Authors Note: I think I got this up a little earlier than usual but still late. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon.
Thank you 4th Triforce Piece, The-Sayan-From-Hyrule, and AmazingZeldafan09 for you reviews.
And thanks to my new beta-reader, RichOverlordSam, for critiquing this for me. Still, if you see any mistakes, please let me know ASAP.
Chapter 10: Catalyst
Finally the night had come!
Hours, the malevolent beast waited, forced to endure the scorching agony as the eye of din burned through its armored plate. It was lucky to find a large cave so deep in the woods to shield it from the day's cursed rays, much to the dismay of a pack of Wolfos
But now the night had come, and with its belly full, it was finally ready to fulfill its masters ambitions.
But those desires brought forth a new form of pain, one very different from that of the accursed sun. It felt distasteful and yet, pleasurable, like a coursing surge from a fresh wound. That sensation seemed to yank at its impulsive thoughts, realigning them to focus on a single objective. The command grew ever stronger and soon the arachnid's cautious pace had escalated into a complete sprint, all the while, a single command echoed in its head.
Find the Spiritual Stone
The objective sounded easy enough, grab a stone and bring it to its master, but the simple thing knew better of the situation. There were subtle undertones in her master's voice, contemplations that brought more detail into the task. He could see the spiritual stone clearly, an emerald sphere wrapped with golden vines, and he could see the Great Deku Tree, the one his master knew possessed the stone.
Now the malicious thing was only a couple meters away from his target, letting his mind wander to the grotesque ways of obtaining its prize. Maybe he could gouge out its eyes and watch them bleed, or cut off its limbs and let it cry out in agony, or even rip off its head and watch the body run frantically. Oh the many methods of the kill, many of which the unfortunate wolfos suffered that very afternoon.
A million and one things filled the eager arachnid's impulsive desires. It made little difference to the creature whether the thing was a wolf, a Hyilian or even a tree, as long as it would bleed like the rest of its victims. However, even its strongest urges surccumbed to that mind-numbing tug, that mighty ambition that overpowered even his most basic thoughts. The master wanted his prize and would tolerate no delays.
Find the Spiritual Stone
The arachnid hoped to finish this slowly and without interruption, but it seemed its overzealous impulses had revealed itself in full.
"Who are you?" Came the oaks only warning.
12…13…13... wait, did he say thirteen twice? He'd have to start the exercise all over again!
Tristan let his arm give out and drop him to the floor, the same as it always did for the past three months. He paced around the room, spinning his arm rhythmically to cool down and restore the beaten muscle, groaning at the thought of repeating the set again.
Like in many of his failed attempts, Tristan meandered along the worn, dusty floors of the oaken boards, eventually finding his way to an old map he hung on a wall frame. The parchment was cracked and yellowed around the edges, but the ink hadn't smudged and it remained mostly intact.
Ever since he got the treasure, he had looked over it every chance he got, devoting most of its contents to memory. He couldn't read the text, but he could tell the Lost Woods rested just below the mountain on the far right. Then, just to the left of the craggy mountains and northwest of Lost Woods, lay a castle, which Tristan could only assume was the capital of the province.
A castle, like in Link's dream perhaps?
Gently, he pulled the map from its resting place and rolled it delicately into a scroll before placing it on the table, along with a small knapsack. Everything seemed in place for a journey: provisions for about two weeks, two or three changes of clothes, including a pair of shorts, a sewing kit, even his modern outfit was still there, though he never expected to wear it, and finally his flint-knapped knife lay sheathed in a side pocket for easy access.
He knew he could protect himself well enough with the knife if he ever ran into any real danger, but there was something missing, something just in the back of his mind that irked him and delayed his journey.
His cell phone beeped in his pocket, which meant his rest was over. He went back against the wall and returned to completing his daily goal: fifteen one-handed, upside down shoulder presses.
"I will not allow one such as you to enter my domain!"
The Great Deku Tree now understood why the darkness -so tamed beneath his power- had gained such strength. A one-eyed scorpion now stood before him, cloaked in black armor coating all but the tip of its wicked stinger, its venomous prod dripping generous amounts of venom.
The arachnid paid no heed to the Tree's warning, slamming against the Great Deku Tree's side and sinking its claws into the oaks deep bark.
"Trees can't move. How sad." The thing cooed, and with one wrenching tear, the arachnid was inside.
It was only by luck that one of the fairies was watching
"Great Deku Tree, hang on!"
