Chapter 11: Council
As Link had suspected, escaping Hogwarts was much easier at night than it was during the day. After changing into his green tunic so as to not get his school robes wet in the now pouring rain, he was able to sneak outside without incident. Once he was free of the castle walls, he stealthily moved for the distant cover of the Forbidden Forest. As he ran across the open field separating the castle grounds from the forest, he felt a thrill of unease with every flash of lightning.
That groundskeeper is probably watching me right now. Hell, knowing my luck lately, I'm sure I'll probably get struck by lightning. Thought Link with amusement. At that moment a massive boom of thunder sounded directly above him and his smile quickly disappeared. Increasing his pace, he sprinted the remaining distance until he had at last reached the woods.
Once he was among the trees, he let out a small sigh of relief. He doubted that the giant, lumbering groundskeeper could track a Kokiri in a forest, much less a storm, but even so he decided to take no chances. Equipping his hookshot, he spaced out his bootprints and took care to only step where the rain would wash away his tracks. Every once and a while he would use the hookshot to fling himself to a distant tree, breaking his already faint trail. Even he wouldn't be able to track him.
After a short while, the woods deepened and the castle disappeared behind the tree branches. Now that they were safely out of eyesight of the castle, Navi emerged from his tunic and flew alongside him. Keeping low so her glow lit up the way ahead, she let out a wistful sigh as she looked around the woods.
'Too bad it's raining again. It'll be nice to explore this place once its dried up some.'
Slogging through an especially deep mud patch, he grunted in agreement. A little water never hurt anyone, but this was among the worst, non-apocalyptic weather he'd ever seen. Rather than be soaked into the soil, the rain simply pooled and flowed into the Black Lake. The drainage streams that were previously just trickling had swelled again into their post-flood volume. Dangerously swift and deep, these streams made traversing the forest floor difficult to say the least.
Link wiped the water out of his eyes and peered up at the storm clouds above him, puzzled. Where did this storm come from? This forest was dry as a bone a few days ago and now it rains?
Shaking his head, he resumed his pace forward. Soon the trunks got thicker as he entered the Forbidden Forest proper. As he went deeper and deeper, he turned his worries from Hagrid to the denizens of the forest itself. Besides the Lynels and giant spiders, he had no idea what other monsters might be lurking nearby. Equipping his axe and shield, he moved cautiously, ears peeled for the sound of hooves or the clicking of the spiders chitinous jaws.
'We're probably going to have to confront the monsters in these woods when we recover the crystal. Hopefully it didn't land in a spider nest.' Navi said queasily.
Link wasn't so optimistic. In his experience whenever he needed something for a quest invariably the most evil, powerful thing in the area would be guarding it. Considering how deadly just one of those spiders had been, he was going to need all the help he could get.
Before long, they reached a small clearing. Stopping in the shelter of a stooped over oak, he waited to make sure there was nobody following him. After a minute or two of studying his surroundings, all he heard was the steady patter of the rain on the trees.
'This spot looks good Link.'
He agreed and pulled out the Ocarina of Time. Closing his eyes, he recalled the tune of Kaepora Gaebora and played The Song of Soaring. As the last note reverberated through the trees, Link and Navi felt the almost imperceptible beat of giant wings and rushing air. Looking up, they watched as the great horned owl alighted itself on a fallen tree.
'Ho! It has been some time, Hero.' said the deep, friendly voice of Kaepora Gaebora. Turning his head upside down he looked at Navi. 'A-Hoo! I see you found your friend.'
'Its nice to see you again, Gaebora. We were both surprised to hear from you.' said Navi respectfully as she gave the giant owl a slight bow.
'Woo! Yes, I had to journey far to reach this world. Ho! So far from where I usually fly. But for the Hero-' he turned his head back up right. '-I would fly anywhere.'
'Shaaa…' Link said, blushing.
Does he have to put it that way?
'Woo! So, you have played my song and here I am. How may I help you?'
'We have many questions and we need your wisdom.' said Navi eagerly.
'O-hoo! Wisdom? I will do my best. I have not soared these skies long, but I may be able to help you. Woo! Ask and I will answer.' said Gaebora, tucking his head into his body slightly.
'What do you know about the locations of the shards of the sorcerer's staff?'
'Woo! When the staff of Garouga was shattered it scattered across time. This was not due to the destruction of the staff, but rather because the staff wanted to escape the Hero. To come to another world where it could be rebuilt and used to dominate and destroy. Thus, the shards fell both with the Hero and before him, corrupting the land even as they arrived. That is what poisoned this forest so.'
