Noooow the action starts.
BTW if you want a soundtrack to go with the following battle might I suggest the song Axeman by Tomandandy?
These chapters are turning out shorter than I'd expect but... well that means I can update faster lolol
warnings: violence
The metal ball spun through the air on its chain, faster and faster, picking up deadly momentum.
Swish!
Swish!
Swish!
Link continued backing away from the golem, not taking his eyes off of it. He didn't know how much reach its weapon had, but judging from the length of its chain, he'd say it was a pretty good amount.
As soon as he saw the golem's weight shift, he threw himself to the left, just narrowly missing being hit by the spiked ball. He heard it skid along the stone behind him, no doubt causing more than a few cracks. The hero dropped to the ground and rolled to his feet before he was off, running back alongside the row of pillars. He quickly returned his sword to its scabbard. There was no way he would even stand a chance against them up close; he needed distance for now.
There was the same whirling sound of something heavy being slung around in a circle. Seconds later, the pillar he'd just dashed by exploded in a shower of rock and dust. Link stumbled but didn't allow himself to stop until he'd put a considerable amount of ground between himself and the stone monsters.
Taking temporary coverage behind a column, he peered around to look back at the two approaching golems. He could see the one holding the mace beginning to take aim again. A grimace crossed his features. If he were going to get anywhere he had to find a way to take the golem with the ranged weapon out first.
He needed a plan.
The spiked ball smashed into the pillar, but Link had already taken off, crossing the open expanse of the courtyard. He turned on his heel to look behind himself, seeing the axe-wielding golem's head snap towards him. Unlike the ball and chain one, this one was considerably much faster.
It bounded towards him through the fog, brandishing its weapon menacingly. Spotting no visible spots on it to attack, Link had no choice but to turn and flee from it, his heart pounding furiously. Its metallic footsteps echoed behind him, drawing closer and closer…
Turning his head to look over his shoulder, Link gave a cry of surprise as he saw the axe end of its weapon coming straight for his head. He ducked down, feeling the displaced air from the swing brush against the back of his neck, and dodged around another pillar. A split second later the stone shattered and the structure toppled over, nearly falling on top of him. Chunks of debris rained down on him as he sprinted away, but he didn't slow.
The green-clad warrior heard the swish of air behind him and threw himself to the side as the axe came down where he'd just been. He scrambled to his feet and made a break for the courtyard entrance while the monster was recovering.
How exactly was he supposed to fight them?
The arched opening to the courtyard came into view through the haze, but something was wrong…
Link's eyes widened as he skidded to a halt, his hands slamming against the bars now blocking the entry way. He couldn't leave. He was trapped.
Gritting his teeth, he spun back around to see the axe golem rapidly closing in on him. Growling, Link pushed off of the bars and charged straight at it. It seemed a little taken aback but nonetheless raised its axe high above its head in preparation to strike down. But the hero was too quick, falling onto his back and sliding in between the stone monster's legs. He heard the crash of the axe coming down behind him and quickly jumped to his feet.
With the backside of the golem now facing him, he could see something he hadn't noticed before. A gleaming purple gemstone was embedded in the back of its neck; Link figures it had to be its weak point. He drew his blade, his knees bending into a crouch.
But the golem recovered faster than he thought, taking him completely off guard. It swung its weapon around, the hammer end slamming into the side of his body. There were spikes protruding from the flattened side of the hammer and he screamed as he felt the sharpened points puncture his skin. The force of the blow sent the hero flying, his world exploding as his body made impact with a pillar. The breath left him swiftly as pain shot through his shoulder, through his ribs, through his lungs. He dropped to the ground, gasping fruitlessly for air, unable to breathe for a few agonizing moments. His sword had flown from his grip, landing somewhere in the fog.
He gripped his injured shoulder, which had taken most of the impact, seething in pain. The hero's vision swam. He could taste blood between his lips and he coughed, a few droplets of red falling to the stone.
The golem was approaching, ready to finish him off. He had to move and he had to move now.
Forcing himself to his feet, the blond did the only thing he could do: run. He took off, the sound of the pillar being destroyed echoing behind him.
He had to pause, clutching a hand to his midsection, feeling the puncture wound. His hand came back covered in red. Link reached into his adventure pouch and retrieved a potion, downing it quickly. Some of the pain weighing him down lifted.
He wasted no time cutting back down the length of the courtyard, skidding to a halt as he spotted the other golem through the mist just up ahead. It took notice of him and began spinning its weapon high above his head. Link looked back over his shoulder at the sound of heavy footsteps.
