Chapter 7:
Watery Madness
The Legend of Zelda Series is owned by Nintendo (and Koei Tecmo shares ownership with Hyrule Warriors, or something)
"Talking"
"Thoughts"
"Demon/deity speech"
Line Break
Impa crossed her arms over her chest, "You're sure you can grab the Lens and get out? You won't need any help?"
Ruto smirked, "Of course! Besides," she took a moment to flex her fins, "you and your troops won't be of much help underwater".
Impa nodded, "True. Still this," Impa growled lowly, "imposter will have most likely increased whatever defenses the temple has".
One of Ruto's guards nodded his head, "We realize that, but we should be fast enough to grab the item and leave before any traps are set".
"All right then," Impa uncrossed her arms, "I'd suggest you both gather up your forces, and familiarize yourself with this era's forces," she added.
Darunia beat his chest, "Of course. The Gorons of today has such interesting metal pieces…would it mess up time if I brought some back when all this is over?"
Ruto shrugged, walking out the command tent, "I hope not. I've noticed some of this era's Zora have lovely bracelets, and I don't plan on leaving without one".
Impa sighed as the 'ancient' leaders left her sight. She just wanted to find this item, expose this damn impersonator and, well, she had read enough about her ancestors more…dark history.
With a grim smile, Impa left the tent as well.
After a moment, the air shimmered in one of the corners, revealing Link's frowning face.
"Things really have changed," he thought as he carefully walked to the table, "My Impa—or any Sheikah for that matter—would have at least suspected I was there".
He looked over one of the open maps with interest, "Hmm…surrounded by a lot of water…so it's either going to be Morpha or Gyorg…I hope it's the latter".
Line Break
Ruto rushed through the battlefield, her small force of Zora deftly striking down any approaching monsters. Ruto frowned slightly—she wasn't some helpless child, she could take care of herself!—but she wouldn't verbally complain.
She ducked under a Lizalfos's wild swing, sending forth a thin wave of water at the monster, bowling it over.
She turned towards the Temple, smirking as the water-filled entrance fully entered her sights. "Get ready!" she called behind her.
She then dove, gracefully of course, into the water.
She swam into the temple, carefully eyeing her surroundings. She idly noted the other Zora swim up beside her.
"This place is…barren," one of this era's Zora, Mina if Ruto remembered correctly, noted.
Luka, the captain of her era's guard, hummed, "Stay vigilant. I doubt they would make this place their base if they didn't have some form of defense".
"We'll worry about that when we get to it, come on!" Ruto said. She sprung forward, startling the current era's Zora, though her own merely sighed.
"Always so impatient," Luka muttered.
The group quickly swam forward to catch up to the princess, "I thought Queen Ruto was a veritable font of Patience and Wisdom?" one of the current era's Zora muttered.
Luka and the rest of Ruto's guards laughed, "Well," Luka managed to breath out, "She's not queen yet".
"Hey!" they heard Ruto yell, "Hurry up you slowpokes!"
Their laughter quickly subsided, and they all made their way to Ruto, who was floating in front of a large room, with a chest sitting in the middle.
Luka frowned heavily, "…This is too easy".
"So it's a trap," someone else stated.
"…Anyone have a hookshot?"
Ruto scowled, "Well, nothing's going to get done by just floating here". She carefully entered the room, spinning around slowly to scan the entire room.
She floated just above the chest, the other Zora readying their weapons.
Ruto sank to the bottom. When her feet touched the floor, the chest was surrounded in a flash of light, and disappeared.
Ruto resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"Foolish little fish," she heard a feminine voice sneer, "You've gone and gotten yourself trapped in my net".
Holes suddenly opened up in the walls, and skeletal fish started to pour into the room.
Then the doors started to close.
Luka cursed, "Everyone out!"
But the fish grouped up, blocking the way.
Ruto snarled, waving her arms forward, sending tiny blades of water at the school. She smirked when a hole formed, which quickly turned into a frown as the hole filled up.
Luka and the other Zora swam closer to Ruto, "Dammit! This is going to be close!"
One of the Zora slowly raised her arm, "What's that?" she said, pointing towards the door.
The group spared a collective glance out the closing door, growing puzzled at the rapidly approaching shape.
Then, right as it reached the doors, a bright-blue energy field surrounded the figure.
To the group's growing surprise, it started to rapidly weave through the large group of monster fish, killing them by the dozen.
After the last monster fell, the light died down, and the figure, which turned out to be another Zora, floated in place.
Cautiously, the group swan towards this new Zora.
