Chapter Eighteen:
"I think the best way we can approach this is to split up, we don't have enough time to get everything together," Link was saying after they had left Kakariko. "I can get the Leever sack and the Biris, they're more difficult, and you can take care of the Poe, the Octarok tentacles, and while you're at Lake Hylia you can pick up a Loach. Got it Fin?"
"Yes, when do you want to meet?" Loraefin confirmed.
"Here at the steps of Kakariko by mid-day tomorrow. Then we should have enough time to get the antidote and save the Zora OK?"
"Got it."
Link thought for a moment.
"Navi why don't you go with her, she doesn't know how to get everything or where it is."
"Sure Link," she said quietly, "just be careful OK?" Link grinned.
"Me? Not careful? The very thought…" He laughed.
"So back here by noon tomorrow right?"
"Right."
Link decided that it would probably be best to retrieve the stomach sack of the Leever first, after all it was the farthest out of his way and would take the most time. Plus he could take Navi and Loraefin and drop them off at Lake Hylia, killing two birds with one stone. So with this decided he called Epona and the three went racing off down Hyrule field. Once at the massive gates of the lake they parted, Link in one direction, Navi and Loraefin in another.
***
Once again Link found himself at the Gerudo fortress and was greeted warmly by Tiamra and the rest of the Gerudo who at once let him though the gates to the Haunted Wasteland. The sand blew and blurred his vision, but this was no problem for him, he had only traveled this path a dozen times before. Some rouge Leevers stalked him through the clouds of dust, making Link constantly roll to avoid them. Unfortunately these were not the ones to grab though, when he made it to the Desert Colossus then would he be able to complete his task.
"I hate those stupid Leevers," he commented to himself. "Makes this whole thing a lot harder on a person," Link spots the flag markers signifying the entrance to the Colossus and gladly veers toward them. Exhausted from running Link flops down on the steps of the Spirit Temple to rest. Lying back, he curiously looks up at the giant statue on the front of the temple. After a few moments to catch his breath, Link finally got up and started to attend to the task he traveled all this way to do.
First in the order of operations was to cast 'Nayru's Love', a spell that created a protective shield around a person to protect them from harm, very similar to what Ruto had done for her father. Gingerly Link walked off the steps on which he stood and strode out a few paces. Like he had predicted, four Leevers appeared out of the sand and came hurtling toward him at an incredible pace. Link readied his sword and slashed the first Leever to come at him. It shrunk away below the sand; Link started to dig for it. Thankfully for Link Nayru's Love lasted a long time, time enough for him to dig a foot or so below the sand and fish out the Leever's expired body. Dragging it to a safe place was another matter; just calculating Link estimated that this slug-like creature weighed almost two hundred pounds. But thanks to Link's brute strength (and patients) he finally managed to bring it back to the steps of the Spirit Temple.
This part of the task he could do without, he now had to cut the Leever open and locate its stomach wherever that was. As precise as he could be Link sliced the deceased body open, revealing the unpleasant inner organs among other things.
"By the Gods this smells awful!" Link exclaimed as he twitched his nose at the repulsive scent. "It's so strong…and," he coughs, "oh jeez never mind! It just smells bad!" Reluctantly Link sorted his way through the Leever's intestines and other bodily viscera to locate the stomach sack. The sensation was wet and sticky on his fingers. He was surprised to see how elaborate the inside of a Leever actually was, he had to have seen at least twenty different organs inside of the five-foot body in front of him. But within the hour Link's search came to a stop when he had finally located the sack…or at least one of them.
"Oh great," Link moaned irritated, "which one do I take?"
In front of him were four separate stomachs, almost exactly identical. Link picks the largest one and places it inside of the pouch hanging on his back.
"An offering to you Nabooru," Link said comically with an over killed bow. Laughing to himself he turned and started to head back toward the Gerudo Fortress.
***
"OK, over there is an Octarok Loraefin," Navi said in high spirits, "over by where the river feeds into the lake. Just walk over there and when he starts to shoot things at you, reflect them with your shield, kill it, and then poof! That's it! Easy as Deku berry pie."
