Chapter 11. Giant Talking Fish

It was probably weird that I had never seen the back of the island that was my home, but I'd never really had a reason to go back there. As far as I knew, it was just a big cliff. But when we got around the side of the island and saw the massive whirlpool of death, I started thinking maybe I should have done more exploring.

"What the hell is that thing?" I demanded.

"I believe Jabun placed it there, to protect himself."

"A giant whirlpool of death!"

"Er...yes."

"I think this Jabun guy has issues."

"Link..."

"I know, I know. When we get in there, I keep my mouth shut and let you do all the talking."

"Unless I say otherwise, yes."

"Can do. Now how do we get in there?"

"There, do you see that stone slab?"

"The ginormous one?"

"Ginormous?"

"It means really big. Yeah, I see it."

"Jabun is behind that...'ginormous' slab. We will have to destroy it to get to him."

"But the giant whirlpool of death is in the way!"

"We will just have to destroy the slab before the whirlpool destroys us."

I stared at him for a moment. "What really worries me is how calmly you're discussing our possible deaths."

"We are doing something rather dangerous."

"I noticed." I pulled the top off the crate of bombs and hefted one experimentally. "How am I supposed to get these things all the way over to the slab?"

"Ah, that is where you are lucky to have me!" The panel in the middle of the back of the boat-part of King opened up and a small cannon popped up.

"What the- How did that thing fit inside there?"

"I am a magic boat, Link."

"Ohh... Right..."

I steered King carefully to the edge of the whirlpool, trying to stay in the calm water. My idea was to circle the whirlpool, as close to the edge as I had to be, and shoot at the slab. The whirlpool had other ideas.

We weren't within a foot of it before the current swept us up and pulled us into the outer edge of the swirling death.

"Holy crap, King!" I exclaimed. "What do I do? What do I do?"

"Um, shoot as the slab?"

"Oh, right. Um. Okay."

It wasn't easy to load the cannon and aim while spinning around, but I managed to only miss about half the time. The top half of the rock came dangerously close to hitting us, and I was almost happy when we got pulled even further into the whirlpool. Almost.

We were dangerously close to the center and a dizzying drowning, when the last big chunk of the slab crashed into the water and the whirlpool disappeared.

"We win!" I exclaimed.

"Link..."

"I know, I know. I'll be good."

We sailed slowly into the cavern, out of respect I assume. It was huge, high, and seemed to take up the entire inside of the island. It was also empty.

"Um, King?"

"Shh."

The water rippled near the far end of the cavern, and light seemed to be coming from somewhere. It got brighter and brighter until I could see it, like a star under the water. The surface of that water sort of bulged upward, and the source of the light burst forth.

It was a giant fish.

It spoke, with a mouth that could have swallowed a ship three time the size of king, in a language I did not understand. But I did recognize it. It sounded like the same language the Great Deku Tree had spoken to me. He'd said it was an old language... Maybe the one I spoke was decended from it?

I listened carefully.

"Well met indeed, Jabun," King said, apparently in response to what Jabun had said. "I am pleased to see you are safe."

Jabun said something else that I didn't catch at all.

"Yes," King replied. "It seems that Ganon has returned. There can be no other explanation."

Jabun asked a question.

"Unfortunately, that is not so."

He asked another, shorter one.

"The one I have brought with me has no connection to the legendary one.," King turned his head slightly, gesturing at me. "And yet I sense great promise in the courage that this one possesses."

Promise? Me? I wasn't sure if that was flattering or not, but the way King said it...it sounded like it meant something.

I was so busy thinking about that, that I almost didn't catch the word "Hyrule" in what Jabun said next. Hyrule? What did a drowned kingdom have to do with anything?

"I do," King said. "It is the only way."

Jabun was silent for a moment, then said something that sounded like agreement. He shook his angler-fish-head-lantern, until something round and shining fell out. I didn't even have to move, the object came right for me. I held out my arms and caught what could only be Nayru's Pearl.

Jabun said something that contained the word "Ganon."

"So...that foul rain and endless night were indeed elements of a curse brought on us by Ganon," King said, hardly seeming surprised. "He must intend to cast this land into pure darkness for all time."

Jabun spoke again, another question. Again, I heard the word Hyrule, and is ended with something that sounded...familiar. I knew that word, but what was it?

"I believe I have," King said, after a moment's thought.

Jabun said that word again, along with Ganon, and I thought I heard something that sounded like "hands," but I couldn't be sure. Then he dived back under the water. And I hadn't even had a chance to say thank you.

Outside the cavern, the sky was growing light.

"Ganon's curse has been broken by the power of the pearl that Jabun gave us, so morning should come soon. It is well that we have gathered all the pearls."

"Yeah... But now what?"

"I will direct you to the places where you must set the pearls. Once you have placed each of the pearls in its proper location, the proving grounds for your courage will become apparent." He paused for a moment. "Clearly, the search for Jabun has shown that Ganon has begun to make efforts to block our path forward. It is certain that the perils ahead will be greater than any you have faced thus far. You should finish any business you have here on Outset right now, so that you shall not have any regrets later."

I thought about that. My only regret was not saving Aryll, and I couldn't do that without stopping Ganon, and I couldn't do that without doing this pearl thing. "No regrets here, King. Let's go."

But, as we sailed away, I thought of one other thing I would have liked to do before I died. It was silly, selfish, and probably completely motivated by my own blossoming hormones, but...

I would have liked to have kissed a girl.

Am I a complete loser or what?

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Wow, short chapter. I mean, really short. You're not the loser, Link, I am. Sorry everyone. ;

Um, hope you liked it anyway?