BOOK II: CORRUPTION
Chapter 10: Chuchu Jelly
Link's Deku scrub feet took their first steps in the field outside of Clock Town. The great walls enclosing the village were finally conquered.
The sun peaked over the horizon, making the sky a colorful painting. Link looked around less awe-struck than he'd expected. Clock Town was a much bigger surprise, he thought. Being trapped underground for several hours before finding it probably helped, and this field wasn't nearly as lush, full, and wholesome as his homeland's. He'd seen it before anyways, after his trip through the sewers to find the astronomer. The observatory could be seen far off to the left, next to a tree line running parallel to the south face of Clock Town.
The field itself was void of trees, except for a wide, hollowed out, and over-turned log in the distance. No creatures or animals roamed about; it was barren of life, as far as Link could tell, except for the plants. The south area of the field was, nonetheless, green, but the other cardinal directions outside of Clock Town were not visible from here.
He stood on a sidewalk that surrounded the enclosed city, an old staircase leading down into the field. It eventually reached a path that cut through the tree line. Link, wielding a bag with a shield sticking out of it and a sword in his left hand, took another step forward. His clothing was still far too big, and his feet were too small for his boots. I've hardly walked, and they're already uncomfortable. The Deku scrub held up his arms, annoyed at the excess clothing bunching up at his sleeves. My tunic feels like a gown.
"You know," Tatl said, the white fairy flying beside him. "Something tells me that's not supposed to be a dress."
"I just don't get it," Link said squeakily. "When the Skull Kid turned me into this, my form came with clothes that fit."
"Well, maybe we should go back and ask the Skull Kid to redo it. The mask salesman clearly didn't know what he was doing."
Link glared up at her and then back to his oversized Kokiri outfit. "I'll take the mask off as soon as we get to those witches. Then I'll never have to put it on again."
"Let's hope not," Tatl responded. "It can get kind of annoying when your voice is that high-pitched."
"Where do we go, anyways?"
"Um." Tatl floated in front of him, looking around for a moment. She paused to stare at the hollowed out log a moment longer before speaking. "Straight off the path and through the trees, if we're going through the swamp."
"As long as those witches are there to heal me." Link walked from the sidewalk, down the old staircase, and into the field, his shoes flopping as well as his bag. Even the sword in his left hand was harder to hold up; he allowed his arm to rest by his side as he carried it. Tatl, meanwhile, flew beside him, seeming slightly amused at his difficulty walking. The sun was still bright and resting on the horizon, in a dark blue sky still cool from the night before.
"You know, you might have some trouble if you try to get to the swamp like that," Tatl said. "There may be a few creatures less hospitable than myself, if you know what I mean. It wouldn't be a problem if you were a human with the right-sized clothes, but as a Deku scrub..."
"I'll be fine, Tatl." Link pushed onwards, stepping over the grass quickly despite his handicap. Tatl sighed, following closely behind.
Link eyed his destination intently, a quarter of a mile or so away. The tree line ended eastward somewhere past the observatory, and to the west at a passageway in between two cliffs. The dirt road lead that way, but Link wondered off of it. They were heading for the tree break leading into the forest, rather than the one between the cliffs, hopefully toward something that would ease the dull pain in his chest. Assuming these witches are real and friendly.
Before entering the forest, they passed another dead tree at the line. "Oh! I remember this!" Tatl exclaimed, stopping at the barren tree. Link halted, the shield already growing unbearably heavy. He re-situated the bag on his shoulder as he stood next to the fairy.
There was a crude, white drawing driven into its bark. While no piece of art, he easily recognized it as a drawing of the Skull Kid; two white balls of light were on either side, Tael and Tatl, all drawn in a moment of happiness they'd shared. Link looked at it carefully, as if just now understanding that the Skull Kid himself had, at some point, been a good, likable friend of the two fairies.
"Tael and I drew this with the Skull Kid when we first met him," she explained, Link turning to face her as she stared at the drawing. "He told us that he'd been fighting with his friends and that they had left him all alone. I'm sure it was because he was always playing tricks, so nobody wanted to play with him." Link waited for her to continue, wondering what sort of memory was playing in her head as she reminisced. "But to do what he did just because of that..." She turned away from the drawing and then looked down at the Deku scrub. "And once he got his power..." There was a moment of silence that followed. Proof of that the Skull Kid did lose his innocence when he found the mask. Link opened his mouth to comment.
Flop.
A mass of red muck slammed into the small Deku scrub before he could, knocking him over. He managed to hold onto his sword, though the bag with the heavy shield fell off his shoulders. He quickly got to his feet as the fairy traveled to his side, both looking at the red glob that had attacked.
It had two eyes on stems protruding from its body, and a threatening, teeth-bared grin. And that was it. The rest was just red muck; it summoned all of its weight into the air again, leaping several feet. It didn't appear capable of doing much else, given the lack of legs. It could only attack by slamming its weight into an enemy, with no arms to do otherwise.
"What is that?" Link squeaked, backing a step further as the creature took another giant leap, nearing the bag he'd dropped.
"That would be a chuchu... a red one," Tatl said distastefully. "They weren't really all that annoying to me and Tael, but when Skull Kid joined our group, we had to watch out for them... well, until he got the mask and started blasting them into bits every time they crossed his path." It flopped forward again, Link with his sword at the ready, as the red chuchu reached his fallen possessions. It turned away from the Deku scrub and looked at the brown bag curiously, bending down to hop inside.
"Wait... hey! My ocarina's in there!" He took a step toward his bag, but a disturbing slurping noise stopped him. He watched as the chuchu hopped from within the bag, dragging the shield out too. The metal weapon half-way stuck out of its mouth. It had attempted to swallow it, but discovered it was far too big. It began to try to hop away while the shield hung out obstructively, only halfway suspended in the midst of jelly. The chuchu found it rather difficult, the metal weighing each jump down.
