Okay, today's orientation… Whoo hoo. Let's reply to our reviews, shall we?
Dragon-Charmer16: Yup, forced to kill your best friend and witness the death of your own mother… Harsh, eh? Hieke's certainly a character, so I of course needed to make her 'demons' at least relatively funny. I'll update the pictures as soon as I can… And hey, that sig isn't bad at all! Big. But who am I to talk? My signature is pretty large as well!
Numdenu: (The Legend of Advertisement!) XD I'll have to put that in there!
JMG: There will probably be around twenty or twenty-one chapters total.
Blondie91: For every chapter you read, I post two more. You'll never catch up! MUAHAHAHAHAHA! Well… Actually, you probably will. Well, if you're reading this now, you probably have! Man… So much for colorful intimidation…
Blondie91: AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH! SCHOOL! -cowers-
Harrypotterfan: (The Legend of Advertisement!) Yes, Geico… I'm having fun with that fanfiction!
CheeseFromJupiter: Needed some humor, so I flogged a mouse! XP Morbid humor is the best kind, eh? Remember Lawrence? Mweeheehee…
Mxedcherub: Oh, Kuro will only get stranger this chapter… OH! I had just had the best idea! I'm going to continue writing humor chapters for this even after the story itself has ended, like one-shots. One will be Kuro's psychiatric therapy! YES! And we all hate school, my friend. Hate it with a passion… When'd you get online? O.o
Okay, if you thought last chapter was long… you were right. But this one is long too! LET'S GO!
Chapter 18: Confrontation
They stood before the heavy oak doors, just preparing themselves mentally at the time being. This battle could not be lost, under any conditions. Hieke looked at her companions somewhat remorsefully. She touched Link's arm and there was a momentary flash. Link stared at Hieke, his eyes asking what happened. He hadn't noticed how the ink seal faded from Hieke's wrist. "You might need this," the Spirit smiled as she handed her friend the Staff of Dreams.
"Whoa, whoa, hey!" Kaze objected. "I want to hold the Staff!" Hieke giggled and ran ahead a few steps. "No time for that!" she called. "Hurry up! We have to save Zelda and Malon and James!"
"And Navi!" Link added as he raced to catch up with his friend. "Get real, Link," Kaze sighed. "No one likes Navi! Well, there are a few. But more think she's a pest. I know you hate her! You don't have to lie!" he laughed, following his friends.
In moments they stood before the large, jewel-encrusted door that was the entrance to Kuro's lair. "Here we go," Link breathed, the Staff of Dreams clasped firmly in his hands. They pushed the heavy doors open and entered the candle-lit room.
"Hello there," said a calm voice. Kuro jumped down from a podium and stood before them, his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. His kind eyes were now cold and harsh. The moment when he held the Staff, all sorts of evil thoughts filled his head, Link thought. His soul is no longer pure. Now he's truly our enemy.
"Well, well, well… No hellos? I've been waiting for you to arrive," the villain said, tapping his foot impatiently against the stone floor. The echoes reverberated throughout the room. Hieke clenched her hands into fists, and Kaze drew his sword. "You will never win," Link scowled, advancing a short distance away from his friends. Kuro scoffed and took a few steps back. He raised his hand with a malicious grin and there was a bright burst of light. Link turned around and gasped.
His friends… both of them were encased in black crystal. Malon, Zelda, James, and Navi appeared beside them in dark mist. Everyone had an expression of dismay on their motionless faces. They were imprisoned, unable to as much as twitch a finger.
Kuro vanished and reappeared behind James. "James… the fighter. The sidekick. The naïve innocent… Oh well," he chuckled. He brought his fist down and shattered James into shards of crystal. Link cried out and lunged. "Don't touch them!" he warned, taking his sword in hand. Kuro deflected the attack and bound Link with powerful magic.
"Sit there quietly and watch as I destroy everything that you hold dear," he grinned as he moved on to Navi. "Navi, the resourceful fairy. Giver of information. Strategist. Pity." Kuro's fist smashed through the crystal and Navi was dead.
"Malon, a faithful friend. The believer. The dreamer. What a shame." Debris of Malon littered the ground.
