Chapter 11
The Next Move
Link had zoned out while the others were talking, lost in his own thoughts and unconcerned about missing anything since he felt he had already pieced the puzzle together.
He had obviously been anything but happy when his sword broke, but in a way it wasn't that surprising…not against something as strong as what Serapis was supposed to be. It was no Master Sword, but a gift from Zelda back when they didn't hate each other. He had quickly become fond of the weapon and he was glad that it didn't bring up any painful memories of their past together.
Besides a bit of crime fighting on the side, Link hadn't really had much to sharpen his fighting skills with since having returned from the alternate future after defeating Ganondorf. He had put himself through some intense training at several points in the past years, but he didn't think he could be blamed for only bringing a sword down to a temple that was supposed to have been left deserted for a great multitude of years. Then again, you would think that after all his experience with temples he would have been a bit more paranoid and taken more precautions before venturing into it. Too bad paranoia wasn't something Link suffered from.
He had wanted to travel lightly and that had been another factor that had caused him to bring only a sword. His bow and arrow set, bombs, and shield had all been left at what he called home. Here he was weaponless and overwhelmed by a feeling of vulnerability. He still had his power to think though, but would he be able to contribute much? He wasn't the one who had dealt with Serapis before after all…Then again, his last plan had worked out pretty well and even those who had handled him before were encountering new twists…
"So what you're basically saying is Serapis' ability to shapeshift is just an enhancement of your ability to shift into shadow?" Zelda's voice broke across Link's thoughts.
"Yup," Kiani nodded in reply.
"Has he ever been able to leech powers before? Is that why he was able to make a comeback unscathed or get here so quickly?" Zelda asked, attempting to piece things together for herself.
"He has never shown signs of such a skill before, but I think it is something that takes time to develop…Like he's been down here in this temple with us for all this time and even though he was trapped, I think he was still able to find a way to tap into our powers…If he's stealing your healing gift, then he must have gotten faster at it. It's hard to say if he is though, he always found a way to come back in the past…up until we locked him away…"
"How were the goddesses not prepared for this? Did they know he had that kind of power?" She continued with her game of twenty questions.
"…Serapis isn't of this world, so I doubt they knew this would come about. Don't ask where he is from because I can't supply that with an answer," Kiani seemed rather bored.
Fay had sauntered out of being the center of attention and now lay on one of the beds in a depressed state of mind. It didn't help that Kiani was making things sound simpler than they were…
"Where did those gifts of yours that you have displayed come from? Were you born with it or was there some sort of strange incident…?" Dr. Shivens eyes shined with genuine curiosity.
Kiani hesitated and he cast Nodin a pleading glance as if asking for help. It certainly seemed as though the question had caught him off guard and he wasn't willing to give an answer.
"We weren't always like this…" Kitty was the one to speak up for them. "But how it all came to be is none of your concern I'm sorry to inform you."
"Why not?" Dr. Shivens pouted, reminding Link of a little kid who wasn't getting their way.
"Because it's too complicated…and you wouldn't understand," Kiani had regained his usually composure after hearing Kitty respond with a calm demeanor and in a way that should have given him the hint that that was something not to be discussed. It was a touchy matter for Kiani and he didn't want to relive the experience again just by talking about it.
There was something tugging on the edge of Link's mind like there was something they were all missing…a certain detail that had already been unveiled. He had chosen not to speak even after he had tuned in for Zelda's short round of questioning due to the fact that he knew he needed to figure out what it was they were not seeing.
His eyes met Kitty's and he realized it right then. "Wait, what are we doing just standing around here? Do you think he's leeched the ability to teleport?"
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Lying several feet away from Serapis feet was the bloody remnants of Link's sword. Though he had healed himself of the gruesome wound and freed his mouth from those items, it had done a great deal of damage to his pride. Hurt by a broken sword? …He couldn't deny his thought that such a thing was absolutely pathetic. It didn't matter that the broken ends had retained a jagged sharpness.
It was mostly the boy that irked him. Where had he come from? He had been confident he could handle the four 'Guardians', they had kept the same tactics. But that boy…he had no powers, what made him so special? Maybe he was just someone well versed in the battle arts, destined to become a knight…In any case however, Serapis decided he was just going to have to kill him like all the rest.
