II

Saving A Friend

"…As a matter of fact, no. Everything is not okay."

Mark frowned. "What's wrong now?"

"There's trouble on Koholint Island." Jeremy replied, looking away.

"Koholint Island? The place where Zelda 4 happened?"

"The same." Jeremy answered with a nod.

"What kind of trouble?"

Jeremy turned and looked towards the mountains. "A young man has been captured by an unknown beast. The Elder sensed this and asked me to get help."

"Who was captured?" Mark asked out of curiosity.

"I doubt you know him. A teenager named Paul. He had arrived there a year ago, and decided to stay."

Mark put his hands on his shoulders, spun him around, and stared at him. "Was this kid from Brooklyn as well?"

"Yes. Why? Do you know him?"

"Know him? He's my best friend!" Mark replied. "We had gone to school together since third grade, and we've been best buds ever since. But I noticed his attraction to this girl in a video game… I guess that's why he went to the island, huh?"

"Probably."

"Everyone thought he was a fool, including me, for being attracted to her, because she was just a bunch of pixels on a screen. He claimed he saw her in his dreams and all that." Mark looked at the ground. "Then last year, he disappeared. He left a note saying that he had gone to be with the one he loved. I thought that meant he committed suicide, and that's what I've BEEN thinking this whole time, but…" He looked up. "I guess now I know where he's been."

Jeremy smiled. "It does sound like you two had a great friendship."

"Yeah."

"Then you're perfect for the job!"

Mark raised his eyebrows. "What job?"

"Rescuing your friend, of course."

"But…but…"

"Don't worry… the Elder said that after the job you did fighting that other demon, you'll be just fine. You DO want him to be okay, right?"

Mark sighed. "Yeah, I guess."

"Then you'll do it?"

Mark grinned. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll do it."

Just then, Nayru came outside. "What's going on?"

"I have to rescue my friend on Koholint Island." Mark told her.

Nayru put her hand to her mouth. "Oh…that sounds very dangerous. Are you sure you can do it?"

"No. But I have to try, right?"

She smiled. "Oh, you're so brave! You're probably afraid of nothing!"

"Ahem…" Said Jeremy, "Nayru, remember the Elder's warning."

She sighed. "Yes, Jeremy." She turned to Mark. "If you'll just come inside for a moment, I'll give you some healing medicine."

"I'll be waiting outside." Said Jeremy.

Mark followed Nayru inside, and Nayru went to a shelf and removed three gold, shiny bottles.

"These contain the Magic Potion." She said. "If you feel you're about to die, drink one, and you'll be fine."

He slipped them in his pocket. "Thanks." He said quietly. He turned back to the door.

"Mark, wait!" She called. He turned back.

"What?"

She walked to him and put her arms around his neck. "I want you to make me a promise."

"What is it?"

She gazed into his eyes. "That you'll return to me."

He leaned in and kissed her softly. "I promise."

She kissed him again. "Okay. Good luck!"

Mark stepped outside, where Jeremy was waiting for him. Mark expected Jeremy to say "All set?" or something, but he instead eyed him over suspiciously.

"What's your problem?" Mark asked.

"I'm sensing something new inside you…" Jeremy said, closing his eyes. "A feeling… a sorrow…"

He pretended to play dumb. "What are you talking about?"

"I can't tell at this point." Jeremy opened his eyes and made a dismissive gesture. "Come, time runs short." He clapped his hands twice, and a golden column of light came down from the sky and struck the ground. "Step into this. It will take you to Koholint."

"Okay." Mark took a deep breath and stepped into the light. Again, the light blinded him and the wind blew strongly. When it ceased, he opened his eyes to find himself on a beach, surrounded by coconut trees.

"This must be Koholint." He said with a sigh, and he walked up to the village. He played Zelda 4 so many times that he could navigate this place with his eyes closed.

He reached Mabe Village and decided the first thing he should do would be to ask around to find out if anybody knew anything. He checked with everyone in town, but nobody had a clue. Then he noticed one house in the center of town he hadn't tried. He knocked on the door, but there was no answer. He put his ear to the door, and he heard a girl crying softly. He slowly pushed the door open.

The girl who was crying, who he knew to be Marin, was lying on her bed, her face buried in her pillow. But upon hearing him enter, she looked up, tears streaming down her face.

"Who are you?" She asked softly.

"Uh, my name is Mark… I'm Paul's friend."

"Ohhhh!" She threw her face back on her pillow and started crying again. He went to her and knelt by the bed.

"I'm here to rescue him."

She sat up sharply. "What??"

"I'm here to rescue him." Mark repeated.

"How are you going to do that?"

"By killing whatever has captured him, I suppose." Mark replied. "Do you know what it is?"

She shook her head. "It was this red, winged thing. But it just came, took him, and left."

Mark lowered his eyebrows. It was Vire, the same son of a bitch from when he took Nayru home.

