The Legend of Zelda: The Dream Walker
Chapter 10
"Another wizard and another nightmare"
By MEGAMANX411

Link headed back to Jess' house after the incident with Kline, and tried to get some rest. After all, he was entirely exhausted from the fight, and his wounds weren't improving matters. Link felt incredibly drowsy, and tried to sleep, but unforunately, thoughts of the townsfolk, especially Kline, remained in his head as he tried to doze off.

Eventually, Link was successful, although not for a very long time. He soon awoke to the sound of Jess working again. He headed downstairs.

"What are you doing Jess?" Link asked, yawning deeply and stretching afterwards.

Jess gave Link a pleasant smile, and he proudly displayed his work. He raised a bow. It was Link's bow, but it definitely appeared superior than it previously did.

"I modified your bow for ya," he began. "It can fire arrows faster and farther now, you know what I am saying?"

Link took back his bow. Its design was indeed improved. It would make a fine weapon. Link weighed it in his hands, and smirked at the improvement of his bow.

"Thanks Jess...but, why did you do that?" he asked. "You didn't have to."

Jess shrugged nonchalantly, and then bowed his head in reverance.

"I just felt like I had to do something to honor Kline when he died," he replied. "So, I decided to improve your bow Link...it's just the same fine craftsmanship that went into making Kline's."

Link gratefully accepted the gift, and nodded in confirmation.

"Thank you very much, I appreciate it," Link replied, putting the improved bow with the rest of his tools in his pack. Link stepped outside, being blinded for a moment by the bright sunlight. It would normally be considered a rather beautiful day, but for these troubled times, no one could really rest easy.

Link took another stretch, trying to get the fatigue out of his system. He craned his neck, and he looked at the exit of Inoa. He could sense something was there, but he couldn't quite tell what it was.

"There's something over that way," Link muttered to himself, slowly but surely taking a few steps in that general direction.

As Link neared the exit of Inoa, he kept going forward, compelled to stay on the path. Something was drawing him in, wanting him to go forward. And he wanted to discover what it was. He couldn't exactly explain why or how, but he just felt like he needed to go there. Link soon arrived in a swamp-like area, covered in mud and filth. However, the path continued, and Link felt compelled to keep going.

When he reached the end of the pathway, he noticed there was a huge statue blocking his path. The statue depicted a humanoid lizard wielding a giant sword. It appeared like a rather fierce creature, one with seemingly immense power and malice.

A bad omen, thought Link.

Link craned his neck to get a look around the statue, but couldn't really find anyway around it. The rest was blocked off, and the swampy depths made it impossible to cross in other areas.

It was then that he noticed a switch just out of reach. It didn't seem like any sort of normal switch he had encountered before, but rather, some kind of mechanism with a balloon filled with hot air spewing out from it. Link knew he couldn't cross the swamp, so he took out his bow, and readied an arrow. He aimed, and took a deep breath.

"Hope this works..." he muttered.

Link let loose an arrow, which struck the balloon, and the resulting pressure of the balloon exploding seemed to activate the mechanism. Within moments, there was a distinct rumbling sound. The statue began to shift over, revealing a hidden stairway!

"There must be something down there...it's still calling me...but what is it?" he asked himself, half expecting someone else to answer for him.

Link headed down the stairs, and came to a flooded room. Scattered throughout the watery bottom were many pedastals. Rather than braving the depths of the waters by jumping in, Link decided it would be easier just to jump on the pedastals, so he did. He jumped on the first, and breathed deeply. He looked hard at the next platform. He collected his courage, and leaped with all his might.

He made it. The next one was slightly farther off. Link ran towards the edge of the platform he was currently on, but stopped himself when he heard some splashing.

"What was that?" Link gasped, looking at the activity in the waters.

Link noticed something emerging from the depths. A creature poked its head out of the water.

"A lizard?" Link shouted, looking curiously at it.

Indeed, it was a creature much like the one depicted on the statue. The creature merely swam in place, giving Link a hard stare. It bared its fangs at him.

"Jumping across here may prove difficult..." Link muttered.

He had his sword in one hand, ready to slay the creature in mid-air if need be. Link prepared himself, and leaped for all his worth. The lizard creature tried to catch him with its jaws, but Link slashed downward with his Master Sword, giving the creature a rather deep cut in the face. It quickly retreated back to the waters, and Link landed on the next platform, which brought him closer to an apparently dry portion of the cave. After going deeper into the cave, Link noticed that there were some small lizard statues blocking his way. He tried to push them, but they wouldn't budge. He took out his iron flail.

"Well, if I can't move them, I'll have to break them!" he shouted as he swung the flail around.

Link let loose the weapon, which slammed straight into the face region of one of the statues. But something wasn't right. The stone didn't crack at all. It didn't even do any sort of noticeable damage. Link shrugged disappointedly, and walked up to touch the area in which he supposedly struck the statue. The statue resonated as Link touched it.

"What the?!" he shouted, backing up instantly.

