"The Toss"
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! WHOA! Back up there, lady! I'm not about to let you kill my guy!" The stout Yiga Leader stepped in front of Ganondorf pointing an accusatory finger at the Queen. "If you're gonna kill him you have to go through me first!" Master Kohga crossed his arms, staring at the Queen with a confidence Zelda felt was unearned.
"Gladly," the Queen replied blithely. The Triforce of Wisdom surfaced on the back of her hand along with a fireball in her palm which she threw directly at Master Kohga's face. The Yiga Leader shrieked. Ganondorf made no move to save the frightened Master Kohga. At the last second Sooga jump in front of Master Kohga.
When the hot fireball hit the cool steel of Sooga's sword it burned through the metal. Sooga was able to direct the fireball to the wooden wall beside him as his sword began to droop. Flames eagerly licked the wood. Sooga cast the sword aside and reached for the second sword slung on belt.
A roaring flame brewed in the Queen's eyes as well and the golden glow of the triforce bathed on her face. She threw another fireball with much more force at Ganondorf. Ganondorf smirked nonchalantly at her incoming attack instead of stepping out of the way. He outstretched his hand which glowed with the golden light of the Triforce of Power. As the Queen's fireball neared, Ganondorf reached for it and plucked it from the air.
The Queen's mouth hung agape. In the Queen's usually fearless eyes, fear was there. She held up her hand before her face as a knight would hold a shield. The Queen whispered to herself, "Impossible. That's impossible." To have the ability to manipulate magic was an impossible thing and phenomena that was foreign to the Queen.
"I'm afraid you're wrong." Ganondorf sneered before throwing the Queen's fireball directly at her. The Queen mimicked Ganondorf's motion from before, stepping out of the way and a smirk crept across her face. Although, the fireball missed the Queen, it didn't miss setting the planks of the hall ablaze. The light generated by the fire exposed both Zelda and Prince Link's hiding spot lightening the area that had once been safety in the shadows.
Fortunately, Ganondorf and the Queen didn't seem to notice Zelda and Prince Link. The silent parrying and summoning of fireballs continued as the flames danced around them. Relieved that the two most terrifying people in the room hadn't noticed them, Zelda didn't spot the two Yiga's staring down at them like hawks. Prince Link pointed at the Yiga, and Zelda saw them. Their pure whites mask distorted in the roaring flames and their crimson clothing reminded Zelda of blood.
"Eh?" Master Kohga murmured, and the Yiga Leader leaned in towards Sooga, whispering, "We can't have any witnesses, right?" Zelda heard a boot hit the floor and planks creaking. She turned and saw that Prince Link had taken off down the hall in the other direction. The Yiga Leader pointed a finger and the retreating prince. "Sooga! Get that little sneak and his girl too!" he shrieked.
Zelda's eyes darted between the battle of the Queen and Ganondorf and Link by her side. And who was suddenly not by her side. Far down the hall and moving fast was Prince Link's retreating figure. "Hurry Zelda, this way," he shouted over his shoulder as he sprinted down the dark hall.
Should I help the Queen or save Prince Link?
Zelda's duty as a soldier of the Royal Guard was to save the monarch of Hyrule. Though, wasn't keeping Prince Link safe her ultimate duty as given to her by said monarch? Plus destroying Ganondorf would achieve both ends. Should she stay and help the Queen fight Ganondorf?
Sooga dashed past her with his cruelly curved sword itching for Prince Link's blood. Zelda got up before she could stop herself and ran after Sooga who was in hot pursuit of Prince Link.
Zelda had no idea what she was going to do but she needed to do something! Zelda was tempted to draw the Master Sword. In moving through the underworld, it had been an advantage that her identity as the Hero of Hyrule, the wielder of the master sword was concealed.
There were risks in revealing the Master Sword. The patrons of the casino would no doubt despise her and possibly attack her as a do-gooder. The Yiga posed a much greater threat since the Yiga were known to try to please Ganondorf and it would be dream to those vile Yiga to have both the prince of Hyrule's and the Heroine of Hyrule's head on a platter, presenting it to their Lord Ganondorf.
