Disclaimer: Still don't own Zelda or anything of the sort. It all belongs
to Nintendo (like you didn't know already...*coughs*)
A/N: I just noticed something. Getting this amount of reviews at the rate I'm getting them at is normal. Ha! Boy am I dense. Well anyways, keep reviewing all you good people! Just a note, this chap is when Tetra starts to realize something she should have seen earlier *winks* On with the next chapter!
Chapter 5: A Halted Rescue
-------------------------------------------------
"Left...
...now right...
...keep going...
...now turn left...
...no, your other left!"
Tetra was lying in her bed, flat on her back and staring up into her mother's necklace. When combined with the Pirate's Charm, a gift she had gotten for her fourth birthday, she could see everything that the holder of the charm was doing through the gap in her necklace. It was nifty in times such as this.
"Ok Link..." she stated. "I think it's safe to get out now."
Link heaved the barrel off his head and plopped it down beside him, wiping some sweat off his brow.
"Whew...I'm glad that's over...it was hot in there." he proclaimed
quietly.
"You could have picked a better outfit to wear for the trip ya know." Tetra remarked.
"Hey..." Link uttered, slightly offended. "My grandma made this outfit
for me."
"Well sorry." She replied in a sassy tone. "So what do you see around you. I need to know your position."
Link looked around. "I see a door to my right and left and a pathway to my right also."
"Hmm..." Tetra pondered. "Can you see where the pathway leads to?"
Link took a few steps backwards to get a better view.
"Yeah..." he replied. "There's a searchlight up there."
"I see..." Tetra thought out loud. "It would be easier to get around this place without those searchlights watching you. Why don't you head up there and turn it off. It would make rescuing your sister much easier."
"No arguing here." Link agreed as he headed up the pathway without hesitation. He reached the bottom of a ladder that lead up to the spotlight's control panel with haste and took two steps up it, but stopped at the sound of Tetra's voice.
"Hold on Link! Don't be so hasty! You don't even know what's up
there."
Link looked down at the blue stone hanging from his neck.
"What could possibly be up there that I can't handle?" he stated as manly as he could.
Tetra didn't sound fazed by his comment.
"There's a monster up there Link. Did you forget? You don't have a
sword!"
Link paused. "Oh...right."
"Hmm..." Tetra pondered. "Well you still have a shield. If I were you, I would use my shield to defend against the monsters blows and make him drop his weapon. That way you could use his own weapon against him. If you slay the monster, then you can shut off the searchlight."
"Sounds sinister...but it sounds like it could work." Link commented.
"I'll do it."
"Well it looks like I'll finally be able to see you in action." Tetra said, barely sounding excited as she stuck one hand behind her head and added. "Break a leg, kid."
Link frowned as he slowly and quietly climbed further up the ladder. "Are you ever gonna call me by my real name?"
"Just get up there!" Tetra huffed.
Link cringed at the seriousness in her voice. Upon reaching the top, he peeked over to spy on the unsuspecting creature operating the searchlight. When he finally spotted the lone Bokoblin in the dark of night, he gripped the side of the ladder and tensed himself up.
"Well...here goes nothing!" he stated quietly to himself
With that, he yanked himself forward and ran at the creature when it wasn't looking.
The Bokoblin turned to look at the last minute and it was quickly tackled to the ground in surprise. Link reached for the weapon in its hand but was knocked off before he could get it. He jumped away and came face to face with the Bokoblin, which didn't look too happy from his sneak attack.
It gave a squeaky roar before it suddenly charged at Link. He was ready with his shield out and blocked the strike the Bokoblin tried to swing at him. The creature bounced back, then jumped into the air to try and hit him from above.
Before the Bokoblin's weapon came in contact with his head, Link lifted his shield and leaned back toward the ground. As soon as the weapon hit his shield, he pushed it up and flipped the Bokoblin over his head and straight into the wall. It crashed and fell to the ground with a thud.
Link got to his feet and picked up the fallen stick-like weapon that
it was using.
"That wasn't too hard." He said to himself. He lifted the stick and watched as the Bokoblin got up from the ground. It wobbled around, obviously dizzy from its blow to the head. It staggered around to face Link, holding its head with one hand.
"Oops...sorry...let me help you with that." Link faked. He lifted the stick and swung with all his might as it connected with the Bokoblin's cheek. It flew across the ground and skidded a couple of times before it slipped over the edge and fell off the small tower, plunging into the water below, never to be seen again.
Link dropped the stick and walked over to the spotlight panel. He examined the strange wheel and turned it a bit to see what it did. The spotlight cranked up and aimed its beams of light up into the clouds.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well...how was that Tetra?" he questioned with curious eyes as he glanced at the stone. He, of course, couldn't see anything except a little bit of blue.
He didn't hear a reply.
"Tetra? Are you there?" he asked again and wondered. "Don't tell
me she didn't see any of that!"
He blinked when he finally heard Tetra's voice.
"So what did I miss?" she questioned.
Link hung his shoulders in dismay. "You mean you didn't see any
of that?!"
Tetra sounded confused. "Any of what? You mean the shutting down of a spotlight? That's hardly worth my time, Link."
"No! I mean me beating up the monster! You didn't see any of
it?"
"Nope."
"But why?!"
"I had to go to the ladies room."
Link almost fell to the ground in disbelief. His one chance to actually show her he deserved respect and she had to go. He shook his head.
"Nevermind."
After more navigation and utter complaints, Link managed to sneak deep into the fortress without too much trouble. This was a good thing obviously, but according to Tetra, it caused the boy in green to become a little too confident in himself.
"Sheesh...for a place that's suppose to have a bad reputation, it sure does need to have smarter guards in it." Link stated.
