Edward Kidnastoff
By John Little
Chp. 5: The Monster Maker 3000
*****
After Link had been forced into an ethical corner by Dr. Edward Kidnastoff, he had been permitted a day of rest before the "fun would begin," as Dr. Kidnastoff continued to put it. At first Link had wondered why Dr. Kidnastoff hadn't searched Link and removed any items from his possession, but the two answers soon became clear. First of all, Dr. Kidnastoff wanted Link to be in his top monster-fighting condition so that he would be able to improve upon the monsters until they had reached a point where not even the most cleverly assembled weapons in Hyrule could stand a chance against them. Second, as Link soon discovered, not a single item that he had with him was capable of allowing him to escape. His lens of truth was never able to discover any hidden switches of controls that could activate doors or other methods of escape. The Megaton Hammer, while noisy, was never even capable of producing a dent in the metal that the floors and walls were made of. He considered teleporting out of the citadel that he was trapped within, but he only had the Fairy Ocarina with him; previous attempts had proven that only the Ocarina Of Time was capable of teleporting.
"If only Zelda would just let me keep the thing," Link muttered to himself as he waited in a large chamber that Dr. Kidnastoff had referred to as the "Creation Lab." "It's not like she's ever really used the thing aside from when she sent me on my way back to the past after I got rid of Ganandorf...."
The room was nearly identical to the one that Link had aroused in on the previous morning just before meeting the doctor for the first time. The only differences were that there were no pillars supporting the ceiling, Link could clearly see the door that he came in through behind him (though it was firmly locked), a massive set of double doors were on the opposite wall, and another room could be seen through a window high on the ceiling. Dr. Kidnastoff was in that room, working at some sort of control panel, preparing Link for his first "monster training session."
"Okay, Link!" shouted a disturbingly cheerful Dr. Kidnastoff from the room above (Link suspected some form of room-to-room communication device had been installed to make Dr. Kidnastoff's voice capable of traveling that far). "I'm about ready to unleash my first monster. Ready?"
Link nodded, hoping that he would have similar luck to when he had faced the doctor's previous creations.
"Now then, Link, just so that you know what's happening: those giant double doors are the exit from my Monster Maker 3000, a machine that I've been gradually improving over the years. As I speak the machine is "loading" the genetic data about one of my more recent monster designs from a thing called a "computer." The machine uses the data to create the monster to the most precise specifications. The process still has some performance flaws, but nothing that should hamper either of our schedules. We both have all the time in the world , after all. Now then, your first monster is a little thing that I've whipped together called 'Arachnid.' Enjoy!"
Link heard a click as Dr. Kidnastoff finished speaking (he assumed that the communication device had been turned off), and saw the giant double doors shake. As the doors opened a good amount of steam poured out, accompanied by the shrieking of bending metal and what sounded like a familiar laugh. The steam quickly cleared, however, revealing the monster named Arachnid.
Link's first thought upon seeing Arachnid was that it resembled a gigantic spider, not entirely unlike Queen Ghoma but larger and with more eyes. The creature rose onto its eight segmented legs and stared in Link's direction. Link prepared for a standard battle with a giant spider before he saw something directly behind the monster....a ninth leg?
Link stared stupidly for a moment before the ninth extension lifted above the giant spider's body, arcing above and holding itself like a snake ready to strike. Instead of being a leg that narrowed as it approached the end, this appendage actually became thicker until it ended in a gigantic spike. Link instantly recognized this as a scorpion's tail.
Arachnid quickly skittered through the double doors and jumped straight into the air. Before Link could blink Arachnid was crawling across the ceiling, at least two stories above Link's head. It poised its tail, and aimed it at Link.
"Weird," Link whispered to himself. "a spider with a scorpion's tail. Could've picked a better name than 'Arachnid,' maybe,....at least I'm out of the tail's range."
As soon as Link finished that sentence, a thick webbing rocketed from the scorpion tail. Link pulled out his shield just in time to avoid being slammed in the chest by the webbing, but he wasn't prepared for the force that the webbing had. Likewise, he wasn't prepared for the webbing to spread out.