Gaebora spread his wings wide and they looked at the surrounding trees. The forest certainly looked poisoned. Far more trees were dead than Link had thought and the Forbidden Forest was rapidly transforming into a bog.
'One shard lies in this forest. Held by one who can only see its light. It is held back in a prison of memory. But, this prison is one of its own making, and in time it will escape. Hogwarts will not survive his release.'
Link nodded.
So it is in the forest!
'The second shard fell into the dark waters. Drawn to the people of the deep, it sought to bring corruption. However, fearful were they, it was repulsed and returned to where corrupted things come, to the lair of the schemer.'
Link scratched his head, that one was more confusing.
Navi looked just as confused by that as he was. 'The schemer? Do you mean whoever is behind the plot at Hogwarts? We heard a man say that there was a plot to bring a dark artifact to school in the hands of a student or teacher. Is that what you mean?'
Gaebora turned his head back upside down. 'No. The plot at Hogwarts was years in the making. The chance at vengeance and a sudden opportunity. However, I sense that you must confront this evil to succeed in your quest. Steel yourself Hero, for the enemy you must face is ancient and powerful.'
Navi turned to him, 'What else should we ask about?'
Link pointed at his left hand where the rain had washed off his concealment cream, leaving the Triforce of Courage bare.
'Oh yes.' Navi said, nodding, 'There was a girl who may have spotted me and the Triforce of Courage on Link's hand. What does this mean for our quest?'
Gaebora hooted again and realigned his head. 'You were right to hide yourself guardian. You would not be killed as you fear, but your discovery would cause a critical delay. As for the Triforce, this land is in need of powerful weapons. Weapons that might fight evil. Or not. If the Triforce became known, it would be sought out. Link is the rightful keeper, but the people of this world would not have the foresight to see that. Not until it was too late and great damage was done.'
Link looked back at Navi to ask another question, but then the owl continued.
'As for the girl, she is no threat to you. You may befriend her if you wish. Or not. The quest does not demand it.'
Link rubbed his chin and nodded.
That's a relief. I like Luna.
'Hoo! How else may I serve you?' asked Gaebora as he flexed his mighty talons on the tree bark.
Link pointed to his ears before rubbing his hand over the pointed tips. He looked up at Gaebora questioningly.
'Ahoo! Yes, your Kokiri ancestry. In this world there is a prejudice against those of mixed blood. Your ears will be viewed as evidence of you being impure. This will result in petty insults and mockery. If you can endure these indignities than you will have nothing to fear.'
He nodded wearily.
Great.
'Now then, do you not want me to not have to repeat myself?' asked Gaebora, tucking in his head again and puffing out all his feathers. Navi turned to Link expectantly, her face featureless.
'Er…' started Link thinking about the question. He hated this stupid game. Mouthing back what Gaebora had asked him he thought about what he heard before looking up at the great owl.
'Y-Yes?' he guessed, fingers crossed.
'Hoo! Very well then. I will let you return to your journey.' Gaebora said, a hint of amusement in his rumbling voice.
These two are always messing with me! Link thought angrily, shooting Navi a dirty look. She merely looked back, blinking innocently.
'If you need to speak with me again, go to the school Owlery. Play my song and I will come. Farewell.'
With that the ancient sage Kaepora Gaebora spread his wings and silently took to the sky. Link waved as the owl faded into nothingness in the rain. Navi landed on his shoulder and stretched herself out. She let out a satisfied sigh before speaking.
'Well that was illuminating. It's nice to know we're not alone out here. And hey; from the sounds of things, we should be good to go and continue our quest.'
'Mmm!'
'So!' she said as he shouldered his axe and began walking out of the glade, 'The night is young. Forest or lake?'
Link could already see that the Black Lake was much larger than it had been yesterday. The surrounding highlands and forests funneled the rain into the bloated lake like a mosquito filling itself with blood. How much larger the lake would get remained to be seen, but it wouldn't take much more before it was spilling over to the gates of Hogwarts. Standing on the grassy shore, he looked over at the dim silhouette of the castle.
I wonder if that boat tunnel has flooded?
He removed the Zora mask from his tunic and turned it over in his hands. Inside the light blue, strangely scaly mask was bound the soul of Mikau, an adventurer like him who had met an unfortunate end. By wearing this mask, he would take on Mikau's form and become a Zora. The Zora were a race of mostly aquatic humanoids that he had encountered on several occasions during his travels (technically he was engaged to one, but he didn't like to think about that). When he had to explore an aquatic area, the Zora form was by far his most useful tool.
