Hey guys! It is finally time for the next chapter of Heroes of Twilight! I admit, I probably should have told you that I was going to take a little vacation from writing but I'm telling you right now so it's okay! I hope you guys forgive me for not updating in a long time. I think it's only been about a month but usually I get at least one chapter out every two weeks so yeah. Anyway, I'm back and I'm ready to resume typing the story! My job sucks but I'm getting a little over $100 every week so that way I can buy Christmas presents! I wish Fanfiction had this giveaway event thing like YouTube sometimes does but it doesn't so that's too bad. Anyway, back to the story. I would advise that you read over the last chapter so you know what's happening before reading this one because that's what I had to do. Please review or comment on the story and tell me what you think of it so far! Finally, thanks so much for reading and here is the chapter!
Ch. 12: Going Human
(Scarlett's POV)
I told Link I was ready to catch all of those twilight insects again but I pretty much lied to him. Like I've said before, those bugs creep me out and every time I have to kill them their guts get on my tongue and then I feel like throwing up! Yes, I'm complaining again but it really does suck. Plus! These bugs are super creepy! Their legs are all slimy and always moving around even if they are dead. That's one thing I find absolutely horrifying; something that moves after it's dead. It's not fucking normal!
"Ugh! Son of a bitch that one almost bit me!" Link yelled out in frustration as he spat out the insect's remaining body parts from his mouth. I raised my paw and laid it on his back.
"I know. But we're almost done right? That's something to be happy about!" I said in an attempt to cheer him up. It worked. He smiled and his big furry ears flattened as a sign of kindness. Mine did as well before going back up at the sound of one of those disgusting insects again. We looked to our right and one of them crawled past us in a hurry, its many legs making a crunching sound every time they made contact with the dirt-covered ground. My face twisted up like it always did when I saw one of those things while Link rolled his eyes.
"Killing these insects is getting really old..." He mumbled before baring his teeth and leaping at the twilight creature. True to his aggressiveness, he killed the enemy swiftly without sustaining an injury. That's the great thing about Link. He can handle himself. Yes, I still worry every time he is separated from me in battle but I always know deep inside that he'll be alright. I, on the other hand, am a different story, I'm an expert in long-range combat since I'm a badass with a bow. I'm also pretty good with my sword and shield but nowhere near as good as Link. My hands sometimes shake before I start fighting but I don't ever give up. I don't scream in fear or run away like any other girl would do. I hold my ground. However, my self-conscious mind constantly tells me that I'm no good. It tells me that Link doesn't really need me with him. I'm almost afraid to ask him what his true thoughts of me are. Like, I guess I'm just scared that he'll either tell me that I just get in the way or that he'll pretend to encourage me so I won't feel bad. It's kind of always been like that my whole life so I should be used to it by now...
"Scarlett, how many tears do we need now?" Link asked me as he spit out a couple of times. I blinked and checked the vessel we kept our tears in. All of the spaces were filled with tears except for one.
"We need one more," I told him. He nodded and reared his head back to look at Midna.
"Where does the map say the last one is?" He asked her. She narrowed her eyes at the map in confusion as she continuously rotated the map in her tiny little fingers. Could she not find it or something? After a few seconds, she finally clicked her tongue and showed us the map. She pointed her index finger to the middle of the lake and scratched her head at the same time.
"The map says that insect is in the middle of the lake...but I thought the insects preferred being on land...Hmm, there must be some sort of island over there that's not showing up on here. Oh well, I hope you guys are up for a swim because the last insect is that way. Also, that golden wolf appeared on the map again after you guys found that howling stone." She pointed to the middle of Lake Hylia and then at the wolf before she wiggled it like she was teasing us. With the added benefit of almost being done with this insect hunt, we also found another one of those howling stones! That means we can see our old friend, Shade, again! I have more questions for him about who he is and who Link and I are supposed to be. But back to Midna, She laughed after teasing us and hovered over Link's back instead of being her lazy ass self and making him be her way of transportation. She crossed her arms and nodded. "I prefer not to get wet so I'll just float for now."