Link found himself lying on his back beneath his shield, held down by a very thick spider web. He pushed up against the shield, but the webbing was much too sturdy. He heard a loud thump and felt a decent shaking of the ground, indicating that Arachnid had jumped down from the ceiling. This was confirmed by the sound of the eight legs stomping on the ground as they approached.
Link struggled to maneuver himself under the shield so that he was kneeling on the ground. He needed to perform Din's Fire, but didn't know if he could call forth the required magic while not having enough room to stand. He strained to push himself up as high as he could.
A second later, however, he felt one of Arachnid's massive legs pushing down on the shield, most likely in an attempt to crush him. Without wasting any time Link attempted to perform Din's Fire. Able only to lightly slap the ground that he was kneeling on, Link was surprised when Din's Fire seemed to activate just as strong as ever! The fire spread and quickly removed the webbing that was covering him.
Before Link even had a chance to try and push against Arachnid, he heard a high-pitched scream as the weight was removed. Link peeked from beneath his shield and saw Arachnid covered in flames, running around like a maniac and shrieking in pain. Link quickly jumped out of Arachnid's way as it nearly barreled into him. After that, however, Link simply watched in confusion as the giant monster gradually slowed down before stopping entirely, falling from its eight feet, and slowly turning to ash.
Link blinked in confusion. "That's it?"
Link heard the click of the communication device again as Dr. Kidnastoff looked into the room from above. "Well done, Link!"
"Well done? Thanks, but don't you think you could've given it a bit more....endurance?"
Dr. Kidnastoff sighed as he began operating the controls for the machine. "Well, I forgot to fireproof it. Normally my stronger monsters like this are fireproofed before I test them, but it must've slipped my mind with this one."
Link nodded. "Ah, I see. Is that all, then?"
"Oh, far from all, Link. This is just the beginning of the day. You're going to be going through at least three monsters a day, normally more. Get ready, because I'm going to be sending out some more any second now."
Link grimaced as he heard the squeal of the double doors opening yet again, accompanied by the familiar laughing and the smoke pouring out....
*****
After Arachnid came Fweep, a giant bat-like creature that created massive dust clouds that prevented its prey from seeing. Before Link figured out just what was happening, he had been rammed into by Fweep, bitten, and snatched from the ground before being dropped from the ceiling. Fortunately, Link's Lens Of Truth was able to make Fweep visible enough for its attacks to be less effective than they otherwise might have been.
Hive attacked next, a man-sized being composed entirely of seemingly sentient ants. Like fired arrows into Hive, but it could reform itself fast enough to move every ant out of the way before the arrow could hit. Link attempted Din's Fire, but Dr. Kidnastoff seemed to have remembered the fire-proofing for this one. Link almost gave up before he checked his Lens Of Truth and saw a giant queen-ant sitting in the corner. Several well-placed arrows aimed at her, and Hive was out of commission.
Next came Wortastrev. Wortastrev was a living shadow that generated itself through a large golden sphere of light that was constantly hovering behind Link. The shadow was intangible whenever Link attempted to slice it with his sword or any other weapon. Link would have tried to destroy the mini-sun that was creating the light that Wortastrev was being generated from, but no matter how he turned the mini-sun was always able to stay behind him. Link was saved when a strong uppercut from Worstastrev caused Link to drop the majority of his inventory on the ground, including his mirror shield. The mirror shield landed behind Wortastrev and simultaneously pierced the living shadow with a brilliant beam of light and temporarily blinded Link.
By now Link was exhausted. He picked up his possessions, hoping that Dr. Kidnastoff didn't have anything else. He mentally prayed as the now-familiar click announced Edward's post-match commentary.
"Nicely done, Link!" Edward jovially responded, as if Link had just won an archery competition instead of narrowly pulling out of a life and death situation. "Brilliant strategy, that shield."
"That was an accident," Link admitted between pants. "Never would've thought of it myself....the angle's wouldn't have worked out, I wouldn't have let go of the shield at all...."
"Oh, don't be so hard on yourself! The solution would've come to you, you have this method of going over options until you find one that works. And even without that, I'm beginning to think that you have a natural luck that is capable of affecting things physically. If only I could measure that and harness it...."
"Can we call it quits for the evening, Dr. Kidnastoff?"
"Well,....maybe." Dr. Kidnastoff checked a few monitors and readouts from his control booth. "The Monster Maker 3000 has worked pretty hard today, I wouldn't want to push it too far...."