"You shouldn't take this place lightly, Link." Tetra explained. "It may be easy now, but I doubt it will get easier before it gets harder. You must stay on guard at all times."
"Yeah yeah...whatever you say captain." The boy joked.
"I'm serious!" Tetra firmly stated. "You shouldn't be so hasty with your decisions, Link. It could get you in trouble sooner or later."
"Ok Tetra." He said, not sounding serious as he pushed open a door and
walked in.
Once inside, he flatted up against the wall and slid along it to avoid being spotted by anything. He peeked around a corner to see a big goofy looking creature with a long spear, having strange tattoos covering its dark maroon colored body. It was sniffing around as if it was looking for something specific.
"It looks like they're on to us." Tetra stated. "They seem to be more alert than the previous monsters I've seen."
Link slid back against the wall and looked down at the stone. He then
pulled his shield out.
"They don't look so tough." He stated. Without showing much hesisation, the young boy purposely turned the corner and began to walk towards the creature.
"Link! What the heck are you doing?" Tetra shouted.
The big monster, also called a Moblin, heard Tetra's voice. It stood up from its sniffing position and looked in Link's direction. Upon seeing the boy, it made a goofy sounding grunt as it grabbed its spear with both hands and began pacing over toward him.
Link smirked and readied his shield as the Moblin's pace turned into a sprint and began to charge at him, spear slightly in the air. He darted at the creature before it reached him and jumped aside, hoping to get behind it and maybe hit its back to drop its weapon.
However...his plan did not go so well. Once Link jumped aside to run behind the Moblin, the monster stuck out his spear horizontally, causing Link to run into it and loose his footing.
With Link hanging from its horizontal weapon, the Moblin pushed forward, sending Link backwards toward where he entered the room. He tumbled a bit and landed on his front. It didn't hurt him that much and he flipped his body around to face his enemy, shield in front of him. The Moblin was hanging over him like a huge fat statue, glaring down at him with a huge toothy grin.
With a quick thrust, it swung its spear and knocked Link's shield out of his hand! It flew into the wall and fell to the ground with a clank.
Without thinking, Link quickly scrambled to his shield, which was his only source of protection at the moment. He had just grabbed the handle when he suddenly felt himself being lifted into the air! He didn't even have enough time to see what was happening and before he knew it, he got heaved into the air by the Moblin and at about mid-way up, he saw a fist fly toward his face.
Sudden pain filled his head upon impact as Link flew across the room and crashed into the adjacent wall. He fell to the ground and landed hard on his side.
"Link!" Tetra shouted, suddenly sitting upright and glaring at her
necklace.
The small boy cringed as he felt his head start to throb. He slowly turned to get back up, but suddenly halted upon seeing the Moblin's hoof- like feet near his head. He quickly looked up at the fat creature, but only managed to get a glimpse before he was suddenly kicked in the head!
The boy screamed as he once again flew across the floor, landing in a heap near where he entered the room. He coughed a bit as he felt the air in him get pushed out of his lungs when he hit the ground.
Tetra glared down into the necklace as she watched the whole event unfold. She could see that Link was starting to lose consciousness from the many blows to the head he had received.
"Get up!" she hollered.
The boy slowly turned his head to face the necklace. He tried to say something, but his words were so faint that Tetra couldn't make any of it out.
"Stay awake kid!" Tetra yelled at him, sounding a bit angry but also having the faintest hint of worry in her voice.
Link's vision was getting duller as he hung on the edge of consciousness. His head was throbbing with pain so much that he could barely keep his vision straight. Everything was a blur and he could barely see the image of the Moblin as it began to approach him. He couldn't stand it anymore and finally...he blacked out...
~ ~ ~
"Link.
Link wake up."
Link shifted a little. He could hear a voice but was not fully conscious yet to actually make out who it was. He didn't feel like getting up either and didn't bother to open his eyes.
"Dang it kid, wake up!" The voice shouted, even louder this time in hopes of getting him fully awake.
Link groaned and twisted his body to lay flat on his back. His eyes fluttered open, hoping to see a face of someone looking down at him with concern. All that he saw though, was a ceiling. He slowly propped himself up into a sitting position and rubbed the back of his head, which felt like it was hit with a rock.
"It's about time you woke up." Tetra mused.
Link groaned again. The least she could do was make sure he was alright or something. Instead she was yelling at him like she didn't care what he felt.
"I warned you about this, kid. But you just didn't listen to me."
Tetra said.
Link opened one eye and looked down at the charm.
"Thanks for caring..." he uttered, sounding annoyed but also sad.
"Look, I'm sure you got hurt and all but we really don't have time to cry over a few scars." Tetra said, a little calmer this time. "But you can't forget your mission. Anything could have happened to your sister by now."
Link looked straight ahead of him after realizing this.
"If anything..." Tetra continued. "...it would be best to find her now before more time is wasted."
"Right!" Link replied. He looked around to check where he was, seeing that he was no longer outside, and instead was sitting inside a jail cell with no guards around. "So...where am I?"
"You were carried into that cell while you were unconscious." Tetra explained. "It's not too far from where you left off really, so once you get out, you can get back to the area pretty quickly. Oh and that stupid monster didn't even think to take away your shield so you still have some protection."
Link looked puzzled. "So how do I get out?"
He heard Tetra give a frustrated sigh.
"You never think ahead of time do you?" she questioned.
"Uh..." Link trailed.
"Forget it." She mutter, getting back on subject. "Now from what I can see, there's a bench and a shelf in that cell of yours. I think I see a crack in the wall behind that piece of pottery on the shelf. Do you see it?"
Link got up and looked up at the pot. He climbed up to it and moved it
aside.