Link and I glanced at each other, thinking the same thing, and then walked slowly into the water. It wasn't too cold but it was enough to take my breath away momentarily. Remember Link and I had just melted the ice from the Zora's domain so it was still fairly cold. I dog paddled the best I could until we reached a five-piece set of wooden boards. Each board was maybe the size of a large door so it was possible to fit both Link and I on them.
"I wonder why these are out here..." Link asked out loud. I nodded in the same suspicion and looked around. The lake was misty but other than that there was nothing to be seen. There was no twilight insect and that worried me a little bit. What if we were stuck like this forever!? How would I ever get with a guy and get married and have babies if I was a dog!? Well I guess Link and I could be together but that's not something I should be thinking about right now! It would be fucking weird! You don't hear any stories of dogs being in love unless it's from some dumb kids book! I'm sorry, I think I'm going crazy since this is the first time I actually want one of those nasty insects to show up...
Well I spoke too soon...
Something buzzed in the water next to us and we both jumped in surprise. The buzzing was heard again in the same spot and a purple electric spark flashed in our eyes. The spark then moved in the water and grew with each buzz that was sounded. Link looked down at the board beneath us and shook his head.
"Please don't tell me this is another fucking boss fight..."
I looked at him and asked in a shaky voice, "a what?"
"A boss fight. Recently, our luck has been astronomically shitty and we've encountered some pretty big monsters! Because of that, I've just gotten used to calling them boss fights since this happens so often. You ready for this one? I'm gonna say it's just an enlarged version of a twilight insect. What say you?" He asked. If I could face palm I would right now. "I'd say how are you so calm in a situation like this!?" I yelled out in panic. He shrugged. "It's like I said. We've done this all before so it's kind of like a round two in a boxing match. A really really unfair boxing match. Unfair for them that is! Alright motherfucker show yourself! Let's do this bitch!" He screamed with confidence written all over his face. I thought Link said he was usually a quiet guy...
The water moved around a couple of waves were created with the electric buzz that was growing underwater. Water then splashed all over us as the monster revealed itself, it's wings keeping it a couple of feet above one of the wooden boards. Link was right. It was just a larger version of a twilight insect. This one must have just ate a can of spinach or something because he was packing. That, or he was just the fatass in the family. Either way, Link and I are still going to kill him. The problem is, how do we do it? The insect was so big that it could rival the size of a small cabin. I guess we could latch onto its stomach and then rip the flesh out of him...Okay let's do that. With this thinking, I accidently boosted my confidence and started jumping across the water, landing on each board perfectly. Link looked momentarily stunned.
"I got this!" I told him as I jumped and caught the insect's belly in my mouth. The taste of rubber filled my taste buds and I closed my eyes tight as I bit down hard. My sharp teeth sank into the skin and blood popped out like the white stuff in a pimple. It was gross guys. I almost threw up for real. The twilight bug screeched and hollered, swinging its body from left to right. It finally managed to swing me off after a few seconds and I landed in the water with a yelp. I heard Link call my name in a worried tone so I hurried back to the surface of the water. I took a deep breath of fresh air once I made it to the top and saw that Link had attacked the enemy in the same way I did. It wasn't long before Link was in the water next to me.
"This thing is gonna be a pain in our heroic asses. I hope you know that," He said, catching his breath.
"Oh yeah, I can tell. We should probably get back on the boards before he attacks us."
"Good idea."
He and I both swam to one of the wooden pieces and had to jump to another one when the bug rushed at us with another one of its over exaggerated howls. It destroyed the piece of wood and then turned around to face us in the air. It began to rush at us again, its wings going up and down at an impossible speed. Link got close to me and separated his feet wide.
"Okay on three we jump. One...Two...Three!" He commanded. We jumped at the insect once it got within range and now we were both latched onto it like a pair of clothes on a hanger. He bit with all of our might, because frankly, we didn't want to have to do this again. Once again, the bug tried to swing us off but it failed when we stayed on him...or is it a her? I don't know! The important thing is that we were still biting him! I knew we would defeat the atrocious thing but I never expected it to succumb to its injuries so quickly. It just kind of screeched before blowing up. Guts flew everywhere and Link and I dropped back in the water. When we rose up Link rose his paw.