He looked different, that much was for sure. Most Zora either wore armor, or nothing more than some jewelry. This one wore leather boots, gloves, a leather choker, and a belt holding up a green skirt. His scales were odd as well, being a mix of green and yellow on the fins on his arms, green down his head, and with yellow scales on fins on either side of his face.
Luka leveled his spear at this mysterious Zora, "Who are you?"
The Zora held up his arms, smiling cockily, "Relax. The name's Mikau, and it looked like you all could use some help".
Mina, one of the Zora from the current era, frowned, "I don't recognize you, you aren't from the tribe," her contemporaries voiced their agreement, "Where are you from?"
Mikau shrugged, "I travel from place to place".
"That's not an answer".
"More importantly," Ruto interrupted, swimming towards Mikau, "How did you form that barrier?"
Mikau set his face in a line, "Good question. It's actua—Behind you!"
The Zora whirled around at Mikau's shout, jolting at the trio of large skeletal fish rushing towards them.
The guards readied their weapons, but it was ultimately unneeded as two projectiles flew in from the either side of the fish, cutting through each of them.
The Zora followed the strange projectiles as they continued their flight path, shock evident on their faces as the projectiles attached to Mikau's arms. The fins then shrunk into the Zora's arms.
Mikau rolled his shoulders, his smirk growing once more, "I can do that to".
Mina's face scrunched up, "Is that healthy?"
Mikau smirked, "I'm not dead yet," he then frowned, "poor choice of words," he muttered to himself.
Ruto frowned as well, crossing her arms over her chest, "Regardless, I-we didn't need your help".
Mikau nodded, "That may be so, but it's better to be safe than sorry". He then shifted his eyes upward. A small portal had appeared. He extended his fins, "And we've got company".
Line Break
Darunia rubbed his chin in thought as he stared in the direction of the temple. "They've been gone awhile".
Sheik nodded, absentmindedly-throwing kunai at an approaching bulbin, "Indeed…they must have run into some trouble".
Darunia scowled, "We should have gone in with them!"
"In fairness, they are a group of a dozen Zora".
"Still, we should find a way inside".
Sheik hummed, "I think there is a floodgate near the temple. I'll get to it, open a path".
Darunia twirled his hammer, "Okay, I'll find Impa, tell her what you're doing".
Sheik didn't respond, already sprinting towards the temple.
As she ran she spotted a group of soldiers surrounded by Poes.
Grabbing a handful of needles, she turned towards the group. She threw the needles at the largest one, before jumping on its back.
She pulled out two kunai, driving them into its head, flipping off before a blast of purple fire could hit her.
This gave the soldiers the chance they needed to push back against the other monsters. The soldiers worked as one, three stabbing a Poe each.
After the last monster dissipated into mist, half of the unit fell either on their back or knees. "What's the point?" one of them muttered.
Sheik frowned, "What do you mean?"
The captain scowled, "Nothing, he meant nothing".
"Get real, man!" Another soldier yelled, "Princess Zelda turned coat and sided with these monsters! How are we supposed to deal with that?!"
The captain whirled on his subordinate, "We have a duty to protect the people of Hyrule!"
"We also swore an oath to follow the Royal Family!"
"Gentlemen!" Sheik shouted angrily. All eyes turned to her. She took a calming breath, "…Regardless of what the Princess has done, let's focus on getting through this battle alive, okay?"
The unruly soldiers started to grumble. "…Fair enough," she heard a few say.
The captain sighed, "Thank you, Sheik".
Sheik nodded, "No problem. And don't worry about the, uh, Princess". Sheik clenched her fists, "I'm sure everything will work itself out".
Line Break
Luka grumbled under his breath as he swept aside a giant clam.
"Hm, something the matter?" Mina asked.
Luka turned his head slightly, "It's that Mikau character".
"He is certainly impressive," Mina said, just as Mikau dodged an eel's bite, grabbing its tail, swinging it around into a skeletal fish, then electrocuting both of them.
Luka scowled, "But where did he come from? I certainly don't know him, and neither do you".
Mina nodded, "Could he have been sent by that witch, Cia?"
"Perhaps".
Just then, the sound of gears moving started to reverberate through the room.
Water started to filter out of the room. As the last bit of water finally disappeared, the remaining monsters were left floundering on the ground. The Zora made quick work of them.
Impa quickly rushed into the room, "Are you all safe?"
Ruto nodded, "Of course! Who do you think I am?"
There was a flash of light to her right.