"Hey! There's a passageway back here." Link exclaimed. He got on all fours and squeezed into the small opening. After crawling for a little while, he reached the other end and crawled out into the open.
"Ah, free at last!" he exclaimed with a smile.
"Don't forget kid..." Tetra said. "...it's not over until you get your sister back, so stay on guard, and don't pull a stunt like you did before!"
"You got it." Link replied, and with that, he ran off down a hallway
and exited the room.
After only a few minutes, Link reached the room that he was captured in, and sure enough the Moblin was still there guarding the place. After some coaxing from Tetra, Link reluctantly used a barrel to get past it without being noticed, and sneaked into the door it was guarding. He emerged outside and ran up a flight of steps, only to find yet another Moblin. Using the same method, he sneaked by it undetected and advanced further up the tower.
Back on the ship, Tetra had made her way to the crow's nest to inform her crew that they were going to be there a little while longer. Of course, no one liked the idea but didn't complain for fear of getting yelled at.
Before he even knew it, Link turned a corner and spotted a shimmer out of the corner of his eye. He looked over to see what it was and saw his sword lying only a few feet away.
"Wow. It landed all the way up here?" He thought. He must have landed higher up on the wall than he thought. It didn't matter now though, so he quickly sprinted over to reclaim his lost weapon.
"Watch out Link." He heard Tetra say. "There's a monster by that
door."
As he picked his sword up, Link glanced to his right to see another Bokoblin guarding a door, this one sleeping on the job and snoozing the night away.
"Link, I think your sister is being held in that room." Tetra said. "It looks like you're going to have to fight the creature to get in so be careful."
"No problem." He replied. "Now that I have my sword back, it will be a piece of cake."
"That attitude got you in trouble last time, Link." Tetra scolded. "Don't blow it this time!"
Link looked at the stone. "Stop worrying so much. I'll be back with my
sister in no time. Just watch me."
He didn't hear Tetra say anything back, so he assumed she was watching. Link tapped the wall with his sword to get the Bokoblins attention. The creature quickly woke up from its nap and shot its head up, looking his direction. It lowered its head and eyed him with an evil glare as it then began to approach him.
Link posed and pointed his sword at the creature.
"Come on!" he shouted to it.
Sensing his anxiousness, the Bokoblin charged at him, its blade ready for battle. Link defended with his own sword and side stepped to his left. This made the Bokoblin throw its weight forward and fall. It lost its footing and stumbled a little but not long enough so Link could swing at its back. It turned around quick enough to block his attack with its own wooden shield. Link did a back flip to get out of range if it decided to attack him.
The two glared at each other, waiting for the other to attack first. Eventually, the Bokoblin grew tired of waiting and ran forward. Link also sprinted forward and the two clashed, their weapons slashing in all directions. They bounced back and leapt into the air, yelling as they flew toward each other. A clang was heard as both Link and the Bokoblin landed on their feet. Neither moved for a brief moment...
Suddenly the Bokoblin gripped its side and fell. It made a strange sound before it collapsed to the ground in a small pool of blood.
Link sheathed his sword and vertically clapped his hands after a job well done. He really didn't like to kill anything really or see blood, but the thrill of fighting with his sword made him feel strong and energetic. He could get use to doing this often.
He didn't hear Tetra utter a word during the whole fight, so he glanced at the gem hanging from his neck and spoke.
"How was that, Tetra?" he asked, hoping she saw him this time.
He didn't get a response.
"Tetra!" he hollered at the stone, annoyed at the thought that she wasn't answering him.
"I'm here, kid. Don't get your tunic all in a knot." He finally
heard her reply.
He cocked his head. "Well..."
Tetra got a smirk on her face.
"I guess you did semi-decent, considering you haven't been using that cheap thing for a long period of time."
Link blinked. What will he have to do to get this pirate to appreciate
him?!
He shrugged, thinking he probably never would.
Tetra glanced up at the fortress then looked back at her triangle- shaped necklace. "I guess I should congratulate you for getting this far though." She complimented with a smirk. "I truly thought you wouldn't make it this far."
Link looked at the door standing in front of him.
"You know..." he quietly said. "I actually didn't think I would
either..."
Tetra suddenly became quiet.
Link looked down at the stone with a smile on his face.
"Thanks, Tetra." He said gently. "I doubt I would have made it this far without your help and guidance."
Tetra was speechless. She looked at the ground, trying to think of some sort of remark to catch him off-guard with. When no phrase entered her mind, she slowly looked back at his image in her necklace.
"...I...uh..." she stuttered. She couldn't find anything rude to say to him; not after he was kind enough to thank her despite her attitude. A nervous but small half smile crossed her face.
"Your...welcome..." she managed to say.
Link's smile grew. He was happy that he finally got her to say something other than a rude comment to him. With satisfaction, he pushed the door open and entered the lit room.
Back on the ship, Tetra was still trying to get over this weird feeling she was having in her stomach. She leaned up against the plank of wood that held up their pirate flag and stared straight ahead of her. She never felt this way during her entire life...except when her mother was still alive. Why was she getting this feeling all of a sudden? What was this feeling anyway?
Tetra looked to the ground, trying to figure out this strange emotion. She thought she had come to the conclusion that she was just excited from all that was going on. Now she was second-guessing that thought...
"Miss Tetra!"
Tetra's head shot up. She straightened up and peered over the edge to see Gonzo doing some odd dance while pointing to the fortress.
"Miss! Miss Tetra!" he hollered, suddenly looking up at her.
"Out with it, Gonzo!" She yelled back at him.
Gonzo quickly looked back at the fortress.
"T-the bird! It's...awake!" he quickly shouted, sounding scared.
"What?!" Tetra said, both aloud and to herself.
