses said that this world is made for those people who lived in the world we saved, and that it was doomed to perish. It is… strange to see people like Anju and the postman but not be recognized," Link said to himself but Dark frowned.
"Yeah but wait a minute. The Goddesses made this world after we beat Ganon? How's that possible? Termina has hundreds of years of history. I picked up a history from the bookstore-"
"I still can't see you working in a bookstore," Link cut in and Dark rolled his eyes.
"Didn't we already have this conversation?" Dark cried, getting a little frustrated that his choice of employment was once again somehow the topic. He really didn't get why it was such a big deal. Selling books was in no way a disreputable job but Link just wouldn't let it go. Pausing for a moment to shoot a glare toward his partner and making sure Link didn't have anything else to say, Dark continued, "Before I was so rudely interrupted, I've read about stuff that happened hundreds of years ago!"
Link frowned, considering possibilities as they walked the next few minutes in silence. "Well… The only thing I can think of is that this world has a faster flow of time than ours does," he answered slowly, shaking his head. Really, what difference did the technical details make? This was the reality they had to work with. "What else did you read?"
Pausing, Dark looked up into the sky, thinking back over the book's contents. "About the temples? Not much. There's four of them; one in each direction and a different race looks after each one. A lot of what the book had was just general information, nothing really specific."
Hearing that, Link resolved to read the book for himself. After all, as street smart as Dark could be and, indeed, he wasn't in any way stupid, he still wasn't the intellectual type and Link found it easy to see Dark missing some small detail that would end up being important in the end. That's the way these quests always worked. Little details mattered most.
As the duo continued their walk, the long stretches of knee-high grass gave way to a shorter and hardier variety, signaling a change in the soil as they got closer and closer to the cliffs that had seemed so distant earlier in the day though they hadn't been walking for all that long. With large things far away, it could sometimes be difficult to accurately judge distances, for it was just another ten minutes before they stood at the high cliffs themselves. A wide split ran through the rock with plenty of room for them to continue. Plenty of room between the two cliffs allowed enough sun to filter down onto the path that the carpet of grass continued on.
It wasn't too far down the path through the cliffs that the air suddenly changed. Despite the space, the cliffs were still high enough to channel a stream of air and the current running down the gorge carried with it the strong stench of mud and decaying plant life and… something else; something cloying and insidious that had both Link and Dark resting their hands on the hilts of their swords. Rounding a corner, two blobs of green jelly hopped towards the boys only to be dispatched with a single blow but the smell grew steadily stronger.
Leaving the motionless blobs of gel to move on around another corner, the swamp finally came into view. Reeds jutted out of the water all over the place and the large green lily pads that floated on the surface of the murky water provided the most vibrant color to be found amidst the wilting plants and rotting vegetation. Straight ahead, a small shack sat on a platform of woven reeds over a dock that jutted out into the stagnant water with a small boat moored there. From there, it wasn't too hard to find the source of the smell. A short distance off in the water sat a giant Octorok guarding a tunnel deeper into the swamp and around it, an unhealthy looking stain of dark purple water drafting around its body. Glancing around at the swamp, Dark walked up to look at the sign sitting in front of the building.
"Southern Swamp Boat Cruise Tour Guide. Inquire inside for details?" he read aloud, a little dubiously. "Tourism… Even in a disgusting place like this, you still have yahoos trying to make a quick buck off the chumps," Dark grumbled.
Link nodded, walking over to climb the ladder to the 'tourist office,' "Yes, but we need to get into that swamp and will pay for it if need be. So does that not make us chumps, too?"
Inside, a set of ropes and posts made a twisting pathway up to a main desk where a giant of a man with a great bushy beard and enough body hair poking out of his open shirt collar to possibly be mistaken for a bear sat with a small book in hand, wearing a pair of reading glasses of all things. A small sign hung over his head stating 'Pictograph Entries' while a second on the other side of the desk hung over an enclosed booth marked, 'Boat Cruise Registration.'
Dark looked at the long twisting path, then at a small sign hanging on the first post stating, 'Please wait in line.' However, aside from Link, Dark and the giant, no one else was there. Shrugging, Dark went to crawl under the rope nearest to the end.
"Oye! Th' sign says get in line! No cuttin'!" The giant bellowed, slamming a fist on his desk.
