A/N: Heh. I get all inspired when I'm depressed, so perhaps it is a good
thing that at the moment I'm pining away for a guy I know. Eh. Whatever
gets me to the keyboard, right?
Chapter 12: Hellfire
My footsteps echoed sharply as I walked down the seemingly endless hallways of the Gerudo fortress. The sound reverberated through the walls, fracturing against the stone corridor and bouncing back a hundred fold. I winced. How I had managed to get this far without bringing hordes of the Amazonian women down on my head was beyond me. After all, I was hardly being covert. Perhaps it was merely another example of the convenient magic that permeated this strange land.
Getting inside the fortress had been easier than the trek to the desert had been. After departing the grove in which I had encountered the crazy old man, I continued unerringly in the direction of the desert. It was easy; After I had decided that was where I was going, its location was etched in my mind. At first, the journey was relatively uneventful. Every so often, a monster would cross my path, and I would dispatch it with a few quick swipes of my sword and a swirl of dust. And so it continued, until I came upon a city I did not recognize.
I suppose city isn't the right word. It was more of a large village. Then again, I might just have been a little jaded. Living in LA all my life, my view of how big a 'city' is became a tad distorted. It was a city compared to some of the villages I had seen in books on Medieval culture. Either way, I didn't remember any mention of it in the games I had played.
The sign said Pyria Town, and was adorned with what looked like a child's interpretation of a bonfire. The houses themselves seemed slightly charred around the edges, and the smell of smoke lay heavily in the air. I winced, and walked through the open gates. It was like entering a furnace. As I moved quietly through the street, a burning wind buffeted against me, fighting my every step. There wasn't a single person anywhere in sight. Windows were latched tight, and market stalls stood empty. Several times I thought I saw movement from the corner of my eye, only to find it was nothing but the wind, howling in muted fury, flinging dust and dead leaves about. For all intents and purposes, this was a ghost town. At least, I thought it was.
Finally, I came upon a building that, except for the name, was identical to the inn I had stayed at in Kakariko Village. The sign over the door proclaimed "The Dancing Dragon." Huh? Apparently some lore was universal. I paused, my hand poised to open the inn's door. Lore? Who's to say dragons weren't real here? I wracked my brain for any mention of dragons from the game, and then it hit me. Volvegia! This must be dragon country, then. With a hasty glance around me, I pulled open the door and ducked into the inn.
The cold air rushed over me like a bucket of ice water. I shivered, and, absorbed as I was by the sudden temperature plunge, almost failed to notice that everyone in the inn had fallen silent. Nervously, I shuffled my feet and peered around the room. At almost every table tanned, wind-roughened men were staring at me.
"Uh...." I mumbled, before a cheerful, red-faced man pulled me aside.
"Don't get many travelers in these parts, sire. You'll be wanting a room, then? Not safe to travel after dark." His eyes drifted to my sword. "Even for a warrior such as yourself." He swallowed, and continued. "Seen more warriors in the last week than in the entire rest of the year. First the green fellow. Hair like yours, now that I'm thinking on it. Hylian lad, I suppose, same as you." I wasn't fazed by the Hylian comment as much as by the fact that Link had been here. But the innkeeper was still talking, so I couldn't ask about him. "Came yesterday, middle of the night. Left this morning, early. Like someone was tailing him." He glanced at me, his eyes suddenly taking a very shrewd glow. "Although, til yesterday, I'd thought that Hylians were just myths. And yet, here you are, live as a firebug. Nasty buggers, firebugs. We have enough fire 'round here as it is. Why just last week..." I groaned, and held up my hand. He paused, mid-sentence, and glanced at my sword again, gulping audibly. "So sorry, sir. Didn't mean to ramble. I get carried away sometimes. Jess said, she's my wife, mind you, and she says..."
"I'd like to go to my room, if I may." My tone startled me. This warrior thing was *definitely* getting to me. The innkeeper nodded, and motioned for me to follow. As we made our way down the hall, he was silent. Well, until his talkative nature overcame his wariness. He rambled on, but I walked unheeding, lost in my own thoughts. Link had been here! And recently! After all, how many Hylians running around in green underwear could there be?