She quickly turned to face the Forsaken Fortress to find that Gonzo was indeed right. The giant bird was hovering over its nest, flapping its huge wings vigorously to keep itself airborne and rise further into the air. She watched as it made a couple rounds around the fortress, then start to head toward the central tower.
Her eyes widened even more when she realized that it was heading for the same tower that Link had entered.
Without a second thought, Tetra shouted into her necklace with sudden fear in her eyes.
"LINK!" she hollered. "GET OUT OF THERE!"
But she was already too late...
When she was finally able to focus from all her excitement, she could see Link, staring up at the huge bird in what looked like a small room surrounded by a single platform spiraling up past her necklaces viewing range. To his right, she could see a single wooden cell with three girls trapped behind its bars. One of them she recognized to be Link's sister, gripping the bars and gapping at her brother's predicament.
The bird let out an ear-piercing screech as it suddenly lowered its head and grabbed Link in its beak!
The boy gave a slight yell from shock, as did his sister. Tetra could hear his sister call out in sear terror as she watched her big brother get carried up into the air.
The pirate could only watch as Link tried to slash at the bird's face with his sword, only to have his weapon bounce off the creature's hard mask- like helmet. Seeing that that wasn't working, he tried to pry himself out of the bird's beak...but to no avail. The monster had too tight a grip on him to make it budge even the slightest.
By now, the bird had reached the top of the tower and was leaving the walls of the fortress. Tetra lifted her head and spotted the creature as it emerged out of the tower and into the night sky. The bird made a couple flights around the fortress then suddenly stopped in front of a ruined piece of ship that was anchored at the top of the fortress. It hovered there as if it was waiting for someone to tell it what to do with the prisoner in its beak.
The young pirate was confused at the bird's actions and looked down at her necklace to see what was going on. Link also had the same look of confusion on his face as he stared at something that was inside the ruined ship.
Tetra's eyes got even bigger when she got a good look at what was standing in front of him.
It was a person...with pitch black clothing...
Tetra stepped back a few feet and bumped into the flag post. She leaned against it with pure shock as she stared at the images in her necklace. That same horrible man that haunted her dreams and kidnapped her mother was standing in front of Link, examining him and pondering what to do.
With a slight gesture, Tetra saw the evil man tilt his head toward his left, hinting a command to the large creature hovering in front of him.
The bird caught wind of this command and lowered its head. With one huge swing, the bird released its grip on Link, sending him through the air...straight toward the open sea!
Tetra could hear Link scream as he flew through the air, twisting and turning the whole way. She quickly shot her head up to see where he was actually heading, and when she couldn't see exactly which direction he was flung to, she went back to her necklace.
As she stared in shock, all of a sudden his image began to fade as he started to fly out of range, much to Tetra's astonishment.
"No! Not now!" she shouted to the rock, hoping it would clear up.
It did not obey her wishes and instead grew darker and darker. The sound of Link's voice was slowly getting fainter, as was his image. Eventually she couldn't hear his screaming and watched as his moving figure slowly disappeared into nothing. In only a few seconds, Tetra had lost contact with him.
Silence followed...
Tetra stared at the gap inside her necklace, completely shocked at what had just taken place. In her mind, she didn't want to believe that what she just witnessed actually happened; but she knew she was only fooling herself. She slowly let herself slide down the pole she was leaning against until she hit the floor and sat still.
She was totally silent as she stared into her necklace. So many emotions were running through her head. Shock...anger...confusion...all of these feelings clouded her mind and thoughts.
Tetra looked up from her trance.
"This wasn't suppose to happen..." she told herself in her head. "That man was definitely not suppose to be here! That jerk ruins everything!" Giving an angry look over to the fortress, the pirate quickly made a sneer in half a hope that he could see it as she angrily but quietly added. "He will pay..."
She didn't make that face long though before it was replaced by a vacant-like stare as she looked down at her necklace. As she peered down at the blank gap in her golden accessory, a sudden loneliness filled her soul and she caught her breath. For a brief moment, she did nothing but stare, until she lifted her hand and covered her face with it.
At her fingertips, Tetra lightly felt a tear run down her cheek.
The pirate removed her hand and wiped away the small bit of liquid before she peered down at her fingers.
"I'm...crying?" she asked herself in confusion. "But...why? Why am I crying?" she paused a little before added. "...and why do I feel so...alone?"
It didn't make much sense to the young pirate. She had never cried in her life really, except when she was very little. She had also cried on the day her mother was taken too, for obvious reasons. So...why did she start up again?
"Wait a minute..." she mused as she returned back to reality. She blinked slowly as she realized that she had gone back to staring at the gap in her necklace, giving her a hint to why she was feeling the way she was.
It quickly dawned on her that she had felt lonely right after she lost contact with Link. But...why was that?
Almost as if to answer her question, Tetra suddenly remembered how she felt when he had thanked her for helping him.
He was certainly different, that boy. Most normal people she had met looked down on her, for obvious reasons that she was a pirate with an attitude. But Link...he looked like he didn't care what she was. Pirate or not, he had still thanked her...and she had returned the kind comment with one of her own...
That certainly wasn't normal. Did she actually say something nice to someone outside of her crew?
Tetra had to take her eyes off her necklace, and glanced over at the green bandage on her arm that Link had done himself. It took her till now to finally figure out why she felt so lonely. Without her even realizing it...she had just lost a friend...and not just any friend...
Link was her first friend, outside of her crew.
Tetra remained silent as she continued to stare at her bandage.
Suddenly she lifted her head, a look of determination in her eyes. Without hesitation, she quickly got to her feet and darted to the edge of the crows nest. She peered over the edge and shouted a command to get her crew's attention.
