Sorry about the delay, guys! I've been so distracted lately, whether it was due to Final Fantasy 6 or college work, but I finally got the time and the motivation to complete the next chapter to this story. I must warn you though, this chapter I have rated M because of some gore and disturbing material. You will also find that the later part of this chapter is a shout-out to a certain Majora's Mask creepypasta. Also, when you get to that part, I suggest you play this to set the mood for this scene: .com/watch?v=3ZGIMNplzAQ
Enjoy this chapter!
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Chapter Thirty-Five: Into Deeper Darkness
Two days had passed since the incident at the Fire Obelisk. Or was it three? Or maybe a week? A month? Vaati could no longer tell. The atmosphere was always the same: no sun, no moon, nothing but the blood-red clouds and the black vines in the distance. Robin was still extremely weak. The Fire Obelisk had been feeding off his life force, never enough to kill him but enough to drain him to the point of near-death. Vaati paced around, chewing a piece of beef jerky as he did so, watched by Raven as she knelt with Robin. Buster stood guard behind Raven, watching for any sign of demon activity.
Vaati doubted Robin's strength would return anytime soon without outside help, and this would prove to be a hindrance, as he would only slow them down. Vaati's hand suddenly brushed against the small pouch at his side, and immediately Vaati stopped as the realization hit him. He stuck his hand into the pouch and pulled out the Farore's Crystal. He held it in his fingers and glanced at Raven. "I think I know what to do in order to bring him to his senses," he said.
Raven and Buster looked at Vaati expectantly. "I'm going to Hyrule to fetch some Red Potions. I have a feeling the others will be in a similar state when we find them."
The others nodded in understanding before Vaati placed the Farore's Crystal on the ground and said, "Farore, grant me access to your realm."
Suddenly the crystal began glowing a warm green before a beam of light shot out of it and opened a gateway between dimensions leading to Hyrule. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Don't touch the crystal or it might deactivate," Vaati finished before stepping through.
The portal opened up in an empty alleyway of Hyrule, which suited Vaati just fine, as he didn't want to draw attention to himself and waste time. Quickly he maneuvered through the crowd of people marauding around Hyrule Castle Town Market looking for good deals until he reached the potions shop. Vaati promptly purchased five bottles of Red Potion and quickly returned to his portal, stepping back into Jump Hell. Once on the other side, he picked up the Farore's Crystal, causing the portal to disappear.
Raven and Buster looked up to see him walking over, opening a bottle of Red Potion as he approached. "Robin, are you awake?" Vaati inquired.
Though barely conscious, Robin lifted his head from where he lay and whispered, "Yeah."
"I have here a potion that will help you regain your strength. Drink it."
Vaati helped Robin hold the bottle steady as he slowly gulped down the potion. Once it was gone, Robin blinked in surprise as he felt life return to his agonized limbs, energy running through his body, rejuvenating every muscle. Robin slowly sat up and glanced up at his comrades. "Wow, it feels good to be back on my feet again."
"Yes indeed," Vaati agreed. "However, now is the time to continue with the task at hand. We're going to the Obelisk holding Starfire captive, and then we'll move on to the others. Let's go, shall we?"
Robin smiled grimly before hoisting himself to his feet. Vaati then began chanting a wind spell to take them all to the Earth Obelisk, and they began sailing in that direction on a tornado.
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Unbeknownst to them, they were being closely watched by hostile eyes from their destination. If his mask could smile, Majora most certainly would have as he watched his enemies approach the Obelisk. The God of Evil turned on his heel and strode into the cave leading to the Obelisk, laughing madly as he prepared for some much-needed fun. The wicked fiend strode through the dark cave, casting a sideways glance at the surprise he had waiting for his 'guests' before entering the room where Starfire was chained to the Obelisk. As she heard the door open, she slowly lifted her head and looked at her captor with tearful, hopeless eyes.
Her clothes had been torn in several places due to Majora's twisted 'games' he had played with her, which essentially amounted to raping her mind with his words and her body with his tentacle. He had also subjected her to various tortures using his magic, relishing her cries of agony until she had literally lost the strength to scream. In essence, Majora had turned the once-proud Tameranean princess and superhero into a nearly-lifeless shade of her former self, broken and dirty.
The very thought filled him with sadistic pleasure. Not a sense borne of one's innermost sexual desires, but one of consuming a drug that fed him power. Majora found it amusing that someone so headstrong could be so easily reduced to this…pathetic husk that groveled miserably at his feet, no longer bothered by the manacles that chained her to the Earth Obelisk and fed off her power. Majora gazed down upon her with those glowing eyes, and Starfire could not bear to look up and meet his predatory gaze. "Well, child, it seems your knights in shining armor have finally come to rescue you from the hell I have wrought," he hissed in his cold, cruel voice. "How fitting that they shall soon be subject to my whims, the same as you."
Majora snickered insanely. He didn't expect this to affect his prisoner much, so he was unprepared for her reply. "Then…it seems…your fun…is about…to end," she whispered, finally lifting her head up to meet the glaring eyes of Majora's Mask.
"Oh, don't be so quick to judge, little girl. I have a little surprise in store for your would-be rescuers. Once I'm through with them, they'll be quivering bloody messes on the floor begging me to end their wretched lives! And do you know what the best part is?"
Starfire's blood ran cold as Majora's voice lowered ominously, all traces of giddiness gone. "You get to watch."