"I know who it is." He told Marin. "His name is Vire. He claims he's the servant of some evil that's coming."

"Do you really think you'll be able to save him?" She asked.

"I already beat Vire back once, so it should be easy enough."

She smiled broadly. "Then please! Save Paul! I beg you!"

"Will do." He said with an even broader smile. "Where is he being held?"

"At the Stalfos hideout. It's just a bit southwest of Tal Tal Heights."

"On my way."

He exited the house, then thought, "I only have this sword… I should get some more equipment."

He looked around the village and saw a shop, so he went in.

"Hey! Welcome!" Said the shopkeeper as he entered. "Don't miss our liquidation sale! All the wooden shields and bombs must go before the new shipments come in!"

"Uh, how much?" Mark asked.

The man leaned back and put his feet on the counter. "Make me an offer."

Mark realized he had no money, but he searched his pockets anyway.

"Uh, I've got an old Bazooka Joe comic." He said finally.

"Deal! Take a shield and 30 bombs!"

"For a comic?" Mark asked in disbelief.

"To be honest with you, kid, I've got a business on the side selling fanfiction, so I don't need 'em."

"You write fanfiction?" Said Mark. "So do I! Maybe I'll look you up on fanfiction.net one day. What's your Screen Name there?"

"It's Spoon Luv." The shopkeeper replied. "Now you gonna take your stuff or not?"

"Uh, yeah." Mark grabbed the equipment and left. "Later, Spoon!" He said as he exited.

"Alright, buddy!"

An hour later, having crossed a small desert and sloshing through Gopanga Swamp, Mark finally arrived at the Stalfos hideout. He took a deep breath and slowly walked in.

It was almost pitch black inside, save for the light from the torches on the wall. Suddenly, a bony hand grabbed his shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing here?" A voice hissed. Mark turned to see a hooded Stalfos glaring back at him, with beady yellow eyes.

"Um, um, just passing through?"

"Only Stalfos are allowed here!" The skeleton snarled. "Now get out!" Mark found himself thrown on his butt out of the cave.

"Hmm… I've got to get inside somehow…" He muttered. Suddenly he heard footsteps coming closer, so he hid behind a rock.

The footsteps belonged to two other Stalfos, who were shuffling back to the cave slowly. He decided this was his only chance. He crept up silently behind them, and when the first one went into the cave, he tapped the other on the shoulder.

"What?" It snarled as it spun around, and before he could even see who tapped him, Mark swung his sword and neatly decapitated the beast. He picked up the hood and slipped it on.

"This thing smells!" He whispered, but kept it on and went back inside. He passed the guard again, who this time simply nodded, thinking he was another Stalfos.

"Damn, I'm good." He whispered with a grin. His grin suddenly disappeared when he realized that the cave was a gigantic maze! He decided that rather than get himself hopelessly lost, he'd play it smart.

"Um, excuse me," He said to a passing Stalfos in his best throaty voice, "I seem to have forgotten where we are keeping the hostage."

"Go left three times, then right." The Stalfos replied.

"Thank you." Mark quickly followed the directions, and gasped.

Paul was hanging from the ceiling, unconscious and gagged. What was worse, below him was a huge, bubbling pot! They were gonna cook him! He didn't see Vire, though.

Mark quickly pushed the pot away, and jumped and cut the rope. Paul dropped to the ground, and Mark removed the gag and started shaking him.

"Dude! Dude, wake up!"

"Uhnnn…" Paul murmured, and he opened his eyes slowly. "Where am I? Mark??? Is that you?"

Mark grinned. "Yep. Saving your ass once again!"

"Shut up." Paul sat up. "How the hell did you get here?"

"That Jeremy guy sent me."

"Oh yeah. He's the one who sent me here, too."

"You really do love that girl, huh?" Mark asked with a smile.

"Yeah. I TOLD you that! But nooo, everyone laughed at me! They called me a weirdo! Well I proved them all wrong!"

"You sure did." Mark said. "Come on, let's get you out of here. Are you armed?"

"Yeah, I got a sword."

"Great."

"Where's Vire?" Paul suddenly asked. "I don't want him to see us."

"I don't know. I didn't see him when I came through here. I think we'll be okay."

Paul and Mark quickly made their way out of the hideout. Right as we did, a lightning bolt zapped the ground near Mark's feet.

"Stop right there, you fools!" A familiar voice hissed. Then Vire swooped down from the sky, just as before.

"I'm surprised you tracked me to such a place, young Master Mark…" It snarled. "But the Evil grows impatient. She wants her Key as soon as possible."

"Key?" Mark asked, confused.

"Yes, the Key that will allow her to enter the Dimensional Temple, which will then allow her to control all dimensions!"

"It ain't gonna happen." Said Paul from behind me.

"You fools. You can't stop Her!"

"No, but we can stop YOU!"

"Hah!" Vire cackled. "Go on and try it!"

