Hi, author here. Sorry for not updating, I got pretty sick. I made this chapter a little longer to make up for it. Thanks for all your reviews, I love reading them! Enjoy.
Magic was something Link had heard of, but never thought he would witness. Or fall victim to. He had heard of it from Rusl, who had told him of the various types of magic throughout Hyrule. His favorite story was of the Sheikah, who were fabled to have served as guardians of the Royal Family of Hyrule. Rusl had spoken of their haunting red eyes and expertise as warriors.
But this was not the magic he had known of. This was some kind of curse.
Looking down, all he could see was dirty grey fur and a dull metal chain tight on his foot. Actually, a paw. He had always loved the dog in the village, but he had never wished to be one. But here he was, covered in dark fur, four paws on the ground, and his very own tail.
Link took a second to let the shock set in. Panic raced throughout his body as he fought to decipher this new body. Everything was different. He couldn't even see the world correctly. Instead of the vivid shades he had been able to stare at, he now only saw dull greys and blues. It felt unnatural to try to stand, and he couldn't try anyway because of the heavy chain keeping him to the stone floor.
A chain. Why was he chained? He struggled to remember his last events before waking up in this new form. The last image burned in his mind was Ilia and Colin falling on the ground. Then the world had gone black. His skull ached from feeling the Bokoblin's blow. So where were Ilia and Colin? Were they safe? Or were they somewhere locked in a cell, too?
He decided not to waste any more time thinking. He had to get this chain off if it if he ever wanted to escape. Putting his newer, sharper teeth into action, he latched onto the chain and began biting in a panic.
"I found you." A strange voice sounded from behind him. He jumped and got down to attack, snarling out of instinct at this new… thing in front of him.
She was an odd looking thing, almost like an imp. Her body was short and round and covered in black and white color. Green almost glowing designs covered her arms and ears. She smiled at him, revealing her sharp little teeth. A large grey helm sat atop her head and fiery orange ponytail poked through. Her giant yellow eyes bored into him, almost amused at his obvious confusion and fear.
"Aren't you scary!" She laughed, hovering just an inch or two off the ground. "You sure you want to be snarling at me?"
Link stood firm. Who the fuck was this? And what? Was this the thing that brought him here and locked him up? He flashed his teeth and snarled again, poised to attack if necessary.
"What a shame. I was planning on helping you…" She sighed in mock disappointment, turning her back on him.
Helping? Link reconsidered. He couldn't trust this creature, but he was getting nowhere by himself. He cautiously stood back up and tilted his head at her.
She laughed again, this time at his sudden change of heart. "Much better. You humans are obedient to a fault, aren't you?" Smugness radiated off of her miniature body.
Annoyance built up and Link held back another snarl.
She hovered towards him and smiled. "Aw, but you aren't a human, are you? You're a beast now!" Her arrogant laugh echoed around the cell.
Link felt a rush of anger at snapped at her. She jumped away just in time, now even more amused.
"Now, now, don't bite." She flashed another smile at him and too a deep breath. Her little hands came together and a look of genuine concentration crossed over on her face. A tiny green ball began to form in her hands, and she pushed it towards him, watching as it landed against the chain.
Link held back a yelp in surprise as the chain broke with a loud snap. Okay, now he had gotten to witness magic too. An eventful day. Maybe he was hallucinating. A concussion, maybe.
"Don't look so surprised!" Her laugh sounded again, at least this time less smug. Link blinked and took a step back in fear as black shapes began popping out against her body. She hovered higher. "I bet you're wondering where you are."
Link watched in shock as she burst into bubbles, and reappeared outside his cell door. She smirked again at him in amusement. "Well, maybe if you're smart enough to get out, I'll tell you!"
Link stood in horror for a second at what he had just witnessed. Obviously, it was going to be a long day. The figure hovered outside the door, eyeing his every move. Stress built up as he frantically looked for an escape.
A hole in the corner caught his eye and he stepped over to it. Might as well put his paws to good use, since he had to deal with being a beast now. He pawed at the dirt, and to his surprise, it gave way easily. He pushed more and easily dug through, coming out the other side of the cell wall. Guess being a dog did have some perks.
