**Author's Note** Well this is it, the chapter you've all been waiting for!
However, even after this chapter is done, Ruto's Destiny is FAR from over
(and you'll find out why soon enough). I've wanted to write Zelda fics
about the little known characters, in hopes of helping people see there
could be more to them that what meets the eye. So in the near future keep
an eye out for another adventure fic of mine to appear in a Zelda section
near you! I've been debating who to write about, so as a reviewer you can
cast your vote on one of the following characters in your next review:
Impa, Mido, Darunia, Link (the Goron version also known as Darunia's son),
Kaepora Gaebora (the owl) or even Ganondorf. Thanks, and keep reviewing!
Keep in mind; this is a longer chapter than the rest...so I hope you enjoy this latest edition!
Ruto sighed deeply, and walked to the end of the room where she was soon met with another room, which was smaller in comparison to some of the huge rooms she had gone though during her exploration of the lair. It was an oval shape that grew extremely wide across in the center and very narrow on each end. The floor had the same tiled pattern as the room she had just left, and the ceiling was low and looked like it would cave in at any moment. With her trident readied, she cautiously entered only to be met with a pair of large clam-like creatures sitting on the floor with their shells clamped tightly shut.
Ruto hesitantly moved toward them, expecting another fight. The second she neared the one closest to her right the creature snapped open its shell, exposing a cushion of tender pink innards, until it moved swiftly forward in the water. Ruto wondered how it moved considering clams had no back bone or any bones for that matter, but it appeared that it had the ability to hop its way forward in the water, and as it did its shell opened and closed in a sequence of little short clacks.
Ruto moved out of the way, and it wasn't hard for her to avoid it because the creature was rather slow. When it flew steadily passed her in the water, it quickly stopped hopping and remained still as she had seen it before it attacked her, with its shell shut tightly to protect it. The Zora princess knew it would be pointless to try and attack it with its shell closed, because it would only reflect her attack, and the best strategy was to attack it when it opened its shell. The only way she could do that though, was by walking close to it as a way of urging it to come at her. The thought made her nervous, but she had faced tougher enemies and the worst was yet to come.
Slowly Ruto stepped close to it, and when she came within a few feet of its shell the creature opened its shell, exposing its pink insides once more, and giving Ruto the opportunity she needed. With a single jab of her trident between its open shell and straight into its exposed area, the creature reeled back and quickly disappeared in a cloud of bubbles. Once she finished off the first creature, Ruto spun around swiftly and came into close contact with the second, which made it open its shell. Bubbles rose once more after Ruto managed to slip the pointed ends of the trident into the creature's weak point and destroyed it.
By now, she was growing tired and haggard. She had fought many battles, and if she kept fighting such creatures all the time she would lose what was left of her energy. She couldn't continue like this, especially since there was no time to rest. Ruto opened the gills in her neck wide and sighed with a momentary relief as she felt a refreshing rush of cool water seep into her and circulate through her body. Even if she was a water dweller, she needed to take in water more slowly so she could stay awake and contain more energy. The constant battles she fought gave her little time to rest her body and circulate fresh water for oxygen, and she hadn't realized she had actually begun to feel light headed until she had a dose of fresh water and immediately felt better.
When a Zora feels scared, it is a common occurrence for them to clamp their gills shut, as a way of slowing down their heart rate and keeping them from going into shock. Ruto used that method to help her stay focused and calm through her battles, but unfortunately she had used it so frequently and for such a long period that her body was beginning to lack any circulation of oxygen, which would result in a light headed feeling that would eventually lead to death. Ruto hadn't realized she felt light headed because she was so busy keeping herself alive from killer eels and a savage lobster thing that she had virtually shut out all her feelings and emotions.
Although exhausted physically, she was devoted mentally to the task she had to complete. If she should die, then so be it Ruto thought as she crossed the room hurriedly and almost stumbled when she entered a passage that led to a flight of rugged stone steps ascending at a high upward angle so she couldn't see what was at the top. The stairs seemed small in comparison to the massive passage she stood in, which had an inward projecting perfectly smooth domed roof high above her head. Ruto noticed that painted on the roof were beautiful but ancient drawings of the Zoras of the past, which seemed to be swimming in a fictional aqua blue watery realm and looking down on her with their dark mysterious eyes. How could the ancient Zoras paint something like that while they were underwater? The aqua color of the painting reflected off the smooth walls and added an aqua glow to the water.
Ruto ascended the stairs, and felt foolish to realize she had almost not recognized the ceiling painting above to be ancient Zoras in it because they looked so...different. They were smaller, but with wider fins on their arms and a more fish-like appearance to them as opposed to anything else. More or less they had the torso and upper appearance of a Zora but no legs. Instead, they had a long striking white and greenish blue gem encrusted tail resembling that of a fish but appearing more beautiful and graceful. Instead of a tail growing from their heads, they had long flowing hair that matched the gems on their fins. They were so high above her though, she couldn't see the entire painting because the stairs blocked her view of seeing further into the area.
Curiously she ascended the stairs, and took careful slow steps because the stone the stairs were carved out of looked extremely corroded, and Ruto hated to picture them crumbling away if she went up them too early, and then quickly falling into a dark abyss like she had previously. When Ruto arrived at the top of the steps, her eyes were drawn back to the massive domed ceiling once more, since she could see its fill view.
She stood in a long rectangular shaped room that was covered by large reflective white tiles appearing to be unscratched or marked in any way. About ten meters off each side of the wall leading down to an arched doorway at the end were three massive beautiful white stone pillars that held up the domed ceiling. Ruto moved close to the nearest pillar and upon looking closer at it, she saw it was encrusted with large pearls and shiny colored rocks. She felt her fins move rapidly in excitement as she gazed once more at the center of the ceiling and saw a large gold triforce painted on it, which glowed of a mysterious golden light. Near the triforce was another ancient Zora, but in one of its webbed hands it held the exact trident like the one she possessed. Despite its uncanny fish-like appearance, the Zora held the trident with such grace and majesty Ruto gasped and felt as if the Zora was looking down at her and watching her progress.
To be more respectful of the ancient ones, Ruto stood the trident in an upright position as she continued down the center of the room between the large space of the three pillars on each side of it. Ruto noticed more fine detail had been made into the ceiling, and occasionally saw a bright blue fish painted in a swimming position as well as the intricate detail placed into each ancient Zora that made them seem all the more life like. What was this room used for? Was this really some sort of ancient lair the water serpent created, or had it been used by the Zoras of ancient time for some reason? Whatever its purpose, Ruto knew it was shrouded in mystery.
It was obvious though no water dwelling serpent could create something so beautiful since it was consumed with such evil. Which meant the Zoras had created it, as well as everything else in the underwater cave. How did the water serpent come to dwell inside it? If it had been banished into sleep for a millennia, why then did the Zoras chose to allow it to be sealed inside such a place so there was no inkling it had ever even exited, not even in any of the ancient texts?
Ruto figured it was because they didn't want the monster to escape, or for any unsuspecting Zora to wander inside and die. By covering up the fact the underwater place existed, they might have been protecting anyone from awakening it, and stalling as much time as they could until it actually woke and resumed creating havoc. Sealing it away must have also kept their people from worrying about it, so they could live in as much peace as possible. However, it also prevented anyone from knowing of its existence until the water serpent broke free of its imprisonment and attacked.