Unless they could kill him before he could heal himself, he didn't think he could lose. All he had to do was use the teleportation power he had gradually leeched from Kitty and get out of any sticky situation. As shameful as such an act might be, his pride wasn't worth his life…it was however, worth getting angry over.
Without fear of the traps laid throughout the temple, Serapis set off again. He would bide his time before striking again…no need rushing into things after all.
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"Dangit, you're right! Here we are being idiots and standing around like we have all the time in the world," Nodin stated. "Fay, I know you're unhappy right now and we're all unhappy for you, but please help us come up with a plan incase he decides to return. We're gonna need all the help we can get."
She rolled over and looked at him warily. Her eyes were a dull sheen and she appeared drawn. It was almost as if with her power he had leeched out her energy too. There had been nothing they could do to comfort her though; none of them had experienced the same thing. "And just how may I be of service to you?" she snapped.
"I haven't figured that out yet, but just pay attention," Nodin replied. He felt sorry for her, but not if she was going to act in such a way.
"We don't have everything in regards to Serapis figured out, so we need to act upon what we do know," Link said, trying to work things out in his mind as he spoke. "Like…instead of luring him with someone who is defenseless…lure him with someone with power that he wants."
"But what if he came to us first?" Fay countered. Apparently she had figured out Link was weaponless like she was 'weaponless' without her powers, and like him she still had her own thoughts to contribute.
"But what if he doesn't? What if he wants to make us wait? He probably realizes by now that we know he can teleport here and will be waiting to make an attack at a time that will catch us off guard," Link countered. "And if an ambush went well then we could hopefully finish him off once and for all. Team work is effective and we mostly need to make sure that he can't get away once he's down for the count."
"If…By saying if you make it sound a bit too chancy," Zelda snidely replied, but she was impressed though chose not to show it. The reason she had brought him down here and her feelings towards him kept her from being nice directly to his face. Healing him like she had was another story. "And if Serapis is leeching their powers then why all of a sudden did he decide to suck Fay dry?"
"I assume he's only tapped into their power from the standpoint he's at now, but by 'sucking Fay dry', as you put it, he probably gets it all and it's better off for him to leave us with nothing," Kiani said. "Well, that's what I figure."
"It is going to be very chancy and that's the facts. If I had a weapon though I think I could really do some damage in this oncoming strategy," Link followed up. He still felt stupid for bringing nothing else with him.
"If you could lift Fay's sword then you could use it…" Kitty said. "But too bad you can't."
"What am I to do during all this? And what about the princess?" Dr. Shivens inquisitiveness had gotten the better of his contemplative silence.
"I want to partake in this fight," Zelda spoke up.
Link was stunned. "What, you!"
"You did teach me a thing or two, remember?" she replied with a smile.
"And just what would you fight with?" he asked knowing Dr. Shivens was astonished as well and surely wanted to ask the same thing.
She grabbed her bag and pulled out several small objects. One so happened to be a dagger. Link openly laughed at her as did the rest of them.
She pierced them with a cold glare and explained, also indicating the other really small orbs she held in her hand. "It would serve as a good distraction to the real threat and these can blind him for a few seconds once thrown down, giving you all the opportune moment to strike. And even though you laughed at me Link, I do have something for you-a gift from Nabooru. I think it might just help you and your predicament." Link gazed in wonder as she pulled out a pair of silver gauntlets and handed them to him. "They may not be as strong as the Golden Gauntlets, but they just might provide you enough strength to lift Fay's sword."
He put them on and gave her a blank look, unsure of what to say.
"I suggest we get going. Dr. Shivens, you can stay here. Do you think you could find him Kitty? Once you do, report back to us." It looked like Zelda had suddenly decided to take charge.
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…I wish I never suffered from paranoia…Technically I shouldn't even be allowed to watch scary movies…just seein' some of the commercials makes me wanna cry…but that's what hiding under the blanket is for, right? lol. Camp was good and I had a pretty awesome time and I appreciate all the reviews I got to come back to. : ) Replies are up if you wanna check those out…
-blondie91
Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda. Serapis and co. are mine though…
