Aqua was surprised to see the field so empty. After all, it was right outside a bustling town! It was such a lovely day as well, so why was no one outside the town walls? Well, it hardly mattered in the end. In fact, it was rather convenient as it let the Keyblade Master land right outside the walls without fear of being caught.
After dismissing her glider and armor, Aqua took in a deep breath. The first new world she had gotten to go to in what felt like a lifetime. Of course, she wasn't there to stop and smell the roses. She had to find Terra or Ven!
Crossing the drawbridge into town, she noticed some armed, and armored, guards keeping watch. They looked at the newcomer quizzically but did little else. Even just after entering the town walls, Aqua could hear the buzz of people up ahead. She decided she would ask around and see if anyone had seen her friends. It was a good enough place as any to start, after all.
It would turn out to be a bit tougher than anticipated, however. Aqua reached a marketplace and saw that it was far more crowded than she anticipated. The center was pretty much just a crowd of people going about their day, with only stragglers at the edges that she could stop and talk to. Even so, she'd have to essentially yell to be heard.
Sighing lightly, Aqua got to work.
Unfortunately, her efforts didn't really get her anywhere. She stayed for a good hour or so, talking to anyone that would give her the time of day. The townsfolk would sometimes brush her off, citing they were too busy before walking off elsewhere down an alley or ducking into a shop. A few of them seemed perplexed by her appearance, which Aqua chalked up to her foreign clothing, or even her hair. She realized, though, that a number of them were staring at her ears. Not long after that, she realized that everyone there had pointed ears! She was so focused on getting information, she hardly noticed!
At the very least, no one did more than give her strange looks over it, so apparently it wasn't a big deal. Still, she was disappointed after asking countless townsfolk about Terra and Ven, with none of them having a clue what she was talking about. If the two had been in town, Aqua was sure someone would've recalled since they'd stick out like sore thumbs. She even asked one of the guards, feeling that at their stations, they'd see more people. No such luck, though.
Aqua sat on a bench at the edge of the marketplace, wondering if this was the right world to go to at all. Her heart had told her to go there, and she was drawn to the town, but it didn't seem to serve any purpose! She gazed up at the castle outside the town proper. A white tower especially catching her attention, the green pointed roof pointing defiantly to the heavens.
It reminded her of her own home.
Of course, her own home had been smaller, but still bordered on being a mansion and an outright castle. Not of royal blood, Aqua was still a noble. It was a comfortable, but not a happy life. Expectations and pressures on her were high as she grew up. She was expected to, essentially, be perfect. Tutors would bore knowledge that she would never use into her head. She was taught how to impress other noble children, especially the boys. She even learned to dance, her mother making sure she spent agonizing hours perfecting her moves.
She really didn't miss it at all and would be eternally grateful to Master Eraqus for finding her after she had run away. Aqua hadn't looked back and didn't miss her world at all. It may seem a bit bad she didn't miss her parents, but she felt like they didn't even love her anyway. She had to wonder if the people of the castle, assuredly royalty rather than nobility given its size, were better than her parents. Surely so…
Either way, Aqua didn't want to stick around the town with that castle looming overhead. Brought back too many bad memories. Besides, it was clear neither Terra nor Ventus were in the town anyway. She had seen a village from above, so she'd make her way towards it. The Keyblade Master had felt her heart guide her to this world for a reason, so she wouldn't leave without an idea of what that was. Heck, maybe Terra or Ventus were in that village…
As Aqua walked back across the drawbridge, she flinched lightly as she saw a figure at the other end. It was what seemed to be a man in a cloak, the hood up and all the features hidden. He even wore gloves so his hands couldn't be seen. She swore he wasn't there mere moments ago, like he just popped out of thin air! Maybe she just hadn't been paying close enough attention, distracted about her old world…
The figure was muttering to himself, not seeming to be aware of Aqua's presence. It was hard to her to make out everything he said, but she could make out a few words and phrases. "Boring…dull…waste of a trip…Goddesses…Pah!"
Aqua frowned lightly, clearing her throat as she grew near. "Sir? Are you alright?" She felt the need to at least make sure. Something did feel…off about the man, though. It wasn't something she could quite put her finger on, though…
"Hm? What?" The man asked, turning to Aqua. His hood was up so much and cast so much shadow over his face that it was impossible for the young woman to make out any explicit features. The stranger did seem oddly pale, though, but that was about all she could work out. "What did you say?"
"I asked if you were alright. You seemed to be upset at something." It wasn't really any of her business, and surely she wouldn't be able to help, but Aqua couldn't stop herself. She was, admittedly, a bit curious about the situation, especially with how unusual the man felt.
For a moment, the cloaked man was silent, as if contemplating something before replying. "This place is just a bore is all. I came here looking for something and couldn't find it!"
"What were you looking for?" Aqua couldn't help but be a bit curious about what got the man so frustrated.
Once more, the man didn't answer right away…then he shrugged. "I suppose there's no harm in telling you. I'm just looking for some gods, is all."
That wasn't the answer she was expecting! "Looking…for gods? What do you mean?" The Keyblade Master was wondering if the cloaked man was all there in the head. She was tempted to take a step back in case he lashed out or something…
"Yes, that's what I said, isn't it? The gods of my own world aren't any fun. Most of them have been banished, even." The man replied, sounding a bit testy and annoyed. He spoke of such things like they were a minor annoyance. "So, I went here to Hyrule. All they have are those Golden Goddesses, really, and a bunch of nobodies underneath them."
Another world? This man was a traveler too? What he was saying still didn't make a lot of sense, though, but clearly it did wherever he was from. At the very least, Aqua knew where she was! "And why were you looking for other gods?"
There was a bout of laughter from the cloaked figure. "Well, it's no fun to just say everything. I only told you that because I'm just that bored! Besides, you're not from my world, or this one, so there's hardly any harm…"
"Wait, how do you know that?" Aqua asked, actually taking a step back this time. If the guy made one move against her, she'd summon her Keyblade…
The man barked out again in laughter, apparently Aqua's reaction amusing to him. "Oh, I can just tell these things! I know you're not from around here, given your ears." He pointed out. "I'd love to stay and make you dance for my amusement, but there's so much to be done…"
It was the word 'dance' that really riled up Aqua. So much so that she even summoned her Keyblade. She didn't tend to let her anger get the best of her, but this man seemed like he was really up to no good! "Who are you?!"
