Link squinted his eyes at the lack of light. He'd come ready with his lantern, yet he hadn't anticipated the fact there would be guards. The walls around him were covered in ivy, and the foliage blocked what light the land had to offer. He pressed against the wall and held his breath as he saw the red line of a guard's light narrowly miss him.
It moved away and he let out a long breath. "Just concentrate," he whispered to himself.
He waited for the light to return again, then bounced on his toes slightly. The moment it shifted away, he dashed to the other end of the maze. He couldn't afford to get caught again; Last time one of them had seen him, he was thrown into a cage-like jail. He'd used Ravio's bracelet to escape, and speaking of the object, it now glowed with a soft purple light as he used it to merge with the wall.
Ravio. Link's thoughts drifted to the merchant again as me moved past the guard. Surely he wasn't mental, right? He'd been fine before the past few days happened. He had his down moments here and there, but nothing like this...
He popped out of the wall and moved into a wider area. The familiar clashing of metal hit his ears, and he pulled his sword out. One of the pink and purple creatures hopped about, snapping its jaws together, it's teeth emitting sparks. He cringed at the memory of being caught between them before. Making sure his memory wouldn't repeat, he dashed ahead and lunged forward with his sword.
Moments later, he returned the sword to its sheath with a soft click. The monster disappeared in a plume of purple smoke, and he let out a breath of relief. Able to take in his surroundings again, he saw the familiar glimmer of rupees. He grinned. Surely after these he'd have enough to buy, not rent, the items he needed.
He giggled gleefully to himself as he filled his wallet, and stuffed it back into his pouch. Feeling a bit better about his situation, he started forward with a slight skip in his step. He managed to avoid a few more guards, then paused as he saw the palace in front of him. A guard stood in his way, not moving.
He grinned as he looked to the bracelet, stepping over to the wall. "Gotcha, sucker!" he whispered to the being snarkily. He merged flat against the wall and started forward past the guard, and a snippet of a conversation drifted to the front of his mind.
"You have to make love to me."
The comment struck Link hard, and he abruptly popped out the wall, choking and sputtering at the guard's feet. The words floated through his mind repeatedly, playing the scene over and over, and he was only vaguely aware of the being tossing him into the jail again. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the top of the structure, completely stunned. "Sweet mother of Din..." he whispered to himself.
hr
The inside of the palace was pitch black, proving impossible see if it weren't for the fact the hero's eyes were already adjusted. He made his way along through the temple, occasionally following the paths of light on the walls that only appeared when his lantern was off. The scenery around him was brightly coloured despite the lack of light, the bricks being purple and a deep maroon. Various large symbols marked the places on the walls where hidden rooms were, and thanks to the latest one, he was one step closer to defeating the dungeon's main enemy.
A long platform rotated into position, arching up to meet with the door leading to the boss's lair. Various cracks in the walls and ceiling provided light onto the structure, and he made his way down it.
He held the key to the room in his hand, and despite the distraction of his duty, his mind was somewhere else. He pressed both of his palms to the surface of the door, feeling the grooves in the design. He stated at them for a moment, then muttered to himself. "So he's just been... flustered the whole time." His mind flashed to when he had jokingly advanced on him after the words, and the merchant had flipped out.
He gulped, feeling his face grow hot. Was the merchant flustered from the fact he didn't wish for that, or that he did want it? "Gah," Link groaned as he let his head thump against the door. "Focus, focus. There are more important things at hand than that right now," he told himself. After a short pep talk, he took a breath and pushed the key into the door, and it swung open. The room was dark, and once again he could hardly see.
He shuffled along, searching for anything that could possibly help him find his way. His breath abruptly caught in his throat, and before he knew what had happened, he fell against the ground below. He groaned, pushing himself up. If he couldn't get rid of his thoughts before, they were certainly gone now. He looked around nervously, reaching for his lantern as it was too dark to see.