"High five! Hell yeah!"
I giggled and touched our paws together. A shining light made us look at one of the floating boards in the lake and there laid the last tear for our vessel. Midna clapped her hands and said something snarky but neither Link or I listened to her. We were just happy that we were about to be humans again. I want my boobs back okay...
"Alright," Link said as he collected the tear. He looked at me and then nodded back at the spirit's hidden cave. "Let's head back over there and turn back to our normal selves again. All of this hair is starting to get really itchy!" He complained. Couldn't agree more with him on that one. We both swam back to the spirit known as Lanayru and showed him our last filled tear vessel that we would need on our journey. The tear vessel, like the last time, flew from our possession and dropped itself inside the spring of the Lanayru spirit. A ball of illuminating light followed and brought light to the whole cave. It looked much better now with it's bright glow instead of the old darkness it was encased in. The ball then transformed into a long figure that swam through the water down below in the spring. It rose up and then underwater as it swam in a circular motion. The spirit then rose itself to us and I could see that it was either a large serpent or dragon. That's interesting. The first spirit was a monkey and then the second spirit was a bird I think. So it would make since if it was a dragon right? I don't know I didn't pay attention in whatever the class this would be included in. Fuck school.
"Well it's about damn time! I thought I would have to wait until Hyrule freaking destroyed itself before you two came back with that dumbass vessel! Haha! Nah! Nah! I'm just playing with you guys. Thanks so much for getting my light back! I need that shit to save this region of Hyrule and all. Now that I have it, I can reveal where your next destination will be. You're looking for a dark power right? Well the dark power you're seeking is in a dungeon deep underwater in the lake of Hyrule. It is a temple that would require you to breathe underwater. I'm sure you can find some way to get down there. However, before you go I need to show you something. It might be horrible or it could be the all candy and rainbows. I'm not really sure. The goddesses decided to conceal the forbidden power from the world and you must now witness it. Only one of you will see this for reasons that are unknown. If I had to guess, I would say it was for the one it most relates to...Are you ready?" Lanayru asked the both of us. I looked at Link and then nodded to the spirit.
"Very well…"
The spirit shined brightly and Link suddenly lost his footing and leaned into me. I caught him and then gasped at the sight of his human body. I didn't even realize that we had changed back to our original forms. I looked up at the spirit as Link twitched and whimpered in my arms but it was nowhere to be seen.
"Link?" I asked as I shook him. He looked like he was having a nightmare and his whimpers turned into screams. What was I supposed to do!? I was kind of freaking out until he just stopped all of a sudden. I brushed his bangs out of his eyes and then he smiled. However, it wasn't that usual caring smile he always had on his face. It was more like an evil one. A smirk more like.
"Link? What's going on? What's happening?" I kept asking. After a minute of this he opened his eyes and gasped, pushing himself away from me and taking a few steps back. I stared at him with wide eyes and saw that his blue irises were shaking in fear. Once he saw who I was he sighed and fell to his knees in exhaustion. I knelt down beside him and rubbed his arm.
"Are you okay? What happened?"
"It was horrible…" He told me. "I'm glad you didn't have to see that...I can't...I don't know...Basically, it explained that the three goddesses worked together to keep the world safe and orderly. It said they came from the sacred world and gave special powers to the people of the light before returning to the heavens. It worked for a while but then bad things started to happen. This is when everything went crazy Scarlett. Apparently word of the sacred realm was spread throughout Hyrule and a huge fight started. I guess everyone wanted the powers of the goddesses. I then saw three of me but...they weren't the same. They were darkened versions of me. The vision that I was seeing told me that dark sorcerers were slowly taking over the world and its light. That's when Lanayru came in and told me that that's why he and his brothers existed. They exist to seal away the great magic those dark sorcerers knew…" He said to me. He then paused and caught his breath. I rubbed his arm up and down again before he continued. "I felt myself scream for some reason. I'm not sure why but I did. I then found myself here but you weren't here so I got kind of worried. Lanayru told me that the magic they sealed away was the helmet we're looking for right now called the Fused Shadow. Weird huh? And then...I saw Ilia…" He murmured.