Once more, the man laughed, not seeming intimidated in the slightest. Without a reply, he took his hood off. His face…or lack thereof…wasn't what Aqua had expected. Rather than flesh and bone, the man's face was…skeletal. A skull was staring back at her, glowing red orbs inside of its sockets. As he stared at her, Aqua let out a gasp of shock, getting another bout of laughter from the man. "What's wrong? Never seen a Mahjarrat before?!" He asked, cackling giddily as he suddenly vanished, teleporting away, leaving only a whisp of shadow in his wake.
Aqua looked about, thinking the creature, the Mahjarrat, would appear somewhere to attack her…but he didn't. Whoever that was, it seemed he had left the world somehow. The abilities of those across the Universe were vast and diverse, so someone who could so easily leave a world wasn't outside the realm of possibility.
Still, she felt a bit frustrated.
There was nothing she could really do against this figure that was clearly up to something nefarious. She had no idea where he went, what world to search for or anything like that. Aqua couldn't go after such a small target when she already had a mission! There was already the Unversed out there too, so she had her hands full. Sadly, a lot of villainous entities resided across the Universe, and that skeletal figure was just one of them…
Sighing, Aqua put her Keyblade away. Nothing she could do but just go on with her mission. She had recalled seeing a village at the base of a mountain off to the east. The young woman decided to head over to continue her search for Terra and Ventus.
The field was vast, but surprisingly empty. The town was so populated, but did they never leave the walls? Aqua didn't notice any sign of human activity in the field, even after an hour of walking! On top of that, the field seemed pretty peaceful too…so what was keeping them out?
Not long after the hour mark, Aqua spotted her first person! At the base of a small tree was a young boy. He couldn't have been older than ten, surely, and he was wearing all green. As she approached, the young woman noticed a few peculiar things. First off, leaning against the tree was a sword and a large metal shield. What would a child need things like that for? The second thing she noticed was a ball of blue light that was hanging around near him. Was that…a fairy? It surely was…
The young woman approached the boy, who lightly flinched as she approached. As this happened, the fairy took the air and kept between Aqua and the boy, as if shielding him. "Excuse me!" Aqua called as she approached, trying not to seem threatening. Clearly the boy was expecting danger with a weapon and shield like that. "Are you two okay out here?" The boy wasn't alone, technically, but the fairy didn't exactly seem powerful. Looks could be deceiving, though.
"We're fine." The fairy replied, a feminine voice coming from the orb. "What are you doing out in Hyrule Field? Don't you know it's dangerous?"
Dangerous? Really? It didn't seem too dangerous to her! Very pleasant, actually. "I didn't know that, actually. I'm on my way to the nearby village, actually." Aqua explained, glancing between the boy and his companion. "If it's dangerous, why are you two out here?"
"Kakariko Village? We're heading there too." The fairy replied, seeming to trust Aqua. Maybe she could sense that the Keyblade Master meant no harm? Who knew what powers she had?
"If that's the village at the foot of that large mountain, then yes." Aqua replied, glancing towards the imposing structure in question. It looked a bit ominous with that cloud of smoke around the peak…
The fairy paused, as if in thought. "You're not from around here, are you? What's your name?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I should have introduced myself. My name's Aqua, what are your names?" The young woman replied.
That got a noise of surprise from the fairy, while the boy stood up from the ground. "Aqua?" He asked, speaking up for the first time. His voice seemed somewhat dull, lacking strong emotion.
Looking closer, Aqua noticed the boy didn't seem to express much. On top of that, he had really noticeable dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't had a good sleep in weeks. She tried not to stare as she answered. "Yes? Why, have you heard of me?" Had Ventus and Terra been through here? Had they met this pair?
"You're Ven and Terra's friend, aren't you?" The fairy asked, seeming relieved.
Aqua's eyes widened, a grin spreading across her face. So, they had been through here! But…it seemed they weren't anymore. Or maybe they were somewhere nearby? "That's right! You really met them? When did this happen? Are they still here?"
The fairy shook her head, the movement barely visible with all the light she gave off. "They both left…but they never said where they went. This was…" She hesitated, as if the next part was hard to figure out for some reason. "…a few days ago."
A few days?! Aqua was mortified to hear such a long time had passed! Then again…time was a fickle thing at times. The Lanes Between and the various worlds went by different flows of time. Even though it was less than an hour between her initial departure and reaching this world, it was clearly a lot longer in Hyrule. That meant that Terra and Ventus could be in a nearby world or very far away. It was really hard to tell…
"I see." Was all Aqua said at first, withholding a sigh. "That's a shame to hear. Did they both seem okay to you?"
"Hm? Yeah, they seemed fine. Why?" The fairy replied before letting out a noise of realization. "Oh! By the way, my name's Navi, and this is Link.
Link gave a small nod of greeting but said nothing else. Seemed he was kind of shy…
"Good to meet the both of you. Glad that they were okay. I was just worried, is all." Aqua could move on…but there was one other matter. "Say, have there been…unusual creatures around lately?"
"You mean the Unversed?" Navi asked, folding her arms. "Ven and Terra fought them alongside us, they both helped us out a lot. I take it you have a Keyblade and all that too?"
Who told these two about what Keyblades were? Ven, if Aqua had to guess. "That's right. I take it neither of them found the source of the Unversed."
"Afraid not. We've had to fight far worse things than the Unversed anyway." Navi replied, sighing lightly. "Doesn't make our job any easier."
Well, it was worth asking. It sure would've been convenient if Terra or Ventus found out the source. The mention of a job got Aqua curious, though. "A job? What job? Is it the reason Link has a sword?" She decided to just ask Navi instead of the boy himself. He seemed pretty shy and clearly preferred that the fairy do the talking.
"It's pretty complicated…but we have an important mission to do." Navi looked to Link. "Is it okay if we tell her? We were pretty open with Terra and Ven…"
Link looked between the fairy and Aqua, a few moments passing before he started to gather up his gear, looking away from the two. "If you want to." He replied, almost dismissively.
