Chapter 10

The Chamber of Sages

Kenshin and Link both immediately noticed the sword that was resting in the center of the room. Bright light filtered through tall stained glass windows that seemed to be telling a story Kenshin had never known, and he glanced around him as they walked forward. Link's eyes never left the sword.

The boy's excitement was growing with each step. He seemed to be fighting the urge to run up to the dias and yank the sword from the grasp of stone. Instead he walked up to the sword with a sure step and a half smile, his eyes shining with the flush of his victory. Though not as visibly excited as Link, Kenshin seemed to realize this required reverence and made his way slowly after, letting the boy move ahead when they reached the steps and watched with narrowed eyes, darker than their normal violet.

Link reached out his hand to feel the metal of the sword, which even after years hidden away in this locked room showed no signs of age or dust. He could feel the magic that had kept hidden responding to his presence. He knelt slightly, wrapping his hands around the hilt and pulled with all his strength. After a slight resistance, the sword gave and Link hoisted it high toward the towering vault. There was a swirl of magic around the dais that Link could feel around him, pulling through him, and he could even see the blue power as he continued to hold the sword aloft. He felt himself go weightless, and realized he was being transported; though to where he was unsure.

Kenshin yelped as he saw a strange sight that had become almost familiar to him on his journey. A portal had opened, pulling Link aloft. Without a thought, he stepped forward to the edge of the energy, and he too was being pulled away after Link.

The room they landed in was so large, they could not see the walls, just faint showers of cascading light that could have been a few feet away or a few miles. Even the floor seemed to fade off around the edges of the walkway to the center dias. Kenshin stepped toward the edge cautiously, but more floor seemed to appear. Kenshin thought he could hear faint murmurs of what might have been a distant prayer or chant, and looked over at Link to ask him about the strange music he could barely hear.

But even the boy was shocked by this place, if his wide eyes and slightly slack mouth were any indication. His gaze was going to his new sword to the far walls that Kenshin was sure were made out of water. Or sound. Perhaps the chanting was coming from the motion of the water. Kenshin shook himself and tried to ground his energy in a place that seemed to be nothing but energy. And that's when he noticed the boy had changed. It was not a large change, but a subtle shifting of his energy. Kenshin could feel the focus and energy that had aligned inside Link, and realized that he was stronger simply by possessing the sword.

Kenshin wondered if his companion realized the change that had taken place. Before he could ask, a high pitched laugh caused them to grit their teeth and turn, swords at the ready. The sound was obviously foreign to this land of spirit.

It was answered by a second laugh behind them, and they both turned to face the new sound.

"How nice of these two gentlemen, to leave the door open for some old ladies!"

Kenshin immediately turned, his back toward Link as he watched two, grotesque faces appear from the darkness. At first he was thinking giants, as the two seemed to be so tall, but then when no more appeared, he realized they were floating on wooden brooms. Their heads were giant compared to their small bodies and strange robes and Kenshin narrowed his eyes to watch them circle as though they were buzzards.

It was after they attacked that Kenshin finally realized just how much he hated magic. A ray of fire shot down from one of the floating figures, engulfing the ground a few feet away from them in a fiery inferno, which burned itself out moments after it made impact.

One of them laughed in an old, almost feeble voice, "Excellent Koume, turn their bones to ash with your flames!"

"Who are you?" Link shouted from behind his shield.

"Introduce yourself, Kotake! He was, after all, such a gentleman!"

The witch whose hair seemed to be emitting clouds of blue frost pointed her hand at Link. A shard of ice shot out, which shattered against Link's shield, causing him to stumble backwards.

The two witches laughed in unison, continuing to hover above them, "Lord Ganondorf will be pleased we he finds your remains here!" Koume said, whose hair seemed to be nothing but fire.

Link stood tall again, waving his sword menacingly, "Come down here and then let's see whose remains he will be finding!"

Kotake laughed and sent another shard of ice his way. Link expected it this time, swinging his sword as the ice came near, shattering it into thousands of tiny pieces. Kotake shot another at him, and it too was broken apart by the powerful blade of the Master Sword. Link smiled triumphantly.

