Ventus was surprised at how much worse the air felt just by crossing the threshold into the cavern itself. The air absolutely reeked with darkness and rot, and the atmosphere was far more oppressive and heavier than outside. The cavern itself stretched out before them in the form of a large tunnel that seemed to go on forever. Countless torches adorned the walls, burning just brightly enough so that the way forward was clear.
Despite all the flames, it seemed as if the area around them swallowed the light. Even with all the torches present, things weren't lit nearly enough.
"Just take a deep breath, Link…" Navi said, just loud enough for Ventus to hear. "Things will be okay. Just like last time…"
Last time? What was last time? Ventus very nearly asked but thought better of it. This was hardly the time to pry. "Come on, I'll go ahead. You two watch my back, okay?" Without any more delay, the Keyblade wielder walked ahead, weapon at the ready. He assumed any danger would come from the front, so he wanted to help Link out. The boy needed to grow a bit with combat, but that didn't mean he couldn't get a helping hand!
"Thank you, Ven…" Link murmured nervously, readying his sword and shield as he and Navi followed closely behind.
For a minute or two, all was silent. It felt as though something would leap out of the darkness any moment, but nothing ever did. Just more hallway and rock and flame. "Hey…Navi." Ventus piped up. "What do you know about these Dodongo things?" Darunia made it clear they were dangerous, but didn't give too many other details…
"I can't say for sure." The fairy replied, her natural light barely helping in the cavern. "It's like Darunia said, they used to be extinct. Somehow Ganondorf managed to bring them back from the dead. From what I've heard, though…they can breath fire and have very hard scales. That's about all I know, though."
Fire breathing monsters, huh? It was a good thing Ventus knew Blizzard. Would that be enough to counter the flames, though? He'd have to find out, he supposed. "Okay…That's good to know. Hopefully, we just find that King Dodongo quickly." Anything to be rid of that horrible atmosphere around them. Ventus had only been in it for a few minutes, and already he started to feel sick to his stomach.
It was different from the feeling of the Unversed, though. The darkness he felt didn't toy with his emotions and force anger or sadness out of his heart. It just felt cold, yet sickeningly warm, along with the sensation that a heavy tarp was thrown over his body. Things weren't this bad in the last world he visited, so this Ganondorf guy had to be quite a wielder of darkness! At least King Dodongo wasn't invincible too. He already had quite enough of that with Tubba Blubba!
Before the trio, the path opened up properly from a tunnel to a proper cavern. The ceiling stretched high above their heads, the actual top along with the far wall both swallowed by inky blackness. Many more torches adorned the walls, letting the three see the creatures lurking before them. These beasts were massive reptilian monsters, with hard scales and beady blue eyes and a strange lack of back legs. Instead, the odd creatures had a single tail, and front legs they used to drag themselves along the ground.
The reptiles milled about, none of them seeming to notice the three. Apparently they couldn't see too well. On top of that, they had a strangle smell emanating from their body, that rotting stench that had to be of darkness. They seemed so simple yet felt so unnatural.
"Dodongos?" Link whispered, looking to Navi. His face had gone lightly pale, holding his shield before him as though it would actually help against their fire spewing attacks.
"They have to be. I've never seen or heard about creatures like that before. And they just…feel wrong. Like they shouldn't be here." Navi remarked, pulling a disgusted face. "I don't see any that might be their King though. None of them seem particularly bigger than the others."
Indeed, there were some Dodongos that were quite large, but even the largest ones had others matching their size. There were at least a dozen of the creatures roaming about, the poor lighting of the cavern making it impossible to tell if there were others lurking beyond the dark veil.
"We're not going to be able to sneak past. There's too many…" Ventus observed, not actually seeing any other path forward. Though, again, the lighting was so dim that other pathways would be hard to spot anyway. "I'll go in first."
Without waiting for a response, Ventus charged forward, Wayward Wind at the ready. It was only at this point that the Dodongos started to even notice they weren't alone. With guttural growls and roars, the once-extinct creatures lumbered over to Ventus.
Thankfully, they were all quite slow. This let the Keyblade wielder get hits in before they could even react! He leapt at the dinosaurs and swung Wayward Wind with all his might. The blows caused the creatures to growl in pain as their sides and heads were hit by the weapon.
Ventus realized, however, that things wouldn't be so simple. Hitting the Dodongos was easy, they were too slow to even dodge. But as he jumped away from them, he saw the ones he hit just shake off the attacks. It seemed their hides were harder than he anticipated! Before he could attack again, several of them inhaled as they glared at Ventus, roaring out as massive pillars of flame shot from their mouths!
"Aerora!"
As the flames approached Ventus, he unleashed a powerful wind spell, the magic circling around his entire body. The fire was caught up in the concentrated torrents of wind, spiraling upwards and away from the Keyblade wielder as he came out from the attack unscathed.
But a Dodongo snuck up to Ventus from behind, immune to the flame from its brethren. As the Aerora spell wore off, the Dodongo swung its body around, its tail slamming into the teen's side. The attack caught him entirely off guard and knocked the air out of him. It was almost like a blow from Tubba Blubba!
Letting out a cry, Ventus was sent to the ground, surprised at how hard those things could hit! The Dodongo inhaled, ready to breath a pillar of flames right into the teenager's face. Before it could do so, however, a projectile came in from the side. It was a rock, the attack hitting the creature directly in the eye and causing it to cry out in pain and causing it to halt its fire breath.
Looking to where the attack came from, Ventus saw Link with a slingshot in hand and another rock ready to fire. He let the projectile fly at another of the Dodongos, managing to nail it right in the eye as well!
"Jeez, Ven, you shouldn't have charged in like that!" Navi scolded, flying into the fray and weaving between the beasts. The Dodongos tried to snap at the fairy, but she was far too fast for their jaws. She even let out a bit of a taunting laugh as one Dodongo accidentally bit its brethren in the face trying to eat the small opponent.
"I didn't know they could swing so hard!" Ventus argued as he got up, his tone almost joking, but feeling bad that he messed up so badly. "Hey, try and group them together! I have an idea!"
Nodding, Navi kept dodging around the Dodongos, the reptiles slowly gathering into a tighter and tighter circle as they were distracted from Ventus. Apparently they were rather dumb and had short attention spans.