In that moment, an idea came to him.
With the axe golem in hot pursuit, he ran straight at its counterpart, adrenaline searing through his veins. The mace golem threw the spiked ball forwards but Link had already rolled out of the way.
The sound of metal hitting metal was thunderous. The hero looked back just in time to see the mace hit its unintended target dead center. The golem crumbled like rotted wood, its axe-hammer falling to the floor. Link was partly shocked at how much destructive power the mace had. He took off running before the golem could turn it on him.
Now he only had one left to deal with, but it was arguably the more dangerous one even though it was much slower. If he did get hit by its weapon he doubted he would be getting up after.
The hero narrowed his eyes, trying to put as much distance between himself and the stone monster, simultaneously trying to think up a plan. He darted behind a pillar, looking back to see the golem glancing around, presumably having lost track of his location.
What did he do now…?
Link's gaze travelled up the pillar, spotting some vines growing up at the top. He reached for his clawshots and easily grappled his way to the top of the stone column. The noise made him cringe but the golem didn't seem to have taken notice. The animated statue appeared to be searching for him, turning its head this way and that, unable to find him.
Link crouched low on the top of the pillar, silently taking out his bow and readying an arrow. He waited until its back was turned, purple gem exposed to him, and let the arrow fly.
The projectile struck its mark, partially shattering the jewel. The stone being arched forwards, letting out a soundless howl of pain. Armour fell from its body, its helmet sliding off of its head. It whirled around to face him, its face expressionless, but Link could detect the anger radiating off of it. On its forehead lay another gemstone, another weak spot, but he didn't have much time to think about it because the golem dropped its ball and chain and ran at him with newfound speed, driving its fist into the pillar he stood on.
Link could tell it had lost a lot of its strength but it was still pretty powerful. He let out a cry of surprise as the column topped over with him still on it. He jumped, wincing as his feet made somewhat painful contact with the ground, before rolling and once again fleeing from the monster.
The green-clad hero had one idea left.
Sprinting across the courtyard, he spotted his blade lying discarded just up ahead. With the golem right behind him, he dove for his blade, somersaulting to his feet and turning to face it. Its massive fist came down but he jumped back out of the way, dirt and rock spraying everywhere. He dashed forward, using its arm as leverage, and raised his blade. The metal stabbed into the gemstone and it shattered, bits tinkling off the ground.
Immediately the light faded from the golem's eyes, leaving its skull hollow and, like a broken toy, it fell apart. Everything fell still once more.
What Link didn't expect was a strange darkened cloud being released from its remains. He stumbled back, accidentally having inhaled some of it in surprise. He coughed, trying to dispel it from his lungs, but to no avail. Oddly, it didn't make him feel any different, but he still did not want any foreign substance in his system.
Panting from exertion, he practically dragged himself away from the pile of armour and stone towards the double doors. He rested his palms against the cool stone for a moment, breathing in and out deeply, before pushing them open and entering the unknown.
The structure did turn out to lead deep into the ground. The hero descended a seemingly endless stairwell reaching down into a dark abyss. Soon enough, he had to light his lantern, its glow revealing various markings and cracks on the walls, growth having forced itself between the split stone in some areas.
It was as though a great storm had blown through here long ago.
He should have been apprehensive, frightened even, but instead he only felt a peculiar calmness. He truthfully did not know what lay this far down in the earth, whether it be dangerous or benign, but he did know that it had to provide some insight as to what was going on. He had made far more dangerous journeys than this. He had nothing to be afraid of.
After what felt like hours, Link finally reached the bottom – or what he thought to be the bottom. A hallway stretched before him, shrouded in black. He squinted but he couldn't see much beyond what the circle of lamplight offered. He paused, ears straining for anything indicating he may not have been alone.
Silence. Nothingness.
Steeling himself, the hero trained his blue eyes dead ahead and set off, venturing deeper into the sanctum.
If the lack of sound hadn't been disturbing before, it certainly was now.
At first he hadn't let it bother him by blocking it out with his thoughts, and it had been working. Unlike in the forest, he tried his best not to make any external noise because if it turned out there was anything in here, he didn't want to alert it to his presence.
The place was like a labyrinth. As he traversed its corridors, he tossed out seeds he'd collected in the forest to mark his trail. There were many rooms, none of which held anything of particular interest. Even so, he had to wonder what the history of this place was. Parts of the walls were broken and crumbled. A few times he even had to change directions because the hallways would be completely filled with debris.
