Disclaimer: *frowns* Obviously the disclaimer people don't like me for
using a sign instead of myself to tell the disclaimer. So then I will begin
by saying what all of you know already. Zelda, WW, and all its related
subjects are copyright of Nintendo. *walks off*
A/N: Just a quick note here...well, actually it's a reminder. If you have any questions about a spot in the story that you've read so far then by all means ask away! It most likely will be answered at the end of the story in my summary. Another thing I must say too, is that this chapter is where the action begins! What action you ask? *grins* You'll see. Enjoy!
Chapter 11: A Foul Fight
-------------------------------------------------
"Where did you get that?!"
Tetra kept her eyes locked on to the confused boy, still not wanting to accept the fact that the kid in green standing in front of her was the hero that was suppose to save everyone.
Link blinked with confusion at her strange change in mood. He glanced over to his left at the hilt sticking out of the sword's sheath and blinked again.
"Um..." he stammered while scratching the back of his head. "It's kind of a long story..." He looked up at Tetra and added. "Do you really need to know right now?"
Tetra lowered her gaze, not liking the response he gave her.
"He can't be the hero..." she thought. "He can't even save his own sister without help. He can't possibly think he could save an entire world by himself." Her look slowly went back to her dumbfounded gaze. "But...then again...he has the Master Sword...why else would he have the blade meant for the hero...?"
The female pirate shook her head slightly and shrugged.
"How could it be...?" she uttered quietly, still having trouble accepting Link's new position in time. He was the last person she would suspect to be the hero! Destiny must have been on vacation when it came time to choose the person to save the world...
Link was now even more confused than ever as he watched Tetra continue to stare at him with stunned eyes.
Suddenly his ear twitched as the sound of a door slowly creaking open quickly caught his attention. He glanced over his other shoulder to see that Gonzo and Senza had finally jimmied open the cell door, and were now walking into it to carry out the rest of their captain's plan.
The noise also got Tetra to snap out of her trance and she quickly shook her head to try and not look too silly. She was a little late on that achievement, but it didn't matter to her much so she merely stuck her hands back on her hip and spoke.
"Well, I guess I'll have to think about that later." She said a little quietly, but not too low for Link to hear. "For now, we'll just take these girls." Lifting her head, she then added. "I'm sure their father's back in town will pay a handsome reward for their return."
Right after she completed her explanation, Gonzo and Senza came pacing out of the cell, the two girls slung over their shoulders. Link's sister, Aryll, stood in the doorway as they left, a hand placed on her chest. A huge smile formed on her face as she took a few steps forward and reached out to her brother, her eyes looking like they could burst into tears at any second.
Link sighed with delight, finally having the reassurance that his little sister was finally free from her horrible prison. He spread out his arms and knelt down on one knee, welcoming her embrace.
Aryll picked up the pace and ran into her brother's arms, burying her head into his chest as she started to sob with joy.
Link held her close. He knew she must have gone through some frightening events here at this evil place and that she needed to be reassured that it was all finally over. He squeezed her gently as he quietly said a few comforting words to his little sister.
Tetra smiled warmly as she watched the two siblings finally get reunited. For the first time in years, she had finally succeeded in one of her own many goals. Her goal to help this young boy get reunited with his sister...was finally complete. She didn't think she would feel this proud of herself before...and of Link too.
The young captain sighed. Though she really didn't want to end the heartfelt reunion, she knew that time was of the essence and that it wouldn't be long before the bird would return to spoil their rescue.
Tetra's gaze fell upon the Master Sword again, which suddenly reminded her of the still-hard-to-accept fact. Link was the new hero...which meant he had to destroy the great evil and all of his army. And that also included the bird...
"So..." she thought. "...Link has to stay here and destroy
Ganondorf..."
Boy, she didn't like that idea. Pairing Link up against that huge bird, not to mention his controller, was hardly a mission Tetra wanted Link to be in.
But he was the hero...he had no choice...and neither did she...
The female pirate hesitantly spoke up.
"I'm sorry to interrupt such a heartwarming reunion..." she said as Link and Aryll parted from their hug and looked over to her. The young pirate lifted one arm and pointed up toward the opening at the top of the tower as she looked to Link and continued. "...but isn't there still something you need to take care of?"
Link slowly stood up, forming a rare but serious look on his face. He knew what she meant...how she knew, though, was beyond Link's grasp. He was told by a different source that he needed to destroy Ganon. He nodded to her in reply.
He suddenly felt Aryll tug at his tunic and looked down to see his little sister, still looking at Tetra and clinging to the side of his outfit. A look of concern got on his face.
Tetra saw this and spoke up.
"If you're worried about your sister...don't be. I promise I'll deliver her safely back to your little island." she finished as Link looked back at her. When it came to figuring his emotions out, it appeared Tetra was the person who could do it best.
The young captain waved a hand through the air.
"Normally, I'd expect a huge reward for something like this..." she said, trying not to sound like she was expecting any reward. She had to continue, since Link got a stunned look on his face, obviously falling for her half-trick.
"...but this time..." she added. "It's my treat."
Link smiled.
"Thanks, Tetra."
"Don't mention it." She replied, sticking her hand back on her
hip and smiling.
Link was about to head toward the winding ramp when he felt Aryll's grip on his tunic tighten. She didn't want to leave her big brother now! She didn't even get to spend ten minutes with him!
When it didn't look like Aryll was going to let Link take even two steps, Tetra had to step back in.
"Listen Aryll..." Tetra said to the younger girl. "...your brother still has some things to take care of." She glanced over to Link and added. "Big, important, grown-up things..."