Link's heart leaped with joy.
"Well,....I think it can take one more monster. That should do it."
Link groaned inwardly as Dr. Kidnastoff pulled a lever and pushed some buttons. "Your next monster is one that I designed while you were destroying the bull at the ranch, Link! I call him Nightmare! He's one of the more costly monsters to create, but I think that the Monster Maker 3000 has just enough energy for-"
Dr. Kidnastoff was interrupted by a large explosion from just behind the double doors of his Monster Maker, an explosion that caused the doors to fall from their hinges. Both Link and Dr. Kidnastoff stared in terror at the smoke that poured out, for it was blacker than any that had come forth from it so far that day. Link heard the familiar laughter again, and looked up at the doctor.
"Just what is that laugh, anyway? I've heard it before, but I haven't been able to place it yet."
"Well, you see, the Monster Maker 3000, like so many other machines, has to create waste," Dr. Kidnastoff shouted from his control room, still keeping an eye on the smoke that was still spreading. "Machines powered by fire leave ashes and pour smoke into the air, machines powered by unstable radioactive materials can create toxic oozes and gasses,....my machine, however, is different in that it creates a waste product that is ethereal in nature."
"Ethereal?"
"You know, basically the same substances that ghosts and spirits are made of. Ectoplasmic entities!"
"You mean this machine creates ghosts as a waste product?"
"Not ghosts, per se. More like concentrated entities of pure hatred and evil that take a ghost-like form."
Link blinked when he heard that, instantly remembering where he had heard that high-pitched laughter before. As if on cue, his suspicions were confirmed when the smoke cleared to reveal at least thirty Poes hovering in the air, each glaring at Link and laughing its annoying, high-pitched laughter.
"YOU'RE MACHINE MAKES POES???"
"Is that what you call them? Yes, it does. Normally those leave the machine through exhaust pipes that leave this base and send them into the surrounding environment. The exhaust pipes must've been damaged by the explosion. I'm afraid you'll have to defeat those Poes, Link, the chamber is designed with safety features to ensure that dangerous creatures such as these can't leave. Those doors behind you won't be able to open until after you're the only one standing in there."
Link nodded. Somehow he knew that he was going to have to deal with these things. As three Poes broke from the main group and rushed him, Link sighed. "At least they're only normal-sized and not Big ones...."
*****
The Poes actually weren't nearly as tough as Link had been expecting them to be. He had been able to fire Light Arrows at the main group of them, and the arrow nearly always impacted (and destroyed) at least four of them right off the bat because not enough of the Poes recognized that they were targets quickly. Sixteen of them all together fell to arrows (mostly light arrows, but Link decided to conserve his magic as he was running dangerously low and switched to normal arrows), while the rest met their doom through Link's sword. For some reason these Poes didn't turn into tiny flames when they were beaten, they simply disappeared. Dr. Kidnastoff claimed that this was because these Poes hadn't had nearly as much time to "settle into their current forms" as most Poes do. Link had the sneaky suspicion that Dr. Kidnastoff was just making that up, but he was too tired to press it.
Dr. Kidnastoff provided decent healing and recuperation facilities for Link after the fighting, complete with refreshments: foods and drinks that weren't too far off from a typical meal in Hyrule (though Link noted the inclusion of fruits and vegetables that definitely weren't from his part of the world). After Dr. Kidnastoff had properly tended to Links wounds, he requested that Link wait in the room so that he could gain some rest.
"I pushed the Monster Maker 3000 too far, I'm afraid," said Dr. Kidnastoff as he applied the last bandage, apparently unaware of the two bottled fairies that Link had in his possession. "There's been some serious damage. I'm going to assess just how long it should take for the repairs to be completed. I've got some mechanical workers called 'robots' working on some of the more obvious repairs, but I should take a look at it so that they can know precisely what it is that they need to do."
So saying, Dr. Kidnastoff departed through a door that promptly turned into a wall as soon as he passed through it. Link took the opportunity to assess what he currently knew about the situation.
"Let's see, the Monster Maker 3000 creates Poes. That probably means that Dr. Kidnastoff is responsible for the unusual growth in the Poe population in Hyrule. Now, those Poes have been showing up all across Hyrule, so this place is probably located somewhere close to the middle of Hyrule. I think."