"Heave the anchor, boys!" she hollered with a stern tone.
"We're setting sail!"
A/N: I just noticed something. Getting this amount of reviews at the rate I'm getting them at is normal. Ha! Boy am I dense. Well anyways, keep reviewing all you good people! Just a note, this chap is when Tetra starts to realize something she should have seen earlier *winks* On with the next chapter!
Chapter 5: A Halted Rescue
-------------------------------------------------
"Left...
...now right...
...keep going...
...now turn left...
...no, your other left!"
Tetra was lying in her bed, flat on her back and staring up into her mother's necklace. When combined with the Pirate's Charm, a gift she had gotten for her fourth birthday, she could see everything that the holder of the charm was doing through the gap in her necklace. It was nifty in times such as this.
"Ok Link..." she stated. "I think it's safe to get out now."
Link heaved the barrel off his head and plopped it down beside him, wiping some sweat off his brow.
"Whew...I'm glad that's over...it was hot in there." he proclaimed
quietly.
"You could have picked a better outfit to wear for the trip ya know." Tetra remarked.
"Hey..." Link uttered, slightly offended. "My grandma made this outfit
for me."
"Well sorry." She replied in a sassy tone. "So what do you see around you. I need to know your position."
Link looked around. "I see a door to my right and left and a pathway to my right also."
"Hmm..." Tetra pondered. "Can you see where the pathway leads to?"
Link took a few steps backwards to get a better view.
"Yeah..." he replied. "There's a searchlight up there."
"I see..." Tetra thought out loud. "It would be easier to get around this place without those searchlights watching you. Why don't you head up there and turn it off. It would make rescuing your sister much easier."
"No arguing here." Link agreed as he headed up the pathway without hesitation. He reached the bottom of a ladder that lead up to the spotlight's control panel with haste and took two steps up it, but stopped at the sound of Tetra's voice.
"Hold on Link! Don't be so hasty! You don't even know what's up
there."
Link looked down at the blue stone hanging from his neck.
"What could possibly be up there that I can't handle?" he stated as manly as he could.
Tetra didn't sound fazed by his comment.
"There's a monster up there Link. Did you forget? You don't have a
sword!"
Link paused. "Oh...right."
"Hmm..." Tetra pondered. "Well you still have a shield. If I were you, I would use my shield to defend against the monsters blows and make him drop his weapon. That way you could use his own weapon against him. If you slay the monster, then you can shut off the searchlight."
"Sounds sinister...but it sounds like it could work." Link commented.
"I'll do it."
"Well it looks like I'll finally be able to see you in action." Tetra said, barely sounding excited as she stuck one hand behind her head and added. "Break a leg, kid."
Link frowned as he slowly and quietly climbed further up the ladder. "Are you ever gonna call me by my real name?"
"Just get up there!" Tetra huffed.
Link cringed at the seriousness in her voice. Upon reaching the top, he peeked over to spy on the unsuspecting creature operating the searchlight. When he finally spotted the lone Bokoblin in the dark of night, he gripped the side of the ladder and tensed himself up.
"Well...here goes nothing!" he stated quietly to himself
With that, he yanked himself forward and ran at the creature when it wasn't looking.
The Bokoblin turned to look at the last minute and it was quickly tackled to the ground in surprise. Link reached for the weapon in its hand but was knocked off before he could get it. He jumped away and came face to face with the Bokoblin, which didn't look too happy from his sneak attack.
It gave a squeaky roar before it suddenly charged at Link. He was ready with his shield out and blocked the strike the Bokoblin tried to swing at him. The creature bounced back, then jumped into the air to try and hit him from above.
Before the Bokoblin's weapon came in contact with his head, Link lifted his shield and leaned back toward the ground. As soon as the weapon hit his shield, he pushed it up and flipped the Bokoblin over his head and straight into the wall. It crashed and fell to the ground with a thud.
Link got to his feet and picked up the fallen stick-like weapon that
it was using.
"That wasn't too hard." He said to himself. He lifted the stick and watched as the Bokoblin got up from the ground. It wobbled around, obviously dizzy from its blow to the head. It staggered around to face Link, holding its head with one hand.
"Oops...sorry...let me help you with that." Link faked. He lifted the stick and swung with all his might as it connected with the Bokoblin's cheek. It flew across the ground and skidded a couple of times before it slipped over the edge and fell off the small tower, plunging into the water below, never to be seen again.
Link dropped the stick and walked over to the spotlight panel. He examined the strange wheel and turned it a bit to see what it did. The spotlight cranked up and aimed its beams of light up into the clouds.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well...how was that Tetra?" he questioned with curious eyes as he glanced at the stone. He, of course, couldn't see anything except a little bit of blue.
He didn't hear a reply.
"Tetra? Are you there?" he asked again and wondered. "Don't tell
me she didn't see any of that!"
He blinked when he finally heard Tetra's voice.
"So what did I miss?" she questioned.
Link hung his shoulders in dismay. "You mean you didn't see any
of that?!"
Tetra sounded confused. "Any of what? You mean the shutting down of a spotlight? That's hardly worth my time, Link."
"No! I mean me beating up the monster! You didn't see any of
it?"
"Nope."
"But why?!"
"I had to go to the ladies room."
Link almost fell to the ground in disbelief. His one chance to actually show her he deserved respect and she had to go. He shook his head.
"Nevermind."
After more navigation and utter complaints, Link managed to sneak deep into the fortress without too much trouble. This was a good thing obviously, but according to Tetra, it caused the boy in green to become a little too confident in himself.
"Sheesh...for a place that's suppose to have a bad reputation, it sure does need to have smarter guards in it." Link stated.
