Chapter 11: The Play of Shadow and Light
"Well you know this forest, my child." The Great Deku Tree continued speaking after Link and Navi had calmed somewhat, though each still had a wide grin on their faces due to their incredible luck, "Though in all the time you spent with us, never had you ventured as deep within the woods are you are to now. The place was always forbidden to my Kokiri, for it is a place of great danger. A building that existed long before the forest that now enshrouds it. In fact, there has been great speculation as to the mysterious force that haunts our Lost Woods- it may in fact be the result of the building's presence. Or, perhaps, the building was the stimulus that caused the forest to grow."
Link half chuckled, now wearing a weak smile. The Great Deku Tree was going off on tangents again, but he wouldn't feel right telling the ancient tree to hurry up and get to the point.
Mido did not share the same courtesy. The small Kokiri cleared his throat loudly, upturned nose wrinkling, "And? What building are you talking about? I've never seen any building in the woods."
"The Great Deku Tree just said it was forbidden to us, Mido. Pay attention." Saria gently scolded. The freckled boy was silent and grinning in an instant.
"Mmm, yes. Of course." the wizened old tree stretched with a loud creaking, seeming to stare off as if it were trying to remember what its point was exactly. "Oh. Yes. The Temple of Shadow, of course."
"...Temple of Shadow..?" Link repeated the name, never having heard of it before.
The Great Deku Tree nodded, "Yes, an antiquated Temple hidden far deeper in the Lost Woods than we are now. These fragments for which you seek, they are indeed of a higher power. When separated, they were sent away. Without knowing how to reform, they simply sought out to find similar spikes of great and holy power. So it has been whispered to me, by the small fragment that came to me, or perhaps even by the voices of the Goddesses themselves. I truly know not the origin."
Link nodded, taking it all in.
"If you wish to find the Temple of Shadow, then you must set out to the South, bear to the East, and keep a sharp eye and wit about you. Beware, my child. The same dangers that lurked within these woods all those years ago have persisted. Never allow yourself to become lost. Know where you are at all times, most especially after the sun has set. And...perhaps, if you were to equip a better sword?"
The young Hylian smiled up at the talking tree, "...it'll be fine."
"Very well then." The Great Deku Tree gave a solemn bow, leaves hissing in swayed movement.
Saria was quick to her feet, offering assistance, "I'll go with you, Link. In fact, I would very much like to go with you."
"What!" Mido nearly fell over, "Saria, you can't! Didn't ya hear? It's dangerous! Dangerous!"
As much as he hated to agree with Mido, Link nodded. It would be very dangerous for her to get too far away from the Great Deku Tree, and with a bent sword and a dented shield, Link wasn't completely confident that he would be able to protect her. Especially at night. He pouted down at the small Kokiri girl, "...Uhm, Saria...you shouldn't..."
She huffed, offended at being treated like a delicate glass figure that would break unless kept carefully stored away, "Honestly. You both think I am stupid or something. If I see danger, I will obviously run."
Mido and Link exchanged a look. No matter how many years passed, no matter how things changed, it seemed that Saria would always be Saria.
Arms folded, she cut the taller boy a look that might have set the surrounding woods ablaze, "Is that okay with you?"
He cringed from her, unwilling to face a typical chewing out that Saria had become notorious for. But he would not allow her to risk her safety, "Saria…"
The small Kokiri's glare intensified. By only speaking her name, he had made his request clear, and she did not like it one bit. Mido shuffled a step backwards in the grass; he did not envy Link at this moment, having to endure the glare that terrified them both in days passed. Eventually, the small girl relented, "….fine. Fine, go and…just be careful, okay? We just got to see you again, Link. Make sure you come back from this temple in one piece."
He reassured her with a gentle smile.
Watching the pair of them, with Link smiling and Saria looking at him with heartbreaking concern, made the freckled Kokiri growl. Mido hurried to get around behind Link and shove, "Yeah, yeah, so get going already, Fairy-less!"