She and Impa turned, to see Mikau open a chest. He pulled a large purple item out of the chest. He turned it in his hands, eyes widened, "This thing is massive…"
Impa's hand drifted to her sword, "Who are you?"
Ruto crossed her arms, "He's Mikau, a Zora from this era".
No one heard Luka mutter, "Apparently".
Mikau walked up to Impa, holding the item out in front of him, "Looks like some sort of giant magnifying glass".
Impa frowned, "Of a sorts," she said, holding the item up to face.
She slowly turned around; growing irritated, as the lens did nothing more than turn her world purple.
Then, she saw some strange script on a wall far south. She peered closer, and to the surprise of all in the room, the wall disappeared, revealing an equally shocked 'Princess Zelda', as well as a Gate of Souls.
Impa smirked, pocketing the lens, "We have our targets, charge!"
Line Break
Wizzro (beneath the mask of Zelda) cursed violently. He then forced himself to calm down, just because they found the room didn't mean anything.
"Still," he thought as he raised 'his' arm, an orb of purple energy forming in 'his' palm, "Doesn't hurt to be cautious".
Line Break
Darunia let out a breath as he picked some specks of dirt off of his hammer. The battle was coming to a close. The area above the temple had been cleared of monsters, and Impa's forces had footholds in all major areas. It all lead to a decidedly bored Darunia, who was beginning to regret promising Impa that he would keep an eye on things topside.
His thoughts then turned to Darmani, the Goron who gave his life for the safety of a tribe that wasn't his own. Or, more specifically, the tickle the name put upon his brain.
He scowled, sitting down and rapping a fist against his skull. He knew the name, that much was certain, but from where? It wasn't anyone from his tribe; he knew every single name and face.
Before he could think further on the subject, a flash of purple light caught his eye.
With a sigh, he stood up, hefting his hammer on hi shoulder, "Here we go again".
GRAAHH!
Darunia froze in place.
He turned, slowly, to face the familiar noise.
A King Dodongo quickly came into view, unfurling from its balled form just meters away.
He shifted his eyes over the field, noting that there wasn't really anyone fit to fight the beast. Other than himself, that is.
The beast turned to a group of weary soldiers, who grouped up and held up their shields (or fists in the case of the Gorons) as fire gathered in its maw.
Then a hammer slammed into its lower jaw, tossing it to the side.
"All right then!" he bellowed, hefting his hammer, "I'll end you myself!"
Line Break
Link smirked as he flipped over a Stalfos, jamming his elbow into its spine, sending it crumbling to the ground.
He then frowned as he saw that he, Ruto, and Luka were still surrounded by monsters.
He shifted his gaze forward, idly noting Sheik and Impa engaging the imposter Zelda. Specifically, Sheik using her harp to send out magic attacks.
A thoughtful frown wormed its way onto his face. He jumped back to get closer to Luka and Ruto, pulling out his fishbone guitar from his pouch.
He strummed a chord, frowning at a sour note.
Luka heard the noise, and whirled around, staring disbelievingly at the Zora, who was now tuning his instrument. "What are you doing?!"
"What does it look like?" Link replied, strumming another chord.
"Are you mad?!" Luka yelled as he stabbed his spear at a Stalchild.
"Gotta say Mikau," Ruto said as she sent a blade of water into a Lizalfos, "Now is not the time for music".
Link said nothing, merely grinning as he readjusted his grip on his instrument.
He focused on the magic deep inside his being, taking a deep, calming breath. He then played a single, loud note. All nearby stopped, incredulous.
And a musical note made of blue electricity came into existence just above his head, which then shot out and disintegrated a Stalchild.
With a wild smirk, Link quickly played a series of chords, more notes forming around him, and subsequently killing more and more monsters.
Ruto, Luka, and the nearby soldiers gawked at the magically destructive performance.
Ruto stared at Mikau in undisguised awe. She stared at his movements, his passion, and his sheer joy at what he was doing. She was so busy staring, she didn't notice her cheeks blush.
Soon, however, Link started to run out of ways he could meaningfully string notes together. So he lifted his right arm high, bringing it crashing down on his guitar. And explosion of blue electricity soon followed, obliterating every enemy in sight.
He wiped the sweat from his brow, panting heavily.
He then noticed that everything was deadly quiet.
He looked around, noting that everyone was staring at him. "Is something wrong?"
Luka spoke first, "It's just, um, I don't think anyone has ever seen anything like that before".
Ruto nodded, clearing her throat, "Y-yeah! Where did you learn that?"
"Just thought of it now actually".