Eventually, Ruto reached the tall and wide arched passage and stood in front of it and saw the largest room of all ahead. It did not glow with an aqua blue color like the room she stood in, but was silhouetted in a deep enchanting ocean blue. A single circular stream of pale sunlight shone from somewhere above, and cast a round bright glow on the smooth white-sanded floor. The room was circular in shape and round white pillars spaced far apart from one another made another circle just in front of the rocky walls. From looking at it and not walking inside, anything outside the large bright circular light shining from above looked shadowy and enclosed in blackness. Although it made her more nervous than ever before, the streaming sunlight inside added a dim glow of hope and guidance in Ruto's mind.
Afraid but determined at the same time, Ruto slowly walked through the archway and entered the room, her webbed feet kicking up small clouds of white sand. Ruto did not stop walking until she reached the center of the round room, and bathed under the shining circular reflecting light pouring down on her from above. She looked at the pillars that made a wide circle around the open space and then into the darkness behind two pillars located at the far end of the room. Something was there; she knew that the moment she arrived. She also knew what it was, and was ready to face it and her fears and the shadow of evil lying in wait. Ruto looked between the two pillars, as glowing green eyes suddenly appeared from the blackness behind them. It would have scared her senseless not long ago, but now it drove a stake of anger though her. That monster had nearly killed her; it captured her husband and was trying to destroy the home she held dear to hear heart and the water temple protecting the lake. She would finish it off, once and for all, and prevent it from ever attacking anyone again.
Ruto moved the trident into an attack position by grasping it in both her hands and crossing it in front of her body. Her purple eyes stared hardly at the glowing emerald eyes that neither blinked nor moved until she flared her fins and felt her heart beat quicken. Then she saw from within the shadows, the outline of the serpent appear as it slipped closer to where she was, until the light shining from above finally cast a dim glow upon its snake like face, which it slowly raised as its forked tongue swiftly poked out of a small hole between the lips of is closed mouth. The creature's long smooth dark blue scaled body shimmered under the sunlight as it moved into the center of the room and revealed more of its massive body, which made Ruto look as small and insignificant as a tiny fish.
The long shining jagged silver fin along its back gleamed brightly until the water serpent exposed the fan from the slits behind its jaw and extended it into its full form that went fully around its neck and sparkled with a frightening but dangerous beauty. The eyes of the water serpent stared down at her, while half of its snake like body projected upward and the other half was gracefully laying on the sand and concealed behind the circle of pillars. When she looked hard nearly behind her within the shadows, she could see the serpent's whale like tail twitching quietly and stirring up clouds of sand from the floor.
The battle was between her and the serpent, and nothing would come between them – it was truly a fight to the death, and only one would leave alive. If there was a worst-case scenario and she was to die, Ruto hoped she could at least take the water serpent's life along with her in death. May the goddesses help her now, if no one else would – or could.
Ruto watched as the water serpent loomed above her for what felt like a long time, until it sounded a battle cry by emitting a deafening roar that shook the room and caused rocks to crumble from the walls and fall onto the sand. Then the creature surprisingly lowered its head slightly in an arched position like a snake preparing to strike. Its gleaming emerald eyes watched her every move, almost mockingly because of her small appearance. However, Ruto could sense it was somewhat disturbed by the weapon she carried, and it seemed to be staring more at the trident than at her.
"Never underestimate me..."
Ruto whispered quietly as she stared back at the water serpent in equal mock, and watching it just as intently as it was watching her. When the monster's first attack came, it was so sudden and unexpected Ruto didn't even have time to dodge it. In a flash, Ruto felt her body spinning backward in the water after the serpent snapped its head forward and smashed its powerful snout into her front. A burst of pain echoed through out her body as she withered vainly while flying backward through the water until she fell onto the sand on her back about twenty meters away from where the serpent was.
She lay there for a moment, dazed and stunned but not dead. Her body ached greatly from the blow, and she wondered if she would be able to get up. Ruto struggled to lift her head up and saw the serpent slinking toward her through the sand. She didn't have much time, because it would reach her within seconds. Ruto rolled into her side and pushed her hands hard into the sand to help her up, and it wasn't until she saw a mere fraction of the serpent's blue scaled body right in front of her did she know it was going to attack again.
The serpent roared and bared its shiny razor sharp teeth at her, which she saw as she staggered to her feet. Ruto stood before it, as the serpent moved its head close to her and stuck its forked tongue out once more. Ruto turned to run, but it was too quick, and she could feel its tongue graze her back as if tasting her. The feeling of its slick slimy tongue even touching her infuriated Ruto even more, and made her decide the water serpent wouldn't toy with her as it had during her other encounters with it. As Ruto ran, she made it almost to the edge of the light as the serpent's head moved close in pursuit while its body slithered across the sand. Finally having enough, she spun fully around and slashed the water serpent's snout with the three sharp ends of the trident.
Another deafening roar filled the room as the serpent threw its head back in surprised pain before violently shaking it from side to side. Ruto let out a frightened yell but contained herself enough to throw herself to her left when the serpent swiftly plunged its head toward her while its mouth gaped in fury to reveal its teeth. The Zora princess landed in the sand a few feet away as the serpent nearly collided into the sand, but unlike all the other monsters it managed to avoid hitting it and drew back just in time. Ruto realized it was far more intelligent than it appeared, and if it stirred up too much sand it would hide her presence and it clearly knew that.
Ruto got to her feet again, and turned around to see the serpent raise its head high and glare at her menacingly. Its emerald eyes bore into hers, but she knew better than to keep staring at it. Ruto looked away, and listened intently until she heard a pulsating wave shoot through the water toward her. Ruto gasped and kicked off the sand with her feet, and swam furiously through the water, feeling the wave nearly clip her but managing to dodge around it. She swam along the edge of the circular light, and kept her eyes on the water serpent as it hissed and stared at her once more. Another wave shot through the water, more intensely than the first, and it was so fast Ruto couldn't dodge around it this time.
A strange feeling came over her, and she fell to the sandy floor like a rock, though still clutching on to the trident with stiffened fingers. She couldn't move! Ruto struggled with all her might, desperate for her arm or leg to even twitch, but she was paralyzed – stuck to the spot where she lay on her back in the sand. Nothing would move, no matter how hard she tried. She wanted to scream, but not even sound could be produced from within her throat. It was difficult to filtrate water, because her gills were clamped shut, and she couldn't take any water in through her mouth because it was also unwillingly shut tightly. If she didn't regain the ability to produce oxygen to breathe, she would quickly lose consciousness and the serpent would finish her off.
Ruto watched with much difficulty as the serpent slithered toward her, its eyes piercing into hers with malice and as well as with an unquestioned lack of mercy. Seconds later the serpent's long body was near where she lay, and its head held high above in preparation to make the final blow. The Zora princess wanted to close her eyes and wait for it to rip her apart, but she was frozen still and couldn't even do that. A feeling of pure horror struck her, to know the last thing she would see was the face of such a hideous vile creature lunging down to tear her up.
The serpent roared in victory, and arched its head and then jerked it down to where she was, its mouth open and tongue moving wildly as it plunged toward her. Ruto could only stare, and since she was frozen in place she couldn't see the trident glowing in a mysterious golden light. When the serpent's head neared so close it could almost touch her, the trident shock furiously and a beam shot from it and struck the monster powerfully and instantaneously. The serpent's head was thrown backward and driven into the sand with such force it didn't even have time to roar. The front part of the creature had been completely tossed away from her and lay facing the other direction as its head rested on the sand in a dull stupor.
Ruto couldn't comprehend what just happened, especially when a golden light illuminated around her body and she could move again. Her eyes darted to the trident, which glowed and soon after the light faded and she was back to normal again. Ruto shakily got to her feet, and grasped the trident tighter in her hands while looking at the water serpent as it regained its senses and slowly moved the front part of its body back to face her and lifted its head off of the sand. The creature's emerald eyed pierced into hers until it shot another sonar wave through the water.