"Okay, now! Get behind me!" The teenager cried out, readying Wayward Wind. When the fairy did as instructed, he aimed the Keyblade right at the group of Dodongos. "Blizzara!" The cavern suddenly got very chilly as ice magic poured out of the tip of the weapon. It seemed almost like an actual blizzard shot out of his weapon, snow and biting winds charging forward towards the Dodongos.
When the wind actually hit, however, the truly devastating part of the attack came forth. Massive icicles appeared out of thin air, piercing even the mighty scales of the creatures. Not only that, but the attack itself was almost unbearable cold, even Link feeling the intense chill despite his distance.
The creatures roared out as frost and ice coated their bodies if the icicles didn't pierce them as well. One of the beasts inhaled and tried to shoot out a pillar of fire, but its body had gotten so cold that nothing came out at all aside from a pathetic wheeze.
"Come on! Let's go while they're stunned!" Navi yelled out, sounding bewildered at the magic that Ventus just unleashed. The boys didn't argue, following the fairy further into the cavern while the Dodongos were dying or were too cold and injured to pursue.
"H…How did you do that?!" Link asked, flabbergasted and turning to Ventus as they got to a safe distance. "It was so cold!"
"I've never seen magic like that before either." Navi agreed, rubbing her arms a bit. "Us fairies produce a lot of heat, and even I was pretty chilled! And then there was that wind before…!"
Ventus sort of forgot that even those moderate magic abilities would seem otherworldly to people from other worlds. Those were just the -ra spells too, things could get far more powerful than that. But he wasn't so good at -ga spells and certainly couldn't go any higher than that. Only someone like Aqua or Master Eraqus could!
"That's…just what I was taught back where I came from." Ventus said, not exactly lying as he dodged a straight answer. "The Keyblade helps harness it too. I couldn't do something like that with just my bare hands."
Navi shook her head in disbelief. "Really shows that the world's a bigger place than I thought…" She didn't dig deeper though as the trio went further into the cavern.
They didn't see any more Dodongos, thankfully, and eventually came to the opposite side, two paths going in opposite directions meeting the trio. "Which way do we go? I don't think we should split up…" Link said, sounding nervous as he eyed the two tunnels.
"I agree." Navi said, flying over to the tunnels. "Give me a moment here…" The fairy closed her eyes and hummed in thought, flying between the two tunnels. After a minute or so, she pointed down the right path. "This way. I'm not attuned to natural energies, or in this case unnatural ones. There's a much stronger feeling of darkness down this way. It's sure to be King Dodongo, I don't know what else it could be!"
"Oh wow, that's amazing!" Ventus declared, going over to the tunnel Navi had pointed out. He tried to feel for the darkness down that path as well, but it didn't seem to work as well for him. It just felt like the rest of the cavern. His training wasn't done yet, so it certainly made sense he wasn't as good at it. "So, all fairies are like that?"
"That's right! I never really had to use something like this until now, but I'm very sure that King Dodongo is down this way." The fairy replied, starting down the tunnel she pointed out.
"She's amazing, isn't she? So smart…" Link praised, whispering a bit to Ventus. "I wouldn't have gotten this far without her…"
It was pretty charming how much Link looked up to his companion. At least Ventus thought so. Really made him wonder again just how they met in the first place. "So, you two have known each other a long time?" He lightly pressed, keeping his Keyblade at the ready in case they ran into more Dodongos.
Link frowned a bit, seeming hesitant to answer at all. After a few moments, though, he shook his head. "No. It's only been about a week or so…" That was all he felt the need to clarify, apparently, as he didn't elaborate.
That surprised Ventus quite a bit, actually. The boy and fairy seemed so close that he assumed they knew each other for years! "Huh…Well, you two really get along considering."
"Well…I mean we're…" Link started again, but quickly closed his mouth. Apparently he was about to say something he wasn't supposed to! "I just wish she came sooner…"
"Hm? Why? Are things okay?" Ventus asked, noticing how Link was starting to stare at the ground, the boy clutching his sword harder than necessary.
Navi stopped, turning around. "Hey, what are you two talking about back there?" The fairy had been too far ahead for her to properly hear that the boys were discussing.
Link still seemed rather upset, breathing deeply and quickly as he looked up Navi. "W-We were just…"
Whatever the boy in green was going to say got interrupted. Out of the ground, a group of Floods and a new variety of Unversed! They were Monotruckers, somewhat armored Unversed using a single wheel to get around with pickaxes for hands and a lantern lighting their way. There were three of the Monotruckers, the creatures driving around the group as if to confuse them.
A wave of sadness washed over the trio, the kind of depression that really stuck in one's heart for hours on end. "More of these?!" Navi yelled out, hovering up in the air to get out of the attack range of the Unversed.
Ventus brandished Wayward Wind but didn't want to cast any spells. It was too cramped in the tunnel, and he was afraid even a low-grade spell might hit Link or Navi! The Unversed surrounded the trio, so he couldn't ask his companions to get behind him either. The boys stood back-to-back, keeping a wary eye on their opponents as they tried to fight off the awful feelings forced onto them.
The Monotruckers kept circling around the trio along with the Floods, acting as a sort of barrier to prevent escape. The Floods themselves opened the attack, lunging at Link and Ventus. While small, they were speedy! Faster than Link, sadly, as the boy recoiled from the sudden attack, unable to block in time. The Floods' claws swiped at the boy, one tearing a bit at his tunic while the other hit him on his left cheek, just barely missing his eye.
Link cried out as blood dripped down his face, staying on his feet as he swung his sword back at the attacking creatures. One dodged out of the way, while the other got bisected by the boy's blade.
Ventus fared a lot better, knocking back a charging Flood before doing a counterattack. He threw Wayward Wind in a Strike Raid attack, the Keyblade spinning around rapidly as it flew forward, slicing two Floods into a dark mist. On the way back, the attack hit one of the Monotruckers, knocking it off its path, but not managing to kill it. The larger Unversed staggered on its wheel before going back to its normal routine.
Navi let out a cry of frustration, charging at the Flood that had dodged Link's attack, bashing herself into its eye and weaving around its attempts to swipe her out of the air. This let Link have ample time to stab at the Flood, destroying it as more came at him.