The room was small, smaller than it had been in Kakariko, but I suppose that was to be expected. There had been two beds, then. The room was cool, at least, and after walking in the heat outside, I was weary. Not tired, but I needed to sit down and rest a while. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.
~*~*~
The room was empty, except for me and a mirror. I knew immediately it was a dream, but something was...off. A light glowed from an unseen source, giving the room an unearthly cast. It was not my room at the inn, but it seemed strangely familiar. Like I had been there before. I glanced around the windowless room for a moment, before focusing on the mirror.
It was ornate, the framework decorated with symbols- in a pattern remarkably similar to written language- and gilded with silver and gold. The mirror itself was in the shape of a keyhole, twice the size of a man. Gazing into it, I saw nothing but my own reflection. The room behind me was a dark blur, not truly real. My bare chest took me by surprise. I could have sworn I was wearing a shirt. But, there I was, tanned, but half naked.
The scorpion tattoo that had thrust me into this misadventure glittered oddly on my shoulder. It took me a moment to realize it was blue. *But wasn't it always blue?* The thought struck me as odd. But the tattoo didn't hold my attention for long. My eyes were drawn to my face. As I stared at it, it contorted into a mad rictus, snarling at me. I felt fear, not for the first time since being drawn into Hyrule, and probably not for the last, but I knew, in the way of dreams, that I was in grave danger. And that it wasn't necessarily external.
~*~*~
I awoke the next morning to the sounds of screaming. I pulled on my shirt, and strapped on my sword. I almost didn't notice that the tattoo had indeed taken on a strange shade of blue. I could have sworn it used to be black. Strange, though, was how I wasn't quite sure... Forcing the thought aside, I strode purposefully from my room, looking for all the world like a warrior about to do battle.
"Sir!" The innkeeper ran over, looking more than a little disheveled, and a bit singed at that. "Sir, you must help! The great Dragon Pykcon has come for his tribute a week early! We were not prepared, so he is now destroying the town! You must slay him for us!" I faltered. Slay? A DRAGON? Were they mad? I couldn't slay a Dragon. I could barely battle Moblins!
"I..." But my protests were cut short by the sounds of a child screaming. Gritting my teeth, I nodded. "Show me the way." A wave of relief washed over his features, and he motioned for me to follow.
At the front door, he paused. "Here, you'll need these." He rummaged in a chest for a moment, and came out with three small objects. A shield, a bow, and a quiver full of arrows. "Hurry, before there is nothing remaining!" And he shoved me outside.
The Dragon glanced at me, amused. "You'd dare challenge me?" He blew a blast of fire at me, but instinctively, I blocked it with my newly acquired shield. Pykcon howled in rage. "You DARE!"
I couldn't help but smile, trying to ignore the fact that I was shaking in my boots. Who was I kidding? I wasn't going to slay this Dragon... He would have me for supper. He flew above me, circling. I felt a wave of despair ~This is where my tale ends, then?~ But then, I noticed something. One of the scales on his stomach was missing. I couldn't help but grin. Thank the gods for the Hobbit! I pulled an arrow from my quiver and nocked my bow. I drew back, and, trying to ignore the fact that the last time I'd fired a bow had been at summer camp almost seven years ago, I let fly. Either the bow was enchanted, or my aim was better than I thought, because the arrow flew true, imbedding itself in the soft flesh behind the scales. The Dragon screamed in outrage, and thrashed about, dislodging more scales from his underbelly.
"You messed with the WRONG Hylian, bud!" I shouted, and let loose another streak of wood. The Dragon dove at me, snorting fire with every breath, but I rolled out of the way. The grass were I had been standing didn't even waste time burning. It was just suddenly ash. Fully aware that I would be next if I let my guard down, I nocked another arrow. It flew as well as its brothers, and the Dragon let loose one final cry of pain, before smoldering before our very eyes.
A cry came from the surviving villagers. They were all celebrating. Feeling more than a little pleased with myself, I accepted their gratitude. They showered me with rupees, and food, and pointed me in the direction of the Gerudo Fortress.