He looked around, searching for the little imp that helped free him. A sudden weight on his back caused him to yelp and he turned to bite at the attacker, only finding the imp there. What was he, a pony? He barked in protest.
She ignored him. "Guess you aren't so stupid after all!" She settled further on his back, earning another bark from Link. "Here's the deal." She yanked on his ear and leaned in close. "I'll help you, but only if you do exactly as I say." Her voice dropped to a more serious tone. "If you need me, just bark or something. We good? Now, get going!" She let go of his ear.
Link snarled in reluctance. But what choice did he have?
Exploring his surroundings was step one. There was the cell he had escaped from, and then an empty cell next to it. The room was dark and damp with patches of straw lying around. The musty stench poisoned the room, which was even more unlucky for Link and his heightened sense of smell. The dampness clung to the stone walls and the dripping echoed around the room. His broken chain still clung onto his paw and clanked against the floor with every step he took. There was an exit just a few lengths away, but Link was hesitant to test it. Someone had locked him up, and he was not eager to meet them.
He pushed open the neighboring cell door with his nose and began checking around there. Same patches of straw, but a door was in the back corner of the room. A barrier stood in front. Perhaps this exit was safer.
He looked up and found the lever above him. With a short jump, he snapped at the lever in mid air and clamped it down in his jaws. As he fell back to the ground, he kept a tight grip and dragged the lever down with him. Sure enough, he heard the heavy barrier scrape against the sides of the frame and move up. The little imp clapped politely at his success, earning an eye roll from Link.
He bounded through the small exit and jumped down to a lower level. It was a short jump, and a grate was set high into the wall. More stone covered the walls and pipes stuck out. Almost like a sewer. A shimmering blue flame hovered, hidden in the corner. He paused and carefully approached it, tilting his head in confusion at the little light.
A tap on his back snapped him to attention. "You want to see something interesting?" The imp smirked. "You're a beast now. Try honing your senses. See what happens." She sat back with an air of confidence.
Link closed his eyes and focused. He hadn't given much thought to his new heightened sense, other than smelling the stench in his cell. But even in human form, he would've noticed the smell.
Drawing in on his better senses, he opened his eyes to see the world transformed. The blue flame had become a dim soldier, leaning heavily on his spear for support. The poor man looked exhausted and was shaking, either from the cold or in fear. He seemed to be mumbling something, so Link got closer and listened intently.
"Can't run any further, I'll be safe here, I think…" The soldier muttered between heavy puffs of breath. He suddenly tensed and began looking around frantically, shaking even more in panic. "What's that? Don't come near!" He shouted at no one, the fear clear in his voice. Link tried to bark in an attempt to catch the man's attention, but the soldier didn't seem to hear him. Link tried again by nudging him with his nose, but was shocked when his nose went right through the soldier's body. Was the soldier dead? Was he hearing spirits? The questions raced through his head.
The imp yawned and poked his back again. "That was a soldier's spirit," She whispered. "Maybe it's someone from the other world." She let out a giggle. "There's more down here. They might know some things."
Link shook it off. Other world? She was giving him more questions than answers. He raced down the length of the room and found water rushing in small canals. The musty stench increased and he found more and more grates lining the walls. Black flecks, like the ones that had appeared by the imp when she teleported out of his cell, were rising from the water. Link's instincts screamed danger.
Sure enough, glancing down, he found dark creatures swimming below him. They were small and squid-like with a single evil eye on each of them.
"You can still fight in this new form, you know. Trust your instincts." The imp encouraged.
Link took a breath and poised to fight. He had not wanted to make a habit out of fighting, but it was too late to stop. Targeting the monster, he lunged and caught it in his jaw. He felt his teeth rip through its body and the black blood gush out of his mouth. He spat it out and watched as it shuddered for a second, then accepted death.