'Are you ready?' asked Navi fluttering over the water. She could swim as well as she could fly, so the two wouldn't need to separate.
'Hep!' he said. Taking a breath, he pressed the Zora mask against his face.
Link felt the mask fuse with his face and magic pulsed through him. After a few painful moments, he looked down and saw the familiar fins sticking out of his forearms and forelegs. The transformation also added about three feet on top of his total height. It was always a surprise to have found that you have grown a few extra feet in a few seconds.
Let's see how the water feels.
Running forward, he jumped into the water and dove to the shallow shoreline's grassy floor. Above him he heard the pinging sounds of the raindrops hitting the lake surface, like rain against a metal roof. The water itself was not terribly polluted but fine grains of earth were drifting downwards to be deposited on the lake bed below. This fine muddy residue inhibited his vision and breathing some but it wasn't unbearable. As he found his bearings Navi joined him.
'We should go to the very bottom. I bet you that's where the crystal piece is.' she said, floating beside him.
He agreed and started to follow the lake floor downwards. The waters were quite dark and even with his Zora eyes, he couldn't see more than a hundred feet in front of him. Occasionally they would pass a submerged, sun bleached boulder or a drowned tree. Yet more evidence of the flood.
It's about a twenty-minute walk from the Forbidden Forest to the Lake. How long until the forest is underwater?
As he swam, he came across a submerged wharf. It was remarkably preserved, even the glass windows of the boat house were unbroken. Whether a testament to the quality of its construction, or some magic trickery he couldn't tell but it was odd to say the least. Swimming closer, he went to one of the windows and peered inside.
'Weird. That's surreal, do you-' Navi suddenly perked up, 'Link! Over there!'
He turned and saw a massive shadow pass by, a dark cloud visible only by the silt it disturbed in its wake. It loomed for a moment before retreating deeper into the water.
'The giant octo! I was hoping we wouldn't run into it. M-Maybe it will leave us alone?' Navi said hopefully.
He turned and faced her, suddenly very conscious of the fact that she was glowing brightly in the dark water.
'What?' said Navi defensively. He pointed at her and smothered one fist with his hand.
'Shut up! Why would it want me? I'm like a speck of dust to something that big. You're just trying to scare me…'
He turned and allowed himself a small grin before refocusing on his surroundings.
It'll be back.
Swimming past the wharf, they saw what the old lake bed looked like. Muddy earth stretched out gradually sloping downwards. Punctuating this gentle incline were small algal colonies that stretched upward towards the surface, swaying in the minute currents of the lake.
No doubt a few days ago these reached the surface. Now they'll have to grow another thirty or so feet. Link thought as he swam past them.
After following the muddy flats for a while, the gentle incline abruptly ended at a steep drop. Swimming to the edge of the seemingly bottomless chasm, Link peered below. All he could see was a dark void. No doubt there would be little, if any warning about an attack from creatures down there.
'So, Link I think that's enough reconnaissance for tonight, lets regroup and…Hey!' Navi shouted as he started swimming down into the darkness.
Twisting over on his back, he looked over at her in feigned ignorance as he continued to backstroke his way deeper.
'We can come back during the daytime, fish brain!' she shouted after him as he kept swimming down. 'Daylight! Do you understand? Come back here…' He kept swimming. 'We don't need to-Ugh!' she zoomed over to his side, grumbling as he gave her a big dopey smile.
As they descended the small floating particles of dust and other debris disappeared and the water became much clearer, though this didn't improve visibility much as it was nearly pitch black.
At least I won't taste mud with each breath.
Soon the darkness was absolute and if weren't for Navi, who had begun to worriedly hum to herself, there would be no sensation whatsoever other than the constant grip of the water pressure. Link descended deeper and deeper until finally a massive shape appeared in Navi's glow.
He tensed and slowly moved closer, but then relaxed as the shape resolved itself. Before him was a giant column of algae. Stretching to unknown heights and depths, this living pillar swarmed with tiny fish and crustaceans feeding on the greenery. As he swam closer darting out of the kelp came four dog sized monsters. They had humanoid heads, webbed hands and tentacles for legs. Barking and yipping they shot forward, sharp teeth flashing. Without pausing to think, Link lashed out with the razor-sharp fins on his forearms at the creatures as they tried to close in. His cartilaginous bladed fins easily cut through the rubbery flesh of the monsters and as quickly as they had appeared two of the creatures were cut to pieces. The remaining two turned and swam back into the green column, screaming. Soon Link and Navi were surrounded by the still darkness again. Link looked down at Navi who was clinging by his hip.