This went on for several minutes, the Flood attacking the boys and getting cut down for their efforts. Ventus fared pretty well, his attacks too quick for the Floods to dodge, and his reflexes guaranteeing he remained uninjured. Link had less luck, getting some scratches on his arms and legs as he tried to block attacks or hit the Floods before they could get him. Navi would help, ramming into the Unversed and dropping their defenses so Link could properly attack them.
Before long, the Floods were gone, the trio of Monotruckers still circling the boys and fairy. With them being the only remaining Unversed, the larger creatures attacked. Tired squealing, two of the Monotruckers sped towards Link and Ventus.
Link raised his shield to block one of the pickaxes as it swung towards his face. The wood splintered lightly, making him gasp out as he struggled against the strength of the Monotrucker. It kept pushing its attack downward, the shield creaking lightly from the pressure, Link struggling as his frame shook.
Navi once more came to the rescue, shining in the Monotrucker's face and distracting it, it trying to use its other pickaxe arm to swipe her away. With his foe preoccupied, Link swung his free arm around his shield, stabbing the Unversed on the side and causing it to vanish into a dark mist.
Ventus had about the same amount of luck, blocking against his own Monotrucker as it used both of its pickaxe arms to try and pierce the teen's chest. Using Wayward Wind, he blocked the strike, but too struggled against the strength of the Unversed's attack. The depression that coursed through Ventus' heart made him feel almost sluggish, and weaker than he would normally be. Still, he managed to hold back the attack, thinking quickly as he kicked at the bottom part of the Monotrucker and knocking it off-balance. While it was recovering, he swiped at it, slicing off its head with one attack and disintegrating the foe.
The last Monotrucker charged at Link, who was still recovering from the last attack. Ventus turned around, realizing what was going on, and shoved Link out of the way. Before the Unversed could change course, the teen raised his Keyblade, so its point was right in the creature's face.
"Fire!"
A fireball blasted into the Monotrucker's face, the point-blank attack doing far more damage than it may do otherwise, instantly destroying the Unversed. With the last of them again, the oppressive blanket of emotion in the area soon faded away.
"Th…Thank you for that…" Link said, panting as he looked around at the Unversed-free tunnel. The Unversed never left any kind of corpse behind. Even if cut into pieces, all of their parts faded away into a mist which would soon evaporate.
Certainly made things less messy.
"Yeah, of course!" Ventus waved off, looking the boy over. "You okay? You look a bit scratched up."
"I'll be fine." Link assured, wincing lightly as he looked himself over. "We have to keep going."
"If only we had more Rupees for a full Red Potion…You had to use what little we could buy from the monsters on the way to the village." Navi lamented a bit, sighing as she landed on her companion's shoulder.
Healing potions? They had those in this world too? Ventus had foolishly forgotten to bring any from The Land of Departure himself. Cure spells could be a bit tricky, so he didn't want to waste it right now when there was a lot to still do.
"You sure? Don't want you to push yourself…" Ventus said, knowing that King Dodongo would have to be far worse than the Unversed since he gave the Gorons so much trouble!
"I said I'll be fine." Link replied, a little bit testy as he turned around and marched forward, sword and shield at the ready.
Kicking himself for insulting his friend, Ventus briskly walked until he was walking beside the two. "Sorry. I was just trying to help."
"We know that. Don't we, Link?" Navi urged, lightly elbowing Link's cheek. Not like her tiny frame could really hurt him anyway.
Link stared ahead of himself, into the inky blackness just barely lit by the torches. "…Yeah. Sorry…"
"It's fine, I get it. I've gotten upset at my own friends if they worry for me too much." Ventus said with a light laugh, remembering getting snippy with Aqua and Terra a few times over the years.
"Really? Seems unlike you. Though I guess I don't know you that well…" Navi replied, clearly amused. Even Link smiled a bit, but he didn't say anything. Really seemed he liked letting his fairy companion do the talking for him.
The group stayed quiet after that, not wanting to get distracted or perhaps draw unwanted attention by things living in the cavern. They would occasionally pass by branching paths or small crevices that even Link couldn't hope to fit through. Navi would always lead them in the right direction, though. Sometimes they could hear growls and hissing noises coming from the darkness along the alternate paths. Creatures unknown to the three of them lurking and writhing just out of sight…
Time seemed to move at a strange pace. Sometimes it went by just fine, but there were stretches where it felt like hours went by with no progress made at all. "How long have we been in here?" Ventus asked, feeling out of sorts. It paradoxically felt like they just started walking through the tunnels yet felt like an entire afternoon had passed at the same time.
"I don't really know." Navi admitted, having taken flight once more since the conversation stopped. "We've been in a place like this before, and the time moved oddly there as well. I think it's the cursed energy. I don't know if time is really being mangled or just our perception of it, though…"
"You've been in a place like this before?" The Keyblade wielder asked, though that idea did make sense. It was clear this wasn't the first time Link and Navi had to do something like this. They accepted the task way too easily for this to be the only time they've done this. Ventus was at least slightly relieved that it wasn't just him feeling so strange about how time was flowing.
Navi glanced over to Link, who seemed to be trying to ignore the conversation at hand. "Yeah. But let's not talk about that."
Before Ventus could say anything, a new sound cut through the air. It was a tapping sound, feet on the cavern floor. Something was moving around, and as the sounds became louder it was clear that something was coming towards them! The echoes of the cavern made it hard to tell which direction it was coming from.
Worse was that a second pair of footsteps started to echo out as well! Link and Ventus went back-to-back once more, ready to face whatever was coming at them. The teen more than the young boy, though. It didn't sound like Unversed, but too quick and light to be a Dodongo…
Out of the darkness came the answer. From both sides, one creature each emerged. They were tall, reptilian humanoids with tails and red, spiky armor. The creatures were tall, taller than Terra maybe! In their hands, they each had a single, long dagger that they brandished. One of the creatures had an odd, large bag tied to the chain belt that was part of the lower armor.
"Lizalfos!" Navi cried out, floating above the group. "They're really fast, smart, and dangerous, so be careful!"
Just how many reptile monsters did this mountain have? Ventus brandishes Wayward Wind and looked steadily at the Lizalfos before him. The creature seemed to be sizing him up, hissing at its opponent. Once more, the tunnel was cramped and with enemies on both sides, it made using magic difficult! Ventus didn't want to accidentally hurt Link or Navi with his spells!
