The Pirate Prince
Chapter 7: Link – Hallowed Cave
Link walked around the ship, with Impa, Aryll and 'Tetra' following him. Midna watched 'Tetra', as she was quickly glancing around her. Alfonzo stood to Midna's right.
"There's something strange about that girl." Said Alfonzo, as Link taught them how to secure the moorings for the ship. The small group disappeared below deck, before Alfonzo fully turned to face Midna, "I know the name Impa, apparently she's the personal guard and nanny to the Princess of Hyrule."
"So, what's she doing here?" Questioned Midna, as the group reappeared on deck, Link's smile was gone, replaced with a grim frown.
TPP
"So, tell me what happened." Said Link, leaning against a support for the deck above.
"The annual summit was happening, all of the leaders of the tribes were there," Said Impa, folding her arms, "After everyone had arrived, the ceiling caved in and Skyloft landed in front of the King and Queen."
Link closed his eyes, as leant his head back onto the beam, "And then?"
"Then, Skyloft closed his jaws around the Queen, killing her." Said Impa, her voice wavering slightly.
Link sighed and looked at the group, "Was anything amiss with Skyloft?"
Everyone was quiet, before Zelda spoke up, "His eyes were red, not just his eyes, everywhere the light shined was red."
"So, he was possessed." Said Link, looking around him, "Did Mum and Dad make it?"
Aryll was quiet, shrugging wordlessly. Link sighed, before he threw a bottle of rum at a nearby wall. Aryll flinched at the sound, as Link stood with his back to the group.
"In the morning we'll reach the Cove," Said Link, not looking at them, "I'll speak to Telma, see if she can dig up if Mum and Dad made it back to the desert, I'll need to speak with the Mayor, if what possessed Skyloft has been around long enough to know how to, then maybe we've found Roderick's master."
The name caught Impa's attention, "What did you say?"
"Roderick, he was captain of Hylia's Might, turned on all of us as soon as he got the chance." Said Link, turning to look at Impa.
"That's not possible," Said Impa, shaking her head, "Roderick was killed before Hylia's Might finished contruction."
Link's face went slack, before he led the group out onto the deck, mulling over the latest information he had just received.
*/TPP/*
The Fierce Deity sailed into the dock of the Cove, not far from the Cove was the forest that led into the Lost Wood and, by extension, The Kokiri and Korok forest. The Cove was an entire city made up of levels, the bottom level was the docks and ship yard, where the ships were kept, built, repaired and maintained. The second level was the homes of the dock and ship yard workers, which consisted mainly of humans, Hylians, Gorons and Zora. The third level was the inns, taverns, food and clothing shops and the occasional restaurant. On the forth level were the homes and schools, where the children that resided in the Cove could receive an education. The fifth level was the weapon shops, unfortunately some of the weapons were bought cheap, which resulted in a large number of problems. The sixth level consisted of various blacksmiths, which took the cheap weapons and reinforced them to ensure they would last longer. The seventh level was the law enforcement and labs, which consisted of some Sheikah. The eighth level was the Council house, which was the governing body of the Cove. The ninth level was the houses of the council members, which included the Mayor. The Tenth level, which was the surface, lead out on to the Forest and surrounding hills and cliffs, as well as any religious grounds for the residents of the cove. There was also a prison not far from the entrance, where people who had broken the law were kept, at least until they had sorted themselves out. There was also a number to shops so that passers-by could restock of supplies for their journey.
Link quickly departed from the ship, Aryll, Zelda and Impa following. As Link quickly ascended to the third level and knocked three times on a door that had a cat carved into it, the sign above the door read 'Telma's Inn'. Zelda suddenly sneezed, before a cat brushed up against her leg. Zelda let out another sneeze, before Link picked the cat up and knocked three times on the door again, harder this time.
Aryll heard a woman shouting in Gerudo, before the door swung open to reveal a woman Aryll hadn't seen in years.
"Nana Telma!" Cried Aryll, rushing towards the Gerudo and wrapping her arms around her.
"It's nice to see that at least one of you remembers me." Said Telma, wrapping an arm around Aryll, while giving Link a playful glare. Link suddenly became very interested in his boots.
"Now, why are you here?" Telma asked, "Especially with the Princess?"
"Impa will tell you inside, I need to speak with the mayor." Said Link, starting to head off to the ninth level.
"Do you really think that Dutour will listen to you?" Called Telma, as Link walked away.
