An update that took less than a month? It's almost like I'm getting back into the swing of things. Now to keep this momentum going...

In the meantime, for those of you who are looking for some extra Spirit Tracks (and/or Wind Waker) content in between uploads of this, I'd like to give a shoutout here to ask-the-kids-from-the-great-sea on Tumblr. They have some fun stuff and I'd fully recommend checking them out!

Chapter 20: Red Zone

Link's legs crumpled beneath him as the rumble shook the floor, only just managing to catch himself in a half roll. He tumbled, the floor cool against his back as he landed, staring at the ceiling. The blank, blue light-less ceiling.

He threw himself upright, crouching behind his shield. The faint scraping feeling that had flared onto his back, the exact same one from the maze, fading as he landed. His gaze flew around the room; darker now and, more importantly, only filled with the book cases he'd dashed through. His nerves scratched at his mind; something had changed. The floor, once a solid creamy brown, had morphed, now cut into blue and red halves. But there was no monster, with a few books out of place being the only sign of the crash. His eyes landed on the barrier. Zelda was right there, and the source of the crash couldn't have been much further, it was impossible for her to have missed it.

His stomach collapsed on itself. That had been right behind him; Zelda had been right behind him. His shield began shaking, unable to hold it steady as his grip strangled the handle. It was quiet now, and had been for too long. Why was nothing happening? Why was he stuck here and not there?

Pain ran from his shield-less hand, shattering his thoughts. The gem, once forgotten, now digging a hole into his palm under his grip.

"Zelda, what's happening?" He yelled into it, stealthy quietness abandoned in favour of distressed volume.

Zelda's breath was rapid as her voice echoed around him, "that green light wasn't a light," she took some slower, deep breaths before continuing, "It's some kind of giant floating glob now, it's – it's going through the wall!"

She hadn't even finished before the room was bathed in red. Along the wall, the world appeared to bend, the once clear barrier turning red as it stretched, like a fish pushing through a net.

The glob popped through the barrier, the momentum carrying it through the air as its body spun over the far off red half of the room. He pressed himself against the nearest book case, it's cold wood skimming his back as he shrank into it. He glimpsed the globs single eye - wider than he was tall – filled with focus as it scanned the room. Then he spotted it, freshly piercing the corner of the giant eye dangled a single arrow.

"Link, are you alright?" Zelda's whisper came from the gem in his hand, barely audible over the glob's growl.

"I'm fine, for now," he whispered back, taking the moment to loop the cord around his neck, "I assume that arrow's your doing?"

Zelda's relief filled sigh echoed, "I hit it? Good, it flew through before I could check."

His stomach swelled with warmth, "looks like you were right, it was worth bringing you."

The sound of her tut brought a smirk to his face as he poked his gaze around the corner once again.

It was quite high up, at least thrice his height, and impossible to reach from where he was. His hand fell to the pouch on his hip, wrapping around the snake headed whip strapped to the side. He unclipped it, letting the head fall to the floor.

Needles ran up his arm as it tensed, more from the strain of attempting to hold it back from lashing out right there than anything else. But it wasn't time, it was still too far. The glob dipped though the air as it gradually floated closer, 10 metres at most; the same needles ran through his legs as they coiled up. Eight... seven… six - his legs exploded as he leapt high, arm thumping with force as both it and the whip snapped through the air. The head struck its eye, off centre but accurate and strong.

Or so it seemed. The moment it connected seemed wrong, the usual tug of the whip biting its target was absent, the force not reaching his arm. His eyes met the globs own, completely unfazed and now focused on him.

He fell to the floor, once again rolling to absorb the impact. The glob followed, shaking the ground as it slammed down. The force threw off his barely established balance and he stumbled before he could fully land. His momentum twisted the room around him, ears ringing as his eyes darted around, grasping at anything to orientate himself.