Before he could think any further, the Lizalfos on Ventus' side lunged forward. It was faster than he expected, the reptile getting through his defense easily and slicing the teen on the face. This was pretty shocking to him since Ventus was used to being the faster one in any given situation!
The Keyblade wielder ignored the bloody cut on his cheek and swung swiftly at the opponent, but the Lizalfos would block each swing of Wayward Wind! Not only was the Lizalfos able to move fast enough to block, but strong enough that its simple dagger stayed steady in its hand as it received blows from a Keyblade!
Ventus worried about Link especially, knowing that the boy wasn't as skilled of a fighter. Indeed, he could hear the boy let out noises of pain, Navi yelling out in worry as she flew downwards to assist. Ventus wanted to help, but he couldn't take his eyes of his own opponent so easily!
The Keyblade wielder tried stepping forward as he swung, wanting to make the Lizalfos back up and give up his ground as the fight went on. The reptile was resilient, though, refusing to take more than a single step back as it parried and blocked each of Ventus' blows. It would sometimes swipe at him, getting an arm or slicing at his clothes. Pretty quickly it became clear that the foe was just toying with him! It could end the fight quickly if it wanted, but it had the obvious desire to prolong things for its own amusement!
Link was doing far worse than Ventus was, even with Navi's help. The wooden shield of his kept getting scratched and splintered from the Lizalfos' attack. Combined with the damage from the Monotrucker earlier, it probably wouldn't last much longer! The boy also got cuts from the reptilian creature, his opponent toying with Link as it marked his face and limbs with shallow cuts that leaked blood. Navi tried to help, but the Lizalfos was too fast even for her. She couldn't get close because it would swipe at her and try to bite her, attacks that she barely managed to dodge.
Time seemed to drag on with no progress made for the boys. Neither managed to get a single blow in with the Lizalfos. It seemed as though minutes had gone by, but with the odd energy of the cavern, it was hard to say for sure.
With an increasing amount of cuts, Ventus felt he had to do something drastic. Using magic so close to an ally was dangerous, though! Fire could spread, Thunder could hit Link or Navi, Blizzard could damage them as well! Unless…Aero could work, but he never tried protecting anyone but himself with an Aero spell before! If it didn't work properly, it could send the boy and fairy careening into a wall!
At this rate, though, it seemed like the only real option…
As Link cried out again from another attack, that sealed with deal for Ventus! "Link! Navi! Get real close to me!" The teen called, preparing his magic. He felt Link press up against his back, with Navi on top of Link's head. "This might not work, get ready!" Raising Wayward Wind, he gave a glare off to the Lizalfos in front of him. "Aerora!"
Ventus concentrated, trying to make the spell protect a wider area, the teen feeling his body straining with the effort. Simple spells tended not to tire him out after all the training at The Land of Departure. With -ra spells, though, they could sap his energy if he used too many in a certain amount of time! He already used two at this point in the day, a third one had to work, or he wasn't sure what could happen!
A strong wind started building in the tunnel, the two Lizalfos crying out in shock and alarm as the trio got wrapped in a visible torrent of wind magic. The spell only got more intense, the gust growing more severe with each moment. As it grew more intense, the Lizalfos took a few steps back, but it was too late. Screeching in surprise, the two creatures were lifted off their feet by the spinning gale, thrashing uselessly in their until the heavy winds slammed their bodies into the walls of the tunnel.
As the two Lizalfos dropped to the floor, Ventus stopped the spell with a strained gasp. "Now! Go now! I can't do that again!" Without hesitating, the teen charged forward at his opponent. It was just barely getting to its feet when he sliced it across the chest with Wayward Wind. With a cry, it was knocked onto its back, twitching a bit before going still.
Panting heavily and wincing at his wounds, Ventus turned to see if Link still needed any sort of help. He'd grimace at the scene; the boy in green had stabbed his Lizalfos in the neck, dark blue blood leaking from the wound. Link was just sitting there, staring at the sight in clear horror as he gripped his sword until his knuckles went white.
"Link…It's done, it's okay now…" Navi said, hovering by the boy's ear. "Come on, take the sword out, and let's keep going."
Link let out a disgusted shudder, slowly standing up as he pulled the weapon out of the Lizalfos' neck. His blade was stained with the unusual blue blood, which he was visibly revolted by.
"You okay, Link?" Ventus asked, glancing down at his own wounds. Shallow cuts adorned the teen's arms and legs, some of his clothing having been torn. Thankfully, the Lizalfos never stabbed him, the sadistic creature too busy toying with him. It seemed the same thing befell Link, the young boy having cuts along his limbs and face, but nothing that seemed life-threatening.
"I'll be fine." Was all the boy said, very clearly trying not to let any emotion be present in his tone.
"We can turn back if you want. There's no reason we have to get this done today, right?" Ventus offered. A Cure spell was too much for him at the moment, and he wasn't sure it was a good idea to use such unique magic before they even came across King Dodongo. Cure spells used a different sort of magic than all the other spells and could only be used sparingly. Ventus himself could only use one or two a day; the latter only if he didn't use any other spells and strained himself. On top that, he could only cast the lowest version of Cure, only able to heal a single person.
Link shook his head, gripping his sword's hilt until his knuckles went white again. "I have to do this as soon as I can. I made a promise that I'd help and…and I can't go back now…"
"But why? Why do you have to do this anyway?" Ventus countered, wondering just what sort of situation this was. Some Royal Family sent a child to climb a mountain and fight monsters? What was with this kingdom?!
For a moment, the boy in green seemed as though he wouldn't answer. After clearing his throat a few times, he sighed. "If…If we cleanse this place…I'll tell you. I don't want to talk about it right now…"
That was a start, at least. Ventus didn't like the idea of Link continuing on, but he couldn't really force him to leave. It wasn't his place to do that. "Okay. Deal. Let's at least rest a bit first. We both really need it."
"Ven's right." Navi chimed in, seeming almost a bit uncomfortable with where the conversation had nearly gone. "We'll get away from these corpses and rest for a bit before we keep going." The fairy glanced at the Lizalfos Link killed, eyeing the bag. "And, Link, you should grab that bag there. I think it's a Bomb Bag, and it looks full! That could be useful for taking down the King Dodongo."