The much smaller boy could do little to move him, but the sudden force behind Link's knees nearly buckled them. Link gave a scowl and began to walk, a task that was made difficult by Mido's constant efforts to shove him along. Link spared a glance back to wave goodbye to Saria, The Great Deku Tree, and the gathered Kokiri before heading back into the thick of the forest, positive that he heard Mido shouting a 'Don't come back!' as he did. The Hylian hoped that Saria had hit him for it.
…...
The elderly, twin Gerudo witches hovered low to the ground on their enchanted brooms, eyes shut, each muttering an incantation in an ancient and lost tongue.
At their side, Ganondorf stood, grumbling profanities for a good while, "This is ridiculous. How much longer?"
They did not answer right away, only breaking their mantras when he gave an audible snarl, "Patience, Master Ganondorf."
"It is soon done."
He grunted, running a hand through his mane of firey orange hair, "It's been damn long enough already!" The three of them stood on the fringe of the Lost Woods; after receiving Agahnim's list, Ganondorf found the closest possible temple to be the one hidden in the forest, the Temple of Shadow. But he was no fool. He knew better than to go charging into the enchanted woods where he would immediately become lost to the world, so he had brought the Twinrova sisters with him, hoping that they would know a way through the woods.
They in fact did, "You must be patient, for-"
"-this spell will allow you to-"
"-enter the forest safely. It will guide you-"
"-directly to where you wish to go-"
"-without becoming-"
"-lost."
Ganondorf glowered at them as they went back to their chanting. He eyed the ground, where a line of dark illumination had spread from underneath the two witches to trail into the thick of the trees.
His patience was wearing dangerously thin. But in the end, it would all be worth it.
…...
Deeper into the woods, the air smelled strongly of fresh moss and fallen timber, and the light from the descending sun was practically non-existent. So dense was this part of the forest that Link was having a hard time making a path, even with the assistance of his deformed sword. More than once he lost a boot to a particularly obnoxious tree root and had to go back. It was slow going, but with the help of his sword and his rusty, old compass, Link managed to navigate his way through the thick of the Lost Woods without losing himself. Unseen creatures scurried about in the undergrowth the whole way, and whether they were squirrels or Bobokin, Link did not care to find out. He knew exactly what this forest was capable of throwing at him and was very glad to see that it showed restraint. No Bobokin, no Skull Kid, not even a trace of the monstrous Gohma spider that terrorized the forest during his childhood. Just a long and arduous walk that carried well into the night.
When he finally reached the hidden temple, he had a feeling that whether it was broad daylight or midnight would not have mattered. The trees did not thin out at all, growing right up against the large, triangular building. This temple was remarkably like the Temple of Light in size and shape, but its bricks were a polished obsidian, untouched by inclement weather. The canopy of leaves must have kept the majority of rain and snow from dimming the temple's surface. As Navi drew nearer, a smudge of blue reflection became clear on the building.
Finding the entrance became something of a task. Link had to walk the perimeter of the temple with one foot on the building, and the other carefully picking footholds among the tree branches that grew so close against its walls. Twice his fairy laughed at the awkward gait, and twice he glared, intending to snap back but finding the effort better concentrated on walking. When he finally did find the entrance, he had to literally crawl beneath a branch to set foot inside.
The first room was unimpressive; just a small, four-sided room with a pair of candles burning an inviting reddish flame, dripping white wax onto the floor. The door directly in front of him was the only point of interest- carved wood, embellished with curious tribal designs that were unfamiliar to him. Normally, he might've cared enough to give them an inquisitive inspection; however, there promised to be yet another fragment of the Triforce hidden somewhere in this temple, and he was eager to get his hands on it. Link didn't even wait for Navi to join him at his side before he was shoving the antiquated door aside.
Immediately, there were fangs snapping at him.