"I doubt it." Yelled Link, as he reached a set of stairs, "But it's worth a shot."
Link began climbing, not realising that he was being followed.
*/TPP/*
Link breathed heavily as he reached the ninth level, having ran the entire way, which was not a bright idea. Link quickly composed himself and knocked on a well-furnished door. A Rito opened the door, with a towel over his left wing. Link internally groaned, knowing that there was a rule on no waiting staff outside of restaurants, Inns and Taverns. Link knew because he made the rules, having founded the cove not long after finding it. Many of the people viewed Link as the head of state for the cove, while most of the council members viewed Dutour as the head of state.
Dutour was a vain and greedy man, he once willingly sent his own son to prison, because the accuser had offered Dutour nearly a million rupees. Dutour's son, Kafei, now worked on The Fierce Deity as a quarter master. Link quickly brushed past the Rito, ignoring the indignant look he received. Link threw the door to the dining room open, which made the council members jump. Link knew for a fact that a large number of them feared him, especially after how he dealt with a rapist that had snuck their way into the Cove. Only Bo, the head of the farming areas and Auru, the head of Philosophy didn't fear Link, because they didn't have reason to. Link noted that the Council still consisted of many Hylians, which made Link's blood boil.
"We need to talk." Growled Link, tossing a knife into the table. The knife was from a man who attacked Link before he and the crew had gone to Termina to restock, "That is a knife from one of your lackeys, Dutour."
Dutour, a pathetic looking man, sneered, "And?"
Link's eyes narrowed, as he rested a hand on the hilt of his cutlass, "And, said lackey attacked three of my crew members, killing them. If I find that you had a hand in any of this, I'll throw you into the ocean attached to a pair of lead shoes."
Dutour nodded, fear clearly in his eyes, "On another note," Said Link, turning to address the rest of the council, "There is a small group that joined my crew in Clock Town, they will not be taxed in anyway. And if they are," Link's eyes flashed, "I will hunt down each and everyone involved."
The council nodded, Link frowned, before turning to Bo and Auru "Gentlemen." And left the house. Link heard a rustling sound and turned towards the stairs to the surface. Link quietly drew his sword and headed towards the origin on the sound. Link kept his ears open so that he could locate the source. Eventually Link came to a cave not far from the forest.
"I'm going to regret this." Mumbled Link, before he descended into the cave.
*/TPP/*
The first thing that hit Link was the smell, the second was the small coil that wrapped itself around Link's neck. Link internally groaned and hooked two fingers around the coil, gently prying it from his neck. Volga sheepishly looked up at Link, the dragon trying to look as innocent as possible.
"Volga," Said Link, looking down at the dragon, "last I checked, you were asleep in my cabin."
"I woke up." Said Volga, "But I can help, I can help you find your targets!"
Link groaned, knowing that Volga had a point and if he turned back now, what ever was creating the noise may be gone. Link looked around and saw a simple wooden shield not far from him. Link walked over and picked it up, Link checked the shield over before placing it on his back, Volga wrapping around his arm. Link took a step forwards and jumped back when a Deku Baba strung from the ground, its jaws snapping mercilessly at him.
Link defeated it with a single swing of his sword, the top half of its mouth separating from bottom half. Link then observed the shield again, noting, with a sudden drop of his stomach, that the shield was new, having seen the same make in the Cove's Bazzar. Link hooked the shield onto his right arm and drawing his sword with his left. Volga hovered above Link's head, occasionally darting over to heaps scattered across the room. Link looked for any sign of a door, his frustration growing when he couldn't locate one.
"Link?" Called Volga, hovering over a head, "This one is different from the others."
Link made his way over to the small dragon, quickly dispatching another Deku Baba as it sprung from the ground. A small seed fell from the creature's mouth, while the stem it stood on darkened and fell over, becoming a normal stick. Link picked both items up and looked at them, Link recognised the seed as a Deku Nut, when it was thrown it would let out a loud bang and a bright flash. Many Sheikah Shadows used them when 'vanishing'. The stick was a normal Deku stick, they were often used as torches and walking sticks. Link continued on his was to Volga, stopping and looking at the heap. Link crouched down and used a Deku stick to prod the heap, Once Link was certain it wasn't going to move, he used the stick to lift a portion of the heap up. Link launched himself back in horror, as he saw the skeletal remain of a child's hand. Link quickly darted around the room, his horror growing as he found that all of the heaps were the bones of the different species, Hylian, Zora, and Goron bones were the most common, while Rito, Sheikah, Gerudo and Twili bones were few and far between. Link then looked at the back of his new shield. On the back, in very faint writing, were the words 'Property of Pipit, return to if found.' Link knew Pipit, he was a swordsman who had vanished three months before hand.