Apparently Navi didn't like how Link responded, sighing lightly. "Well, I guess since you're friends with Terra and Ven, you're trustworthy." The fairy said. "We're on a quest to save Hyrule. At the moment this means we have to go to Kakariko Village and find something important called the Lens of Truth."
Aqua's eyes widened at that, for a moment thinking it was just a joke. But Navi's tone had been very serious. "Save the entire kingdom? Just the two of you?" That didn't seem right at all! "Why? Why a child and a fairy?"
Sighing, Navi looked over to Link as he got his gear all prepared. The boy would lean against the tree, still facing away from the girls. "He's fated to. The Goddesses put this fate on him." From the fairy's tone, she was clearly disgruntled about it. "We've gotten help from Terra, Ven, and some others, but it's still a lot on our shoulders."
That was awful! Given the gear Link had, it clearly involved some combat, and she recalled how Navi mentioned fighting the Unversed and even worse things. "Well…maybe I can help a bit. It's just over to the village, right?" She knew she had other things to do, but she just felt so bad. A part of her just really wanted to help protect the young boy if he needed it.
"You'd do that? Really?" Navi asked, seeming pretty surprised. "Are you sure? You're looking for your friends, and they've already left to somewhere else…"
"Just a bit of a wait won't hurt." Aqua insisted, offering a small smile to reassure the fairy. Time could be fickle and even a few hours could put her really behind…but she couldn't leave in good conscious without offering a bit of aid. Besides, her heart guided her to this world for a reason. Maybe it was to help Link and Navi? Especially since a kingdom was at stake.
"Thank you! It really shouldn't be long…and once we get the Lens of Truth, we'll have to go it alone from there." Navi explained, grinning with gratitude at the young woman before her.
That seemed a bit odd. "Why's that? There's more to this quest you're on than just getting this Lens of Truth thing, right?"
"It's complicated." Navi said, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm hoping you can just take my word for it here."
Aqua frowned lightly, but she hardly had any choice but to go along with it. Not like she could force the truth out of the fairy. "If you say so…I just hope I can help out."
"Thank you. Really, we're not even sure what we'll find. There's no telling what kind of obstacles, if any, will be where we need to go."
Link turned to the talking ladies, looking to Aqua. "Thank you. I appreciate the help." He said, though his tone was still kind of flat.
"It's no problem. If Unversed are involved here, it's also kind of my job to help anyway. Besides, if you two are friends of Terra and Ven, I consider you friends as well." And there was no way Aqua would just ignore friends in need. Especially since she never really had any since being taken to The Land of Departure. She knew kids growing up but calling them friends was quite a stretch. Not that this upset her. The four of them at The Land of Departure really only had each other for years, so she didn't feel she needed more.
But it was always nice to have more anyway.
"We appreciate that." The fairy responded, looking to Kakariko Village. "Now, let's get moving. Not too much farther now!"
The trio would head towards the village, Link walking ahead while Aqua and Navi lagged behind. For a bit, no one said much of anything. It was a bit awkward, and the Keyblade Master realized she hadn't had to make small talk with new people in years…
"What exactly is it that you were are going up against? I was just in that town back there and everything seemed just fine." Maybe it was a danger that hadn't made itself known yet? If fate and destiny and the like were involved, it could be something like they're preventing something from coming.
"It's a bit complex." Navi replied, sticking near Aqua and letting Link walk ahead. "There's a man named Ganondorf, and he's using dark magic to try and take over Hyrule. We have to stop him before he can actually carry out his plans…" The fairy didn't look at Aqua as she said this, almost like she wasn't entirely sure of what she was saying. Almost like she was hiding something…
"What if I took the fight to Ganondorf? I'm pretty adept at magic!" Aqua didn't want to be boastful, but if it was just one man, surely she could handle it.
"Well, we don't know where he is. And again, it's kind of complicated. Just trust us, this is the best course of action." Navi said, still not looking at Aqua as she spoke.
The young woman was certainly suspicious…but she let it go. Obviously she only knew the basic details about all of this. Maybe somehow a direct confrontation would make things worse, whether or not Aqua could actually defeat this Ganondorf guy…
"Alright…if you're sure…" Aqua replied, another pause forming. She had noticed that Link didn't look back at all or seem to want to engage in conversation. Quietly, the Keyblade Master spoke to Navi.. "Is Link okay? He's pretty quiet…" And his lack of emotion was unusual, but she felt odd about saying that out loud.
Navi sighed lightly, speaking quietly as well. "Link has just been through a lot. Even with the help we've gotten, he's lost some people very close to him. Don't ask him about this sort of stuff, though." The fairy lightly warned. "He's gotten a lot more solemn too, he's hiding away his emotions…"
A way to cope with the stress, maybe? Aqua had done something similar when she was young, though she obviously went through things a lot less severe than Link. Shielding away his emotions wasn't the best way to go about it, and after reaching out, the Keyblade Master could feel a lot of darkness in the boy's heart. "I understand. I won't ask him those kinds of things." Aqua replied, feeling bad for the child.
If Link had heard any of the conversation, he didn't make it known, not reacting in any sort of way.
Aqua decided to try and at least get to know the boy better, even if the three wouldn't be around for long. After she helped with this business with a lens, she'd have to leave. The Keyblade Master caught up to Link, walking alongside him. "So, Link, what is it we have to do exactly? I know we have to get that Lens of Truth thing, but where is it?"
Link looked to Aqua, his expression still not changing at all. "It's at the bottom of a Well, and it might be dangerous. We don't really know for sure."
That wasn't too helpful…and it seemed like an odd place to keep an object of importance! "Well, what does it do?" Aqua tried, wondering what the 'Truth' part of its name could mean.
"We don't know that either." Link replied with a light shrug. "All we know is it will be important."
Whoever sent these two on this errand were pretty bad at their jobs, it seemed. "Pretty odd, but okay. I'll still help. Especially if there's danger." Even if there weren't creatures lurking beneath that Well, Unversed could pop up!
"Thank you, I appreciate that." Link replied, still speaking in that unemotional drone. It really didn't make him seem too sincere. After a moment, he opened his mouth, closed it, then apparently changed his mind, and tried again. "So, you have one of those Keyblades too, right?"
