Hello. One again I'd like to thank Inimitable for beta reading this.
Chapter 13
It had been at least two hours since Dark Link had ventured into the well and there had yet to be any sign of him. Phantom Ganon was growing concerned; if something happened to the shadow their plans would be hindered greatly. Even though Phantom Ganon knew he was quite powerful, he was also a realist. Link had already managed to beat him once and it was possible he could do it again. His second concern had to do with the ghost. So far he had only given half-answers for his actions and had been acting suspiciously for quite some time. After Dark Link completed his errand he and the ghost would need to have a talk.
Some time after Dark Link had ventured into the well a guard came to replace his comrade. Hopefully Dark Link would be able to get by him without detection. Phantom Ganon turned his gaze towards the windmill, watching as it slowly turned in the moonlight.
That's when he felt it. A feeling of something powerful coming, a feeling he could remember feeling whenever he was in Lord Ganondorf's presence. Something was definitely coming, and whatever it was, it was strong.
The guard strained to keep his eyes open as he leaned against his spear. In his opinion, it was way too late, or way too early, to be guarding a well.
"When I signed up with the Hylian Guard, I thought I'd be defending the princess or something important, not some dull little village well!" The guard grumbled to himself, wallowing in his self-pity. "There aren't even any cute village girls around here! Well, except for Ms. Anju, but I'm not sure I'd want to deal with that family of hers…"
His eyelids had almost closed when a rumbling noise jostled him awake. Getting himself straitened out, he made his way slowly to what he perceived to be the source of the noise: the well. As he peered down into its dark depths, he could make out a faint red glow at the bottom which seemed to be getting brighter.
"By the goddesses..."
Suddenly, the entire village of Kakariko was awakened as an explosion destroyed the well that had kept the evil at bay for so long.
"Stay Back!" Phantom Ganon yelled, backing away quickly from the window. Malon jumped further onto her bed as one of the stones that made up the well came crashing though the window, sending shards of glass flying through the air on landing on the wooden floor with a large crash.
Malon slowly climbed off the bed and walked closer to the large stone, which had caused the wooden floorboards underneath to crack a bit. Turning around she joined the phantom at the window and saw one of the most shocking things she had ever seen. Kakariko village was noticeable different from the last time she had seen it. The night sky, which she was sure was clear before, was now blocked out by clouds that seemed to bath the entire village in a strange, purple glow. Where the well once stood there was now a blackened hole and the stones that made once up the well where now scattered far and wide as if something had blown them apart. Malon prayed silently that no-one had been hurt by them. The most startling thing however stood above the wells former resting place. A large, swirling mass of purple fog floated in the air that seemed to be taking some sort of form. Malon shivered; did the air just get colder?
"Stay here. Keep the door locked." Phantom Ganon turned away from Malon and headed out the door. Malon needed no further encouragement, locking the door as soon as the phantom had left the room.
"What in Hyrule is happening out there?"
By this time most of Kakariko had gotten out of their beds to witness the display. Men, women, even children stood outside their doors staring at the strange gas hovering above the village.
In the center of the gas cloud a small red glow formed. It was very faint to begin with, almost unnoticeable, but soon enough it grew brighter. The purple gas slowly began to change, forming around the glow and taking a noticeable shape. When the glow became bright enough for all to see, that's when it happened. The gas let out a horrible shriek as something began to from within the gas, a skeleton. Bones formed and with them muscles too grew. The people watched, horrified, as the being before them writhed and moaned, the cracking of bone and the sound of flesh melding itself to a body filling the air. As soon as it had started it was over, and before the people of Kakariko Village, floating two stories up in the air, was the spirit of the well, Bongo-Bongo.
He was huge, at least as tall as the windmill and wider than a house. His disembodied hands where big enough to hold a man and looked strong enough to crush one too. Strangely enough, he looked as though he was hanging from a ceiling, but as one looked up you saw that he was attached to nothing, and his waist seemed to disappear into nothingness. The most terrifying thing however was his eye, that large, unblinking eye that glowed an unnatural red and seemed to stare into your very soul.
The entire village was quite, save for the occasional scream and the sound of the lone person running away but aside from that, no one could take their eyes off the events unfolding before them. Slowly, Bongo- Bongo raised his hands into the air, and with the collective gasp of the villagers brought them down, and a loud boom was heard, as if he had brought them down onto an invisible drum. The air was soon filled with the beats of the unearthly drum as the spirit continued to play. It was not long after the music began that the air also began to fill with screams.
