REPLIES! The best part of waking up is reviews in your mailbox!
Dragon-Charmer16: I finished with fourteen right on time, but I haven't even started Chapter 15, not even the chapter title! Luckily, I know exactly what's going to happen. (sigh) I knew I should have been writing the next chapter instead of writing the final battle… But I will continue to meet my deadlines, no matter how pressing they become!
Harrypotterfan: (The Legend of Advertisement) Heh, you don't wanna know… A combination of sugar high and sleep deprivation: the fatal combo. BEWARE!
Blondie91: (For the Sake of the World) Well, jeez… I'm glad people like it, even more glad that people are reviewing it! Read it whenever you have the chance; no pressure is my policy! Actually I have several policies, but we won't go into that now…
JMG: Yes, there are many color pictures on the way. I've got one that was done in tablet and I have the downloads section coming soon. And rant is when you go on and on about nothing in particular.
MOMO1: (A Doll Upon Evil's Shelf) "Go to the Gerudo Fortress and convince all the girls that Tingle is one hot, sexy testosterone driven hunk of burning love! Kooloo Limpah!" Like that, you mean? Yeah, Tingle sure is a character… A weeeeeiiiiiirrrrrd character. Nintendo says this about Tingle: "See kids? This is why you don't do drugs!" By the way, I have got to get around to reading your Tales of Symphonia stories. If any of them are half as good as "Mushroom Quest" they're certainly worth my time!
Whoo hoo for reviews! Didn't even ask for my five but I got five nonetheless! Your reward? The next chapter! WHEEEE!
Chapter 14: Devastation
The journey back to the castle was a great deal more cheerful with Hieke back to her old self. They stopped in the Sacred Ground where they found Zelda, Malon, and Navi waiting for them. Hieke paused when she saw Zelda, remembering her last experience with the girl in which she tried to gnaw Hieke's hand off. Link pushed her forward, so she obliged.
"Hello, all!" Hieke laughed, thrusting her arms into the air. Malon raised an eyebrow. "Well, aren't you energetic?" she noticed, taking a few steps back. Hieke giggled, then her eyes fell upon Navi. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed, leaping for the little fairy. "So cute!" She chased Link's fairy companion around the Sacred Ground a dozen times or so.
"Did Hieke get stupider?" Kaze whispered warily to Link. The hero chuckled nervously and grabbed his running friend's hand. "Calm down, Hieke," he smiled. The girl grinned happily and stood beside Link as he spoke to Zelda.
"It seems you've retrieved Hieke's soul," Zelda commented. She smiled at the Spirit, but the twitch in her left eye was unmistakable. Hieke giggled to herself and hugged Link's arm, just out of spite. Zelda cleared her throat and turned around. "Well, what do we do now, Link?" she asked.
Link turned to Hieke, who thought for a moment. "We oughta kill Lilith next!" she smiled. "Do you know where she is?"
Malon whimpered slightly, remembering how Lilith said she was taking her Grand Moblins to Lon Lon Ranch so they could eat the cows, cuccos, and her father. Link remembered this as well. "Let's go to the ranch," he said, turning to his redheaded friend. "Do you want to come? It is your home," he offered. Malon nodded vigorously.
So all but Zelda headed off towards the ranch. When they reached their destination, Malon stared in shock at the scene before her. Not a living creature remained. The houses were demolished. The ground was upturned. Fires still burned every here and there. Malon sobbed into her hands and fell to her knees. James patted her shoulder and whispered comforting words to her. Hieke looked around with grim eyes.
"It'll take them forever to repair all this," she observed. "Repairs!" Malon shrieked. "My father is dead! Mr. Ingo is dead! The animals are all dead! How can you even think about repairs?"
Hieke shook her head. "No, see, I hung out with Wythe for quite a while. The Staff of Dreams can resurrect the dead if handled by someone with great power. With my Celestial power, I'll bring back everyone killed by this ordeal," she promised. "Does that mean you can bring Saria back?" Link asked hopefully. Hieke nodded, smiling.
"Look at this," James said, picking up a slip of paper from the rubble of the farmhouse. "Death Mountain is next," he read. Link took the note from his friend's hand and studied it. "Malon, why don't you stay here and see if you can't find any of the other animals?" he suggested. The girl nodded, biting her lip. "If Malon's staying, I'm staying too," James announced, his hand on Malon's shoulder.
"So be it," Link muttered as he turned and headed for Death Mountain. Hieke hurried ahead of him. "Wait, Link!" she beckoned, spreading her arms and refusing him further passage. "She's probably already been to the mountain. Let's check Zora Domain instead." Kaze nodded in agreement. "There's no telling how long ago Lilith was here. It looks like she's covering her bases. Forest, field, mountain… Zora Domain is definitely next!" he added.
So they instead headed for the majestic Zora Domain in hopes to head off Lilith. "Stop!" Hieke commanded as they neared the entrance. "Don't you feel it? Something's in the air. It gives me the creeps. Let's be careful…"
As they crept along the riverbanks, they heard thunderous footsteps approaching. "Come on, you slugs!" a familiarly cold voice demanded harshly. "We don't have all day! There's no telling when those brats will show up! And Drakar has fallen… That means the little tramp has her soul back! She'll decimate us if we run into her!"
