We're back again for the next chapter! ;) And it's time to thank some reviewers! So gratitude crystals go to ShadowNinja1011, Hanyoualchemist1, shadow djinni, Neez, CreCra, and theheartsbeat! Also thanks to my BEAUTIFUL collab partners, PrincesscharmingKnight and Franne!
One most lovely reviewer asked me about Ghirahim and when the knights will encounter him… I'll just say soon... we've got it all planned out… ;)
This chapter is told on the point of view of my OC, Callia!
"I'm telling you," Karane groans "this is hopeless! The directions that Machi gave us are awful!"
Fledge lets out a deep sigh, mopping his moist brow with one corner of his blue neck scarf. "It's really rather humid down here…" he breathes.
"Let's not think about it," Leala mutters determinedly. "Come on, we can't have far to go until we meet the elder!"
"Really?!" Pipit exclaims, clearly short on temper "How do you know that, huh? Or are you just hazarding another wild guess? This is ridiculous, Leala! This whole thing was your idea and we've been down on this surface for hours and haven't seen so much as a glimpse of either Link or Zelda! Where's the elder? Where is he, huh?"
"Well…" Leala begins, but Pipit cuts her off.
"No!" he exclaims "we don't know! We listened to some tiny little creature that gave us directions to the middle of nowhere! We've come so far from home and now there's no way back! And we're no closer to Link or Zelda! WHERE'S THIS STUPID ELDER?!"
I stare at Pipit in silence for a few moments, my eyebrows shoot up right into my hairline. What has suddenly come over him? Pipit's one of the academy's best students, he's never been one to lose his temper like that. Leala watches him, sucking her lips in as she tries her best not to laugh.
"Pipit," she says.
"What?" he spits.
"That giant Kikwi over there… he's probably the elder…"
She points behind us all, and we turn obediently. That's when I see it. Sat on a raised bit of land just across a large gap, is a humungous Kikwi. He's probably as tall as of us stood on each other's shoulders. I swallow hard, staring at his huge size before turning back to Pipit.
"Oh…" Pipit mumbles, "I guess you're right… sorry…"
A few moments of awkward silence pass over the group as we all stare at Leala, waiting for her reaction. I'm expecting her to knock Pipit down a few pegs, to throw him off with her words and put him back into his place, but she doesn't. I watch as a small smile creeps across my friends face, and she slowly begins to laugh. The laughter spreads through the group, infecting me and Bryarly first, then Karane, then Fledge, and finally: Pipit.
"Oh Pipit," Bryarly giggles as a faint embarrassed blush seeps across the boys cheeks.
"Come on," I say "Let's just carry on! How do you propose we get over that gap?"
"There's a swing rope!" Karane exclaims, pointing to a long length of rope dangling from one of the tree branches.
Fledge frowns "It doesn't look very safe…" he mumbles.
"Then we'll go one at a time!" Leala says, putting her sword away and standing square on towards the rope. She takes a run up, before leaping off the edge of the rock and grabbing onto the rope as she jumps. She swings back and forth a few times, working up the momentum to eventually leap off, landing perfectly on the other side.
"Come on!" she calls, beckoning for us all to go over and join us.
Karane is first to follow, then Pipit, and Bryarly. When my turn finally comes around, I step to the edge of the rock. My stomach churns as I see the drop beneath me… it's not that big, but it's still deep enough to make my palms sweat. I swallow hard, nodding determinedly before hurling myself off the edge. My weight flies through the air and I reach out my arms, quickly grabbing onto the large thick rope. I swing back and forwards a few times until I've got the right momentum and then dive over, landing on my feet.
"That was fun!" I say, straightening out my uniform.
"Tell me about it," Karane smirks "I bet that rope couldn't hold Groose, though!"
We all laugh as Fledge comes in last, landing in a little bundled heap beside us. Me and Bryarly help him up to his feet, and then we all turn, looking over to the elder. His loud snores rattle through the forest, making the thick leaves on the trees rustle. I can't help but giggle a little as he lets out each trembling snore.
"What should we do?" Bryarly asks "Do you think we should wake him?"
"That would be rude…" Fledge mumbles.
Leala laughs aloud, raising her eyebrows "it would also be rude to make us wait whilst Link and Zelda are out there somewhere! They could be in danger!"
"I guess you're right…" I mumble "let's just be gentle, alright?"
We all nod, making our way over towards the large, sleeping Kikwi. I reach out one hand, and my skin touches his fur… I'm actually a little taken aback at how silky and soft it is…
"Excuse me," I mutter.
He suddenly wakes with a start, snorting and coughing as he pushes his heavy weight up and away from the ground. His massive shadow falls over us all, making me stare up at him in fear, trembling in my brown leather boots. I swallow hard, trying to think of what words to say as he looks down on me with such expectancy in his eyes.