Link smirked at her enthusiasm as Tetra looked back to Aryll.
"He'll be back soon, so you just wait nice and quiet until he returns." She lowered her head. "...ok?"
Aryll got a sad look on her face as she looked up at Link.
"But...big brother..." she said quietly with sadness in her voice.
Link put his hands on her shoulder and tried to look her in the eyes as she lowered her head to wipe her small tears away.
"Tetra's right, Aryll." He calmly said to his sister. "I'll be back before you know it. Just stay with the pirates and wait for me, ok?" he smiled down at her as she gazed back up at him.
"Ok..." she managed to say between sobs.
As soon as the young girl finished, Gonzo came running back inside, having completed his order. He stopped next to Tetra, panting slightly.
"Miss Tetra! We have to hurry!" he said anxiously. "The bird will be here any second!"
Tetra didn't turn around to face him and merely glanced over her shoulder to look at him, a half-smile on her face.
"Gonzo! Excellent! You're just in time." She said. She gestured to Aryll and added. "Take this one for me."
Gonzo's expression changed to that of confusion. He understood her order but wasn't sure why she wanted him to take this girl back to the ship.
"But she's-" he stopped short as Tetra finished his sentence.
"She's fine! Just do as you're told!" she replied quickly and sternly.
That was enough to get Gonzo moving, and he quickly went over to retrieve the young girl.
As Gonzo lifted Aryll onto his shoulder and began to head for the door, Aryll reached out to her brother, still not wanting to leave him.
"Big Brother!" she called back to him as he started to wave good-bye
to her.
As Link continued to wave, Tetra spun around and followed Gonzo out the door. Before she reached the door, however, she paused and stopped in her tracks.
"Link..."
Link paused his waving motion and looked at her.
Tetra turned her head to look back at him and closed one eye and as she made her trademark smirk and added.
"We'll be back! I swear it!"
Before she could see what his resulting expression was, she turned back around and disappeared out the door.
Back outside, Gonzo was giving Aryll directions on how to hold on as she clung to a hovering Prince Komali's feet. He quickly finished and Komali carefully flew off to drop off the small girl at the ship.
Almost instantly, Tetra stopped as the door slowly creaked closed
behind her.
"What a minute...what am I doing? I still have a score to settle with that bird!" she scolded herself in her mind. "I can't let Link have all the fun!"
She quickly turned around, placed her hands on the closed, wooden door, and pushed.
It didn't budge.
She pushed again, this time harder, to try and get it open; but it still didn't move an inch.
"Oh great. The door's locked." she muttered sarcastically.
Tetra was about to back up when she suddenly felt something cold wash over her feet, which caused her to look down at her sandels.
Water was seeping out from under the door.
"Oh shoot! The inside of the tower is flooding!"
The young pirate quickly looked around for another way she could get in, and happened to look up to the top of the tower.
The large bird had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and it was now doing circles above the tower's top entrance. After a few seconds of doing so, it suddenly let itself drop into the large tower.
"That's it!" she exclaimed as an idea struck her.
Without wasting another minute, Tetra ran over to where her grappling hook was attached and began to reel the rest of the rope up and out of the water below.
Gonzo grabbed his own rope, but looked over at his captain with a
puzzled look.
"Um...Miss? What are you-" he stopped short when she interrupted him.
"Gonzo, head back to the ship and tell the crew to wait!" she quickly said as she reeled in the last bit of rope and detached the hook from the wall. "I'll be right back!" And with that, she quickly ran off.
"Wait! Miss!"
Tetra ignored Gonzo's calls and ran in front of the door, the hook end of the rope in one hand and the rest dangling from her other arm in a set of loops. Grasping the hook tightly, the pirate looked up to try and spot the closes platform attached to the tower.
There happened to be a small one about half way up tower, much to Tetra's liking.
"Perfect!" she exclaimed.
As best as she could, Tetra twirled the hook in a circular motion next to her head and took aim. When she thought she had it on target, she threw the hook up into the air toward the platform.
To her relief, the rope flew right over her target and fell to the other side. The hook smashed against the side and had enough force to motivate it and latch onto the stone.
After tugging the rope slightly to see if it had a good hold, Tetra grabbed a hold of the dangling rope and began to climb up.
As she was climbing, she heard faint noises coming from the inside of the tower. The bird was making a couple squawks and shortly after each one, she'd hear the sound of boards snapping in two.
She hastened her accent up the rope.
Once at the top, Tetra climbed onto the ledge and prepared to throw the rope yet again, and this time, she was close enough to aim for the top of the tower. Performing the same stunt she did for the first ledge, the pirate hurled the rope up, snagged one of the large stone slabs, and continued her ascent upward.
About half way up, she suddenly heard the bird again; only this time, it's screech was much louder. Almost immediately after its call, she heard a swoosh, followed by a sudden splash!
Tetra didn't like the sound of that, and she immediately thought for the worst. Did Link just get eaten or get knocked back into the water and drowned? She had to find out!
As she neared the top, the pirate found herself a spot to stick her feet and peeked over the castle-like rim of the tower, hoping to see what had made the bird squawk so loudly.
To her relief, she saw Link's figure emerge from the tower, holding a very large and very odd-looking hammer. The bird was nowhere in sight.
"I guess I can't pay my debt to the bird now." She muttered quietly to herself, sounding only a little disappointed.
But she spoke too soon...