Link watched in disgust. "Yeah, they're not very smart. Just annoying," the fairy said, flying over to the red creature. "Hey!" Tatl landed right in front of the chuchu's face. It stopped hopping, looked over at her with confused eyes. "Why don't you just let that thing go, huh?" It responded by making the slurping noise again, and then the whole shield slipped through its mouth. The red creature expanded slightly in size, and then hopped away again, still smaller than Link. The shield was now completely inside of its body, though clearly visible through the light red of the creature. It's like gelatin, holing it in place, Link thought, baffled. It hopped easily now, quickly back toward the tree line.
"Hey!" Link exclaimed, running after it. The Deku scrub grabbed the fallen bag as he ran by, his ocarina and scabbard jingling around inside. The red chuchu turned to see Link approaching, and began hopping away faster. Link tossed the strap of his bag to lasso it. It fell around the stems of its eyes and caused it to stop; Link quickly dropped his sword and fastened the straps around its eye stems as it struggled. The red chuchu was unable to break-free, and soon, the strap was securely tied around its stems, the shield still suspended inside.
"... What are you doing?" Tatl asked, approaching the Deku scrub tying his bag around the chuchu.
"Finding myself a little helper," Link answered, backing away from the beast. It looked around, and then quickly tried to hop away. Link pulled back on the strap in response and sent the red mass into the ground. It turned around confusedly, Link slipping out of his boots and tossing them over to it. The chuchu eagerly swallowed those, adding them to its internal collection. Link then bundled the rest of the bag into an easily holdable ball, only his ocarina and scabbard now inside. He pulled the bag forward again, using it as a leash, as the red chuchu devoured his shoes.
Tatl was still looking at him skeptically when he further explained, "I'm not going to carry my shield around the entire way, and my boots won't fit in the bag when the shield's in there too. I'll just let him carry my stuff until we get there."
"Well, I guess it'll work," Tatl said, still doubtful, "if something else doesn't kill it before we get there, or it gets away."
"It won't get away," Link said, stopping its several attempts at escape easily. It continued to struggle in the other direction, regardless of however many times he tried to pull toward the path through the trees. Link refused to give in, though, and tugged on the bag relentlessly.
"Link, it's not going to work," Tatl said, flying over to the chuchu again. "It's just a stupid animal, that's not going to... hey!" She saw the chuchu attack just before it happened, and flew out of its path. The red glob turned around to face her again as soon as it hit the ground. "Why didn't you stop it from attacking me?" She looked at the Deku scrub, outraged, and had to move out of the way again when the chuchu leaped at her once more. "Hey! Link, are you listening?"
Link looked up at her, smiling widely. "Tatl, I've got it! Can you just lead it in the right direction? You know, let it jump after you so that it'll follow us?" Tatl, flying out of reach of the desperate chuchu, looked to see if he was joking.
"Wait, you're being serious? Link, I refuse to be chuchu bait!"
"Tatl, please?" He smiled up at her, despite her stubborn expression. As he waited for a response, the white fairy continued to stare at him. The red chuchu jumped up and down from far underneath, in its futile efforts to reach her.
She then sighed, "... And to think, I was about to jump in front of a lightning bolt for you." Tatl went closer to the chuchu, who immediately jumped after her. The fairy backed away suddenly, not expecting such an immediate attack. Soon, she got the hang of it as the chuchu, with the shield and boots inside of it, continued to follow the bait into the forest.
Link smiled as he followed leisurely from behind, picking up his sword as he past it. "Thanks Tatl. I knew I could count on you."
"No problem, Link," she said bitterly, once again flying just of reach of the chuchu's next leap. The three continued into the forest, the red creature chasing eagerly after the flying white one. The Deku scrub held onto the loose, make-shift leash wrapped around the chuchu's eye stems.
Link stopped for only a moment when pain shot through his chest. His hand instantly went to grab the pain lingering afterward, and he peered through the hole onto his chest. The black mark had grown, but not by much.
The red chuchu was stopped midair by the bag's straps and pulled into the ground. Tatl looked to see why they'd stopped. "What's wrong?" Even the chuchu turned around to see.
He quickly let his shirt fall back over the wound. "Nothing," he squeaked. Tatl opened her mouth to argue further, but the chuchu interrupted by charging after Link. "Hey, get back!" Link swung his sword threateningly, and it stopped for a moment to reconsider.
Tatl flew back and forth in front of its face to regain its attention. "Hey, stupid red blob! Yeah, that's right, you!" It once again followed her, and Link joined closely from behind. The throb of pain in his chest, however, did not fade away this time.
"Skull Kid!" The purple fairy flew up to the top of the clock tower, coming from over the wall into South Clock Town. He flew hurriedly across the face of the clock, reading 6:07 as it continued its never-ending rotation in the center of town. Tael finally reached the peak, the round ball at the tower's top turning with the clock face. It was directly underneath the moon, though the rock was high above, a long ways from crashing into Clock Town. "I'm back – that horse won't be getting out anytime soon!"
Tael stopped when he noticed no one else was there; he looked quickly back and forth, confused, as he scanned the top of the tower for the imp. The Skull Kid had told him to meet him here, by sunrise. He was only seven minutes late. Is that a reason to abandon me? Tael did one last circle, and then came to accept he was the only one there. "Skull Kid..."
He flew from the tower slowly, deep in thought, with no real purpose or direction. I have no idea where he could be, he thought. He'd been acting odd these past few days, but not odd enough to suggest a disappearance. Tael then sped off toward the mountains, knowing the imp went there frequently for reasons he and Tatl had never known.