Aqua smiled at his curiosity. "That's right. You want to see it?" Link gave a silent nod, prompting the young woman to stretch her arm out in front of her and summon her Keyblade. "I call it Rainfell. What do you think?"
"I like how it looks. The name too. Do you like the rain? Is that where it came from?" Link asked, looking the weapon over.
"That's right. Water in general, which is pretty fitting given what my parents named me." One thing she felt they did properly, she had to give them at least that much credit. "I always feel relaxed on rainy days, and I arrived at my newest home right after the rain fell." It had been a wonderful sight to her…
"Rain relaxes me too. It used to, at least." Link replied, looking back forward as Aqua put her weapon away. "Not so much anymore."
Probably just isn't enough with the things he went through. That's what Aqua assumed, at least.
Navi would just watch the conversation, smiling to herself. She realized that Aqua was just trying to help Link out as best as she could, so it didn't bother her to stay behind as the two talked.
The rest of the trip was spent in relative silence, sometimes Aqua would ask a bit more about what Terra or Ventus did and would get some short answers from Link or more detailed ones from Navi. The young woman was glad to hear that her friends were able to help out so much.
Within another hour, the trio would arrive at Kakariko Village. The sun was still high in the sky, and Aqua looked about the area. The large Windmill caught her eye instantly, and the fact that the place was quite peaceful compared to the town she went in beforehand. There were still people going about, but it was far calmer, which Aqua preferred.
They would walk up to the Well in question, which was filled nearly to the brim with water. Aqua frowned as they got close, her expertise in the Keyblade and studying the matters of the heart let her feel things others might not be able to. The young woman felt a sickening sort of darkness coming from the stone structure, nearly making her shiver despite the warm day. Looks like there'd be something lurking down there needing to be fought…
Before Aqua could speak her mind, Navi would pipe up. "You wait here, Link and I will be right back." She said, leading the boy up towards the Windmill.
"Where are you two going? We have to go down there, right?" Aqua asked, not able to stop herself from glancing at the Well. It really did feel off to her, and it made her skin crawl just standing next to it!
"That's what we're doing, we're going to drain the water. But you don't need to come with us for that." Navi replied as the two went out of earshot, leaving Aqua by herself.
The Keyblade Master stared at the water. It seemed like a perfectly normal Well, the water inside being normal too. What was this feeling, though? It was though something sinister was somehow staring back at her, but she couldn't see anything. Aqua glanced about, eyeing the villagers. None of them seemed bothered, not even the ones that drew close to the Well. Did they just not feel it at all?
Aqua's thoughts were interrupted as a loud crack of thunder boomed overhead. She flinched as she looked up, eyes widening as grey clouds rolled in at unnatural speeds. Rain soon followed as another crash of thunder rang out. Her eyes were then drawn to the Windmill, which started to spin a lot faster in response! When this happened, the water started to drain away in the Well! Before long, the Well was entirely empty, a ladder being revealed in the form of metal rungs along the inside.
While this happened, the door to the Windmill flew open as Link and Navi came out, a man's yelling coming from inside. Whoever the man was, he didn't seem to follow the two, though. When the boy and fairy reached the Well again, Aqua looked to the storm above and then back to them. "Was…the storm you guys? Did you do this?" It seemed unusual, but different worlds meant different types of magic and other laws…
"Yes." Link replied bluntly, staring down into the Well. "We knew that the song I played would make the Well drain."
A song did this? Aqua wanted to know more, but there was time for talk later. "Okay, that's fair. Let's get going then. I'll climb down first." After all, if there was trouble down there, she wanted to be at the front to combat it.
Getting no argument from the boy or fairy, Aqua started to climb down the rungs. The further she went down, the worse the dark feeling grew. It also started to really smell like something rotten…
She'd soon reach the bottom, the only thing down there being a sort of cave-like entrance. It was like a yawning void, going further into heavy and consuming darkness. She summoned her Keyblade, wanting to be cautious, and nearly jumped when Link joined her. Navi provided some light, but not enough to see into the darkness.
Following Aqua's example, Link drew his sword…but it seemed his shield was too big for him to use. It was like a turtle's shell, almost too big just for his back! Without a word, the two stepped into the darkness, Navi staying between them and lighting the way as best as she could.
Crossing the threshold, the smell got even worse, and the unusual feeling intensified further. It made Aqua feel sick to her stomach, and it didn't help that she had to squint to see. Along with Navi's light, there was an odd, green sort of glow that just barely made the area around them visible.
The trio found themselves in a dank hallway of sorts, unnatural with smooth stonework. There was water on the floor, making light noises as Aqua and Link walked. A sense of dread hung in the air, as if the three crossed into a place where they didn't belong.
None of them said anything, making their way slowly down the hall. While none of the three would say it, they were all had a growing fear of their environment. Even though there had been no danger, there was the odd feeling that something would jump out from the darkness at any given moment. There were other tunnels branching off, but they were more natural tunnels, only dirt and loose stone. The trio decided to stick with the main hallway for the moment.
They nearly cried out when a loud crunching sound filled the air. Looking about, they saw nothing. No creature or monster that would be responsible. Slowly, Link looked down. "Oh…" He murmured, prompting Navi and Aqua to look as well. Something that the three neglected to notice was that, strewn along the hallway, were bones! Some were impossible to identify, but a few of them seemed alarmingly human…
"How did those get here? Is there another way down into the passageway?" Navi asked, barely speaking above a whisper. "Unless these were here from a long time ago. A man's house used to be where the Well stood." She said this last part to Aqua. "The Man Who Could See the Truth. We heard a rumor about him, it was how we knew to look here…and it's said he may have done some dark rituals…"
Certainly an unsettling thought! Aqua grimaced at the bones, not wanting to think about what had happened there in the past. Link's expression didn't change, but his breathing got heavier, panicking lightly while trying not to show it.
While this happened, a wave of paranoia struck the three even more intense than before! Out of thin air before them, a small group of Unversed appeared! Three Spiderchests and at least a dozen Floods were in the hallway! The former group appeared behind, while the latter in front.