Zelda was afraid to unsheathe her sword in sight of Master Kohga or Sooga due to these reasons...although, the darkest part of the hall was coming up fast. Her hand hovered over the Master Sword's sheath which was covered in a nondescript cloth. As soon as the darkness enveloped her, she drew her sword letting its steel ring loudly in the hall.
A voice yelled from somewhere behind her, "SOOGA! You've got that shrimp's angry girlfriend on your tail!" At the nasal sound of the voice and the ridiculous comment Zelda knew that it was Master Kohga. "Huff, huff, huff. I'll be there is a sec. I just got-gotta take a breath." Zelda heard Master Kohga exhale loudly nearby. He was panting so much it wasn't hard to pinpoint his position.
The butt of her sword came slamming down on something in the dark. The 'something' she supposed must have been an arm, specifically the Yiga Leader's arm. Along with a sharp crack a shriek rang out in the hall, "SOOGA! HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP! I'M DYING! HELP! SHE'S KILLING ME! SOOOOOOGA!"
Zelda hadn't anticipated such a dramatic response. Kohga's loyal henchman responded swiftly. Within a second of the Yiga Leader's screeching, a blade came crashing down on her Master Sword.
Zelda couldn't waste time dallying to duel. It was not her intent to fight him, rather she injured Kohga and as she had predicted Sooga would come at the threat of his Master dying. She dashed away from the two Yigas to find and protect Prince Link. Zelda was sure that the distraction of Master Kohga's broken arm would occupy them for a while.
The heroine wanted to tell Prince Link that she was on the way without revealing his identity to the Yigas. If she used the word 'Prince' it would notify them of his title. "LINK! I'm coming!" she yelled.
Darkness faded away as the light of the casino began to flood into the hall. Zelda found herself by the foul-smelling bathrooms once again. Leaning on the wall of the ship was none other than Prince Link. He looked up and smiled at her arrival. "Oh, hello Zelda," then his face darkened, "Did we lose them?"
Zelda glanced back at the darkness where she had left those two Yiga. She shrugged, "I think that Kohga's broken arm will delay them for a while." Zelda turned back to Prince Link. "Well, I guess we have to figure out what we should do next,"
From the darkness behind her Zelda heard a voice shout, "There they are!" Sooga emerged from the darkness with Master Kohga slung over his shoulder. The Yiga Leader pointed an accusing finger at her from his perch on Sooga's shoulder. "After them!" Master Kohga commanded. Sooga moved swiftly despite carrying a heavy man. He charged towards them with his master shouting at him to go faster.
"Oh, Hylia." Prince Link groaned as Zelda took his hand and they ran towards the main room of "The Blood Bucket". Unsuspecting patrons of the casino shouted as the heroine and the prince came barreling through the throng. More protests followed as Sooga, and Master Kohga chased after them.
Zelda trampled over anyone who didn't move out of the way. She searched for the exit with all her might, but it was no use. Curses and shout rang through the casino at Zelda and Prince Link's pushing and shoving. Drinks were dropped as people bumped into each other trying to move out of the way. Accusations began to brew among the drinkers and gamblers due to the bumping and shoving. Daggers were drawn and fists were formed as the chaos began to pick up speed around them. Before anyone knew it, a brawl broke out in "The Blood Bucket"
"OW! OW! OW! OW! BE CAREFUL, SOOGA! GENTLE ON THE ARM!" Zelda turned around to see Master Kohga feebly hitting Sooga on his chest at his protests. Sooga didn't flinch at his master's verbal and physical ways of demonstrating his complaints. His gaze was trained on the heroine and prince. Without wavering he continued following them through the crowd. As Zelda turned back, she narrowly missed a chair which had taken flight.
The heroine and the prince barely missed lunging daggers. Exotically colored drinks spilled on her and Prince Link. It was an obstacle course of ducking, jumping, stopping, pushing, and shoving. Someone shot an arrow from across the room, and it would have hit Prince Link if Zelda didn't pull him back. It didn't miss piercing another Hylian in the shoulder beside them. A boomerang cut through the air with a cruel curve and hit the wall to their left with a thud. A Goron's fist slammed into the cheek of a Sheikah which had almost been Zelda had she not ducked. Prince Link and Zelda almost tripped over a Zora who was laying on the ground with a stupid intoxicated smile on his face and a bloody lip.