Ruto's eyes (along with everyone in earshot's distance) widened. "What?!" Ruto screamed, stomping towards the Zora, "What do you mean?!" she leaned in close, staring up at him.
Link stepped back, holding his arms up, "Hey, it all worked out".
"We could have been electrocuted!"
Link sighed, "If it wasn't going to work the first note would have…" he then trailed off, as he saw a familiar figure in the chamber where the Gate of Souls lied.
In said chamber, Wizzro groaned as his illusion fully disappeared. "H-how did you see though…?"
Impa shook her head, "I'll admit, when I first heard about this, I was confused," she glared at the specter, "But the real Princess would never support the likes of you monster!"
Sheik smirked, "Besides…You couldn't possibly be Zelda". She then spun in place, Triforce glowing on her hand. A bright light enveloped her figure, forcing Impa and the nearby soldiers to avert their gazes. The light soon disappeared, revealing the ever-graceful form of the true Princess Zelda.
Zelda held her hand up, a rapier forming from light, which she grasped, "For I am her".
Impa stared at her charge, "Princess…"
Zelda turned her head slightly, "I'm sorry Impa, but I had to-"
"RAH!"
Everyone whirled around at the yell. Several soldiers then stepped back, as a Zora with a furious expression on his face sprinted forward.
The Zora leapt high over Impa and Zelda (the former having drawn her blade). They then stared on as the Zora's boot slammed into Wizzro's face, sending the specter flying into a wall.
Wizzro shook his head, then cried out in pain as a fist rammed into his eye. He blinked away tears, yelping when he saw the Zora rear another fist back. He quickly disappeared in a black fog.
Link growled as his fist slammed into stone. He heard someone clear his or her throat, and looked behind him. He stepped away from the wall; pointing to the Gate of Souls, "Don't let me stop you".
Zelda chuckled lightly, "Uh, right. Come on Impa," the Sheikah sheathed her blade, "Let's do this together".
Impa smiled, raising her hand along with Zelda. An orb of light formed in front of them, which then shot forward at the gate. As it made contact, a seal formed over the gate, which disappeared into nothing after a moment.
Impa turned to Zelda, "Princess…I-"
The sound of gears moving interrupted her.
Water started to fill the room.
Impa whirled around, "Everyone out!" she roared.
Line Break
Darunia panted as the King Dodongo fell over, dead. He leaned on his hammer as a Goron quickly ran over, holding out a bottle full of red liquid. "Chief Darunia," the Goron said in awe, "That was amazing!"
Darunia smirked, finishing the drink in one gulp, "Of course!" Darunia scratched his chin, "It'll make a great story! Might even rival one of brother Li…" he trailed off, eyes widening immensely.
The Goron tilted his head, "Hm! Brother who, Chief?"
"…Is it even possible?" Darunia mumbled.
"What?"
"Hm," Darunia shook his head, "Uh, nothing".
They heard rumbling come from the temple, and turned to look just in time to see a mass of people exit the temple, followed by a massive wave of water.
"Hey," a soldier called out, "Isn't that Princess Zelda?"
"It is!"
"Our Princess has returned!"
Cheers erupted throughout the field.
Darunia however, simply stared at a single Zora, with green and yellow scales.
The Zora in question stared at the now flooded temple, frowning hard.
He felt someone jostle his shoulder, and turned to see it was Luka who did so.
Luka grunted, "I still have no idea where you came from…but you had your uses".
Link rolled his eyes, "Thanks, that means so much".
Luka growled lightly.
"Oh," they heard Ruto say, "There you two are".
Ruto and the rest of the Zora crowded around the two.
One of the current era's Zora clapped Mikau on the back, "Man, where'd you learn to play like that?"
Mina chuckled, "Forget the instrument, since when can a Zora control electricity?"
Link crossed his arms over his chest, "It's just magic," he coolly replied.
Ruto scoffed, "Please," she held up her hand, an orb of water forming in her palm, "This," she pointed to the sphere, "is the only kind of magic I've ever known a Zora to do".
Link shrugged, "Well, what can I say? It might just be a…did you hear that?"
Everyone frowned, "Hear what?" Luka asked.
Link pushed through the crowd. He stood at the water's edge, "…Something's in the water".
Those in earshot tensed, though after a moment in which nothing occurred, the tension released.
A Hylian soldier let out a breath, "I think you're a bit jumpy there".
Link scowled, "I'm telling you-" A loud splash and a roar far to the left interrupted him.