The young Hylian jumped back through the door frame just in time to avoid losing a generous portion of his face. The shock had stilled his blade for only a moment as he eyed the creature that was straining to reach him. It was little more than a mouth on a vine, violent, willing to devour almost anything that wandered within its reach. Its leaves were a spotty, sickly shade of green, and the flesh that surrounded those vicious jaws ranged from blood red to bright orange. This monster he knew by name: A Deku Baba. They may have shared a name with the benevolent tree that helped raise him, but this was an entirely different entity. They were veracious plants that grew sporadically throughout the whole forest, notorious for snatching up and swallowing Kokiri children whole. A though that crossed Link's mind more than once as he watched the plant struggling against its own stalk to try and bite him.
Cautiously, he approached, taking a careful mental note of the length of the Deku Baba's vine. It snapped again, and thrashed, unable to uproot itself and reach the young Hylian. It was all a matter of timing: Link waited for the snarling plant to clamp its jaws and expose its moment of weakness. He then quickly struck, severing the head from its stalk in a splash of green goop. The vine and jaws remained twitching for a good while on the solid stone floor before they were stilled and began wilting.
Link gave a short exhale. There. Easy enough. These plants may have been a menace to an unarmed opponent, but their range of attack was severely limited by just how much they grew from their stems. With that first unpleasant surprise out of his way, Link cast his eyes around the room he had entered. Beige stones peppered with black flecks, and completely unreflective, accounted for the majority of the interior of this Temple. They looked and felt gritty, porous, like sand solidified. The stones beneath his feet seemed as if they were cut with far more care and precision than the ones that made up the surrounding walls, and all over the place there was vegetation growing from the cracks and separations of those stones. The room itself was a perfect square, with more burning candles shedding wax at each corner. It led directly to a narrower passageway that, as far as Link could tell in the dim candle light, curved to the left after only a few steps.
He moved to cross the room, and almost instantly small clumps of leaves quivered to life. Two more Deku Babas sprouted up from the floor in front of him, one from the wall on his right, and one more struggled to make its way around the far corner. The first one to lunge caught him by surprise and left his right shoulder bloodied. He recoiled from the wound and raised his shield, causing the other two plants to impact against it. They reared and swayed, readying another attack. Link's grip tightened on his weapon, jaw clenched with resolve, and despite the painful throbbing in his shoulder, he held his shield high. Three sets of teeth came at him at once. Pivoting on his right leg, Link swung his blade around in a circular slash, exactly as he had when battling the Moblin at the lake, batting all three Deku Babas backwards. The counter left them momentarily stunned. Swiftly, Link brought his warped sword down on the plant closest to him, severing it from its vine. He shifted and swung sideways to repeat the attack on the next Deku Baba. The one growing from the wall lunged once more, being partially deflected by the worn shield that the young Hylian carried. Those salivating fangs nearly gouged out an eye, but he was quick enough to prevent it by slicing cleanly through the last stalk and sending the Deku Baba to the floor to shrivel.
Link's attention next went to the plant that was straining against itself to join the fray. It proved to be a mistake. Much like a serpent, one of the heads that had been severed continued to open and close its jaws. It caught the unaware Hylian's leg, clenching with all the strength it had left to it. Link flinched at the sudden pain, full attention now at the floor directly below him. The tip of his sword stabbed into the wilting head until it fell slack against the stone. The attack successfully aggravated the injury that he had sustained back in the Temple of Time, which had been slowly beginning to heal. He snarled at his bad luck, forcing himself to move without limping. Link hurried into the passageway to tackle another Deku Baba and found that his fighting style was now being affected. He was nearly too slow for the eager plant, having to take more than one swing before he successfully connected and killed it.
He didn't even have time to draw in a breath. Just as his sword sliced through the Deku Baba, a projectile came at him from across the long expanse of the passageway, missing the dead center of his forehead only by the Goddess' blessings. It shot passed him and cracked a good portion of the wall. Without turning, Link strained to see what looked like a seed of some kind lodged into the crumbling stone block. Those sapphire eyes went forward to see a tiny, squat creature standing across the long hall. It seemed to grunt in displeasure, then shot another seed from its long, funnel-like mouth. Link ducked under the shot, catching a good bit of stone cast-off in his eye from where the wall was again cracked. The Hylian set his jaw and crouched behind his shield. He knew these pesky little creatures too; the strange little plant-like Deku Scrubs that waddled around on two stout legs and had a funny cropping of leaves sticking out of their heads. They weren't as vicious as the Deku Baba plants, but they were still very dangerous when they felt threatened.