Ruto wanted to run, but she had a feeling she didn't need to now. Much to her surprise, the trident glowed again and when it seemed the sonar wave would strike her, another golden beam shot from the pointed ends of the trident and formed a golden light barrier in front of her. The sonar wave hit the barrier and reflected off of it, preventing any damage being done. When the serpent realized Ruto was perfectly fine and the barrier blocked its sonar attack, the monster threw its head back, snapped its mouth open and hissed furiously.
In fear, Ruto kicked off from the sand once more, and swam behind the circle of pillars and into the shadows. It was almost pitch black wherever the light didn't touch, but she could see the shadowy pillars as a way of figuring out where she was. From the corner of her eye she watched the serpent raise its massive body off of the sand and slowly follow in pursuit, as it's glowing green eyes flashed in the darkness. Ruto finally had a plan, and so she sped up as fast as she could until coming to the next pillar before sliding her back against its surface and remaining completely still. The serpent came soon after, not seeing where she went. Ruto realized the creature's secret was that it relied heavily on movement in order to see its victim and be able to stun it with its sonar. If she didn't move, the monster wouldn't even know she was there.
The serpent hissed angrily while continuing to move at the same pace, and just as its head was about to move passed the giant pillar Ruto's back was against, she lunged out in a surprise attack and landed on the side of the serpent's head. Instantly afterward the creature roared in fury before violently shaking its head from side to side to knock her off, but she held in tightly and slowly crawled up it by clinging onto its rough blue scales until she reached one of its glowing emerald eyes that stared at her menacingly.
Ruto threw the trident back and then plunged it forward into the serpent's eye. Blood squirted out in a rush as the serpent emitted a roar twice as deafening as ever before, and reared its head up in the water. The movement upward caused Ruto to nearly lose her grip, but she held on tightly and used the creature's hesitation to her advantage. Bravely she crawled across the snout of the monster, being careful not to lose her grip so she wouldn't fall inside its open mouth, until she reached its other glowing eye. Ruto could see her face dimly reflecting in it until she plunged the trident into it and was hit by a rush of blood that seeped into the dark water.
The serpent hissed in rage until it sadistically threw its head from side to side, and managed to toss Ruto off. Her body flew through the water because of the force the creature used, until she felt her back slam into a pillar. A jolt of pain shot through her body, which felt almost limp as she slid down the pillar and landed on her front in the sand. For a few moments she couldn't move, and feared she may have broken something. The water serpent shrieked and roared from its wounds, while it's head smashed into the wall and caused large boulders to fall and land in the sand near where the Zora princess lay almost half conscious.
Slowly Ruto looked up and saw the serpent's head was lower than before, and its eyes were completely red with blood. It jerked the front part of its body from side to side, before clumsily moving it forward and then turning backward in confusion. Ruto smirked at the thought that she had blinded it, and knew the tables were turning. She couldn't waste any more time lying around, as the creature would think of another way to find her, so she slowly struggled to her feet. A seething soreness echoed through her body, as if it was giving up on her and had taken enough blows to last a lifetime. She couldn't give up now; she had to keep trying even if she was reduced to mere shreds.
The water serpent was so distracted by the pain it felt to have its eyes literally gouged out, that Ruto began making her get away amidst its preoccupation. As she did though, the serpent stuck out its forked tongue to taste the water, and realized she was nearby. Although it was now blind, it regained its composure and slinked after her. She may have had the advantage of giving it the inability to see, but it could still taste where she had been and sense her vibrations in the water when she moved.
Ruto swam for the light in the center of the room, and as she kicked harder to propel herself faster, the creature grew more aware of where she was. A rush of water exploded from behind her, and she knew all to well the water serpent was gaining fast and was coming for her. The Zora princess managed to get half way around the outer wall of the room before it became too risky. In a desperate attempt, she swam for the space between two pillars and felt her fins move rapidly forward and backward as her fear and tension increased.
The water serpent was near her now, and her rapid vibrations toward the central area of the room caused it to speed up faster suddenly and emit a high pitch roar in rage. Blood continued to seep into the water from the torn flesh of its formerly glowing green eyes, and when Ruto made it into the light the serpent thrashed its tail aggressively and smashed one of the two pillars apart with it. The pillar crumbled into a large pile of white rubble, and the impact had stirred up a small cloud of white powdery sand that clouded the water for a few moments. The serpent remained undisturbed by what it had done, and merely roared once more until it thrashed its tail again in the opposite direction and smashed the other pillar with ease.
If it had done that before Ruto entered the lair and fought so many evil creatures, she would have been scared senseless and given up all hope. Its demonstration of its power this time made Ruto all the more determined to kill the creature before it could cause any more damage. Ruto floated onto the sand and her feet were positioned firmly on top, as she switched the trident into its battle ready position and beckoned the creature to come to her by swiftly flexing her fins to create vibrations in the water.
The serpent moved its head from side to side in a hurried motion as its forked tongue continued to taste the water. Its blood covered eyes looked around the room, but in a hopeless attempt to be able to see when it wasn't possible. The deep blue colored scales flashed and reflected under the sunlight shining from above as it swam into the intense light and directly toward her. Ruto stopped moving and remained completely still as the serpent floated in place, still tasting the water and knowing she was near but not exactly where she was. Then the serpent brought the other end of its body into view and formed a circle with it so its long snake like body surrounded Ruto on all sides in the light so she couldn't escape. She was trapped inside the circle of space the serpent left for her, and she couldn't swim away now.
Ruto looked at it carefully as the serpent moved its head in her direction so it was facing her. It didn't do anything though, but merely stared at her like it did when it was going to send one of its sonar waves. Patiently Ruto waited, knowing the sonar would only be deflected because of the trident's power, but nothing happened. Ruto realized whenever it sent sonar; it seemed to require eye contact between the victim and itself in order for it to work. Since its eyes were damaged beyond repair, it couldn't see her to make eye contact.
A sudden rush of water sent Ruto hurtling into the sand as the water serpent swung its tail at her, though not exactly at her but somewhat coincidentally in her direction. Ruto buried herself in the sand and remained still, feeling rushes of water while the serpent viciously thrashed its tail in different directions to try and hit her. The serpent kept its body in the same circular formation, but it appeared as if it were trying to force her to move and give herself away by making her dodge around its tail. Fortunately Ruto was clever enough to have buried herself in the sand, and almost began to think she was going to be just fine there when the serpent began to realize it was only thrashing water and not her, and soon began to slam its tail hard onto the sand instead.
The creature's tail that resembled that of a whale's tail was so wide it covered a lot of area in the small sandy space inside the circle it made with its body. Her cover would be blown, if not now then later if she didn't move and fast. The water serpent slammed its tail onto the sand, and when it didn't hit anything the monster roared angrily and moved its tail to another area and slammed it again onto the sand. It continued to repeat the same action, and each time getting closer and closer to the spot where Ruto was hiding beneath the sand. If she waited much longer, she would be reduced to resembling a flat fish. Ruto felt the room shake as it slammed its tail only meters from where she was, and she could see its blue scales flash from under the sand.
The Zora princess took in a shaky breath, and then rose from beneath the sand as its white grains fell gracefully from her like a waterfall and into a disturbed pile on the sandy bottom. The serpent instantly ceased slamming its tail and gave another roar upon sensing her vibrations once more. In ever-present rage the water serpent gnashed its teeth and tasted the water for a second until it blindly plunged its head in Ruto's direction. It barely missed from where Ruto was floating in the water, as she darted to her right to get away from it as its head went passed her.
