Hey all, thanks for still reading, and sorry it's been so long. Between school and band and work I've barely had time to do anything! Anyway, I'd like to give special thanks to Eric Bellinger for helping me get over my writer's block so that this chapter could be written. ARIGATO ERIC-CHAN!
Standard disclaimers apply--much to my regret I don't own zelda--nor link, impa, etc. However, all characters not copyrighted by Nintendo (most of them from here on out) are my own creations..yay me!
R&R CUZ MY PLOT BUNNIES 3 U!
Chapter Three: The Haunted Wasteland with the Future Unknown
He rode for days, through the field and toward the great desert, where he knew Zelda had been taken. Within two days he reached Gerudo territory. The town of females was bustling, from the fortress of sandstone down to the archery range, there was nowhere without life. But this was the past, not the false future, no one knew him there. His onlyi means of getting past the hundreds of guards was in a small card that he'd been awarded on his past quest. The Gerudo's second-in-command had given it to him for his ability to sneak through the fortress long enough to free three carpenters.
He did not stay there very long. Within three hours of his arrival he was gone again, this timme to the south, through the gates that lead to the vast desert known as the haunted wasteland. Navi was his only companion, Epona would stand no chance in such a gruelling environment.
The winds began to pick up as the sun satarted to dim over the horizon. As much of a relief from the heat as it was, the sand began to blow around, creating small dust devils in the distance. The grains pelted against Link's face, arms, and legs without mercy nor cease, cutting the hero's fair skin until it was raw and bleeding in places. He held up his hand to shield his eyes.
"Navi, where are we?" He called desperately over the howling winds.
The fairy flew from her shelter under Link's hat and hovered with a faint glow before his eyes. "I don't know! We must be getting close though..."
The words were lies and Link knew it.
"No, Navi. We have been walking but for a few short hours. We are still very far from our destination."
The fairy's glow dimmed and she hid herself back on Link's shoulder. "Then what is it that I'm feeling?"
It was at that moment that the elf felt it. The Earth shook beneath him, and the sand gave way to a gaping hole. He felt himself being pulled with the falling sand, feet slipping inch by inch toward the chasm.
"Navi! What is it!?"
She flew from his shoulder once again and hovered for a moment over the hole, peering downward. "It appears as though it's an earth snake."
That's a big snake, Link thought as he drew his sword, readying himself for battle. "At least I've still got my mail."
There was then a roar, so loud that it shook the earth in a violent spasm. Link opened his mouth to call for his fairy, but it was too late. The earth snake shot up from the ground in a blur of gray, brown, and black, knocking Navi from the sky and out of sight.
"NAVI!"
Link squinted into the sandstorm, searching desperately for any sign of the tiny light, but he found nothing. He was alone with the huge snake that now hung in the sky, glaring down at him with angry orange eyes.
It lunged. With a cry, Link jumped backward and pulled up his shield. The beast contacted with the shield so hard that he fell back onto the sand helplessly, being pulled once again toward the chasm. But he pulled himself to his feet and shook off the heavy blow, staring once again into the demonic face of the sand worm.
"Navi!" He called for her again, but to no avail. There was no sign of his tiny companion anywhere.
Without another second's hesitation, Link began to maneuver through the sand, luring the snake closer to him at every moment. Th hero stared up and at the belly of the beast, knowing full well that its weakness was held somewhere in the thick plating that covered its underside. The fairy bow was pulled out within seconds, and was aimed directly upward, toward the animal's vital organs. Now all Link had to do was wait for the right moment.
It came in the blink of an eye, the minute crack in the exoskeleton passed overhead, and a single arrow was let fly. It soared upward, piercing the snake's soft stomach, cutting through three thick layers of skin before it tore past the muscles, ripping the innards apart. Blood spurted from the arrow wound and the beast roared once again with a voice so loud it rung through the desert and hung in Link's ears. That final bellow of pain marked the end of its pitiful life in Hyrule. The monster fell from the sky, the gaping hole in the ground closed around it, engulfing it in a pile of the fine sand that covered the ground for miles around, leaving almost no trace that it had ever emerged. The beast was no more, its only remains were a few rupees scattered in its bloodstained wake.
And Navi was still gone.
"Where are you!?" Link called into the night. He could not remember the sun setting, the fight must have lasted longer than he'd thought. "Navi, where did you go?!"
But there was still no response.
Link cursed himself quietly and pressed forward, searching the dark sand all around him for any sign of the fairy, and sighed in relief when he finally saw what he'd been looking for.
A tiny wing protruded from the sand, and Link dove for it without hesitation. He dug frantically around her, searching for Navi's frame.