I leaned in and furrowed my eyebrows.
"Ilia? What was she doing there?" I asked in almost a rude tone. I didn't mean it to come out that way but it did.
"Yeah I have no idea about that either but there were like hundreds of her and she was falling into a pit of darkness while laughing. A voice told me that you could be ruled by power if you wielded too much of it before everything went dark. And then that was the end of it. Nothing else…" He said.
"That's really weird Link," I commented. He nodded and patted his cheeks.
"It sure was. But I guess I know a little bit more about what we're doing."
"Why do you think you were the one chosen to see the vision instead of me?" I asked. He shrugged and laid his hand on my arm.
"I'm not sure but I'm really glad you didn't have to see that. It was terrible," He said in a quiet tone. I looked at him in concern and wiped a stray tear from his face. "It sounds like it. You even started crying near the end of it. Are you okay Link?"
"Yeah I'll be fine...Oh! And one more thing. There was a symbol in the vision. It looks exactly like the symbol on the back of our hands."
I tilted my head and then turned my hand to look at the back of it. Underneath my glove was a triangle-like shape that I had been born with. I've always wondered why it was there but now I might know why if Link saw it in that vision Lanayru gave him. I'm a little pissed that I didn't get to see it but maybe Shade would know the next time we see him for another hidden skill lesson.
"Hmm strange. We can ask Shade about it when we see him again."
"Good idea," he replied. He stood up with my help and we looked at the exit of the cave. The sun from outside shined at us and we left the cave. Link kept brushing up against me and after the third time I decided to ask him why he kept doing that.
"Oh sorry...I'm kind of tired from that whole experience…"
He leaned into me a bit and I wrapped my arm around him. I felt confidence and surprise surge through me as I did this. How bold of me! I swear, I'm changing by the very minute. That, or it's just the fact that Link and I are used to taking care of each other by now. If either of us are injured, the other always makes sure that they're healed up and ready to go. That's what best friends do!
"I'm sorry you had to go through that Link. Did you want to take a quick rest?" I asked him in concern as we stopped in the middle of the path. He glanced up at me and nodded his head slightly.
"Yeah...I just need to sit down and clear my mind. That cool with you?"
"Of course Link," I said with a smile. He smiled as well and we found a nice spot beside the lake to sit at. The grass here was bright green and the water was a crystal blue. If you looked closely you could see small grey fish swimming past us in the water. It was peaceful! Imagine that, a place in Hyrule that was actually peaceful. After fighting monsters for so long, I naturally stay cautious and paranoid of my surroundings. It's a curse so I'm not used to just taking a simple rest without some kind of conflict ensuing.
I bet Link feels the same way.
(Link's POV)
I sat there with my fingers massaging my temples from the growing headache I was getting. I know we're resting again but I just needed to take a seat and shake these thoughts from my head. They were like voices that were haunting me. I can't explain it well but that's what it felt like. And that part with Ilia...that was horrifying. There were hundreds of her and she was floating through the sky downwards like she was falling off the edge of a cliff. When I saw that I felt myself smile like I was happy for some reason. Why was that? I've never felt so sadistic before in my entire life! There was no way in hell I was going to tell Scarlett that part! Alright, I don't need to be resting all the damn time. I stood up slowly and Scarlett looked at me like she was surprised.
"You good?" She asked me, her head tilted up from her sitting position. I nodded and held out my hand to her. She took it and stood up next to me with that same concerned look in her eyes; however, she was smiling now. I felt myself smile with her and asked why she looked happy all of a sudden.
"I'm just glad that we're humans again. It feels so much more natural this way and it should! Are you sure you're feeling okay because I don't think I could carry you if you just passed out in front of me. That would seriously suck Link!" She said to me. I laughed and stretched my limbs as I replied to her. "Yeah I'm alright now. And yeah I'm glad we're human again too. First of all, I have thumbs," I said as I bent them continuously, "and second of all, I get to have my dashing good looks back once again."
She rolled her eyes at that one and I got all red-faced.
"Right," she laughed softly, "I could say the same for me as well!"
She struck a pose and I mirrored her rolling of eyes.