"Zelda… the watchful ruler. She valued you highly, Link. Now she'll never have her chance." In an instant, Queen Zelda was no more.
"Kaze, the Gerudo warrior. Loyal to the end. Who would've thought the end would be so soon?" The life of a brave swordsman was silenced.
Link wanted to close his eyes, to look away, but so strong was his bondage that he couldn't even shed tears for his friends. Every muscle of his body ached. Every fiber of his being cried. And when Kuro stood beside Hieke, circling her, his heart screamed in a way his voice never could.
"And it comes down to little Hieke," Kuro grinned. Link fought against the magic holding him until he thought he would pass out. However, Kuro's magic was so strong that even his mind was held alert.
"She really cared about you, Link. Might even go as far as to say she loved you. But none of that matters now, does it? After all, what is love when the lover is deceased?" The fist crashed through the crystal containing Hieke and the beautiful girl literally fell to pieces. Link made no move or sound, for his binds were still in place. His body almost seemed to tremble with the guilt, sadness, and anger trapped within him.
Now Kuro appeared behind Link. "You see? I don't care how many hordes of monsters you've fought off. I don't care how many villains you've trumped. Your power is as nothing before mine. You are weak," he sneered, then he disappeared into the shadows.
Link struggled with all his might against the magic until finally it faltered. In blind rage he raced to the crystal fragments strewn across the floor. "James, Navi, Malon, Zelda, Kaze… Hieke," he sobbed. They were all dead. The blood-stained shards were all that was left of his friends. Thanks to Kuro and his crew, Link was the last person alive in all of Hyrule. There were no others…
The young hero leaped up from the floor and whipped out the Staff of Dreams. It was time to end this. Once and for all.
"You broke my magic bonds? Pathetic," Kuro's voice taunted from ahead. Link held the Staff of Dreams firmly in front of him and stiffly advanced down the long path from which his enemy's voice had sounded. "Oh, you challenge me with that stick? I've already absorbed all the power from it," the villain explained. Finally Link's vision broke through the veil of shadows and his gaze fell upon Kuro. Enraged by the site of this foul man, he broke into a full run as Kuro drifted ever out of reach.
Images of his friends flashed through his mind, memories… When Saria was revealed as the Forest Sage, when Ruto gave him the Spiritual Stone of Water, when Darunia handed him the Goron Bracelet, when Sheik taught him countless melodies, when Zelda sent him back to his own time, when James surprised him from behind the tree, when Hieke finally returned, when she was back to herself… The sweet memories flowed through him like a potion, amplifying his anger. Link charged ever forward.
"Link! I've told you once before, you are nothing! Now die!" Kuro laughed as a miasma of black poison descended on Link. Monsters emerged from the fog, growling. Link covered his face and swatted the beasts away before they got in range to attack. The ground trembled and shifted like an earthquake and the corridor began to collapse. But there was a light ahead. Kuro, seated upon an ebony throne and resting his head casually upon his hand, appeared from that light.
Hieke's presence echoed throughout Link's body. He remembered the flash of light when she touched him and knew what had been done. He stopped in front of Kuro, thrust the Staff of Dreams above his head, and concentrated on the power within him. Silvery-green wings appeared on his back and his eyes glowed with silver light.
"Wh-what are you doing?" Kuro demanded as he jumped up from his throne. "You are not allowed to use the power of that girl! I will not allow this! I will not allow it!" Link gathered all his strength into the staff and swiped at Kuro in one attack. A glowing wound was slashed into the man's torso. He cried out in pain and stumbled backwards into the darkness. Link knew he had won. But at what price…?
"Y-you have not yet defeated me," said a deep, ghastly voice from the darkness. Link gasped and moved into a fighting position. The ground quaked with the footfalls of the approaching monstrosity. It was twelve times as large as Ganon's final form and much more hideous. The head looked like a gargoyle of some kind and had three bulging eyes. The body was a mass of billowing flesh, sickly gray, with bits and pieces of other monsters sewn into the mix. What looked like the bone frame of wings emerged from his back, only making him all the more grotesque. Two massive arms, spiked along the side, grasped a pair of serrated blades that were twice the length of Ganon's. This… was not going to be an easy battle.