Link looked in the direction of where he picked his shield up, slowly walking forwards, Link came up to and used his Deku stick to get rid of the cobwebs, Pipit's boots laid behind the webs. Link had the sinking feeling the something bad was going on. Link looked at the wall in front of him, before spotting an inscription on the wall, 'Light the Guardians and the way shall open.'
Link stared at the inscription for a minute, before he looked around the cave. 'What in the name of Hylia do they mean by light the guardians?' Thought Link, as he continued to look around the room. Link took a step forwards and felt something collide with his foot, looking down, Link found a lantern and it looked like some oil was still in it. Link quickly ignited the lantern and looked around the room, with the added light in the room, Link spotted a cluster of statues, six in total and a tomb resting in the middle of them. Link slowly walked up to the tomb and looked down at the writing on it.
'The light of the six guardians shall guide all to an ever-lasting rest.' Was the first inscription, the second, which was lower down, read, 'Here lies Daltus, Son of Gustav, King of Hyrule, Guardian of The Picori Blade.'
Link looked up at the statues again, before noticing the medallions the rest at their base and the torch beneath the medallions. Link walked over to a statue and saw another inscription, quickly darting around, Link found that each statue had the same inscription, 'Light us in order of receiving our power.'
Volga suddenly flew over to the tomb and started hovering over it. Link carefully looked over the tomb again.
"What do you think they meant when they said, 'light us in order of receiving our power', Link?" Asked Volga, settling on Link's shoulder.
"Well," Said Link, "The statues are of the Six Sages, from the time of King Daphnes, but the tomb is King Daltus, who came a good century and a half or so before Daphnes was even born. But by order of receiving their power obviously means the Hero of Time."
Link's boot scuffed a metal object, bending down, Link picked it up. A tarnished Sword was in Link's hands, a faint inscription was on the blade, Link spotted a pedestal a couple of feet away and moved towards it. Link placed the blade in the Pedestal and walked back to the tomb. Link stopped and looked back at the blade, recognising it from one of the history books. Link suddenly realised where he was and why Daltus was here instead of Daphnes. Link grabbed the lantern and walked up to the statue of the Light Sage and lit the torch, before moving to the Forest, Fire, Water, Shadow and then Spirit Sage. A dull grinding sound came from behind the Forest Sage statue. Link walked up to it and saw a door next to it had opened.
Link grumbled slightly, before heading through the door. Volga following behind him. As soon as Link entered the room, the door slammed shut and locked itself. Link went still and spun around to look at the door. Link heard a noise behind him, turning around, Link spotted what looked like a pair of giant Keese, except that one was spouting fire and the other occasionally covering itself in ice. Link then looked at his shield, noting that it was made of wood, meaning it would burn if it came into contact with the fire. Link placed the shield onto his back, before taking the blade into his hand. Before he charged at the Keese, Link threw his shield to the side and gripped the sword with both of his hands. Link swung his sword at the Keese, his sword missing when the Keese darted out of the way.
"Hey!" Called Volga, "I can hover above enemies so that you are able to attack them! These Keese are annoying, if only we had something to keep them still."
Link frowned before he slapped himself in the face, taking a deku nut, Link threw it at the Keese, stunning them and allowing Link to attack one with his sword. After five hits, the Giant Fire Keese exploded into nothing and Link turned his attention to the other Keese, only to see it flying in his direction. Link threw another Deku Nut, stunning it and hit it five times with his sword. The Giant Ice Keese exploded into nothing and Link blew a sigh of relief. A chest fell from above Link.
"Ooh," Said Volga, "A chest, it might hold something good!"
Link slowly walked up to the chest and opened the lid, reaching in, Link found a Whip.
"A whip?" Questioned Volga, "What are we going to use that for?"
Link looked up and spotted a lever that was out of reach, "Volga, do you think you could hover above that switch?" Link Asked.
Volga flew up and hovered above the lever, "Like this?"
Link suddenly cracked the whip and wrapped the end around the handle of the lever, after making sure that the whip was secure, Link pulled downwards, changing the position of the lever, making the doors unlock.