"But enough about us and our good looks! Where do we go now? The spirit said the dungeon was under the lake but how would we get down there if we can't breathe underwater? I really don't feel like drowning anytime soon or ever Link," Scarlett said as we started walking across a wooden bridge. I shook my head and thought about our options. "I wouldn't let you or myself drown so don't worry about that. As for where we go...how about we go back to Castle Town? I did promise you that we would once we turned back into our human forms right?"
Her green eyes widened and then sparkled like a star. She jumped up in excitement and the sheathed sword on her back bounced up and down slightly.
"That's right! I almost forgot! Thank you so much Link now I won't have to worry about my parents anymore. And I can also introduce you to my friend, Dante! Come on, let's go! I'm too excited!"
"Alright! Alright! Calm down Chosen Heroine!
We walked away from the Lake and up a hilled path so that we were right near the Bridge of Hylia again. The bridge we had to jump off of because it was on fire! When I find those little bastards that did that I'm gonna beat the shit out of them. There was a sign that directed us back to Castle Town. It said that it was down the left path but judging by the road it was probably a pretty long hike all the way over there. It was a good thing I had my trusty horse to take us there!
"Hey Scarlett, you see any horse grass around here?" I asked the girl next to me. She hummed and looked around, her eyes squinting sometimes at the distances she was projecting through her sight. It was cute.
"No I...oh wait...there's some!" She told me as she pointed a few yards out. I followed her hand and saw that there was a patch of horse grass sitting right up against the wall of a large boulder that could've been called a mountain.
"Whoa! Nice! Let's go get Epona and get the hell out of here."
"You don't have to tell me twice...Hey Link?" She asked as we made our way over to the grass. I looked at her and saw that she was staring at her hands. The brown gloves fit perfectly on her palm and it was like the spirits fitted her fingers perfectly with it.
"Yeah?"
"Can we...stay the night in Castle Town? I just wanted to spend some time with my parents and friends but if we don't have enough time then that's fine..."
Her voice came out hushed like she was afraid to ask me. I don't know why but that made me kind of sad. I know it's stupid but I don't ever want her to be afraid to ask me anything. As I opened my mouth to respond I could feel Midna's annoyance with me in my shadow grow but I didn't care.
"Of course we can! As long as you don't mind your parents meeting me. Did you think I would say 'no'?"
She giggled.
"Hehe no. I think they would really like you," she replied with reddened cheeks. She then flicked her hair. "And I just felt like I needed to ask. I didn't want to do something without you wanting to do it either. That's not a friendly thing to do, that's a huge asshole thing to do!"
We both laughed at that as we stopped in front of the horse grass. I snatched it up from the ground and blew into it, creating a catchy tune. Seconds later, Epona ran to us and jumped up in excitement. I looked at Scarlett and grinned.
"I think she missed us."
"I'll say! We missed you too girl!" Scarlett said as she rubbed Epona's mane. She then hopped up on the horse with a grunt and brought her hand out to me. That's when you can tell Scarlett is excited about something, she wants to do everything herself with a big smile on her face. I took it gladly though and settled myself in front of her. She wrapped her arms around my waist and I jumped up slightly from the surprise touch. After being a wolf for so long I had forgotten that she was gonna hold on to me for this horse ride. It was a good thing she was behind me so she couldn't see my flushed face. I don't have a crush on her but this was more about a girl touching me more than anything else...even though Scarlett is really pretty…
"Link?"
My head shot up.
"Huh?"
"You ready?" She asked as she leaned her head to look at me from behind. I swallowed and nodded with a smile coming to my face again.
"Yeah, let's get going…"
And that is the end of the chapter! Yeah I took a small vacation from writing because I was so busy that I knew I would never get any of this done so that's why this was kind of late but I'm trying to go back to our original schedule so don't worry guys! And I know this chapter is kind of shorter than the rest of them but the next one will include a lot of stuff! This chapter was kind of just to tell you what's happening and remind you of Link and Scarlett's relationship so far. They're teens so it's complicated. Anyway, give me a review or comment and tell me how I'm doing! Tell me how I can make it better! Finally, thanks so much for reading and I will see you next time!
