Author's Notes: Surprise, this update is a two-parter! I hope you enjoy this one. It's again not extremely much, but it has a bit more action and story progression if I do say so myself. Please enjoy!


Chapter 11: Head South, Young Link

Friday, Day 1: 5:15 PM (60 hours, 45 minutes remain)

The group emerged from the east exit, surprised and tired, catching their breath.

"Sheesh!" Eddy shouted. "What sore-sports!"

"I'm worried, I thought I heard the sound of an explosion just now." Double D said, looking through the town gate. However, the tunnel that would lead inward was opposite from the setting sun, so a shadow cast by the roof prevented him from looking back in to see.

"It was probably just birds." Eddy noted.

"Well... if you say so." Double D sighed.

He looked ahead. The area around them was huge and vast, much bigger then the entirety of Clock Town combined. He saw plains that outstretched to the deepest horizons. Before him, he noticed that the farther away from the city, the less grass there was and more gravel and rock there would be. The path from this exit would lead directly forwards. A series of pillars made of stone, with odd designs with an age possibly older then ancient Greece lined the pathway in almost perfect symmetry. Eventually, maybe a few hundred meters into the distance, a canyon wall stood. The path cut through a break in the wall, which wound to the right where it would disappear behind rock. In the furthest distances observable, a large stone structure stood, taller then any skyscraper he had ever seen before. It looked like a giant stone cactus which pierced high into the sky.

"...wow." Double D said. His eyes lit up with enthusiasm. "My word, what an intriguing looking tower! Did the ancient citizens of this land build that? Oooh, I wish I could see that place for myself."

"That's the Stone Tower Temple." Tatl stated. "It's deep in the heart of Ikana Canyon. We won't be going there yet."

Double D nodded. "Right, right, the south is where we're off to."

The group turned towards their right, and saw a path made of black stone, like a pavement road, which ran about the parameter of the town. As they turned, they noticed more grass growing here, then growing in larger patches in the distance the further south they looked.

"That must be it." Link said. "Doesn't look too far from here!"

The group proceeded down the path, on their way south from the east exit. The further they walked, the more they noticed the rather distinct scent of mud and dirt, the scent of a swamp. Now unveiled from behind the town walls, more came into sight: tall trees which grew around the southern end of the town's outer parameter. The sun, setting over the western horizon which was yet unseeable, cast tall shadows of everything, even the blades of grass as it vanished behind the earth, providing everything with a slightly orange tint as day reach it's death. By now, unlike within the interior of the town, it was much more quiet here, given that these were large plains with large amounts of spaces which nobody occupied. Only caws from crows going about their business and the chirps of birds going about their last harvests of the evening could be heard.

"...this is unreal..." Eddy said, in awe.

"What exactly is?" Ed asked.

Eddy motioned behind him. "There's a big rock canyon behind us! In front of us there's a swamp! And... is that an ocean...? What the..."

"Didn't I already tell you about this?" Tatl asked, somewhat annoyed.

"Well yeah, but it's really weird to see such different places so close together!"

Double D rubbed his head and looked around. "He has a point..."

Ed and Link looked around.

"...well this doesn't seem so bad." Link said. "There don't seem to be any monsters around here."

"Well so far I think we're just lucky." Tatl said. "Trust me guys, keep your wits about yourselves."

As the group proceeded further south, they saw more: a large log, as big as a bus which was on it's side. The interior was hollowed out, and looked somewhat akin in shape to a conestoga wagon. Further ahead, behind some taller trees which possessed no leaves, was a sudden wall of plant-life, with only a single path which lead directly ahead. And, like in the case of the Stone Tower, in the far distance lay a tall mountain with a purple surface, and a large orbiting ring of cloud which circled around the mountain.

"That's Woodfall Mountain." stated Tatl. "I've never been there before, but it has a lot of mystery to it. It's right in the middle of the southern swamp, so if we just walk towards it we should be able to find what we're looking for!"

"Perfect!" Eddy shouted. "Let's get movin, huh?"

As he took a step forward, he had paused.

"Huh?" Ed asked. "What's the matter?"

Eddy rose his finger. "Shh, guys."

He paused, then turned back towards his friends.

"...I think I heard something."

Everyone stood still and looked around.

Glooop.

The group collectively turned and looked in the direction of the sound. There was a series of small grass shrubs collectively growing in front of them. It seemed normal however, dispute the sound.