The Deku scrub finished tying the bag firmly to the thick trunk in a sturdy knot. Link walked away from the now struggling chuchu, pulling relentlessly against the leash tethering it to a tree. Link stopped when he came to the smooth boulder they'd found in the forest. He fell down on top of its large, cool surface in exhaustion, a few rays of light dotting him from above the tree tops. The fairy smiled to herself at the struggling chuchu, and then turned to float just beside Link.
"Not a bad spot," Tatl said. They'd been traveling for several hours, and Link had found it necessary to take break. Even without my shield, that bag and sword are heavy. Deku scrub's clearly weren't made to carry a bunch of things around. Tatl probably needed rest from being chuchu bait just as badly. "I can tell you used to do this for a living. How many times exactly have you ventured through a forest?" The question was justified, given that she'd met him in one. The day she, her brother, and the Skull Kid scared me off my horse and robbed me.
"I grew up in a forest," Link explained, curling into a ball around his slowly-emerging chest wound. As he laid on the rock, he tried his best to hide the pain from Tatl. "That's why I wear this tunic. The Kokiri, we were called. We're forest children that are never supposed to leave the woods, guided by our guardian fairies that never leave us, since we remain children forever. Supposedly, if one of us ever left the forest... we would die."
"Really?" Tatl said. She turned to look at the struggling chuchu carrying the shield and boots one more time, before resting on the rock beside Link. "How come you didn't die? The forest we were in... was that the Kokiri Forest?"
"No," the Deku Scrub squeaked. "Apparently, I'm not really a Kokiri. That's why I didn't die when I left the forest, and why I didn't have a guardian fairy until I needed one to save Hyrule. My mother brought me to the forest to hide me from a war in Hyrule, letting the guardian of the forest, the Deku Tree, raise me away from the fighting. I didn't find out until I was older, when the Deku Tree asked me and Navi to save Hyrule from an evil sorcerer named Ganondorf."
"Wow," commented Tatl. "That's a mouthful." A moment of silence commenced, Link lying on his side turned away from her. He wanted to talk, but he was also afraid the fairy might notice his mask beginning to fail him. "So – Navi. You two stopped this evil sorcerer guy, and then she left you?"
Link didn't answer at first, wondering how much he was truly comfortable saying. "Yes," he answered. "But she doesn't matter anymore, Tatl. I'm here with you, and we're going to stop the Skull Kid. That's what matters right now, us saving Termina."
"I don't want you to say she doesn't matter," Tatl said, getting off the rock and flying to the other side to speak face to face. He situated his shirt to make sure it was covering the black mark. "That offer I made you still stands, even if you didn't really acknowledge it back then. You know, for me to help you find Navi, after we stop the Skull Kid?"
Link looked up at her, smiling again. "Of course, Tatl. That sounds fine to me."
"I'd like to see Hyrule anyways," Tatl admitted. "From the way you talk about it, it sounds like its better than this rat hole kingdom."
"Well you've at least left before, haven't you? It seems most people here haven't even stepped foot outside of Termina. You left when you were in the forest with the Skull Kid."
"Hm," Tatl said thoughtfully, looking off to the trees as she did. "I guess so. I'm not even sure how we did it." She paused, Link's curiosity peaked by the strained way she narrowed her eyes. "You know, I'm not even sure what direction the underground tunnels come from. The end of the swamp is unchartered forest, the ocean to the west no one has ever crossed, the canyon, as far east as it goes, is an uncrossable gorge, and then on the other side of the mountains..."
When she trailed off, Link sat up eagerly. "What's on the other side of the mountains?"
Tatl turned back to face him, dismissing the question with her hand. "It's where the Skull Kid goes ever since he got that mask, whenever he's hurt or feels weak. I honestly don't know what it looks like, since Skull Kid won't let us see it. He says... we're not ready. I honestly didn't care enough to go and see it for myself."
There was a moment's silence, before Link finally spoke. "Well, maybe we can go there next, after the swamp. Tael said the four from the swamp, mountain, ocean, and canyon, right?"
"He did, but we don't have to go to the other side of the mountains," Tatl immediately corrected. "I'm sure whoever we're looking for is in the mountains, and not... on the other side."
"I don't understand why everyone has such an isolationist mentality here. There's plenty of world out there that isn't a part of Termina," Link protested, now sitting up on the rock.
"All right, we can go if you want Link, I just think that... I don't know." Tatl couldn't think of anything more to add, turning away from him.
"Sorry, I'm just... curious, I guess," Link apologized, lying back down on the rock when his wound burned again. "I'm going to take a nap, Tatl. You should too if you want. I'm sure our day of walking has only just started."
"That... sounds good to me Link..." The Deku scrub closed his eyes, and Tatl floated down to lay on the other end of the rock, appearing deep in thought as she laid still.
Flop... flop... flop... flop...
"I think we should take turns," the fairy suggested, just as she dodged another leap from the chuchu. It flopped on the grassy floor repeatedly as she lead it further and further into the forest. They'd been traveling through it for many hours since their break, spending most of the day walking straight through the trees. The tree tops only barely blocked the rays of the setting sun.
They'd seen a few creatures along their path: several keese, guays, two other chuchus, and one wolfos, but they had either passed through the trees oblivious, or had glared at them before turning away. Link followed the leaping red glob and flying fairy half-heartedly, carrying the bag balled in his hand, the straps loosely dangling between he and the chuchu, who was still intent on the fairy. "What do you think, Link?"
The Deku scrub looked up from staring at the ground, smiling only faintly. "I think that if I could fly, I would."
