Chapter Sixteen
Shades
If Link had to describe his life in three words or less, he would have to say 'action before thought'.
Not that he regretted any of his actions. He was still alive, after all, and all of his actions had benefited someone other than himself. No, Link may have hated the weapon he had become, but seeing everyone else happy because of it more than made up for it. This current adventure would save the lives of hundreds; he could bear the heat a little longer.
The air around him shimmered with the heat, and he had to watch where he stepped to keep from accidentally losing a foot to a pool of molten rock. Despite being bare from the waist up, he was soaked with sweat, and, while it kept the sweat from his eyes, his headband was thoroughly drenched. If he remembered correctly, he should be coming up on the Lava Garden's around the next bend. Indeed as he rounded the rock wall, he saw it, and the sight took his breath away. Located in a relatively cool section of the crater were scores of all the flowers of Hyrule. The different colors were arranged in patterns or designs, sometimes just lines, others actual pictures. If the heat was a little more bearable or the situation less dire, Link would have taken more time to appreciate the beauty. However, neither luxury was affordable, so he picked his way through the flowerbeds, looking for Firesnaps and Blugleberry Violets. After a few minutes he found them, each in roughly the same area, the red and blue colors complementing each other nicely.
Before he could pick them, however, something a glimmer of light caught his eye. He looked up and to the right. There, standing amidst a row of green Farscents, was a mirror. It stood about ten feet high, the casing gold, with ancient letters etched into the frame. Link stepped forward to examine the out-of-place artifact. He couldn't make out the letters, and his reflection was cloudy. He turned away and went back to his quarry.
"Link,"
He turned at the sound of his voice, handing moving back to the hilt of his sword. The voice seemed to be coming from the mirror. He walked back over to it, his hand still ready to draw the sword. He looked into the glass, and this time he could see his reflection quite clearly.
Only it wasn't him.
The Link in the mirror had white hair and pale skin. Under its colorless eyes were dark circles, but most disturbing of all was that the reflection was smiling at him.
And Link wasn't smiling back.
Suddenly, the reflection's arm erupted from the mirror, glass flying everywhere, and grabbed Link by the throat. Link gasped in surprise, and instinctively grabbed his attacker's arm, flipping him over Link's shoulder. The hand released his throat, but the air was still slow returning to his lungs. The thing from the mirror regained its footing, laughing and grinning the entire time. It drew it's sword and twirled it playfully between it's hands.
"Hello Link," it said. It's voice sounded like Link's, only hollower, less…controlled. "It's been a while."
When he could finally talk, Link asked, "What are you?"
"Me?" the thing answered playfully. "I'm you, Link. Or a darker shade of you. I'm the voice you hear in the back of your head urging you on to take another life. I'm the part of you that appreciates the depravity people will sink to for their own selfishness. I'm everything you hate about the world, but more importantly, I'm everything you hate about yourself."
Link just stared. He didn't know what to think. He had faced a dark reflection of himself before, but that copy had merely been a physical match for him, a drone with no mind or ambitions of it's own, outside of the need to kill Link. This one however…
"You know what I came for," he said, slowly drawing his sword. "Just let me get the flowers back to Malon, then we can settle this. You have my word."
The Shade laughed again, mocking him. "I believe you, of course. I really do. But you see, another part of you I embody is your selfishness. See, I don't particularly care about the Gorons. I don't care about whatever else is happening in this country. I want to kill you now. As in, right now. So I will, plain and simple." He stopped playing with his sword and steadied it in an attack pose. Link did the same, consciously choosing a different technique. The Shade smirked. "Let the games begin."
* * *
"I will ask one last time: what is going on here, and who in Din's name are you?"
Malon was still to shaken up by the Goron's sudden appearance to answer right away. The Goron before her was huge, even by Goron standards, standing well over eight feet tall. The white hair sitting on the top of his round head was twisted into several braids and tied back in a ponytail, and he had a thick goatee. An ugly scar ran from the top his forward down through his left eye. Indeed, it seemed that his entire body was covered in scars. Lashed to his back was a massive battle hammer.
"I…I…" she started, "My name is Malon. I came here with Link, the Hylian. We found your people with this disease. We're trying to save them! Link's getting the cure even as we speak."
The Goron looked to her, then looked to the little Goron on the bed. "General Link is here?" he said, his voice softening.
"Yes, uncle," Little Link croaked. "He's gone to the Lava Garden for some flowers to cure us."
The huge Goron nodded, then gestured for Malon to follow him. Patting the little Goron on the hand, she got up and obeyed. He led them outside of Darunia's home, back into the street. "Forgive my harsh words," he apologized. "I have been gone several weeks, and returning to find my people stricken with a plague is daunting, to say the least."