"What the hell is going on out there!" Capitan Sarvon of the Kakariko Guard yelled out as struggled to put his armor on quickly. Already in his late forties, he had taken this position looking forward to a more relaxed lifestyle until he could retire. Mysterious explosions in the middle of the night were the last thing he was hoping for.
"Sir! You should come out and take a look at this!" A guard yelled from outside his room.
"I'm coming already!" He shouted back as he fitted on the last of his armor, similar in design to the normal guards wear but adorned with the Royal families symbol on the front, signifying his position. He grabbed his spear and ran out the door, joining his men outside. "Now what exactly is the situa…?" He was struck deaf at the sight of Bongo-Bongo above him, beating away on his invisible drum. This was definitely not what he had signed up for.
"Capitan look!" One of the guards directed the Capitan's view downward, and showed him something he hadn't seen in all his years of service. Redeads where clawing their way out of the ground and walking about the town, attacking the villagers around them, people where running for their lives as the undead creatures began to storm the town. It was pure chaos.
"Sir what are our orders?" The yelling of one of his men broke him out of his trance, kicking into motion years of experience."
"Our first priority is the safety of the townspeople they need to be evacuated immediately! Get as many as you can out of the village and as far away from this place as possible! Woman and children are our main focus, but try to save everyone you can! You!" He pointed to one of the guards. "Take a horse and ride to Hyrule castle at once, tell them the situation and to send reinforcements immediately! Does everyone understand?"
"Yes sir!"
"Right then, move out!"
Phantom Ganon stepped out of the inn and into the chaos outside. Around him he saw people running for their lives, guards fighting against the ever-growing undead hoards trying to protect the public, redeads pounding on the doors and windows of homes trying to get at the occupants who had locked themselves inside, but they were of no concern to him. He had something much bigger to address.
He walked through the town, passing by the redeads who paid him little attention, seeing him as just another member of the undead. As he approached Bongo-Bongo he took to the air, floating right in front if the spirits red eye. Upon seeing him, Bongo-Bongo ceased playing.
"Ah Phantom Ganon, pleasure seeing you again." He spoke. Of course how he spoke without a visible mouth was anyone's guess.
"Bongo-Bongo. Lord Ganondorf spoke of you before; I should have realized it was you behind all this."
The ghost let out a chuckle. "Now don't feel too bad, you phantoms aren't exactly known for your thinking abilities."
If Phantom Ganon felt anything from the remark, he didn't show it. "Where is Dark Link?"
"Oh him? He's dead. Poor fool couldn't recognize a trap even when it was laid out in front of him."
"You planned this from the beginning." It was not a question, the phantom spoke only fact.
"Yes, and I must say that it is so good be free from that accursed well and not having that pathetic Ganondorf holding back my power! Old fool was always afraid of me."
"Lord Ganondorf would never cower before a creature such as you." The phantom spoke with venom in his voice and his eyes glowed a brighter shade of red.
"That's where you're… oh, excuse me for a moment." Bongo-Bongo turned his attention to a horseman trying to escape through the village gates. Raising his hands again he beat a different tune on his drums, one that called forth walls of fire at the exits of Kakariko trapping everyone inside. The sounds of screaming grew. "That's better, now then back to our conversation. We shouldn't be focusing on what's been done, we should focus on what we can do! Two temple guardians together could take Hyrule by storm! Join me in my campaign to claim this land for the dead and I could make you greater than your former master!"
"You have betrayed my trust, led a comrade to his death, and worst of all you insult my Lord Ganondorf." Phantom Ganon raised his arm in to the air summoning his spear to him once again. "I cannot allow this to pass."
"Hmph. Very well then." The spirit shrugged his shoulders and raised his arms to play the drums again. It was then that Phantom Ganon noticed something odd. One of the hands was missing.
Phantom Ganon turned around just in time to see the disembodied hand as it slammed into him, sending him strait for the ground. He felt the pain of the impact shooting through his body when he landed but knew it was nothing. He was Ganondorf's phantom. He could take more than a few blows.
Before he had a chance to get back on his feet the arms of a least a dozen redeads emerged from the ground, latching on to him and holding him down. The mindless zombies clearly were not going to ignore him anymore. The redeads slowly pulled their way to the surface, keeping a firm grip against the struggling phantom. Phantom Ganon wrestled against the zombies, feeling several of them taking bites into his body. This was not how it was going to end! He refused to die this way!