'…why did the shard have to fall in the water…' she said softly.
Despite the danger of more of the beasts attacking, the algae was a feature outside of the void and he followed it down. Occasionally they would hear another yip or bark, but no more creatures emerged to attack. Suddenly down in the deep distance Link became aware of a light. Swimming closer the light eventually resolved itself into the lights of windows, street lamps and homes.
Grinning, he turned to Navi and pointed to the village.
'What are you so happy about?' she said sourly.
Cautiously they swam into the aquatic village. Landing on the flagstone street, Link looked around. The village reminded him of Hogsmeade in many ways, except the occupants clearly had a better understanding of architecture. Slanted rooved homes, windowed shops, and mailboxes lined the paved street. The street was deserted although he could hear garbled voices from a few of the homes.
Link kept moving until finally he came upon a large empty square. Surrounding it were empty corral shell market stalls while in the centre of the square benches and chairs were arranged around a large clock tower. On one side there was a domed, vividly painted pavilion and on the other a bricked manor house, the largest home in the village.
He looked at the clock.
Half past two. Everyone must be sleeping.
He turned to Navi and pointed at the manor house.
'Okay. We can try and ask them, but let me do the talking.'
Link nodded and the two set off for the large house. The mansion sat in the middle of the boundary of the square and was surrounded by a wrought brass fence with accompanying gate. Standing by the gate, Link rang an attached bell. The small bell sounded loudly in the water and after a moment of standing a strange figure emerged from the house.
The creature looked like a scaly human crossed with a fish. Rather than legs, its lower half was that of a fish with a large finned tail propelling itself through the water. It was curiously dressed in a black dress with a white apron. Though not laced, the edges of the apron were waved in a fashion reminiscent of a clam shell. The creature had pale, dull scales, and a flat face with no nose yet it did have nostrils. Its brown wispy hair was fashioned in a tight bun secured by a bone.
The creature approached the gate and looked at them, blinking.
'Gxoulixiushx?'
Link turned to Navi and gave her a small nudge.
'W-we come in peace.' Navi said apprehensively.
'Thxoiuxli yuikoilo oix blriuk.'
'I'm sorry I can't understand you.'
The creature stared at Link and Navi through the bars of the gate who stood and stared back.
'Link, maybe you should try. I think you have more experience than I do with silent communication' Navi whispered.
But before he could do anything the creature opened the gate and bowed slightly. Link returned the gesture hastily. Seemingly satisfied the creature held out an arm towards the manor and started swimming towards it. Following , Link walked behind her down the path and up the steps of the porch until they stood before a large door. Opening it, she gestured with her arm again and Link stepped into the house.
Inside, the house was lavishly decorated in a nautical sort of way. Heavily oiled paintings depicted scenes of fantastical underwater landscapes framed with driftwood. The floor was heavily carpeted with closely cropped algal mats that were both soft and satisfyingly squishy causing his flat feet to literally sink into it. Corral backed chairs and benches lined the bricked walls and an enormous brass chandelier cast a deep orange glow.
The female who offered him entrance moved down to another door. Turning she bowed to them again before opening the door and slipping through leaving Link and Navi alone in the foyer.
'So far so good Link.'
After waiting for a minute or two the door opened again and the creature emerged. Bowing again, she gestured to the still open door and swam through it. Following her, Link and Navi went down a brick hallway adorned with yet more paintings. She opened another door and stepping through it, Link and Navi came upon a large study. Bookshelves lined the walls along with shells in glass cases and odd-looking artifacts that curved with vaguely sinister implications.
At the end of the room, a tall robed humanoid sat. He was bald save for a few wisps of white hair that gently floated in the water. His flat face was lined and he held himself with the quiet dignity of an important man. Link and Navi approached him and bowed.
'Greetings, I am Navi and this is Link.'
'Greetings.' said the man in a gravelly voice. 'I am Murcus. Chieftain of the Black Lake Selkies. Forgive me, but I do not recognize your kind.'
'Link is of the Zora, where rivers meet sea. I am a fairy.' said Navi simply.
Murcus was silent as he looked between the two of them. Eventually he spoke again.
'To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?'
'We are adventurers. We came to this village to seek a powerful dark artifact that fell in your shores.'