"EVERYBODY SHUT UP!" a booming voice yelled. Shockingly everybody obeyed the voice's command. The fists ceased punching, the daggers stopped slicing, no cursing nor shouting left anyone's lips. Zelda turned to see a female Gerudo standing on the bar counter with her hands raised in front of her. The first thing that Zelda noticed about the Gerudo's appearance was not her red hair nor her green eyes. It was that every part of her body was covered in scars as if this woman had been in much fiercer brawls before this. Her gaze swept over every patron in the crowd in a scathing way that demonstrated she were the one in power around here.
"YOU FOUR! COME HERE!" the Gerudo shouted pointing, to Zelda's great horror, at herself, Prince Link and the two Yigas. Everyone in the casino turned to the four of them with a scowl and very little pity in their eyes. The people in the casino this time willingly made a path for them.
As the people parted the floor of "The Blood Bucket" was revealed. Wooden planks stained with crimson which Zelda very much suspected was blood. Zelda's stomach twisted as each step neared the woman. She had an uncomfortable feeling as if she was walking nearer and nearer to death.
As soon as the four of them had approached the counter, the music of the casino began again, and the people went back to their usual habits. The Gerudo hopped down from the counter with ease and Zelda got a better look at the woman. From afar the woman looked young though up-close Zelda could see steely gray running through the Gerudo's hair and the Gerudo's right eye had a dagger mark running through it. The Gerudo's one good eye looked them up and down with a scowl. When her eye fell on the Yiga, she guffawed.
"Put me down this instant, Sooga!" Master Kohga shouted and pummeled his fists on Sooga's shoulder. The Yiga Leader looked up at her "It's not funny, Nemesis! I broke my arm thanks to her!" Master Kohga looked down at Zelda and pointed at her. Sooga slid Master Kohga off his shoulder and set him down on the floor. As soon as the Yiga Leader realized that he was much shorter than the Gerudo, Master Kohga shouted at Sooga again. "No! Wait! I need to be taller than her. I need to look intimidating! Put me back up there, Sooga!" Sooga obliged with his master's wishes and placed Master Kohga back on his shoulder with surprising ease.
"Ha, Kohga you are so pretentious." Nemesis chuckled incensing the Yiga leader further. Her laughter faded as she set her eye on them once again, glancing between the two duos. "Do you realize how much damage you four have done?" Nemesis motioned to the disarray around her that consisted of broken chairs, broken tables, shattered drinks, a mess of blood and vomit. "I am afraid that rupees cannot pay for the disrespect and outrageousness you four have caused. I think that a punishment to fit the crime is in order..." Nemesis leered with a frightening look in her eye.
"Wha-what?!" Master Kohga stared at her. Sooga shifted his stance. Zelda and Prince Link glanced at each other. What did she mean? Master Kohga tried to smooth his nasal speech, "I mean...Nemesis aren't we friends? We've helped each other with sinister deeds, can't you...you know let this one slide at least for me..." Master Kohga quickly added. "And Sooga? I mean you are the owner of "The Blood Bucket, you can stop this!"
"Well...Kohga. As we both know the word 'friend' has 'end' in it." She smirked. "I am sad to say that our friendship has come to an end, Kohga" Before, any of them had a chance to run she commanded. "Seize them." Four Goron's, two Rito's and two Sheikah's appeared and grabbed the four of them. Two Gorons grabbed Zelda's arms and two other ones grabbed Sooga's. Master Kohga came tumbling off Sooga's shoulder with a shriek as two Sheikah grabbed him. Prince Link tried to take off but the two Ritos grabbed him before he could do so.
Nemesis pointed to a Zora waitress in the crowd who Zelda strongly remembered. "Hey YOU!" The waitress dropped her tray as she turned to Nemesis. "Prepare 'The Toss'" The Zora waitress nodded briskly before moving into the crowd to obey Nemesis's orders.