He flew down towards Mark, and when Mark swung his sword, Vire flew straight up, to avoid being hit, and then spat fire at him.

Mark jumped back quickly, and while Vire was distracted, Paul ran behind him and stabbed him in the back.

"Curses!" Vire screamed, and flew up high. He shot a lightning bolt at Paul, but Mark pushed him out of the way and held his shield up. It blocked the blast, but would never do so again. It was made of wood, so it shattered immediately.

Vire breathed a ring of flame around both of them, isolating them in the center.

"You waiting for the flames to die will allow me to escape." Vire hissed with a toothy grin. "The Evil will find you and destroy you. It's as simple as that."

Mark held his sword up. "We won't let that happen!"

Vire simply cackled, and disappeared in a flash of light.

The fire didn't take long to die out, and then Mark took Paul back to Marin, who was waiting for them in the village.

"Paul!" She cried in delight, running into his arms, "I'm soooo glad you're okay!"

He smiled. "I owe it all to Mark. If he hadn't come, I'd be the main course of their next feast by now."

Marin gave Mark a hug as well. "Thank you. You were very brave."

Mark grinned. "No problem. Vire is a pushover."

Suddenly, the cell phone that Jeremy gave Mark started ringing again.

"Hello?" Mark said into it.

"It's Jeremy." Said the voice on the other end. "The Elder has requested your presence in the Dimensional Council Temple at once."

"How do I get there?" Mark asked.

"Just clap your hands twice, as I did."

"Okay. I'll be there right away."

"Wonderful." Said Jeremy, and he hung up.

"Who was that?" Paul asked.

"It was Jeremy." Mark replied. "I gotta go to the Dimensional Council Temple."

"Oh…" Paul looked to Marin nervously, then said, "I wanna go with you."

"What?"

"If there's something evil coming, you can't fight it yourself. I want to help you."

"But, sweetie, what about me?" Marin asked softly.

"You can come too." He assured her.

"Well, I don't know if the Elder will allow that, but you may as well come to the temple with me so we can ask." Mark said. "Let's go."

They all stepped outside, and Mark clapped his hands twice. Instead of the golden light coming from above, his cell phone beeped again. When he looked at the screen, there was a message. "SELECT DESTINATION. TYPE THE FIRST THREE LETTERS."

He thought for a moment, then typed L A B.

"YOU HAVE SLECTED LABRYNNA. PLEASE STANDBY."

"Dude, what are you doing?" Paul asked. "We have to go to the Temple, not Labrynna."

"I have a promise to keep." Mark said simply, and looked up as the beam of light came down from the heavens. All three of them stepped into it, and vanished.

In another blast of light, they appeared outside Nayru's house in Labrynna.

"Wait here." Mark said, and he entered the house.

Nayru was asleep, her breathing soft and slow. Mark felt a new feeling in his heart as he saw her, a warm feeling… he didn't want to call it love. He was afraid to.

When she heard the door open, she sat up slowly.

"Oh, Mark! You came back!" She cried happily, and ran to him and threw her arms around him. "I'm so glad! I missed you sooooo much!"

He squeezed her gently. "I made a promise to you, Nayru. I'm not one to break promises."

She smiled sweetly. "Well, I think another thank you is in order."

Before he could say anything, she kissed him again, pressing her lips firmly on his. He returned the kiss, and he was startled when she slipped her tongue in his mouth. The only reason he was reluctant was the fact her heart would be broken when he went home. But the rush of feelings he was getting made him forget this, as they sat on the bed, arms around each other, never breaking the kiss for an instant.

She sighed softly and pushed him down, and then he decided that was enough. He didn't want to go this far.

"Nayru…" He said, but she didn't listen and immediately began kissing him again. Mark realized that kissing was all she wanted to do at this moment, so he said "What the hell?" and they kissed for over 10 minutes straight.

When she finally broke the kiss, she whispered, "I don't care what the Elder says. You're mine!"

He brushed her hair out of her eyes. "I think I'm in love with you." He said.

"Ditto." She said with a giggle.

"We gotta keep it a secret, though." He warned.

"No problem."

He stood up. "Come on, we should get going."

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"Oh… Jeremy said the Elder wants us at the Dimensional Council Temple."

"Did he ask me to come?"

Mark frowned. "No… I guess you'd better stay here."

She frowned as well. "Fine. But I want to see you again."

His frown became a grin. "You got it."

Mark stepped outside, to see his friends had been keeping busy as well. "All right, break it up."

Paul immediately looked up, embarassed. "What kept you?"

"Funny question." Mark said. "Let's be off."

Mark typed D I M in the phone, indicating the Dimensional Council Temple, and the light came down once again. They stepped in, and vanished.

TO BE CONTINUED…

"Time, Space, and Dimension" Being written by Spoonie

Luv from Up Above.

Email at: Bubbagumpshrimp@email.com