The tower suddenly started to vibrate irregularly as if an earthquake was occurring at its very foundations, and with a loud swoosh, the beast came twirling out of the tower's depth's, water cascading down its back. With a big wave of feathers, it spread its huge wings and let out the loudest and most angry sounding screech Tetra had ever heard! Even Link had to cover his ears at the sound of the creature's war cry!
The opening that Link and the bird emerged from had slowly closed during the bird's call and now the tower's peak had become a huge battlefield. The only thing that wasn't part of the field was the small path leading up to a very large, broken piece of a ship's stern that overlooked the battlefield.
The battle was about to begin...
Tetra kept herself hidden as the bird took off in a random direction. She didn't want Link to know she was up here. If he did, she knew he would probably be too focused on her safety and not fight at his best; so she stayed behind the wall, out of both his and the bird's view.
Link just stood there, unsure of how he could defeat such a large creature without getting too beaten up. He had to be extra careful; not just because he was fighting such a huge beast, but also because the inner rim of the tower was lined with numerous sharp spikes! And he knew those would hurt if he wasn't careful.
Screeeeeeeeeech!
By now the bird had obviously finished its pass and was now heading back toward the tower, announcing its return with another mighty call. When it got close, the foul stiffened its wings and glided on the wind currents, slowing it enough for it to land.
Link braced himself and readied his shield and sword.
"Well...here it goes!" he called out. He still wasn't sure how he would defeat the creature...but like all the other minions he had faced during the past chaotic week, he had to figure it out for himself...the hard way!
The hard stone ground rumbled as the bird stomped its way toward Link, wings spread out. It glared down at him through it's piercing yellow eyes and lifted one of its huge talons. Link caught on to its intended attack and quickly jumped back as the creature brought its foot down hard to the ground.
Link frowned at the creature's pathetic attempt to hit him. Perhaps this bird was not as hard as everyone said it was. He got back to his feet and turned around, excepting the bird to still be recovering from its attack.
...but instead, he was met by the bird's other foot!
"Eek!" he gasped as he quickly back flipped out of the way, barely escaping its quick attack. He looked back up again to see the other bird's foot try to squish him! He dodged that quickly but kept on moving as the bird continuously tried to stomp him!
"Man it's pretty fast for such a huge creature!" He thought as he scrambled back to his feet when the bird finally stopped. "I guess that's lesson number one in fighting a large bird."
THWACK!
Link was suddenly hit upside the head by one of the bird's large, feathery tails, sending him tumbling across the ground. He settled in a cloud of feathers and stayed motionless for a few seconds before he quickly scrambled back to his feet, rubbing his head.
"Ok...lesson two...don't keep your eyes off the darn thing!" he scolded himself while rubbing his head.
Meanwhile, Tetra was also scolding Link, but kept her voice low enough so he couldn't hear her. She put a hand on her forehead and shook her blonde head.
"You don't turn your back to a 20 foot tall bird! You just don't!" she said to herself, knowing very well that Link couldn't hear her. Well...we can't all be perfect...
Once the bit of throbbing in his head stopped, Link shook his head and
wondered.
"How can I defeat this bird?! It's got to have a weak spot somewhere!" he thought. "But where...?"
The bird cawed with anger having seen that the boy had recovered. It quickly stomped its way over to him and mumbled what sounded like a small growl as it reared its head back and thrust forward, hoping to jab Link into the ground with its beak!
Link managed to roll out of the way before the fouls bill connected with his head. He got back on his feet to face the bird, excepting it to have another attack coming his way.
Instead of an attack, however, he saw something very different...
Because the bird's fast attacked missed, it couldn't slow its head quick enough and its beak drilled straight into the ground...and now its beak was stuck! The large bird yanked its head back a couple of times, but its bill was too deep into the ground to even budge.
"Stupid creature..." Tetra taunted quietly.
Link was thinking the same thing also but didn't stay in thought too long upon seeing the foul's mask-like helmet.
"That it!" he exclaimed.
Quickly he took out the same odd-looking mallet from before and ran up to the bird as it continued to try and yank itself from the ground. As he drew close, Link lifted the hammer into the air and swung with all his might toward the beast's mask.
With a loud clank, the hammer smashed into the bird's helmet!
The resulting force from the mighty weapon loosened the bird's beak from its place in the ground and with one mighty yank, the beasts flung its head out of the ground and into the air, screeching like mad. Pieces of it's fancy mask went flying in all directions as the creature flung its head around in anger and shock. Once it stopped flailing, the bird angrily looked down at Link, revealing the true figures of its head and face.
Three strange yellow lobes of featherless skin stood on top of the bird's head while small black and white feathers surrounded its blood-red eyes, which were staring down at Link with the most obvious hint of anger.
Upon seeing the strange lobes on its head, Link immediately figured that those were the creatures weak spot. Now all he needed to do was test his theory and somehow get the bird to get its beak stuck again.
"Easy...I'll just get the stupid thing to try and hit me again." Link
planned.
As the bird glared at him with fury, Link stuck his tongue out at the beast and made a couple of weird noises to try and get it more angry.
It must have worked since the bird came charging at him, cawing madly and gaping its mouth as if it wanted to eat him.
Link quickly ran away toward the edge of the tower, keeping a short distance away from the spikes and pretending to have accidentally corner himself. He spun around and looked up at the towering beast above him, hoping it was going to use its pecking attack.
He successfully fooled the bird into thinking he had no way of escaping and the bird once again reared its head back to begin his attack. As the creature brought its head down, Link rolled forward right between its legs and avoided the attack once again. And like before, the bird got its beak stuck in the ground.