The Keyblade Master felt these had to be the Unversed, given how they gave off odd emotions as they appeared. Aqua had to wonder, though, did she take the bigger ones in fewer number or the smaller and weaker looking ones that there were more of? She decided to take on the Spiderchests, wondering if Link's sword could pierce through the chest part of them. "I'll take the ones in the back!" She called, running towards her opponents. Of course, if Link needed an extra hand, she'd be happy to oblige.
The Spiderchests lunged at Aqua, lashing out with their sharp and metallic legs and trying to stab at her. The young woman was able to dodge easily, light on her feet. Not quite as fast as Ventus, but she was able to change trajectory on a dime. She would even balance on her toes or lift a leg, somewhat of a parody of the ballet that her parents were force to do as a kid. She implemented it into her combat style, a way of making something she hated as a child into something she could use in her own, personal way.
Getting in close, Aqua let out a cry of effort as she swung Rainfell at the nearest Spiderchest. The Unversed wasn't quick enough to dodge, but it closed its body up so the Keyblade smacked against its side. This didn't destroy the creature, but it did make it stagger. Aqua didn't relent, hitting the Unversed again and knocking it onto its side.
While this was happening, Link stared down the Unversed ahead of him. They twitched in place, watching to see what the boy did first. He readied his sword, holding it out as he gathered strength. With a cry, he spun in a circle just as a few Floods started to attack!
These Floods would never reach their target, however. From the spin came an attack, an Aero spell that was geared to offense rather than defense. A small whirlwind, barely as tall as Link himself, was summoned. This spell shot forward, sweeping up the attacking Floods and hurtling them in different directions. Some went to the walls, slamming into them and vanishing into mist on impact. Others went into the ceiling while another was knocked into a Flood that never attacked.
Link didn't give the remaining Unversed a chance to do much. He'd charge forward, swinging his sword as he got close. His skills had improved a lot since Terra and Ventus left Hyrule, so he was able to dispatch of the remaining Floods before any of them could land a hit.
Aqua was too busy to see everything that happened with Link, but she at least saw his spell, surprised that he had a technique available to him. She couldn't do much else though, as the two upright Spiderchests went to attack her again. The Keyblade Master leapt into the air, slamming one of the Unversed's bodies closed before hopping to the floor and swiping its legs from under it, knocking it to the floor. When the remaining one charged, she stabbed Rainfell forward, the Spiderchest snapped its body onto the Keyblade, catching it.
Just what she wanted.
The mage let out a powerful Fire spell, getting through all defenses the Unversed had and blowing it to pieces. During this time, the other two Spiderchests had gotten up and rushed toward Aqua. With a flick of the Keyblade, she put up a spherical barrier around herself, knocking the foes back. Light on her feet, she'd attack before they could recover at all, striking into the unexposed parts of their bodies and defeating both of them.
With the hallway cleared, Aqua looked to Link. "You really did a good job!" She praised, feeling a lot of the paranoid sensation that overcame the trio diminishing. Some still remained, though, but that seemed to just be how the Bottom of the Well was in general. "Did you get hurt at all?"
Link looked away as if bashful, even though his expression didn't really change. "Thank you. I'm fine. You were impressive…" The boy replied, trailing off like he didn't know what to say.
Navi tittered silently, Link not noticing. "He's gotten a lot better at fighting since we started out."
"I take it those were the Unversed." Aqua said, brushing aside Link's mild awkwardness. It was endearing, a bit. "Since you two have more experience with them than I do."
"That's right." The fairy replied. "They just pop up at random sometimes…unlike almost anything we've fought otherwise."
"Almost? What's almost?" Aqua couldn't help but be curious.
Navi sighed, crossing her arms. "There are these other creatures, called-"
The fairy's words would be cut off by a strange scuttling sound coming from the darkness in a nearby branching passage. They flinched lightly, peering into the darkness, but couldn't see anything. "Let's just move for now…" Aqua suggested, wanting to avoid battle when possible.
"Good idea…" Navi murmured, wanting to keep quiet as the three kept on moving.
Things weren't too eventful for the next few minutes, the passage going on a lot longer than they had expected. Just how far did this hallway go, and who made it all? Conversation was kept to a minimum, all three worried that speaking unnecessarily might attract unwanted attention from something lurking in the darkness.
Eventually, a doorway off to one side came into view. Beyond it was one single, medium sized room. "Let's check in here. The Lens of Truth could be anywhere." Navi suggested.
"You'd know better than me." Aqua pointed out, going inside the room first. The area was mostly barren, just loose dirt floors and walls, with some bones across the floor. Though, of note, were four stone coffins without lids. On the wall on the far side of the room, a painting had been placed. It was of a demonic face, resting on clawed hands and giving an impossibly wide grin. There were no eyes, just black holes…yet it seemed to somehow be staring gleefully at the trio at the same time.
"They might be in one of these coffins. Let's search…" Navi said, each one going to a different coffin.
Aqua peered inside, grimacing lightly at what she saw. Inside was, as she expected, was a corpse. She just hadn't been quite prepared for it. The skin had been dried, so it didn't smell much compared to the general stench of the tunnels. It was also wrapped up in white bindings. Aside from the corpse, however, there was nothing.
The Keyblade Master was about to search the fourth coffin when Link's scream came from behind her. Whipping around, Aqua blurted out a "What?!" at the sight. There was another mummified corpse from the coffin Link searched, but this one was animated! It was grabbing onto his sword arm, digging its rotting nails into his flesh. Navi flew over, trying to use her light to blind the creature, but it didn't seem bothered at all!
Rainfell ready, Aqua charged forward, ready to cut the living cadaver's arm right off! As she approached, however, the thing looked right at her. Its mouth hung open, and it let out a horrific, unearthly screech! Somehow, just this action made the young woman halt in her tracks, her body paralyzed! Link and Navi were affected the same way, freezing in place as the creature lunged at the boy. It bit down on his neck, eliciting a scream of pain from him.
Aqua's teeth barred as she grunted in effort, having to help her friend. Every fiber of her being was screaming for her body to just move! When Link let out another cry of pain as the creature gnawed at him, she managed to take a step! Grunting in effort, she forced her body to go forward, taking slow steps as she got close. The living corpse turned to her, opening its maw for another scream.