Hieke huffed and crossed her arms, revealing her golden-feathered wings. "Let's just see who's no more than a little tramp," she muttered, stepping out into the path. The four Grand Moblins, headed by Lilith, appeared from around the bend. The black-haired woman gaped, then a smug grin crossed her face. "Speak of the devil," she said casually, tossing her hair and glaring at Hieke.
"Long time no see, Miss Lilith," the Spirit said, her arms still folded before her. "How do you like my Grand Moblins?" the beast-maker asked as she gestured to her growling creations. "Petty," Hieke spat. She tore the pendant from her neck and clasped it in her hands, then tossed it into the air.
"By the moon and stars, give new form to this item!" she called. A soft glow enveloped the Moon Pendant and it became her favorite weapon, the sword she used on several occasions such as the time she fought the Poes in the Forest Temple. "Hello, old friend," she said to the glistening blade. Her eyes returned to Lilith. "Hey boys, you gonna give me a hand here or leave a little girl to decide her own fate?" she called over her shoulder. Kaze and Link came out of the bushes they had been hidden behind and drew their weapons.
"Juvenile," Lilith shrugged, rolling her eyes. "Grand Moblins, take out the girl first. She's our greatest threat." Hieke planted her feet firmly on the ground, resolution glowing in her eyes. The Grand Moblins raised and lowered their spears, ready to attack. Lilith leaped up to a nearby cliff and her creations charged, poisoned lances aimed for Hieke's heart.
Link brought his sword down on one of the spears, snapping it in two. Hieke easily dodged the remaining attacks. "You're weak!" Lilith laughed from her porch. "If that's all you've got, Lord Kuro will defeat you in an instant. Heh, pathetic!" Her banter was cut short as Kaze slashed at her. "Who's pathetic now, woman?" he spat, readying himself for another attack.
Hieke ensnared two Grand Moblins in a net of Celestial magic. Link disarmed one of the others and danced around the spear of the one left. I've never felt this strong before, he mused as he nimbly evaded thrust after lethal thrust of the Moblin's spear. It has to be Hieke's power strengthening me! The only other time I've felt such a strong sense of determination was when I was fighting alongside Hieke to seal Ganondorf away.
"Link, snap out of it!" Hieke called as she felled a Grand Moblin. Navi, who had been hiding inside Link's hat as usual, came out to aide in the fight. "Link! Target its big toe!" she urged. Link stopped and stared skeptically at the fairy. "What kind of weak spot is that?" he inquired.
"It's like stubbing your toe!" Hieke giggled, shooting a quick blast at the other trapped Moblin's foot. The beast roared in agony and fell backwards, rolling back and forth and holding its injured toe. The bellows almost sounded like it was crying, "Mommy! Mommy!" Link chuckled, shaking his head, and stabbed his sword through the toe of his enemy. This Moblin behaved in a manner similar to that the other one.
With the Grand Moblins incapacitated, Link and Hieke turned their attention to Lilith. The black-haired woman was matching Kaze's moves easily. "She's fast, guys!" the thief warned, taking on the defensive as Lilith began a barrage of relentless attacks with a bladed staff. She swept the weapon at his feet and succeeded in knocking him from the cliff. "Who's next?" the woman asked with a sweet grin.
Hieke gracefully bounded up to take Kaze's place. "Will I suffice?" she inquired dryly. Lilith smiled and began attacking with the same methods she used on Kaze.
"Ooh, cat fight," Link winced.
"Heh, looks like it," Kaze smirked as he took out a package of popcorn. A few moments passed of the thief chewing popcorn loudly.
"Are you going to share that?" Link asked in irritation.
Lilith sliced a clean wound across one of Hieke's wings. The Spirit descended immediately with a smile on her lips. "Looks like I'm—"
"Say it and I'll kill you!" Kaze threatened, throwing his popcorn to the ground much to Link's discontent. Hieke rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh and pulled out her Gerudo broadsword. "I prefer the blade to magic anyway," she giggled. Lilith grinned smugly and began slashing and thrusting with her bladed staff again. Hieke danced from side to side, dodging every blow. Soon she tripped on her feet.
"There!" Lilith laughed triumphantly as she seized Hieke by her hair. The girl winced slightly. Link and Kaze moved to help her, but she protested.
"That's what she wants," she explained as she positioned her blade above her head. "I can handle myself!" The blade came down, leaving Lilith with no more than a fistful of blonde hair. Hieke skipped backwards, her golden hair shoulder-length.
"I'm not letting you get away with that," she said menacingly. "It took years to grow out that long. A head for a hair sounds like a fair trade, yes?"
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Hieke got a haircut! X3 I guess that means I need to draw a picture of Hieke with her short hair. This time I'm going for tablet! And that means color! Then I need to write Chapter 15… I have deadlines to keep up with. See guys? This is why you don't set deadlines for yourself. You get all fluster-fied and whatnot. Well, I'm sure the next chapter will be finished sooner if I get a little encouragement. (wink, wink)
