Chapter 21
Final Battle: Lights, Camera, Action!

Now that was a sure sign a battle was coming their way…Link knew this and dropped into his favored battle stance. He would show this thing killing him was not going to happen.

Considering the fact that he was faced by a giant reptile armed with razor sharp teeth and claws, things weren't going to be as easy as Link wanted them to be. In fact, things were going to be far from that.

Anguis charged towards him. This was an action slightly unexpected for Link…normally he was the one doing the charging. Despite this, Link twisted aside just as the powerful claws would have ripped him to mere shreds. Even though he had escaped the full brunt of the attack, Anguis' claws had still managed to clip the side of Link's arm.

Link ignored this minor inconvenience and lashed out at Anguis' back, taking advantage of the fact that he hadn't been able to come to a complete stop yet and that was the most available target.

There was a low growl of anger emitted by Anguis upon Link's sword piercing through the tough scales and into soft flesh. Anguis suddenly built up the traction to stop and turned on him in an instant burst of speed. Much to Link's horror, he soon found Anguis' teeth buried into his shoulder. For one brief second, Link's mind was at a stand-still…he couldn't attempt to jerk free or else it was bye-bye shoulder. That's when he did the only thing he could do really…

With his free arm, he raised his sword up and repeatedly began jabbing it into Anguis, over and over again in a mad frenzy as he recklessly tried to get his shoulder free. Anguis' blood spurted forth all over the place, even on Link…but Anguis had his grip and refused to let go.

Pain was lacing its way through him as Link was helpless to get away from the powerful jaws that held him captive, it didn't help when Anguis, with Link's shoulder still in his mouth, began to try and pull away. Link's own blood mingled with that of Anguis'.

"Blind him!" Vera's voice came in screeching amidst this pandemonium, high pitched with panic.

Link found himself absent-mindedly taking her advice, almost as if it were only second-nature to him. Raising his sword once again, he brought it crashing down straight into the eye of Anguis that was closest to him. Giving vent to a might roar, Anguis' jaw released its death grip on Link, leaving him gasping for breath from the pain and relief that quickly ensued from this.

Covering up his damaged eye, Anguis made an angry rush at Link, declining to allow him the smallest amount of rest after such an atrocious act. Link gave a small grunt of effort as he dodged this sudden attack and avoided even more severe damage.

Link then swung his sword up to take out Anguis' other eye...Anguis however, was not ready to completely part with his vision and caught Link's sword in his clawed 'hand' and tried to pull it away. Sure the sword cut into its flesh, but the coward wanted to fight Link without such a lethal weapon that a sword was. There was a problem with Anguis' plan however…Link wasn't about to lose his sword to the enemy.

Link grimly clung to the hilt, placing both hands there and tugging back, tug of war was much easier when you weren't the one holding the sharp side. Link was able to jerk his sword free and Anguis staggered back from this, blood dripping from his new wounds.

Link chanced a glance at the high-flying Vera, she looked as if she were about to say something, but Link acted before she did. He would show her he was capable of coming up with his own strategies…

First he threw down the long unused Nayru's Love. He hadn't used it before because it took up a considerate amount of magic power…and energy. Link felt much more tired as the blue crystal surrounded him in a protective shield. Nevertheless, he lunged at Anguis while placing his sword on the ground…this next tactic didn't require a sword.

Anguis was frozen there with an odd look across his eyes as he was befuddled by the blue crystal around Link and the fact that he had…set his sword down. There was a strange sound when Link delivered a fist to Anguis' reachable stomach. Link then pushed up off the ground and delivered a hard punch to Anguis' chest…there was a thunderous snap as Link felt the sternum break under the pressure of his fist and the Power Gauntlets.

Link was returned to the ground, but Anguis was angry, not to mention the fact that he was now dying. In retribution, he attempted to clamp his jaws over Link's head…they only bounced off that infernal crystal.

Link punched Anguis' face away with another hard snap and then jumped up again to deliver one last blow to his chest…Anguis' heart was stopped by this hit and he collapsed down dead. This was done in perfect timing too as the spell-woven shield flickered away.

Link breathed a sigh and slumped down to the ground, Anguis' corps was too sick and blood crusted to look at…not only had that last blow finished him off, but it had broken skin that stretched open to allow certain contents to spill out.

"Wow…I'm impressed," Vera said vehemently. "I don't see why a sword wouldn't have been easier…"

"Anguis would have seen a move with a sword coming, but with a fist he obviously did not…I finished him off and that's the important thing…" Link replied. Unable to hold himself in a sitting position any more, he fell back and laid there on the ground, weariness and pain consuming him.