Meanwhile, Link walked through the twisting path, back and forth, back and forth with Dark jogging along to catch up until they stood legitimately at the head of the line and it was only then that the giant set his book down and removed his glasses. "Ello boys! You 'ere for the pictograph contest?" Pictograph? Link shook his head slowly.
"No sir, I don't know what that is. We're looking for someone who can tell us about the swamp."
The giant grumbled something under his breath and dropped a pamphlet on the table: 'Southern Swamp Boat Tour Extraviganza! Experience all the mystery and charm of the Southern Swamp. Enjoy the beautiful scenery and exotic wildlife while you relax on a luxurious boat ride. Currently, there is a contest with amazing prizes for who can take the best pictograph, capturing the true essence of the Southern Swamp! Inquire for more details at the Swamp Tourist Information Booth. Contest ends the day after the Festival, pictograph boxes available while supplies last.' Glancing at the signs hanging from the ceiling, Link trotted over to the Boat Cruise Registration booth to be greeted by... another sign. 'Out to lunch. Inquire at the Magic Hag's Potion Shop for details.'
"Of course she isn't around! Why would she be? We're only trying to save the world, Goddess forbid they make anything convenient for us," Dark muttered irritably, turning to walk back towards the first desk only to be stopped once more.
"Oye! No back trackin' in line! Gotta go around again. No causin' a ruckus or I'll throw you out!" The hulking ogre of a receptionist glared at Dark who glared right back, right about to stomp over and (attempt to) beat the answers they needed out of the man. Seeing his partner's lack of discipline, Link grabbed Dark's shoulder and yanked him back, calmly walking between the ropes to the front of the line. "Excuse me sir. The booth has a sign saying to inquire at the Magic Hag's Potion Shop."
"Th' sign toldja what to do so follow th' bloody directions! Kids these days, I swear," the man grumbled but Link patiently waited for an opportunity to speak.
"Yes sir. Can you give me directions to the Potion Shop," he added, attempting to be helpful to the man who seemed to take everything in a very literal manner.
Almost instantly the man turned from gruff to jolly, letting out a low rumbling laugh and jerking a thumb over his right shoulder. "Course I can! That way, through the swamp. Course, you ain't touchin' my boat so it's a bit of a swim. Heh, too bad you wasn't Deku Scrubs or you could just hop over the water on the lily pads.
Thanking the man and heading towards the door and his black haired partner who waited anxiously the door, shifting back and forth on his feet and practically scurrying out the door as soon as Link started walking towards him.
"Ugh! What does that guy eat? Babies?" Dark asked as soon as they were safely outside, sliding down the ladder with Link following a little more sedately behind.
"No Dark, he does not eat babies…" Sighing at his partner's childish antics, he stared out across the water. Just as the Tourist Information Guide had said, there was no land at all in between dock of the Tourist Information Center and the small wooden sign across the water, presumably pointing the way to the Potion Shop. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the rough wooden Deku mask and slowly put it to his face. As soon as it touched his skin, the wood latched on, spreading down his body and replacing skin with dense wood. Link's eyes widened as he felt it taking over, invading his body like a virus; everywhere it touched burned until his entire body felt like it was on fire and just as he was about to scream it was over. There he stood in the less familiar body of his Deku Scrub form.
Dark blinked, letting out a low whistle. "Oh…kaaaay. So! Mr. Giant dude upstairs eats Deku Scrubs then."
Link just snorted and jumped out onto the water, skipping over the surface of the swamp to land on the nearest lily pad.
"H-hey! What about me!" Dark stared apprehensively at the murky water. As much as he loved swimming and water in general, having lived his life in the Water Temple, Dark couldn't help but imagine some nasty tentacled creature waiting to drag any unsuspecting intruders down to a watery grave or worse. Meanwhile, Deku Link just skipped his way across the large, leafy green lily pads to the far shore.
Glaring daggers at his partner, Dark pulled his boots off and chucked them across the mucky water to the solid ground on the other side. Of course he didn't bother complaining. Even back during their first quest together, Link had made a habit of taking the easy way out of situations while leaving Dark to take the long way. Slowly, with a grimace of disgust he hiked his shorts up and stepped into the water with his sword held over his head. For a split second he panicked as his leg kept going down. What if the ground was going to be deeper than he could stand in? But it wasn't. "Ugh… This is so gross," Dark grumbled, feeling the slimy mud of the swamp bottom squeezing up between his toes. Step by step he waded out into the swamp wearing a permanently disgusted look. With the smell of rotting vegetation almost overpowering everything else and the pond scum sticking to his bare flesh, Dark did his best to cross the divide as fast as reasonably possible without running the risk of slipping and taking a dunk in the slimy water.