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The tornado deposited the group at the entrance to a cave that no doubt led to the inside of the Obelisk where Starfire was located. Robin whipped out his Bo staff, and Vaati and Buster drew their swords. The rescuers then slowly continued on into the cave, confident they would be ready for whatever awaited them within.
The inside of the cave was dreadfully quiet. There was no sound other than the pattering of the intruders' feet as they ventured through the darkness. Finally the tunnel opened up into a wide room, with a few torches lining the walls to allow for some visibility. On the other side of the room was a sealed stone door, but that wasn't what immediately caught their attention. Standing stock-still in the middle of the room was…"Link?" Vaati asked incredulously.
The figure's back was to them, but in acknowledgement of Vaati's question, the figure's head turned…
All the way around.
That wasn't the only thing that made Vaati jump back in shock and horror. The Link-like figure's face was a dead one, an eerie smile stitched on its face and its eye sockets empty save for the maggots crawling around within. The rest of its body turned around so that the head was in the correct position, allowing the rusted sword and shield in its hands to be seen. Its voice came out as an eerie rendition of Link's voice, almost giving off a lifeless feel. "Let's…play a game…Tag. You run…and I…kill…"
The Deathly Doppelganger Fiend, Puppet Link started forward, raising its sword over its head as it walked forward in an unsteady, almost zombie-like gait. Vaati, Buster, Raven, Robin, none of them had felt any more scared than they did now. Nonetheless, they readied themselves for their disturbing adversary. Vaati shot a blast of dark energy at the creature, but the attack seemed to have no effect on it as it continued forward, its body twitching with each step. Raven sent her own energy at it, which also had no effect on Puppet Link. Finally Puppet Link raised its sword to strike, which Buster blocked. Unfortunately, the creature decided to eschew its weapon and instead leapt onto Buster's chest. The force of its attack was surprisingly strong enough to knock the Darknut over and cause him to lose his grip on his weapon.
Puppet Link grappled with a desperate Buster as he noticed its already-pale face turn a sickly shade of grey, the blond hair turn into a matted black mess, and tiny red dots to appear in its eye sockets. Its stitched mouth suddenly opened up, the stitches ripping through its black lips in the process, revealing a row of sharp yellowed teeth. Blood dripped out of its oral wounds as it tried to bite off Buster's face. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT!" Buster yelled as its face came closer despite his struggle.
Suddenly there was a sickening crunch as something collided with Puppet Link's head, momentarily stunning it. Robin struck it again right before Vaati grabbed the monstrous fiend and threw it off Buster. Puppet Link slowly stood up and revealed its cracked face. The monster still smiled even as red blood began seeping out of its mouth and eye sockets. "Hee hee…You shouldn't…have done that…" it hissed in a mock-playful tone.
Its face then cracked more until it completely shattered, revealing its rotting facial muscles and some parts of its skull. Disturbingly enough, it was still grinning like a serial killer. Puppet Link began walking forward once more, its rotten teeth bared. Vaati, Buster, and Robin all gritted their teeth and charged at Puppet Link. The monster then leapt into the air and collided with Vaati, knocking them both to the ground. But before the creature could fully pin Vaati down, Buster plunged his sword through its chest and lifted it up into the air, where Robin whacked its head repeatedly with his staff until it finally went limp. Buster unceremoniously swung his sword off to the side, sending Puppet Link crashing against the wall.
"Ah, for the love of Din…!" Buster complained as Puppet Link stirred again and brought itself to its knees.
"You play…rough…Now…my turn…"
Suddenly the creature's skin completely dissolved, and its shape began changing as rotting hands rose out of the ground all around the arena. The group quickly ran into the middle to escape their reach as their enemy finished its grotesque transformation. The creature's body was in an advanced state of decay, and its arms had now lost their fingers, and were now cradled against its body. Its neck was much longer, and its body was hunched over. The wound it had received from Buster's sword had widened to an abominable degree so that its stomach and intestines were hanging out of the gaping hole in its torso.
The Wretched Lich Fiend, Dead Hand snarled menacingly at its disgusted enemies before sluggishly moving towards them, its body bereft of legs. "Whatever you do," Vaati warned, "Stay out of those hands' reach!"
The undead creature opened its gaping maw in a mad desire to consume the flesh of its enemies to satiate its gnawing hunger. Mastering his fear, Vaati ran forward and slashed at its face repeatedly. This seemed to affect it greatly, as Dead Hand groaned in agony and it turned around and burrowed beneath the earth. The hands started reaching for them, and one almost managed to grab Raven's cloak, causing her to cry out in alarm. Dead Hand then reappeared from the ground directly behind Robin and thrust its head towards him. Unleashing a shocked cry, Robin instinctively struck the undead creature's head repeatedly, disorienting it. Vaati then ran forward and brought his sword down upon Dead Hand's neck, slicing cleanly through the rotting flesh and decapitating the monster.
As the head collapsed on the ground, the hands and its body began to wither and decay further, until they all crumbled to dust, allowing that dreadful silence to once again permeate the chamber. Strangely enough, the door did not open. Everyone looked around warily, watching for any sign of movement. And then came another chilling voice laced with sadism and amusement that echoed throughout the chamber. "Well well, I must say I'm impressed, young warriors. This has been quite fun to watch. However, I think it's time I made things even more exciting. And unfortunately for you, I'm afraid you won't survive this time!"