While she was watching the whole event, Tetra was getting suspicious. The bird was suddenly getting easier to fight against...but why? Usually battles would get harder before they got easier.
"This is very unusual." The young pirate whispered. "...almost too
unusual..."
Link casually walked in front of the bird and began to speak as he slowly unsheathed the Master Sword.
"Not so tough now are ya?" Link said cockily as he slowly started to lift the sword to slash the dangling yellow lobes.
The bird got a vicious look in its eyes as it yanked its head around vigorously to try and loosen its beak, even madder this time because it was fooled twice by the young hero.
Or was it...
Right before Link was about to bring the sword down on the creature's head, the beast opened its wings and started to flap them vigorously. The resulting wind from its wings was so strong that Link lost his footing and dropped the Master Sword!
The boy yelled as he was literally lifted off the ground and hurled
through the air!
...directly toward the spikes!
Tetra gasped and covered her mouth, knowing that if Link hit any of those spikes at the speed he was going, it could possibly give him extremely fatal injures if he didn't do something quick!
Link had only had a split second to come up with something. As he flew head-first toward the oncoming spikes, he quickly gripped his shield and twisted his body to face the sharp objects, shield positioned in front of him.
With a metallic clank, Link's shield hit the sharp spikes, keeping him well out of their reach until he landed on the ground and the bird halted its flapping wings.
But...before Link or Tetra could breathe a sigh of relief, the bird let out an ear-piercing screech and lunged forward, head-first, toward the crouching boy.
Link managed to quickly turn around, but only to be swatted aside by the beast's massive skull, hurling him all the way to the other side of the field before coming to a rest near the many spikes that lined the closes wall.
"Link!" Tetra shouted.
Upon realizing what she just did, the pirate quickly covered her mouth again, and ducked before neither of the two fighters could spot her. She quietly scolded herself for calling out the way she did...she had to keep quiet or else she would be found out!
The bird luckily didn't hear her, and instead was too focused on the still figure of the boy clothed in green on the other side of the tower's edge. It quickly stomped its way over to the small hero, casting its dark shadow over him like a blanket of black smoke.
Link moaned a bit, slightly dazed by the sudden hit to his side that was now aching and feeling like mush.
His attention quickly turned to the bird as it let out yet another war cry and lifted one of its feet.
Upon seeing the beast's huge talon's over him, Link quickly rolled in the only direction he could to try and avoid getting stomped on!
The bird saw this maneuver coming and quickly moved it's lifted foot over to where Link would eventually end up.
Link's eyes went wide with shock as he quickly tried to roll the other
direction!
But he wasn't quick enough to get his whole body completely out of the
way...
The hero let out a painful scream as one of the beast's huge talons caught his right wrist underneath its heavy weight, pinning it to the ground!
Despite the pain he was getting though, Link tried to yank his wrist free from its trap underneath the bird's talon, but it only made it hurt even more!
The bird glared down at the pinned boy and cawed a little in delight as it added more pressure to its foot, which in turn caused Link to cry out and make his trapped wrist start to bleed. The young boy screamed again, this time louder, as the weight on his wrist strengthened even more!
Tetra could barely watch as Link lay pinned underneath the huge beast. She wanted to jump in and help! She really did!
But she kept herself from jumping into the fray. Link had to get rid of this creature...it was his duty as the new hero!
"Come on, Link." She quietly said, sounding worried. "You can get out of this. I know you can!"
Link kept his eyes tightly shut as he endured the extreme pressure on his wrist. He had to think of something quick or else he would loose the use of his right hand!
Suddenly, an idea struck him.
Using his free hand, he quickly reached behind his back and fumbled around for a certain object he knew could get him out of this situation. He quickly found it and pull it out from behind him.
It was an arrow!
Without wasting anymore time, Link used all his strength and jabbed the pointed object as deep as he could, right into the bird's leg!
Suddenly feeling pain, the bird cried out and flapped its wings wildly, removing it talon from its spot atop Link's wrist. It took a few steps back and lowered its head to remove the small but very irritating arrow from its leg.
Quickly seeing his opportunity, Link scrambled to his feet and sprinted for the Master Sword that lay only a few feet away from him. He quickly grabbed the blade's hilt and charged as fast as he could toward the giant creature!
With a shout and a quick motion of his left arm, Link bolted in front of the bird, jumped up to its head, and slashed at the hanging yellow lobes. He managed to cut a small incision into the front one, but couldn't jump high enough to slice any of them complete off.
The young hero landed on his feet in a puff of dust as the bird reared its head back in shock, screeching in a loud pitch that probably could be heard from miles away!
The commotion the beast was making over such a small scratch confirmed both Link and Tetra's suspicion about the yellow lobes on the creatures head. Link had given only a small cut to only one of the lobes, and the beast was screaming as if both its wings had been cut clean off.
With this confirmed knowledge, Link quickly ran for his shield while the bird regained its train of thought and turned back to the battle, now more infuriated than ever.
As Link got his shield and turned around, the beast crouched down and flapped its wings vigorously to get its body airborne. Once in the air, the bird flew off into the distance...away from the tower.
"Now what is it planning?" Link thought as he clenched his teeth to try and tolerate the hurting in his wrist.
Tetra was thinking the same thing too as she shifted glances to both Link and the bird. She was worried about how long Link would last with his injury, and from seeing how angry the bird was now, she knew it was going to stop at nothing until it had torn the hero to pieces.
The two watched anxiously as the giant phoenix flew upward a little, obviously preparing for something as it began to turn around and fly back toward the tower. Before it reached it however, the beast folded its wings back slightly and started to glide.