Link pondered that thought for a few moments. Navi was generally better at coming up with quick solutions. Since the Poes were pretty much popping up everywhere from the Desert Colossus to Jabu-Jabu's lake beyond Zora's Domain, then a central origin point would be the most likely place for them to be coming from, right? The only difficulty with that theory was that Poes normally haunted the same locations without ever leaving them, meaning that the Poes would just cover all of the ground in a relatively small area. Unless....
"Unless the Monster Maker 3000 was moving!" Link thought to himself. "If that machine is moving, then the Poes would be popping up wherever the doctor happened to be working at the time....which would mean that this whole place could be moving!"
Link thought about that for a second. If this labyrinth of metal passages was constantly moving, it would certainly explain why the Poes were popping up everywhere.
This made Link a little nervous. He had been hoping that someone would find him, such as one of the Sages or Navi. If this place was constantly moving around, then it could theoretically take forever for any search party to locate him, and by then Link might've been killed by one of the doctor's monsters.
After a little more thinking, Link came to the most reasonable course of action that he could given the circumstances: hoping for help from the outside world wasn't truly an option. Even if half of Hyrule was looking for Link, they might have trouble finding this place if it was, in fact, moving.
"Might not even be moving at all," Link muttered to himself. "maybe its something else."
The door reappeared just then, only long enough for Dr. Kidnastoff to come in. He was wearing gloves, and his lab coat was now covered with oil and ashes. The doctor walked over to the refreshment table and poured himself a drink.
"Well Link, you'll have about a day to rest," Dr. Kidnastoff said. "I miscalculated just how powerful Nightmare would be. Even gathering the required energy was a stretch, but putting the monster together is something that I'll just have to wait a while for. Only when the Monster Maker 3000 is in its prime condition, really, and it'll take a little work to get it to that level."
Link nodded, but he wasn't really paying attention. He needed to think of some way to get word to the outside. Whether or not Dr. Kidnastoff's base was moving didn't really matter. He just needed to make sure that people knew to look for him wherever the Poes were appearing.
By John Little
Chp. 5: The Monster Maker 3000
*****
After Link had been forced into an ethical corner by Dr. Edward Kidnastoff, he had been permitted a day of rest before the "fun would begin," as Dr. Kidnastoff continued to put it. At first Link had wondered why Dr. Kidnastoff hadn't searched Link and removed any items from his possession, but the two answers soon became clear. First of all, Dr. Kidnastoff wanted Link to be in his top monster-fighting condition so that he would be able to improve upon the monsters until they had reached a point where not even the most cleverly assembled weapons in Hyrule could stand a chance against them. Second, as Link soon discovered, not a single item that he had with him was capable of allowing him to escape. His lens of truth was never able to discover any hidden switches of controls that could activate doors or other methods of escape. The Megaton Hammer, while noisy, was never even capable of producing a dent in the metal that the floors and walls were made of. He considered teleporting out of the citadel that he was trapped within, but he only had the Fairy Ocarina with him; previous attempts had proven that only the Ocarina Of Time was capable of teleporting.
"If only Zelda would just let me keep the thing," Link muttered to himself as he waited in a large chamber that Dr. Kidnastoff had referred to as the "Creation Lab." "It's not like she's ever really used the thing aside from when she sent me on my way back to the past after I got rid of Ganandorf...."
The room was nearly identical to the one that Link had aroused in on the previous morning just before meeting the doctor for the first time. The only differences were that there were no pillars supporting the ceiling, Link could clearly see the door that he came in through behind him (though it was firmly locked), a massive set of double doors were on the opposite wall, and another room could be seen through a window high on the ceiling. Dr. Kidnastoff was in that room, working at some sort of control panel, preparing Link for his first "monster training session."
"Okay, Link!" shouted a disturbingly cheerful Dr. Kidnastoff from the room above (Link suspected some form of room-to-room communication device had been installed to make Dr. Kidnastoff's voice capable of traveling that far). "I'm about ready to unleash my first monster. Ready?"
Link nodded, hoping that he would have similar luck to when he had faced the doctor's previous creations.