Pride and disgust washed over him. He felt animalistic, which wasn't wrong. But at least with the sword it wasn't nearly as barbaric as ripping out a creature's guts. Alas, he had to do what he had to do. The world was succumbing to darkness, and he had to fight any way he could.
As he ran through the rooms, he continued to kill three or four more monsters. Eventually he found another heavy barrier, this one blocking a grate. He could hear more water slapping against the barrier on the other side. On the opposing walkway, spikes lined the floor. He wouldn't be able to get over them by jumping, and he couldn't walk over them. Raising the water level seemed to be the only solution. He yanked at another level and watched the barrier rise and water flood in.
Another polite clap from the imp sounded. With another eyeroll, he swam over the spikes and toward two other shimmering blue flames he saw in the distance.
He approached the first to find a soldier cowering, crying over the black monsters swimming in the waters. The other spirit was also afraid. Link understood that the spirits could see the monsters, but for some reason, the could not see him or the imp. How strange this 'other world' was. And he had only seen soldiers; where was he?
Eventually with pulling more levers and killing a few more monsters, he found his way to a circular room with the imp. Broken stairs spiraled around the walls. Water flooded the very bottom of the room, but the smell wasn't as present here. The ceiling was high and he could smell fresher air beyond. They must be close to an exit.
He trotted up the stairs as best he could, but the gaps of broken parts were too far for him to jump. Upon this realization, the imp sighed.
"Do I have to do everything for you?" She grumbled, hovering over to the next stable part of the spiraling staircase. "Focus on me. Then jump."
Link gave his own internal sigh and frustration, but followed along and jumped to her. To his surprise, it worked. He would've been much more appreciative towards her if she didn't treat him like some sort of stupid scum.
After many jumps and almost falling a few times, they finally reached the top and an exit to the outside. But not the fresh outside air he was expecting.
The view would have been spectacular, if not for the dull sky and rain and threatening dragon-like monsters flying above. Before him was a castle. It was gigantic, much bigger than any building he had ever seen. The tops were carefully crafted with beautiful details. The stone and roof work before him was intricate and made of high quality, expensive material. The castle looked almost familiar to him, but he couldn't quite place it.
"Isn't the black cloud of twilight just beautiful today?" The imp relaxed and seemed pleased while she stared at the sky. "Still don't know where we are, do you? There's someone I'd like you to meet. See that tower?" She pointed to the highest tower. It came to a sharp point at the top and had beautiful windows adorned on the outside. "Go there."
Link growled again at taking orders, but he supposed she was helping him. Even if she was a brat about it.
He tiptoed over the rooftops slowly and carefully as not to fall. The ground was far,far below the rooftops, and he wasn't planning on dying. Honestly, he always thought he would die of a ram crushing him. He had never thought of anything like this.
Another spirit stood before him, shaking and ducking in fear. "Damn these monstrous birds! Our poor Hyrule Castle!"
Hyrule Castle. So that's where he had been taken. Dread made a pit at the bottom of his stomach. How could this be? Their military was brave, unmatched by the surrounding territories. What was this 'other world'? Who was doing this?
He looked toward the tower, with it's stunning windows. Was the princess safe?
New motivation crept in and he raced towards the tower. The dragon-like monsters didn't stand a chance, although they were much harder to defeat than the squid-like ones from the waters. His recklessness almost made him fall off the roof, even.
The imp pushed him towards an open window. No glass covered it, so he assumed it had been shattered by whatever monster had attacked the beloved Hyrule Castle. He had never been told any stories of the heinous black monsters he had encountered. Who could this be? He leapt through the window in a rush to find any answers he could.
Safe from the rain's downpour, he shook off his fur. His leap was greeted by yet another spiral staircase. The same dark stone covered the walls, but it was not dripping and musty like the sewer had been. He knew by instinct that this was the princess's tower.
He raced up the staircase and pushed his way through the door at the top. He came out into a bedroom, he supposed. A bed was pushed to the side. A fireplace crackled on the wall. Pictures and metal symbols covered the walls, and two scenic window on the far side of the room was the only source of light.
He almost didn't notice the cloaked figure standing there.