"Uh oh..." Tetra mused with a very worried tone.
She had seen THIS attack before...
A/N: Just a quick note here...well, actually it's a reminder. If you have any questions about a spot in the story that you've read so far then by all means ask away! It most likely will be answered at the end of the story in my summary. Another thing I must say too, is that this chapter is where the action begins! What action you ask? *grins* You'll see. Enjoy!
Chapter 11: A Foul Fight
-------------------------------------------------
"Where did you get that?!"
Tetra kept her eyes locked on to the confused boy, still not wanting to accept the fact that the kid in green standing in front of her was the hero that was suppose to save everyone.
Link blinked with confusion at her strange change in mood. He glanced over to his left at the hilt sticking out of the sword's sheath and blinked again.
"Um..." he stammered while scratching the back of his head. "It's kind of a long story..." He looked up at Tetra and added. "Do you really need to know right now?"
Tetra lowered her gaze, not liking the response he gave her.
"He can't be the hero..." she thought. "He can't even save his own sister without help. He can't possibly think he could save an entire world by himself." Her look slowly went back to her dumbfounded gaze. "But...then again...he has the Master Sword...why else would he have the blade meant for the hero...?"
The female pirate shook her head slightly and shrugged.
"How could it be...?" she uttered quietly, still having trouble accepting Link's new position in time. He was the last person she would suspect to be the hero! Destiny must have been on vacation when it came time to choose the person to save the world...
Link was now even more confused than ever as he watched Tetra continue to stare at him with stunned eyes.
Suddenly his ear twitched as the sound of a door slowly creaking open quickly caught his attention. He glanced over his other shoulder to see that Gonzo and Senza had finally jimmied open the cell door, and were now walking into it to carry out the rest of their captain's plan.
The noise also got Tetra to snap out of her trance and she quickly shook her head to try and not look too silly. She was a little late on that achievement, but it didn't matter to her much so she merely stuck her hands back on her hip and spoke.
"Well, I guess I'll have to think about that later." She said a little quietly, but not too low for Link to hear. "For now, we'll just take these girls." Lifting her head, she then added. "I'm sure their father's back in town will pay a handsome reward for their return."
Right after she completed her explanation, Gonzo and Senza came pacing out of the cell, the two girls slung over their shoulders. Link's sister, Aryll, stood in the doorway as they left, a hand placed on her chest. A huge smile formed on her face as she took a few steps forward and reached out to her brother, her eyes looking like they could burst into tears at any second.
Link sighed with delight, finally having the reassurance that his little sister was finally free from her horrible prison. He spread out his arms and knelt down on one knee, welcoming her embrace.
Aryll picked up the pace and ran into her brother's arms, burying her head into his chest as she started to sob with joy.
Link held her close. He knew she must have gone through some frightening events here at this evil place and that she needed to be reassured that it was all finally over. He squeezed her gently as he quietly said a few comforting words to his little sister.
Tetra smiled warmly as she watched the two siblings finally get reunited. For the first time in years, she had finally succeeded in one of her own many goals. Her goal to help this young boy get reunited with his sister...was finally complete. She didn't think she would feel this proud of herself before...and of Link too.
The young captain sighed. Though she really didn't want to end the heartfelt reunion, she knew that time was of the essence and that it wouldn't be long before the bird would return to spoil their rescue.
Tetra's gaze fell upon the Master Sword again, which suddenly reminded her of the still-hard-to-accept fact. Link was the new hero...which meant he had to destroy the great evil and all of his army. And that also included the bird...
"So..." she thought. "...Link has to stay here and destroy
Ganondorf..."
Boy, she didn't like that idea. Pairing Link up against that huge bird, not to mention his controller, was hardly a mission Tetra wanted Link to be in.
But he was the hero...he had no choice...and neither did she...
The female pirate hesitantly spoke up.
"I'm sorry to interrupt such a heartwarming reunion..." she said as Link and Aryll parted from their hug and looked over to her. The young pirate lifted one arm and pointed up toward the opening at the top of the tower as she looked to Link and continued. "...but isn't there still something you need to take care of?"
Link slowly stood up, forming a rare but serious look on his face. He knew what she meant...how she knew, though, was beyond Link's grasp. He was told by a different source that he needed to destroy Ganon. He nodded to her in reply.
He suddenly felt Aryll tug at his tunic and looked down to see his little sister, still looking at Tetra and clinging to the side of his outfit. A look of concern got on his face.
Tetra saw this and spoke up.
"If you're worried about your sister...don't be. I promise I'll deliver her safely back to your little island." she finished as Link looked back at her. When it came to figuring his emotions out, it appeared Tetra was the person who could do it best.
The young captain waved a hand through the air.
"Normally, I'd expect a huge reward for something like this..." she said, trying not to sound like she was expecting any reward. She had to continue, since Link got a stunned look on his face, obviously falling for her half-trick.
"...but this time..." she added. "It's my treat."
Link smiled.
"Thanks, Tetra."
"Don't mention it." She replied, sticking her hand back on her
hip and smiling.
Link was about to head toward the winding ramp when he felt Aryll's grip on his tunic tighten. She didn't want to leave her big brother now! She didn't even get to spend ten minutes with him!
When it didn't look like Aryll was going to let Link take even two steps, Tetra had to step back in.
"Listen Aryll..." Tetra said to the younger girl. "...your brother still has some things to take care of." She glanced over to Link and added. "Big, important, grown-up things..."
Link smirked at her enthusiasm as Tetra looked back to Aryll.