"Bombs? What are…bombs?" Link asked, still taking the bag off the dead foe as he looked at it closely.
"They're weapons, basically. They can explode if you use fire on them. I was thinking since Dodongo's can shoot out flames, we could use them!" Navi explained, watching as Link tied the bag to his own belt.
"That's a pretty good idea, Navi." Ventus said, walking forward a bit so the three could get away from the corpses. No need to hang around there as they rested. After they did, he leaned against the wall. "Link, you sit down, I'll keep ready in case something else comes at us?"
Letting out a light sigh, Link sat down against the opposite wall, taking some deep breaths as he winced from his wounds. "Th…Thanks…" Navi rested on the boy's shoulder, patting at his cheek.
The three would stay quiet at that point, not wanting to risk attracting the attention of anything else that might lurk nearby. Every so often, a dull roar or a inhuman shriek rang out in the tunnels; something hunting something else from the sound of it. Thankfully, nothing actually came to them, the trio able to rest up as best they could in such a stressful environment.
It was hard for any of them to tell how long they had rested for. With the odd passage of time, it could have easily been thirty minutes, or even several hours. But they all knew they had to keep moving.
Things went a bit slower, Ventus and Link wanting to be more cautious and listen out for more Lizalfos and other beasts as they went. They certainly didn't want to get sandwiched between two of those creatures again!
Again, it was hard for the three to tell how much time passed as they walked. At times, it seemed that each second moved at a sluggish pace. At other times, it seemed as though minutes just flew by. Navi would keep leading on, leading the two down whatever paths she felt that dark energy coming from the strongest.
Thankfully, nothing else stood in the trio's way. They came across no Dodongos, Unversed, or Lizalfos. Ventus had to wonder why Unversed cropped up so rarely. Was it maybe that Ganondorf's darkness was enough to even make the Unversed nervous to enter such a place? Btu they did crop up before when Link got upset…
The air started to shift around the three, the smell of rot growing stronger, and the heaving atmosphere intensifying. Before the three was almost a sort of doorway, leading off to some large room on the other side. They could hear something shifting inside the next room, something massive with heavy, slow footsteps. Just from those sounds alone, they could all easily determine that whatever the creature was, it dwarfed any of the Dodongos they saw earlier.
"I think this is it." Navi whispered, staring dead ahead. "That has to be King Dodongo…"
Link had a straight face, but his skin was pale. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, he was clearly terrified. "Then we have to go in there." He said, gripping the hilt of his sword tight.
"I'll go in first. You two stay behind me." Ventus said, brandishing Wayward Wind as he walked into the room without hesitation. He had no problem taking the leadership role here, something he hoped would help him grow. At the moment, in his eyes, the Keyblade wielder still had so much to prove to his friends and teacher back home. If he didn't do things like this and help his friends, how could he look Terra, Aqua, or Master Eraqus in the eye?
Ventus felt Link and Navi following behind him as all three got into the room proper. Like the rest of the cavern, there were torches along the walls to light the room up. The room itself was almost a dome in shape, the ceiling beyond the veil of darkness where the torches' lights couldn't touch. There was little else of interest aside from the beast that lurked within.
And it was a massive beast.
It was clearly a Dodongo, but it was three, maybe even five times larger than the ones encountered before. And, unlike the others, this one had four legs along with its tail. It had the same blue eyes as the rest of its kind, which glared at the intruders. The creature absolutely reeked of darkness, as if the stuff just pooled off of its body. Whatever Ganondorf had done, it was far more severe than with Tubba Blubba.
At this moment, Ventus realized he didn't have a plan. He could use some more spells thanks to that rest and the lack of using any magic since the Lizalfos fight, so that was a plus. Would a Blizzara spell even work against something this massive, though?
Alas, Ventus knew he had to try and strike first. Jumping high into the air, the teen let out a cry as he threw Wayward Wind at King Dodongo, performing another Strike Raid. The Keyblade spun around at a blinding speed, slamming into the beast's head before it could even react to the attack. It jostled the massive reptile, and caused it to grunt and hiss, but seemed to do little else.
That's what Ventus was worried about. This this had strong scales…and if the Keyblade couldn't cut through them with that kind of attack, Link's own sword had no real chance. The teen landed on the ground as Wayward Wind found its way back to his hand. He didn't want to seem mean, but he wasn't sure what Link or Navi could do to help damage the creature! Except…the bombs! Would that be enough, though?
King Dodongo glared at Ventus, stomping towards him as the boy and fairy lingered by the entrance. Link had pulled out his slingshot, firing rocks at the mighty beast. The projectiles bounced harmlessly off its scales, the massive creature not even noticing. The boy was clearly aiming for King Dodongo's eye, but his hands kept shaking, and his aim was thwarted as a result.
Ventus, at least, was too fast for his opponent. As the beast lumbered towards him, the teen was already on the move. He ran around to King Dodongo's side and attacked before his opponent could do anything about it. Ventus leapt off the ground, trying for a different tactic as he stabbed at the reptile with his Keyblade! Unfortunately, it did very little. Wayward Wind did manage to pierce the scales, but not enough to even draw blood. It would take several stabbings in the exact same spot just to do that much! Using his feet, he pulled his weapon out of his foe and jumped away.
To the teen's surprise, things took a drastic turn. Apparently King Dodongo was only mildly wary of Ventus before, but at this point it was treating the Keyblade wielder like a genuine threat. With a speed that seemed impossible for something of its size, the creature spun in a circle, its massive tail smashing Ventus while he was still in midair, sending him careening across the room!
Navi cried out as Ventus bounced off the floor once before hitting the wall back-first. "Oh, Farore! Ven, are you okay?!" The fairy shouted, staying near Link. Apparently even with that happening, she wasn't willing to leave the boy's side.
All the air had been knocked out of Ventus, the teen unable to properly respond as he saw stars. After he managed to breathe again, he let out a groan as he slowly stood up properly. That had hurt him immensely, that King Dodongo hitting way harder than Tubba Blubba had. Yet…Ventus found he could still stand! A blow like that should've knocked him out, right?
Master Eraqus had said that real combat helped a Keyblade wielder grow than training tended to. That didn't mean Ventus, or his peers, actually engaged in real combat, though. They still had to train with strict rules, and even their own matches didn't allow them to go all-out often. Either way, perhaps Ventus' detour in the Mushroom Kingdom helped him grow a bit?