The Gerudo woman turned back to them, her smirk never wavering. "This should be fun! I've never had four people 'Tossed' at the same time!" she clapped her hands and then walked into the crowd. The crowd moved out of her way hastily giving her a wide berth.
As the four were dragged through an opening that led outside of the main room, another commotion began. While the four of them were forced to stare straight forward, Nemesis turned from the dark hallway back to the main room. Her eye went wide, her body tensed, and her hand hovered over the sheath which held her sword.
Zelda tried to turn her head to see what was happening behind her. Shouting, yelling, screaming was happening again though she couldn't see the cause. "Not this again." Nemesis murmured as though the situation with Zelda and the prince was repeating itself. She rolled her eye as she saw something else in the room. "Hylia, the last thing I need in this casino is to have a battle of divinity here." She sighed then turned towards the Ritos, Gorons, and Sheikahs keeping them hostage. "Just give them to Charon. He'll know what to do with them. I've got to go deal with this." She strode back into the crowd.
Their captors obeyed Nemesis's command and continued down the hall. Had Zelda been alone she would have twisted free and choked their captors without hesitation. But the short thick knife held to Prince Link's back made her hesitate. She was quick but might not be quick enough to prevent a killing plunge of the knife into Prince Link's heart. She couldn't risk his life. Better to wait for another opportunity to wrest him from their captors and get away.
Not a word was uttered in the party as they were pushed forward. The only sound was the clicking of boots on the planks of "The Blood Bucket". When they reached the end of the hall a bit of light flooded the darkness surrounding them. The sight when the stepped out onto the dock did not quench the concerns stirring within her.
The party stepped out onto a dock with rotting wood which swayed under their feet and groaned loudly at their footfalls. A rusted metal railing was the only barrier against the unsettled waters. The waters before them were a murky black. Zelda felt wary as she peered at the dark waters. A feeble lantern flickered beside them on the wall of the ship. It was as if the light was fighting off the darkness although its light began to dimmish as the flame died down.
Two people were already at the dock, one was unmistakably the Zora waitress from earlier who was inspecting her fingernails and tapping her foot in obvious boredom. A ferry bobbed up in down in the waters by the dock. Zelda recognized Charon staring at the murky waters before he looked up at the four of them. The ferryman looked indifferent at their arrival and drawled, "Let's get this unpleasant business over with, shall we?"
The Zora waitress's bored attitude faded as she realized that the prisoners had arrived. At the sight, she sighed in relief as if she was thankful, "Oh good. They're not already dead. That's a relief..." the Zora turned to Charon with somewhat an accusing look, "I always have to be the one to scrub out the bottom of your ferry after you dispose of the bodies!"
Charon scowled at the Zora's comment. "You think I want to do deal with what's left of them, entrails, blood and all? You think I want my boat to be soiled up with those ungrateful dead people? Look, if you want to be the one that has to touch them and throw them overboard be my guest." Charon turned to the group a relived look, "At least these ones are alive. It's so much easier and less gruesome. Dead bodies become tiresome. They are all the same. Silent and still folks without the sweet sound of screams escaping their lips." The blue lips of the ferryman curled at the thought which made Zelda cringe.
"You're sick," The Zora sighed before turning her gaze back to the hostages. When she saw Prince Link, she shook her head in a disappointment. The Yiga glanced between the Zora and the prince. The Zora laughed which made Zelda's eyes furrow. "Oh...well I guess you guys are about to find out what "The Toss" is, aren't you?" Her playful attitude made Zelda clench her fists. How could something horrible be so amusing? "It's ironic, I was just about to invite you to this "Toss", pretty boy, so you could see it since you were so curious. It seems that you are going to be the subject of it instead."
"Stop your babbling let's get on with it. I have customers waiting for me to escort them out of the Underworld," Charon straighten his posture. He leaned on his oar like a cane and pointed at the ferry. "Load them up." The Gorons, Ritos and the Sheikah shoved the four of them towards the ferry.