He only dug for a few short moments before he found her, laying unconscious, her bright glow reduced to a near nothing. He placed her gently in the rim of his hat, hoping that she would wake before the dawn, and carried on his way.
* * * * *
Link had walked for days on end, so many that he had lost count. His supplies had been dwindling for quite some time, and Navi had only just regained consciousness. He was beginning to grow weary and hot, tired of the heat and sun that beared down on his fair elven skin, tanning it and burning in some places. But through hunger and tiredness, he pressed onward, through the desert.
He walked for two more days before he stumbled across what was to be his downfall.
The moon loomed in the dark sky, illuminating the light sand with a silvery glow. Navi was flying out in front of him, her still dimmed light guiding the way. But Link still didn't see it coming, not until he felt himself sink.
His left boot was caught without hope of retrieval, and his right boot joined soon after. The Hero of Time struggled, his fairy fluttering frantically over his head, but sank helplessly, slowly, into the pit of quicksand that he'd foolishly stepped into. He fell gracelessly in his struggle, landing flat on his face, but recoiled quickly and pushed himself up against the constant sucking of the sand.
"Navi! Get me out of here!" he begged. His eyes grew wide when he finished the though, his subconscious reminding him that it was but a fairy that he addressed, that she would not be able to help him, and the quicksand was pulling him down faster with every passing moment. It now pulled at his chest, closing in around his shoulders, pressing against his frail, weakened frame without remorse nor cease. He felt as though he was suffocating.
Link forced his hands up through the thick, wet sand and reached for Navi–knowing that she was his only hope now. But he couldn't speak, his throat was now surrounded–then his chin, up to his ears, and his head. He was left, grasping at the air for a few more seconds, before he saw no more, felt no more, and knew no more.
* * * * *
Link woke with a start, cold and shivering. He found himself laying on a bed made of hard straw, a makeshift feather pillow under him, and a tattered blue blanket covering him. He closed his eyes for a moment, and breathed deeply, knowing that something wasn't right.
"The Hylian's awake, Smithy."
"Makes me wonder 'ow he got caught in the first place... 'N in such poor condition at that!"
The elf looked over and pushed himself up weakly. He looked over through the perpendicular bars, and spoke to the two men in the cell next to him, "Where am I?" he asked quietly, examining the filthy men from head to toe.
"Aye, you're in Kakariko... Thought a Hylian would know that ifn' nobody else did."
"You aren't of Hylian blood."
"Good observation, my friend. We be human as Marik 'imself. Your people were outcast years ago..." The more scrawny of the two explained. It seemed as if he did most of the talking while his cell-mate, a more heavy set man with a short, unkept gray streaked beard, tried with all his might to pick the lock on the cell door. He continued explaining, "They resorted to piracy, knowin' that that was their only way to survive–'ow is it that ya don't know this, mate? You been livin' in a box for the past ten years?"
"One could say as much," Link replied as his attention was turned. He now watched as the heavy man gave up the lock and started reaching for a small item that hung on the wall on the opposite side of the small brick room, near a wooden staircase that obviously led up. He started speaking again. "What is that he's reaching for? I've never seen one before."
"Be ye daft, boy?! 'Tis a revolver!"
"A gun," the hefty man affirmed. "Ifn' that damned guard comes down here again, 'e'll be sorry he messed with ol' Smithy an' Devin."
Link turned away from the men, looking through the bars on the east wall. The wall was made of brick with a small, vertically barred window that faced the sea. He noticed the drastic changes in the air of Kakariko, and even the idea that the once bustling town would have such a thing as a prison. That had always been reserved for the palace. Tiny boats were pulled into the port, some sailing off into the dark horizon. How Kakariko had changed–the place was huge, a city bigger than Hyrule Castle Market was, with houses of brick and wood, the streets lit by candles that hung in glass boxes. It was something he never could have dreamed of.
He resorted to leaning back against the barred wall, and listened to the two bickering men next to him.
"You'll never pick that lock," he began after a long while of listening to the two argue over how to open the door. "No matter how hard you try your fingers are far too big and clumsy to do the necessary things."
"Well excuse us, Hylian," the heavy man, Devin, retorted, "we've not given in yet."
"Do you think–"
Link was interrupted by a loud crash from outside. He jumped to his feet without a second thought and peered out the window. A ship had made birth at the port, a huge boat, it was. The sails stretched high into the night, and beings poured out of it in unfathomable numbers.
"They've got cannons!"
Link looked over. The two men were peering out of their own barred window, gawking at the great vessel. "What are cannons?"
"You 'ave been living in a box! Cannon–tis a big gun... You'll see."