Tatl didn't respond at first, hardly paying any attention to her job as chuchu bait. "I think we should name him, at least. I think he's become a worthy contender to pick up spot number three on our time-traveling squad. I mean, look at him! So much... determination." Flop... flop... flop... flop...
"How do you know it's a he?"
"I don't," Tatl admitted. "I wasn't sure if they even had genders. Honestly, I don't want to imagine those things mating." Flop... flop... flop... flop... "Floppy? Chewy? Blobby Mule?" Tatl stopped, however, when she noticed Link sulking again. He winced at his next few steps. "Are you sure you're okay, Deku head?"
"Yeah Tatl, I'm fine. I think I'm just a little sore from when bubble brain knocked me over."
Tatl didn't seem to buy it, but, as she had in the past, didn't push the matter. "Bubble Brain, huh? Didn't think of that one. I think we've found you a name, Mr. Chuchu: Bubble Brain!" Its only response was to continue flopping after the fairy, just as intent to catch her as it had been hours ago. The shield and boots hadn't deteriorated while suspended inside of it, still wholly intact; only natural objects did that within their masses.
The fairy, flying backwards, was suddenly bathed in intense sunlight, and turned around to see that a clearing began. She looked directly into the blazing orange sun on the horizon, but made sure to continue flying forward to further avoid the chuchu.
This appeared to be the end of their side of the dense forest, while also the beginning to a fine point of a tall plateau just across from them. Two passages were born, one on either side of the plateau, the one on the left with more forest, and the right a continuation of the new treeless feature. In the clearing, before reaching this crossroads, a few tall, dead trees grew, Link, Tatl, and the chuchu just now exiting the dense forest.
"Well," Link said, trying to ignore his chest pain. He refused to lift his oversized shirt to see how bad it'd gotten. "Which way should we go?"
"Um," Tatl said, as Link held the strap tightly, the chuchu angrily fighting against the eye stem leash, "I think right. Left looks like it just leads into denser forest." Link nodded, allowing the chuchu to continue its never ending chase for the fairy.
They only went a few steps before a howl sounded behind them, chilling Link and Tatl both. The Deku scrub turned around fearfully, the chuchu freezing instantly at the sound. It came from the tree line they'd just left; the call was familiar. I've battled against that howl way too many times in Hyrule. But never as a Deku scrub. Especially one that was once again fatally injured, as he seemed to be more often than not in this new land. "Link, I think we should start hurrying. I don't like the sound of that... thing."
Link forced himself to turn away from the noise, and then walked forward, now gripping the sword in his left hand tightly. He walked past the chuchu, realizing it'd stopped chasing Tatl after hearing the noise. The red creature stood frozen and erect, shaking slightly and unwilling to move. Link tugged on it several times, but it was too afraid, standing still. "Come... on...," Link pleaded, as he pulled on the straps. "It's going to eat you if you just stand there!"
"We have to go, Bubble Brain!" Tatl said, flying in front of its face to wake it from its trance. Eventually, it came to, as if forgetting the call, and then chased after Tatl again, Link sighing with relief and following behind. "That's better, Mr. Chuchu. It's what you were born to do: carry Link's shield and oversized boots." They reached the path going right, with the wall to their left the rocky border, and the right barrier more forest.
A second call sounded. The chuchu froze again, and Link let out a wail of aggravation, about to tug on him again. However, the fairy called his attention before he could. "Link – it's here!" The Deku scrub spun around to see a black-haired wolfos at the edge of the forest. It had bright, yellow eyes, its black fur slightly graying; it was a massive creature, its paws huge and its snout large, baring long, sharp teeth. It was on all fours, staring at the three creatures a couple hundred feet away, all wide-eyed in the distance. "... I don't think this one's just passing by."
The wolf creature let out a loud, powerful howl into the now sunless sky; the last strands of sunlight disappeared behind the horizon and left the world in twilight. The darkness had only just begun, and yet this creature of the night had already left the forest to find food.
Link stood as still as possible, his sword close to him and fairy floating beside him; the chuchu was utterly petrified, as it had been before. The wolfos remained feet away, teeth bared and growling. There was no movement at first, the distance between them neither growing nor shrinking. "Link," she whispered, trying her best to move as little as possible. "What are we doing?"
"It might still just walk away. Wait for it to make the first move before we start running," Link whispered back.
"It just howled at us and has its teeth barred!"
Link didn't respond immediately. "Good point."
And then he spun around as quickly as he could, clinging to the leash as he sprinted in the opposite direction of the wolfos. However, Link stopped short when the chuchu remained, not responding to the tug; it still stared, wide-eyed at the monster now sprinting toward them. Link looked up from the the chuchu at the running wolfos, and then dropped the leash to run. Bubble Brain stared in shock at the wolfos for only a moment longer, and then twirled around, hopping desperately after Link and the fairy.
Link's tiny Deku scrub legs ran as fast as they had during the Skulltula chase, Tatl flying just above him as they rushed through the path in between the plateau's cliff side and the edge of the forest. "Link," she said, "I hate... how you're never... a human... when you need to be!"
Link didn't respond, concentrating solely on running, the wound on his chest screaming an agony at the physical exertion. Each step sent a sharp pain burning directly through him, his walking slowing as he breathed in and out heavily. Suddenly, the pain was too much, and he screamed out as it overwhelmed him, crystal clear images of the night atop the clock tower flashing through his mind with each slowing step.
Though, they weren't his memories.
He was the Skull Kid. He saw the ocarina... and he found himself horrified at the realization that there was magic to defy him... magic that had healed the fool's cursed form and sent him back in time... he had to kill the boy now before he could use it again. Yes, before he understood what he had in his possession. Just one bolt of lightning would do the trick, and then his escape could continue. It was, after all, only hours from completion...