Anguis' body began to fade away and in its place, a healing fairy and an overly large treasure chest appeared. Link stared at these two things, the will power to make his way over there had left him.

"Get up you lazy boy and get that healing fairy, you most definitely need it…and that treasure chest might have something important!" Vera snapped at him.

"Why don't you get it?" Link mumbled.

Vera muttered something incoherently under her breath before flying forward. After a swift kick given to the other fairy by Vera, it quickly circled above Link, healing his numerous wounds and easing the pain before dissipating into nothing…but then again, that was the sad fate of a healing fairy.

Link flashed her a smile before nimbly hopping up and picking up his sword, returning it to its sheath. "Thanks," he said cheerfully.

"Lazy…" Vera muttered bitterly. "Can't even retrieve your own healing fairies…"

Link paid no heed to her words and walked up to the chest. With a heave, he pushed back the top and the chest's possession was revealed.

"Wow…a new pair of boots?" Link said with feigned enthusiasm as he picked up the boots from within the chest. Wings suddenly sprouted from the sides, Link jumped, but his interest in them wasn't even pushed up a notch. "These look like the Hover Boots I used to have…"

Vera gave a knowing smile and spoke, "I'm willing to bet those are much more advanced than what you think they are, let's get out of here first and then you can try those and that bow and arrow set you never used." A beam of light appeared in the center of the room and Vera flew over to it before disappearing.

"Thanks for waitin' on me!" Link said sarcastically as he too stepped into the light and was beamed away.

xxx

The two companions reappeared on the warp platform in Lake Hylia, and the good news was…the water was no longer boiling.

Link's eyes first met the sky upon ending up in this place. It was dark and storm clouds loomed ominously above…there were even several flashes of lightning. Who knew what awful state Hyrule was in?

"Come on, we have to get moving!" Link immediately began trying to march off.

"Wait! First try out your new items!" Vera snapped as if he should have known to do this in the first place.

"But---…" Link tried to argue.

"Zen can wait, try them out now!"

Link hesitated, how had she known about Zen and the nature of his quest? He had never fully come to understand why she was even following him in the first place…but he had never breathed one word about Zen to her. He sat down on the ground and exchanged his boots for the new ones, no more words passed between them.

A strange energy seemed to shoot through him upon donning the winged boots. He stood up and walked toward the edge of the tiny area of land he stood on. These things had to just be Hover Boots…

He sighed and stepped off the edge, expecting to hover on the air…instead, he went toppling straight into the lake water. Vera burst out laughing, "Try running in them…not…that."

"I can run in my own boots just fine, why would I need these things to do that?" Link spat out water as he surfaced in the lukewarm water.

"Just do it!" Vera ordered.

Link swam back to solid ground and shook the water from him. Well, that short bath had accomplished one thing…most of the blood and grime he had collected had been washed off…

He would amuse Vera and run, but immediately following his first step into a run, some uncontrollable power swept over him and the next thing he knew, he was moving at an unbelievably fast pace. Things passed through his vision in an unidentifiable blur…that is until he ran right into a tree…

"Ow…" he moaned as he laid there sprawled on his back where he had fallen.

"Those boots are called Pegasus Boots, they allow you too move at incredible speeds, you just need to learn how to harness their power so you don't continually run into things…like you did just now," Vera explained.

"You knew this and didn't tell me?" Link mumbled, instantly becoming rather peeved with her.

"It's funnier to watch you learn things on your own," Vera grinned roguishly.

"In that case I don't think I want to try out that bow…"

"Just shoot one arrow at that tree you ran into and see what it does, then you're free to go do whatever…"

"Fine then…" Link muttered standing and backing several feet away from the tree before drawing out the bow and arrows. He notched an arrow into the bow and then let it fly. It worked just like a regular set of bow and arrows…joy…

Vera saw the disappointment on his face, "There's more to them then you can see just firing at some old tree, let's get moving and then you can worry about things."

Link then put away the bow and arrows and began trudging towards the lake exit, leaving his old boots behind. Maybe if he were to journey by foot across Hyrule Field, he would get a bit more information on how things were playing out…

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Whoo…that chapter was unbelievably hard to write…Well anyways, thank you reviewers for your wonderful reviews and don't forget to check out reviewer replies.

-blondie91

Disclaimer: I still don't own the Legend of Zelda…Anything in this fic that I made up is mine though.