Still, a throbbing pain coursed through the teen's entire body, and he'd have to rethink what to do. He wanted to use magic as a last resort because he honestly wasn't sure how much more he could use. Ventus especially wanted to make sure he could cast a Cure spell in case it was desperately needed.
Wait! The bombs! Of course! Ventus watched King Dodongo stare right back at him, the teen not taking his eyes off the beast. The reptile didn't do anything at that second, apparently waiting for Ventus to act first. "Link!" The teen shouted. "I need you to get one of those bombs out! I have an idea!"
Wincing through the pain, Ventus charged forward, going around to King Dodongo's side so the creature would face away from Link and Navi. The teen kept his distance, just wanting to distract the monster at the moment. He did, at least, weave in and swung at the beast's legs once or twice, to little effect.
Meanwhile, Link was fishing out a bomb from the bag as Ventus wanted. Navi was instructing the boy on how to handle these devices, telling him that without a spark, they wouldn't light. "Ven! I have one!" Link shouted, holding a bomb above his head. "What do I do with it!?"
"Throw it near one of King Dodongo's legs!" Ventus yelled back, still distracting the creature with slice and stabs of his Keyblade. None of his attacks did much, the teen not sure if the beast even felt any of them. King Dodongo did swing around with a tail attack. This time Ventus was ready for it, managing to duck beneath the assault. Moments after, Link threw the bomb, the device rolling and landing right next to the reptile's back left leg.
"Go, Ven! Do it now!" Navi yelled out, she and Link keeping away from the action.
Keeping at a safe distance, Ventus raised Wayward Wind, aiming it right at the bomb. "Fire!"
A fireball shot off towards the device, hitting it perfectly and causing an ear-ringing explosion to occur, King Dodongo roaring in pain as the flaming mass and shrapnel engulfed its leg. Ventus kept away from Link and Navi, not knowing how much damage the bomb would do to their opponent. If it could still fight and was angry, the teen hoped it would keep its attention on him. Surely it wasn't smart enough to even realize what happened, and that Link had a part in it…right?
As the smoke cleared, it became clear that the bomb did a lot less than they had all hoped. Some of the scales on King Dodongo's body had been blown clean off, and blood had been split as well. That was the extent of it, though, with the reptile able to still stand just fine with its injured limb.
King Dodongo glared at Ventus, indeed seeming to put the blame solely on the teen. It then did something that surprised the trio. Rather than charging, or perhaps breathing fire, the reptile showed off some surprising flexibility and rolled into a ball! It rocked itself forward and started rolling at Ventus at surprising speeds. It didn't go fast enough, however, as the Keyblade wielder dodged to the side easily.
However, that wasn't the end of it. After Ventus dodged, King Dodongo changed its trajectory, somehow knowing where Ventus was going and rolling after him. As it did so, the creature's rolling became faster and faster. The teen kept running around the room, staying away from Link and Navi as the massive beast kept following him.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Ventus exclaimed in frustration, throbbing pain shooting through his body from all the constant running and dodging. That attack from earlier made what would normally be pretty easier quite painful!
"The wall! Make it run into a wall!" Navi yelled out, not able to do much except yell out advice for Ventus. She and Link had never faced a monster so massive and hard to damage. The two were a bit out of their league. Both of them felt frustration as Ventus kept risking life and limb. It was just difficult not to rely on him since he was much stronger than anyone they've met before!
Ventus took Navi's advice, running towards one of the nearby walls. As he reached it, he took a deep breath and jumped straight up into the air. Mere moments after that, King Dodongo slammed into the wall, practically causing the entire room to shake from the impact.
The massive beast uncurled from its ball at the impact, letting out an aggravated roar at the pain as it got upright to its feet. It looked up at Ventus as he fell, snarling as it spun around, doing another tail attack.
All of them had been expecting such an impact to stun King Dodongo for at least a few seconds! None of them thought it'd shake it all off so quickly! Ventus couldn't exactly dodge in midair and was only able to hold up Wayward Wind to block the incoming attack. Of course, it hit dead on, sending the teen flying once again.
At least this time, the impact was far less severe, with Ventus able to brace himself and use his Keyblade to absorb a lot of the attack. It still sent him into a nearby wall, though, stunning him momentarily. The creature wasted no time stomping over to Ventus, and as it grew near, it started to inhale. Its stomach swelled as it ready its attack. The teen was struggling to his feet but wouldn't be able to get out of the way in time!
Suddenly, however, King Dodongo let out a roar of agony, rearing its head back and sputtering out tufts of flame as it did so. While the reptile was distracted with Ventus, Link had charged in, driving his sword up to the hilt in the creature's leg, where some of the scales had been blown off. With a grunt of effort, he pulled the blade out just as the beast turned to him. It let out another roar as it glared at Link, inhaling and preparing for another fire breath attack.
"Go Link! Let's move!" Navi shouted, the fairy sticking close to Link the entire time. The two of them fled from King Dodongo, moving to the side to try and get to safety. The reptile kept inhaling, its head following the pair as they tried to escape. With a guttural, furious sound, it unleashed its attack, a massive and spiraling pillar of flame. Something again to a Firaga spell!
Link and Navi yelled out as the latter flew off to the side. The former leapt out of the way, managing not to get hit dead-on by the attack. However, Link's shield caught on fire! This caused him to panic, yelling out as he struggled to get the shield off of his arm. Thankfully, he managed to do so, only suffering minor burns and singing of the right sleeve of his tunic. The skin on his right arm was red and raw looking, but that was the worst of it.
It seemed King Dodongo couldn't turn its head as it spewed flames, as it kept the attack going in that one spot until it ran out, the beast snarling at its failure to take down its attacker.
While Navi went to make sure Link was okay, Ventus had gotten to his feet, panting heavily as he did so. If that pillar of flame had hit any one of them, it'd be over. While King Dodongo was distracted with the boy and fairy, Ventus went in for an attack! To his horror, the beast opened its mouth again, preparing for another fire attack!
Fighting through the pain and sore muscles, Ventus sprinted over to King Dodongo, leaping up into the air. Gathering up his strength, the teen let out a large spell towards the beast, aiming right into its mouth. "BLIZZARA!"