"Link! Ah!" Navi was hovering just at the passageway's entrance, hesitant to come within range of the firing Deku Scrub, "Oh, great! Just great! This is just your luck! Can't we find, like, a normal temple? One without things trying to kill us?"
He silently agreed. The Deku Scrub in front of him narrowed its softly glowing yellow eyes and tried to shoot at him again, but the metal shield deflected the little seed with a loud pang. Link then moved, ignoring the throb of protest in his leg and rushing forward at the little plant. It tried one last shot upwards at him, but his sword made short work of it. The instant that his blade went through the squat Deku Scrub, a patch of vines at his side sprang to life with more glistening teeth. A Deku Baba sprung forward, and in one smooth motion, Link turned and brought his blade around into the side of the plant's head. A splashing of green splattered the wall, but it was not nearly enough to kill the Deku Baba. It whipped roundabout towards the Hylian with a gravely hiss. Link swung again and missed, only drawing more green ooze from the flesh surrounding that jaw. He dodged another direct attack, causing the Deku Baba to stretch the length of its stalk and expose that perfect spot where the vine met the head. A precise sword strike and the wicked plant was felled, though this time Link made doubly sure to avoid the jaws as they bit wildly at the air.
Another seed blasted the stone over his head, and as Link turned, he could see two more Deku Scrubs standing astride yet another Deku Baba plant.
He heaved a sigh.
"Link, wait!" the fairy screamed as she saw him rush forward.
The two Scrubs panicked slightly as he drew near, flailing and misfiring seeds at the ceiling. His first target was the Deku Baba, which was more than happy to oblige the challenge. The plant dove at him, smacking its faceless head into that solid shield more than once. Link's feet shuffled into position, and when the Deku Baba lunged again, he shoved it back into a burning candle that adorned the wall. The passageway lit up with flames as the snarling plant caught fire and writhed. One of the Scrubs by it caught fire as well, and the second one was sliced as it tried to flee.
Link turned and sprinted down the passageway, finding that it turned a sharp right, and then again turned left. He was halted by a Deku Baba plant springing down from the ceiling and thrashing about, blocking off the narrow hall. The young Hylian edged forward, sword held at the ready. As he swung, the Deku Baba retracted along its vine upwards and Link's sword connected with the stone floor, breaking off a few bits of steel shrapnel from the already fatigued blade. He altered his stance to swing upwards, but the hall was taller than it was wide, and his weapon could not reach well enough to deliver an effective blow. The Deku Baba sprang downwards at him and Link dove for the floor, avoiding a close encounter with that snapping jaw. He quickly flopped onto his back and produced his bow and a single arrow. The plant was now the one unable to reach, lashing wildly in a familiar attempt to separate itself from its stalk. It made aiming very difficult. Link's first arrow went wide and stuck into the stone ceiling. He pulled a second arrow and fired, this time catching the Deku Baba exactly where he had been aiming. The plant's head fell downward, and Link hurried to get out of the way of those mindlessly moving teeth. Both palms pressing to the floor on either side of his head, Link swung his feet upward and pulled his body into standing before the severed Deku Baba could sink its teeth into his stomach.
Another couple of shots came at him from yet more Deku Scrubs. Link hastily tucked his bow back into place and gripped his sword. Keeping his head ducked behind his shield, he advanced on the Deku Scrubs and dispatched them. One after another met with his blade, leaving a green film on the shattering steel.
The Hylian pressed onward at a rapid pace; the denizens of the temple would allow nothing less. Another clump of foliage sprang at him from his feet, two Deku Baba heads fighting against one another on a single stalk. Link swung to lop off one and nearly lost his arm to its twin. The separated head fell and twitched, threatening to clamp onto his boots as the Hylian negotiated his footing. The second one bobbed through the air, seeming to sum up Link's movements before striking. He didn't give it the opportunity, driving his sword into its stem and cutting it free.