"You shouldn't take this place lightly, Link." Tetra explained. "It may be easy now, but I doubt it will get easier before it gets harder. You must stay on guard at all times."
"Yeah yeah...whatever you say captain." The boy joked.
"I'm serious!" Tetra firmly stated. "You shouldn't be so hasty with your decisions, Link. It could get you in trouble sooner or later."
"Ok Tetra." He said, not sounding serious as he pushed open a door and
walked in.
Once inside, he flatted up against the wall and slid along it to avoid being spotted by anything. He peeked around a corner to see a big goofy looking creature with a long spear, having strange tattoos covering its dark maroon colored body. It was sniffing around as if it was looking for something specific.
"It looks like they're on to us." Tetra stated. "They seem to be more alert than the previous monsters I've seen."
Link slid back against the wall and looked down at the stone. He then
pulled his shield out.
"They don't look so tough." He stated. Without showing much hesisation, the young boy purposely turned the corner and began to walk towards the creature.
"Link! What the heck are you doing?" Tetra shouted.
The big monster, also called a Moblin, heard Tetra's voice. It stood up from its sniffing position and looked in Link's direction. Upon seeing the boy, it made a goofy sounding grunt as it grabbed its spear with both hands and began pacing over toward him.
Link smirked and readied his shield as the Moblin's pace turned into a sprint and began to charge at him, spear slightly in the air. He darted at the creature before it reached him and jumped aside, hoping to get behind it and maybe hit its back to drop its weapon.
However...his plan did not go so well. Once Link jumped aside to run behind the Moblin, the monster stuck out his spear horizontally, causing Link to run into it and loose his footing.
With Link hanging from its horizontal weapon, the Moblin pushed forward, sending Link backwards toward where he entered the room. He tumbled a bit and landed on his front. It didn't hurt him that much and he flipped his body around to face his enemy, shield in front of him. The Moblin was hanging over him like a huge fat statue, glaring down at him with a huge toothy grin.
With a quick thrust, it swung its spear and knocked Link's shield out of his hand! It flew into the wall and fell to the ground with a clank.
Without thinking, Link quickly scrambled to his shield, which was his only source of protection at the moment. He had just grabbed the handle when he suddenly felt himself being lifted into the air! He didn't even have enough time to see what was happening and before he knew it, he got heaved into the air by the Moblin and at about mid-way up, he saw a fist fly toward his face.
Sudden pain filled his head upon impact as Link flew across the room and crashed into the adjacent wall. He fell to the ground and landed hard on his side.
"Link!" Tetra shouted, suddenly sitting upright and glaring at her
necklace.
The small boy cringed as he felt his head start to throb. He slowly turned to get back up, but suddenly halted upon seeing the Moblin's hoof- like feet near his head. He quickly looked up at the fat creature, but only managed to get a glimpse before he was suddenly kicked in the head!
The boy screamed as he once again flew across the floor, landing in a heap near where he entered the room. He coughed a bit as he felt the air in him get pushed out of his lungs when he hit the ground.
Tetra glared down into the necklace as she watched the whole event unfold. She could see that Link was starting to lose consciousness from the many blows to the head he had received.
"Get up!" she hollered.
The boy slowly turned his head to face the necklace. He tried to say something, but his words were so faint that Tetra couldn't make any of it out.
"Stay awake kid!" Tetra yelled at him, sounding a bit angry but also having the faintest hint of worry in her voice.
Link's vision was getting duller as he hung on the edge of consciousness. His head was throbbing with pain so much that he could barely keep his vision straight. Everything was a blur and he could barely see the image of the Moblin as it began to approach him. He couldn't stand it anymore and finally...he blacked out...
~ ~ ~
"Link.
Link wake up."
Link shifted a little. He could hear a voice but was not fully conscious yet to actually make out who it was. He didn't feel like getting up either and didn't bother to open his eyes.
"Dang it kid, wake up!" The voice shouted, even louder this time in hopes of getting him fully awake.
Link groaned and twisted his body to lay flat on his back. His eyes fluttered open, hoping to see a face of someone looking down at him with concern. All that he saw though, was a ceiling. He slowly propped himself up into a sitting position and rubbed the back of his head, which felt like it was hit with a rock.
"It's about time you woke up." Tetra mused.
Link groaned again. The least she could do was make sure he was alright or something. Instead she was yelling at him like she didn't care what he felt.
"I warned you about this, kid. But you just didn't listen to me."
Tetra said.
Link opened one eye and looked down at the charm.
"Thanks for caring..." he uttered, sounding annoyed but also sad.
"Look, I'm sure you got hurt and all but we really don't have time to cry over a few scars." Tetra said, a little calmer this time. "But you can't forget your mission. Anything could have happened to your sister by now."
Link looked straight ahead of him after realizing this.
"If anything..." Tetra continued. "...it would be best to find her now before more time is wasted."
"Right!" Link replied. He looked around to check where he was, seeing that he was no longer outside, and instead was sitting inside a jail cell with no guards around. "So...where am I?"
"You were carried into that cell while you were unconscious." Tetra explained. "It's not too far from where you left off really, so once you get out, you can get back to the area pretty quickly. Oh and that stupid monster didn't even think to take away your shield so you still have some protection."
Link looked puzzled. "So how do I get out?"
He heard Tetra give a frustrated sigh.
"You never think ahead of time do you?" she questioned.
"Uh..." Link trailed.
"Forget it." She mutter, getting back on subject. "Now from what I can see, there's a bench and a shelf in that cell of yours. I think I see a crack in the wall behind that piece of pottery on the shelf. Do you see it?"
Link got up and looked up at the pot. He climbed up to it and moved it
aside.
"Hey! There's a passageway back here." Link exclaimed. He got on all fours and squeezed into the small opening. After crawling for a little while, he reached the other end and crawled out into the open.