"...well that's odd." Double D noted.

Glooooooop.

This time, this was accompanied by a shuffle from the shrubbery. Link drew his weapon from his sheath. Double D and Eddy instinctively took a step back, Eddy scrabbling to retrieve a bomb from his bag. Ed, surprisingly, took a step forward and withdrew two sticks, pointing them dramatically at the shrubbery.

"Reveal yourself, foul beast!" he cried.

"Ed, keep it down you idiot!" Eddy exclaimed, in a voice much louder then his friend's.

With a sudden lurch, the bushes moved apart. A large creature emerged from behind them. It appeared to be a monster made entirely of sludge a goo, green in color. It's form was amorphous evidently. The only recognizable features seemed to be two eyes on eyestalks on the top of the creature, like snail eyes, and a mouth which was barely defined due to it's constant shifting in shape.

"Gah, geez, what is THAT?" Eddy asked, nearly dropping the bomb.

Tatl however, seemed undeterred. "That's a Green Chuchu. It's nothing to be afraid of..."

She even flew towards the mouth of the creature. "These creatures usually have something in its stomach that's of use."

Still, disturbed by the creature, the group took a step back at the same time as it approached them. It started bouncing towards them, mouth opened in a threatening way.

"It's attacking!" Ed shouted, pointing a deku stick at it.

Eddy held his arm back, bomb at the ready, in a backswing to throw it.

"Wait, don't waste your ammo." Link said, holding his sword out.

A moment later, the boy in the green hat rushed ahead, sword drawn. He jumped dramatically into the air, shouting a battle call. A moment later, he fell back down, sword outstretched in front of him, slicing a perfect vertical slice against the beast. The creature sloshed into pieces in this impact. It's whole entire body instantly melted into a water-like substance, which slashed all over the ground in front of them.

Double D and Eddy stared, eyes widened.

"...geez..." they both said, surprised at the sight.

Link turned back and sheathed his sword again. He eyed the other members of his party and looked right at them.

"...well? No need to be so surprised. Battles are... rather gruesome."

Double D and Eddy looked at one another, worried.

"What have you gotten us into, sock hat?" Eddy asked.

"Me?" Double D asked, surprised at the question.

Link reached down into the puddle of green water which lay on the ground. Where the Chuchu once was, now stood a small jar of green potion. Link picked it up and examined it.

"What's that?" Double D asked.

"These are Magic Jars." Tatl explained. "They're containers left about the world, where one can replenish a bit of their magical abilities if they drink it. Link and Double D should be able to use it however they want, because the great fairy in clock town granted them magic abilities when they were both deku."

"What?!" Eddy asked at this revelation. "You're magical now? Aw, c'mon, why didn't you say something?!"

"I-I forgot!" Double D shouted.

"But, when they are not hidden in darkness, like within the beast of that monster or within things like tall grass and shrubs, they must be drunken immediately." Tatl stated. "Unlike a masterfully cooked potion, these jars do not last too long when exposed to light of any kind, including moonlight."

Link picked up the jar and took a hearty swig of the green jar, then took a breath.

"Ick..." he noted. "I never did like these too much. They're so bitter."

As soon as he finished drinking, to everyone's surprise, the empty jar broke apart in his hand, turning to green dust and vanishing into the air on a breath of wind.

"...wow a bizarre world this is." Double D noted.

As the group observed, Ed looked down at the ground. "Um... Eddy..."

Eddy grunted.

"Eddy?"

"What?"

Ed pointed down to the ground with one of his deku sticks.

The two looked down at the ground. The green puddle at their feet began shifting. Double D and Link had also taken notice, all glancing down to see. The liquid started gurgling and moving about on the grass. A moment later, two eyeballs reformed from within the goo, and stared back at them lazily, as if they were slowly awakening from a nap.

"Aaaaah!!" all four of the boys shouted. They all run forth in surprise, reaching the hollow log further along the path. By the time they had managed to reach it, the monster had returned to life, and was now sitting in it's shrub home again. It was staring at them from a distance, half dazed, and proceeded to yawn at them.

"W-what happened?!" Link asked. "I thought I had slain it!"

Tatl flew down a bit. "Er... I forgot to mention... these creatures can't die. They reform from their own slime."

"Wah, we're gonna get it now!" Eddy shouted in horror.