... "Link!"... The voice was faint. He hardly heard it as he summoned all of the dark magic he could into his finger tips, to strike out at the green-hatted boy. He was so unsuspecting, crying miserably as these pathetic humans so often found themselves doing... "Link, get up!"... The fairy – it had noticed!... He quickly released it, before she could warn him... but she was already too late. He was only turning his head when...
"Link! What are you doing?!" He suddenly awoke, lying on the grassy floor face up, staring at the darkening sky. His chest hurt immensely, and he stirred as if from a nap. The urgency of Tatl's voice reminded him they were in trouble.
"You can't take just collapse when an angry wolfos is chasing us! Get up, Deku head!" He looked past the fairy to see the wolfos charging in between the plateau and the forest... no longer inhibited by the dense trees. The wolfos was not far behind, and Link looked just in time to see it reach the wide-eyed chuchu hopping as fast as it could.
The beast brought a giant paw on top of it without even slowing its pace. The red glob burst into clumps of crimson jelly, splattering the surrounding grass as if it had never been alive. The wolfos continued unrelentingly, trampling over the now exposed – and Bubble Brain coated – shield and boots.
Link jumped to his bare feet and ran. The clearing ended at the shore of a body of water; it was muggy, dirty, life-filled green water that went on, about the size of a pond bordered by a tall cliff. Right where the grass ended and gave way to water, a wooden pier was constructed, running until it reached a taller wooden platform upon which a building stood. Small and wooden, like the pier and the platform, the only way to reach the building was to cross the wooden path above the water and then climb a ladder to the top.
The Deku ran directly for the pier; once he climbed the ladder, the wolfos couldn't reach him. "Hurry!" Tatl encouraged, but he'd hardly taken his first few steps when the wolfo's panting was on his neck. Link knew keeping his back to the beast was no longer an option.
And so, he swung around, bringing his left hand up to the wolfos behind him. It was perfectly timed; as the beast reached his back, sprinting full-speed, it met with the shining blade. The wolfos quickly retaliated, rolling off to the side, but it had reacted too late. The blade sliced into its jaw as the wolfos changed direction, stumbling when it tried to land on its feet. It howled in pain, the deep cut shining with blood, spots of it making a dotted path in between it and Link.
Link didn't halt his run for the ladder, almost reaching the end of the grass. He kept his bloody sword at the ready. The wolfos recovered quicker than expected, but this time when Link turned around to attack, the wolfos was ready. The large wolf smacked the sword out of the Deku scrub's hand easily, Link's thin, young, wood-textured arms not strong enough to resist. The wolfos did not stop its charge, placing both paws on the young child's shoulders and pinning them to the ground. Link shrieked in pain from his hand, chest, and now crushed shoulders.
The two were face to face, the larger holding down the smaller, and the wolfos reared its head back to tear out his throat. Link charged another of his green bubbles in his snout. He released prematurely, just before the wolfos sunk into his flesh. The familiar green sludge burst over its face, and the wolfos let go of the Deku scrub and backed away, its paws attempting to scrape the goop off.
Link, trying his best to disregard the pain, leapt onto the pier, not bothering to stand up until he was scrambling on its wooden surface. He ran straight for the ladder, his little feet pattering lightly on the wooden surface. His chest seemed to be the most pain-filled out of everything, even though it hadn't been injured by wolfos. It intensified, and he once again found his consciousness slipping away.
He saw himself, Tatl, and Tael huddled together on the edge of the clock face on the tower. The sky was red and filled with fire, and he floated far above as he witnessed the Deku scrub playing the ocarina. No, he thought, I'll smash them to bits with magic they've never seen before! The image of the ladder broke through the scene distantly, the swampy water behind it as he crossed the pier; he could hear Tatl screaming in the background, though he couldn't tell what she was saying.
As he reached out for the rungs, the image of the Deku scrub and the two fairies huddled together returned. Except this time, he was flying quickly toward them, raising his arms to murder them in a horrifying way. He was almost there; the green-hatted boy wouldn't be able to finish the song in time... However, the purple fairy rammed him unexpectedly in the gut... just before he could...
Link jolted awake, however, when his hand almost slipped from a rung of the ladder. He had been halfway up, but the whole thing suddenly shook violently. The first thing he saw was Tatl, already at the top of the platform, egging him to hurry quickly. Link looked down, finding the problem.
The wolfos tore at the end of the pier's ladder, since it couldn't reach any higher; it ripped the bottom end apart with its teeth, tearing its massive claws through it as if it were paper. The wolfo's eyes were intent upon the Deku scrub, filled with rage, its jaw bleeding and its eyes surrounded by a face covered in green sludge.
The damage shook the entire ladder, threateningly to fling Link into the water. He gripped desperately to the rungs falling apart, shakily and carefully reaching for the higher ones. The ladder whipped dramatically all around as the wolfos tore it to pieces. The Deku scrub struggled, each stride of the arm paining him in the chest more so than the last.
"Link!" Tatl screeched. "Come on, Deku head! Hurry, please, don't let it get you! I'll... go get help. Link, I'll be right back!" She flew from view, now hidden by the platform's underside.
Link gasped when the ladder jerked violently again, a hand flying off the ladder as well as his feet. His left hand managed to hold on. He tried to return his feet, but that part of the ladder dissolved away, falling to rain upon the wolfos who'd destroyed it. Link hoisted his entire weight with the one arm, raising his other one to grab the rung above. He steadied himself, clinging tightly as his feet remained hanging.