"That could've hit me!" Exclaimed Volga, flying down to rest on Link's shoulder.
"Do you really have such little faith in me?" Asked Link, his eyebrow raised.
Link walked towards the now unlocked door, keeping an eye out for any more surprises. Link idly kicked a rock towards a torch, silently humming a small tune under his breath. Volga quietly wrapped himself around Link's arm. Then the was an eerie groan filling the air, Link quickly grabbed the hilt of his sword and yanked it free of the scabbard and hauled his shield from his back.
Link's first thought was that he'd encountered a Redead, before he discarded that thought and slowly placed his shield back onto his back and held up his lantern aloft. The skinny, half-dead creature reached out to Link, slowly stumbling forwards, until it reached Link and promptly fell flat on it's face. Link slowly nudged it with his boot, before he decided to turn it over, so he could get a decent look at it. Link's stomach dropped as he stared down at Pipit, who could only keep moaning.
"That's Pipit!" Exclaimed Volga, as Link quickly grabbed a flask of water that he kept at his waist. Link carefully propped Pipit up and brought the bottle to his lip. As Pipit drank, his eyes opened, and he slowly looked up at Link.
"Link," Rasped Pipit, slowly reaching up to his friend, "i-is it really you?"
"Yeah, it's me, Pip." Said Link, quickly rummaging through his pockets, trying to find food, "What are you doing here? Karane's been going mental.
"Dutour sent me up here," Said Pipit, "Told me to find what's been killing the livestock."
This was the first Link had heard of the livestock, "Pipit, what do you mean?"
"Cattle, sheep, goats, horses and even the odd dog or two, have been turning up dead near this cave, their insides practically liquid." Said Pipit, looking up at Link.
Link was silent, before he looked down at Pipit, "Can you walk?"
Pipit only bowed his head in shame, Link frowned, before hoisting Pipit up and placing Pipit on his back.
"Oh," Said Pipit, "You found my shield."
Link grunted as he positioned Pipit, so he wasn't poking him in the back, "Yeah, I take it the lantern is also yours."
Pipit only hummed, before Link looked around the room. Volga took the lantern from Link and flew a couple of ahead of Link, before he stopped. Pipit gently nudged Link's arm and handed him a piece of paper, "I found this when I got here."
Link took the paper, before noticing that it was a map. Link observed the map, before he placed it in his back pocket, "We shouldn't be long, everything here is so decayed and rusted that everything is rather straight forward." Said Link, as he made to head back the way he came. That was until the ground beneath him gave way.
Link and Pipit landed in a heap, Link letting out a low groaning sound similar to a dying cow. Link slowly got to his feet and gently placed Pipit on the ground. Volga flew down to them and hovered in front of Link.
"Well, there goes that idea." Muttered Link, before he heard Pipit quietly sob. Link turned to Pipit and knelt down in front of him.
"I was so close," sobbed Pipit, trying to curl in on himself, "and now I've gotten you trapped as well."
Link frowned, "Pipit, we aren't trapped, Volga can go get Alfonzo or Mikau."
"NO!" Cried Pipit, before he suddenly sobbing harder, "Don't leave me in the dark, I can't stand the dark."
Link frowned again, before he beckoned Volga closer to Pipit, "Pip, how long have you been down here?"
Pipit curled in on himself, choking out, "f-four-and-a-half months."
Link's blood froze, before he gathered some wood and placed them into a pile. Link then lit the wood and quickly located his travel pack, which had some food rations in it. "Volga stay with Pipit, I'll be back as soon as I can."
Link turned his head and spotted a wolf, Link clicked his tongue and the wolf ambled forwards. The wolf passed Link and laid down next to Pipit. Link smiled slightly before picking up the lantern and headed off into the darkness. The stench of decay getting worse, until Link's head collided with a boot. Grasping his forehead, Link looked up as found that he was now underneath the grave yard. Link's heart stopped, realising that he was in a grave robbing tunnel.
Link unsheathed his sword and stalked forwards, hearing the same strange clicking noise from outside the cave. Link looked forwards and spotted a door, which seemed incredibly out of place in the tunnel. Link quietly steeled his nerves and walked through the door.
A/N: Ok, chapter seven and the first dungeon done, the next chapter will be the boss fight and Link getting Pipit back to the cove. Review and favourite and who should I kill, Impa, Midna or Aryll?