They landed on the glob. The same glob that filled his vision as it charged towards him. Muscle memory kicked in, legs pushing his body aside. But he was too slow. His nerves flared as the spinning glob glanced him, twisting his shield arm on itself. While the thick metal took the brunt of the blow, it crushed into his ribs, accompanied by a sickening crunch as a sharp sting ran from his side and up his shoulder.

His lungs emptied and he barely landed on his feet, tumbling into one of the book cases. He froze on the spot - nerves chillingly numb. Experience screamed at him to keep moving, but the desperate need for air won the argument. Each breath was harsh, a dim thump ringing from his side with each one, but carried a soothing warmth as his body regained feeling.

A sickening squelch echoed behind him. He flipped around, ignoring the pain in his side as he skimmed the scene. The glob had flattened into the far wall, plastering itself across it. He had no time to celebrate as within seconds its squishy body was rippling itself off the wall, quickly regaining its round shape. Its body began to sheen, the light from within quivering with each ripple, and by the time it reformed what was once red was now an oceanic blue. Then its eye slipped through the mass, popping out the other side to land on him again.

He stumbled round the shelf, putting his weight on his other leg to dampen the pain, collapsing against it in some attempt to use it as a barricade. Pulling back, he rummaged through his pouch. He yanked out a bright red potion, tearing the bottles cork free as he gulped it down. The strawberry taste barely settled on his tongue before the liquid vanished down his throat. There was a moment of pause, followed by a soft cracking echoing from his side. His breath escaped him again, side screaming at him till it was reduced to a soft, manageable throb.

It was as the screaming settled that a more panicked voice reached him, calling from the gem on his chest.

"I'm alright, it only clipped me." He said, still a little short of breath as his brain made out her words. Zelda's comforting sigh responded to him.

"If you're sure," she said, the words stretched in a way he hadn't heard since she'd gotten her body back, "what happened? Did you get it?"

He stood once more, twisting his body to lessen the throbbing. "No. I hit the eye but nothing happened – well apart from it attacking me."

"That doesn't make sense, it was bleeding from my arrow wasn't it?"

She was right, of course, but it was equally true that his attack did nothing. They were missing something, some kind of trick? He slowed his breathing, once again peering around the shelf to scan for the creature.

His eyes flew over it the first time he looked, almost missing its near perfect camouflage against the equally blue floor. It wasn't floating yet, its yellow eye shifting about the room, much the same as he was. The idea popped his thoughts.

"You said it was green right?" he said, memory catching up, "well it's blue now, and it was red before that. I'm not sure why but it changed once it came closer to me."

Zelda tut as she thought, all the clearer now he couldn't see her face.

"It's the same as the gems, and that symbol on the floor," she mumbled, "where were you when you attacked it?"

Where was he? Had he even noticed? It was difficult with something like that bearing down on him.

"Near-ish the stand, why?"

"I mean the colour; on the floor? I've been on the green part the whole time."

Green? So hers was different from his? He thought back, flashes of colour in his mind.

"Blue, I've been in the blue half."

"So it's colour then," he could hear the smirk in her voice, "I think we can only hurt it by attacking from the same coloured floor as it."

Rumbling thundered around the room. His ears shook. No, it wasn't everywhere, but focused, and storming directly towards him. He leapt from the book case as it exploded, shrapnel flying into his raised shield as the glob smashed its body into where he'd been stood.

The room seemed to freeze as he took everything in. The glob had come to a stop, eye wide but unfocused, dazed. Its blue body stuck in place. His feet skimmed across the floor and his arm exploded, once again whipping towards the yellow eye.

Force pulsed through his arm as the whip struck, the tip flinging blood from the long gash it drew across the glob's eye.

Its shriek pierced his head, slicing in through one ear and out the other. His vision split, as if everything was dividing in two. He clutched his head, the clank of his whip and shield falling against the floor unheard under the wail. His bones shook under the sound, will alone keeping his legs up. He barely kept focus on the glob, only enough to see it recoil, blood flying from it as it flew back into the air and slammed into the barrier.