Eyes squeezed shut, he realized the ladder wasn't shaking anymore. Link opened his eyes to see the wolfos had run out of ladder, now jumping up and snapping its jaw at the Deku scrub's dangling feet. Link gasped, lifting his legs as high as he could, bringing them up as he continued to climb weakly. The wolfos demonstrated a fit of rage, madly barking and growling at the Deku scrub who'd evaded its attack.
Link finished his journey up the ladder, crawling onto the surface of the platform, and then collapsed. He didn't think he think he could reach the door. But I survived. He panted in and out, his chest searing as his head swam.
Link looked up to see the door open, and a heavy, bearded man stepped out, his torso bare of any clothing except for an open leather jacket. His skin was tanned, arms powerful, and stomach large, frighteningly tall and powerful over the small child lying down. He seemed worried, and his fairy flew out from behind him. "Link, one of the witches was supposed to be here, but she's not right now!"
Link moaned, and Tatl flew down to his level. The Deku scrub laid in his over-sized tunic on his stomach. "Tatl...," he said weakly. Link used all of the strength he could muster to flip onto his back. He slipped his arms out of the tunic and pushed it down to his waist to reveal his chest.
The black mark burnt into his human chest had now almost completely taken over his Deku scrub form. It looked deep, and its many branches snaked far, a scar that not even the power of the mask could hide. "Link, why didn't you tell me?"
"Go...," was Link's only answer. The large man no longer paid mind to either of them, peering over the edge of the platform. His attention was captured by the wolfos tearing apart the remains of his ladder. "Go, get the witches... now!"
"Link... I don't..."
He tried to say more, but the words failed him. The Deku scrub's vision faded, his head lolling to the large man. He turned to look at the injured animal on his porch.
"You okay, kid?"
Suddenly, he was in dazzling sunlight, on top of the clock tower as he looked down on a Deku scrub and fairy. They were on the plaza floor, walking toward the town gate. I will find you, and I will kill you. And I will end this world in fire.
The two traveled through Hyrule Field, accompanied only by the noise of the wind and the horse's hooves thumping in the grass.
It wasn't but an hour before the town gate was finally in view, tall and wooden, the opening guarded by a man in shining armor. The modest village of Kakariko rested in a large valley at the beginning of the mountains. The land sloped downward into the rock, buildings dotting the lush green.
Link past through slowly on his horse. The guard recognized his Kokiri clothing instantly and nodded his head, "Good day, Hero. Is there anything you need?"
"No," he said. "Just passing through." The cloudy skies above grumbled slightly as Epona continued on the grassy, fertile land of the village. It was a place Link visited quite often, and one he would miss sorely once he left Hyrule. He and Zelda had spent much time with the Cucco keeper here, who was their closest friend in the town. Link had come to say good-bye.
He passed the oak tree in the center of the town, where Mutoh, the head carpenter, yelled angrily at his younger employees. Link smiled to himself, continuing onward to the first group of buildings; the second group was on a higher hill, further up the valley. On his way to the house, Link looked to his left forebodingly at the town well going deep into the ground, its stone black and slick. He knew what had come out of it – seven years in the future – and wondered if destroying it then meant it was destroyed now.
Link pushed on regardless, turning his green-hatted head away as Epona stopped at the front of the two story house. He slid from the saddle, tied the horse's reins to the post out front, and then knocked on the front door. "Hello? It's Link."
"... Come in," replied a young, female voice from the other side of the door. Link turned its unlocked handle and pushed it open.
His eyes found a thin, young lady with shoulder-length, dark red hair resting around her ears. She was sat in a char with her back to the front door, facing the fireplace on the other side of the small home. She held something in her lap that Link couldn't see; her head hung low in front of the crackling fire. The green-hatted boy, sword and shield tightly clad behind his back, stepped through the doorway and closed it behind him.
He stood there silently at first, the lady in the chair not turning to greet him. The only noise was the fire. "Hi," he greeted softly, watching her carefully as he took a few steps closer. His boots clunked on the wooden floor.
"Hi," the woman replied sweetly, though the sadness in it was warranted. He stopped when he'd reached her chair, and then added nothing more, waiting for her to turn or speak first. "I guess you're leaving then?"
"Yes," Link said immediately.
"You won't change your mind?"
"No, I can't."
She turned in her chair, standing up as she placed what she'd been holding on the seat: a picture of a young, handsome man that Link instantly recognized. The lady held her hands together as she thought of what to say. "Well," she said, "thank you... for saying good-bye, before you left." There was another moment of silence, the lady's eyes leaving Link's and unwilling to meet them again.
"I won't be gone forever," Link added afterward. "I'll be back. I wouldn't leave you and Zelda behind for that long, especially since..." He trailed off, not sure how to finish.
"I know."
Link turned away silently to exit through the door, but he stopped before he reached it. He turned around to look at the red-headed lady still standing, back now to the fireplace. "And Anju?"
"Yes?" she said quietly.
"I'm sorry for your loss. I truly am. No one expected him to die like that. He didn't deserve it. Kafei was a good man, and you two would have been happy together."
"I know," the lady, Anju, added again. "Please, just make sure you come back. Without you, it just makes it that much harder, him not being here anymore."
"I will. I'll return with Navi before long at all."
She smiled weakly, and then Link opened the front door, stepped outside, and closed it behind him.
"How long has it been?"
Link heard a voice, but it sounded far away. His brain struggled to focus back to reality, leaving his eyes closed and using his other senses first. This voice had been Tatl's, but it sounded worried. Is this another dream? he thought.
"He'll wake up whenever he feels like it, stupid fairy! Just give him time." This second voice was new, high-pitched, and screechy. He'd faded in and out of consciousness for quite a while, but now he thought he was finally awakening.
"Hey, don't call me a stupid fairy, you stupid hag!" Tatl yelled back.