Without giving it much thought, Ruto instinctively swam toward it and noticed its neck was just in range. The Zora Princess swam inches above it as the serpent quickly moved its head back to try and find her, but it looked bewildered by the fact it missed and would find soon enough where she was. Ruto positioned the pointed ends of the trident downward and with all her might she plunged the weapon as far into the serpent's neck as she could. At first she worried the creature's seemingly strong plated blue scales wouldn't allow the weapon to be very effective, but in a burst of golden light the trident tore though it more effectively then it had any other monster and created a huge gouge inside the serpent's flesh. Blood poured into the water as the trident dug deeper and deeper with a resounding crunch that made Ruto's fins move rapidly to hear such a sound. All the while the serpent gave a deafening roar and thrashed its head wildly in pain, until Ruto pulled the weapon out, taking with it large chunks of its flesh and spilling more blood into the water.
Even though the trident looked tiny in comparison to the massive water serpent, its power was so unbelievably strong and intense its impact caused the water serpent to raise its head high above and emit another roar as its bloody eyes widened in terror and surprise. The water was nearly entirely clouded with blood, and Ruto felt her body wrench as her gills took the water in and shuddered with disgust. Ruto couldn't allow the creature time to recover, and in a burst of adrenalin she swam toward the serpent while carrying the trident courageously with her, prepared for almost anything, except what came next.
The serpent suddenly stopped roaring and plunged its body down toward her, and Ruto didn't expect it to do such a thing, nor for it to be so accurate as to be directly in front of her as it drove her down toward the sandy bottom. She felt parts of her flesh rip away while the serpent's teeth gnashed at her and tore it away like paper. The Zora princess screamed and quickly thrust the trident in front of her, and the weapon responded by sending another beam of light shooting toward the water serpent. The serpent jerked its head back as the beam hit it directly in its face, and it roared once more before thrashing its powerful tail at Ruto and striking her as easily as striking a small bee.
Ruto was tossed aside in the water and back onto the sandy bottom, and the force of the monster's tail nearly caused her body to crumple under the impact. She lay helpless, broken and bleeding furiously from all areas of her body. Ruto struggled to get up, and heaved desperately but her body felt so heavy she almost thought she wouldn't be able to lift it again. Worst of all, there was no familiar feeling of holding the trident either – it had been knocked from her hands! She turned her head as she lay on her swollen back, and saw the trident a few feet away lying in the sand, its smooth surface glimmering in the light.
The water serpent was yet again distracted by the blow of light from the trident and writhed in agony as it lowered its head slowly toward the sandy bottom, trying to sense where Ruto lay. She hadn't moved from her spot, but kept her eyes on the trident and hopelessly seeing that a few feet made a huge difference. She was so exhausted and broken that the distance between her and the trident seemed like miles instead of feet. Ruto felt her chest shake as she coughed up blood in the water, which seeped toward the serpent, as the monster smelled the water with its tongue. She was giving herself away by allowing it to taste her blood, which would give it a sense of where she was.
With much of her remaining strength, Ruto managed to turn over onto her front. Her gills opened and closed like that of a fish lying on the bottom of a lake, pathetically taking in water while its eyes reflected a faint image of death. She would not die; she would not let the monster win, she thought determinedly amidst all those feelings that told her otherwise. Ruto reached forward with one arm and felt her hand grasp a fistful of the white sand as she moved her other arm forward but not as far, and slowly pulled her weakened body forward. Every move she made was another cost of her precious energy, but soon the trident was within reach.
Almost overjoyed, she felt her right hand wrap tightly around the trident's long handle, and just as she did the water serpent was finally able to detect where she lay and came plunging toward her. Instantaneously Ruto flung herself back onto her back and shielded herself with the trident, and the second the water serpent came within striking range, another golden beam shot from the trident and forced it away from her. The monster roared repeatedly and savagely slashed its tail in the water, which caused the entire room to shake. Ruto cried in pain because flinging herself onto her back like that sent another jolt through her body, which stung everywhere whenever she dared to move. She squinted in the light while looking at the serpent as it became immobilized in its rage and towered above her. If she could just find the strength within her to move again, she could survive.
Pain. All she felt was pain as her mouth clamped shut, her eyes narrowed while her body screamed inside. Ruto rose from the sand, a battered bloody mess of torn fins and flesh, and swam as fast as her body would allow toward the serpent. She felt heavy, as if she was carrying an invisible load on her back and legs that weighed her down, but she ignored it and continued swimming. As she swam, her intensity and anger grew to a point of no redemption. She ignored the water serpent's frightening roars, she avoided looking into its bloody gouged eyes, and she dodged around its flailing tail until finally getting close enough and managing to move toward its back.
Then she reached a spot near the creature's neck, and plunged the trident in once more. Ruto bared her teeth furiously, plunging it in deep and quickly being overwhelmed by a sense of satisfaction to be causing it pain. A flow of blood streamed into the water as the monster thrashed violently, but still she continued. The trident glowed and with a burst of light it created a rush of further damage from its blow, until Ruto ripped it out and moved to another area up its back. The creature jerked its body toward her suddenly, and she felt its hard jagged metallic fin graze her right shoulder as her own blood spilled into the water. Ruto ignored the new pain, and plunged the trident in again, and watched silently as the water serpent lifted its head as though looking up at something, as its jaw opened wide and it roared in defeated agony.
She was growing tired of its constant roaring, it was deafening and made her chest shake because of the vibrations the sound caused. In her own rage she swam toward the water serpent's face, not caring if it's mouth could snap at her and chomp her to pieces in an instant. Ruto positioned the trident forward, and noticed when the monster pointed its face upward it was revealing its tender neck. The fan was exposed though and armored greatly, but she could just see enough space between its jaw and fan to slip the trident though. With her last ounce of strength, Ruto threw the trident into the small space and watched as it dug directly into the water serpent's throat, quickly stifling its loud roaring in a second. Blood squirted out from where the points shredded its throat and the serpent thrashed its body in every direction as it reeled in shock and pain.
With that, Ruto lost her strength, and she could no longer swim. A rush of water went passed her as she plummeted down toward the sand, and landed on it in a heap, barely disturbing its surface. She lay sprawled out on it, unmoving, and almost dead. The moment she landed on the sand was the moment when the water serpent took in its last ounces of life before the front part of its body fell down to the sandy floor and landed a little ways away from her, causing a thick cloud of white sand to stir into the water that mingled with the blood and flesh. Its head lay still, its bloody eyes open wide in surprise, and there it remained. Its blue-scaled body shone under the light, making it appear ancient and mystical...yet there appeared to be no life in it.
Ruto fell unconscious within seconds. The light pouring from above seemed white in her mind as her eyes remained closed and her body remained limp and still. It seemed to last for an eternity. She couldn't remember anything else until she suddenly felt light and cold at the same time. The heavy feeling in her body was there, but she could sense water rushing passed her somehow. Something was carrying her into the light, and the cold feeling was coming from something wrapped around both her legs and supporting the middle of her back. Although exhausted, emotionally drained, battered, beaten and confused, she managed to open her eyes just slightly and saw none other than Misu.