"Let…Me…GO!" The phantom wrenched his right arm away from the hoard, charging a energy ball in his hand and using it to kill the redeads currently latched on to his left, disintegrating them in the blast. With his arms free he was able to beat away some of the remaining undead and take off once more into the air, breaking free from the rest of the undead hands.
Phantom Ganon hovered above the spot of the former well, eyeing Bongo-Bongo. The purple ghost had changed positions while he was down, moving towards the other side of the village. Phantom Ganon called forth his spear once again, assessing the situation as the deadly weapon appeared in his hands
He had clearly underestimated Bongo-Bongo strength. His ability to summon the undead is a powerful asset, but the guards and villagers should provide enough of a distraction for them to not be a huge concern. It would be wise for him to avoid staying on the ground for too long. That left the ghosts hands. They were fast, but he was confident he could avoid them now that he knew what they were capable of. All he had to do know was find a weak spot. The eye seemed like an obvious choice, he would have to focus his attacks on it.
It was Bongo-Bongo who made the first move. The hands shot forward, forming fists and they aimed for Phantom Ganon. Phantom Ganon flew forward, spear extended, prepared to hit his target dead on. The first fist approached him quickly but he dodged it easily. The second one was trickery, as it got closer to him it shot down under him, turning around behind him at surprising speed in an attempt to grab him. The phantom was prepared this time however, and prepared another magical attack, releasing it and hitting the hand dead on when it grew closer, leaving the hand seemingly paralyzed. Phantom Ganon now had a clear shot at the undefended eye. He picked up speed and flew at the ghost, his spear aimed directly at the glowing target. Just as his spear was about to make contact however, Bongo-Bongo completely vanished.
Phantom Ganon stopped in midair, taken completely by surprise by Bongo-Bongo's sudden disappearance. His eyes darted around, trying to find some clue as to were he would appear, but all he saw was thin air.
"Heh heh heh…what's wrong, phantom? Having a little trouble?" The mocking words of Bongo-Bongo traveled through the air, but Phantom Ganon couldn't pinpoint their location. It seemed like they were coming from all around him. "I'm much more powerful than you think I am. If I don't want you to hit me…" Phantom Ganon suddenly felt his body being crushed as the hand of Bongo-Bongo appeared behind him and grabbed him before he could react. "Then you can't hit me."
With a flick of his large hand Phantom Ganon was thrown through the air directly at the former home of Impa. Wood splintered as he crashed through the roof, hitting the floor with a sickening thud. From he place on the floor he could see Bongo-Bongo materialize above the home through the hole he had made in the ceiling. Somehow, over the screams of the townspeople, he could also hear him laughing at him.
The phantom slowly got to his feet, using his spear to help prop himself up. He could not keep this up forever, he had to think of something fast or he was done for.
A small whimpering noise caught his attention. Turning his head he saw a family huddled together in the corner. A mother holding onto her two little girls, no older than ten, all of them terrified of the skull-faced monster that had invaded their home. In front of them stood the father, holding a pitchfork in his shaking hands pointing it towards the phantom, ready to defend his family to the death.
"S-stay back!" He shouted raising the pitchfork higher. "I'm warning you!"
The phantom let out a sigh. "I don't have time for this." Turning away from the cowering family he hovered into the air and exited through the hole he had left. As he made his way back into the air a particular scream caught his attention. It was like the all the others that filled the air except this one sounded…familiar.
Malon had been watching the battle with great interest, knowing that the outcome would decide the fate of Kakariko and perhaps all of Hyrule. As much as she was angry at the phantom for kidnapping her she knew that he was perhaps the only hope this village had. Link wasn't coming to save them this time.
She watched as Phantom Ganon struggled to avoid the disembodied hands that that…creature was using. As her eyes followed the movement, her thoughts turned towards Dark Link. Where was he? Had something happened to him down in the well? She knew that she probably shouldn't worry too much, for all Malon knew he was the cause of all this.
A loud banging on the door broke her thoughts and sent her almost jumping into the air.
She looked at the door fearfully holding back a scream. Something was trying to get in.
"Hello! Is anyone in there? Answer me!" The voice of a young called from the other side followed by more banging. Malon let out a sigh of relief, it was just a man. Running over to the door Malon answered the voice.
"Yes, yes I'm in here. Who are you?"
"Oh thank the goddesses! I'm one of the town guards, we're supposed to be evacuating the town and getting everyone to safety!"