Link soon realized that the Temple of Shadow was constructed much like a winding maze. The passageways ran long and tended to turn multiple times, twisting and meandering on and on. But there were no doors to slow his progress, only what seemed like legions of Deku Baba serpents and Deku Scrub plants. Link reached another narrow, rectangular room and immediately had to skid back into the hallway as a barrage of seeds went flying at his head. The far wall became riddled with impacts. When Link leaned against the wall to try sneaking a peek into the room, it seemed as if the floor were a living carpet of leaves; at least two dozen Deku Scrubs were bouncing around in there. One of them had the unfortunate luck of spying the single blue eye that peered in, and another cascade of seed ammunition tore at the beige stone as the young Hylian retracted his head. Link pressed his back to the wall, heaving heavy breaths. Rivulets of sweat ran down either side of his face as he panted to catch his breath. The faint glow of candle light from the room cast wide, dark shadows across the walls. Shadows that Navi's glow seemed incapable of lightening. With a swallow of air, Link rose his shield and darted around the wall into the room. The Scrubs each turned on him with a hail of seeds, though few managed to actually strike him. The Hylian got himself in the middle of them and spun, taking out the majority of the Deku scrubs with one swing. The stragglers were quickly picked off, and he was again moving forward.
Two burning candles started another long passageway that greeted him. This one was no different than the last- long and winding, and littered with Deku Babas. The first one that charged at him was battered back twice before Link was able to deal it a decisive blow. The next one sprouted upwards from the floor and managed to drag a tooth across the young boy's left cheek before it too was sliced and left to wither. Blood and sweat were wiped carelessly onto the shoulder of his clothing before he set at the next attacker. Link dodged the Deku Baba's strike by scuffling backwards around a bend in the winding hallway, only to catch a discharged seed in the middle of his back that left an awful, throbbing welt. A Deku Scrub came running to aim a better shot at him as he combated the Baba plant that strained to reach. Link twisted to cut the Deku Scrub in half, then turned back around and separated the snapping jaws of the Deku Baba from its stalk.
He rushed down the hallway, bearing right, then left, then right again in a long curve. Another flash of teeth signaled a Deku Baba's attack. Link dodged, but too well, slamming his right shoulder into the wall with a pain that threatened to loosen his grip on his shield. He winced, almost missing the opportunity to separate the plant's head from its vine. Almost.
Link pushed off of the wall and continued on, catching a sleeping Deku Scrub by surprise and letting it skitter away without a fight. The passageway turned left again, then a short right, then once more left before it opened up into a large room. The walls and floor of this room were completely blanketed in vegetation- the beige stones were hidden utterly from view. Already, Link did not like this new room.
The toe of his boot touched the leafy surface and at once, four Deku Baba serpent plants rose up to attack him, a Deku Scrub waddling quickly from behind. The seed fired at him rebounded off of his shield and struck one of the snarling Deku Babas. Link's sword swung, immediately severing one of the vines and slicing a long wound on another. The pudgy little Scrub ran right up to the Hylian's leg, under his shield, and spat a seed point blank at Link's chin. It did not cause as much pain as it could have, only set him staggering for a second, but that was a perfect opportunity for the Deku Babas to snap at him and tatter that green tunic. He shoved one of the plants away with his shield, swatting the other frantically with his sword. His weapon connected and severed the plant correctly, then swung around to hack the other free of its stem. Link lifted his boot and simply stomped the Deku Scrub until there was a small puddle of green goo.
Another step and he was assaulted by more Deku Babas. The frantic pace of the temple had worn him down, and the next few plants were not so cleanly dealt with. His blade carved one as expected, but the next Deku Baba took only a glancing slice from the battered sword, dangling limply from its stalk but still able to snap at the Hylian's face. Link took half a moment to catch a breath before putting it down with the others.