"Ah, free at last!" he exclaimed with a smile.
"Don't forget kid..." Tetra said. "...it's not over until you get your sister back, so stay on guard, and don't pull a stunt like you did before!"
"You got it." Link replied, and with that, he ran off down a hallway
and exited the room.
After only a few minutes, Link reached the room that he was captured in, and sure enough the Moblin was still there guarding the place. After some coaxing from Tetra, Link reluctantly used a barrel to get past it without being noticed, and sneaked into the door it was guarding. He emerged outside and ran up a flight of steps, only to find yet another Moblin. Using the same method, he sneaked by it undetected and advanced further up the tower.
Back on the ship, Tetra had made her way to the crow's nest to inform her crew that they were going to be there a little while longer. Of course, no one liked the idea but didn't complain for fear of getting yelled at.
Before he even knew it, Link turned a corner and spotted a shimmer out of the corner of his eye. He looked over to see what it was and saw his sword lying only a few feet away.
"Wow. It landed all the way up here?" He thought. He must have landed higher up on the wall than he thought. It didn't matter now though, so he quickly sprinted over to reclaim his lost weapon.
"Watch out Link." He heard Tetra say. "There's a monster by that
door."
As he picked his sword up, Link glanced to his right to see another Bokoblin guarding a door, this one sleeping on the job and snoozing the night away.
"Link, I think your sister is being held in that room." Tetra said. "It looks like you're going to have to fight the creature to get in so be careful."
"No problem." He replied. "Now that I have my sword back, it will be a piece of cake."
"That attitude got you in trouble last time, Link." Tetra scolded. "Don't blow it this time!"
Link looked at the stone. "Stop worrying so much. I'll be back with my
sister in no time. Just watch me."
He didn't hear Tetra say anything back, so he assumed she was watching. Link tapped the wall with his sword to get the Bokoblins attention. The creature quickly woke up from its nap and shot its head up, looking his direction. It lowered its head and eyed him with an evil glare as it then began to approach him.
Link posed and pointed his sword at the creature.
"Come on!" he shouted to it.
Sensing his anxiousness, the Bokoblin charged at him, its blade ready for battle. Link defended with his own sword and side stepped to his left. This made the Bokoblin throw its weight forward and fall. It lost its footing and stumbled a little but not long enough so Link could swing at its back. It turned around quick enough to block his attack with its own wooden shield. Link did a back flip to get out of range if it decided to attack him.
The two glared at each other, waiting for the other to attack first. Eventually, the Bokoblin grew tired of waiting and ran forward. Link also sprinted forward and the two clashed, their weapons slashing in all directions. They bounced back and leapt into the air, yelling as they flew toward each other. A clang was heard as both Link and the Bokoblin landed on their feet. Neither moved for a brief moment...
Suddenly the Bokoblin gripped its side and fell. It made a strange sound before it collapsed to the ground in a small pool of blood.
Link sheathed his sword and vertically clapped his hands after a job well done. He really didn't like to kill anything really or see blood, but the thrill of fighting with his sword made him feel strong and energetic. He could get use to doing this often.
He didn't hear Tetra utter a word during the whole fight, so he glanced at the gem hanging from his neck and spoke.
"How was that, Tetra?" he asked, hoping she saw him this time.
He didn't get a response.
"Tetra!" he hollered at the stone, annoyed at the thought that she wasn't answering him.
"I'm here, kid. Don't get your tunic all in a knot." He finally
heard her reply.
He cocked his head. "Well..."
Tetra got a smirk on her face.
"I guess you did semi-decent, considering you haven't been using that cheap thing for a long period of time."
Link blinked. What will he have to do to get this pirate to appreciate
him?!
He shrugged, thinking he probably never would.
Tetra glanced up at the fortress then looked back at her triangle- shaped necklace. "I guess I should congratulate you for getting this far though." She complimented with a smirk. "I truly thought you wouldn't make it this far."
Link looked at the door standing in front of him.
"You know..." he quietly said. "I actually didn't think I would
either..."
Tetra suddenly became quiet.
Link looked down at the stone with a smile on his face.
"Thanks, Tetra." He said gently. "I doubt I would have made it this far without your help and guidance."
Tetra was speechless. She looked at the ground, trying to think of some sort of remark to catch him off-guard with. When no phrase entered her mind, she slowly looked back at his image in her necklace.
"...I...uh..." she stuttered. She couldn't find anything rude to say to him; not after he was kind enough to thank her despite her attitude. A nervous but small half smile crossed her face.
"Your...welcome..." she managed to say.
Link's smile grew. He was happy that he finally got her to say something other than a rude comment to him. With satisfaction, he pushed the door open and entered the lit room.
Back on the ship, Tetra was still trying to get over this weird feeling she was having in her stomach. She leaned up against the plank of wood that held up their pirate flag and stared straight ahead of her. She never felt this way during her entire life...except when her mother was still alive. Why was she getting this feeling all of a sudden? What was this feeling anyway?
Tetra looked to the ground, trying to figure out this strange emotion. She thought she had come to the conclusion that she was just excited from all that was going on. Now she was second-guessing that thought...
"Miss Tetra!"
Tetra's head shot up. She straightened up and peered over the edge to see Gonzo doing some odd dance while pointing to the fortress.
"Miss! Miss Tetra!" he hollered, suddenly looking up at her.
"Out with it, Gonzo!" She yelled back at him.
Gonzo quickly looked back at the fortress.
"T-the bird! It's...awake!" he quickly shouted, sounding scared.
"What?!" Tetra said, both aloud and to herself.