Malon thanked the goddesses for answering her prayers and unlocked the door. On the other side stood a guard, covered in nicks and cuts and wielding a spear looking back at her with a relieved expression.
"Just you then? Come on we need to be quick, there's redeads everywhere!" The guard didn't see the hands reaching out from behind him, but Malon did. Before she even had a chance to scream, the undead hands of a redead latched on to the mans armor, pulling him towards the redead as the creature sank its jaws onto his neck.
Malon let loose the scream she had been holding back before as the redead ripped out a large portion of flesh from the young man's neck, blood pouring out from the wound like a river. Through some miracle he was able to break free from the redead grip and stumble into Malon's room, closing the door before the creature was able to follow.
The guard leaned against the door and began sliding down to the floor, leaving a trail of blood against the door. He sat down in front of the door, his hand pressed up against his wound in a desperate attempt to stop the blood flow.
"I'm s-sorry miss…" he sputtered out. "I…I led them r-right to you…"
"Don't be like that. You…you were simply trying to help…" Malon walked over to his side and brought herself to look at his injury. The redead had ripped out a large chunk of his neck and there was a lot of blood. Malon had no idea if anyone could survive an injury like this. Maybe if they got a red potion in time but she didn't have anything like that. Taking off the handkerchief she always wore around her neck she tried to tie it around the guard's neck to stem the blood flow. It was in vain Malon realized as the yellow handkerchief turned red with blood.
Loud pounding on the door reminded them of the threat of the redead still outside. The guard summoned up his quickly dwindling strength to push his spear in Malon's direction.
"Take it…It won't be doing me any good now…"
"Don't talk like that. You're going to be fine." Malon said, trying to calm the fear in her voice.
The guard shook his head. "I'm done for. You need to protect yourself." He pushed the spear into Malon hands, his arms falling limp as she took it.
"But what about…" Malon voice was caught in her throat as she looked into the young mans eyes. They looked so cold and vacant. "Sir? Sir say something!" Malon beat her fist against his chest trying to get him to respond but she knew it was too late. He was dead.
Tears streamed down Malon's face as she let loose a sob. Why was this happening? She never wanted any part of this! She was just a ranch girl; she couldn't handle something like this!
The sound of splintering wood brought Malon back to reality, as she saw the door begin to form a crack. It wouldn't be much longer before it made its way in. Malon wiped the tears from her eyes. No, she wouldn't allow herself to fall apart! She would survive this!
Malon stood straight and lifted the spear, which suddenly felt very heavy, to her side. The redead's hand smashed through the door and Malon could see its face through it had made.
"Goddesses protect me."
Finally the creature burst through, stepping over the splintered wood and making its way towards her. Malon held the spear with both hands and pointed it at the creature, but it just kept shuffling towards her with horrible slow steps. Malon knew it was now or never, and silently prayed to the Goddesses once more before charging.
A million thoughts where running through her head as she moved forward. She thought of her mother and the time they had spent together before she passed on, she thought of her father and Mr. Ingo and how they had raised her, she thought of her best friend the fairy boy, she also thought of how she may never see them again.
Malon closed her eyes tight as she ran towards the redead, afraid of what might happen. Malon heard a thumping noise and the sound of flesh being pierced. A jolt ran through her arms and she knew the spear had imbedded itself in something. Slowly she opened her eyes, wondering if it would be the last thing she did.
It was a miracle.
Somehow, whether by chance or the will of the Goddesses, the spear ad gone through the creatures eye socket and pierced its brain, leaving the redead standing there twitching slightly. Malon pulled back, the spear following her, exiting the redead's head with a forceful tug. The creature fell forward, just missing Malon. She held back the urge to vomit, instead thanking the Goddesses for giving her strength.
It wasn't over for her yet though. As soon as she looked back at the door she saw four more of those things entering the room, all with the same empty look in their eyes. Malon breath stopped. This was it. She was going to die.
Before she had a chance to give up however a ball of light shot out from behind her, hitting the group of redeads disintegrating them on the spot. Malon turned around and saw Phantom Ganon floating outside the window, his hand pointing towards were the redeads once stood.
"I told you to keep the door locked." He said simply.
Malon could have yelled for joy right then and there. She never thought she would be so relieved to him again.
"You just saved my life…I…I…" Malon tried to get the words out to thank him, but something held her back. This was his fault wasn't it? He deserved nothing from her! "But…he wasn't all that bad" Malon thought, remembering their conversation from before.