Link whirled around, glaring at the sight of a gargantuan red fish flying through the air. It boomed into the water, bobbing to the surface, glaring at the land forces. It opened its maw slightly and (to the disgust of a few) a massive eye popped out, looked around, and then shrunk back into the monster.
Link glared at Gyorg, noting that its head was a metallic gray, "Most likely some form of protection…but I'm sure the body is still vulnerable".
"All right then," he heard Ruto call out, "Looks like this is up to us!" She charged forward, leading the Zora to the waterfront.
Link moved to join the group, but stopped when he saw the water in front of the temple, next the Ruto, a ripple, then water started to rise from the surface.
Link sprinted full force, "Watch out!" he yelled, as a tentacle started to form from the water's surface. He leapt forward, shoving Ruto out of the way.
Ruto landed with a grunt, "Ah!" she spun around, "Wha-Mikau!" she screamed as a tentacle of water wrapped around the Zora's leg. To her horror, he was quickly pulled under the water's surface. Before anyone could blink, Ruto rushed to water, diving in after him.
Luka cursed, "For the love of Nayru!" He turned to the Zora, "You six," he pointed to those furthest away, "assist the Hylians and Gorons with that fish! The rest of you," he turned around, "With me!"
With that, five Zora dove into the water, while six others ran to meet with the rest of the army.
Line Break
Link struggled as Morpha's watery tentacle wrapped tighter around his body. The tentacle responded to his struggles by slamming him into a wall, then picking up its speed, dragging him through a crack in the floor.
After a moment, he finally came face to face with the monster's nucleus.
He stilled, "By Din…it's massive!"
When Link had first faced Morpha, its core was about the size of his head. This time, Morpha's red core was about the size of a King Dodongo's head.
Link resumed his struggles with fervor, but to no avail.
He then mentally slapped his forehead, and let loose a blast of electricity.
The tentacle spasmed, quickly releasing Link, who righted himself, glaring at the orb that was the true monster. He then pulled out his hookshot, aimed, and fired for the red center.
By then, however, Morpha had regained its senses; water swirled around its soft core, forcing the hook to bounce away.
Link scowled, circling the orb, dodging the occasional spear of water sent his way. A light then went off in his head, and he charged electricity up his arms, and then rushed for the sphere. He shoved his arms forward, smirking when the sphere shuddered. He was forced to move, however, when it formed another tentacle, intent on swatting him away.
With a growl, Link pushed off the sphere.
"Mikau!" Link whirled around at Ruto's voice
Link swam towards her, "What are you doing here?" he asked.
Ruto panted, "I swam as fast as I could," she looked him over, "Are you okay?"
Link nodded, then frowned, as he remembered what happened the last time Ruto tried to face this monster, "I'm fine, but you should get out of here".
Ruto scowled, "What?"
"This is going to get rough-!" he then shoved her away, dodging a spear of water. He gestured to the now-retracting weapon, "See? You need to get somewhere safe".
Ruto's scowl deepened, "I can," she twirled out of the way of another strike, "take care of myself!"
Link groaned, "I don't doubt that," he dodged another tentacle, retaliating by throwing electrically-charged fins at the sphere, "But your help isn't needed".
Ruto's eyes widened, before she swan up to the Zora, jabbing him in the chest with her index finger. "Listen buddy! I'm not some helpless little girl," Link fought the urge to smirk, "I can take care of myself!"
Link sighed, and then grabbed Ruto by her shoulders. "Listen to me," he formed a barrier of electricity around them, warding Morpha off, "I know that you can take care of yourself, I've seen you do so. But you're also Princess of the Zora—regardless of the era. And I doubt I'd be a particularly good subject if I allowed you to enter a situation where any harm could befall you. So please, let me keep you safe".
Ruto stared into Mikau's eyes when he started his speech, but quickly averted his gaze, hoping she wasn't blushing under his intense gaze.
"Princess Ruto!"
Link hung his head, "For the love of…" he let go of Ruto, "Just, help out the Hylians and Gorons with that giant fish," he sent her a small smirk, "Promise me?"
Before Ruto could respond, he swam away, creating an electric barrier, and ramming into Morpha.
"Princess!" Ruto turned to face Luka and the Zora he brought, "Are you well?"
Ruto nodded, "Yes, Luka, I'm fine". She sighed heavily, glaring at the odd Zora, who was expertly maneuvering through the monster's attacks. She titled her head back, frowning as she noticed a large crack in the ceiling, along with several large gears. A light went off in her head. She started to swim upwards, "C'mon," she said.