"We best run before it catches up!" Double D shouted.

"GRAVY!" proclaimed Ed.

…......

"...um, guys, why isn't it following us?" Eddy asked.

Double D blinked, then took a step forward. "Um... I think it doesn't see us."

"Or, it doesn't care." Link said. "We can't beat it because it reforms, but it can't defeat us because it's not strong."

"I see... and since we are not trespassing anymore, it won't follow us here." Double D said.

Eddy paused for a moment, then gave a delightful laugh. "Haha, well look at you over there! You can't catch us now, can you?!"

Glooop.

Eddy screamed in a voice quite high pitched, then ran away. "Gah, every man for himself!!"

The rest of the group paused for a moment, somewhat surprised at Eddy's antics. A moment later, they followed behind, not saying a word.


Friday, Day 1: 5:23 PM (60 hours, 37 minutes remain)

Eddy had stopped running after a short while. Once he was sure there were no beasts nearby, he sighed a sigh of relief and leaned back upon a large tree he had come across. By the time he has managed to regain his breath, the rest of the group had managed to catch up with him.

"...whew!" Eddy shouted, suddenly feigning courage. "I was wondering when you guys would catch up!"

"Yes, very funny." Double D replied, unamused.

"May we resume?" Tatl asked, looking at Eddy.

The boy nodded. "Sure thing! Let's head out fast. If we're lucky we can reach the swamp before nightfall!"

Eddy got off the tree he was leaning on and proceeded. It wasn't even two steps before Tatl flew up into the air excitedly.

"Oh! I remember this!" she shouted suddenly.

The team of boys turned and looked back at her.

"Remember what?" Ed asked. "Because I don't remember nothing."

Tatl motioned for a rather crudely designed drawing on the tree which Eddy had been leaning on. It appeared to be a bizarre creature: a scarecrow of sorts with a large hat. The scarecrow's face appeared strange, with eyes made of perfect circles and, interestingly enough, a beak for a mouth. Above the drawing of the scarecrow were two small streaks, resembling flying fairies. The group looked in closer to observe it.

"What on earth..." Double D asked. "Is this the Skull Kid?"

Tatl nodded and flew up to the drawing. "Tael and I drew this with the Skull Kid when we first met him..."

She went quiet for a moment, concentrating on the drawing, before continuing.

"He told us that he had been fighting with his friends and they had left him all alone..."

The group, surprised, looked on.

"He had friends?" Eddy asked.

"...friends..." Ed stated simply.

Double D took a step forward, in front of the whole group, then knelt down next to the drawing, to examine it on eye level. It was crude in design, as though a child had drawn it, unprofessionally and unevenly. He frowned a bit and placed his hand on the wood.

"I see." he said simply.

Tatl also joined him next to the picture. Pretty soon, the other three boys also approached closer, huddled together now.

"I'm sure it was because he was always playing tricks," she stated, "so nobody wanted to play with him. But to do what he did just because of that..."

"What he did?" Double D asked.

"What was that?" Link asked.

Tatl said nothing this time. She seemed to be in though, perhaps in memory of times gone by. She looked down, perhaps as her memories became more somber.

"And once he got his power..." she resumed. However, still immersed in her thoughts, she stopped herself.

The group looked towards her, expecting her to continue. She did not seem to be interested in talking further however.

"Tatl..." Link said in a quiet voice. "...are you ok?"

She seemed to snap out of her trance in this instance. Shaking off her strange attitude, she again said nothing, seemingly unable to talk any more about a subject so troubling to her. Instead, she continued to press onwards, further into the woods towards the swamp.

Ed and Eddy looked at one another briefly before shrugging.

"Dames, who can figure them?" Eddy asked before moving on. Link and Double D, also after a moment of thought, decided to press onwards as well, following behind the rest of the group.


Friday, Day 1: 5:49 PM (60 hours, 11 minutes remain)

By now, the group had traveled far into the dense forest. Clock Town was now completely gone, vanished entirely behind the trees which has surrounded the area. By now, the sun was almost completely gone. Only the final crimson sunbeams which were lucky enough to penetrate the wall of trees all around them allowed light in this place.

"...this place is kinda creepy actually." Eddy stated, somewhat concerned.

Link, now leading the group, walked onwards confidently.