"You make it sound to easy," Loraefin said cautiously. "I have a feeling it's not going to be as relaxed as I should hope."
"Just block with your shield and you'll be fine," Navi said hoping to give Loraefin some courage. Loraefin took a deep breath.
"OK, I can do this, I will do this."
"That's the spirit!"
"What if that thing swims to me and pulls me under?" Loraefin said in a panicky tone. "Or what if it has friends? Te elreth no barnet dus te'm doona!"
"It won't, trust me," Navi assured her, "and the same to whatever else to said."
Timidly the girl steps into the water. She wasn't prepared for the rate at which the Octarok fired the blasts; she didn't have time to get her shield up. The first shot from the octopus-like creature smacked directly into her arm, knocking her over and into the water. She hissed in pain from the stinging sensation crawling up her forelimb, plus the fact that she was now soaking from head to toe. A second and a third were shot with a similar effect, only this time Loraefin remembered to pick her shield.
"Aim toward the left a little more!" Navi coached from the sidelines. "Come on! You almost got em' that time!"
After several minutes of tennis between Loraefin and the Octarok she was finally successful at striking it down. Slowly she waded out to where to the dead creature floated on the surface of the water. Looking away and closing her eyes tightly shut, Loraefin timidly grabbed onto a loose tentacle that was drifting closest to her. At its slimy touch Loraefin immediately drew back her arm and quickly moved away.
"That's disqueta!" She yelled half laughing at her own squeamishness, "ew!" Again she moved toward the squid and forced herself to hold on, though she dreaded every moment of its oily touch. With much hassle and fuss Loraefin was able to drag the languid body back to the shore. She walked out of the water shaking her hand profusely. "Ew, ew, ew, and yuck!"
Taking out her small dagger that she 'borrowed' from her father, Loraefin carefully started to cut the fleshy purple appendages that were the Octarok's tentacles. She stripped about three of them from the main body and placed them inside a leather bag they had picked up in Kakariko. After, Loraefin threw the rest of the body back into the lake as fish food.
"Well that wasn't so bad," she said sarcastically wiping the slimy mucus off her hands. "Did I ever mention EW!" Loraefin sighed heavily to herself, "what's next on our list of disgusting jobs?"
"Have to go and get a Loach from the Lab," Navi reminded her. Slowly Loraefin trudged up the small knoll and alongside the stone wall of the Lakeside Laboratory. She was about to knock on the door when they spotted a note tacked to it. It read:
Gone silt collecting. Be back at dusk.
---The Professor
"Well now what are we going to do?" Loraefin asked as she let the note fall back against the door. "Do you think he'll mind if we just take one?"
"I don't think so," Navi said mischievously. They both thought for a moment. Loraefin opened the door and peered in.
The lab was cluttered with many things, fishnets, old beakers and test tubes, none of which Navi and Loraefin were interested in. They sorted through many things, mostly to satisfy curiosity, but also looking for the where about of a 'Hyrule Loach'. There was a fairly large tank in the corner of the room that they had not noticed before and as the two walked over discovered it was filled with just what they were looking for.
"Is this what we want?" Questioned Loraefin with a somewhat odd look on her face.
"That would be a Loach," informed Navi.
Loraefin rolled up her sleeves and reached inside the tank. The fish scattered everywhere to get away from the foreign object in the water. When Loraefin thought she had one its slippery body would slid right through her hands, leaving her frustrated. After many tries she finally nabbed one by its tail, but her grip on it was failing. She wasn't going to let this one get away; she flung her hand back and the Loach went flying out of the water. Loraefin backed up to catch it, but just as she had it in her hands she tripped and fell into the diving pool of water behind her, once again soaking from head to foot. Navi started to laugh insanely.
"Are…are you alright?" She giggled. Loraefin dragged herself out of the mess and disappointedly flopped herself down on the floor.
"Stupid fish," she mumbled to herself. All at once she felt a movement within her and she immediately stood up and started to flail wildly about.
"What? What's wrong?!" Navi asked frightened. Loraefin was now the one that was laughing insanely.
"It's…it's in my shirt!" She laughed. "Get it out! Get it out!" Loraefin reached down inside her clothes and low and behold pulled out a Loach. She smiled, embarrassed, and looked to Navi. "Let's not tell Link about this, OK?"