The Hylian started when he heard the first shots fired, the first explosion from the side of the ship. He followed the great cannonball as it pummeled into the city, crashing through brick buildings and into the townsfolk below, who scurried from their homes to find a safe place. The damage was devastating as more shots were fired. The city was being massacred, buildings crushed, the humans killed without remorse.
"Gods..." Devin muttered, his voice hushed. All attention was turned toward him as he continued. "They're aiming toward us! GET DOWN!"
The three men in the jail had barely enough time to throw themselves to the ground, away from the eastern wall before the cannonball crashed through the wall, knocking a gaping hole in the brick. But unfortunately, only one of them would make it out of there alive.
Link looked up as the dust cleared, and looked to the gore in the cell opposite him. The two men had met an unsightly end. Blood splattered the cell where the cannonball had made contact with the two mens' upper bodies, and they now laid in halves, sprawled upon the cell floor. He gagged at the sight, at the smell, and broke for the hole in the wall.
"Damn it!" He cried as he began trying to force his broad frame through the hole. He couldn't fit. "No, no no!" he cried in frustration, pummeling his fists against the wall before he fell. He cold, in a place he did not know, completely and totally alone with only the moon and canon fire to keep him company.
Link woke, not remembering when he'd fallen asleep, to the sound of footsteps crashing down the stairs. His gaze shot to the far corner of the jail, where he saw three men coming down the hall.
"Aye, there he is!"
Link found himself cowering as the three approached. They peered into his cell and offered comforting grins. One of them stepped forward and touched his hand to the bars that acted as the cell's door.
"Aye, that's the one," he confirmed, his voice silvery, though human. The dark haired man turned his attention to Link once again and knelt down, began speaking, "you sir, are the one we've been searching for. Your name be Link, I presume."
Link nodded his reply.
"We've come to spring you from this hell hole," he continued, "now I suggest you move away from the bars–this could get a bit ugly."
Link complied and moved close to the back wall as the three men took their positions, each grasping a bar on the door. The leading man gave a short count, and the three pulled with all of their might to free the door.
"One... Two... Three... Heave!"
The door was pulled loose and fell to the ground with a metallic clang. Link was pulled from the cell by his arms, and helped to his feet.
"Now come on, boy, we've got to get out of here before those accursed guards find you've gone!"
"No–not without my sword..."
"Aye, the sword... We found one such thing upstairs. Now come!"
It was with that that Link was led off, toward one of the biggest, and most odd, adventures of his life.
Standard disclaimers apply--much to my regret I don't own zelda--nor link, impa, etc. However, all characters not copyrighted by Nintendo (most of them from here on out) are my own creations..yay me!
R&R CUZ MY PLOT BUNNIES 3 U!
Chapter Three: The Haunted Wasteland with the Future Unknown
He rode for days, through the field and toward the great desert, where he knew Zelda had been taken. Within two days he reached Gerudo territory. The town of females was bustling, from the fortress of sandstone down to the archery range, there was nowhere without life. But this was the past, not the false future, no one knew him there. His onlyi means of getting past the hundreds of guards was in a small card that he'd been awarded on his past quest. The Gerudo's second-in-command had given it to him for his ability to sneak through the fortress long enough to free three carpenters.
He did not stay there very long. Within three hours of his arrival he was gone again, this timme to the south, through the gates that lead to the vast desert known as the haunted wasteland. Navi was his only companion, Epona would stand no chance in such a gruelling environment.
The winds began to pick up as the sun satarted to dim over the horizon. As much of a relief from the heat as it was, the sand began to blow around, creating small dust devils in the distance. The grains pelted against Link's face, arms, and legs without mercy nor cease, cutting the hero's fair skin until it was raw and bleeding in places. He held up his hand to shield his eyes.
"Navi, where are we?" He called desperately over the howling winds.
The fairy flew from her shelter under Link's hat and hovered with a faint glow before his eyes. "I don't know! We must be getting close though..."
The words were lies and Link knew it.
"No, Navi. We have been walking but for a few short hours. We are still very far from our destination."
The fairy's glow dimmed and she hid herself back on Link's shoulder. "Then what is it that I'm feeling?"
It was at that moment that the elf felt it. The Earth shook beneath him, and the sand gave way to a gaping hole. He felt himself being pulled with the falling sand, feet slipping inch by inch toward the chasm.
"Navi! What is it!?"
She flew from his shoulder once again and hovered for a moment over the hole, peering downward. "It appears as though it's an earth snake."
That's a big snake, Link thought as he drew his sword, readying himself for battle. "At least I've still got my mail."