Each step into the room proved to drive out more Deku Babas intent on having him for a snack. The candlelight playing from each corner sent long and imposing shadows every time anything in the perfectly square room moved.
Link's sword bit into another plant, casting more green ooze around. The strike hadn't fully separated the Deku Baba from its stem, allowing it to still swing its massive jaws at him. He half dodged, half brought his shield into the monster's maw, sending a few of those sharp teeth scattering. It jerked its head backwards enough to expose its weakness and was soon shriveling on the ground along with its many friends.
Across this room, unlike every other room, the way through was blocked by a large boulder that bore the same curious markings as the first door into the temple had. Vines hung from the wall around it, acting as a strange curtain and casting the boulder into shadow. It was slow going to get there. Link's leg was mangled, his shoulder aching, and the wound his ribcage had suffered many days ago was beginning to act up. He mopped his forehead with the back of a glove and pressed onward. He would not give up now, not when a piece of the Triforce was clearly so close at hand.
More Deku Baba plants sprouted from slumber, and another Scrub uncurled itself to join in the attack. Link felt his teeth clench. This temple was relentless.
His grip doubled on his sword and he swung, taking the Scrub and an adjacent Deku Baba out with one blow. Link hadn't seen it, but he felt the blade wobble loosely in the hilt. The weapon was threatening to come apart, and it could not have picked a worse time.
Come on… he mentally pleaded with it as he swung and cut the bottom jaw of a Deku Baba from its head, Not now. Just stay in one piece for a little longer…
"Link, watch it!" Navi's shout alerted him to a plant that dangled down from the ceiling and snapped, just missing the back of his head.
He turned and dealt with that one first, while it was in range of his strikes. He spun back around to strike down two more Deku Baba serpents that had slithered upwards from the growing masses of leaves. Still more sprouted and sprang from every corner of the room, but Link was now close enough to the boulder that obstructed him. He sprinted for it, letting his sword fall against the wall as he pressed his hands to the boulder. His first few attempts to move it produced nothing more than making his shoulder and his leg burn with ache. A showering of seeds around him meant that more Deku Scrubs were coming to bother him, and the constant hissing of the Deku Babas reminded him of just how many of them were left. Biting his lip, Link gave the heavy boulder another heave. Thankfully, this time it gave way, grinding across the stone floor as it slid backwards and allowed entrance into the next room. He just prayed to the Goddesses that there weren't so many angry plants in this one. He snatched his sword and slipped through the slight opening, then turned to shove the boulder back into place. This would keep out all those advancing Scrubs and any Deku Babas that actually managed to pull their roots free and follow him. Navi darted in just before the boulder slid into place.
Link's breathing was coming in gasps, short and rasping. He pressed his forehead to the cool boulder and shut his eyes, staying like that for several minutes as he tried to get his breathing under better control. It was akin to running a gauntlet, and it had left him feeling more than a little drained. Thankfully, this room was the first in the Temple of Shadow that did not have anything instantly leaping out at him. It was a much needed little respite. Just a minute…he just needed a minute to catch his breath.
He was denied the opportunity to do so.
Something massive passed over his head, striking the boulder he was using for support. Pebbles crumbled down onto him from where the stone was damaged, a hand moving to block his eyes from the dust. Link whirled around and felt the familiar sinking sensation as his heart dropped into his stomach.
What lay before him was a plant many times larger than a Deku Baba. Its stem was fat and circular, and had grown taller than he was. A short cropping of brown moss freckled the green stem, and four very large, sickly yellow pincers grew out from each side. Whether they were claws or beaks was hard to discern, as each of them snapped shut just as soon as they had opened. The creature rotated on its stalk so that Link was positioned between two of those deadly looking pincers. His sword, already battered beyond hope, lifted to greet this new threat.
The single most disheartening thing, not that this plant was enormous, or that it snapped decisively at the young Hylian, but the fact that even in the dim candlelight that cast striking shadows across the floor and walls, Link could see a single golden shard wedged into the very top of the stem.