All four the prisoners were forced to sit in the back of the ferry. Prince Link went first being forced to sit behind the ferryman. The prince scrunched up his face in disgust. Master Kohga went next with an extraordinary number of complaints and the boat lurched as he settled his large form onto the bench. Zelda sat down without a complaint. She knew she could do to prevent this, but she remained honed for a way to rescue the prince. Master Kohga sitting between them certainly didn't help. Sooga then sat beside her in silence.
As the ferry man began to row away Zelda, heard the Zora sigh to herself. "It's a shame. He was a cutie." Zelda turned back to see the Zora leaning on the rail. Zelda could tell in the fickle Zora's eyes that she about to move on over Prince Link any moment. Ugh. Likely she was prepared to woo the next man who would get "The Toss".
Zelda's mind ran wild as they rowed farther away from the dock and the first flicker of panic lapped at the back of her neck. Were they going to be thrown into the waters to drown? Zelda scoffed it was such an ironic punishment this was a place that sailors practically crawled the place. Luckily, she and hopefully the prince knew how to swim.
"HA!" Master Kohga laughed pointing at the waters. "Is this is really your idea of "The Toss?" Drowning someone! Well, the joke is on you because Sooga knows how to swim, and he can save me!" At Master Kohga's loud words the already unsettled waters began to move around more. Zelda squinted at it and realized something very odd. How could there be waves if there isn't anything in this cavern to cause them?
The ferryman chuckled darkly, "It isn't just drowning that is going to kill you." Charon turned around to look at Master Kohga who sat with crossed arms glaring at the ferryman, "Tell me, have you ever heard of Lizalfos?" Something in the waters leapt out at Zelda's hand which was resting on the side of the ferry. Instinctively she pulled her hand out of harm's way and whatever it was submerged back in the waters. "Oh, they haven't tasted fresh meat in such a long time. They've feasted on the dead that lay in under these waters, for long enough. I'm sure they crave a live meal." The ferryman leered at the group with a delirious toothy grin.
"Master, let's kill the ferryman." Sooga withdrew his sword which foolishly hadn't been taken away by Nemesis. The ferryman flinched at the blade being drawn and he stopped rowing. Sooga must also feel creeped out by this ferryman as Zelda was.
Zelda surprised herself by saying. "I agree with you." Zelda readied her hand near her sword but didn't unsheathe the blade. She still didn't know if it was worth it to reveal her identity or not. She withheld and hoped that she wouldn't need her weapon. If the Yiga wanted to kill Charon, she wouldn't try to stop them. After all, if they killed Charon then they would be able to take control of the ferry and safety make it back to the docks which were moving farther and farther away as the boat moved into towards churning waters ahead.
"MUTINY!" Master Kohga bellowed as he unsheathed an odd weapon called a "Demon Carver" which was shaped like a flat circle and had many razor-sharp points on it. The Yiga Leader waved the weapon wildly in the air and lunged towards the ferryman who dodged slyly.
Sooga stood up in the ferry, standing over the ferryman and ready to slam his swords down on the skeletal ferryman. The ferry tipped ominously as the ruckus continued and Prince Link shouted. "STOP! WE'RE GOING TO GO OVERBOARD!"
The ferryman shouted at Sooga as Master Kohga tried to jab at the ferryman again with his weapon. Prince Link had to lean his head back to avoid being sliced by Master Kohga's Demon Carver. As Sooga leaned over to try to attack the ferryman it gave very little room to Zelda, and she was forced to bend over which was staining her neck. The tiny ferry rocked violently as the "mutiny" ensued.
The ferryman stood up and kicked Sooga in a place that would give pain to the bravest of men and Sooga tumbled overboard. Sooga collapsed in a heap tipping the ferry violently and it flipped over. Everyone onboard the ferry shrieked. Their screams turned to a muted gurgle as they plunged into the water. The whole party was given "The Toss" and only the Lizalfos were happy of this happening.
Zelda felt her body go numb as the frigid murky waters engulfed her. Darkness surrounded her, clouding her direction of where the surface was. She kicked her legs as hard as she could, she felt her lungs scream for air. Then, her heart dropped.
Where's Prince Link?