"I'll stop calling you a stupid fairy as soon as you stop calling me a stupid hag!" the second voice screeched back, sounding hard at work doing something that involved many clanking objects.
"I'm already done calling you a stupid hag!"
"Then I'm done calling you a stupid fairy!"
"You just called me a stupid fairy, you stupid hag!"
"Have you forgotten that your friend's life is in my hands?" the second voice retaliated. "This is very dark magic. If I were to stop treating him, he'd be as dead as that chuchu you had carrying your stuff!" This caused Tatl to stop talking immediately, and the second voice laughed lightly to herself. "... Stupid fairy..."
"Hey!"
"Tatl...," Link breathed, interrupting their conversation when it starting giving him a headache. He stirred slightly as he turned his head to the side. He was a human, as he could tell by the tone of his voice and the way he felt.
"Link!" Tatl exclaimed happily, flying before the boy's closed eyes. "You're awake!"
"About time, too," the second voice mumbled from further off. "I was getting sick and tired of you talking in your sleep. You do that a lot, you know. Kafei this... and Anju that... the Skull Kid stole my horse... Navi left me... Seriously, you might want to fix that. Anyone that sleeps next to you will know your whole life story before you even wake up."
"Hey, he's injured! He can't help it," Tatl said.
"Oh, my bad, I didn't realize he was hurt. Maybe that explains why I've been slaving away at concocting healing remedies back here in the corner, while you've been nagging the entire time about how he's supposed to save the world, and that if he dies, we all do."
"It's true!"
"Oh really? Well, if the Skull Kid can kill him at the flick of his wrist, he'd better be shooting light arrows out of his butt before he hopes to do any real saving."
Link brought himself to open his eyes; Tatl had already left his side to continue the argument. He was inside of an old wooden shack, similar to the one that he'd past out on the doorstep of. He wasn't entirely sure this was the same place, though. This room seems smaller, and that man isn't anywhere. Objects were messily clustered all throughout this half of the building: used pots and pans, jars filled with a wide variety of herbs, tattered books in odd languages, blankets and cauldrons, and then the bed he laid on, pushed against the wall amidst the ocean of possessions. The halfway point of the building was marked by a counter, and on its other side, the area was neatly kept. Though just as small as the other half, it contained a single couch up against a wall for sitting and the only door into and out of the shack.
The argument between Tatl and the unknown female took place behind him, in the microscopic amount of space outside his field of vision. He attempted to lift his head from the dusty pillow, a blanket covering the rest of his body. He found an old lady up against the back wall in a chair.
There was a cauldron in her lap, and she busily stirred into it, crouched over its steaming contents. Her eyes were large and wide, mad almost, a long, crooked nose barely outside of the black pot. Her hair stuck straight up and was white, and she wore a shaw over loose, old, frayed clothing. Her entire body was rather small and fragile, bundled up underneath her clothes on top of the chair, herself bigger than Link's Deku scrub form, but smaller than his human.
"He doesn't have to do that!" Tatl said, once again in his defense. Link sighed, turning to rest his head back on the pillow and close his eyes. The old witch, a blue gem encrusted into her forehead, didn't look up from the cauldron when she responded, instead picking up a jar with the hand not stirring. She dumped a powdery substance into the red liquid bubbling. "His ocarina is ten times as powerful as the Skull Kid could ever be!"
Link gasped. "My ocarina!" He shot off his pillow and sat straight up. His blonde head was bare of any hat, hair messy and untidy. His chest seared with pain in response, and Link clutched it once the covers fell from around his shoulders. His chest was bare, revealing the gross, black scar burnt into his light skin. It was as large as before, but there was no longer red in the center, now scarred over since his fateful encounter with the imp's dark magic.
"Whoa, whoa, now, Mr. Hero," the witch said, putting her cauldron down on a low, messy shelf and crossing over to his bedside. She pushed him back down to lie flatly, his eyes squeezed shut as she did.
"But I forgot it was in the bag," Link explained, as the witch threw the covers around him. "I dropped it when the chuchu wouldn't follow... and..."
"Don't worry," she said, hopping back into her chair and grabbing the cauldron once more. "I grabbed all of your stuff, and your shield and boots too. That wolfos won't be causing you anymore trouble either." She cackled madly, but then recomposed herself to continue. "And you're pretty lucky to have been carrying around that red chuchu with you. I've been running very low on supplies lately, and without the chuchu jelly, it would've taken me a lot longer to heal you."
"You would have done it even quicker, if you weren't wasting your time mocking me constantly!" Tatl said. Link sighed again, throwing the covers over his face and ears as his headache throbbed. She's going to get us kicked out of here, Link thought.
"Wasting time?" the witch screeched back, this time placing her cauldron and looking directly at the fairy. "All you've done today is complain – constantly. You haven't done a useful thing since flying up to my doorstep and begging for my help!" The fairy didn't have a response, backing away as the witch leapt back into the chair and continued her work. "I can't believe it, I don't see how you live with her, fairy boy! I'd of shown her the back of my hand long before now myself."
There was a moment of silence afterward, Link pulling the covers from over his head when the fighting didn't continue. He saw the witch still busily working, and then looked back over at Tatl to see her staring hatefully at the old woman. "So," Link said, clearing his throat and realizing he already felt much better, "can you take the black mark away completely?"
"No, no. I don't know if anyone could do that," the witch answered, finally taking the wooden spoon out of the cauldron and setting it down. She set the black pot of red liquid on the table, grabbing a book she'd left open on the floor and sitting back in her chair. "What's happened to you is very dark, darker magic than I've ever seen before. I've healed plenty a scar in my time, but this... it's not a normal mark."
"What do you mean?" Link asked, staring at the roof as he conversed with the elderly woman, who flipped hastily through pages behind him.