Pushing past a clump of thin reeds, Dark hauled himself out of the water as Link removed the mask to return to his human form and help pull his partner out of the sludge. "Dark, don't move," Link ordered the black haired boy laying on his stomach. Several large, swollen black wormlike creatures wiggled around, attached to the boy's legs.
"What are those things! Get them off!," Dark looked down at the wriggling creatures with a expression of horror, fascination and panic. The knowledge that Link would probably know what to do conflicted with his instinctive desire to rip the things off.
Grabbing the swaying tail end of one of the creatures, Link carefully pushed his fingernail under its mouth to slowly peel the parasite off and toss it back in the swamp. "Calm down. They are only leeches," he explained quietly, peeling off another and tossing it back but ignoring the steady trails of blood trickling down Dark's legs from the puncture marks left behind.
"What are you doing throwing those… Things back?" Dark demanded, getting past his repulsion enough to be angry but Link just shook his head. He knew well that tone of voice. Right about now, Dark would be feeling the need to exact vengeance upon the poor creatures that thought they could get away with attacking him.
"What are you getting so upset about? Leeches drink blood. They're normal insects living in a swamp just how the Goddess Farore created them," Link explained and when Dark opened his mouth to argue he added, "What did you expect them to do? You did just go tromping through their home."
Dark's mouth dropped open as the last of the leeches dropped with an audible splash into the dark waters of the swamp. "But… but… I wanted to kill the fuckers!" Pouting that he was so cruelly robbed of his revenge, the shadow took his partner's hand to help get back on his feet and they kept walking.
As anticipated, the small wooden sign sitting over on this shore did indeed point the way to the Magic Hag's Potion Shop; through a natural stone corridor with a pair of faded red ceramic urns that let off columns of smoke so thick it almost looked like water pouring upwards into the sky. Dark passed it by without a second glance. "I feel… soiled and unusual," Dark grimaced, reaching down to wipe some blood off his leg but still it continued to trickle out of the leech wounds. Even though several minutes had passed, it hadn't slowed at all.
Since he'd dealt with them before from swimming in the woods as a kid, Link was familiar of the effects of leech bites. Normally, he'd wrap the bites with a thick cloth to stop the bleeding but seeing as how for once there was a conveniently placed potion shop to treat their injuries, it didn't seem practical. "Don't worry, Dark. I'm sure a potion will make you feel like yourself again."
As soon as he finished talking, the potion shop came into view. A large red teapot shaped building sat on a wooden platform some ten feet in the air. The shop itself sat located in a small, circular area with a waterfall on one wall pouring down to pool around the wooden platform before feeding out into the swamp. Taking a running leap over the small moat around the potion shop. Since the water flowing out of the Cliffside was clean and pure, there wasn't a threat of leeches, Link simply didn't want to get his boots wet.
The heroes climbed the ladder and opened the door only to come face to face with a blast from the past. There sat Kotake, one of the twin sorceress sisters that had inhabited the Spirit Temple. "You… but, we killed you," Link whispered.
With an evil smile baring her small rotten teeth, Koume charged another beam of fire to sear the downed Hero before he could get up with her sister right behind, readying a spell of her own. Swearing under his breath, Dark jumped on top of Link, ripped the Mirror Shield out of his hand and held it up, hoping only to prevent his partner from getting roasted. Instead of igniting and covering the shield in thick globs of molten lava, the spell reflected right back as though it were no more then a ray of light. Kotake's shill yell of pain ripped the air as the fiery beam melted the forming ice spell right off the end of her broom stick and making the billowing frost from her hair shrink away from the intense heat.
Kotake cackled and gestured to the assortment of jars arrayed on the red velvet cloth in front of her. "My potions work very well, they do. I told you I'd come back to haunt you! Hahaha, just kidding my dear. I'm retired and don't worry, I won't hold it against you for killing me. So, what can I do for you boys?"
Link bit his lip, still in shock from talking to someone he'd killed. What if it was just a ploy to get him to lower his guard and she was really planning on turning the boys into a pair of ice sculptures? As overactive as his imagination could be, seeing Kotake sitting behind her desk and humming quietly under her breath and mixing the contents of different vials together to sniff the results wasn't particularly intimidating.
"Um… we were looking for information about the Swamp Cruise," he explained a little uncertainly.