Zelda fought against the water and finally she broke the surface only to hear a collection of more screams. Though there was still darkness above, a little light from "The Blood Bucket" was visible. She sighed as she breathed in the salty air, and she looked around for Prince Link. The pathetic lantern light of the ferry had been a tiny bit comforting before though now it was not here, and she was alone...well not alone exactly. "SOOGA! HELP! SOMETHING BRUSHED BY MY LEG!" Master Kohga's scream rang out in the cavern. She could faintly see some frantic splashing in the distance. "I'M GOING TO DROWN! I CAN'T SWIM WITH MY BROKEN ARM!" The shrieks turned into gurgles as the Yiga Leader began to sink.
Her eyes went wide as she herself also felt something brush past her leg. Whatever it was felt very scaly and was colder than the waters around her. Zelda kept her head above the water afraid of what she may see below her. Prince Link was nowhere in sight which made her stomach twist and her heartbeat faster.
Where is he?
"LINK!" She shouted. She heard an evil chuckle nearby as she turned to meet its owner. Zelda saw the ferryman had clambered to the top of his capsized ferry and was sitting astride the hull rowing away slowly using his oar to clumsily propel the overturned boat. She frowned. She had to get to that ferry. The ferryman's hood had somehow managed to stay on his head and he was trying to maneuver the ferry back to the dock. "Oh, no you don't!" She grabbed his cloak from behind and the ferryman screamed as he tumbled back into the water.
"Hylia, have mercy!" he yelled to the high heavens, his grimy face turned towards the stony cavern ceiling. He turned to see that it was Zelda who had pulled him not a Lizalfo. "Oh...it's you," he realized with disgust and relief.
"Look, we have to get out of here quickly before all of the Lizalfos realize we are here. I'm sure they're snacking on dead bodies at the moment, but they will begin on us soon. Let me propose something." Zelda and the ferryman clung to the side of the boat. "How about, I can help you turn over the boat if you let me and Prince Link come with you?"
The ferryman looked hesitant as he pondered it. After a few agonizing seconds of inner calculation, he replied. "Yes...I could agree to that." The ferryman turned away from Zelda and patted the ferry. "Now, let's get my ferry back on her feet."
Grunting and straining, Zelda and the ferryman were able to right the ferry. Though its lantern had gone out, the ferry was boardable now. Zelda smiled. They were going to get out here without a scratch. "Thank you." She nodded to ferryman before she hoisted herself on board. When she was seated, she grabbed the ferry's oar from the waters and scanned the water for Prince Link "Now all we have to do is get Prince Link-"
"Hold on, young lady." The ferryman tried to hoist himself on board but failed. Zelda looked down seeing his struggle. She grasped his hand and hoisted but he slid back into the water despite her pulling. He waved his hand, "You see I'm an old man and I need help getting on board. Could you come down here and lend me a hand?"
Zelda nodded and placed the oar in the ferry before hopping down. She splashed into the waters which was a mistake since the waters began to ripple with life again. The Lizalfos become disturbed due to her sudden movements. "Come on. The Lizalfos are realizing we are here." She gave a great heave and Charon flopped into the boat, taking in a deep breath before turning to Zelda.
When she outstretched her hand for him to give a bit of help getting up quickly, he didn't take it. The ferryman sneered at her as he dipped his oar back into the murky waters. "Gullible girl, did you really believe I would help you?" he cackled. "I said I "could" agree to that. I didn't say I "would" agree to that. Parsing words is of utmost importance you little fool." Zelda realized what a mistake she had made. "So long! Enjoy your trip to the true Underworld." With a patronizing wave, the ferryman rowed faster than Zelda would have thought possible for a seemingly weak man. She tried to chase after him, but her limbs felt like they were tied to sandbags, and she couldn't generate a burst of speed. She could yell after him, but she knew she better not waste any air if she should go under unsuspectedly.
She turned away from him and to the impending darkness of the cavern. She had been betrayed. And now Zelda was going to pay the price for trusting so easily. It was hopeless and the darkness leered at her. Her heart dropped into her stomach when she saw hundreds of hungry violet eyes staring at her.