Pink and yellow flashed into his vision. His stomach flared. Zelda. One eye shut and face scrunched up in agony, but there. Their eyes met, but only for a moment, the body of the glob squeezing itself into the barrier cutting them off. He reached out for the whip, but his legs fell away, the same arm just catching himself before he completely crumbled. Then the shriek cut off and she was gone.

His head cleared, vision returning to normal as the ringing vanished, but his eyes fell to the blue floor underfoot. His breath caught in his throat. The glob was gone again, back with her again.

The gem was in hand before he got to his feet.

"Zelda?" He sputtered out breathlessly, stumbling towards the barrier. The twang of a bow responded, followed by rapid breaths and the stamping of running. His stomach twisted, as if someone was wrenching it from his body.

"I can't hit it!" She yelled, quivering voice echoing through her flustered breaths, "It's turned red!"

His gaze fell to the same coloured floor nearby. It'd gone back to her side because of him, and now she couldn't even fight back. Was that even fair? He needed to get to her, or bring her here, or get to that thing somehow. His legs carried him off, running along the barrier before the thought had finished forming.

"Where is it now? Is it near the stand?" He asked, panic on the tip of his tongue. Would it even matter if he knew?

He reached the red zone, hands pounding against the barrier's cool surface as he forced his eyes to scan above. It was still solid, tougher than any wall he knew of. The ground shook again, but he forced his legs to ignore it, to keep searching. Then Zelda screamed.

It came from his chest, starting from where the gem was pressed against his overalls but quickly piercing through them. The chilling sound ran over his warm skin, shooting up to his neck, strangling the breath from him before it enveloped his head.

"Zelda!?" He lost control of his voice, becoming louder than he knew it could, "Zelda what happened? Are you alright?"

Silence echoed around him. Three… Seven… Ten seconds passed, but no answer came. He gripped his whip arm with his other, tight enough it began to turn red.

He clawed at the barrier, as if he could scrape the surface away. His arms ached, demanding a break. He ignored them. It was stupid, a wasted effort, nothing could get through after all, but he still couldn't bring himself to stop.

Except the thought echoed in his head.

Nothing could get through? That wasn't quite true was it? That thing had moved through after all, so there must have been something, some weakness he wasn't seeing. He squinted up, focusing on the panicked memories of where the glob had first entered his side. It was somewhat lost in the darkness high above his head, but a dim light leaked through from the other side, highlighting a blurred ripple in the wall.

His head spun, jumping around the room. Shelves, some strewn about and in pieces thanks to that thing, but still enough to offer some extra height. He grabbed one, dragging it over to the barrier, ignoring the shredding of his ribs against raw skin. Once close enough, he rammed his shoulder into it and the shelf toppled into the barrier, seeming to pause in mid-air as it formed a ramp.

Link took a step back, eying up the distance. The whip began to creak under his grip. He'd only halved the height; would it be enough?

He forced his legs forwards, each step pushing the doubt further away as he dashed up the wooden ramp. The shelf shook underfoot, but he ignored it as he sprung upwards, launching himself towards the weak point.

He flew upwards till the ripple was eye level. Lashing out with his empty hand, the ripple glanced across his fingertips, skimming along the surface as it slipped away. He launched the whip again, before the thought finished forming, and the tip disappeared into the barrier. His stomach warmed for a moment, he'd gotten through! The thought hadn't even settled as cool air began to rush from behind his head, momentum spent as he dropped back to the red floor.

He stuck the landing, finally managing a perfect roll to absorb the impact. He barely took the time to celebrate, already lining up for another run. He pushed off, the near success giving him a new rush of energy.

"By…the…pedestal."

He stumbled, Zelda's words snatching his attention. Her voice was low, a sharp whisper, breathy and slow, completely missing her usual energy.