"Now then, Link, just so that you know what's happening: those giant double doors are the exit from my Monster Maker 3000, a machine that I've been gradually improving over the years. As I speak the machine is "loading" the genetic data about one of my more recent monster designs from a thing called a "computer." The machine uses the data to create the monster to the most precise specifications. The process still has some performance flaws, but nothing that should hamper either of our schedules. We both have all the time in the world , after all. Now then, your first monster is a little thing that I've whipped together called 'Arachnid.' Enjoy!"
Link heard a click as Dr. Kidnastoff finished speaking (he assumed that the communication device had been turned off), and saw the giant double doors shake. As the doors opened a good amount of steam poured out, accompanied by the shrieking of bending metal and what sounded like a familiar laugh. The steam quickly cleared, however, revealing the monster named Arachnid.
Link's first thought upon seeing Arachnid was that it resembled a gigantic spider, not entirely unlike Queen Ghoma but larger and with more eyes. The creature rose onto its eight segmented legs and stared in Link's direction. Link prepared for a standard battle with a giant spider before he saw something directly behind the monster....a ninth leg?
Link stared stupidly for a moment before the ninth extension lifted above the giant spider's body, arcing above and holding itself like a snake ready to strike. Instead of being a leg that narrowed as it approached the end, this appendage actually became thicker until it ended in a gigantic spike. Link instantly recognized this as a scorpion's tail.
Arachnid quickly skittered through the double doors and jumped straight into the air. Before Link could blink Arachnid was crawling across the ceiling, at least two stories above Link's head. It poised its tail, and aimed it at Link.
"Weird," Link whispered to himself. "a spider with a scorpion's tail. Could've picked a better name than 'Arachnid,' maybe,....at least I'm out of the tail's range."
As soon as Link finished that sentence, a thick webbing rocketed from the scorpion tail. Link pulled out his shield just in time to avoid being slammed in the chest by the webbing, but he wasn't prepared for the force that the webbing had. Likewise, he wasn't prepared for the webbing to spread out.
Link found himself lying on his back beneath his shield, held down by a very thick spider web. He pushed up against the shield, but the webbing was much too sturdy. He heard a loud thump and felt a decent shaking of the ground, indicating that Arachnid had jumped down from the ceiling. This was confirmed by the sound of the eight legs stomping on the ground as they approached.
Link struggled to maneuver himself under the shield so that he was kneeling on the ground. He needed to perform Din's Fire, but didn't know if he could call forth the required magic while not having enough room to stand. He strained to push himself up as high as he could.
A second later, however, he felt one of Arachnid's massive legs pushing down on the shield, most likely in an attempt to crush him. Without wasting any time Link attempted to perform Din's Fire. Able only to lightly slap the ground that he was kneeling on, Link was surprised when Din's Fire seemed to activate just as strong as ever! The fire spread and quickly removed the webbing that was covering him.
Before Link even had a chance to try and push against Arachnid, he heard a high-pitched scream as the weight was removed. Link peeked from beneath his shield and saw Arachnid covered in flames, running around like a maniac and shrieking in pain. Link quickly jumped out of Arachnid's way as it nearly barreled into him. After that, however, Link simply watched in confusion as the giant monster gradually slowed down before stopping entirely, falling from its eight feet, and slowly turning to ash.
Link blinked in confusion. "That's it?"
Link heard the click of the communication device again as Dr. Kidnastoff looked into the room from above. "Well done, Link!"
"Well done? Thanks, but don't you think you could've given it a bit more....endurance?"
Dr. Kidnastoff sighed as he began operating the controls for the machine. "Well, I forgot to fireproof it. Normally my stronger monsters like this are fireproofed before I test them, but it must've slipped my mind with this one."
Link nodded. "Ah, I see. Is that all, then?"
"Oh, far from all, Link. This is just the beginning of the day. You're going to be going through at least three monsters a day, normally more. Get ready, because I'm going to be sending out some more any second now."
Link grimaced as he heard the squeal of the double doors opening yet again, accompanied by the familiar laughing and the smoke pouring out....
*****
After Arachnid came Fweep, a giant bat-like creature that created massive dust clouds that prevented its prey from seeing. Before Link figured out just what was happening, he had been rammed into by Fweep, bitten, and snatched from the ground before being dropped from the ceiling. Fortunately, Link's Lens Of Truth was able to make Fweep visible enough for its attacks to be less effective than they otherwise might have been.