"Navi, is that you?" The Great Deku Tree asked, already his vision was fading, his omnipotent sight losing its luster.
"..." The voice came rusty and grinding, like a saw against the oaks venerable wood.
"What should I do?" Navi replied in a frenzied panic. She had never even imagined her creator could feel so weak.
"Quickly my child, find the one without a fairy. Bring him to me, quickly!"
"At once, Great Deku Tree." Came the swift reply and as fast as her little wings could carry her, the fairy darted into the woods.
"Hurry my child," came another rasping breath, "my time, is short."
A house with a peaked roof
This dream came often to the sensitive Kokiri. Each time the boy stood in the same place, looking at a peaked roof jutting just above a rock wall. The wall itself seemed uniform for the most part, except for a large wooden slab held together with black bars of iron.
The Kokiri took little interest in the redundant spectacle, witnessing the familiar scene nearly every night for the past two weeks, instead, his eyes were directed upward to the sky, where the sun refused to shine and the birds were afraid to fly.
Never before had Link seen clouds so dark, so ominous.
A crack of thunder made him jump and the rain poured heavily, soaking even the mighty rock and further darkening its grey hues, reducing the once peaceful land to a darkened silhouette of its former self. The grinding of metal followed soon after and the wooden slab lowered to the ground.
Soon came the thudding of hooves and before him galloped a white stallion, riding with all speed from the darkness with two passengers aboard. The one in front wore a elaborate dress decorated with the golden triad and garbed with the most vibrant colors, even with her large hat, the little girl was no taller than Link.
The one behind however was in no way a girl. Link had trouble calling it a she with her rippling muscles and callous hands spurring the horse's reins. Her long face seemed locked into a somber stare, facing only forward as she comforted the young child, even knowing her tripedation was just as consuming. It was all too fast for Link to take in as the two women faded into the gloomy dark. Link's strained to see them through the cloudy dark, when a second set of plodding hooves came to his sensitive ears.
He managed to turn around just in time to see the horse, a black stallion with red eyes and its owner, a tan man with a long angular nose whose forehead was adorned with a jeweled scarab. A mighty man in size and stature, his body was covered in black armor, detailed with ebony from the neck down.
A quiet mumble came to his ear, but his body went stiff as the desert man extended his hand, the energies of powerful magic summoning to his call. Link shielded his eyes both to protect his head from the inevitable blast and the shield himself from the attack's blinding light.
But the shot never even had the time to leave the man's hand when the distant mumble became a screeching roar.
"Wake up Link, WAKE UP!"
Link was up like a shot, squeezing his painfully ringing ears with the base of his palms.
"Hello, my name is Navi," She introduced quickly, "The Great Deku Tree has sent me to-"
"A fairy?" Link said half-hearing the declaration.
"A fairy…"
"A fairy," He said a third time, "A fairy! A fairy has finally come to me!!"
Navi had to fly across the room to keep the child from crushing her. She dove into a nearby pot for solace, but Link made no move for the startled fairy. Instead, the eager Kokiri made his way to the door.
"Alright, I'm gonna go boast to Mido." Link said eagerly, snapping Navi from her private contemplations.
"Link, there's no time for that." Navi protested.
But Navi's heart nearly skipped a beat when Link fell through a hole in the middle of his floor.
It was a long fall to the ground, but at least his landing was soft.
"What are you doing here Mido?" Link asked curiously, seeing him face down under his rump.
"Very important business," Mido grumbled, spitting bits of dirt out of his mouth.
Link hoped to continue his inquiry on what "important business" Mido had at his house, but something alien came into vision, a crisp, and brown patch of grass just between Mido's divided legs.
It wasn't just the grass. The leaves were flaking from the trees, whose life seemed to drain with the color of their bark
"The grass is withering, this has never happened before," Mido stammered, coming to the same conclusion.
"It's because something evil has entered the forest." Navi explained, "Hurry Link, there's not much time left."
Authors Note: We're finally on chapter 10, so to celebrate, I'll put a little short from here on.
Mido: "Phew, at lease he didn't see the Kokiri saw."
Link: "Kokiri saw?"
Mido: "What, I didn't say anything, I didn't"
Link: "Don't you mean the Kokiri Kokiri?"
--falls over--
Link: "What's wrong Mido?"
Mido: "It just, never mind."
If anyone can figure out what this wordplay means, tell me in a review, If your right, I'll send you a PM telling you what you've won.
Good Luck