"Zelda what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"It's about…3 o'clock…ish," She continued, ignoring his question, but her stifled groan gave enough of an answer.

He swallowed, forcing his concerned tone with it, and spoke as softly as he could, "thank you, I'll be there soon."

Vigour pumped through his veins as he charged again, mind whirring through the motions. He held a breath, and the world slowed. His target would be narrow, the angle awkward. Springing from the wood, he planted a firm kick against the barrier, tossing his body to the side. A spark shot from his ankle, tingling up his spine, but he pushed it away as the barrier floated by.

Ripples filled his vision, the colours of the other side mixing like soup. There was a single red flash and he allowed his weapon to fly once more. The screeching returned, but dimmer, manageable. He thumped into the cool floor, embracing the air as he gulped it down, scanning the barrier as he did.

He slipped a bomb from his pouch, eyes still fixed on the barrier. The screech had stopped, replaced by a thump that shook the room.

Link froze, his eyes meeting the globs single one. It poked through the barrier, rage spinning within it like a typhoon. It squinted, blood gushing from its wounds. It forced its way through, more of its body squelching into his side.

His arm shot forward, the other striking the bombs fuse as he plunged it into the globs gelatinous body. He leapt back, sludge stuck to his arm, but his present firmly inside.

The room creaked under the blast and the globs sludgy body catapulted around it. His breaths were deep as he glanced down at the gunk staining his torso. He'd intended to dodge that, but apparently his body ignored his command.

The barrier popped, pulling his attention back as cracks exploded through it, and the whole thing fell away. Rumbling echoed once again, slabs of the ceiling falling in without the barriers support, the twinkle of stars glimmering through the new holes and replacing the lost light.

His legs carried him without command, pushing his weight onto his left as sparks of pain shot up from the right. She was there, somewhere, he just had to – there!

Zelda was slumped side first against a shelf, her once pristine clothes splotched with filth. She offered a weak smile as he hobbled over, but her eyes were dizzy. She scrambled, attempting to stand, but only succeeded in pushing herself to face him.

"Hello... you alright?" she'd said, but the words were hollow in his head; his attention stuck to her side. The pink dress was beginning to stain red; though, as she was pressing it into her side, the thick material somewhat repressed the flow.

He spun back to the room. He'd find the heart container, it'd helped him from far worse before, and she'd be fine. He stumbled around the stand, eyes abandoning anything that didn't resemble the giant, heart shaped crystal. But the room was empty, save the mess they'd left behind. His head ached as the shock in his body turned to panic. It didn't make sense, there was always a heart container when he killed something like that, it happened too much to just be coincidence.

If it was dead.

His gaze shot to the crumbled wall - the green leftovers of the glob, now smaller than he was, clambering up it. He'd only taken a single step before it flung itself out the roof and into the frozen night.

His mind exploded with thoughts, throwing each one away as another filtered in. She needed something, but the monster was gone, there was no heart container. His jaw clenched shut, so tense he was sure his teeth would shatter. Most of his supplies were on the train, dressings, spare potion, everything. Zelda was bleeding and he had nothing!

…But she might.

He tore into Zelda's pouch, flinging arrows and spare clothes into the room. His hand stalled, the rough texture of the notebook's peeling cover stroking it from its well protected position. Gently lifting the tattered book, he placed it atop the pile of clothes before ripping through the bag once again.

Her coat - still a pristine white - unravelled in his grasp, the bottled potion tumbling into his waiting palm. He spun to her side, popping the cork with one well practiced hand as the other cupped her cheek.

"Can you drink this?" He asked, eyes meeting her drooping ones, the last slivers of his energy flying out with every word.

She didn't speak, only reaching up and guiding the bottle to her lips as he held it, almost pouring the concoction over herself.

The moment dragged out as she gulped the potion down, and he only allowed himself to relax once the focus returned to her eyes.

"That stuff's disgusting," Zelda grumbled, and he couldn't help but crack a smile.