"Right."
***
Link yelled at the oncoming Biris with the slightest notion that that would scare it away, no such luck. He fired his bow straight into the flying translucent jellyfish; it crashed lifeless to the ground. Making sure that all of the electric charge had been drained Link picked up the now dead Biris and placed it in his bag along side the Leever's stomach. Link had forgotten how hot it was inside Jabu-Jabu's belly, and to top it off the Zora's religious deity had fallen ill to the same menacing disease as well. The black tarnishing globs infiltrated the fleshy walls wherever Link went, covering them like ivy to a cliff. "I'll be glad when I get out of here," Link commented. "There's nothing quite like a day inside a giant fish's stomach."
Hastily Link weaves his way to the mouth of the great beast, happy now that he could finally get out of there. He was almost home free when something fell from the ceiling, splattering over his back and neck. Link stopped in his tracks and fearing the worst reached behind him and pulled off whatever had just fallen on him. When he brought his hand back over it was covered in the black goopy mess that was covering the inside of Jabu-Jabu.
"Great, just great," Link said out loud whipping his hands clean on his tunic. He again reached behind his neck to wipe it clean. Link looked up above at the ceiling just in time to dodge another slimy mess, but to his surprise in doing this, he lost his balance and fell through one of the giant holes in Jabu-Jabu's stomach. He smashed into the ground with a thud right on top of a massive pile of the black slop. Slowly he stood up and groaned from his fall, which was most unexpected.
"Damn it!" He said angrily and leans against the wall to catch his breath for a moment. He didn't bother to dodge another one of the falling black messes since he had already sat in it, which then it fell right on his head. He didn't feel strange now that he had been hit by the black tarnish, so he didn't bother worrying about it, after all, what good would it do? Jabu-Jabu began to rock to and fro gently and Link could hear the fish's stomach growl unsettlingly through the walls of membrane. "Of all the things to happen…" He complained as he started to make his way back up to the 'main floor' as he called it and out of Jabu-Jabu.
"I think the best way we can approach this is to split up, we don't have enough time to get everything together," Link was saying after they had left Kakariko. "I can get the Leever sack and the Biris, they're more difficult, and you can take care of the Poe, the Octarok tentacles, and while you're at Lake Hylia you can pick up a Loach. Got it Fin?"
"Yes, when do you want to meet?" Loraefin confirmed.
"Here at the steps of Kakariko by mid-day tomorrow. Then we should have enough time to get the antidote and save the Zora OK?"
"Got it."
Link thought for a moment.
"Navi why don't you go with her, she doesn't know how to get everything or where it is."
"Sure Link," she said quietly, "just be careful OK?" Link grinned.
"Me? Not careful? The very thought…" He laughed.
"So back here by noon tomorrow right?"
"Right."
Link decided that it would probably be best to retrieve the stomach sack of the Leever first, after all it was the farthest out of his way and would take the most time. Plus he could take Navi and Loraefin and drop them off at Lake Hylia, killing two birds with one stone. So with this decided he called Epona and the three went racing off down Hyrule field. Once at the massive gates of the lake they parted, Link in one direction, Navi and Loraefin in another.
***
Once again Link found himself at the Gerudo fortress and was greeted warmly by Tiamra and the rest of the Gerudo who at once let him though the gates to the Haunted Wasteland. The sand blew and blurred his vision, but this was no problem for him, he had only traveled this path a dozen times before. Some rouge Leevers stalked him through the clouds of dust, making Link constantly roll to avoid them. Unfortunately these were not the ones to grab though, when he made it to the Desert Colossus then would he be able to complete his task.
"I hate those stupid Leevers," he commented to himself. "Makes this whole thing a lot harder on a person," Link spots the flag markers signifying the entrance to the Colossus and gladly veers toward them. Exhausted from running Link flops down on the steps of the Spirit Temple to rest. Lying back, he curiously looks up at the giant statue on the front of the temple. After a few moments to catch his breath, Link finally got up and started to attend to the task he traveled all this way to do.