One of the Zora frowned, "What are you planning?"
Ruto smirked, "I'm going to show up that well-meaning jerk".
Line Break
Link flipped through the water to dodge a trio of spikes sent his way. He glared at his foe, before looking down at his fins, and then went back to glaring at Morpha, rather, the barrier around Morpha.
He twirled out of the way of a tentacle, charging up electricity in his arms once more. He drew his arms in, and then shot them out, electricity crackling around them.
He shot forward after a second, arms outstretched. He dodged out of the way of a tentacle, and then grabbed it, forcing electricity through the limb. The monster shuddered, and shakily formed another tentacle to slap him away.
Then his fins cut through the weak barrier like butter, slicing through Morpha's core.
Link smirked as his fins reattached to his arms, shooting forward though the still broken barrier.
With a wide smirk, he bear-hugged the core, blasting electricity through his entire body.
The core shuddered and struggled, trying in vain to squeeze out of his grip.
Then, to Link's immense frustration, he felt something wrap around his ankles. He looked down to see a pair of tentacles, and scowled.
He bit back a yell as he was jerked backward, but was forced to let out a low groan as another tentacle quickly slammed into his chest. He then cried out as he was slammed into the floor.
Link blinked away the pain, letting out a blast of magic to ward off the monster before swimming back up.
He glared at Morpha, and—he could swear—Morpha glared back.
A loud clank reverberated through the room, followed by the sound of metal groaning.
Water started to drain out of the room.
Morpha was still for a moment, before it rushed from wall-to-wall, looking for a way out.
Link set his face in a thin line as he heard several people swim down to meet him.
He looked over his shoulder, "I thought I told you to get out of here?"
Ruto smirked, placing her hands on her hips, "You did, but it looked like you needed help".
By then, the water had drained from more than half of the room, and Morpha had not given up its feeble hope of escape.
Link gave Luka a look, "…You're a terrible guard".
Luka tightened his grip on his weapon, but before he could retort, Link swam upwards, pulling out his hookshot, "Just...get ready to attack".
Link aimed carefully, eyeing the giant red sphere. The hookshot shot forward, and when it attached to the fleshy monster, Link sank back down towards the group of Zora.
Ruto sent blades of water to their foe, while her guards favored a more upfront approach. The ball tried to escape, but Link kept a firm grip on it via his hookshot.
Luka was the one to finish the beast, stabbing his spear deep into Morpha. The monster stilled, then split apart off of the spear, melting into red goo.
Ruto smirked at Link, "And how long do you think it would have taken you on your own".
Link stared blankly at Ruto, before pinching the bridge of his nose. "…Tell me something," he said evenly, "How did you plan to get out of here?"
Ruto's (and her guards) eyes widened. They looked around the room, noting that the only exit was a hole in the ceiling, which was no longer accessible, thanks to all the water draining out.
Ruto gulped, "Um, well…"
Link pulled out his guitar with a heavy sigh, "You guys are lucky I'm here". He quickly played two chords, and as the last note echoed away, water started to rush back into the room.
He put away his guitar, sitting down on the floor, "And now we wait".
Line Break
"Aim!" Zelda yelled as she and several dozen soldiers knocked their bows, "Fire!"
The sound of bowstrings snapping forward reverberated through the air. Arrows rained down on the giant red fish, but to Zelda's mounting frustration, the monster dove further down, avoiding the projectiles. It then bobbed back up, and she could swear it was grinning.
With a scowl, Zelda issued the order to aim once more, but was forced to scatter as the beast opened its maw, shooting giant bullets of water at her and her forces. The monster then quickly spun around, forcing the Zora who had hoped to close in on it to back away.
Darunia—who, like the rest of the Gorons, stood as far away from the coastline as possible—scowled as he stared at the giant red fish, "I think Link said its name was Gorga, no, Gyorg".
Darunia shifted his gaze to the Hylians, specially, their weapons. He remembered his Hylian brother telling him that, by far, magic was his greatest offensive asset during his travels.
He turned to the princess. He knew she could use magic, but the problem was that Gyorg refused to stay still.
At that moment, he spotted a Hylian medic from the corner of his eyes, pulling out various items from his pack: potions…herbs…rope.
Darunia's face split into a wide grin.
By the coast, Impa scowled as she knocked another arrow. The beast was proving far too maneuverable.
"Move aside!" she heard someone bellow.
Impa looked over her shoulder, then quickly jumped to the side when she a dozen Gorons rushing forward. Darunia, she noted, lead the charge. She also saw that they all had rope bundles up in their arms.