The male Zora's dark eyes sparkled in the light as his face looked directly down at her. He said nothing, but then looked upward and into the light. Ruto realized he was carrying her in his arms and swimming at the same time, his powerful legs moving so swiftly and gracefully she barely noticed how fast he was going. The cold feeling she sensed was from his body touching hers, and for a moment she wondered what he was thinking and if he thought differently of her now to see her in such a disgraceful almost unrecognizable bloody form. No thoughts were necessary now though, and Ruto began to feel content in the strong hold of her husband. Soon she slipped out of consciousness once more, and everything disappeared in a glow of white light.
Keep in mind; this is a longer chapter than the rest...so I hope you enjoy this latest edition!
Ruto sighed deeply, and walked to the end of the room where she was soon met with another room, which was smaller in comparison to some of the huge rooms she had gone though during her exploration of the lair. It was an oval shape that grew extremely wide across in the center and very narrow on each end. The floor had the same tiled pattern as the room she had just left, and the ceiling was low and looked like it would cave in at any moment. With her trident readied, she cautiously entered only to be met with a pair of large clam-like creatures sitting on the floor with their shells clamped tightly shut.
Ruto hesitantly moved toward them, expecting another fight. The second she neared the one closest to her right the creature snapped open its shell, exposing a cushion of tender pink innards, until it moved swiftly forward in the water. Ruto wondered how it moved considering clams had no back bone or any bones for that matter, but it appeared that it had the ability to hop its way forward in the water, and as it did its shell opened and closed in a sequence of little short clacks.
Ruto moved out of the way, and it wasn't hard for her to avoid it because the creature was rather slow. When it flew steadily passed her in the water, it quickly stopped hopping and remained still as she had seen it before it attacked her, with its shell shut tightly to protect it. The Zora princess knew it would be pointless to try and attack it with its shell closed, because it would only reflect her attack, and the best strategy was to attack it when it opened its shell. The only way she could do that though, was by walking close to it as a way of urging it to come at her. The thought made her nervous, but she had faced tougher enemies and the worst was yet to come.
Slowly Ruto stepped close to it, and when she came within a few feet of its shell the creature opened its shell, exposing its pink insides once more, and giving Ruto the opportunity she needed. With a single jab of her trident between its open shell and straight into its exposed area, the creature reeled back and quickly disappeared in a cloud of bubbles. Once she finished off the first creature, Ruto spun around swiftly and came into close contact with the second, which made it open its shell. Bubbles rose once more after Ruto managed to slip the pointed ends of the trident into the creature's weak point and destroyed it.
By now, she was growing tired and haggard. She had fought many battles, and if she kept fighting such creatures all the time she would lose what was left of her energy. She couldn't continue like this, especially since there was no time to rest. Ruto opened the gills in her neck wide and sighed with a momentary relief as she felt a refreshing rush of cool water seep into her and circulate through her body. Even if she was a water dweller, she needed to take in water more slowly so she could stay awake and contain more energy. The constant battles she fought gave her little time to rest her body and circulate fresh water for oxygen, and she hadn't realized she had actually begun to feel light headed until she had a dose of fresh water and immediately felt better.
When a Zora feels scared, it is a common occurrence for them to clamp their gills shut, as a way of slowing down their heart rate and keeping them from going into shock. Ruto used that method to help her stay focused and calm through her battles, but unfortunately she had used it so frequently and for such a long period that her body was beginning to lack any circulation of oxygen, which would result in a light headed feeling that would eventually lead to death. Ruto hadn't realized she felt light headed because she was so busy keeping herself alive from killer eels and a savage lobster thing that she had virtually shut out all her feelings and emotions.
Although exhausted physically, she was devoted mentally to the task she had to complete. If she should die, then so be it Ruto thought as she crossed the room hurriedly and almost stumbled when she entered a passage that led to a flight of rugged stone steps ascending at a high upward angle so she couldn't see what was at the top. The stairs seemed small in comparison to the massive passage she stood in, which had an inward projecting perfectly smooth domed roof high above her head. Ruto noticed that painted on the roof were beautiful but ancient drawings of the Zoras of the past, which seemed to be swimming in a fictional aqua blue watery realm and looking down on her with their dark mysterious eyes. How could the ancient Zoras paint something like that while they were underwater? The aqua color of the painting reflected off the smooth walls and added an aqua glow to the water.
Ruto ascended the stairs, and felt foolish to realize she had almost not recognized the ceiling painting above to be ancient Zoras in it because they looked so...different. They were smaller, but with wider fins on their arms and a more fish-like appearance to them as opposed to anything else. More or less they had the torso and upper appearance of a Zora but no legs. Instead, they had a long striking white and greenish blue gem encrusted tail resembling that of a fish but appearing more beautiful and graceful. Instead of a tail growing from their heads, they had long flowing hair that matched the gems on their fins. They were so high above her though, she couldn't see the entire painting because the stairs blocked her view of seeing further into the area.
Curiously she ascended the stairs, and took careful slow steps because the stone the stairs were carved out of looked extremely corroded, and Ruto hated to picture them crumbling away if she went up them too early, and then quickly falling into a dark abyss like she had previously. When Ruto arrived at the top of the steps, her eyes were drawn back to the massive domed ceiling once more, since she could see its fill view.
She stood in a long rectangular shaped room that was covered by large reflective white tiles appearing to be unscratched or marked in any way. About ten meters off each side of the wall leading down to an arched doorway at the end were three massive beautiful white stone pillars that held up the domed ceiling. Ruto moved close to the nearest pillar and upon looking closer at it, she saw it was encrusted with large pearls and shiny colored rocks. She felt her fins move rapidly in excitement as she gazed once more at the center of the ceiling and saw a large gold triforce painted on it, which glowed of a mysterious golden light. Near the triforce was another ancient Zora, but in one of its webbed hands it held the exact trident like the one she possessed. Despite its uncanny fish-like appearance, the Zora held the trident with such grace and majesty Ruto gasped and felt as if the Zora was looking down at her and watching her progress.
To be more respectful of the ancient ones, Ruto stood the trident in an upright position as she continued down the center of the room between the large space of the three pillars on each side of it. Ruto noticed more fine detail had been made into the ceiling, and occasionally saw a bright blue fish painted in a swimming position as well as the intricate detail placed into each ancient Zora that made them seem all the more life like. What was this room used for? Was this really some sort of ancient lair the water serpent created, or had it been used by the Zoras of ancient time for some reason? Whatever its purpose, Ruto knew it was shrouded in mystery.
It was obvious though no water dwelling serpent could create something so beautiful since it was consumed with such evil. Which meant the Zoras had created it, as well as everything else in the underwater cave. How did the water serpent come to dwell inside it? If it had been banished into sleep for a millennia, why then did the Zoras chose to allow it to be sealed inside such a place so there was no inkling it had ever even exited, not even in any of the ancient texts?
Ruto figured it was because they didn't want the monster to escape, or for any unsuspecting Zora to wander inside and die. By covering up the fact the underwater place existed, they might have been protecting anyone from awakening it, and stalling as much time as they could until it actually woke and resumed creating havoc. Sealing it away must have also kept their people from worrying about it, so they could live in as much peace as possible. However, it also prevented anyone from knowing of its existence until the water serpent broke free of its imprisonment and attacked.
Eventually, Ruto reached the tall and wide arched passage and stood in front of it and saw the largest room of all ahead. It did not glow with an aqua blue color like the room she stood in, but was silhouetted in a deep enchanting ocean blue. A single circular stream of pale sunlight shone from somewhere above, and cast a round bright glow on the smooth white-sanded floor. The room was circular in shape and round white pillars spaced far apart from one another made another circle just in front of the rocky walls. From looking at it and not walking inside, anything outside the large bright circular light shining from above looked shadowy and enclosed in blackness. Although it made her more nervous than ever before, the streaming sunlight inside added a dim glow of hope and guidance in Ruto's mind.