Once more, sheer cold and biting winds burst out of Wayward Wind, directed right into the gaping maw of King Dodongo. The massive monster let out a roar of confusion and anger as the freezing magic hit it. Ice starting forming along the creature's tongue and teeth, jagged icicles shot out and stabbed at the inside of its mouth and down its throat. Some of the magic even went down to its front feet, freezing one of them to the floor while icicles shot out and pierced its other front leg.
As the attack finished, Ventus ran over to Link and Navi, looking over at how the spell fared. King Dodongo was trapped! Its foot frozen to the floor and icicles piercing its leg and mouth, blood oozing down the frozen weapons. It kept letting out roars and groans of pain, glared horribly at the trio.
"Is that is? Can it still fight like that…?" Link asked, wincing as his burnt arm throbbed. He was just thankful that this light burn was all he had gotten.
"I don't know…it looks so angry…" Navi noted, voice heavy with caution. "Ven, I think you need to finish it off before-"
Whatever Navi was going to say was cut off as the cracking of ice rang out through the room. With effort, King Dodongo freed its frozen foot, the icicles piercing the other leg breaking apart as well. It growled as it inhaled, as if preparing for yet another fire attack. As it did so, its mouth heated up exponentially, the ice in its maw melting at a rapid pace. Before long, all of the ice was gone, only the pierced scales and dried blood showing that Ventus had done anything at all.
Worse still, King Dodongo kept inhaling, preparing for its attack. "Quick, Link! Another bomb!" Ventus shouted, readying Wayward Wind. "Just toss it in the air!"
Quickly, and ignoring the burn on his arm, Link did as Ventus asked. He took out another bomb, grunting with effort as he tossed the object right up into the air. The Keyblade wielder let out a cry as he hit the bomb at full force, sending it flying at King Dodongo. Or, more specifically, King Dodongo's mouth! The teen was very troubled how this beast practically shrugged off his spell, considering how much magic it took up especially!
The projectile flew with such speeds that the reptile couldn't react at all. After the bomb flew into the creature's mouth, the building flames set it off instantly. The explosion echoed through the room, and Kind Dodongo let out another roar of agony as its tongue, teeth, and inside of its mouth got blown apart by the explosion.
Groaning weakly, the reptile staggered, mortally wounded by what just happened. The shock of the explosion inside of its mouth was just too much for it, despite the toughness it had shown thus far. With one last groan that was almost pitiful, King Dodongo collapsed. Before the very eyes of the trio, its body started to fade away rapidly. It was as if an army of invisible bugs were consuming it right before their very eyes.
Within moments, no trace of the monster was left.
As this happened, the air around the three cleared up massively. No longer was the smell of rot present, and the heat diminished significantly. That oppressing feeling, that one like a tarp, lifted entirely. Even the room seemed brighter, and also smaller than before. The light from the torches easily illuminated the ceiling.
"Oh, Farore…it's done…" Navi said with a sigh of relief. "You two are okay, right?"
Ventus was pretty sore, but nothing a Cure couldn't fix. But…Link seemed like he needed it more. Or, rather, Ventus wanted to help his friend over himself. He'd be able to cast another Cure later on for himself. "I think so. Didn't think that thing could attack so fast…"
"I'm okay…but my shield…" Link said, sighing. He looked to Ventus as he went on. "It was given to me from someone back home. I had promised him I'd bring it back."
"He was a bit of a hoarder; he had a ton of stuff. Like that slingshot." Navi explained. "Link got to borrow some of it because of the quest he had to go on. But don't worry Link, I'm sure Uldo will understand…"
Link sighed, rubbing his burnt arm gently, wincing at the pain. "I guess. But…Ven…um…th-thank you. For everything…" The boy found it hard to look Ventus in the eye, shyness overtaking him. "I don't know if we could've done it without you…"
"Hey, no problem! We're friends, so I'm happy I could help!" Ventus insisted, a toothy grin on his face. "But hey, I have some magic that can help heal you. Just hold still, okay?" Raising up Wayward Wind, he cast his Cure spell. A light green aura engulfed Link for a moment or two. As this happened, his cuts sealed up and vanished, and the burnt skin on his arm healed up entirely too! "I would've done it before…but I can't use the spell too many times in a day, so I wanted to wait until we took down that big lizard."
The boy and fairy both seemed astonished, the former looking over his now uninjured body. "Oh wow…That's amazing! How much magic can you do?" Link asked, looking back up to Ventus.
Ventus chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "Well, not too many kinds. My friend, Aqua, she's a real genius with this sort of thing." Aqua…how was she doing? Was she still at The Land of Departure too? What if she had left, just like he and Terra did…?
"Well, you're still very impressive." Navi praised, landing on Link's shoulder. "We should get out of this place, though, Darunia is surely still waiting for us."
"Yeah, you're right." Ventus said, starting to walk out with the two. Looking to Link, he gave him a curious look. "But…hey, you said you'd explain things a bit when we managed to take down King Dodongo, remember?"
"Oh…Yeah. That's right." The boy replied, looking to the ground. "I forgot about that…"
That response made Ventus feel guilty. He had just been so curious about what exactly was going on with these two. "Sorry. Uh…You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
Link shook his head, looking up to Ventus. "I said I would, though. And you helped us out. I trust you. It's okay to tell…right, Navi?"
Navi nodded, looking to Ventus as well. "I think so. After all his help, I think it's okay that he knows. I can explain if you don't want to, Link."
Once more, the boy shook his head. "I said I would. It's not nice to not keep a promise." Link replied bluntly. "It's just…I don't understand a lot of it." He paused, thinking to himself as the trio made their way down the empty tunnels. "I…I didn't ask to go on this quest. It was just…forced upon me. Apparently I'm some Child of Destiny…and Fate says I have to help save Hyrule."
That…wasn't quite what Ventus was expecting! It did explain why a ten year-old would be forced to do such dangerous things, though. Fate and destiny weren't things he was exactly familiar with. But what was unusual or impossible in one world could be commonplace in another. "So…fate just said you had to do this, so you're doing it?"
"Basically." Navi butted in, sounding pretty miffed. "It isn't fair at all, but we don't have much say in the matter."
"But you do have a choice." Ventus argued, frowning at how unfair it all seemed. "You have to let your heart guide your path; not what other people tell you."