She quickly turned to face the Forsaken Fortress to find that Gonzo was indeed right. The giant bird was hovering over its nest, flapping its huge wings vigorously to keep itself airborne and rise further into the air. She watched as it made a couple rounds around the fortress, then start to head toward the central tower.
Her eyes widened even more when she realized that it was heading for the same tower that Link had entered.
Without a second thought, Tetra shouted into her necklace with sudden fear in her eyes.
"LINK!" she hollered. "GET OUT OF THERE!"
But she was already too late...
When she was finally able to focus from all her excitement, she could see Link, staring up at the huge bird in what looked like a small room surrounded by a single platform spiraling up past her necklaces viewing range. To his right, she could see a single wooden cell with three girls trapped behind its bars. One of them she recognized to be Link's sister, gripping the bars and gapping at her brother's predicament.
The bird let out an ear-piercing screech as it suddenly lowered its head and grabbed Link in its beak!
The boy gave a slight yell from shock, as did his sister. Tetra could hear his sister call out in sear terror as she watched her big brother get carried up into the air.
The pirate could only watch as Link tried to slash at the bird's face with his sword, only to have his weapon bounce off the creature's hard mask- like helmet. Seeing that that wasn't working, he tried to pry himself out of the bird's beak...but to no avail. The monster had too tight a grip on him to make it budge even the slightest.
By now, the bird had reached the top of the tower and was leaving the walls of the fortress. Tetra lifted her head and spotted the creature as it emerged out of the tower and into the night sky. The bird made a couple flights around the fortress then suddenly stopped in front of a ruined piece of ship that was anchored at the top of the fortress. It hovered there as if it was waiting for someone to tell it what to do with the prisoner in its beak.
The young pirate was confused at the bird's actions and looked down at her necklace to see what was going on. Link also had the same look of confusion on his face as he stared at something that was inside the ruined ship.
Tetra's eyes got even bigger when she got a good look at what was standing in front of him.
It was a person...with pitch black clothing...
Tetra stepped back a few feet and bumped into the flag post. She leaned against it with pure shock as she stared at the images in her necklace. That same horrible man that haunted her dreams and kidnapped her mother was standing in front of Link, examining him and pondering what to do.
With a slight gesture, Tetra saw the evil man tilt his head toward his left, hinting a command to the large creature hovering in front of him.
The bird caught wind of this command and lowered its head. With one huge swing, the bird released its grip on Link, sending him through the air...straight toward the open sea!
Tetra could hear Link scream as he flew through the air, twisting and turning the whole way. She quickly shot her head up to see where he was actually heading, and when she couldn't see exactly which direction he was flung to, she went back to her necklace.
As she stared in shock, all of a sudden his image began to fade as he started to fly out of range, much to Tetra's astonishment.
"No! Not now!" she shouted to the rock, hoping it would clear up.
It did not obey her wishes and instead grew darker and darker. The sound of Link's voice was slowly getting fainter, as was his image. Eventually she couldn't hear his screaming and watched as his moving figure slowly disappeared into nothing. In only a few seconds, Tetra had lost contact with him.
Silence followed...
Tetra stared at the gap inside her necklace, completely shocked at what had just taken place. In her mind, she didn't want to believe that what she just witnessed actually happened; but she knew she was only fooling herself. She slowly let herself slide down the pole she was leaning against until she hit the floor and sat still.
She was totally silent as she stared into her necklace. So many emotions were running through her head. Shock...anger...confusion...all of these feelings clouded her mind and thoughts.
Tetra looked up from her trance.
"This wasn't suppose to happen..." she told herself in her head. "That man was definitely not suppose to be here! That jerk ruins everything!" Giving an angry look over to the fortress, the pirate quickly made a sneer in half a hope that he could see it as she angrily but quietly added. "He will pay..."
She didn't make that face long though before it was replaced by a vacant-like stare as she looked down at her necklace. As she peered down at the blank gap in her golden accessory, a sudden loneliness filled her soul and she caught her breath. For a brief moment, she did nothing but stare, until she lifted her hand and covered her face with it.
At her fingertips, Tetra lightly felt a tear run down her cheek.
The pirate removed her hand and wiped away the small bit of liquid before she peered down at her fingers.
"I'm...crying?" she asked herself in confusion. "But...why? Why am I crying?" she paused a little before added. "...and why do I feel so...alone?"
It didn't make much sense to the young pirate. She had never cried in her life really, except when she was very little. She had also cried on the day her mother was taken too, for obvious reasons. So...why did she start up again?
"Wait a minute..." she mused as she returned back to reality. She blinked slowly as she realized that she had gone back to staring at the gap in her necklace, giving her a hint to why she was feeling the way she was.
It quickly dawned on her that she had felt lonely right after she lost contact with Link. But...why was that?
Almost as if to answer her question, Tetra suddenly remembered how she felt when he had thanked her for helping him.
He was certainly different, that boy. Most normal people she had met looked down on her, for obvious reasons that she was a pirate with an attitude. But Link...he looked like he didn't care what she was. Pirate or not, he had still thanked her...and she had returned the kind comment with one of her own...
That certainly wasn't normal. Did she actually say something nice to someone outside of her crew?
Tetra had to take her eyes off her necklace, and glanced over at the green bandage on her arm that Link had done himself. It took her till now to finally figure out why she felt so lonely. Without her even realizing it...she had just lost a friend...and not just any friend...
Link was her first friend, outside of her crew.
Tetra remained silent as she continued to stare at her bandage.
Suddenly she lifted her head, a look of determination in her eyes. Without hesitation, she quickly got to her feet and darted to the edge of the crows nest. She peered over the edge and shouted a command to get her crew's attention.
"Heave the anchor, boys!" she hollered with a stern tone.
"We're setting sail!"