"I mean that it's not just a mark. It's a curse. Some of the dark magic is still inside of you, you and your ocarina, where the black marks are. I'm not sure what that exactly means, but what I do know, is that it's not going to go away. It could spread, it could corrupt you, it could kill you, it could do nothing; I honestly don't know. All I can do for you is make sure the initial impact of the attack doesn't kill you, and that's it." She stopped at a page, looking down at it carefully before sighing, slamming the book shut and tossing it behind her. "I don't understand how that little imp got so powerful. I've seen him messing around here like an idiot plenty of times. It's why the swamp has been poisoned and the temples have gone mad."
"The swamp's poisoned?" Link asked, pushing back the thought of a deadly curse in his chest for the time being.
"Not around here, but further down it is," she explained, laying back in her chair as she closed her eyes. "What did you do to make him so wrathful? He messes around like a child, but I've never seen him outright murder."
"Then obviously that big chunk of rock in the sky hasn't caught your eye," Tatl mumbled to herself, before Link could respond.
"What's that?" the witch asked, looking at the fairy and leaning forward.
"Nothing," she said, smiling to herself.
"Nothing? That's surprising, coming from your mouth. Stupidity has yet to stop your tongue from dirtying the world with your speech!" Tatl's smile faded instantly, but the witch interrupted her before the fairy could come back with a witty response of her own. "So! Fairy child, what is it that you and this imp have against each other? He's not going to come after me now that I've helped you, is he?"
"No, I don't think so," Link said carefully, Tatl once again backing away and staring at the old lady angrily.
"Then why'd he shoot you in the chest with enough energy to kill you?"
"Because... he...," Linked stopped though, not sure how to finish. He thought about the night on the clock tower, and then didn't know if he had the answer. "I honestly don't know. I was talking to Tatl... and then, while I was still looking at her, Tatl yelled my name just in time for me to see him trying to kill me." The witch looked up at him thoughtfully. We never thought about that before, Link considered. Of all the talking we've done about that night, we never considered why the Skull Kid tried to kill me so suddenly.
"So, you've had no quarrel with him before?" the hag inquired, her frail body scooped up to rest on top of the chair. "You and your fairy girl just decided to have a conversation right in front of him... and then he tried to kill you?"
"No," Link corrected, shaking his head, still facing away from her and staring at the ceiling. The covers were scratchy and old, but it was comforting, nonetheless, to have them over him. "We... were going to the top of the clock tower to try and stop him from destroying Clock Town with the moon."
"The moon?" she exclaimed, cackling again. "Burning a permanent curse with unknown, powerful properties into a child and a clay instrument is one thing, but using the moon to destroy a town? He wishes – no one is that powerful."
"Do you not see it outside the window?" Tatl said. "It's a lot bigger than it was a week ago, and it has a face now! Doesn't that strike you as a little bit odd?"
"It's not the cause of the imp, though!" the witch cried back. "No single creature could obtain that kind of magic on their own."
"What are you talking about?" Tatl yelled back, having yet to use a normal, conversational voice inside the hut. "How else do you think it got like that?"
"Oh... a magical imp is the only explanation for that, is it?"
"What else co-"
"Tatl," Link interrupted, looking at the fairy. "It's because we're talking about the wrong thing; it's not the Skull Kid."
"What do you mean, Link?" Tatl asked, after a moment to calm herself down.
Instead of answering the fairy, he turned to the witch. "Have you ever heard of Majora's Mask?"
The witch's playful tone instantly vanished. Her eyes widened, and she let her feet fall down from the chair and touch the floor. Link, noticing the change in tone, turned to lie on his stomach and face her. Tatl flew closer to Link when she noticed her staring at them intently, seeming slightly frightened herself.
"Are you trying to say that Majora's Mask is responsible for giving the imp his powers?"
Link thought carefully before answering, wondering if the change of atmosphere was reason enough to lie. He decided against it. If they avoided ever discussing the mask, how could they ever truly face it? "Yes," he finally answered, gravely. "I've seen it myself, on the imp."
"How would you know what Majora's Mask looks like?!" the witch yelled at the top of her lungs, leaping from the chair to be face to face with him. The boy shrank slightly underneath the covers.
"I... don't," Link admitted, gulping.
"Then don't you dare suggest something as dark and terrible as that!" she yelled into his face. She breathed in and out deeply, not breaking eye contact, until the moment of silence continued. Then she let out a deep breath and turned away, staring off into the distance as she continued. "I've seen the imp wear a mask too, but never did I think..." She then turned back around to face him.
"I'm not sure you realize what you just said. Majora's Mask was a terrible thing, a legend dating back many, many years ago. It was the darkest mystery anyone had ever heard of, murdering and corrupting; nothing could stand against it. My people weren't of the tribe who created it, but our tribe did exist back in the same time period long ago. I've heard and read... very dark stories recorded from those days. The one tribe using it in its hexing rituals had awoken a power they did not fully comprehend. It was our collective decision to lock it in a realm far away, where it could never escape and realize its full potential. And that's it – Majora's Mask is gone, and you will never mention it again!"
"A mask salesman I met claims to have found it," Link added, further pushing the subject past the hag's wishes. "He lost Majora's Mask when the Skull Kid robbed him."
"No, he did not!" the witch suddenly yelled again, jumping to her feet and facing him once more, her crooked nose a hair away from touching his. "That wretched relic is history. It doesn't exist in this world and never will again!"
Link was silent after that, gulping again when she walked away angrily. She grabbed a small bowl, dipped it in the cauldron, and then handed its contents to Link. "Drink this now," she demanded. "When you can stand on your legs, you're going to repay my favor by going out into the woods and finding my sister."