Donkey Kong Island 2
Link paced down the hill until he could no longer breathe. He had not stopped for at least an hour; surely, he had made up enough ground on the corrupt dead. As he looked back, the castle was a haunting landmark atop the hill in the distance, dark clouds that looked like the Master Fortress looming over it. It was best to keep moving.
A shock panged in his heart as the bushes rustled. He slashed his sword, meeting another blade. "Relax, man. I'm not trying to hurt you."
Link recognised the man. Everything about him was familiar apart from his eyes. "You were in Dracula's Castle."
"I was," Shulk replied. "I haven't been sent by Dracula to defeat you, if that's what you think. I followed you because you might need my help. I fought off some of those he did send, but he will send more."
"Wait," Link said. "When I saw you you were possessed like everybody else. How are you not corrupt anymore?"
"One of the vampire slayers you were with performed a ritual on me whilst the fight was going on. Why he chose me, I do not know. He all but sacrificed himself doing so, since he had not the time to protect himself from those coming to attack." Shulk rubbed his chin. "Perhaps it was fate why I was saved. I know a path we can take to escape from those ghosts for good."
"Watch out!" Link yelled. He took out his crossbow and fired an arrow straight into the eye of a Bokoblin. It struggled on the ground, an unnatural purple glow radiating around it. A purple haze was coming in the distance. "Let's move." Shulk took him down through the trees, coming to river bathed with the golden light of the sunset. "I don't recognise this lake."
"We're a long way from Hyrule, Link." Link held his sword to Shulk's neck. Shulk put his hands up. "Take it easy."
"How do you know my name?"
"I learnt it when my spirit was taken by Dracula. We were all given the names of those we had to stop."
Link put his sword down. "Why did you have to stop us?"
"They tried to keep that a secret from us. I can tell you that Dracula is working for somebody else, harvesting the spirits of all those he can to impress his master. I'm sure you've seen those purple domes?" Shulk cast his hand to the one on the other side of the river. "A regular man cannot survive inside one of them. But with our spirits possessed we could live in there like there was absolutely nothing wrong. It is obvious to me what is happening. Somebody is clearing out the world and trying to fill it with their own corrupt creatures. It's like somebody is playing god." The purple haze was drawing nearer. "We better go. They won't be able to get across the water." Shulk pulled back leaves on the shore and revealed the tiny boat.
They swept across the water, heading in the direction of the purple dome on the other side. "Why are you taking us to that?" Link asked. "Is this a trap?"
"We're not heading for the island," Shulk said. "We're heading for that." Shulk pointed at the crocodile fortress just off the side of the island. "The owner of that fortress works for the same person Dracula works for. I happen to know the one they work for dwells somewhere amongst the stars."
"How, exactly?"
"I saw it in a vision."
"A vision?"
"You're just going to have to trust me. If we want to get there, we'll sneak aboard and take the fortress to Subspace."
"Won't they see us?"
"I don't know. There used to be a light that beamed out of the crocodile's mouth that searched for intruders. Perhaps they turned it off when the island was taken over by corruption." The sea rumbled. The crocodile fortress moved, lifting out the water. "It must have been called back by its master. We'll have to be quick." A Tidal wave reached out of the water, spreading from the fortress like the Master Hand of the ocean. "We'll have to be careful."
Link murmured something. Blue lights glazed over his eyes. "You can't come back," he said, looking over the side of the water. "You're at the bottom of the ocean. You're defeated."
"Link!" Shulk shouted. "Link, snap out of it!" He splashed water at him, but it did nothing. The tidal wave was closing in on them. "Damn it!" He looked at the Monado. "I hope you can swim, Link." He lifted the Monado, and a green kanji appeared behind him. He placed Link's arm around his shoulder and jumped, ascending over the tidal wave as it crashed into the small boat. He raised the Monado in mid-air, this time a blue kanji appearing behind him. They landed in the water, and Link let out an almighty gasp, shaking his wet head. "Glad to see you back with us." Shulk swam through the water like he was killer shark. Another wave headed towards them. "I'm going to need you to keep us afloat, Link." He raised his Monado, and Link took the brunt of their weight to stay afloat. A yellow kanji appeared behind them. Shulk held up the Monado and shielded them both from the waves. As he tried to swim, he could not keep up the pace he had previously set. The fortress was rising further into the sky. "Argh! We're not going to make it."
"Take our weight," Link said. He pulled out his hookshot. His narrowed his eyes, looking for the right place on the bottom of the fortress. He found his target and let the chains loose. CLINK! He and Shulk were yanked out of the water, hanging in the air from the hook. They climbed up the side of the fortress, sneaking inside an entrance.