"Don't worry." he said, sword in hand. As he walked, he held up his sword to point upwards, towards Woodfall Mountain. What at first looked like a distant mountain was coming closer to them, now looming over them gradually with each and every step.

"Whoa." Ed stated, staring strait up. "Haha, cool!"

"Looks like we're close!" Double D said happily. "Thank goodness."

"And not a moment too soon it seems." Link said.

They arrived at a very small clearing within the woods. It was broken only by a single, wooden tree, once more with no leaves, this one appeared entirely black, as thought it had been burnt significantly. The path broke into two directions here. One led to the left, towards a stranger, darker marsh. To see in this direction was almost impossible due to the depth of the woods. The other direction continued directly ahead, in the direction of the mountain.

"The Southern Swamp where Woodfall Mountain is, is this way." Tatl said, motioning towards the path which traveled ahead. "In fact it should be very close now, just beyond this clearing."

"Great!" Eddy shouted.

Link continued down this path, with the others in tow. As they moved, Double D paused, to look down the path they were not taking.

"What's down there?" he asked.

Tatl looked, then floated towards Double D.

"I don't know." She said. "But whatever it is, it's probably got nothing to do with the giant. Besides, we can't see down there."

Double D shrugged. "...very well then. I suppose we can explore it tomorrow in the morning."

He proceeded along with the rest of the group. As they walked right along, they proceeded past the burnt tree. The sock hat once again looked at the tree before proceeding onwards.

"I wonder why so many trees close to the swamp don't have any leaves? And why that one looks like it's burnt."

"Maybe they're dead." Tatl said.

"In a lush land like this? What could have killed them?" Double D asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine." she said.

"Double D, why do you keep asking strange questions?" Eddy asked, turning his head while walking forward.

"Nothing wrong with being inquisitive." replied the sock hat. "It's something you may learn to appreci-LOOK OUT!!"

Eddy stopped and glanced at Double D. "What is it?"

As he turned to look forward towards the path they were walking on, his face was suddenly shrouded in darkness. Eddy gasped and screamed as he felt a sharp, piercing pain.

"Waaah!" he shouted, flailing about. When he faced the group again, struggling about where he stood, it became apparent that a bat-like creature had latched onto his face and was biting him.

"Help!" Eddy cried. "It's trying to get my eyes!"

Ed was the first to rush in protect his buddy. He retrieved a deku stick from his quiver. He dramatically swung it forward, as though he was swinging a baseball bat. It struck Eddy right in the head, with so much force that the deku stick broke in half on the impact. At least the enemy that had grabbed onto Eddy's face flew off into the air before landing into a patch of grass in the distance.

Double D rushed to Eddy's aid immediately. The shortest of the Eds slowly got back up to his feet, rubbing his face which had now become a little bloodied due to the bites.

"Eddy, are you ok?!" Double D asked.

"I-I'm fine!" Eddy asked, somewhat horrified.

"You are safe now, from the evil bats of doom!" Ed shouted in a victory pose.

"Actually, those are called Bad Bats!" Tatl stated.

"Bad Bats?" Double D asked.

Tatl nodded. "If you don't do something before it swoops down on you... well, just don't come running to me!"

Link frowned. "Gee, thanks Tatl."

"Whoooaaa!" Eddy called out again.

The group looked when Eddy shouted, noticing that a whole flock of these bad bats were approaching from a nest within the black tree.

"There's a swarm of them!" Double D exclaimed. "My word!"

"What now?" Ed asked, still holding the broken half of the deku stick he had.

"Let's fight them!" Eddy shouted. He retrieved one of his bombs and held it in the air. "It's payback time!"

Link unsheathed his sword and Double D reached for his Poe's Lantern. The sock-hat, upon doing so, looked at it. Other then providing a mysterious purple glow, it did not seem to be of much further use.

"...how am I meant to fight with this again?" Double D asked.

"Here they come!" Tatl shouted.

Link moved first, rushing forward. He performed a horizontal flash towards one of the oncoming Big Bats. To his surprise, the bat suddenly shot upwards, dodging his attack.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed. "These creatures are far more agile then the Keese back in Hyrule!"

Eddy ran towards the swarm of bats that was approaching, then released the Bomb from his hand. It rushed forth, into the group of foes. In impact with one of the flying bats, it detonated, creating a great explosion, sending many of the bats soaring in various directions from the blast, crashing around them.