Chapter 12: Hellfire
My footsteps echoed sharply as I walked down the seemingly endless hallways of the Gerudo fortress. The sound reverberated through the walls, fracturing against the stone corridor and bouncing back a hundred fold. I winced. How I had managed to get this far without bringing hordes of the Amazonian women down on my head was beyond me. After all, I was hardly being covert. Perhaps it was merely another example of the convenient magic that permeated this strange land.
Getting inside the fortress had been easier than the trek to the desert had been. After departing the grove in which I had encountered the crazy old man, I continued unerringly in the direction of the desert. It was easy; After I had decided that was where I was going, its location was etched in my mind. At first, the journey was relatively uneventful. Every so often, a monster would cross my path, and I would dispatch it with a few quick swipes of my sword and a swirl of dust. And so it continued, until I came upon a city I did not recognize.
I suppose city isn't the right word. It was more of a large village. Then again, I might just have been a little jaded. Living in LA all my life, my view of how big a 'city' is became a tad distorted. It was a city compared to some of the villages I had seen in books on Medieval culture. Either way, I didn't remember any mention of it in the games I had played.
The sign said Pyria Town, and was adorned with what looked like a child's interpretation of a bonfire. The houses themselves seemed slightly charred around the edges, and the smell of smoke lay heavily in the air. I winced, and walked through the open gates. It was like entering a furnace. As I moved quietly through the street, a burning wind buffeted against me, fighting my every step. There wasn't a single person anywhere in sight. Windows were latched tight, and market stalls stood empty. Several times I thought I saw movement from the corner of my eye, only to find it was nothing but the wind, howling in muted fury, flinging dust and dead leaves about. For all intents and purposes, this was a ghost town. At least, I thought it was.
Finally, I came upon a building that, except for the name, was identical to the inn I had stayed at in Kakariko Village. The sign over the door proclaimed "The Dancing Dragon." Huh? Apparently some lore was universal. I paused, my hand poised to open the inn's door. Lore? Who's to say dragons weren't real here? I wracked my brain for any mention of dragons from the game, and then it hit me. Volvegia! This must be dragon country, then. With a hasty glance around me, I pulled open the door and ducked into the inn.
The cold air rushed over me like a bucket of ice water. I shivered, and, absorbed as I was by the sudden temperature plunge, almost failed to notice that everyone in the inn had fallen silent. Nervously, I shuffled my feet and peered around the room. At almost every table tanned, wind-roughened men were staring at me.
"Uh...." I mumbled, before a cheerful, red-faced man pulled me aside.
"Don't get many travelers in these parts, sire. You'll be wanting a room, then? Not safe to travel after dark." His eyes drifted to my sword. "Even for a warrior such as yourself." He swallowed, and continued. "Seen more warriors in the last week than in the entire rest of the year. First the green fellow. Hair like yours, now that I'm thinking on it. Hylian lad, I suppose, same as you." I wasn't fazed by the Hylian comment as much as by the fact that Link had been here. But the innkeeper was still talking, so I couldn't ask about him. "Came yesterday, middle of the night. Left this morning, early. Like someone was tailing him." He glanced at me, his eyes suddenly taking a very shrewd glow. "Although, til yesterday, I'd thought that Hylians were just myths. And yet, here you are, live as a firebug. Nasty buggers, firebugs. We have enough fire 'round here as it is. Why just last week..." I groaned, and held up my hand. He paused, mid-sentence, and glanced at my sword again, gulping audibly. "So sorry, sir. Didn't mean to ramble. I get carried away sometimes. Jess said, she's my wife, mind you, and she says..."
"I'd like to go to my room, if I may." My tone startled me. This warrior thing was *definitely* getting to me. The innkeeper nodded, and motioned for me to follow. As we made our way down the hall, he was silent. Well, until his talkative nature overcame his wariness. He rambled on, but I walked unheeding, lost in my own thoughts. Link had been here! And recently! After all, how many Hylians running around in green underwear could there be?