"Come, it is not safe for you to stay here." Phantom Ganon reached through the window for Malon hand. Taking it he helped her step outside and, holding her with one arm, floated down to the ground. Malon looked at her new surrounding, she had thought things were bad in there, but they were magnified outside. It was a war zone, guards fighting against the undead, trying to keep the townspeople safe, people everywhere running and screaming, groups of redeads surrounding and…eating individuals, and that creature floating above it all staring down with that large red eye of his. Malon believed that if it had a mouth, it would have been smiling.
Out of the corner of her eye Malon saw them. The little boy she had asked for help from before with his mother. Both were backed up against the wall of a house and surrounded by redeads with no way out. The boy was crying as his mother held him behind her. Malon turned back towards the phantom.
"We have to help them!" She pleaded
Phantom Ganon looked down at her, answering in a genuinely confused tone.
"Why?"
"Why? What do you mean why? They're fellow Hylians we can't just leave them!"
"I must disagree. I can see nothing beneficial to be gained by helping them either now or in the future."
Malon stared at the phantom with shock on her face. He was completely serious.
"I…I can't believe this! I can't stand here and do nothing!" Malon turned away from the phantom to run but he grabbed her by the arm to stop her.
"I do not believe that is a good idea."
Malon turned around shooting an angry glare back at him.
"What the hell do you know? You're nothing but a soulless monster!"
Phantom Ganon hand loosened with that remark, enough for Malon to escape his grasp and run off but not before giving him one more angry stare. He had been told he was a soulless monster many time before and he had never minded. After all, that's what he was, but for some reason when said by her it…unnerved him.
He watched as Malon ran over to the crowd of redeads yelling at them, trying to get there attention in an attempt to lure them away from the boy and his mother. Why did she risk her life for them? It didn't make sense. Then again he was just a phantom, an imitation of a person. Perhaps this was something he couldn't understand.
He continued to watch as half of the redead turned their attention towards Malon and changed direction for her. "She's going to get herself killed!" he thought. Gripping his spear he flew towards the crowd of undead, launching a magic ball at the group to thin their ranks. Landing in the middle of them, he used his spear to cut down the whole lot of them, slicing through the dead flesh with ease. After all of tem lay dead, he looked back at Malon, who carried a surprised look on her face. He began to walk towards her when he felt something grabbing on to his leg. Ready to strike at whatever was attacking him he looked down only to find that the boy was hugging him.
"Andrew! Let go of that thing right now!" His mother practically screamed.
'But mom it's the skull mask man from before! He saved us!" The boy yelled back, not letting go to the uncomfortable Phantom Ganon who was not used to such displays of affection.
Slowly realization dawned on the woman's face and tears began to well up in her eyes. "I'm sorry I…I thought you were…"
Malon walked over to the group, getting there attention. "More of those things are coming, we need to get out of here." Sure enough, several redeads had already spotted them and were making there way towards them.
"I will get you to a safer location, hold on to me." Phantom Ganon said to Malon.
"We need to bring them too." She said back, gesturing to the mother and son.
Phantom Ganon regarded them for a moment and decided it would be the easiest way to end this discussion.
"Alright, everyone hold on." The phantom took both women in his arms and floated into the air with Andrew holding on to his leg.
During all the fighting, deep underground in the caverns that ran under Kakariko well, the body of Dark Link lay. The room it rested in was completely devoid of light, save for a pink glow coming from inside a bottle Dark Link had tied to his belt.
With a bust of energy the pink fairy inside forced the top off the bottle, flying free into the air and looking down at the dead body lying on the ground.
"Ohhh! What should I do? I'm really not supposed to use my powers on someone with such darkness in their heart...but it would be terrible if that Bongo-Bongo killed all those people…and he is kind of cute…" Coming to her decision, the fairy began to fly around Dark Link releasing its life-restoring magic upon him. A moment later air flowed back into his lungs and his heart once again began to pump his dark blood.
"Gaaa!" Dark Link sat up with a yell, his head darting from left to right trying to get a grip on things. He stopped when a little pink thing flew in front of this face. It looked like a little woman, but was glowing pink and had a pair of wings on its back. "Who the hell are you?"
The little fairy gave him a pout. "That not a very nice way to act towards the person who saved your life!"
"Save my life?"