"No apology necessary. I understand. I'm sorry, but I'm kind of new to all this, and I didn't catch your name…"
"I am Mattalla," he answered, thumping his right fist over his heart and bowing stiffly. "Brother of Chief Darunia, warrior of the Goron people."
"Malon Lon, at your service," she replied. "And don't worry. Link will be back any minute." She tried very hard to believe those words.
"I know. General Link has never once broken a promise to the Gorons. He will succeed."
Malon looked up at him quizzically. "I didn't know he was a general…"
"Yes," Mattalla explained. "General of the Goron army, second only to Darunia. And he has earned it many times over."
"What rank are you?"
"I have no rank. I do what is required. I am what is called a 'Lone Hunter'."
Malon was about to say something, when something hit her on top of the head. It was most likely a loose rock, but she looked up anyway. A moment later she was glad she did. A head was disappearing back over the ledge two stories up. "Oh no," she gasped. "The other mercs…"
"What is it?" Mattalla asked, ready for trouble.
"We got problems," Malon explained. "Ten of them."
* * *
They crossed swords again. And again. And again. They had been going at it for a good ten minutes, and neither of them had scored a hit. Geysers of lava sprayed from the puddles in the rock, as if sensing and craving the heat of the battle. And what was worse, as Link began to tire, the Shade seemed to be gaining in strength. The air was too hot, and Link was having trouble breathing. The Shade just grinned and fought harder. "What's wrong, Link?" he asked. "Little short of breath?" He brought his sword up and across, attempting to gut Link from his thigh to shoulder. The Hero of Time batted the attack aside, and in the same motion spun on his heel in an attempt to decapitate his opponent. As he suspected, it too was blocked.
"You can't win," the Shade gloated, "You know that, right? Even as exhaustion gets a hold of you, I keep getting stronger. You know why?" He danced to the side as Link cut downwards. "Because there is only so much hope and goodness you can find in yourself without tapping into the feelings that created me. I don't believe in hope or good triumphing over evil, and the more hope you lose, the more despair I absorb."
Link did his best to drown out the words, but they rang too true in his ears. Pushing his opponent's blade down to the ground, he suddenly leapt in the air and rounded-off over the Shade's head, landing behind him. He tried to slash at the Shade's back, but he ducked, and swept his foot behind him. Link didn't see the move in time, and was caught unawares. He recovered quickly though, and he leaned backwards in mid-air, bringing a hand underneath him and spring boarding back off of it. He was running out of steam; what little air made it to his lungs was hot and full of dust. He just couldn't breath. Seeing a geyser go off to his left, he got an idea. He timed the next four geysers and looked for a pattern. The Shade didn't seem to be in any particular hurry, and he let Link take his time. Finally, he found it.
Link circled the Shade, subtly maneuvering a geyser in between them. His patience finally wearing off, the Shade charged him. Link couldn't have timed it more perfectly. The geyser erupted, and the Shade was forced to stop his charge short. When the fire and magma had receded, the Shade looked desperately for Link, but he was nowhere to be found.
* * *
"Crikey, this place gives me the spooks."
"Yeah, but we're getting paid, so shut yer yap."
"Ah, leave him alone Bosfly. This place is a bit spooky."
Boxer, his two friends, and seven other mercs were sitting on the third lowest level of Goron city. They had been in the city for three days, waiting for something. When they had asked what they were waiting for, Skorn's only reply had been, 'You'll know it when you see it.'
"Can you imagine what this place would be like if all them Rock-heads was awake?" Bosfly said. "Probably be…"
"A lot like this!" boomed a deep voice, and Bosfly's head was flattened as Mattalla's hammer struck from out of the dark. The other mercs yelled in surprise, and that was all the time Malon needed to strike two of them down. The others recovered eventually, and they began to circle Malon and Mattalla. Malon tried to remember some of the combinations and moves Link had taught her, but then his voice echoed in her head, "Focus…" She gave up trying to remember and instead focused solely on the battle before them.
Mattalla hefted his might hammer in both hands, lips pulled back in a snarl. "Come, insects!" he dared. "And I will show you how Gorons deal with invaders and mercenaries!" He wasted no more words, and swung his hammer at the nearest enemy. It contacted with the man's chest, and the merc flew back five feet in the air, dead. Malon feinted at her opponent's chest, and when he fell for it she brought the sword back up and took off his head. Two more charged Mattalla, who dropped his hammer and caught their heads in his massive hands. He smashed them together, their skulls cracking. That left three to go. One of them slashed at Malon, who, with the added strength of the Silver Gauntlets, was able to block the attack. She then danced out of the way, throwing him off balance. She spun and embedded the Fairy Sword in his back. She pulled it out immediately and, anticipating the next move as Link and Ingo had taught her, stabbed at the next attacker, who obligingly ran right into the point. She turned to face the last merc, but she saw Mattalla's heavy fist pound into his face, killing him instantly. Mattalla retrieved his hammer and strapped to his back once again. Malon wiped the blood from her sword and re-sheathed it. "You fight well, Malon Lon," Mattalla complimented. "And you fight with honor, for people you have never met, let alone care for. Such is the way of a true warrior. It would be an honor, if you, Malon Lon, will become Sworn-Sister to myself and the Goron people."