Before it could do so, however, Rainfell swiped through the hair, slicing its head clean off with a single attack! Its head toppled to the floor, free of blood, as its body went slack. Aqua helped push it off Link, who was panting heavily and finally expressing emotion with a look of fear and panic on his face. Thankfully, the creature's teeth weren't too sharp, so the bite on his neck wasn't severe.
"Are you alright?" Aqua asked anyway, the mark still looking pretty sore. "What was that thing?"
Link regained his ability to move, standing up and staring at the now headless corpse. He didn't say anything, though.
"We don't know. We've encountered something like that before…that scream…" Navi said, patting Link on the face. "Hey, it's fine. It's gone now…" She assured her partner.
Unfortunately, that was just one. Groaning came from the other three coffins as the bodies inside started to rise out. "I'll handle this. I can attack from afar much easier." Aqua said, not sure if that Aero spell could take out one of those things. She stood between her companions and the approaching monsters.
Raising her Keyblade, Aqua thought over which spell to use. Thunder probably wouldn't even work on living corpses. Could they feel pain or get electrocuted properly? Fire would just burn the bandages, and then they'd have to deal with walking, burning monsters. "Blizzard!" She shouted, firing off biting cold magic at her foes.
It was a good choice in magic, one strand of the spell hitting one of the foes scare on the mouth, a chunk of ice forming over it and preventing it from screaming. One got hit in the legs, stopping it from shambling forward. The last was hit with the brunt of the spell, nearly its entire body freezing over save for a bit of one of its arm, which still grabbed out uselessly.
Aqua performed a strike raid, shattering the third of the monsters, the Blizzard having frozen it entirely through. She charged at the one with frozen legs, catching Rainfell before slicing its head off before it could scream. That saved only the one with a frozen mouth, which she bisected as it approached which was enough to kill it for good.
She stood there, looking around at the awful creatures. This was the first time she really killed anything. Unversed didn't count in her mind given their nature of vanishing into a mist and their ties of feeding off emotion and maybe even being a result of such things? It'd explain the odd aura they gave off…but that was just Aqua theorizing.
The young woman wasn't sure how to feel about it…but then again, calling those shambling corpses living and abled to be 'killed' was rather generous. She shook it off, just ignoring it. They were evil anyway, so no reason to feel bad about it!
"Oh wow…you really are skilled with magic. Ven was right…" Navi said, Link rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. The neck, as it happened, was now free of marking!
"Thank you. But what happened to your wound, Link?" Aqua asked as she approached.
The boy held a bottle of red liquid in his hand, having drank it while Aqua took out the three monsters. "A Red Potion. It heals wounds." He replied, now stoic once more. "Sorry you had to save me like that."
Aqua shook her head, though impressed by the healing properties of that potion. "Hey, don't worry! I just have spells I can use to go against things like that better, that's all." She assumed Link had no other magic, at least, as he didn't seem too magically inclined. After all, he used a potion rather than magic to heal…
Link looked like he wanted to argue, even opening his mouth, but closed it with a light shrug.
Navi went over to the last coffin and quickly peered inside. "There's no Lens of Truth in here anyway. Nothing in any of these coffins, it seems. There was nothing in yours, right?" She said to both Link and Aqua, who shook their heads. "Then we'll need to keep going."
Trying to shake off what had happened, the three left that horrid room behind and the painting whose smile seemed almost a bit wider…
The hallway didn't go on long after that. At least, not straight. They hit a wall, with a single paved path leading to the left. It was what was at this wall, though, that made them stop in their tracks. There was a massive set of double doors made of stone, big enough where they reached the ceiling! Thick ropes crisscrossed over it with papers on them written in a language that none of them could read. Notably, the door had no handles, indents, knobs, or any clear way of opening it.
Of course, none of them would want to open it. A sickening feeling emanated from the doors, practically suffocating in nature. It was a type of darkness that none of them had felt before, and if luck was on their side, would never feel ever again.
"What…is that…?" Aqua asked, feeling tense as though the doors would burst open any moment. She had a similar feeling as she did in The Lanes Between, as she felt the gaze of otherworldly beings on her. It was on a smaller scale, but much more focused.
"A monster is on the other side." Navi explained, shivering lightly. "Bongo Bongo. We were told it was sealed underneath here. It's not what we're for. We need to just move on."
Link was way ahead of the ladies, moving down the hall without a word, the knuckles of his sword hand noticeably white as he gripped his weapon hard.
Aqua watched as Navi followed the boy, then she glanced back to the door. The Keyblade Master had to wonder what kind of creature it was, her curiosity getting the better of her. She didn't dare approach the door, though, and simply followed her companions.
The feeling of being watched and that suffocating sensation went away bit by bit with each step they took. Soon, it was basically gone, and by that point the trio found themselves at another room. The hall ended there, no more branching pathways. Stepping inside, they stopped and stared at the disturbing site.
Like the last room, it was loose with dirt and rock, not paved like the hallway. There was one piece of furniture, a sort of stone altar on the other side of the room. On it was a small stand where a strange purple magnifying glass rested. While that did catch their eye, it was the other things in the room that prevented them from going any further.
Out of the floor were arms. Four long, rotting limbs sprouted from the floor like horrid trees. The skin was pale white with red blotches that looked disturbingly like blood. They ended with claw-like hands with matching red nails that were horribly long and chipped. These limbs swayed about, almost like branches in a breeze.
The trio was stunned. How did one approach something like this? Aqua could attack from afar, yes, but what if doing so was a bad idea? What if it triggered something terrible? After all, those arms had to be attached to something and none of them wanted to see what that was.
"How do we tackle this?" Aqua asked, keeping Rainfell at the ready. So far, the arms didn't seem to react to their presence, though the three of them didn't dare venture any further into the room.
"I'm afraid if the arms get attacked, something might come out of the floor. Something even worse." Navi replied, staring at the swaying limbs with a look of disgust.
Link gripped his sword tight, staring at the Lens of Truth. "We're so close…I think I have to try and sneak by."
"You're sure? I'm sure we can figure something else out…" Navi didn't know what that something else would be, though.
"I'm smaller and lighter so I'd sneak by better, right" Link asked, continuing to keep his focus on the Lens of Truth. "Aqua is bigger than me, and you're too small to pick the lens up, Navi."