First in the order of operations was to cast 'Nayru's Love', a spell that created a protective shield around a person to protect them from harm, very similar to what Ruto had done for her father. Gingerly Link walked off the steps on which he stood and strode out a few paces. Like he had predicted, four Leevers appeared out of the sand and came hurtling toward him at an incredible pace. Link readied his sword and slashed the first Leever to come at him. It shrunk away below the sand; Link started to dig for it. Thankfully for Link Nayru's Love lasted a long time, time enough for him to dig a foot or so below the sand and fish out the Leever's expired body. Dragging it to a safe place was another matter; just calculating Link estimated that this slug-like creature weighed almost two hundred pounds. But thanks to Link's brute strength (and patients) he finally managed to bring it back to the steps of the Spirit Temple.
This part of the task he could do without, he now had to cut the Leever open and locate its stomach wherever that was. As precise as he could be Link sliced the deceased body open, revealing the unpleasant inner organs among other things.
"By the Gods this smells awful!" Link exclaimed as he twitched his nose at the repulsive scent. "It's so strong…and," he coughs, "oh jeez never mind! It just smells bad!" Reluctantly Link sorted his way through the Leever's intestines and other bodily viscera to locate the stomach sack. The sensation was wet and sticky on his fingers. He was surprised to see how elaborate the inside of a Leever actually was, he had to have seen at least twenty different organs inside of the five-foot body in front of him. But within the hour Link's search came to a stop when he had finally located the sack…or at least one of them.
"Oh great," Link moaned irritated, "which one do I take?"
In front of him were four separate stomachs, almost exactly identical. Link picks the largest one and places it inside of the pouch hanging on his back.
"An offering to you Nabooru," Link said comically with an over killed bow. Laughing to himself he turned and started to head back toward the Gerudo Fortress.
***
"OK, over there is an Octarok Loraefin," Navi said in high spirits, "over by where the river feeds into the lake. Just walk over there and when he starts to shoot things at you, reflect them with your shield, kill it, and then poof! That's it! Easy as Deku berry pie."
"You make it sound to easy," Loraefin said cautiously. "I have a feeling it's not going to be as relaxed as I should hope."
"Just block with your shield and you'll be fine," Navi said hoping to give Loraefin some courage. Loraefin took a deep breath.
"OK, I can do this, I will do this."
"That's the spirit!"
"What if that thing swims to me and pulls me under?" Loraefin said in a panicky tone. "Or what if it has friends? Te elreth no barnet dus te'm doona!"
"It won't, trust me," Navi assured her, "and the same to whatever else to said."
Timidly the girl steps into the water. She wasn't prepared for the rate at which the Octarok fired the blasts; she didn't have time to get her shield up. The first shot from the octopus-like creature smacked directly into her arm, knocking her over and into the water. She hissed in pain from the stinging sensation crawling up her forelimb, plus the fact that she was now soaking from head to toe. A second and a third were shot with a similar effect, only this time Loraefin remembered to pick her shield.
"Aim toward the left a little more!" Navi coached from the sidelines. "Come on! You almost got em' that time!"
After several minutes of tennis between Loraefin and the Octarok she was finally successful at striking it down. Slowly she waded out to where to the dead creature floated on the surface of the water. Looking away and closing her eyes tightly shut, Loraefin timidly grabbed onto a loose tentacle that was drifting closest to her. At its slimy touch Loraefin immediately drew back her arm and quickly moved away.
"That's disqueta!" She yelled half laughing at her own squeamishness, "ew!" Again she moved toward the squid and forced herself to hold on, though she dreaded every moment of its oily touch. With much hassle and fuss Loraefin was able to drag the languid body back to the shore. She walked out of the water shaking her hand profusely. "Ew, ew, ew, and yuck!"
Taking out her small dagger that she 'borrowed' from her father, Loraefin carefully started to cut the fleshy purple appendages that were the Octarok's tentacles. She stripped about three of them from the main body and placed them inside a leather bag they had picked up in Kakariko. After, Loraefin threw the rest of the body back into the lake as fish food.
"Well that wasn't so bad," she said sarcastically wiping the slimy mucus off her hands. "Did I ever mention EW!" Loraefin sighed heavily to herself, "what's next on our list of disgusting jobs?"