That's when the fearless Leala steps forward, arms crossed. "Sorry to wake you," she says, as though it's just a formality "but we're very busy right now and we need your help! Machi, a member of you tribe sent us to find you! He said you'd know where our friends are!"
"Your friends?" he asks, his voice deep and gruff "I take it you're talking about the blonde haired girl who was looking for the temple, and the boy dressed in green searching for her? They're the only ones of your kind that I've seen in years!"
Pipit grins "they're the ones! Were they together? Could you tell us which way they went?"
The Kikwi elder sighs loudly, and says "I'm afraid they weren't together, but they were both headed in the same direction! They went towards the temple within the deep woods!"
"Oh…" Bryarly mumbles "which way should we go if we want to find them then?"
The Kikwi elder gave us directions, but it's taken us the most part of the morning and a few hours into the afternoon to follow the path he gave us. On the way, we had to stop by a small lake area to rest and get some food to eat. We talked about a lot of things, but the conversation mainly revolved around one topic: this new place. We talk and talked about how strange it is to think that we lived our whole lives without a clue that this place ever existed. How surreal it feels to know that we're down here, whilst people above the clouds have no clue what the surface is like, and how people will react when we get home.
Pipit had said how he knows his mother will be worried about him, especially seeing as now no one will clean his house. We discussed what we thought Groose would be doing right now, probably flipping his lid over loosing Zelda, and then having Link chase after her. Not only that, but all his classmates vanishing too! We thought about our teachers, and wondered if they're worrying about us right now.
But eventually we agreed that we had to press on. We didn't want to rest for too long because we'd fall too far behind Link and Zelda. So we set out, continuing to adventure into this strange wilderness. We encountered even more Deku Baba's, and more of the troll creatures that the Kikwi elder told us are called Bokoblins. We met even more foes… strange plants that poke their heads up from the ground and spit their seeds at you, and nests of hornets, much like the ones you can find on some of the sky's islands.
And here we are now, approaching the final area. This is where the Kikwi elder had told us we can find the entrance to the deep woods. He told us to look out for a tall temple structure made of bright white stone. He said there would be a strange mark on the ground, and that if we followed the tunnel just beyond there, we would find ourselves in the deep woods.
We step out into the clearing, and it's plain to see that this is the largest area we've seen as of yet. A whole variety of mushrooms are dotted around the space in red, blue and yellow. Some of them glisten and produce the strange glittery spores that we saw earlier, though most are just regular. Bokoblins patrol the area, not just the red ones that we've seen before but one's with blue skin and sharper weapons. It takes us a few moments to tackle them, made worse by their horns that they use to call back-up… but eventually we manage.
Birds fly around this clearing too, not colourful birds like the ones outside the Sealed Temple, but nasty black ones. They squawk in a rude and unattractive way, and try to peck you with their crooked yellow beaks. Eventually, we realise that you can get rid of them if you throw rocks at them, though it's not much good for me because I've got terrible aim. Never the less, we fight off the enemies closest to us, and then turn our attention to the structure ahead.
It's just like the Kikwi elder described: tall, elegant, made of bright white stone work. I'm impressed by how detailed it is, and by its architectural majesty, and I can't help but wonder how species who are less developed than us could have built this. But I don't have the time to focus on those kinds of details when there are more important adventures ahead of us.
"Come on!" Karane exclaims, dashing on ahead of us up the steps of the building. We find another one of those bird statues standing proudly at the very top, and just a layer below that is the final clue that we were looking for. A large symbol is carved into the flooring. It's a small circle, with two crescent moons to the left hand side of it.
"That's it!" I exclaim "that must the strange mark that the Kikwi elder was talking about!"
"Well come on then!" Leala says, brimming with excitement. "That vine must be our way forward!" She points ahead of her to a green vine that dangles down from a tall tree. Just beyond this, on a slightly higher level, is a dark archway that I'm presuming leads to the deep woods. Leala grins at us all, getting herself a tight grip on the vine and climbing upwards. Within a matter of moments, she's already up by the archway and running through.
"Hurry up slow coaches!" She shouts.
But that's when everything goes wrong… A dark shimmering noise rings out through the air, and a cloud of diamonds appear before Leala almost instantaneously. She's knocked onto her back as a figure forms within the clouds of glistening diamonds. Leala lets out a surprised yelp and jumps to her feet, leaping back off the edge and towards us. She, Pipit, and Karane draw their swords, aiming the points towards the figure.
I try to get a better look at him, to try and understand who exactly he is… but before I can get a closer look he begins to move. He dives into the air, letting out a distinguished cry as he vaults over the rocks, performing a perfect flip before landing on his feet on the other side of us. And that's when I finally get a better look at his face…
"Well well well," he smirks "Your pathetic Goddess never foretold so many adorable sky children…"