Afraid but determined at the same time, Ruto slowly walked through the archway and entered the room, her webbed feet kicking up small clouds of white sand. Ruto did not stop walking until she reached the center of the round room, and bathed under the shining circular reflecting light pouring down on her from above. She looked at the pillars that made a wide circle around the open space and then into the darkness behind two pillars located at the far end of the room. Something was there; she knew that the moment she arrived. She also knew what it was, and was ready to face it and her fears and the shadow of evil lying in wait. Ruto looked between the two pillars, as glowing green eyes suddenly appeared from the blackness behind them. It would have scared her senseless not long ago, but now it drove a stake of anger though her. That monster had nearly killed her; it captured her husband and was trying to destroy the home she held dear to hear heart and the water temple protecting the lake. She would finish it off, once and for all, and prevent it from ever attacking anyone again.
Ruto moved the trident into an attack position by grasping it in both her hands and crossing it in front of her body. Her purple eyes stared hardly at the glowing emerald eyes that neither blinked nor moved until she flared her fins and felt her heart beat quicken. Then she saw from within the shadows, the outline of the serpent appear as it slipped closer to where she was, until the light shining from above finally cast a dim glow upon its snake like face, which it slowly raised as its forked tongue swiftly poked out of a small hole between the lips of is closed mouth. The creature's long smooth dark blue scaled body shimmered under the sunlight as it moved into the center of the room and revealed more of its massive body, which made Ruto look as small and insignificant as a tiny fish.
The long shining jagged silver fin along its back gleamed brightly until the water serpent exposed the fan from the slits behind its jaw and extended it into its full form that went fully around its neck and sparkled with a frightening but dangerous beauty. The eyes of the water serpent stared down at her, while half of its snake like body projected upward and the other half was gracefully laying on the sand and concealed behind the circle of pillars. When she looked hard nearly behind her within the shadows, she could see the serpent's whale like tail twitching quietly and stirring up clouds of sand from the floor.
The battle was between her and the serpent, and nothing would come between them – it was truly a fight to the death, and only one would leave alive. If there was a worst-case scenario and she was to die, Ruto hoped she could at least take the water serpent's life along with her in death. May the goddesses help her now, if no one else would – or could.
Ruto watched as the water serpent loomed above her for what felt like a long time, until it sounded a battle cry by emitting a deafening roar that shook the room and caused rocks to crumble from the walls and fall onto the sand. Then the creature surprisingly lowered its head slightly in an arched position like a snake preparing to strike. Its gleaming emerald eyes watched her every move, almost mockingly because of her small appearance. However, Ruto could sense it was somewhat disturbed by the weapon she carried, and it seemed to be staring more at the trident than at her.
"Never underestimate me..."
Ruto whispered quietly as she stared back at the water serpent in equal mock, and watching it just as intently as it was watching her. When the monster's first attack came, it was so sudden and unexpected Ruto didn't even have time to dodge it. In a flash, Ruto felt her body spinning backward in the water after the serpent snapped its head forward and smashed its powerful snout into her front. A burst of pain echoed through out her body as she withered vainly while flying backward through the water until she fell onto the sand on her back about twenty meters away from where the serpent was.
She lay there for a moment, dazed and stunned but not dead. Her body ached greatly from the blow, and she wondered if she would be able to get up. Ruto struggled to lift her head up and saw the serpent slinking toward her through the sand. She didn't have much time, because it would reach her within seconds. Ruto rolled into her side and pushed her hands hard into the sand to help her up, and it wasn't until she saw a mere fraction of the serpent's blue scaled body right in front of her did she know it was going to attack again.
The serpent roared and bared its shiny razor sharp teeth at her, which she saw as she staggered to her feet. Ruto stood before it, as the serpent moved its head close to her and stuck its forked tongue out once more. Ruto turned to run, but it was too quick, and she could feel its tongue graze her back as if tasting her. The feeling of its slick slimy tongue even touching her infuriated Ruto even more, and made her decide the water serpent wouldn't toy with her as it had during her other encounters with it. As Ruto ran, she made it almost to the edge of the light as the serpent's head moved close in pursuit while its body slithered across the sand. Finally having enough, she spun fully around and slashed the water serpent's snout with the three sharp ends of the trident.
Another deafening roar filled the room as the serpent threw its head back in surprised pain before violently shaking it from side to side. Ruto let out a frightened yell but contained herself enough to throw herself to her left when the serpent swiftly plunged its head toward her while its mouth gaped in fury to reveal its teeth. The Zora princess landed in the sand a few feet away as the serpent nearly collided into the sand, but unlike all the other monsters it managed to avoid hitting it and drew back just in time. Ruto realized it was far more intelligent than it appeared, and if it stirred up too much sand it would hide her presence and it clearly knew that.
Ruto got to her feet again, and turned around to see the serpent raise its head high and glare at her menacingly. Its emerald eyes bore into hers, but she knew better than to keep staring at it. Ruto looked away, and listened intently until she heard a pulsating wave shoot through the water toward her. Ruto gasped and kicked off the sand with her feet, and swam furiously through the water, feeling the wave nearly clip her but managing to dodge around it. She swam along the edge of the circular light, and kept her eyes on the water serpent as it hissed and stared at her once more. Another wave shot through the water, more intensely than the first, and it was so fast Ruto couldn't dodge around it this time.
A strange feeling came over her, and she fell to the sandy floor like a rock, though still clutching on to the trident with stiffened fingers. She couldn't move! Ruto struggled with all her might, desperate for her arm or leg to even twitch, but she was paralyzed – stuck to the spot where she lay on her back in the sand. Nothing would move, no matter how hard she tried. She wanted to scream, but not even sound could be produced from within her throat. It was difficult to filtrate water, because her gills were clamped shut, and she couldn't take any water in through her mouth because it was also unwillingly shut tightly. If she didn't regain the ability to produce oxygen to breathe, she would quickly lose consciousness and the serpent would finish her off.
Ruto watched with much difficulty as the serpent slithered toward her, its eyes piercing into hers with malice and as well as with an unquestioned lack of mercy. Seconds later the serpent's long body was near where she lay, and its head held high above in preparation to make the final blow. The Zora princess wanted to close her eyes and wait for it to rip her apart, but she was frozen still and couldn't even do that. A feeling of pure horror struck her, to know the last thing she would see was the face of such a hideous vile creature lunging down to tear her up.
The serpent roared in victory, and arched its head and then jerked it down to where she was, its mouth open and tongue moving wildly as it plunged toward her. Ruto could only stare, and since she was frozen in place she couldn't see the trident glowing in a mysterious golden light. When the serpent's head neared so close it could almost touch her, the trident shock furiously and a beam shot from it and struck the monster powerfully and instantaneously. The serpent's head was thrown backward and driven into the sand with such force it didn't even have time to roar. The front part of the creature had been completely tossed away from her and lay facing the other direction as its head rested on the sand in a dull stupor.
Ruto couldn't comprehend what just happened, especially when a golden light illuminated around her body and she could move again. Her eyes darted to the trident, which glowed and soon after the light faded and she was back to normal again. Ruto shakily got to her feet, and grasped the trident tighter in her hands while looking at the water serpent as it regained its senses and slowly moved the front part of its body back to face her and lifted its head off of the sand. The creature's emerald eyed pierced into hers until it shot another sonar wave through the water.