The room was small, smaller than it had been in Kakariko, but I suppose that was to be expected. There had been two beds, then. The room was cool, at least, and after walking in the heat outside, I was weary. Not tired, but I needed to sit down and rest a while. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.
~*~*~
The room was empty, except for me and a mirror. I knew immediately it was a dream, but something was...off. A light glowed from an unseen source, giving the room an unearthly cast. It was not my room at the inn, but it seemed strangely familiar. Like I had been there before. I glanced around the windowless room for a moment, before focusing on the mirror.
It was ornate, the framework decorated with symbols- in a pattern remarkably similar to written language- and gilded with silver and gold. The mirror itself was in the shape of a keyhole, twice the size of a man. Gazing into it, I saw nothing but my own reflection. The room behind me was a dark blur, not truly real. My bare chest took me by surprise. I could have sworn I was wearing a shirt. But, there I was, tanned, but half naked.
The scorpion tattoo that had thrust me into this misadventure glittered oddly on my shoulder. It took me a moment to realize it was blue. *But wasn't it always blue?* The thought struck me as odd. But the tattoo didn't hold my attention for long. My eyes were drawn to my face. As I stared at it, it contorted into a mad rictus, snarling at me. I felt fear, not for the first time since being drawn into Hyrule, and probably not for the last, but I knew, in the way of dreams, that I was in grave danger. And that it wasn't necessarily external.
~*~*~
I awoke the next morning to the sounds of screaming. I pulled on my shirt, and strapped on my sword. I almost didn't notice that the tattoo had indeed taken on a strange shade of blue. I could have sworn it used to be black. Strange, though, was how I wasn't quite sure... Forcing the thought aside, I strode purposefully from my room, looking for all the world like a warrior about to do battle.
"Sir!" The innkeeper ran over, looking more than a little disheveled, and a bit singed at that. "Sir, you must help! The great Dragon Pykcon has come for his tribute a week early! We were not prepared, so he is now destroying the town! You must slay him for us!" I faltered. Slay? A DRAGON? Were they mad? I couldn't slay a Dragon. I could barely battle Moblins!
"I..." But my protests were cut short by the sounds of a child screaming. Gritting my teeth, I nodded. "Show me the way." A wave of relief washed over his features, and he motioned for me to follow.
At the front door, he paused. "Here, you'll need these." He rummaged in a chest for a moment, and came out with three small objects. A shield, a bow, and a quiver full of arrows. "Hurry, before there is nothing remaining!" And he shoved me outside.
The Dragon glanced at me, amused. "You'd dare challenge me?" He blew a blast of fire at me, but instinctively, I blocked it with my newly acquired shield. Pykcon howled in rage. "You DARE!"
I couldn't help but smile, trying to ignore the fact that I was shaking in my boots. Who was I kidding? I wasn't going to slay this Dragon... He would have me for supper. He flew above me, circling. I felt a wave of despair ~This is where my tale ends, then?~ But then, I noticed something. One of the scales on his stomach was missing. I couldn't help but grin. Thank the gods for the Hobbit! I pulled an arrow from my quiver and nocked my bow. I drew back, and, trying to ignore the fact that the last time I'd fired a bow had been at summer camp almost seven years ago, I let fly. Either the bow was enchanted, or my aim was better than I thought, because the arrow flew true, imbedding itself in the soft flesh behind the scales. The Dragon screamed in outrage, and thrashed about, dislodging more scales from his underbelly.
"You messed with the WRONG Hylian, bud!" I shouted, and let loose another streak of wood. The Dragon dove at me, snorting fire with every breath, but I rolled out of the way. The grass were I had been standing didn't even waste time burning. It was just suddenly ash. Fully aware that I would be next if I let my guard down, I nocked another arrow. It flew as well as its brothers, and the Dragon let loose one final cry of pain, before smoldering before our very eyes.
A cry came from the surviving villagers. They were all celebrating. Feeling more than a little pleased with myself, I accepted their gratitude. They showered me with rupees, and food, and pointed me in the direction of the Gerudo Fortress.