"Yes! My name is Kara and I'm a pink fairy. You took me away from those awful bandits remember? I was with you when that horrible creature killed you and I used my magic to bring you back to life. Remember?"
Dark Link put a hand to his head as the pieces fell back into place. He remembered going into the well, getting past some traps, and then…crap.
"Where's Bongo-Bongo?" Dark Link demanded, getting back to his feet and picking up his sword.
"He headed out of the well to wreak horrible pain on the people above us. You're going to stop him right? I can't stand the thought off all this death!"
Dark Link looked towards the exit for the room. Oh he was definitely going to stop Bongo-Bongo. "You can count on it."
"Hooray! I wish you the best of luck!" The fairy cheered, blowing Dark Link a kiss.
"Uh, thanks." Dark Link turned to leave but looked back at the fairy. "You coming?"
"I'm afraid not. We pink fairies can only use life restoring magic once before we have to recharge at a fairies fountain, so I'm afraid I wouldn't be much use. Bye!" The fairy flew in an upward spiral, getting smaller before it completely vanished.
"Hmm." Dark Link turned back to the door and left the room. It was time for him a take a little revenge.
Dark Link finally climbed his way out of the blackened hole that was once the well. Pulling himself out he quickly got to his feet, taking the time to slice the head off a redead that happened to be nearby.
Looking around he could tell that Bongo-Bongo had really been getting to work. It looked like most of the town have sealed themselves up in their home while the rest where left to fend for themselves outside. Above it all he could see Bongo-Bongo floating, causing him to grip his sword tighter. That bastard was going to pay.
Looking down at his left he saw an old man lying on his back, his face white as a sheet.
"That thing was going to kill me…" The old man said; referring to the redead Dark Link had just killed.
Dark Link just ignored the man and ran off towards his prey.
Phantom Ganon, Malon, Andrew and his Mother all floated above the ground, making their way over the redeads and eventually crossing over the wall of fire blocking the exit. Landing softly on the ground he let everyone off, except the mother who seemed to be unconscious.
"I think she fainted." Malon said.
"Mom?"
"Don't worry, she's going to be fine." Malon said reassuringly, patting the boy on the head. Looking back up at the phantom she asked "So what now?"
"I'm going to kill Bongo-Bongo. He is too much of a threat to my plans and makes a mockery of all Lord Ganondorf wanted to achieve."
Malon felt like saying something but decided against it, at least he was going to try and stop that thing. "Good luck."
Phantom Ganon simply nodded and took once more into the air. It was time to put an end to this. Flying towards Bongo-Bongo he noticed something odd. Behind Bongo-Bongo, making his way towards the red building with the blue roof was someone who looked very much like Dark Link.
Dark Link was angry. Very angry.
Bongo-Bongo had used him, something that Dark Link swore he would never let anyone do again, not after what Ganondorf did to him.
Dark Link looked up at Bongo-Bongo. Luckily the ghost hadn't noticed him yet and was still facing the other way. Shifting into his shadow form, Dark Link traveled up the wall of the tallest building of Kakariko and solidifying on the roof, leaving him just about eye level with his target.
Dark Link gripped his sword. So Bongo-Bongo thought he was just stepping stone? A pawn to use in his little game? Well, we'll see what he thinks after he was through with him. "Hey Bongo-Bongo!"
The purple ghost turned around at the sound of his name, and was greeted by the sight of Dark Link jumping off the roofing and slashing his eye with his sword.
"Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Bongo-Bongo let out a terrible screech clutching at his eye with both hands, his body twisted and writhed in the air in agony. Dark Link rolled on the ground, feeling a sense of satisfaction he hadn't felt since…ever.
Bongo-Bongo moved his hands away slowly. The wound had closed up but his eye seemed to glow noticeable dimmer than it had a few seconds ago. "You… You're alive?"
"Yeah, did you miss me?"
The ghost let out an angry roar and sent both his hands slamming to the ground in an attempt to crush Dark Link, but he avoided him by shifting to his shadow-form and escaping somewhere in the dark. Bongo-Bongo continued to slam his fists into the ground in frustration and anger even when he realized he was gone.
Dark Link took solid form behind a nearby building, out of the ghost's line of sight. A moment after he appeared there a familiar voice greeted him.
"Where have you been?" Phantom Ganon asked, floating down next to Dark Link.
"Dead. How have things been up here?"
"Not good. I had been unable to pierce Bongo-Bongo's defenses and I was also…distracted by some things."
"And Mal-the ranch girl?"