The creatures depicted in the statues started to move and convulse, shattering their bonds of stone, and became real! Link backed up, and let loose an attack, striking the lizard in the face with the flail. The resulting impact shattered the creature's jaws. However, while Link was distracted, another lizard creature came up behind Link, and bit his shoulder.

Link screamed in pain, but then strengthened his resolve and grabbed the lizard. He threw him forward, and then drew his sword. Link charged, and impaled the creature on his blade. Another lizard began to pounce at him, but Link quickly drew his bow, and shot it through the eye. The three creatures laid before Link, some still clinging to life, but still horribly defeated.

Link reclaimed his weapons, and pressed on. The rest of the rooms following were rather uneventful, and the seemingly most difficult thing about going through the cave was seeing clearly, because it was so dark and dank.

When Link reached the final room, he saw another large lizard statue, with six smaller ones around it. The larger lizard statue easily dwarfed any of those he had seen before, it was absolutely gigantic. Probably fifteen feet in height. That certainly was a creature Link didn't want to face. Instantly he made the connection.

"Oh....shi---"

Link's comments were cut off from the rumbling sound of the statues coming to life. The huge lizard broke the stone bonds it was encased in, and raced toward Link, the ground quaking as it stomped around with its gargantuan feet. Link decided it would be best to take care of the underlings first, because this large creature would certainly acquire all of his attention.

The first lizard jumped at Link, but its attack was shortened by an upward stab from Link's sword. The creature slowly turned limp as it slid down on Link's blade. The next lizard came in from the side, followed by another. Link quickly sheathed his sword, unleashed his iron flail, causing serious damage to one creature's skull. The other lizard managed to grab link, and the other three began to close in. Link broke free of the creature's grip, and took out the Earth Scroll. When Link read the enchanted parchment, boulders began to shoot out of it, crushing the lizard creatures.

Now all that was left was the giant creature. Link would ready a weapon, but he didn't know which one would be effective against it...several options raced through his mind.

Ok, ok, calm down...you can't get jumpy, or you'll never win. But you musn't hesitate either...let's see...the sword? No...too short range, and it probably wouldn't work very well. The flail? Better range, but I don't know if it would damage him...the spells? They could work....but I need something that's faster.....of course! The bow!! he thought.

Link pulled out his bow, and readied himself for the attack. The giant lizard dropped down its arm with one massive attack, but Link managed to get out of the way by ducking and rolling. He then took out three arrows, stringed them on his bow simultaneously, and fired them. The first arrow struck the monster's left eye. The second hit the right. And the third actually flew into the beast's mouth, because it was shrieking in pain so much from the earlier arrows! The third arrow struck the roof of the creature's mouth, and it bit down, driving it in further.

Link, deciding to not let the creature get the chance to attack him, let loose another batch of arrows, striking it in similar areas. The creature fell over in pain. Link jumped on top of its head, and then took out his sword. He then finished the monster in one swift strike of his blade.

As the final strike was made, another wizard came forth. A bright light shone forth, causing Link to raise his hand to protect his eyes. He then heard a voice, rather like the previous wizards he had encountered.

"I am Jeal," the wizard began. "It is true what Lars speaks. You are indeed the Releaser, destined to destroy Melzas."

Link shuddered at the mere mention of Melzas. However, he shrugged off his worry, and focused his attention back on the wizard. Link nodded, instilled with confidence.

"Yes, I defeated the monster," he replied. Link then remembered something essential to his quest. "Do you have the crest?" he asked. "Or has Melzas already taken it?"

Jeal's emotion didn't falter.

"Here it is, take it," the wizard responded, motioning to a chest that appeared behind him.

Link slowly walked over, bent down, and opened the chest. Indeed, there was a crest inside of it.

"I also have something else for you," Jeal added. "It is the Fire Scroll. It should come in handy, Releaser."

Link accepted the gift, and nodded appreciatively.

"Thank you very much," he replied.

With that, the wizard disappeared, leaving only Link there. Link concluded that it must have been Jeal that was calling him, and thus decided his business there was finished. He quickly vacated from the cave.

Link left the swamp, and returned back to Inoa. When he arrived, Jess came up to him.

"Hey Jess...what's going on?" Link asked.

Jess looked pretty worried, and his breathing seemed a bit strained.

"You're needed at Giles' house," he replied. "I'm not sure why, they say he's taken ill."

Link cocked a brow in curiousity.

"Giles?" he responded, as if the name were alien to him.

Link remembered the awful things that Giles had said to him. He decided that even if Giles insulted him wrongly, he needed to help him. He quickly went to Giles house, but before he entered, Meia came out the door. Meia gave Link a serious look.

"Don't enter Giles dream Link," she warned. "It's too dangerous. He's is very bad shape. I'm off to the sanctaury."

Link was determined to help, even if it was dangerous, and even if it defied Meia's supposed superior knowledge. He couldn't sit idly as someone suffered.

"But I have to," he replied. "If he's suffering from the nightmares, then--"

Meia merely repeated her warning.

"Don't enter his dream Link. Trust me..."

Link entered Giles house, and was greeted by Septimus, and Giles' sister, Kisha. Link's mind was racing with decisions.