Aqua didn't like that plan either…but she liked the idea of purposefully stirring whatever was beneath the floor a lot less. "It might be for the best. I'll keep Rainfell ready in case things go sour."
Navi still didn't seem satisfied, but sigh and crossed her arms. "Okay, fine. But I'm sticking with you, Link."
Giving a slight nod, Link slowly made his way forward. He took slow, soft steps and kept his sword at the ready. It was more of a shuffle than a walk, and he tried to keep directly in the center, so he was as far from each arm as possible. As she said, Navi stayed by the boy's side, standing on one of his shoulders. All Aqua could do was stay by the entrance, holding her breath and keeping ready to jump in if needed.
Link was about halfway across the room, and nothing happened. The arms kept swaying as if in a breeze, the hands not even twitching as their clawed hands stretched towards the ceiling.
Without warning, however, that all changed. One of the arms sprang to life, stretched downward and grabbing Link by the throat! The boy hadn't done anything different; it was as if he had somehow stepped on an invisible switch and the limb reacted to it. Regardless of what happened, it was too late to turn back.
The boy let out a strangled noise as he swiped at the arm, but the rotting flesh was a lot more durable than it seemed, and his sword wasn't able to cut through all the way. Navi wasn't able to do much except take to the air and buzz around Link's head. It wasn't as though she had combative magic, and the arm had nothing for her to at least ram into to stun it like an eyeball.
Aqua, however, could do quite a bit more. Or so she thought. Instantly, she charged forward, but was halted just as fast. Her feet suddenly felt as though they were glued to the floor, and when she looked down, she gaped at what she saw. Two more hands had erupted from the dirt, grabbing at her feet, and preventing her from moving! They had come up so fast and so silently, and their grips were like iron!
On top of this, another one of the arms triggered, reaching towards Aqua. Unlike Link, Rainfell was a lot stronger than his sword and one swipe was all it took to cut the limb up and save herself from being strangled. However, something else cropped out of the floor as soon as this happened.
Close to Link, a horrid shape sprouted from the dirt. It was a white mass with similar red blotches as the arms. Its skin seemed half-rotten, taught around the muscle and bone. The figure was hunched, pincer-like hands and no legs to speak of with its lower half just melding into the floor. Its neck was long, stretching out in front of it and ending with a horrid face with gnashing teeth and dark pits for eyes.
The creature turned its empty gaze on Link, who still wasn't able to cut through the arm all the way. It slithered towards him, somehow able to move forward by shifting its body through the floor. Its teeth clacked together as it got close, opening its maw wide and ready to bite into the boy's flesh.
Aqua prepared to throw Rainfell in a Strike Raid, but yet another arm burst from the ground and grabbed her arm, not allowing her to finish the attack. As this happened, a dozen more arms came from the floor. Six in front of the stone altar and another six blocking the exit. Just how many arms did this thing have?!
Link was starting to panic, yelling out as the creature got closer. As it closed in, he was able to finally cut through the arm, the hand letting go of his throat. He charged at the creature and stabbed at its neck, causing it to let out a gurgling roar. Disturbingly, though, this didn't kill it. The boy readied another attack, but the monster actually turned tail and started to run!
Before Link could chase after the entity, yet another hand burst from the floor and grabbed at his ankle, stopping him from moving forward. The cowardly monster would then burrow underneath the floor.
Then nothing. No more arms, and the creature didn't emerge again.
"Come on, we have to get free!" Aqua called, making Rainfell vanish and summoning it to her free hand. Though it wasn't her dominant hand, she was still able to slice through the rotting limb grabbing at her arm. Then, carefully, she cut apart the hands grabbing at her feet, freeing herself.
Link followed suit, cutting through the hand, and rubbing at his neck once he was free.
"Are you okay? It looked like it choked you pretty hard…" Navi said, eyeing the bruise along Link's neck and the nail marks
"I'll be fine." He said, gripping his sword and looking about. Neither he nor Aqua wanted to move from the spot, risking triggering the creature's emergence.
Aqua was prepared to strike, but…there was nothing to strike at. Only the arms blocking the Lens of Truth and the exit, but that wouldn't stop the main creature. "I think it'll just stay underground unless we act." The Keyblade Master pointed out. "I'll be the bait!"
Before Link could argue, Aqua took a step forward, and the result was almost instantaneous. Two arms would shoot out from the floor, one grabbing the top of the young woman's head while another dug its claw into her leg. This would summon the monster again, the unsettling beast slithering towards Aqua and practically drooling as its maw opened up wide.
Link tried to charge forward, but once more the plans were thwarted as yet more hands shout out and impeded him. One got his sword arm while another got his opposite foot. He had tried to dodge the attacks, but the limbs just came out so quickly!
The Keyblade Master waited until the monster got close before using Rainfell to sever the arms. This quickly got the beast to start a retreat, but Aqua wasn't allowing it to happen! If she moved, more arms would appear, even if she tried a Strike Raid! Channeling the magic in her Keyblade, she pointed the weapon at the retreating creature.
With a cry, she unleashed a Gravity spell, an invisible force slamming down on the monster. It let out another, raspy cry as its body slumped to the ground, unable to much more than twitch. The force was so strong that even the arms sprouting from the floor buckled under the pressure and freed Link!
"Hurry, take care of it! I need to hold it!" Aqua said, surprised at how much resistance she was getting. Despite being so cowardly, the creature fought back quite a bit, perhaps its main body under the floor far bigger than she imagined. More body mass meant more effort she'd have to put into keeping it still…
Link didn't hesitate, running at the creature and driving his blade right into its forehead. It squirmed harder, fighting desperately as the boy pulled the sword out and stabbed it in the head again, grimacing at the sight of the writhing creature. After a few moments, though, it went entirely still.
Aqua let the spell go as the monster started to quickly rot away, its flesh, muscle, and bone turning into what seemed to be ash. The arms followed the same pattern, disintegrating and allowing access to the Lens of Truth and the exit.
Panting lightly, the two fighters stared at the pile of ash that once was the monster. "What was that thing…?" Aqua asked, looking to her companions.
"I have no idea…" Navi answered, letting out a light shiver. "I don't think I really want to know. I'm just glad it's gone…" She looked to the stone altar. "But now we can get the Lens of Truth! We can leave!"