Starting to get a little lightheaded, Dark put his leg up on the desk to show the trails of blood still running down his calves, " And I had a little run-in with some leeches. They won't stop bleeding. Can you do anything about it?"
"Oh. You want Koume then. She's in the woods out back picking mushrooms. Come to think of it, she's been gone a while."
Frowning, Kotake trotted out from behind her desk to examine the leech bites. "Mmm. Yes… Leeches produce an enzyme that prevents blood clotting. I'll get you all patched up, don't you worry deary." Heading into the back of the shop, the old witch started collecting an assortment of extra vials. "You, blondie, would you go find Koume out back and tell her lunch is almost finished? I'll take care of your friend here."
Link nodded slowly and slipped out the door. Truthfully, he was a little hesitant to leave his partner in the hands of a senile undead witch but at the end of the day she was still a frail old lady and if Dark couldn't handle an old woman… well… that would be a little depressing.
Back outside, Link quickly found the direction he was supposed to be going. It may have had something to do with the wooden sign sitting in front of a stone archway reading 'Woods of Mystery.' Stepping into the woods, the Kokiri immediately felt right at home. Sure, these woods had palm trees and snapping turtles glaring at him from the corner of the first area but the feel was the same. Having grown up in the Lost Woods, Link was a master of navigating, especially in forests. The smell of plants and the chirping of birds in the background had the boy smiling reminiscently. It was just like home only better because most of the kids back home hadn't liked him. At all. Just because he never had a fairy, Link had spent his childhood as an outcast. Not that he regretted it or anything. Fairies were annoying creatures, always shouting in people's ears at the worst moments. No, he didn't regret not having a fairy at all.
After a few short minutes of walking through the woods, he came across the form of Koume collapsed on the ground. "Ah! You… You're the one who… Oh never mind that. Do you have anything to help an old woman out," she wheezed, looking up at the boy through stray wisps of white hair.
"No, I don't. You were supposed to just be picking mushrooms, I wasn't expecting this," Link explained and the witch sighed, looking mildly irritated.
"Well I wasn't expecting to get attacked from behind. I was just minding my own business when BAM! Bah, you heroes aren't good for anything. You're supposed to be prepared! Where's your emergency potion," she yelled, shaking an accusatory finger.
"I'll run back and get one." Link then turned to sprint back through the woods. Kotake and Dark both looked up as Link burst through the door. "Koume is in trouble. I found her collapsed on the ground in the forest.
Sighing, Kotake finished tying a knot in the bandages around Dark's legs, "Oh dear, that isn't good. Probably her blood sugar. I told her she's at risk for diabetes but does she listen? No. I'm just the potion shop owner. Why would I know anything about nutrition?"
"Erm, actually she said she got attacked from behind," Link interjected before the old woman could rant any further. In truth, he found it amusing but there really wasn't time to waste.
Knitting her eyebrows together, the witch went back to her desk and started sniffing at her vials, "That isn't good, but at least it's more reversible than my sister's dietary problems. Mmm, this one smells about ready. Here. Take this potion to her, quickly. And don't you drink it all!"
Link rolled his eyes and accepted the glass bottle of red potion and ran out the door, sprinting back towards Koume as fast as he could. He reached the clearing with only a minor detour when one of the turtles tried to eat his food. The fire witch pushed herself up to grab the glass bottle dropped on the grass in front of her while Link rested his hands on his knees, panting. "Oh! This is Kotake's! I know this smell anywhere!"
Downing the bottle of health restoring potion, the witch's broomstick appeared in her hand and she drifted into the air on it. "Thanks kid. Meet back at the potion shop," she called down before speeding off, leaving the Kokiri to walk back on his own again.
Several minutes later he walked back into the potion shop, back against the door and slumped to the floor to catch his breath. "Oh, there you are. Your friend was just explaining this whole alternate reality concept. It's quite an ingenious idea," Koume said when Link entered.
"Yes, but Koume, does that mean we didn't actually die then? I don't really remember what happened after the fight so did it just end there?"
"Well, Dark said we had halos so I think we did die. I want to remember what heaven was like! Kotake, we're just going to have to meditate harder!"
"Wait, we went to heaven? See Koume? I told you volunteering at the Cuckoo Rescue Shelter was a good idea! I always figured saving up that many years of good deeds would pay off in the end!"
"Volunteering to save up good deeds and go to heaven? What are you talking about Kotake? I volunteered to qualify for the tax credit."