"Good one!" Ed shouted. "Looks like you-"

Ed was cut short when a bat approached him.

"Oh no you don't, squeaky!" Ed shouted. He threw his broken stick at the big bat. It hit the bat squarely in the face causing it to shout and fall to the ground, motionless.

"These guys are pushovers!" Eddy shouted.

By this point at the same time, Link had managed to down two more bats with his sword. However, two final bats from the nest had managed to pass Link, and now proceeded towards the three eds.

"Heads up Double D!" Eddy shouted.

He turned at just the right moment. Double D spotted the two big bats, and with a swift duck, avoided their swooping attack. Sock hat turned to keep up with the foes, which had also turned about in the air to make another move against him. This time, their turn gave them an extra speed boost in the air, causing them to move faster towards him.

This time, the sock hat held up the lantern. He gripped it's handle hard, then moved forwards and swung it hard in front of him.

As the lantern slashed through the air, it's purple glow increased. This was just as one of the two big bats came into contact with it. A loud twack! sounded out as Double D made contact with it.

Inexplicably, the bat managed to catch on fire. It was no ordinary fire however. It matched the lantern's bizarre purple light. The sock-hat couldn't sense any heat coming from this fire though. A moment later, the bat seemed to burn away, vanishing into the air in a loud screech upon doing so.

"W-whoa!" Double D shouted, somewhat horrified upon seeing this happen. His eyes were widened, fixated upon the spot where the big bat had burned away.

"Look out!" Eddy shouted. "C'mon, snap out of it! There's still one left!"

Double D blinked, then turned his head. The last remaining bat approached him from the side, ready to swoop down.

Once again, Double D took a step back and swung the lantern at it again.

"Oh no!" he thought. "I swung too early, I won't make it connect!"

This time however, his rather hasty and fast swing provided a different result. He had swung the lantern so fast, that the purple light that surrounded it streaked along with it like a beam of light. The beam kept going forward even after Double D swung the item. The purple beam shot forwards at the bat, striking it. The bat was caught aglow with purple flame. It screeched for a moment, then disappeared as it burned out of existence.

Eddy, Ed, Tatl, and Link all stopped where they stood and stared at Double D, surprised.

"I..." Double D droned back for a moment.

"That was..." Link began.

"...COOL!" Ed finished. "Wow Double D, you can shoot beams?!"

"I don't know how." Double D said, looking at the Poe's Lantern.

"I guess you are magic after all!" Eddy shouted. "Wa-hoo, we're unstoppable now aren't we?!"

Double D smiled a bit and nodded. However, he felt a bit uneased by this revelation. He held the lantern in both hands, and wondered.

"Is it because I was granted magic? Or... was it something else that allowed me to do that?" he thought. "At the very least, this means I can definitely help. I wonder though..."

"Well then, I guess it's settled." Link stated, sheathing his sword once more. "Let's get going now. We're almost there, remember?"

"O-oh right!" Eddy shouted back.

"Okay!" Ed and Tatl chirped back at him.

"Yeah..." Double D stated.

Eddy looked towards Double D. "Something wrong...?"

Double D smiled. "No, it's nothing... and you Mr, we need to clean you up, before you get an infection!" he shouted, gesturing at the fact that Eddy's face was bleeding slightly.

"It's no biggie, really!"

"Just let me treat the wound!"

"Alright, alright!" Eddy shouted. "Geeze, no need to get your sock in a bunch!"

Double D began to move along with the group. As they proceeded down the last stretch of the pathway, and as he began to help Eddy, he thought to himself once more.

"This Lantern comes from Ikana Canyon, if I remember correctly. Earlier we saw that strange Cactus Tower in that area. Then I found out this item has the ability to cause unhot purple flames and shoot light. I... must undoubtedly research this."


Author's Notes: Yes, Double D's weapon will actually be useful. A lantern with purple flames. Hm, I wonder if there is a connection with this lamp's abilities and the fire abilities he has in the other stories? I assure you readers who are curious or confused, this story does indeed tie into the same series as the other Edventures, even if I doesn't seem like it should at first.

Anyway, I do not know when I will be updating this story again, most likely because the Edventure of the Fourth Relic story will be what I focus on next. Sorry for not updating that story either, I came across an unexpected writer's block, so instead of making one chapter for each story I made two chapters for this one. I hope you enjoyed it, and look forward to my future updates!