Ruto wanted to run, but she had a feeling she didn't need to now. Much to her surprise, the trident glowed again and when it seemed the sonar wave would strike her, another golden beam shot from the pointed ends of the trident and formed a golden light barrier in front of her. The sonar wave hit the barrier and reflected off of it, preventing any damage being done. When the serpent realized Ruto was perfectly fine and the barrier blocked its sonar attack, the monster threw its head back, snapped its mouth open and hissed furiously.
In fear, Ruto kicked off from the sand once more, and swam behind the circle of pillars and into the shadows. It was almost pitch black wherever the light didn't touch, but she could see the shadowy pillars as a way of figuring out where she was. From the corner of her eye she watched the serpent raise its massive body off of the sand and slowly follow in pursuit, as it's glowing green eyes flashed in the darkness. Ruto finally had a plan, and so she sped up as fast as she could until coming to the next pillar before sliding her back against its surface and remaining completely still. The serpent came soon after, not seeing where she went. Ruto realized the creature's secret was that it relied heavily on movement in order to see its victim and be able to stun it with its sonar. If she didn't move, the monster wouldn't even know she was there.
The serpent hissed angrily while continuing to move at the same pace, and just as its head was about to move passed the giant pillar Ruto's back was against, she lunged out in a surprise attack and landed on the side of the serpent's head. Instantly afterward the creature roared in fury before violently shaking its head from side to side to knock her off, but she held in tightly and slowly crawled up it by clinging onto its rough blue scales until she reached one of its glowing emerald eyes that stared at her menacingly.
Ruto threw the trident back and then plunged it forward into the serpent's eye. Blood squirted out in a rush as the serpent emitted a roar twice as deafening as ever before, and reared its head up in the water. The movement upward caused Ruto to nearly lose her grip, but she held on tightly and used the creature's hesitation to her advantage. Bravely she crawled across the snout of the monster, being careful not to lose her grip so she wouldn't fall inside its open mouth, until she reached its other glowing eye. Ruto could see her face dimly reflecting in it until she plunged the trident into it and was hit by a rush of blood that seeped into the dark water.
The serpent hissed in rage until it sadistically threw its head from side to side, and managed to toss Ruto off. Her body flew through the water because of the force the creature used, until she felt her back slam into a pillar. A jolt of pain shot through her body, which felt almost limp as she slid down the pillar and landed on her front in the sand. For a few moments she couldn't move, and feared she may have broken something. The water serpent shrieked and roared from its wounds, while it's head smashed into the wall and caused large boulders to fall and land in the sand near where the Zora princess lay almost half conscious.
Slowly Ruto looked up and saw the serpent's head was lower than before, and its eyes were completely red with blood. It jerked the front part of its body from side to side, before clumsily moving it forward and then turning backward in confusion. Ruto smirked at the thought that she had blinded it, and knew the tables were turning. She couldn't waste any more time lying around, as the creature would think of another way to find her, so she slowly struggled to her feet. A seething soreness echoed through her body, as if it was giving up on her and had taken enough blows to last a lifetime. She couldn't give up now; she had to keep trying even if she was reduced to mere shreds.
The water serpent was so distracted by the pain it felt to have its eyes literally gouged out, that Ruto began making her get away amidst its preoccupation. As she did though, the serpent stuck out its forked tongue to taste the water, and realized she was nearby. Although it was now blind, it regained its composure and slinked after her. She may have had the advantage of giving it the inability to see, but it could still taste where she had been and sense her vibrations in the water when she moved.
Ruto swam for the light in the center of the room, and as she kicked harder to propel herself faster, the creature grew more aware of where she was. A rush of water exploded from behind her, and she knew all to well the water serpent was gaining fast and was coming for her. The Zora princess managed to get half way around the outer wall of the room before it became too risky. In a desperate attempt, she swam for the space between two pillars and felt her fins move rapidly forward and backward as her fear and tension increased.
The water serpent was near her now, and her rapid vibrations toward the central area of the room caused it to speed up faster suddenly and emit a high pitch roar in rage. Blood continued to seep into the water from the torn flesh of its formerly glowing green eyes, and when Ruto made it into the light the serpent thrashed its tail aggressively and smashed one of the two pillars apart with it. The pillar crumbled into a large pile of white rubble, and the impact had stirred up a small cloud of white powdery sand that clouded the water for a few moments. The serpent remained undisturbed by what it had done, and merely roared once more until it thrashed its tail again in the opposite direction and smashed the other pillar with ease.
If it had done that before Ruto entered the lair and fought so many evil creatures, she would have been scared senseless and given up all hope. Its demonstration of its power this time made Ruto all the more determined to kill the creature before it could cause any more damage. Ruto floated onto the sand and her feet were positioned firmly on top, as she switched the trident into its battle ready position and beckoned the creature to come to her by swiftly flexing her fins to create vibrations in the water.
The serpent moved its head from side to side in a hurried motion as its forked tongue continued to taste the water. Its blood covered eyes looked around the room, but in a hopeless attempt to be able to see when it wasn't possible. The deep blue colored scales flashed and reflected under the sunlight shining from above as it swam into the intense light and directly toward her. Ruto stopped moving and remained completely still as the serpent floated in place, still tasting the water and knowing she was near but not exactly where she was. Then the serpent brought the other end of its body into view and formed a circle with it so its long snake like body surrounded Ruto on all sides in the light so she couldn't escape. She was trapped inside the circle of space the serpent left for her, and she couldn't swim away now.
Ruto looked at it carefully as the serpent moved its head in her direction so it was facing her. It didn't do anything though, but merely stared at her like it did when it was going to send one of its sonar waves. Patiently Ruto waited, knowing the sonar would only be deflected because of the trident's power, but nothing happened. Ruto realized whenever it sent sonar; it seemed to require eye contact between the victim and itself in order for it to work. Since its eyes were damaged beyond repair, it couldn't see her to make eye contact.
A sudden rush of water sent Ruto hurtling into the sand as the water serpent swung its tail at her, though not exactly at her but somewhat coincidentally in her direction. Ruto buried herself in the sand and remained still, feeling rushes of water while the serpent viciously thrashed its tail in different directions to try and hit her. The serpent kept its body in the same circular formation, but it appeared as if it were trying to force her to move and give herself away by making her dodge around its tail. Fortunately Ruto was clever enough to have buried herself in the sand, and almost began to think she was going to be just fine there when the serpent began to realize it was only thrashing water and not her, and soon began to slam its tail hard onto the sand instead.
The creature's tail that resembled that of a whale's tail was so wide it covered a lot of area in the small sandy space inside the circle it made with its body. Her cover would be blown, if not now then later if she didn't move and fast. The water serpent slammed its tail onto the sand, and when it didn't hit anything the monster roared angrily and moved its tail to another area and slammed it again onto the sand. It continued to repeat the same action, and each time getting closer and closer to the spot where Ruto was hiding beneath the sand. If she waited much longer, she would be reduced to resembling a flat fish. Ruto felt the room shake as it slammed its tail only meters from where she was, and she could see its blue scales flash from under the sand.
The Zora princess took in a shaky breath, and then rose from beneath the sand as its white grains fell gracefully from her like a waterfall and into a disturbed pile on the sandy bottom. The serpent instantly ceased slamming its tail and gave another roar upon sensing her vibrations once more. In ever-present rage the water serpent gnashed its teeth and tasted the water for a second until it blindly plunged its head in Ruto's direction. It barely missed from where Ruto was floating in the water, as she darted to her right to get away from it as its head went passed her.