Link nodded, quickly going over, and grabbing the Lens of Truth and putting it through his belt. After that, the trio promptly made their way out of the Well. They practically ran past the door sealing Bongo Bongo, and through the rest of the passageway as well. Terrible sounds rang from the darkness, scuttling and raspy calls of unknown creatures, but nothing impeded their progress directly.
After the three emerged from the Well, they saw it was still raining. No one was around in the village, everyone seeking shelter from the storm that seemed to just come from nowhere. Link and Aqua sat against a nearby home, the roof sticking out just enough to shelter them from the rain. Navi rested on Link's shoulder, watching as the boy drank some more Red Potion, the wounds on his body quickly fading.
He gave the bottle to Aqua, who took a small sip as well. It tasted pretty bad, but she felt the bruises and nail marks from where that thing grabbed at her start to fade away. She kept her eyes ahead as she handed the bottle back to Link and he put it back in his bag.
Aqua hadn't expected her first outing to be quite like this. This was the first world she got to freely visit since going to The Land of Departure, and she found herself in some sort of nightmarish crypt. The paranoid feeling and the darkness ebbed away, but she still felt a shiver go through her at the memory of that horrid, hunched monster.
She felt she'd be fine, though. While this was her first real combat experience, this was what she had been trained for over the years under Master Eraqus. Aqua was prepared to go off and potentially fight the horrors of other worlds, it's what Keyblade users were destined to do. Actually going out and doing it was a whole other matter, though. Especially since everything seemed so fine at the get-go with this world.
The young woman looked to Link, who stared silently ahead, his hands at his sides and grabbing fistfuls of grass. By this point, he had gotten back to being stoic in his facial expression. "How are you feeling? You okay?" She couldn't help but ask. Link reminded her a bit of Ven, in a way. Younger than her, blonde hair, blue eyes…it was mostly in the appearance, but she couldn't help seeing a bit of her friend in the Hylian.
Link didn't look at Aqua, just staring ahead at the falling rain. The thunder, at least, was a lot more distant than before. Rather than cracking booms, it was a distant rumble by this point. "I'm fine. The potions really help a lot."
"That's true, but it's not what I meant." Aqua clarified, looking back to the rain. "You know, it's fine to show that you're afraid or upset. There's nothing wrong with that." She didn't know the exact reasons for it, but she assumed it was just his way of coping with the situation he was in, hiding what he felt. If the Bottom of the Well was the kind of stuff Link had done before on his quest, she could understand a need to do that.
The boy was quiet for a moment, as was Navi. The fairy apparently decided to just let the two talk on their own. "It feels like there is sometimes."
"Even if it feels that way, you shouldn't block yourself off like that. If you push down what your heart feels, that can hurt you in the long run." Aqua said, watching how the rainfall danced across the grass in front of them. "I'm sure all your friends will understand that. You shouldn't be afraid to show others what's in your heart. If that's a problem for anyone, they aren't really your friends." She couldn't say she knew Link's entire situation or if all that pertained to him, but it was still something she thought he should know.
"She's right. See? This is the fifth person that's told you that since all this started." Navi piped up.
Unfortunately, Link didn't seem too convinced. If he was hiding away his heart, it would take time to break him out of a funk like that. "Okay. I'll think about it." He replied, looking to the sky as the rain started to stop.
The boy stood up, and Navi took to the air. "That's all I ask." The fairy said before turning to Aqua. "This is where we have to split up, like I said earlier. Sorry for the secrecy about it."
Aqua stood up too, actually feeling a bit better after that talk and getting to watch the rain. "I understand." After all, she had her own secrets she was keeping from the two. "I just wish I could help more."
"You did plenty, don't worry about that." Navi said, smiling brightly at Aqua, though her own natural light made it hard to see. "Thank you for everything."
"Thank you." Link echoed, looking up to Aqua. He raised his arms for a brief moment before quickly putting them to his side and shuffled awkwardly.
The Keyblade Master gave a smile in return. "It's no problem, we're friends after all. Maybe someday I can visit again."
Navi paused before replying. "Maybe! Hopefully!" She turned to Link. "Come on, Sora and the others are waiting."
Link nodded, offering Aqua a very small smile which quickly went away. "Thank you again." He said as he walked off back towards the village entrance, his fairy companion flying with him.
Aqua had noticed the smile. It was a start! Waving the too off, she wondered why that Sora person and the others hadn't gone with Link and Navi here? Well, there was surely a reason.
The young woman felt that it was time to leave the world. After all, Ventus and Terra weren't there, and Navi insisted that the saving of the kingdom was a bit more of a complex subject than Aqua realized. So, there was no reason to stay.
It was a shame her first outing to a new world had such awful encounters, but at least she made some new friends. She just hoped when this was all over that Master Eraqus would let her visit. It may not be too terribly likely, but who knew? She also hoped that Link and Navi would be alright, as well as Hyrule itself.
That skeletal creature at the drawbridge worried her lightly, but there was nothing feasible Aqua could do about it. Link's situation made her think of Ven a bit. Apparently he was worried that the others at The Land of Departure thought little of him, which of course wasn't true. How long had he been hiding the feelings of his heart like Link had?
The sooner she found him, the sooner she'd be able to ask him herself.
With the village still empty from the rain, Aqua quickly donned her armor and summoned Rainfell. Converting it to its glider form, the young woman flew off towards the sky, leaving Hyrule and prepared to go where her heart guided to her next…
A/N: With that, Hyrule is officially done. I really wanted to get this into one chapter because of how long the story has been in this world. And pretty amusingly, in my Ocarina of Time novelization, the current chapter at the time of writing was the Bottom of the Well. Total coincidence that this happened, but I thought it was kind of funny.
Sowing a few seeds for future plots there with that mysterious figure at the Castle Town's drawbridge. I love doing stuff like that, so I couldn't resist. I'm hoping I'm doing combat alright, but I'm hoping once I can write out some bigger fights with characters that aren't monsters and the like, I can expand on them more. Dead Hand is a pretty limited creature, so not a lot to do there. Especially with how powerful Aqua is in comparison.
Either way, please let me know what you think, all reviews and criticisms and the like are welcome.