"Have to go and get a Loach from the Lab," Navi reminded her. Slowly Loraefin trudged up the small knoll and alongside the stone wall of the Lakeside Laboratory. She was about to knock on the door when they spotted a note tacked to it. It read:
Gone silt collecting. Be back at dusk.
---The Professor
"Well now what are we going to do?" Loraefin asked as she let the note fall back against the door. "Do you think he'll mind if we just take one?"
"I don't think so," Navi said mischievously. They both thought for a moment. Loraefin opened the door and peered in.
The lab was cluttered with many things, fishnets, old beakers and test tubes, none of which Navi and Loraefin were interested in. They sorted through many things, mostly to satisfy curiosity, but also looking for the where about of a 'Hyrule Loach'. There was a fairly large tank in the corner of the room that they had not noticed before and as the two walked over discovered it was filled with just what they were looking for.
"Is this what we want?" Questioned Loraefin with a somewhat odd look on her face.
"That would be a Loach," informed Navi.
Loraefin rolled up her sleeves and reached inside the tank. The fish scattered everywhere to get away from the foreign object in the water. When Loraefin thought she had one its slippery body would slid right through her hands, leaving her frustrated. After many tries she finally nabbed one by its tail, but her grip on it was failing. She wasn't going to let this one get away; she flung her hand back and the Loach went flying out of the water. Loraefin backed up to catch it, but just as she had it in her hands she tripped and fell into the diving pool of water behind her, once again soaking from head to foot. Navi started to laugh insanely.
"Are…are you alright?" She giggled. Loraefin dragged herself out of the mess and disappointedly flopped herself down on the floor.
"Stupid fish," she mumbled to herself. All at once she felt a movement within her and she immediately stood up and started to flail wildly about.
"What? What's wrong?!" Navi asked frightened. Loraefin was now the one that was laughing insanely.
"It's…it's in my shirt!" She laughed. "Get it out! Get it out!" Loraefin reached down inside her clothes and low and behold pulled out a Loach. She smiled, embarrassed, and looked to Navi. "Let's not tell Link about this, OK?"
"Right."
***
Link yelled at the oncoming Biris with the slightest notion that that would scare it away, no such luck. He fired his bow straight into the flying translucent jellyfish; it crashed lifeless to the ground. Making sure that all of the electric charge had been drained Link picked up the now dead Biris and placed it in his bag along side the Leever's stomach. Link had forgotten how hot it was inside Jabu-Jabu's belly, and to top it off the Zora's religious deity had fallen ill to the same menacing disease as well. The black tarnishing globs infiltrated the fleshy walls wherever Link went, covering them like ivy to a cliff. "I'll be glad when I get out of here," Link commented. "There's nothing quite like a day inside a giant fish's stomach."
Hastily Link weaves his way to the mouth of the great beast, happy now that he could finally get out of there. He was almost home free when something fell from the ceiling, splattering over his back and neck. Link stopped in his tracks and fearing the worst reached behind him and pulled off whatever had just fallen on him. When he brought his hand back over it was covered in the black goopy mess that was covering the inside of Jabu-Jabu.
"Great, just great," Link said out loud whipping his hands clean on his tunic. He again reached behind his neck to wipe it clean. Link looked up above at the ceiling just in time to dodge another slimy mess, but to his surprise in doing this, he lost his balance and fell through one of the giant holes in Jabu-Jabu's stomach. He smashed into the ground with a thud right on top of a massive pile of the black slop. Slowly he stood up and groaned from his fall, which was most unexpected.
"Damn it!" He said angrily and leans against the wall to catch his breath for a moment. He didn't bother to dodge another one of the falling black messes since he had already sat in it, which then it fell right on his head. He didn't feel strange now that he had been hit by the black tarnish, so he didn't bother worrying about it, after all, what good would it do? Jabu-Jabu began to rock to and fro gently and Link could hear the fish's stomach growl unsettlingly through the walls of membrane. "Of all the things to happen…" He complained as he started to make his way back up to the 'main floor' as he called it and out of Jabu-Jabu.