As he continued he noticed a ringing sound beginning to fill his ears. He didn't think anything of it at first, thinking it merely being a product of the silence he'd been exposed to for far too long.
But it only grew louder and louder, escalating to the point of being the only thing he could concentrate on. He raised a hand to his head, suddenly feeling feverish. His forehead was warm, like he'd been out in the sun too long.
"Uhn…" Link groaned softly, having to pause for a moment. Was the hallway swaying or was that just his imagination?
It was only when the pain set in, hammering on the inside of his skull like a furious drumbeat, did he finally realize.
It wasn't ringing he was hearing. It was screaming.
He fell to his knees, his palms hitting the stone. What was happening? Why couldn't he…
Numbness slid over him… like poison. The hero recalled the smoke that the golem had released upon its defeat.
'No…' He gasped, setting the lantern down to cup his hands over his ears. Voices had joined the screaming, sounding distant but moving closer. Shouts. Yells. Indistinguishable words.
And footsteps pounding against the floor. He snapped his head up, eyes wide, breath trembling. He forced himself to his feet as a multitude of emotions swept over him; fear, panic, terror, and familiarity. What astonished him the most was that these didn't feel like they were his emotions, but at the same time they did.
He felt the overwhelming urge to run, to get away, but he couldn't. The footsteps drew closer. He looked around frantically in the darkness.
Something rushed passed him, a blurred figure. And then another brushed right by him. He cried out in shock. The lantern fell to the floor and shattered. The light went out and he was plunged into darkness.
That urge to flee returned tenfold.
Run. Run. Run.
He didn't need any prompting.
Link couldn't see where he was going. He trailed a hand along the wall as he bolted down the corridors, haunted by some unseen force. Hysteria overrode everything else. He only needed to run. He had to escape from them.
The blond stumbled over something, using the wall to stop himself before he fell to the floor. It hit him then that he'd probably just gotten himself severely lost down here. How would he find his way back now?
Why was this happening to him?
The hero pressed himself up against the wall, hands clenching at his own hair.
"Stop…" he sobbed. "Stop it, please."
Gradually, the noise faded, which came as a surprise to him. He was left in silence. A noiseless, hopeless silence.
Link raised his head slowly and blinked. After a few moments, he realized he could see his hands in front of his face, and his legs, and the ground. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness already?
No… it wasn't that.
The warrior looked ahead, peering down the hallway. The passage seemed… illuminated somehow. He narrowed his eyes. He couldn't have found a way back to the surface, could he…?
Slowly, Link pushed himself up, still feeling incredibly disoriented. No doubt the effects of the toxin. He took a deep breath, attempting to clear his mind as he proceeded down towards the source of the light. He turned a corner, squinting at the sudden brightness. Just up ahead, the hall seemed to open up into a chamber alight with torches.
The hero drew his sword, cautious as he approached. His ears pricked at the tiniest sound.
Whatever lay ahead, he would be ready for it.
To say the chamber was grand would be an understatement.
Link was momentarily taken aback by its vastness. It looked like some sort of library, rows of shelves stretching far off on either side of him and branching off into other sections. He had arrived in what appeared to be the main part of it, ornately decorated and well lit. Despite the fact that the rest of the temple was decrepit and falling apart, this particular area seemed untouched, like it had been taken care of…
He frowned. Everything seemed to only lead him into further mystery. If anything, he only had more questions since the start of his little expedition.
What exactly was this place? And why was he so drawn to it…?
The hero's gaze traveled upwards. The ceiling was high and curved, carvings and inscription running up the walls.
As soon as his sights reached the top of an archway, he sucked in a breath, a chill running down his spine. He felt his blood turn to ice, his fingers clenching tighter around the handle of his blade, so tightly that his knuckled blanched.
There, precariously perched atop one of the uppermost ledges, was a figure. Judging by the way their limbs were arranged, one would assume that they were sleeping, but Link knew better. Both arms were resting over their midsection, fingers interlocked. Their back was leaned against the wall casually, one leg hanging off of the edge along with the ends of their crimson mantle. A curtain of white hair obscured any facial features from view.
However, Link didn't need to confirm who it was.
The voice that had reached him through his dreams, the being he knew was somehow directly connected to all these strange happenings, was right before him. He was real and, impossibly, he was alive.
The blond narrowed his eyes, speaking lowly. Contempt dripped from the lone word he uttered.
"Ghirahim…"
The reclining figure's chin lifted before he slowly turned his head towards the intruder.
"Well look who it is…"
Cliffhanger ahaha
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R&R