"What! There was a tax credit! Koume, you never told me about that! How many years, how many rupees did I miss out on!" Kotake suddenly started bawling, thinking of all the lost money.
"Snap out of it Kotake, you didn't miss anything because I always did your taxes for you!"
"What? Koume, are you sure? I'm pretty sure I-"
"Excuse me, ladies, sorry to interrupt but what about the boat tour? We need to find a way into the Swamp Temple because the world is ending when the moon falls on the night of the festival," Dark pointed out and a long silence followed.
The twin sorceress sisters exchanged a look of worry. "But… that's tonight."
Another long pause ensued as they realized that was exactly the point Dark was trying to make. "Well, if the world is ending, we might as well do our part to help out. Come on Kotake, we're going with!" Koume yelled, her broomstick magically appearing in a puff of smoke as she waddled outside and hopped on the flying broom. Kotake sighed and followed, shooing the boys out in front of her so she could lock the door and hang 'Closed' sign on the front door.
"Hey Koume, if we die again, are we still going to heaven?" the ice witch asked curiously as they drifted over to the boat dock. Turning in midair, she saw Dark staring apprehensively at the water and the leeches waiting in it to sink their jaws into the tender flesh of his legs again. Much to his relief though, the boat from the tourist center broke away from its mooring at Koume's command. The red painted reed canoe drifted through the swamp seeming of its own accord to stop as close to the shore as was feasible. "I don't know Kotake, I don't remember dying the first time," the fire witch grumbled as Dark and Link hopped into the boat. "Alright, now the Temple at Woodfall is guarded by the Deku Royal Family. I don't know how we're going to get them to talk though, the Deku King is supposedly extremely stubborn.
Dark was just about to interject one of his typical badass comments he tended to throw off when it looked like there might be a fight but Kotake beat him to it," Koume, what are you doing? You have a presentation to follow about the wonders of the swamp. You should stick to the script," she chided.
Koume rolled her eyes, paying no attention to how the swamp water beneath the boat was turning a sickly purple or how a giant Octorok sat dead ahead guarding the tunnel. "Really? Kotake, the moon is going to fall and kill everyone in a few hours, do you really thing it will matter if I sell a few extra ornamental coffee mugs?"
"Coffee mugs!" Kotake cried in frustration, "They're kids! They don't drink coffee, you should be trying to sell the Deku Scrub T-shirts and Giant Octorok bandanas. See, this is why you could never run a business, you have no concept of what's 'hip.' It's because you're so much older than I am"
The fire witch's dark, wrinkled eyes narrowed to slits and she growled her exasperation. Down below, Dark sat down to brace himself for impact as the pointed front of the boat speared right through the octorok and kept right on going without losing any speed despite the giant dead animal hanging off the front. "Kotake, enough! I'm tired of hearing how I don't have an entrepreneurial spirit and for the last time, we're twins, I am NOT older than you!"
The boat pulled up to a dock near some festive red walls with white stripes and the two boys jumped off the boat. Through a small doorway in the wall, the whole Deku palace was visible, complete with two guards at the main entrance. "I'll take the front. Koume, Kotake, can you get Dark up to the roof? Alright? Then here's the plan…"
Out at the main entrance of the palace, the pair of Deku Scrubs on guard duty heard the rustling of an approaching visitor and popped out of their respective bushes. The two orange leafed scrubs were more than a little startled to see a mere child panting and heaving in front of them. "I…I… need to see the king. Emergency… Woodfall Temple," Deku Link choked out, stumbling towards the guards.
They looked uncertainly at each other. Orders were to keep outsiders away but a Deku Scrub talking about an emergency in Woodfall Temple… "Well… the King is in the middle of an execution right now but if it's that urgent… Go straight down the hall and see him," one of the guards said, a little hesitantly. Nodding, Link staggered past and ran straight into a wall with a startled squeak and flailing around on the ground. The guards jumped out of their flowers to see what was going on with the boy seizing on the floor as Koume and Kotake drifted off to the side walls with Dark hanging from their broomsticks. As soon as his parners in crime were past, Deku Link stood up with an exaggerated shiver.
"Sorry, thought 'they' had me again." With that, he was off, leaving the guards shaking their heads in confusion. As soon as they returned to their flowers, Link took a deep breath, waiting for several seconds for Dark to catch up. Once his heart rate had calmed down a little bit, he scampered into the throne room and there sat the Deku King.