There was then a roar, so loud that it shook the earth in a violent spasm. Link opened his mouth to call for his fairy, but it was too late. The earth snake shot up from the ground in a blur of gray, brown, and black, knocking Navi from the sky and out of sight.
"NAVI!"
Link squinted into the sandstorm, searching desperately for any sign of the tiny light, but he found nothing. He was alone with the huge snake that now hung in the sky, glaring down at him with angry orange eyes.
It lunged. With a cry, Link jumped backward and pulled up his shield. The beast contacted with the shield so hard that he fell back onto the sand helplessly, being pulled once again toward the chasm. But he pulled himself to his feet and shook off the heavy blow, staring once again into the demonic face of the sand worm.
"Navi!" He called for her again, but to no avail. There was no sign of his tiny companion anywhere.
Without another second's hesitation, Link began to maneuver through the sand, luring the snake closer to him at every moment. Th hero stared up and at the belly of the beast, knowing full well that its weakness was held somewhere in the thick plating that covered its underside. The fairy bow was pulled out within seconds, and was aimed directly upward, toward the animal's vital organs. Now all Link had to do was wait for the right moment.
It came in the blink of an eye, the minute crack in the exoskeleton passed overhead, and a single arrow was let fly. It soared upward, piercing the snake's soft stomach, cutting through three thick layers of skin before it tore past the muscles, ripping the innards apart. Blood spurted from the arrow wound and the beast roared once again with a voice so loud it rung through the desert and hung in Link's ears. That final bellow of pain marked the end of its pitiful life in Hyrule. The monster fell from the sky, the gaping hole in the ground closed around it, engulfing it in a pile of the fine sand that covered the ground for miles around, leaving almost no trace that it had ever emerged. The beast was no more, its only remains were a few rupees scattered in its bloodstained wake.
And Navi was still gone.
"Where are you!?" Link called into the night. He could not remember the sun setting, the fight must have lasted longer than he'd thought. "Navi, where did you go?!"
But there was still no response.
Link cursed himself quietly and pressed forward, searching the dark sand all around him for any sign of the fairy, and sighed in relief when he finally saw what he'd been looking for.
A tiny wing protruded from the sand, and Link dove for it without hesitation. He dug frantically around her, searching for Navi's frame.
He only dug for a few short moments before he found her, laying unconscious, her bright glow reduced to a near nothing. He placed her gently in the rim of his hat, hoping that she would wake before the dawn, and carried on his way.
* * * * *
Link had walked for days on end, so many that he had lost count. His supplies had been dwindling for quite some time, and Navi had only just regained consciousness. He was beginning to grow weary and hot, tired of the heat and sun that beared down on his fair elven skin, tanning it and burning in some places. But through hunger and tiredness, he pressed onward, through the desert.
He walked for two more days before he stumbled across what was to be his downfall.
The moon loomed in the dark sky, illuminating the light sand with a silvery glow. Navi was flying out in front of him, her still dimmed light guiding the way. But Link still didn't see it coming, not until he felt himself sink.
His left boot was caught without hope of retrieval, and his right boot joined soon after. The Hero of Time struggled, his fairy fluttering frantically over his head, but sank helplessly, slowly, into the pit of quicksand that he'd foolishly stepped into. He fell gracelessly in his struggle, landing flat on his face, but recoiled quickly and pushed himself up against the constant sucking of the sand.
"Navi! Get me out of here!" he begged. His eyes grew wide when he finished the though, his subconscious reminding him that it was but a fairy that he addressed, that she would not be able to help him, and the quicksand was pulling him down faster with every passing moment. It now pulled at his chest, closing in around his shoulders, pressing against his frail, weakened frame without remorse nor cease. He felt as though he was suffocating.
Link forced his hands up through the thick, wet sand and reached for Navi–knowing that she was his only hope now. But he couldn't speak, his throat was now surrounded–then his chin, up to his ears, and his head. He was left, grasping at the air for a few more seconds, before he saw no more, felt no more, and knew no more.
* * * * *
Link woke with a start, cold and shivering. He found himself laying on a bed made of hard straw, a makeshift feather pillow under him, and a tattered blue blanket covering him. He closed his eyes for a moment, and breathed deeply, knowing that something wasn't right.
"The Hylian's awake, Smithy."
"Makes me wonder 'ow he got caught in the first place... 'N in such poor condition at that!"
The elf looked over and pushed himself up weakly. He looked over through the perpendicular bars, and spoke to the two men in the cell next to him, "Where am I?" he asked quietly, examining the filthy men from head to toe.
"Aye, you're in Kakariko... Thought a Hylian would know that ifn' nobody else did."
"You aren't of Hylian blood."