"He'll be back soon, so you just wait nice and quiet until he returns." She lowered her head. "...ok?"
Aryll got a sad look on her face as she looked up at Link.
"But...big brother..." she said quietly with sadness in her voice.
Link put his hands on her shoulder and tried to look her in the eyes as she lowered her head to wipe her small tears away.
"Tetra's right, Aryll." He calmly said to his sister. "I'll be back before you know it. Just stay with the pirates and wait for me, ok?" he smiled down at her as she gazed back up at him.
"Ok..." she managed to say between sobs.
As soon as the young girl finished, Gonzo came running back inside, having completed his order. He stopped next to Tetra, panting slightly.
"Miss Tetra! We have to hurry!" he said anxiously. "The bird will be here any second!"
Tetra didn't turn around to face him and merely glanced over her shoulder to look at him, a half-smile on her face.
"Gonzo! Excellent! You're just in time." She said. She gestured to Aryll and added. "Take this one for me."
Gonzo's expression changed to that of confusion. He understood her order but wasn't sure why she wanted him to take this girl back to the ship.
"But she's-" he stopped short as Tetra finished his sentence.
"She's fine! Just do as you're told!" she replied quickly and sternly.
That was enough to get Gonzo moving, and he quickly went over to retrieve the young girl.
As Gonzo lifted Aryll onto his shoulder and began to head for the door, Aryll reached out to her brother, still not wanting to leave him.
"Big Brother!" she called back to him as he started to wave good-bye
to her.
As Link continued to wave, Tetra spun around and followed Gonzo out the door. Before she reached the door, however, she paused and stopped in her tracks.
"Link..."
Link paused his waving motion and looked at her.
Tetra turned her head to look back at him and closed one eye and as she made her trademark smirk and added.
"We'll be back! I swear it!"
Before she could see what his resulting expression was, she turned back around and disappeared out the door.
Back outside, Gonzo was giving Aryll directions on how to hold on as she clung to a hovering Prince Komali's feet. He quickly finished and Komali carefully flew off to drop off the small girl at the ship.
Almost instantly, Tetra stopped as the door slowly creaked closed
behind her.
"What a minute...what am I doing? I still have a score to settle with that bird!" she scolded herself in her mind. "I can't let Link have all the fun!"
She quickly turned around, placed her hands on the closed, wooden door, and pushed.
It didn't budge.
She pushed again, this time harder, to try and get it open; but it still didn't move an inch.
"Oh great. The door's locked." she muttered sarcastically.
Tetra was about to back up when she suddenly felt something cold wash over her feet, which caused her to look down at her sandels.
Water was seeping out from under the door.
"Oh shoot! The inside of the tower is flooding!"
The young pirate quickly looked around for another way she could get in, and happened to look up to the top of the tower.
The large bird had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and it was now doing circles above the tower's top entrance. After a few seconds of doing so, it suddenly let itself drop into the large tower.
"That's it!" she exclaimed as an idea struck her.
Without wasting another minute, Tetra ran over to where her grappling hook was attached and began to reel the rest of the rope up and out of the water below.
Gonzo grabbed his own rope, but looked over at his captain with a
puzzled look.
"Um...Miss? What are you-" he stopped short when she interrupted him.
"Gonzo, head back to the ship and tell the crew to wait!" she quickly said as she reeled in the last bit of rope and detached the hook from the wall. "I'll be right back!" And with that, she quickly ran off.
"Wait! Miss!"
Tetra ignored Gonzo's calls and ran in front of the door, the hook end of the rope in one hand and the rest dangling from her other arm in a set of loops. Grasping the hook tightly, the pirate looked up to try and spot the closes platform attached to the tower.
There happened to be a small one about half way up tower, much to Tetra's liking.
"Perfect!" she exclaimed.
As best as she could, Tetra twirled the hook in a circular motion next to her head and took aim. When she thought she had it on target, she threw the hook up into the air toward the platform.
To her relief, the rope flew right over her target and fell to the other side. The hook smashed against the side and had enough force to motivate it and latch onto the stone.
After tugging the rope slightly to see if it had a good hold, Tetra grabbed a hold of the dangling rope and began to climb up.
As she was climbing, she heard faint noises coming from the inside of the tower. The bird was making a couple squawks and shortly after each one, she'd hear the sound of boards snapping in two.
She hastened her accent up the rope.
Once at the top, Tetra climbed onto the ledge and prepared to throw the rope yet again, and this time, she was close enough to aim for the top of the tower. Performing the same stunt she did for the first ledge, the pirate hurled the rope up, snagged one of the large stone slabs, and continued her ascent upward.
About half way up, she suddenly heard the bird again; only this time, it's screech was much louder. Almost immediately after its call, she heard a swoosh, followed by a sudden splash!
Tetra didn't like the sound of that, and she immediately thought for the worst. Did Link just get eaten or get knocked back into the water and drowned? She had to find out!
As she neared the top, the pirate found herself a spot to stick her feet and peeked over the castle-like rim of the tower, hoping to see what had made the bird squawk so loudly.
To her relief, she saw Link's figure emerge from the tower, holding a very large and very odd-looking hammer. The bird was nowhere in sight.
"I guess I can't pay my debt to the bird now." She muttered quietly to herself, sounding only a little disappointed.
But she spoke too soon...
The tower suddenly started to vibrate irregularly as if an earthquake was occurring at its very foundations, and with a loud swoosh, the beast came twirling out of the tower's depth's, water cascading down its back. With a big wave of feathers, it spread its huge wings and let out the loudest and most angry sounding screech Tetra had ever heard! Even Link had to cover his ears at the sound of the creature's war cry!