"She is safe."
Dark Link let out a sigh of relief, although he would never admit to it.
Above them, Bongo-Bongo was fuming. "You think you can beat me? Two poor imitations? I'll show you who's in charge here!" Bongo-Bongo began to beat a wild tune on his drums, and soon every redead in the village stopped whatever it was doing as they got new orders.
"We should probably get moving. It would seem we have a new problem to deal with" Phantom Ganon pointed out, noticing that every redead in the area seemed to be converging on their location. Dark Link let out a few colorful swear words and took off in shadow form once again while Phantom Ganon took to the air.
As soon as Dark Link changed back on one of Kakariko's roof tops he found himself having to dodge the hand of Bongo-Bongo once again. He jumped out of the way just as the hand came smashing down, leaving a large hole in the roof.
"You can't avoid me forever!" Bongo-Bongo screamed as he once again tried to crush Dark Link as he jumped off the rooftop and back to the ground. The angry ghost kept smashing away at the ground, until a burst of light and searing pain caused him to stop clutch at his eye once again. Moving his hand away he saw Phantom Ganon floating a little ways away from him, already charging up another energy ball.
Capitan Sarvon was having his own problems at the moment. His men couldn't keep up the fight forever, and those damned monsters just kept coming. A while ago he had been informed that a wall of fire blocked the exits of Kakariko Village, leaving them trapped with little hope of escape.
It had taken some effort but by some miracle they were able to keep the creatures at bay long enough for most of the civilians to board themselves up in their homes. All that they could do now is keep fighting until held arrived.
"Sir, what do you make of them?" A guard asked him referring to the two people who seemed to be fighting against the creature above them.
"I don't know who they are but if they stand any chance against that thing then I say they have my blessing!" The Capitan replied as he drove his weapon through another redead. "We'll let them take care of that thing, lets focus our attentions on what down here!"
The guard nodded and went back to fighting. Looking up, Capitan Sarvon regarded the two people waging war on that purple monster.
"Thank the Goddesses their on our side."
Dark Link swore, that damn ghost had disappeared on him! Completely vanished! Slicing his way through redeads, Dark Link tried to find some clue as to where the creature had gone.
"Keep your eyes open shadow! He can appear at any moment!" Phantom Ganon shouted out. Then, as if to back up his claim, the hand of Bongo-Bongo reappeared behind him and grabbed him once again, trapping the phantom in is clutches.
"Shit!" Dark Link realized he was at a huge disadvantage right now as his head darted left and right, trying to avoid the same fate as the phantom. As much as he would have liked to take shadow form right now, he knew it would be a bad idea. He had already used it several times in a row, and using it over and over could really drain his strength. He already felt a little tired from using it so much.
That's when he felt it, something behind it. Before he could jump out of the way the hand of Bongo-Bongo clasped around him, trapping him in his clutches and raising him into the air. Dark Link struggled to no avail, his right arm which held his sword was trapped. He could move hi left a little bit but…wait, what was he feeling attached to his belt?
Bongo–Bongo entire form reappeared above Kakariko once more. Slowly Dark Link was brought up until he was at right in front of Bongo-Bongo's eye. The glowing monstrosity was not looking well, purple ooze seemed to be leaking out from various wounds on its surface and Dark Link figured it wasn't made to take much damage.
"I have to admit, you're more resourceful than I had anticipated." The ghost said, his red eye entirely focused on Dark Link. "But really, what exactly where you hoping to accomplish?
"If I can just get my left arm free…" Dark Link thought to himself, still struggling against the large hands grip.
"You're nothing but a two-bit copy of the Hero of Time! Did you really think you had a chance?" The look of rage that crossed Dark Links face at that moment would have caused a lesser man to back off, but all it seemed to do to Bongo-Bongo was amuse him. "You don't even have the lens of truth! All you have is that sword of yours and that sour disposition. Just what do you think you can accomplish?"
Dark Link said nothing, instead answering him by getting his left arm free and revealing the very device Bongo-Bongo had given him: the hookshot. Before Bongo-Bongo realized what just happened, the shadow aimed and fired directly at the center of his large eye. The hookshot chain shot forward and imbedded itself deep within the ghost, sending a wave of agony through him.