If he'd had a jaw, Link's would have been out the ground. It was easily the largest Deku he'd ever seen. The King stood taller than Links adult human form and his giant autumn headdress alone was large enough to contain both Link's human and Deku forms simultaneously. "Eh? What's this?" the king asked, looking to the surrounding nobles to see if perhaps someone else knew. "Well, speak up boy, we have a monkey to boil."
A large iron cauldron, what he'd assumed to be just a decoration sat in the middle filled with boiling water and above it, a small white and brown monkey hung suspended from a rope. The rope hooked onto a winch in a small circular hole in the ceiling where the sky was visible.
"I'm sorry your majesty but it's an emergency! Woodfall Temple has been invaded!" he squeaked out with all the urgency he could put into his Deku voice. Bristling with anger, the king shot a glance at another Deku who appeared to be the butler, who then slipped out the door. High above, Dark was watching the exchange, saw the butler slip out of the room and set out to follow.
Jeeves the butler drifted down the hallway, hovering on a small umbrella he carried. Never did the butler notice the shadow stalking silently behind him. As he stood before the library door, the Deku butler glanced down the halls uneasily but no one was there. Unlocking the door, he entered the palace library, heading to the back shelves where a secret lever opened a compartment in the floor. Satisfied that the treasures were safe, the butler exited, locking up as he left. Once the butler was gone, Dark stepped out from behind the bookshelf and proceeded to pillage the secret stash now that he knew where it was.
Back in the throne room, the butler returned to inform the king that the secret was safe. 'Not for long," Link thought but his victory was short lived. "Guards! Arrest that boy!" the King demanded, stomping furiously and waving his leafy staff around. Just seconds later Link was surrounded by at least thirty guards with spears pointed right at him and all he could do was grind his figurative teeth. It was just so frustrating knowing that at one point in time, he'd have been skilled enough to escape this mess. No longer though. Looking around at the ring of angry wooden bodies surrounding him, Link scrambled for some kind of plan when a savior appeared, only this time it wasn't Dark.
A beam of bright red energy shot down from the sky like judgment from above, turning the floor into a lake of bubbling lava. Koume drifted down from the hole in the ceiling with a satisfied cackle. Her stately bun of white hair was gone, replaced with crackling flames as a large group of the Deku Scrubs unfortunate enough to be caught in the blast immediately burst into flames, screaming high pitched shrieks of agony from the lava consuming their bodies. "Eheheheh. It's been a long time… since I've gotten to roast anyone. Cower before me for with my flames I'll burn you to the bone!" Koume cackled gleefully, charging another bolt of fire on the end of her broomstick. More and more guards flooded in to the room and Link slipped out in the confusion.
Back outside, Dark dropped to the ground with a book clutched under his arm right as Link was coming out. They'd completed their mission. The only problem was that the other side of the bridge that was the only exit was guarded by another battalion of Deku scrub soldiers and back inside the palace, the only thing holding the angry Deku's back was a moat of lava that was quickly cooling and hardening. The only other place to go would be the toxic purple water.
Link pulled off his mask and drew his sword, ready to fight his way through all of them when Kotake hovered over the palace walls. Like her sister, her hair had also burst into its icy elemental brilliance. Bringing her broomstick back she launched a condensed ray of frigid magic, completely icing over the entire swamp on the left side of the bridge. With a secondary route opened, Dark and Link took off running across the ice. Seeing the fugitives escaping, the furious Deku battalion scampered over the ice after them when a Koume appeared. Her beam of lava hit right in the middle of the pool, melting the ice almost instantly and leaving the Dekus in pursuit hopping on boiling water as Link and Dark escaped off into the swamp.
The path they'd taken lead up behind a waterfall and after a long walk through an overgrown path filled with weeds and choking ivy they arrived at a giant pool of the same venomous water that was polluting the entire swamp. It seemed to be pulsing out of the middle of the lake and filling the air with a cloying, sickly sweet stench and Link winced, imagining an underwater excursion when a shower of feathers and a familiar voice greeted him. The owl sage, Kaepora Gaebora landed on a tree trunk, cocking his head to the side.
"Welcome to Woodfall, Hero. We have some things to talk about."
AN: Ok, so, I have no where near the same knowledge of Majora's Mask as i do with Ocarina of Time. I'll need to replay the Swamp Temple so I can make something believable. I'll get started on it shortly and don't worry, it won't be nearly the wait.