The opening that Link and the bird emerged from had slowly closed during the bird's call and now the tower's peak had become a huge battlefield. The only thing that wasn't part of the field was the small path leading up to a very large, broken piece of a ship's stern that overlooked the battlefield.
The battle was about to begin...
Tetra kept herself hidden as the bird took off in a random direction. She didn't want Link to know she was up here. If he did, she knew he would probably be too focused on her safety and not fight at his best; so she stayed behind the wall, out of both his and the bird's view.
Link just stood there, unsure of how he could defeat such a large creature without getting too beaten up. He had to be extra careful; not just because he was fighting such a huge beast, but also because the inner rim of the tower was lined with numerous sharp spikes! And he knew those would hurt if he wasn't careful.
Screeeeeeeeeech!
By now the bird had obviously finished its pass and was now heading back toward the tower, announcing its return with another mighty call. When it got close, the foul stiffened its wings and glided on the wind currents, slowing it enough for it to land.
Link braced himself and readied his shield and sword.
"Well...here it goes!" he called out. He still wasn't sure how he would defeat the creature...but like all the other minions he had faced during the past chaotic week, he had to figure it out for himself...the hard way!
The hard stone ground rumbled as the bird stomped its way toward Link, wings spread out. It glared down at him through it's piercing yellow eyes and lifted one of its huge talons. Link caught on to its intended attack and quickly jumped back as the creature brought its foot down hard to the ground.
Link frowned at the creature's pathetic attempt to hit him. Perhaps this bird was not as hard as everyone said it was. He got back to his feet and turned around, excepting the bird to still be recovering from its attack.
...but instead, he was met by the bird's other foot!
"Eek!" he gasped as he quickly back flipped out of the way, barely escaping its quick attack. He looked back up again to see the other bird's foot try to squish him! He dodged that quickly but kept on moving as the bird continuously tried to stomp him!
"Man it's pretty fast for such a huge creature!" He thought as he scrambled back to his feet when the bird finally stopped. "I guess that's lesson number one in fighting a large bird."
THWACK!
Link was suddenly hit upside the head by one of the bird's large, feathery tails, sending him tumbling across the ground. He settled in a cloud of feathers and stayed motionless for a few seconds before he quickly scrambled back to his feet, rubbing his head.
"Ok...lesson two...don't keep your eyes off the darn thing!" he scolded himself while rubbing his head.
Meanwhile, Tetra was also scolding Link, but kept her voice low enough so he couldn't hear her. She put a hand on her forehead and shook her blonde head.
"You don't turn your back to a 20 foot tall bird! You just don't!" she said to herself, knowing very well that Link couldn't hear her. Well...we can't all be perfect...
Once the bit of throbbing in his head stopped, Link shook his head and
wondered.
"How can I defeat this bird?! It's got to have a weak spot somewhere!" he thought. "But where...?"
The bird cawed with anger having seen that the boy had recovered. It quickly stomped its way over to him and mumbled what sounded like a small growl as it reared its head back and thrust forward, hoping to jab Link into the ground with its beak!
Link managed to roll out of the way before the fouls bill connected with his head. He got back on his feet to face the bird, excepting it to have another attack coming his way.
Instead of an attack, however, he saw something very different...
Because the bird's fast attacked missed, it couldn't slow its head quick enough and its beak drilled straight into the ground...and now its beak was stuck! The large bird yanked its head back a couple of times, but its bill was too deep into the ground to even budge.
"Stupid creature..." Tetra taunted quietly.
Link was thinking the same thing also but didn't stay in thought too long upon seeing the foul's mask-like helmet.
"That it!" he exclaimed.
Quickly he took out the same odd-looking mallet from before and ran up to the bird as it continued to try and yank itself from the ground. As he drew close, Link lifted the hammer into the air and swung with all his might toward the beast's mask.
With a loud clank, the hammer smashed into the bird's helmet!
The resulting force from the mighty weapon loosened the bird's beak from its place in the ground and with one mighty yank, the beasts flung its head out of the ground and into the air, screeching like mad. Pieces of it's fancy mask went flying in all directions as the creature flung its head around in anger and shock. Once it stopped flailing, the bird angrily looked down at Link, revealing the true figures of its head and face.
Three strange yellow lobes of featherless skin stood on top of the bird's head while small black and white feathers surrounded its blood-red eyes, which were staring down at Link with the most obvious hint of anger.
Upon seeing the strange lobes on its head, Link immediately figured that those were the creatures weak spot. Now all he needed to do was test his theory and somehow get the bird to get its beak stuck again.
"Easy...I'll just get the stupid thing to try and hit me again." Link
planned.
As the bird glared at him with fury, Link stuck his tongue out at the beast and made a couple of weird noises to try and get it more angry.
It must have worked since the bird came charging at him, cawing madly and gaping its mouth as if it wanted to eat him.
Link quickly ran away toward the edge of the tower, keeping a short distance away from the spikes and pretending to have accidentally corner himself. He spun around and looked up at the towering beast above him, hoping it was going to use its pecking attack.
He successfully fooled the bird into thinking he had no way of escaping and the bird once again reared its head back to begin his attack. As the creature brought its head down, Link rolled forward right between its legs and avoided the attack once again. And like before, the bird got its beak stuck in the ground.
While she was watching the whole event, Tetra was getting suspicious. The bird was suddenly getting easier to fight against...but why? Usually battles would get harder before they got easier.