Bongo-Bongo screamed in torment, grip on Dark Link loosening enough to allow the hookshot to retract and pull Dark Link towards the ghost's eye. Wasting no time, Dark Link drove his sword all the way to the hilt into the red mass, gaining another cry of agony from Bongo-Bongo, but Dark Link wasn't done there. Letting go of the hookshot he formed a fist and drove his left hand into the eye, ripping out a chunk of flesh causing red and purple liquid to pour from the wound.
Bongo-Bongo writhed in agony, his hands twisting and contorting in the air. The eye began to twitch widely, and Dark Link decided it would be a good idea to make his escape. Using his foot for leverage he pulled his sword out of the ghost and jumped back, leaving the hookshot still embedded in the creature. It was only when Dark Link began falling that he realized he might have made a slight error, remembering that he was several stories up. Looking at the ground coming up quickly, he wondered if he had made a mistake.
"Oh well." He thought, listening to Bongo-Bongo's screams of agony. "At least that bastards not laughing anymore."
Dark Link came to a sudden stop, but it wasn't because of the ground. Looking up he saw that he was now in the arms of Phantom Ganon, who had caught him in mid-air.
"How are you?" The phantom asked.
"Fine, now put me down before anyone sees us."
The screams of Bongo-Bongo could be heard by the entire village, prompting some residents to open their doors a crack or so to see what had happened. Those that did would have seen a strange sight. Bongo-Bongo was flailing widely in the air, bits and pieces of his flesh was dropping off him and bursting into flames, disintegrating before they the ground. All of the sudden the screaming stopped, and Bongo-Bongo remained perfectly still in the air. In a flash, his entire body was encased in blue fire, and the evil spirit from beneath the well evaporated into the sky.
What happened next would be described as miraculous by the villager. The purple clouds disappeared along with their master, revealing the night sky with just a little bit of red, signifying the rising of the sun behind Death Mountain. As soon as the sunrise hit the reads, all the evil creatures burst into flame themselves, leaving nothing more than piles of ash that blew away in the wind. Kakariko Village was safe once more.
Phantom Ganon touched down at the entrance of the village, letting down Dark Link as he did so. They were greeted by the sight of Malon standing over the just now awakening mother, and little Andrew jumping for joy.
"Mom look! He did it! He killed the monster!" The little boy shouted.
"Who's the kid?" Dark Link asked.
"It…is a long story." The phantom replied, getting a strange look from the shadow.
Malon slowly walked over to the two, a look of joy on her face. "You did it, you saved everyone." Her facial expression changed from joy to surprise when she saw Dark Link However. "You…I …I thought you where dead."
"I'm still here. You're not that lucky." The shadow said back reminding Malon that even after all that had happened she was still their hostage. However the sadness she felt from this was outweighed by the joy she felt for just being alive, if only by a little bit.
The company made their way back in to Kakariko Village. Around them the townspeople were just starting come out of their homes, most of them falling to their knees and thanking the Goddesses for letting them live to see another sunrise.
As the got closer to the center of the town Dark Link spotted something lying on the ground. Approaching it he saw it was the hookshot, somehow it had survived the ordeal, although it did look a little singed. Dark Link bent down to pick it up, figuring it would be a good idea to hang to the device.
"You think you've won shadow?" A voice from above him sent Dark Link jumping back to his feet, sword drawn. He had expected to see Bongo-Bongo floating above him once more, but instead saw something that could best be described as pathetic. Before him floated a small purple flame with a one-eyed face on it, looking very angrily at him.
"I've already died once at the hands of the real Hero! What make you think I won't be back? You can never win against me you pathetic imitation!"
"You really talk too much." Dark Link sheathed his sword once again and pulled out his empty bottle. With fast reflexes he caught the flame inside and sealed it with a cork.
"Hey what a minute! What's going on?" The ghost shouted from his prison.
Dark Link looked over to Phantom Ganon and handed him the bottle. "Think you could take care of this?"
Phantom Ganon took the bottle from the shadow and put it between his hands charging both with dark magic as he did so.
"No! Wait, WAIT!" The ghost was silenced as Dark Link brought both hands together, crushing the bottle and creating a small explosion of magical energies. Bongo-Bongo was no more.
A small smirk grew on Dark Links face. "Nice to see things going in out favor for once.'
"Hold it right there!"
Turing around the group saw Capitan Sarvon standing there with a group of guards accompanying him. Things were not over yet.
Heh, I bet most of you forgot about that pink fairy Dark Link grabbed before didn't you? Pay attention, there will be a quiz later.
Now that I have my own story on I now understand why so many authors are desperate for reviews. Please take the time to leave one!