"What if it's the only way?" Link asked, not seeming very motivated by Ventus' words. "If I don't do this, the entire kingdom is in trouble…"
"There's really no one else? I find it hard to believe…" Ventus really didn't understand how this world worked, so he had a hard time grasping the concepts. Maybe in this world, this sort of thing made a lot more sense than the teen was giving it credit for.
Link sighed, starting to get clearly upset. "That's what Princess Zelda told us. She had visions, making it clear that this was something I had to do. But it's almost over now…we only have to go to one more place, and it's done."
Visions…some kind of prophecy? How do you argue against that? It still seemed very unfair to Ventus. But, again, this wasn't a world he deeply understood. Maybe Hyrule really would end up in ruin if Link didn't do something, as unusual as it seemed. "I still think you shouldn't let fate put you on a strict path. You should listen to your heart and see what it tells you. Have you done that before?"
"Not…really. No." Link said after a few moments of thought. "I never tried…but I can try."
"You should. Just try it sometime soon and see what it tells you." Ventus had been taught that one must let their heart guide them throughout their life. It's what the teen had been doing ever since finding himself in The Land of Departure. It's what lead him to the Mushroom Kingdom and to Hyrule, where he made new friends and helped people.
If only it lead him to that Masked Boy or Terra…
Things quieted down after that, the trio on alert in case anything jumped out at them. But the caverns were silent. No Dodongos, no Unversed, no Lizalfos. Nothing. There even seemed to be less branches and twists and turns to go through than when they went through the first time. Silently, the three decided not to question it. If time could be warped by Ganondorf's magic, why not space as well?
After what only seemed like a few minutes of walking, the way out came into view, the sun still up and shining and bringing light into the now-cleansed cavern. When the three emerged to the outside world, Darunia was sitting by the entrance, the chieftain perking up as he saw them.
"You're all alright! I felt such a change in the air, so I knew you all succeeded! You're even uninjured, Link!" Darunia exclaimed, standing up and walking to the trio. "I can't thank you enough for aiding my people! We all owe our lives to you!"
"I'm happy I was able to help!" Ventus said, glancing down at his own wounds. In a few hours, he'd probably be able to Cure himself, thankfully.
Link looked over to Ventus, then back at Darunia. "Ven did most of the fighting. He's a lot stronger than I am. And Navi helped out a lot too."
"He's being modest." Navi interrupted. "Link, you fought well too! Don't sell yourself short!"
Darunia chuckled, looking the three over. "I'm sure you all did everything in your power to slay King Dodongo. And Ven, are you okay? You look pretty beat up."
"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." The teen replied, waving off the concerns. "Honestly, I should…probably be going."
"What? So soon? We haven't even gotten to celebrate!" The Goron argued, sounding disappointed. "You did so much, all three of you, and I was hoping we could have a party to show my gratitude."
A party sounded great, and it was actually pretty tempting! But…he couldn't. "I'm sorry. I just have someone I have to find. It's very urgent, and I just wanted to help Link and Navi with this." Ventus replied, standing his ground.
The Goron nodded, patting Ventus on the shoulder gently…at least gently for a Goron. The teen had to pretend like the solid smack to the shoulder didn't send jolts of pain through his body. "Well, I understand. It's a shame, but if you ever come by around again, we'll have another party."
Grinning, Ventus gave a nod. "It's a deal!" He looked to Link and Navi. "I hope you two are okay from here on. I can't stick around, even though I want to." The teen's heart was telling him it was time to go, that his search for Terra had to keep going on, and that the older Keyblade wielder wasn't in this world.
"We understand. And things should be fine from now on…hopefully…" Navi said, not sounding too sure. "We weren't sent here to really fight a monster, it was a surprise, you know? But that won't happen again, I'm hoping."
"I'll miss you, Ven. You'll come and visit sometime, right?" Link asked, looking up to the teen and seeming pretty let down.
Ventus would love to come back at some point, but he didn't know if he could. Maybe if he proved his worth in his personal journey, Master Eraqus will let him travel to some of the worlds he had been to previously. Not wanting to let Link down, the teen nodded. "Of course. I'll be back one day. I promise. I'm going to rest here for a few minutes, and then I'll be on my way."
"Well, no need for sad faces. Come on you two," Darunia said to Link and Navi. "I think it's time for a celebration! Good luck on your travels, Ven. I hope you find who you're looking for."
With an exchange of thanks and goodbyes, Ventus watched as his new friends went back down towards Goron City. Link looked back, offering a wave as they went down the path, which the teen returned.
Sighing a bit, Ventus waited until he was truly alone. Donning his armor, he changed Wayward Wind into its glider form, and he departed from Hyrule…
It had been hours since Terra had left the Mushroom Kingdom, from his perspective. The oddities of twisting time making it so his few hours had accounted for the entirety of Ventus' journey through Hyrule. He passed by a number of worlds in those few hours. What he was looking for was what Kammy had described to him; a badlands ravaged by war. Nowhere he passed matched that description that he could see. Not that he could see the entirety of each world as he passed them by anyway. He also let his heart guide him on where to go next.
He passed by several worlds that seemed inhospitable. One seemed to be only ocean, not a speck of land that he was able to spot. One seemed surrounded by dark fog and clouds that made viewing the actual surface impossible. There was one world that seemed to be an endless desert, where no one seemed to live. Not quite badlands, and no sign of war.
Oddly, Terra found himself being pulled towards a world that looked rather peaceful. He saw green fields, rolling hills, mountains, a massive lake, signs of peaceful existence. Unknowingly, he approached Hyrule. It didn't match what Kammy had said, but he felt his heart pull him towards the world that Ventus had long since left. Trusting in Master Eraqus' teachings and allowing his heart be his guiding key, Terra flew down towards the greenery below…
A/N: One trip to Hyrule down, just two to go.
I'm still trying to get the hang of action scenes, or rather ones that give me as much freedom as this story does. I'm so used to only writing Link fight in my Ocarina of Time novelization, and his abilities are naturally a lot more limited than with Ventus, Terra, or Aqua. Let me know how I'm managing, I'd love to get some feedback on that part of the story.
Also, I should say that time will kind of flow however I want it to or need it to in order for the story and world visits to go how I want. There won't be an explicit detailing on how much time passes in one world compared to another in particular. Enough time will just pass to suit my needs.