"This is very unusual." The young pirate whispered. "...almost too
unusual..."
Link casually walked in front of the bird and began to speak as he slowly unsheathed the Master Sword.
"Not so tough now are ya?" Link said cockily as he slowly started to lift the sword to slash the dangling yellow lobes.
The bird got a vicious look in its eyes as it yanked its head around vigorously to try and loosen its beak, even madder this time because it was fooled twice by the young hero.
Or was it...
Right before Link was about to bring the sword down on the creature's head, the beast opened its wings and started to flap them vigorously. The resulting wind from its wings was so strong that Link lost his footing and dropped the Master Sword!
The boy yelled as he was literally lifted off the ground and hurled
through the air!
...directly toward the spikes!
Tetra gasped and covered her mouth, knowing that if Link hit any of those spikes at the speed he was going, it could possibly give him extremely fatal injures if he didn't do something quick!
Link had only had a split second to come up with something. As he flew head-first toward the oncoming spikes, he quickly gripped his shield and twisted his body to face the sharp objects, shield positioned in front of him.
With a metallic clank, Link's shield hit the sharp spikes, keeping him well out of their reach until he landed on the ground and the bird halted its flapping wings.
But...before Link or Tetra could breathe a sigh of relief, the bird let out an ear-piercing screech and lunged forward, head-first, toward the crouching boy.
Link managed to quickly turn around, but only to be swatted aside by the beast's massive skull, hurling him all the way to the other side of the field before coming to a rest near the many spikes that lined the closes wall.
"Link!" Tetra shouted.
Upon realizing what she just did, the pirate quickly covered her mouth again, and ducked before neither of the two fighters could spot her. She quietly scolded herself for calling out the way she did...she had to keep quiet or else she would be found out!
The bird luckily didn't hear her, and instead was too focused on the still figure of the boy clothed in green on the other side of the tower's edge. It quickly stomped its way over to the small hero, casting its dark shadow over him like a blanket of black smoke.
Link moaned a bit, slightly dazed by the sudden hit to his side that was now aching and feeling like mush.
His attention quickly turned to the bird as it let out yet another war cry and lifted one of its feet.
Upon seeing the beast's huge talon's over him, Link quickly rolled in the only direction he could to try and avoid getting stomped on!
The bird saw this maneuver coming and quickly moved it's lifted foot over to where Link would eventually end up.
Link's eyes went wide with shock as he quickly tried to roll the other
direction!
But he wasn't quick enough to get his whole body completely out of the
way...
The hero let out a painful scream as one of the beast's huge talons caught his right wrist underneath its heavy weight, pinning it to the ground!
Despite the pain he was getting though, Link tried to yank his wrist free from its trap underneath the bird's talon, but it only made it hurt even more!
The bird glared down at the pinned boy and cawed a little in delight as it added more pressure to its foot, which in turn caused Link to cry out and make his trapped wrist start to bleed. The young boy screamed again, this time louder, as the weight on his wrist strengthened even more!
Tetra could barely watch as Link lay pinned underneath the huge beast. She wanted to jump in and help! She really did!
But she kept herself from jumping into the fray. Link had to get rid of this creature...it was his duty as the new hero!
"Come on, Link." She quietly said, sounding worried. "You can get out of this. I know you can!"
Link kept his eyes tightly shut as he endured the extreme pressure on his wrist. He had to think of something quick or else he would loose the use of his right hand!
Suddenly, an idea struck him.
Using his free hand, he quickly reached behind his back and fumbled around for a certain object he knew could get him out of this situation. He quickly found it and pull it out from behind him.
It was an arrow!
Without wasting anymore time, Link used all his strength and jabbed the pointed object as deep as he could, right into the bird's leg!
Suddenly feeling pain, the bird cried out and flapped its wings wildly, removing it talon from its spot atop Link's wrist. It took a few steps back and lowered its head to remove the small but very irritating arrow from its leg.
Quickly seeing his opportunity, Link scrambled to his feet and sprinted for the Master Sword that lay only a few feet away from him. He quickly grabbed the blade's hilt and charged as fast as he could toward the giant creature!
With a shout and a quick motion of his left arm, Link bolted in front of the bird, jumped up to its head, and slashed at the hanging yellow lobes. He managed to cut a small incision into the front one, but couldn't jump high enough to slice any of them complete off.
The young hero landed on his feet in a puff of dust as the bird reared its head back in shock, screeching in a loud pitch that probably could be heard from miles away!
The commotion the beast was making over such a small scratch confirmed both Link and Tetra's suspicion about the yellow lobes on the creatures head. Link had given only a small cut to only one of the lobes, and the beast was screaming as if both its wings had been cut clean off.
With this confirmed knowledge, Link quickly ran for his shield while the bird regained its train of thought and turned back to the battle, now more infuriated than ever.
As Link got his shield and turned around, the beast crouched down and flapped its wings vigorously to get its body airborne. Once in the air, the bird flew off into the distance...away from the tower.
"Now what is it planning?" Link thought as he clenched his teeth to try and tolerate the hurting in his wrist.
Tetra was thinking the same thing too as she shifted glances to both Link and the bird. She was worried about how long Link would last with his injury, and from seeing how angry the bird was now, she knew it was going to stop at nothing until it had torn the hero to pieces.
The two watched anxiously as the giant phoenix flew upward a little, obviously preparing for something as it began to turn around and fly back toward the tower. Before it reached it however, the beast folded its wings back slightly and started to glide.
"Uh oh..." Tetra mused with a very worried tone.
She had seen THIS attack before...