Impa grinned widely.
They all stopped a few feet from the water, "Ready?" Darunia called out.
The Gorons all yelled in affirmation.
"Tie that fish up!"
As one, the Gorons threw their ropes forward. They all hit their target, the Gorons quickly pulling back to tighten the knots on the monster's various facial protrusions.
Darunia grit his teeth, "Come on, brothers! Pull with all your might!"
With a giant roar, the Gorons began to step back, slowly pulling the struggling fish to the surface.
Darunia turned to look at Impa, "You might want to shoot this thing now," the fish bucked, forcing a few Gorons forward. "And use magic!"
Impa nodded. "Princess!" the Sheikah called out, "Try magic!"
Across the line of Gorons, Zelda nodded. She nocked an arrow, imbuing it with holy light. She let the arrow fly, right into the monster's flank.
Magic coursed over the monster's body, forcing its jaw open, its massive, inner eye falling out.
With a smirk, Zelda ordered her soldiers to fire on the eye, while the nearby Zora closed in on it, striking it swiftly and with impunity.
After several long, painful seconds, the monster regained its senses, pulling its eye back into its body.
It thrashed in the water, forcing the Zora to swim away. It's thrashing had the added affect of knocking a few Gorons off balance, losing their ropes, thereby allow the monster to pull the remaining Gorons forward by a few feet.
Darunia scowled, and put his rope between his teeth. He then scrambled sideways, grabbing a few strands of rope that fell from his brothers' hands.
He got up just in time to see and his remaining brothers standing at the edge of the water.
He also noticed that the ropes were sinking straight down.
He grimaced.
Gyorg shot upwards, roaring as it breached the surface. The fish moved with enough force to actually lift the Gorons off of the ground, causing them to panic and let go of the remaining ropes.
All but Darunia, that is.
Darunia cried out in alarm as the monster fell back into the water, and then started to swim away, pulling the Goron chief behind him, skipping along the surface of the water.
Line Break
Link bobbed to the surface just ahead of the other Zora, idly noting the Hylian army fighting Gyorg. He winced, gingerly patting his ribs. Nothing felt broken. But it would bruise quite a bit. He sighed, "It doesn't sound too bad, though. I should be able to take a minute or two to rest".
"WAAAGH!"
Link whipped his head around at the sound, eyes widening at the sight of Darunia trailing behind Gyorg as the fish sped away.
Ruto popped up just behind him. She saw the fish, "Huh, wonder wh-" she then saw something trail behind it, "What's—bwah!"
Ruto spluttered, wiping water off of her face. When she cleared her face, she stared in shock at the sheer distance Link covered in just a few seconds.
Line Break
Darunia had given up screaming after the initial shock wore off. Instead, he was focusing on keeping a firm grip on the ropes hanging off of Gyorg.
He grunted as he skipped across the water on his belly, before twisting in the air, his feet skirting across the water.
He glared at Gyorg; "I guess I should be happy that it hasn't dragged me under…not that that would be a problem all things considered".
He rolled his shoulders, "Might as well try and grab the thing," he started to pull himself forward, "Figure things out from there".
As he slowly inched his way forward, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. However, before he could get a better view that something slammed into Gyorg, sending it sprawling.
Darunia, by extension, went flying as the rope he was holding onto cracked like a whip. Thankfully, Darunia noticed, he was sent flying onto land.
He curled himself into a ball, creating a gash in the ground as he crashed. With a low groan, Darunia stood back up, shaking dirt off of his head.
He looked over at the water, to see Gyorg and a Zora (who Darunia was all but certain he knew). He then saw that the monster still had a few lengths of rope attached to it.
He cupped his hands over his mouth, "Hey!" he called out.
The Zora didn't say anything, but jumped out of the water, doing a little flip. Darunia assumed the best, "Get me those ropes". Another flip.
Darunia let out a breath as the Zora backed away from Gyorg. The Zora then proceeded to…taunt the monster. Darting in and out of reach. Smacking its facemask with his fins, even stabbing it in its eyes—which, unfortunately, didn't seem to do anything other than aggravate it.
Eventually, Gyorg tired of their game. It spun around, forcing the Zora to back away. Gyorg then straightened itself, shuddered, and shot for the Zora.
Then, in a show of speed and agility, the Zora weaved around the monster, sending it crashing into the shore.
As the monster was dazed, the Zora jumped out of the water, bringing the ropes with him. He dropped the ropes in front of Darunia, and then dove underwater once more.