Malon stared at him, mouth open. "The honor would be mine, Mattalla, Lone Hunter." It sounded corny, but she felt it was the most appropriate thing to say. "Now, Sworn-Brother Mattalla, let's go see how General Link is faring."
* * *
"I can win, he's only a man, I can win, he's only a man,"
Link kept repeating the words in his mind, but each time he thought them they seemed less and less likely. When the geyser had gone off, he had leapt up a small ledge behind him and scrambled up another twelve feet to hide behind a boulder. He needed to catch his breath, or he would be finished before the Shade even touched him. The only problem with his hiding place was that it didn't drown out the Shade's taunts.
"I'll give it to you Link," he said. "Clever trick, buying yourself time like this. Bet all this dust and humidity is making it hard to breath, huh?" Link closed his eyes and tried to fall in a healing trance Impa had taught him while he trained under her. The trance would slow his breathing, calm him, if he could fall in and out before being found.
"I don't understand why you hate 'me' so, Link," he went on. "I mean, look at me, and then look at yourself. Who's stronger? Who has the most power? I do, Link. The emotions that make me also make me strong."
Almost there…
"You loathe the weapon you've become; I love it. You despise the violence you must resort to for the greater good; I drink it in. We're the same person, Link. I've just accepted what I am."
Concentrate…
"I wonder," the Shade said, his voice mockingly inquisitive. "What will Malon think when she sees me?"
Link's eyes snapped open.
"Do you think she'll recognize the difference? I mean, I can make up whatever story I like to explain the skin and the hair, but do you think she'll embrace the personality? Do you think she'll understand when I'm through with her? Will her eyes show betrayal, fear…"
Link's blade pulsed with energy.
"Or will she look at me with understanding? Or maybe even…joy…"
A piercing cry split through the cavern, and the Shade looked up to see Link falling towards him, his sword already releasing the magic stored within. The Shade jumped out of the way, but only just in time. The magic cut through the rock, spilling magma out the sides. Link attacked again, each stroke as if it were his last. The Shade backed away from each blow, his grin even wider. "Yes, Link! That's it, give in! Feed me!"
This caused Link to pause, the fear of what was happening to him evident in his eyes, and the Shade took advantage of this. They were getting dangerously close to the mouth of the crater, and the Shade began to beat Link towards the edge. They came within five feet when the said thrust one last time. Link blocked it, but the force of the blow caused him to stagger backwards. He lost his footing, tried to regain his balance, and fell backwards off the precipice, dropping his sword on the edge. The Shade laughed sauntered over to the edge. He got right to the edge and peered over, hoping to see Link writhing in the boiling lava.
Suddenly, a gloved hand shot up and grabbed him by his ankle. To surprised to fight back, the Shade tumbled over. The fall stopped abruptly, the hand still gripping his ankle. He looked up into the calm and determined face of Link, who was clutching a stone jutting out of the wall.
"But…how…" the Shade stammered, cringing at the cold determination in Link's eyes.
"You're right," Link said. "We are the same. The same in all but one thing…" He looked into the Shade's face one last time. His own face. "I'm not that cocky." Link let go, and the Shade fell screaming in the molten rock. He sunk into the lava, and the screams finally stopped. Link pulled himself up, and began to crawl, inch by painful inch, back towards the Lava Garden.
* * *
"I'm going in after him," Malon declared, already heading into the tunnel. Mattalla's hand on her shoulder held her back.
"No, Malon. He said he would return, and he will."
"But…but…"
Mattalla smiled down at her. "Have faith, child. Link is stronger than anyone will ever know. It is not in his nature to fail, especially when another's life hangs in the balance. Whether millions of lives or that of one unborn child, Link will do whatever is necessary to complete his mission and save those lives. He is a hero, Malon, he always has been and he always will be. Come, let us go see to my nephew."
She allowed herself to be led away, back towards the room's entrance, when all of a sudden the heard something behind them hit the floor. They turned, and both of them, Goron and Hylian, gasped at what they saw. It was Link, lying face down on the floor, one arm stretched above his head. He was covered in dust and ash, and his breathing was shallow, but he was alive. In his outstretched hand he held twelve Firesnaps and twelve Blugleberry Violets.
"Faith, Sworn-Sister Malon," Mattalla repeated with smile. "Faith is always rewarded."