Hive attacked next, a man-sized being composed entirely of seemingly sentient ants. Like fired arrows into Hive, but it could reform itself fast enough to move every ant out of the way before the arrow could hit. Link attempted Din's Fire, but Dr. Kidnastoff seemed to have remembered the fire-proofing for this one. Link almost gave up before he checked his Lens Of Truth and saw a giant queen-ant sitting in the corner. Several well-placed arrows aimed at her, and Hive was out of commission.
Next came Wortastrev. Wortastrev was a living shadow that generated itself through a large golden sphere of light that was constantly hovering behind Link. The shadow was intangible whenever Link attempted to slice it with his sword or any other weapon. Link would have tried to destroy the mini-sun that was creating the light that Wortastrev was being generated from, but no matter how he turned the mini-sun was always able to stay behind him. Link was saved when a strong uppercut from Worstastrev caused Link to drop the majority of his inventory on the ground, including his mirror shield. The mirror shield landed behind Wortastrev and simultaneously pierced the living shadow with a brilliant beam of light and temporarily blinded Link.
By now Link was exhausted. He picked up his possessions, hoping that Dr. Kidnastoff didn't have anything else. He mentally prayed as the now-familiar click announced Edward's post-match commentary.
"Nicely done, Link!" Edward jovially responded, as if Link had just won an archery competition instead of narrowly pulling out of a life and death situation. "Brilliant strategy, that shield."
"That was an accident," Link admitted between pants. "Never would've thought of it myself....the angle's wouldn't have worked out, I wouldn't have let go of the shield at all...."
"Oh, don't be so hard on yourself! The solution would've come to you, you have this method of going over options until you find one that works. And even without that, I'm beginning to think that you have a natural luck that is capable of affecting things physically. If only I could measure that and harness it...."
"Can we call it quits for the evening, Dr. Kidnastoff?"
"Well,....maybe." Dr. Kidnastoff checked a few monitors and readouts from his control booth. "The Monster Maker 3000 has worked pretty hard today, I wouldn't want to push it too far...."
Link's heart leaped with joy.
"Well,....I think it can take one more monster. That should do it."
Link groaned inwardly as Dr. Kidnastoff pulled a lever and pushed some buttons. "Your next monster is one that I designed while you were destroying the bull at the ranch, Link! I call him Nightmare! He's one of the more costly monsters to create, but I think that the Monster Maker 3000 has just enough energy for-"
Dr. Kidnastoff was interrupted by a large explosion from just behind the double doors of his Monster Maker, an explosion that caused the doors to fall from their hinges. Both Link and Dr. Kidnastoff stared in terror at the smoke that poured out, for it was blacker than any that had come forth from it so far that day. Link heard the familiar laughter again, and looked up at the doctor.
"Just what is that laugh, anyway? I've heard it before, but I haven't been able to place it yet."
"Well, you see, the Monster Maker 3000, like so many other machines, has to create waste," Dr. Kidnastoff shouted from his control room, still keeping an eye on the smoke that was still spreading. "Machines powered by fire leave ashes and pour smoke into the air, machines powered by unstable radioactive materials can create toxic oozes and gasses,....my machine, however, is different in that it creates a waste product that is ethereal in nature."
"Ethereal?"
"You know, basically the same substances that ghosts and spirits are made of. Ectoplasmic entities!"
"You mean this machine creates ghosts as a waste product?"
"Not ghosts, per se. More like concentrated entities of pure hatred and evil that take a ghost-like form."
Link blinked when he heard that, instantly remembering where he had heard that high-pitched laughter before. As if on cue, his suspicions were confirmed when the smoke cleared to reveal at least thirty Poes hovering in the air, each glaring at Link and laughing its annoying, high-pitched laughter.
"YOU'RE MACHINE MAKES POES???"
"Is that what you call them? Yes, it does. Normally those leave the machine through exhaust pipes that leave this base and send them into the surrounding environment. The exhaust pipes must've been damaged by the explosion. I'm afraid you'll have to defeat those Poes, Link, the chamber is designed with safety features to ensure that dangerous creatures such as these can't leave. Those doors behind you won't be able to open until after you're the only one standing in there."