'Oh?' said Murcus leaning forward in his chair, his webbed fingers tensing on their armrests, 'And for what purpose do you seek this artifact?'
'We seek to destroy it.' she said firmly and Link nodded. This answer seemed to satisfy Murcus who leaned back again, relaxing slightly.
'I am afraid that that is impossible.'
'Why?' blurted Navi.
'If I had the artifact I would gladly turn it over to you, but alas I do not. When the gem first fell into our waters it fell directly into our midst. Many approached the jewel before we understood its magical nature. You see, in our village we made an ancient pact with the magicians on the cliff shore. Any magic that falls below, we return above. I myself returned the gem to the school.'
'I-I see.' said Navi who looked at Link.
It's already in the school? Does that mean the Headmaster has it? Link frowned at the thought. If it is already in the hands of a wizard…
'I see that I have upset you.' said Murcus. 'However, this is our way. It has been for centuries. Does the gem belong to you?'
'Not exactly, but we are oath bound to destroy it.'
Oath bound, huh? Sounds impressive. Thought Link dryly as Murcus stirred.
'My dealings with the wizards have not always been pleasant. However, their leader, Dumbledore, is honourable for a human. I can contact him for you if you wish. I'm sure he will oblige you in your duty.'
Not likely. I can think of few people who would willingly turn over that kind of power. If he does refuse, I'll have to fight him and if it comes to that I'd rather have the element of surprise.
Link looked at Navi and shook his head.
'Er, that won't be necessary Chief Murcus. When did you return the gem to him?'
'I didn't return the gem to Dumbledore.' said Murcus.
'Oh, then who?' she asked, puzzled.
'Like the others in the village I too felt its evil.' Murcus's voice grew lower, 'I could not bear to hold it. On the cliff side there are pipes. Some pipes push out, others pull in. I set the gem free on the currents. It is in the school now.'
Link suppressed the urge to sigh and merely nodded. He never got lucky.
'W-We understand Murcus. The gem is evil, no one should hold it.' said Navi solemnly.
'Will you seek out the gem in the castle?' asked Murcus, his voice normal again.
'Yes. Our duty compels us.'
'Then I wish you luck.'
Link and Navi looked over the Mervillage one last time before they swam upwards into the darkness. Their meeting with Murcus had been a resounding success, despite not getting the crystal.
'The sooner we're on dry land the better. Or land anyway. I'll take the rain over this abyss any day.'
Link said nothing as he thought over the implications of the crystal being in the castle.
I have to find that crystal piece before anyone else does. If a student or teacher finds it, then I'll have to fight another dark sorcerer in a castle filled with innocent people. It probably got stuck in the school pipes somewhere. Sounds like a job for Navi to me.
Steadily they moved up through the darkness until at last they spotted the ledge separating the shallows from the dark depths. As they rose to the cliff ledge, he noticed movement again in the murk of the shallows.
I knew you'd be back.
Link turned to face the growing shadow and Navi moved behind him over his left shoulder.
From out of the distant murk, loomed the creature that Hagrid had called the Giant Squid. It's name was not undeserved as it was easily over forty feet long. It was a deep purple, its giant tentacles swirled with a flexibility and strength that Link knew he could not match in his Zora form. He readied himself as the creature glided closer, disturbing the muddy cliff side in its wake.
The creature unfurled its tentacles behind it and shot towards him. He swam up and to the right dodging past the squid's massive body. However, as he swam past a tentacle reached up behind him and grabbed his leg. Before he could react, the tentacle had wrapped itself around his knee up to his hip and began to contract. Jerking suddenly the squid whipped him through the water while contracting. Link felt as though he was being torn in half. Lashing wildly, he cut down on the tentacle closest to his knees. The bladed fins sliced through the squid's leathery flesh, releasing its inky blood in a choking cloud around him. The acrid taste of the blood filtered through his gills and entered his mouth, making him retch with its intensity. Swimming out of the cloud, he realized from the now distant cliff edge that he was upside down. Reorienting himself he turned again to face the lurking darkness once more.
'Link!" cried Navi appearing beside him, 'Get to the cliffside! Put your back against something, it wants to drag you into the open water!'
Wordlessly, he started to swim backwards towards the cliff while keeping his eyes forward. However, before he could reach the cliff edge the squid reappeared again, this time with a burst of speed.
If I dodge it will just grab me again with one of its tentacles! I need to attack its head.