Link held his ground, his hands gripped firmly around the Staff of Dreams. Kuro swung his blades wildly and roared. Link dodged as best he could, a feat made easier by his wings. He attacked with his Staff, but it was repelled by the rubbery flesh of his foe. An octorok, morbidly connected near the base, spat a series of stones at Link. The Staff of Dreams was knocked from his hand.
"Useless," Kuro chuckled. He roared again and slashed at Link. The boy was hurled backwards by the force of the blow and collided with the walls. He stood weakly, blood pooling beneath him. He picked up the Staff and looked up at his enemy, his knees ready to give in.
"Link!"
He looked around, startled. It had sounded like Hieke's voice… He clenched his teeth when he remembered the reality of the situation: Hieke was dead. This time, she was not coming back. The Staff glowed brightly in Link's hands and he stared at it in astonishment. A magnificent power welled within him, growing unbearably strong. With a shout he released everything, and then the room went black. The battle at hand faded away, leaving nothing but stark emptiness.
"Link… I'm proud of you."
The young hero looked up and saw the face of his mother. She was smiling at him, then her image was replaced by Zelda's.
"Link, you are strong. Fight on."
The image shifted countless times, each time revealing a different person he had at one time or another been in contact with. They each gave him words of encouragement or advice. Finally he stood before Hieke.
"You wield the Staff well for a newbie," she grinned. Link made no move. Everything he was seeing was false, and he knew it. "Aw, come on!" Hieke pouted. "Listen to me! You think you're seeing things, but… Well, actually, you are seeing things. But that's beside the point! The things you are seeing are true. Now listen."
Link reached a hand forward and took his friends. He ran his fingers over the contours of her hand, then met her gaze. "Where are you?" he asked desperately. Hieke smiled warmly and leaned forward, giving Link a quick kiss. She drew back, her face slightly flushed, but the gentle smile still in place.
"Listen well, Link. I've given you my power," she explained. "Right now you are the Spirit of the Celestials. With the strength I've given you and the Staff of Dreams, you have the power to bring us back. Since you're not experienced, you'll only be able to bring back two of us. Do me a favor and don't try any more than two. You could die."
This visions were dissolved by a piercing light. Link realized he was being attacked by a Beamos and leaped out of the way. He turned on his heel and faced Kuro, the Staff still in hand. He closed his eyes and focused on the words Hieke said. He tightened his grip on his weapon and opened his silvery-blue eyes. There was a sustained flash of light, a crash of thunder. Kuro looked around furiously as he growled. Surely it was some trick. Surely such power wasn't radiating from this meek little boy!
But it was. Two piles of crystal shards began to glow brightly, more brightly than the haze of light surrounding them. Two translucent figures appeared above the debris, then they solidified. Kaze and Hieke nearly choked on their first living breaths of air. They looked around in surprise, then remembered what was happening and ran forward quickly. They soon joined Link.
The hero laughed to see his friends again, tears stinging at his eyes. He tossed the Staff of Dreams to Hieke. When she caught it, his silver-green wings faded and her golden ones formed. She reclaimed her rightful place as Guardian Spirit of the Celestials. She turned to Kuro with a harsh glare.
"It seems you've underestimated us!" she laughed, holding the Staff in an offensive position. Kaze twirled his sword on his fingers and pointed it at the monster. "You're going down," he smirked. Link drew his golden-bladed sword and readied his shield.
"Kuro, you've brought us enough strife as it is. You've taken our friends and family. You've destroyed our hearts and uprooted out confidence. Now it's your turn. Prepare to die!" The three launched their assault with a strength and courage previously unimaginable. There was no way they were going to lose this!
Today I decided to write the ending note in bold print because I'm tired of making my crappy division bars! And I just recently noticed that my scene dividers don't work! I had no idea! Turns out all of my scene dividers are missing! So, at any point where you encountered a strange transition with no dividers, they were there at one point, but not anymore. Next chapter: The final battle! And after that is where the humor starts! Okay, review now? Please? Tankoo!