Link nodded. Somehow he knew that he was going to have to deal with these things. As three Poes broke from the main group and rushed him, Link sighed. "At least they're only normal-sized and not Big ones...."
*****
The Poes actually weren't nearly as tough as Link had been expecting them to be. He had been able to fire Light Arrows at the main group of them, and the arrow nearly always impacted (and destroyed) at least four of them right off the bat because not enough of the Poes recognized that they were targets quickly. Sixteen of them all together fell to arrows (mostly light arrows, but Link decided to conserve his magic as he was running dangerously low and switched to normal arrows), while the rest met their doom through Link's sword. For some reason these Poes didn't turn into tiny flames when they were beaten, they simply disappeared. Dr. Kidnastoff claimed that this was because these Poes hadn't had nearly as much time to "settle into their current forms" as most Poes do. Link had the sneaky suspicion that Dr. Kidnastoff was just making that up, but he was too tired to press it.
Dr. Kidnastoff provided decent healing and recuperation facilities for Link after the fighting, complete with refreshments: foods and drinks that weren't too far off from a typical meal in Hyrule (though Link noted the inclusion of fruits and vegetables that definitely weren't from his part of the world). After Dr. Kidnastoff had properly tended to Links wounds, he requested that Link wait in the room so that he could gain some rest.
"I pushed the Monster Maker 3000 too far, I'm afraid," said Dr. Kidnastoff as he applied the last bandage, apparently unaware of the two bottled fairies that Link had in his possession. "There's been some serious damage. I'm going to assess just how long it should take for the repairs to be completed. I've got some mechanical workers called 'robots' working on some of the more obvious repairs, but I should take a look at it so that they can know precisely what it is that they need to do."
So saying, Dr. Kidnastoff departed through a door that promptly turned into a wall as soon as he passed through it. Link took the opportunity to assess what he currently knew about the situation.
"Let's see, the Monster Maker 3000 creates Poes. That probably means that Dr. Kidnastoff is responsible for the unusual growth in the Poe population in Hyrule. Now, those Poes have been showing up all across Hyrule, so this place is probably located somewhere close to the middle of Hyrule. I think."
Link pondered that thought for a few moments. Navi was generally better at coming up with quick solutions. Since the Poes were pretty much popping up everywhere from the Desert Colossus to Jabu-Jabu's lake beyond Zora's Domain, then a central origin point would be the most likely place for them to be coming from, right? The only difficulty with that theory was that Poes normally haunted the same locations without ever leaving them, meaning that the Poes would just cover all of the ground in a relatively small area. Unless....
"Unless the Monster Maker 3000 was moving!" Link thought to himself. "If that machine is moving, then the Poes would be popping up wherever the doctor happened to be working at the time....which would mean that this whole place could be moving!"
Link thought about that for a second. If this labyrinth of metal passages was constantly moving, it would certainly explain why the Poes were popping up everywhere.
This made Link a little nervous. He had been hoping that someone would find him, such as one of the Sages or Navi. If this place was constantly moving around, then it could theoretically take forever for any search party to locate him, and by then Link might've been killed by one of the doctor's monsters.
After a little more thinking, Link came to the most reasonable course of action that he could given the circumstances: hoping for help from the outside world wasn't truly an option. Even if half of Hyrule was looking for Link, they might have trouble finding this place if it was, in fact, moving.
"Might not even be moving at all," Link muttered to himself. "maybe its something else."
The door reappeared just then, only long enough for Dr. Kidnastoff to come in. He was wearing gloves, and his lab coat was now covered with oil and ashes. The doctor walked over to the refreshment table and poured himself a drink.
"Well Link, you'll have about a day to rest," Dr. Kidnastoff said. "I miscalculated just how powerful Nightmare would be. Even gathering the required energy was a stretch, but putting the monster together is something that I'll just have to wait a while for. Only when the Monster Maker 3000 is in its prime condition, really, and it'll take a little work to get it to that level."
Link nodded, but he wasn't really paying attention. He needed to think of some way to get word to the outside. Whether or not Dr. Kidnastoff's base was moving didn't really matter. He just needed to make sure that people knew to look for him wherever the Poes were appearing.