Acting quickly, Darunia grabbed the ropes with both hands, and pulled.
Gyorg broke from its haze, followed the taut ropes pulling against it, and glared at Darunia.
Before it could retaliate, however, something slammed into it from below, sending it upwards. This gave Darunia the boost he needed.
With a mighty roar, Darunia heaved, stepping backwards as he did so. The monster soared overhead, briefly, before Darunia turned on his heel, harshly bringing the fish crashing to the ground.
Gyorg roared in pain, its large, internal eye popping out from its jaw.
Darunia dropped the ropes, summoning his hammer in his hands in a brilliant show of fire. He sprinted for the downed monster.
The Zora, however, beat him to it. He flew out of the water, soaring over Darunia. With a mighty yell, he dropped down on Gyorg's eye, sinking his both fins into it, then sending electricity though them.
The monster spasmed greatly, and started to flop weakly. Before it could pick up its movements, however, Darunia ran up and slammed his hammer onto its tailfin, ignoring the shocks running though his body.
Soon after, the beast stilled. Darunia and the Zora stopped their assault, and then quickly backed away when its body started to swell up.
Gyorg then exploded into purple smoke, a mask of its face its sole remains.
Darunia hefted his hammer on his shoulder with a sigh, eyeing the Zora as he picked up the mask, stilling slightly.
Line Break
Link blinked as he found himself in the same place where he met Lanayru; as before, an orb of light rose from the lake in front of him.
A beast formed under the orb. It stood on all fours, with a long snout, and a long, wide tail. A massive horn grew from its head, parting around the orb, and rejoining just above it.
Ordona bowed to Link, "Thank you for freeing me from my shackles, Hero of Time".
Link bowed in return, "It was my pleasure, Ordona".
The Light Spirit turned its head, "I know you freed one of my siblings, but they are not here".
"Yes. I asked Lanayru to travel to Termina and see if the four giants would be willing to assist us".
Ordona gazed skyward, "A wise decision, especially in light of recent events".
Link crossed his arms over his chest, "Yes, these 'Gates of Souls' are very troubling".
Ordona shook its head, "That as well, but I speak of Majora," Link's eyes narrowed, a scowl creeping up on his face, "The demon, from what I last saw, was…panicking. It fortified my and my fellow spirits' cages, as you no doubt saw".
Link grinned, "It was still vulnerable to magic".
Ordona grinned (as well as it could), "I've no doubt you will do whatever it takes to free my remaining silbings". Ordona bowed once more, "Farewell, Hero".
And the world dissolved into white.
Line Break
Link let out a sigh, quickly putting the remains into his satchel.
"Do you think it's a good idea to carry that around?"
Link plastered a cocky smirk on his face, turning to the Goron Chief "Ah, c'mon man, it's a great souvenir! A weird mask from a strange being!"
Darunia smirked, crossing his arms, "True, but you already have a few of those, don't you?"
The smirk faltered, "I don't—"
"Oh, I'm sure you do, Darmani," Darunia snapped his fingers, "Oh, wait, this one is Mikau isn't it?"
Link and Darunia stared at each other for several, long seconds.
Then, with a sigh, Link brought a hand to his face, "Should've guessed I couldn't hide this from you, huh?" He took of the mask.
Darunia smirked as Link was enveloped in a harsh light, "Considering how many stories you've told? No, you could not". After the light diminished, the Goron's eyes widened considerably. "…You're tiny," he said, stepping forward.
Link frowned, "Yeah…I honestly have no idea why".
Darunia shrugged, "Hmm…well, it certainly makes this easier".
Before Link could ask 'what?' Darunia swept the adult-in-a-child's-body into his arms, doing a dance as he spun the Hylian in the air.
"HAHA!" Darunia bellowed, smiling widely, "It is good to see you brother!"
Link (after shaking the initial bewilderment) smiled widely as well, "It's good to see you too, brother".
"Ah! With you here, beating the sorceress will be a snaaahh…"Darunia slowed down, beginning to wobble.
Link frowned, "Darunia?" he wriggled free from the Goron's grasp, "Are you okay?"
Darunia had stopped spinning, and was now swaying in place, clutching his head. He groaned lowly, falling forward.
Link backflipped away as Darunia landed with a crash.
Link grimaced as he pulled out his Great Fairy mask, "I hope someone's nearby".
A/N: This is done. Finally. Took a lot longer than I thought, but that was mainly due to me changing where I wanted it to end. Ended up at a little less than seven thousand words; hopefully they're entertaining words. Be sure to leave a review. Later.