His brief moment of victory was ruined as Kenshin shoved him over, nearly sending him off the side of the platform they were on. He looked to see where he had been standing. A fire was settling. No doubt he would have been incinerated had he stood there a moment longer. Koume seemed to be readying another fire attack. Link raised his shield at her, bracing for impact.

The wind tore from his lungs, as he slammed into the ground. A shard of ice had hit him in the side as he had his eyes on Koume. He gasped for hair, his sides hurting as if they were burning. Kenshin rushed to his side, deflecting another ice attack that surely would have finished him off. He helped Link to his feet.

"That hurt," Link said, gasping for air. Link turned to see Koume was sending another fiery ray his way. He raised his shield as the flames exploded in front of him, but he wasn't harmed.

"They are like pesky insects, Kotake!" Koume said, a hint of frustration in her voice.

"Yes, Koume. But insects can be squashed!" Kotake said, laughing as she sent a beam of frozen matter their way.

Link and Kenshin both jumped away, but Link knew some had hit his shield. He looked down, and sure enough, the front-left part of the shield was covered in a thick sheet of ice several inches thick. No doubt that would be a formidable attack to watch out for.

"Yes," Kotake said gleefully, "Now they are starting to understand the sheer power and might of Twinrova!"

Kenshin stepped forward, drawing his sword. Koume flew towards him, grinning, "Well, well, well. What can you do, you silly little weakling?"

Kenshin calmly crouched, staring Koume in the eye. With all the force he could muster, he sprung forward, sword raised.

"You can fly?" Koume exclaimed in horror.

No, I jump well. Kenshin thought with satisfaction as he swung his sword in midair, knocking Koume from her broom. She fell into the dark abyss below, screaming as she went.

"Koume!" the other witch shrieked with horror.

Kenshin landed skillfully, rushing to the edge of the floating platform, staring into the darkness. What had he done? Had he broken his vow already, with one careless strike?

Before he could totally react to sickening feeling in his gut, Kenshin's eyes darted upwards towards the shape of the broom hurtling downwards into the darkness. Moments later, Koume floated back to the top, clutching her side painfully.

"That was one mistake you will not live to regret!" she shouted, sending a massive fireball his way with one flick of her wrist.

Kenshin did a flip backwards, clearing the blast radius of the fireball - which was quite massive. Just as he landed another fireball was headed his way. He dodged an entire onslaught of fiery blasts, too preoccupied to even strike the witch.

Link drew his boomerang, and threw it with precision at Koume. The spinning wooden object crashed into her head, stunning her and nearly sending her off of her broom again. The boomerang fell to the ground.

Before Link could retrieve it, a small blast hit his weapon, causing it to be trapped under a large, solid block of ice. Kotake laughed as Link's slash with his sword did nothing.

"Now, what could you possibly do?" she said, launching another shard of ice at him.

Link blocked the attack with his shield, glancing over to see Kenshin once more dodging a hail of fiery attacks. He began to feel helpless.

Just then, in a blinding ray of light that momentarily halted the fight, seven Gerudo soldiers appeared, brandishing their scimitars.

"Kill them!" Kotake yelled.

They all seemed to rush towards Kenshin, swing their swords with precision and speed. Though Link's eyes narrowed and he visibly paled, Kenshin seemed more in his element with this recent attack, and parried all of their strikes with relative ease.

The Gerudos fought harder, encircling Kenshin. He seemed to have been winded from his earlier skirmish with the witch, finding it hard to fend off every one of the Gerudos. But he still held his own, once again surprising Link.

Seeing their chance, the witches began to hover around Link.

"Well now, here he is, the man of the hour!" Kotake said.

Koume cackled, "And he's all alone!" she added.

Link glanced back at Kenshin, hoping to see him sprinting over to save the day. Instead, he was still very much preoccupied with the soldiers. He dodged one's thrust and hit her with his reverse blade, causing her upper arm to break. She shrieked and stumbled back, out of the fight.