"Good observation, my friend. We be human as Marik 'imself. Your people were outcast years ago..." The more scrawny of the two explained. It seemed as if he did most of the talking while his cell-mate, a more heavy set man with a short, unkept gray streaked beard, tried with all his might to pick the lock on the cell door. He continued explaining, "They resorted to piracy, knowin' that that was their only way to survive–'ow is it that ya don't know this, mate? You been livin' in a box for the past ten years?"
"One could say as much," Link replied as his attention was turned. He now watched as the heavy man gave up the lock and started reaching for a small item that hung on the wall on the opposite side of the small brick room, near a wooden staircase that obviously led up. He started speaking again. "What is that he's reaching for? I've never seen one before."
"Be ye daft, boy?! 'Tis a revolver!"
"A gun," the hefty man affirmed. "Ifn' that damned guard comes down here again, 'e'll be sorry he messed with ol' Smithy an' Devin."
Link turned away from the men, looking through the bars on the east wall. The wall was made of brick with a small, vertically barred window that faced the sea. He noticed the drastic changes in the air of Kakariko, and even the idea that the once bustling town would have such a thing as a prison. That had always been reserved for the palace. Tiny boats were pulled into the port, some sailing off into the dark horizon. How Kakariko had changed–the place was huge, a city bigger than Hyrule Castle Market was, with houses of brick and wood, the streets lit by candles that hung in glass boxes. It was something he never could have dreamed of.
He resorted to leaning back against the barred wall, and listened to the two bickering men next to him.
"You'll never pick that lock," he began after a long while of listening to the two argue over how to open the door. "No matter how hard you try your fingers are far too big and clumsy to do the necessary things."
"Well excuse us, Hylian," the heavy man, Devin, retorted, "we've not given in yet."
"Do you think–"
Link was interrupted by a loud crash from outside. He jumped to his feet without a second thought and peered out the window. A ship had made birth at the port, a huge boat, it was. The sails stretched high into the night, and beings poured out of it in unfathomable numbers.
"They've got cannons!"
Link looked over. The two men were peering out of their own barred window, gawking at the great vessel. "What are cannons?"
"You 'ave been living in a box! Cannon–tis a big gun... You'll see."
The Hylian started when he heard the first shots fired, the first explosion from the side of the ship. He followed the great cannonball as it pummeled into the city, crashing through brick buildings and into the townsfolk below, who scurried from their homes to find a safe place. The damage was devastating as more shots were fired. The city was being massacred, buildings crushed, the humans killed without remorse.
"Gods..." Devin muttered, his voice hushed. All attention was turned toward him as he continued. "They're aiming toward us! GET DOWN!"
The three men in the jail had barely enough time to throw themselves to the ground, away from the eastern wall before the cannonball crashed through the wall, knocking a gaping hole in the brick. But unfortunately, only one of them would make it out of there alive.
Link looked up as the dust cleared, and looked to the gore in the cell opposite him. The two men had met an unsightly end. Blood splattered the cell where the cannonball had made contact with the two mens' upper bodies, and they now laid in halves, sprawled upon the cell floor. He gagged at the sight, at the smell, and broke for the hole in the wall.
"Damn it!" He cried as he began trying to force his broad frame through the hole. He couldn't fit. "No, no no!" he cried in frustration, pummeling his fists against the wall before he fell. He cold, in a place he did not know, completely and totally alone with only the moon and canon fire to keep him company.
Link woke, not remembering when he'd fallen asleep, to the sound of footsteps crashing down the stairs. His gaze shot to the far corner of the jail, where he saw three men coming down the hall.
"Aye, there he is!"
Link found himself cowering as the three approached. They peered into his cell and offered comforting grins. One of them stepped forward and touched his hand to the bars that acted as the cell's door.
"Aye, that's the one," he confirmed, his voice silvery, though human. The dark haired man turned his attention to Link once again and knelt down, began speaking, "you sir, are the one we've been searching for. Your name be Link, I presume."
Link nodded his reply.
"We've come to spring you from this hell hole," he continued, "now I suggest you move away from the bars–this could get a bit ugly."
Link complied and moved close to the back wall as the three men took their positions, each grasping a bar on the door. The leading man gave a short count, and the three pulled with all of their might to free the door.
"One... Two... Three... Heave!"
The door was pulled loose and fell to the ground with a metallic clang. Link was pulled from the cell by his arms, and helped to his feet.
"Now come on, boy, we've got to get out of here before those accursed guards find you've gone!"
"No–not without my sword..."
"Aye, the sword... We found one such thing upstairs. Now come!"
It was with that that Link was led off, toward one of the biggest, and most odd, adventures of his life.