Without giving it much thought, Ruto instinctively swam toward it and noticed its neck was just in range. The Zora Princess swam inches above it as the serpent quickly moved its head back to try and find her, but it looked bewildered by the fact it missed and would find soon enough where she was. Ruto positioned the pointed ends of the trident downward and with all her might she plunged the weapon as far into the serpent's neck as she could. At first she worried the creature's seemingly strong plated blue scales wouldn't allow the weapon to be very effective, but in a burst of golden light the trident tore though it more effectively then it had any other monster and created a huge gouge inside the serpent's flesh. Blood poured into the water as the trident dug deeper and deeper with a resounding crunch that made Ruto's fins move rapidly to hear such a sound. All the while the serpent gave a deafening roar and thrashed its head wildly in pain, until Ruto pulled the weapon out, taking with it large chunks of its flesh and spilling more blood into the water.
Even though the trident looked tiny in comparison to the massive water serpent, its power was so unbelievably strong and intense its impact caused the water serpent to raise its head high above and emit another roar as its bloody eyes widened in terror and surprise. The water was nearly entirely clouded with blood, and Ruto felt her body wrench as her gills took the water in and shuddered with disgust. Ruto couldn't allow the creature time to recover, and in a burst of adrenalin she swam toward the serpent while carrying the trident courageously with her, prepared for almost anything, except what came next.
The serpent suddenly stopped roaring and plunged its body down toward her, and Ruto didn't expect it to do such a thing, nor for it to be so accurate as to be directly in front of her as it drove her down toward the sandy bottom. She felt parts of her flesh rip away while the serpent's teeth gnashed at her and tore it away like paper. The Zora princess screamed and quickly thrust the trident in front of her, and the weapon responded by sending another beam of light shooting toward the water serpent. The serpent jerked its head back as the beam hit it directly in its face, and it roared once more before thrashing its powerful tail at Ruto and striking her as easily as striking a small bee.
Ruto was tossed aside in the water and back onto the sandy bottom, and the force of the monster's tail nearly caused her body to crumple under the impact. She lay helpless, broken and bleeding furiously from all areas of her body. Ruto struggled to get up, and heaved desperately but her body felt so heavy she almost thought she wouldn't be able to lift it again. Worst of all, there was no familiar feeling of holding the trident either – it had been knocked from her hands! She turned her head as she lay on her swollen back, and saw the trident a few feet away lying in the sand, its smooth surface glimmering in the light.
The water serpent was yet again distracted by the blow of light from the trident and writhed in agony as it lowered its head slowly toward the sandy bottom, trying to sense where Ruto lay. She hadn't moved from her spot, but kept her eyes on the trident and hopelessly seeing that a few feet made a huge difference. She was so exhausted and broken that the distance between her and the trident seemed like miles instead of feet. Ruto felt her chest shake as she coughed up blood in the water, which seeped toward the serpent, as the monster smelled the water with its tongue. She was giving herself away by allowing it to taste her blood, which would give it a sense of where she was.
With much of her remaining strength, Ruto managed to turn over onto her front. Her gills opened and closed like that of a fish lying on the bottom of a lake, pathetically taking in water while its eyes reflected a faint image of death. She would not die; she would not let the monster win, she thought determinedly amidst all those feelings that told her otherwise. Ruto reached forward with one arm and felt her hand grasp a fistful of the white sand as she moved her other arm forward but not as far, and slowly pulled her weakened body forward. Every move she made was another cost of her precious energy, but soon the trident was within reach.
Almost overjoyed, she felt her right hand wrap tightly around the trident's long handle, and just as she did the water serpent was finally able to detect where she lay and came plunging toward her. Instantaneously Ruto flung herself back onto her back and shielded herself with the trident, and the second the water serpent came within striking range, another golden beam shot from the trident and forced it away from her. The monster roared repeatedly and savagely slashed its tail in the water, which caused the entire room to shake. Ruto cried in pain because flinging herself onto her back like that sent another jolt through her body, which stung everywhere whenever she dared to move. She squinted in the light while looking at the serpent as it became immobilized in its rage and towered above her. If she could just find the strength within her to move again, she could survive.
Pain. All she felt was pain as her mouth clamped shut, her eyes narrowed while her body screamed inside. Ruto rose from the sand, a battered bloody mess of torn fins and flesh, and swam as fast as her body would allow toward the serpent. She felt heavy, as if she was carrying an invisible load on her back and legs that weighed her down, but she ignored it and continued swimming. As she swam, her intensity and anger grew to a point of no redemption. She ignored the water serpent's frightening roars, she avoided looking into its bloody gouged eyes, and she dodged around its flailing tail until finally getting close enough and managing to move toward its back.
Then she reached a spot near the creature's neck, and plunged the trident in once more. Ruto bared her teeth furiously, plunging it in deep and quickly being overwhelmed by a sense of satisfaction to be causing it pain. A flow of blood streamed into the water as the monster thrashed violently, but still she continued. The trident glowed and with a burst of light it created a rush of further damage from its blow, until Ruto ripped it out and moved to another area up its back. The creature jerked its body toward her suddenly, and she felt its hard jagged metallic fin graze her right shoulder as her own blood spilled into the water. Ruto ignored the new pain, and plunged the trident in again, and watched silently as the water serpent lifted its head as though looking up at something, as its jaw opened wide and it roared in defeated agony.
She was growing tired of its constant roaring, it was deafening and made her chest shake because of the vibrations the sound caused. In her own rage she swam toward the water serpent's face, not caring if it's mouth could snap at her and chomp her to pieces in an instant. Ruto positioned the trident forward, and noticed when the monster pointed its face upward it was revealing its tender neck. The fan was exposed though and armored greatly, but she could just see enough space between its jaw and fan to slip the trident though. With her last ounce of strength, Ruto threw the trident into the small space and watched as it dug directly into the water serpent's throat, quickly stifling its loud roaring in a second. Blood squirted out from where the points shredded its throat and the serpent thrashed its body in every direction as it reeled in shock and pain.
With that, Ruto lost her strength, and she could no longer swim. A rush of water went passed her as she plummeted down toward the sand, and landed on it in a heap, barely disturbing its surface. She lay sprawled out on it, unmoving, and almost dead. The moment she landed on the sand was the moment when the water serpent took in its last ounces of life before the front part of its body fell down to the sandy floor and landed a little ways away from her, causing a thick cloud of white sand to stir into the water that mingled with the blood and flesh. Its head lay still, its bloody eyes open wide in surprise, and there it remained. Its blue-scaled body shone under the light, making it appear ancient and mystical...yet there appeared to be no life in it.
Ruto fell unconscious within seconds. The light pouring from above seemed white in her mind as her eyes remained closed and her body remained limp and still. It seemed to last for an eternity. She couldn't remember anything else until she suddenly felt light and cold at the same time. The heavy feeling in her body was there, but she could sense water rushing passed her somehow. Something was carrying her into the light, and the cold feeling was coming from something wrapped around both her legs and supporting the middle of her back. Although exhausted, emotionally drained, battered, beaten and confused, she managed to open her eyes just slightly and saw none other than Misu.
The male Zora's dark eyes sparkled in the light as his face looked directly down at her. He said nothing, but then looked upward and into the light. Ruto realized he was carrying her in his arms and swimming at the same time, his powerful legs moving so swiftly and gracefully she barely noticed how fast he was going. The cold feeling she sensed was from his body touching hers, and for a moment she wondered what he was thinking and if he thought differently of her now to see her in such a disgraceful almost unrecognizable bloody form. No thoughts were necessary now though, and Ruto began to feel content in the strong hold of her husband. Soon she slipped out of consciousness once more, and everything disappeared in a glow of white light.