Two torches were on either side of the room, and he hastily lit them. The room filled with light, but the peace was short lived as the ground rumbled beneath his feet. The tiles and bricks in the room were colored the same as the areas outside it, and a giant skull of a beast hung on the wall. The vibrations struck the ground harder, and the skull rattled against the wall.
Link backed up against the wall, just in time for a giant being to land from above where he was standing. It turned to face him, and it had the same skull as a plate on its head. Various stones and gems stuck out along it, and it seemed reptilian, and it had a long tail with a spikes on the end of it. It let out a growl and started towards him, swinging its sharp tail in the air.
After backing a way a bit more, Link watched the monster from afar, trying to see if he could find a weak spot. The stones on its back reminded him of the rocks in the back of the house, and after a split second decision as it started to charge him, he pulled out a bomb. He lit the fuse quickly and tossed it at it, then ducked behind his shield for cover. The explosion shook the creature as it let out a wail, and a familiar pinging sound rang out from around the room.
He peeked out to take a look at where the sound was coming from, only to stop. Rupees. Rupees everywhere. He glanced between them and the creature. It had stones on its back, and bits of them fell off, making the rupees that were so valued by many in Lorule... And his home... er... turned shop. He shook his head softly and sprinted to collect them, his mind going once again to the merchant, envisioning his expression with the idea of a rupee-making monster. The thought brought a grin to Link's face, though it quickly disappeared with another cry from the monster.
"Alright," he said with a grin, turning to it as he pulled out another bomb. "Bring it." He lit the fuse and threw it at the giant rupee making monster, then giggled gleefully as he watched the gems fly with the explosion. He repeated the process a couple more times, collecting the money as it fell off the being. Spark, bomb, collect, repeat.
He had the pattern down before it abruptly let out a loud cry, and sent the lights around him flickering into darkness. His breath caught in his throat and he pulled his lantern out, and he could clearly see the reptile in front of him with its glowing white eyes. Panic struck him, wondering if the same light on the walls of the temple were it watching his every move... He shook the feeling off and hurried to relight the torches before it could attack him.
The first light was lit, and as he turned around, he saw that the monster was dashing around crazily, crashing into walls and making the ground shake. Link took a deep breath and tightened his grip on his lantern. He couldn't quite reach the wall to merge into it... He had to avoid the thing on foot. He watched it go to one side of the room, then held his breath as he dashed to the other torch.
Light filled the room, and Link looked over to see his chance. The monster's helm was shattered, showing another large gem plastered in the center of its head. He drew his sword and rushed forward with a cry, then abruptly lodged it into the center of the jewel. Cracks immediately broke out from the blade, spreading out to the edges of it before a loud howl reverberated off the walls.
He flinched back as the smoke rose into the air, then the dust finally began to settle. A rumbling came from the wall to his side, and as he turned to it, the giant skull that had been hanging there shattered in half and fell to the side. A bright green portrait hung behind it, and it was of a familiar blond. The picture fell to the ground as the heart container appeared before Link.
After snagging the magical item, he hurriedly made his way over to the picture and placed a tentative hand on the canvas. Light enveloped him as he was pulled into the realm, leaving the room behind.
He opened his eyes to see a crystal slowly float down in front of him. It cracked, then after a moment it completely disappeared, leaving the other free. "Link?" came the hesitant voice.
"Heya, Gulley," Link said with a warm grin down to the boy.
AN: Okay, really quick, I apologize for the short chapter XD The next one is definitely longer, I promise.
Now for my shout outs! Many thanks to Naughty Jesus (can't write that with a straight face) and Alanis Strife for the reviews! Also, major thanks for those of you who have added this story to your favorites and alerts!
Now for the part I'm sure you guys are curious about... where's Ravio? I wanted to try to focus on Link in this chapter, but if you've been getting bored... I'm sorry and I promise the next one takes a leap for the better! XD now I'm ending this wall of text so I can get back to writing the next one for you guys...