Link looked back up at the witches, knowing no help was coming now. This fight would be himself against the whole fury of the witches. Kotake shot a ray of ice at him large enough to freeze his whole body. He dove out of the way, and rolled sideways as Koume launched a fireball at him while he was down. He felt the heat from the flames warm him momentarily, and knew it had been a close shave.

Koume threw another ball of fire at him, which he blocked with his shield. He hopped to the side to avoid a large shard of ice which would have impaled him. Koume allowed him no breathing time, already summoning another ball of fire. Link dove out of the way, the flames exploding behind him. He heard the witches laughing over the sound of the dying flames, and knew they were merely toying with him.

He sheathed his sword for a moment, and withdrew a slingshot made in his home village. He withdrew a jagged seed from a pouch on his side. Kotake laughed.

"Look, he threatens us with primitive weapons!" she said.

Link drew back on the slingshot, and took aim. He let the seed fly, and a sharp cry of pain made him give a sly smile. He had hit Koume right where Kenshin had previously landed a blow with his sword. She spun out of control a few times, shrieking with pain.

Kotake, briefly distracted by her sisters suffering, was hit in the back of the head by another seed. She turned back to face Link, hate in her eyes.

Link put the slingshot away quickly, knowing that he wouldn't get another opportunity to use it. The two enraged sisters circled overhead.

"It's time to finish this punk!" Koume said viciously, raising her hands, palms toward Kotake. Neither of them had even a trace of old grandmother in their voice now.

Kotake mirrored Koume, and the two circled overhead, a ball of energy forming between them; made of both fire and ice. Link raised his shield, but secretly knew it was futile. He closed his eyes, and braced for his inevitable death.

Right then, the entire area around him began to shake. He looked around, and heard a deep, rumbling chuckle.

"I see you've been doing well with these two, sisters." a familiar menacing voice boomed out, shaking the whole realm around them.

Link glanced up to see the two witches bowing. He looked over to see Kenshin had just finished up with the last Gerudo, and was now looking somewhere off in the distance.

Link followed his gaze, and saw with horror that Ganondorf was floating towards them, his arms crossed over his chest. He grinned wickedly.

"You two fools played right into my hand. I am pleasantly surprised that my elders' plan has gone accordingly. While you idiots were fighting off my soldiers, I have been back here, biding my time. And now, it has all come together! My quest for ultimate power is almost complete! It just needs... the finishing touches!" he said, laughing once more.

"You won't get away with any of this!" Link yelled back defiantly.

Ganondorf just laughed harder. Link noticed his chest began to feel compressed, and he began to struggle to move and breathe. His eyes darted to Kenshin, and they widened with horror. The wanderer had already collapsed, unable to stand under the pressure. Link soon followed suit, his legs unable to stand in the crushing, gravity-like force.

His vision began to blur as Ganondorf's laughs echoed in the distance. A giant tear began to form in the air above him, a massive force pulling every bit of energy and light in the realm to it. Ganondorf floated nonchalantly towards the portal. Before he reached it, he stopped and turned.

"Once again, I must thank you two. You've made this far too easy!"

And with that, Link lost consciousness as his vision faded to black.

A/N:

Yay, we finally got together and did the next chapter. Sorry for the... year long wait, right after us promising that a new chapter would be done in a week... So, hopefully with us using Google Docs at the same time, we'll be able to crank out chapters much faster than a year... hopefully.

-Sam

A/N:

I can't believe I finally got some time to work with Sam on this. I hadn't been feeling able to write, and I still feel off about the whole thing. I can't wait for the next two chapters because /fun stuff happens./ At least in my mind it does. And... sorry about the cliffhanger. I'm about to do two paintings, and then tomorrow I will be all ready to write again!

Google Docs is awesome because I get to write while Sam is writing, and I can correct things, and he can add things and it all happens in real time! (Like how I'm hijacking your author's note) And how I just fixed your author's note hijacking for grammar ;P

-The Sister