As the squid charged, Link swam forwards to intercept and land an attack on the its soft body. But before he could, the squid rapidly contorted itself. Seemingly enveloping around and inverting its central mass around him, Link briefly saw the infamous beak of the leviathan before he was in the creature's clutches once more. This time it was his right arm that was grabbed. With contemptuous ease the creature flexed and twisted, crushing the bone into sharp fragments. Link screamed as he brought his other arm down on the still twisting tentacle. Holding his breath this time, the black blood did not flood his mouth though he was still blinded by the cloud of gore that remained from his counterattack.
'Focus Link. Keep swimming to the cliffside. It can't get behind you if you put your back to the cliff.'
He nodded. Rather than cautiously swim to the cliff, this time he opted for speed. Turning his back on the darkness, he put his energy into his legs while clutching his useless right arm to his side. Just as he was about to reach the cliffside Navi shouted 'Behind you!' turning he saw as the creature was readying itself for another attack.
'Just keep swimming! Get to the cliff Link!' Navi shouted as she shot past him towards the tentacled monstrosity.
Link watched as Navi darted towards the creature as it charged. Zipping to and fro she crisscrossed before its giant yellow eyes which followed her movements curiously. Link kept swimming as the creature halted its charge and unfurled itself before the glowing light. The cliff edge was so close now.
Suddenly the squid whose tentacles were gliding gently around the waters near Navi shot out. Extending and then contracting they encased the tiny light and pulled the captured waters to the beasts waiting maw. Link froze in horror.
Navi!
The creature's oblong head swelled then shrunk as it expelled the muddied water from its body, retreating back into the clouded waters.
Helplessly, Link floated over the pit, the cliff forgotten.
Navi…
Then the tiny light reappeared, closing in towards him.
Link shouted in surprise. Swimming forward, he went to meet her.
'What are you doing!? Get to the cliff edge!' she shouted angrily.
Finish the fight first! He turned and swam, swimming at full speed without a backward glance until finally he touched the eroded cliffside. Turning he planted his back on its uneven surface and readied himself.
He didn't have to wait long. Emerging from the darkness, the squid approached, its long tentacles trailing behind it. He watched warily as the squid passed overhead disappearing from view over the top of the clifftop. He kept his position, fearing some trap.
He waited until a cascade of mud flooded over the lip of the cliff, pouring down towards him. Rather than move out of the way, he closed his gills and hugged the precipice, letting the debris shower over him. As the debris passed by to the depths below the squid's tentacles reappeared. Gripping the rock, the rest of its shifting mass presented itself. At the root of its tentacled limbs, a lurid display of shifting tones of red surrounded a large, sharp beak.
Pressing downwards, it reached for him with its tentacles but he was prepared. Moving forwards he slashed at the thick limbs as they approached, spreading the beast's dark blood in the water. Though they were but scratches, he must have enraged it for it quickly met his advance and bore down on him. Opening its beak, Link saw the creature's gnashing whirlpool mouth of spiraling teeth. As the creature swelled, Link felt himself being pulled as the surrounding water was sucked in towards that great hungry maw. Digging his feet into the grooves of the cliff Link braced himself as the creature inhaled. Before long it had swelled to its maximum capacity.
At that moment, Link lunged forward and before the creature could expel itself away, he hacked at its central mass. Aiming his strikes around the mouth, he cut into its seemingly weightless flesh with his left fore fin. Flinching, the beast shifted and the beak snapped towards his chest but he was too quick. Spinning, he pushed up with his legs and coming towards its tentacles he slashed again, scoring deep wounds into the base of its thick limbs. In reaction the creature flailed and flattened itself against the cliff face.
Seeing his opening, he dodged around the contracting tentacles and at last faced the head. Turning its great yellow eyes on him the creature began to retreat into the swirling detritus. But before it could escape, Link gouged into its face. Ripping upwards just beneath the eye, he attempted to cut as deeply as the fin's length themselves. Blood shot out from this wound propelled by the captured water in the squid's head.
Shuddering greatly, the injured beast evidently decided that this new prey was not worth the fight and expelled the water it had drawn into itself. As it rocketed away, Link's fin ripped against the retreating monster's flesh as he pulled. A split-second later Link tumbled off the squid's body as it darted back into the swirling darkness, leaving behind only a trail of blood.
'Great job Link.' cried Navi, reappearing at his side. 'I knew you could do it! How's your arm? Can you move?'
Gritting his teeth, he nodded. Turning, he continued on to the shallows. Following the incline of the approaching shore, he surfaced and stumbled back onto land.